Vinous Obscura
Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1945
The 1945 La Mission Haut-Brion from the château cellar is transcendental. It is blessed with the most beautiful bouquet you can imagine, effortless and natural, featuring woodland, red-berried fruits, a minerally quality and a faint touch of leafiness; given time to settle, it develops a lovely gamy note. The palate is medium- rather than full-bodied and sublimely balanced, upholding that effortless grace with an elegant, bittersweet, dried orange peel finish. One of the most harmonious wines I have ever consumed. Perfect. Tasted at the La Mission Haut-Brion vertical in London in September 2009. (Neal Martin, Vinous, May 2020)
— 6 years ago
Château Beauséjour
Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2016
The 2016 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse has come together beautifully since I last tasted it. Nearly seamless in the glass, the 2016 is rich, unctuous and potent, with all of its elements in the right place. Nothing really sticks out. Instead, I am simply blown away by the wine's intensity, explosive power and overall pedigree. Time in the glass brings out hints of graphite, smoke, cured meats, licorice and dark spices, but it is the wine's balance that is most impressive today. In 2016, Nicolas Thienpont and his team crafted a Beauséjour of mind-boggling intensity and purity. Tasted three times. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2019) — 6 years ago
Château Lafleur
Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2015
The 2015 Lafleur has a broody but intense bouquet with exquisite definition and top quality Cabernet
Franc showing through. This just has to be Lafleur! The palate is extremely well balanced with gentle grip, almost powdery in texture and demonstrating enormous depth and persistence on the finish. It is nowhere near ready but it will be a wonderful Pomerol. There is a sense of audacity here that is compelling. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2019) — 6 years ago
Domaine des Lambrays
Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru Pinot Noir 2002
Good medium red; not particularly saturated but with a healthy rim. Alluringly scented, wild-yet-somehow-refined aromas of musky raspberry, strawberry, rose petal, brown spices, cedar, underbrush and coffee; this smells sweet! Silky, stylish and weightless, showing lovely stemmy definition and lift to its flavors of wild red berries, mocha and dried flowers. Not a particularly dense or fleshy style but an alluring, vibrant drink that's perfect right now. In fact, in spite of its intense fruit component this wine may only thin out from here. This subtle, elegant Clos des Lambrays finishes with a firm dusting of tannins and a light touch. (13.7% alcohol; 3.59 pH; 3.5 g/l acidity) (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, April 2019) — 7 years ago
Château Léoville-Las Cases
Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2014
The 2014 Léoville Las-Cases has a (typically) more introverted, tertiary, austere bouquet compared to the Léoville Barton. Despite coaxing it does not possess much lift – sullen, a wine with a "Closed" sign dangling on the front door. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, solid with a sweet core, nicely proportion but just not quite conveying the same joie-de-vivre and energy as its peers. "Perhaps it is saving everything for later?" are the words I penned before this wine's identity is revealed...well, I should have known. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, March 2018) — 8 years ago
Opus One
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2005
Fantastic, more towards a peak age than i thought it would be. This is drinking spectacularly right now, tasting like a vinous bordeaux. Extremely lengthy finish. — 10 years ago
Domaine Bernard Baudry
Chinon Cabernet Franc Rosé 2019
Baudry’s 2019 Chinon Rosé offers suave, mineral-accented aromas of fresh red berries and tangerine on the sharply focused nose. The palate is dry and energetic, with sappy strawberry, bitter cherry and orange zest flavors. Closes long and silky, with a faint touch of anise. $25.00 (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2020) — 5 years ago
Château Lafite Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1985
The 1985 Lafite-Rothschild is only a modest success in the context of the vintage. Here, it is totally outclassed by the 1985 Las Cases. Light, slightly loose-knit red berry fruit on the nose is complemented by warm gravel and smoky aromas, though it lacks a bit of energy. The palate is nicely balanced, not powerful but focused, with adequate freshness. As mentioned in my previous tasting note, this has dispensed with some density in recent years, and if your expectations are modest, it remains enjoyable. Tasted at Hameau de Barbaron in Burgundy. (Neal Martin Vinous, December 2019)
— 6 years ago
Rosa Obscura
Rosa Obscura Red Blend 2017
Very smooth, tasty and sweet. — 6 years ago
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend
The 2015 Pichon Lalande has a sophisticated bouquet of blackberry, pencil shavings, black pepper and discreet touches of wild mint, all beautifully defined and focused. There is some quality Cabernet here. The palate is medium-bodied with
fine-grained tannin, superb acidity, gentle grip and satisfying tension toward the fresh, vivid finish. One of the best Pauillacs of 2015, this is a magnificent wine from Nicolas Glumineau and his team. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2019) — 6 years ago
Louis Roederer
Cristal Brut Champagne Chardonnay Pinot Noir Blend 1990
The 1990 Cristal is remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class. Citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes are wonderfully lifted throughout. A slight reductive note adds character on the finely knit finish. I can’t think of a better way to start this tasting. Simply put, the 1990 is a total rock star. Moreover, it is much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage. Amazingly, the 1990 tastes like it is still not ready! “Nineteen ninety was my second vintage here,” says Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. “It was ideal. The fruit was just perfect. We blocked the malolactic fermentation completely and only fermented 6-7% of our lots in oak, as opposed to the more typical 20%, in order to preserve as much freshness as possible. The wine was made by my predecessor, Michel Pansu, but I was learning. This was the first year I started working with oxygen by reducing sulfites in vinification to pre-oxidize the Chardonnay musts, as I do know, which allows me to get rid of all the unstable, oxidative compounds. With Pinot, on the other hand, you need a little bit of sulfur at crush or you lose the brilliant fruit. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 7 years ago
Easton
Obscura Fiddletown Late Harvest Zinfandel 2009
My fav desert wine! I have yet found anything similar or better.. any recommendations? I would love to find or should i say TASTE more like this.... — 8 years ago
Obscura
California Petite Sirah
I love a Petite Syrah and this one is really hitting the spot. This 2018 Petite Syrah is really good!!!!! I recommend trying it! — 5 years ago
Rocca di Montegrossi
Toscana IGT Sangiovese Rosato 2019
The 2019 Rocca di Montegrossi Rosato is gorgeous, both spicy and floral, with zesty bright cherry and a hint of grapefruit. On the palate, silky, soothing textures usher in ripe red fruits offset by vibrant acids, as hints of sweet spice and salty minerals buzz on the senses. The finish is medium in length and remarkably fresh. (Eric Guido, Vinous, May 2020)
— 5 years ago
Château Belair-Monange
St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2016
The 2016 Bélair-Monange is exotically ripe and flashy. Bright red and purplish fruit is pushed forward in a primary, intense wine with plenty of immediacy. As good as the 2016 is, what I don't see are the layers of depth and structure that have made the finest recent vintages so compelling. Even so, the 2016 is a very pretty and compelling wine, it just falls a bit short relative to some of the other wines that have been made here. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2019) — 6 years ago
Château La Conseillante
Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 1989
The 1989 La Conseillante is one of the top performers in Pomerol and arguably now one of the best values. This bottle confirms that exuberance and joie-de-vivre on the nose, displaying the telltale crushed violets in bloom, with precious but controlled red and black fruit underneath. The palate is sumptuous from the start, presenting cashmere tannin and perhaps a little more glycerine in this bottle. The bravura finish leaves you grinning from ear to ear. Stunning, and it will remain on its plateau for many years. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched in London. (Neal Martin, Vinous, September 2019) — 6 years ago
Château Canon
Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2015
The 2015 Canon has a tightly wound bouquet with mineral rich black fruit, raspberry coulis, rose
petal and desiccated orange peel. It takes time to come together, but it does. The palate is well defined, very focused with fine minerality. This is discreet but beautifully balanced, clean and precise with a sense of energy and precision on the finish. It is less showy than its peers at the moment, which
explains why I am more parsimonious with my score. Yet the potential is locked inside this wine and it will aspire toward perfection with a decade in bottle.Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2019) — 6 years ago
Laherte Frères
Les Beaudiers Rosé de Saignée Vieilles Vignes Extra Brut Champagne Pinot Meunier
Vinous rise Champagne with kirsch, fresh herbs, blood orange. Impressive and balanced! Fascinating to follow over the course of dinner. — 7 years ago
Dominus Estate
Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012
The 2012 Dominus is a real head-turner. Flashy, voluptuous and intense, but with tons of underlying concentration, the 2012 is simply magnificent. A towering, vertical Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2012 Dominus is one of the most concentrated wines of the vintage, yet it also maintains considerable freshness, the signature of a late-ripening vintage with no heat spikes. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Oct 2015) — 9 years ago
Delectable Wine
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The 2016 Calon-Ségur has a very concentrated, multifaceted bouquet of blackberry, blueberry, cedar and wild mint. I adore this – so involving and so intoxicating! The palate is very well balanced with succulent tannins and a fine bead of acidity, full of tension and poise. Black cherry and blueberry emerge toward the satisfying, complete finish. A gorgeous Saint-Estèphe. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, August 2020)
— 5 years ago