Decanted 4.5 hours. the center is barely opaque and the edge just a hint of browning. really doesn't look 17 years old. very present blackberry expression on the nose and that elegant anise acting as the choir director to make everything else sing. iron and definitely a hint of potpourri. soon iron and granite dominate the nose and surely whafts of cinnamon just before my first taste. delicate touch in the mouth. what tender tannin and delicate fruit on the palate. the violet is so present on the finish. what a beauty.
Open 4.5 hours. Tasted along side '93 Latour, '96 Mouton, and '92 Monte Bello. Compared to the '92 Monte Bello, consistency with being a wine 7 years younger. A hint more richness of fruit than the '92, with the same anise-as-choir-director on the nose. Hints of waxy cherry fruit tucked into the nose. Here iron on the nose seems tangled with the fruit expression. Espresso immediately on the palate and then it's gone. The nose tingles the senses. Here the tannins form the slightest veil, where as in the '92 they gave the tender touch. still this has it all and given 7 more...damn. fruit, elegant kiss of anise oak, iron, stucture and there's that violet on the finish again.
big and dark black fruits to the nose. steak and blood aroma flies off the nose. the bloody seems tied to an iron like mineral expression wrapped in the meatiness and steak of the nose. elegant anise - (i must start finding more descriptors for this.) rustic palate of tabacco and again dark black fruits. relatively youthful structure.
Thanks to Tim, James, and Ben among others. I wish that i had had more time to wrap my head around this wine and i was trying to maintain service to their table and a couple of others while thankfully being asked to stop and enjoy the wine. Lead pencil and black fruits on the nose, following through to the palate. elegant display with whiffs of leather. seemingly so long to go. why do I pour so small? I guess, it's not really my wine, so...
Consistent with previous note. Coffee and cassis dominate the nose, but again it was outshone by another wine. This time the '92 Monte Bello just stole the show. Did everyone really think so? Great Mouton, but again, my thoughts are the components need more time to really sing.
nose shows rich carmel and hazelnut without an overriding sweetness. tasty toffee, butter/butterscotch/lactic quality in that nose for sure. hints of citrus and then the palate. the balance here is just out of this world. while the acidity is present in the nose, it comes on in a wave of reassurance in this wine. a sort of teeter totter balence. perception of sweetness up from and acidity on the back end. they magically meet somewhere in between to frame such a knock out drink. so alive and fresh for 99 years. this is the bottling from Oct 2004.
1992 Ridge Monte Bello
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Decanted 4.5 hours. the center is barely opaque and the edge just a hint of browning. really doesn't look 17 years old. very present blackberry expression on the nose and that elegant anise acting as the choir director to make everything else sing. iron and definitely a hint of potpourri. soon iron and granite dominate the nose and surely whafts of cinnamon just before my first taste. delicate touch in the mouth. what tender tannin and delicate fruit on the palate. the violet is so present on the finish. what a beauty.
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1999 Ridge Monte Bello
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Open 4.5 hours. Tasted along side '93 Latour, '96 Mouton, and '92 Monte Bello. Compared to the '92 Monte Bello, consistency with being a wine 7 years younger. A hint more richness of fruit than the '92, with the same anise-as-choir-director on the nose. Hints of waxy cherry fruit tucked into the nose. Here iron on the nose seems tangled with the fruit expression. Espresso immediately on the palate and then it's gone. The nose tingles the senses. Here the tannins form the slightest veil, where as in the '92 they gave the tender touch. still this has it all and given 7 more...damn. fruit, elegant kiss of anise oak, iron, stucture and there's that violet on the finish again.
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1999 Alvaro Palacios Priorat L'Ermita
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
big and dark black fruits to the nose. steak and blood aroma flies off the nose. the bloody seems tied to an iron like mineral expression wrapped in the meatiness and steak of the nose. elegant anise - (i must start finding more descriptors for this.) rustic palate of tabacco and again dark black fruits. relatively youthful structure.
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1993 Château Latour Grand Vin
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Thanks to Tim, James, and Ben among others. I wish that i had had more time to wrap my head around this wine and i was trying to maintain service to their table and a couple of others while thankfully being asked to stop and enjoy the wine. Lead pencil and black fruits on the nose, following through to the palate. elegant display with whiffs of leather. seemingly so long to go. why do I pour so small? I guess, it's not really my wine, so...
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1996 Château Mouton Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Consistent with previous note. Coffee and cassis dominate the nose, but again it was outshone by another wine. This time the '92 Monte Bello just stole the show. Did everyone really think so? Great Mouton, but again, my thoughts are the components need more time to really sing.
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