Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

From magnum and paired well with three different Tri-tip steaks sources and marinades.

On the nose, sweet & sour, ripe dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, some ripe, slightly rustic rhubarb with just a hint of blue fruits. Glycerin, touch of fruit liqueur, vanilla, dry stones, crushed rocks, hints of dry herbs, used leather, saddle-wood, dark rich soils, soft dark spice, underlying white pepper and dark red fresh and slightly withering florals with a touch of violets.

The palate is med and beautiful. The length, structure, tension and balance are at its peak harmony from magnum. Sweet & sour, ripe dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, pomegranate, some ripe, slightly rustic rhubarb, burnt orange, with just a hint of blue fruits. Glycerin, touch of fruit liqueur, vanilla, dry river stones, crushed rocks, hints of dry herbs, used leather, saddle-wood, dark rich soils, limestone minerals, dry stems, more presence, soft dark spice, underlying white pepper and dark red fresh and slightly withering florals with a touch of violets and blue flowers. The acidity is waterfall perfect. The rich, ripe, fresh fruit, well balanced finish is simply beauty on steroids.

Photos of, Lopez de Heredia, Vat fermenters that are still in use and somewhere between 100-200 years of age (they repair them as needed to keep them tight), their cooperage and Maria José López de Heredia who now runs the family business. — 7 years ago

Moira Anne

9.5

Delicious and crisp wine, with slight berry note, but still quite dry and smooth. Great feature at total wine in VA — 8 years ago

Patrick Hu

9.5

Wet stones, saddle leather, bell pepper. — 8 years ago

Murphy Perng

9.1

Jammy, fruity, medium m/full bodied merlot-- with Carmen and Leah — 9 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.8

From magnum with low shoulder fill. Appropriately branded cork came out intact. Dark reddish purple, opaque. Reddish orange rims. Heavy nose of leather saddle, blackberries, cranberries, dark unsweetened chocolate, walnuts, and some old wine funk. Fruit forward in the mouth and very rich. Structure, acidity and fruit all still perfectly balanced. With air it improved over 6 hours, and new notes like menthol and quarry stone in the nose were noted. This wine is probably not going to get better, but should be fine in the near term to hopefully show like this big boy did tonite. — 9 years ago

Miles Perry

9.0

A smooth, fruity Cabernet with a hint of mocha on the finish. — 10 years ago

Justin Ennis

10

This is the 1985 Napa Cab and was tasted out of 5 liter. This wine was excellent! Herbal notes with a touch of saddle. I was so surprised by how much red fruit was on the pallet with a wine this old! Amazing! — 10 years ago

Russell Killgo

9.2

Had the '82 next to a '75 Petrus. Margaux was earthy with secondary notes of cigar box, saddle leather with that typical smoothness found in Margaux. — 10 years ago

Ed Thralls

Owner/Winemaker Thralls, Director Flowers Winery,

8.9

Dried dark cherry, dusty tannins, saddle leather. Great acid — 11 years ago

John Allred

9.9

Mo's 11/14/12 — 12 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Tasted blind. Reddish tawny, translucent and old looking. Awesome nose. Notes of leather saddle, pencil lead, currants, cherry, soil, and some toasted hickory. All guessed 61 Bordeaux. This got better through the night and was at its best in the last glass. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

A redo after that disappointing 2002 Pichon Lalande two weeks ago on #steakandclaret night. While this is not again what I expect from this producer, it is better than the 02. Nose of cedar, fresh tobacco, stones and dry soil, quiet baking baking spices, ripe & lean; blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate, hues of blueberries, light mushroom, soft leather, black licorice cola and fresh red florals. The body is leaner to medium and well resolved. The fruits are fresh & bright. Dark cherries, cherries, lean blackberries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranate & cranberry juice, hues of blue fruits, saddle-wood, sweet suede leather, fresh tobacco leaf, cedar, dry stones, top soil & rich turned dark earth, limestone minerals, dry stems, slight touch of dry herbs, round, mouthwatering acidity and lean, long, well balanced fruit & earth, good structured finish with length. Finish lasts a full minute. Still 8-10 years of good drinking ahead. 9.3 with the ribeye. — 8 years ago

Matt Berkovitch

Sommelier Babbo

9.3

Savory, meaty, earthy, caramelized, charred soy. Nose like a bowl of bomb ramen So good. — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Dark garnet with orange-reddish rims. Opaque. Angular nose with black currant, saddle leather, wood pile and black licorice. There's also sweetness hidden in there. In the mouth its rich with great structure and balance. Tannins nicely integrated. In a great window right now. — 9 years ago

Robert Cunningham

Wine Educator DeVinimus, Wine Workshop

9.0

Initially rich saddle leather and earth show through on the nose and palate. Not as complex or elegant as the 1990 but lovely nonetheless. A bit ripe on the palate. Color is a mature brick red. Will fall apart with air and time so don't dally. Palate and nose flatten with air — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.2

1986 vintage. From Jay. Cracked saddle leather, menthol, dried figs, black cherries, and cassis on the nose with a hint of aniseed ‎ and fennel seed. Very vibrant dark fruits on the front and mid palette - ripe black cherries mixed with blackberries prevail but they tail off relatively rapidly. The finish is curt and somewhat dry/tannic. I don't see this wine improving with any additional bottle age but with its tannic nature it should continue to hold for quite some time. 92/100. Drink now until 2030. — 9 years ago

Devin Bray

9.0

Super funky, barnyard nose that almost reminds me of lambics that are described as smelling of "horse blanket." Some spice and cherries. A surprisingly smooth, easy entry Bordeaux dominated by pepper and spice, with some cherries mingling with heavy duty tannins, saddle leather, tea leaves. — 10 years ago

Mindy Gimarelli

9.6

Olympic Provisions — 11 years ago

Edward Rooney

9.5

Chocolate flavor. Very smooth. No tannins. — 11 years ago

Patrick Quinlan

10

Happy bday, Katie! — 12 years ago

with Katie

Matt

9.2

Gorgeous, true to form and place, lovely acid balance that offers a nice energy and backbone. Blackberry bramble, cocoa powder, coffee bean, smoked meat, blood sausage, wet slate. Plenty of juice and charm here. — 7 years ago

Luna

10

Juicy red berries, eucalyptus, intense floral notes. Super funky, but yet so balanced. Playful. Like butterfies in your belly, it’s like a crazy romance. One of the best I drank in 2017! — 7 years ago

Paul Weil

9.0

An always impressive effort, this Bordeaux style blend never disappoints. This vintage is par for the course- a big wine, with thick chewy tannins and rich mocha cherry flavors. The lingering finish is lice aniseed pop rocks on the tongue. — 8 years ago

Robert Cunningham

Wine Educator DeVinimus, Wine Workshop

9.2

Lovely secondary elements of sweaty saddle leather, cedar and later some cigar box. Soft, integrated tannins. Long finish and very nice nose. — 9 years ago

Sean Trapani

Founder/Educator Wine Fluent, Consultant ABC Fine Wines & Spirits

9.2

Black plum on a leather saddle. — 9 years ago

with Audra

Rafael Landestoy

9.1

I really enjoyed this especially for the price. — 9 years ago

with Ilida

Ron Siegel

9.5

Sweet black and red fruits that soar out of the glass followed by a nose of raw meat, cedar , cigar box, saddle leather, spice box. Nice acid and finish, med weight with round supple tannins. Nice older vintage for HB. — 10 years ago

with Keith, Adam and 3 others

Ron Siegel

9.6

Classic and great vintage of La Mish. Deep dark color, very aromatic nose of black fruits, with smoky, tarry, tobacco, leather, black olive, basalmic, soy, cedar and saddle leather. Still drinking young and long finish reaching full maturity. Just an amazing wine! — 10 years ago

Ellis Jeff

9.6

Good, simple could be a bit more complex. Flakes on bottom of this and the 09 too. Liked this more than 09 tho maybe this had more time to breathe. — 11 years ago

Jesse Lopez

9.5

I've never had mead before, as I usually don't care for white wines unless I'm cooking with them. But I came across this gem, and I found myself unable to put it down. It provides an opulent honey flavor that isn't uncomfortably sweet. It accents most flavorful stir-fries, such as Chinese or Thai, and can even be enjoyed without being accompanied by any foods at all. I intend to have a case of this in stock at all times, and I recommend this to any red or white wine lover. — 11 years ago