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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

1996 Penfolds Grange

 South Australia Shiraz Blend, Syrah more
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6/30/2015 - Arch57 Likes this wine: 100 points

Had to go 100 pts on this one as after 1,525 tasting notes on CT since 3/24/06 I have not had a better wine. Debated giving it 99 but this wine had no flaws so how can I not score it perfect? Of course it was my first and only Grange so possibly the '98 or '04 would have rated higher if I had the privilege to taste such vintages but alas this was all my modest cellar contained.

I had sourced this on 6/1/05 for a bargain $165 and when I tagged it I wrote "for Retirement" on the bottle not quite knowing at that time when the day would come and stuffed it away in the wine cooler. Fast forward 10 years and a month and retirement day has arrived. Walked out after 30+ years without my laptop and company phone and I could have floated across the parking lot!

I knew this needed a serious decant so opened it at 3pm and tried a first sip and the tannins let themselves be known so into the decanter it went. Finally around 6:30 time for the first pour with my wife into our Riedel glasses and a joyous clink of the glasses on the deck. Color was a dark crimson with some bricking in the color, very unlike young Aussie' Shriaz. Swirling brought out aromas of cigar box, forest, dried fruit. First sip was mouth coating with cranberries, earthy notes, allspice.
After we got to "know" the wine it exhibited many personalities. A times it had the elegance of an aged Bordeaux, other times it had the power of a Napa Cab. Kind of odd was that it never had the extracted Shiraz flavor found in many wines from down under. No this was all about class and balance. The finish would go on and on for 50-60 seconds (that was a benefit as it made every sip last and slowed down the consumption of this marvelous wine)! Paired it with prime filet and fresh corn and baked potato, the perfect accompaniment for this bottle.
I told my wife that it would have been awesome if I had a bigger wine budget in 2005 and bought all 3 bottles my local wine shop had because it would be fascinating to try this one in 5 then 10 years. You could just tell it had the stuffing to last. A remarkable wine on a remarkable day in our lives. Cheers!

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    7/1/2015 2:07:00 PM - what a great tasting note Arch57, thanks and the heartiest of congratulations on your retirement, cheers, chatters
Red

2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova

 Sangiovese more
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6/1/2014 - james05500 Likes this wine: 100 points

This is the perfect wine!!! Technical notes will not reflect its greatness! It might be a benchmark for Brunello. Perfect, ryby color with some brown reflex. Marvelous nose with violet hints. And heaven on the palate!!!!

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    6/4/2014 8:52:00 PM - Vertical tasting? Perhaps I should plan a holiday in Warsaw!!

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    6/2/2014 7:54:00 PM - thanks everyone for your comments, greatly appreciated. I'll sit on mine for a few more years I think as I enjoy those tertiary characteristics coming through, cheers, chatters

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    6/1/2014 7:47:00 PM - thanks James, how do you think it is shaping up from an age perspective? Plenty of time left to develop some tertiary characteristics? cheers, chatters
Red

2002 Penfolds Grange

 South Australia Shiraz Blend, Syrah more
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6/29/2019 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 98 points

Drinking with Factor 2002, which is awesome. Tough battle. Factor is rich. Grange is ...dark.

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    6/29/2019 5:26:00 PM - Oof! Battle of the beasts!! Were they both still quite puppy primary? How did you handle them? Decanted for a couple weeks before hand? :)
    cheers, chatters
Red

2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova

 Sangiovese more
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11/13/2016 - jsiegel Likes this wine: 98 points

Like drinking pure velvet. Awesome wine in every way smooth, great finish, incredible flavor. Up there in the top 10 wines I've ever drank.

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    11/15/2016 5:19:00 PM - Wonderful! Thanks for responding, cheers

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    11/14/2016 10:02:00 PM - cracking note - just a quick question; did you decant and, if yes, for how long? cheers, chatters
Red - Fortified

1985 Graham Porto Vintage

 Port Blend more
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3/12/2017 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 98 points

Jesus, wow. Yet another night that Port accidentally stole the show as WOTN. Residual sugar, dried fruit, plum, fig, apricot, toffee? cinnamon. Most under appreciated wine (Port) on the planet.

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    3/24/2017 7:15:00 AM - ha ha, love this note...For me it's that little fortified triumvirate: Port, Sherry & Madeira...always throwing that curve ball into the WotN party...cheers
Red

2010 Château Pontet-Canet

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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9/1/2019 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 98 points

Decanted for 2 hours. Super dark, impenetrable plummy purple with no colour change and hardly any fade at the rim. Languorous legs. Nose is very powerful and primary. Uber pure cassis, black raspberry, graphite, licorice, dark chocolate, cedar, camphor and more on the nose. All dark and mysterious! Full bodied entry that is bursting with black fruit! Mostly black currant. And then comes those blackberries, blue plum, black tea and cedar. Very powerful! Huge extract. Perfect acidity to balance out the fruit. Highish alcohol but not at all hot or even that noticeable - you have to search for it. Tons of tannins but they are very fine grained. This is all about power and structure and balance. The finish goes on for minutes! Way too young but still stupid good at this stage. I would say this won't be anywhere near its peak for another 8 to 10 years. Huge upside potential!

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    9/2/2019 5:13:00 AM - Had a look at this about a year ago and it sounds like it's still in that 'bit of a beast' phase...thanks for the note
Red

2010 Château Haut-Bailly

 Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend more
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3/22/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 points

The wine coats your palate with fruit, feels like silk and velvet, offers layers of smoky, ripe fruits with a real purity to the berries and the finish just goes on and on. Young, but already great. 10 more years will make this rock, but I'm not waiting a decade to pop another cork!

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    3/23/2017 7:14:00 PM - Ha ha, great note! made me chuckle...I've taken the precaution of having mine held in storage...in another city...in another country...on the other side of the world...it will be safe there, but only for the moment...cheers, chatters
Red

2015 Domaine de Chevalier

 Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend more
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12/24/2020 - Motz wrote: 97 points

Split, tasted over two days.

Unpretentious luxury!

The bottle sang from the outset, offering a knee-weakening bouquet of all things floral, ripe forest berries (red, blue, and purple), berry liqueurs (including creme de cassis), mint, menthol, dark chocolate ganache, light roast coffee beans, drying tobacco, and evocative terroir.

Strikingly open-knit, and yet deeply substantive. Put differently, it tantalizes the senses now, and packs the substance to last for 30 years. Even more intriguing, the wine conveys seductively Queenly poise, perhaps shading burlesque.

Burgundy-like elements run deep here, offering particular impressions of Corton. Indeed, quite magical!

Technically: Juicy, expansively fleshy, featuring medium plus acid, ripe, medium to medium plus tannin, perfect oak treatment, and impeccable balance. Will it shut down? Who knows!? Drink or hold...through 2045. Off-the-chain QPR!

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    12/25/2020 6:03:00 PM - Great note...and concur entirely, positively Burgundian levels of elegance...it's sooooo good,
    cheers, chatters
Red

2001 Penfolds Grange

 South Australia Shiraz Blend, Syrah more
Options

4/28/2017 - Romol Likes this wine: 97 points

Decanted 3 hours. Was not long enough. The wine improved during the dinner. One hour later it was even better. This wine is really something special. Very good now. No hurry to drink. 97+ pts.

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    4/29/2017 11:53:00 PM - thanks!
Red

2015 Domaine de Chevalier

 Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend more
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12/24/2020 - Motz wrote: 97 points

Split, tasted over two days.

Unpretentious luxury!

The bottle sang from the outset, offering a knee-weakening bouquet of all things floral, ripe forest berries (red, blue, and purple), berry liqueurs (including creme de cassis), mint, menthol, dark chocolate ganache, light roast coffee beans, drying tobacco, and evocative terroir.

Strikingly open-knit, and yet deeply substantive. Put differently, it tantalizes the senses now, and packs the substance to last for 30 years. Even more intriguing, the wine conveys seductively Queenly poise, perhaps shading burlesque.

Burgundy-like elements run deep here, offering particular impressions of Corton. Indeed, quite magical!

Technically: Juicy, expansively fleshy, featuring medium plus acid, ripe, medium to medium plus tannin, perfect oak treatment, and impeccable balance. Will it shut down? Who knows!? Drink or hold...through 2045. Off-the-chain QPR!

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    12/26/2020 8:46:00 PM - You too, mate!

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    1/8/2021 8:16:00 PM - 2014 Barton is a cracking wine...still super young though...LB and DdC...probably my two favourite Bordeaux Chateau...marvellous

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    1/9/2021 1:50:00 PM - Ha ha, sorry about that...cheers, chatters

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    1/10/2021 12:57:00 PM - Hi Motz,

    LB and DdC are my favourite Bordeaux's*. I tend to be less enamoured by Right Bank wines but I am trying to get a bit more enthused...

    Concur on LB oaking regime which sometimes can seem a little heavy handed. I also feel that LB just seems to need so much time to shine or, more likely, integrate that oak. 20 years seems like a good time to start drinking. They always feel very 'classic claret' and not really impacted by changes in wine 'fashion' (though their wine-making is cleaner than it used to be). Down here in Australia it's fairly difficult (and expensive) to get older vintages but I did a vertical quite recently and when I got to about 2002/2004 and younger they all just seemed to be a bit too young, if you know what I mean...

    DdC's red is nicely 'hidden' by their white - it's cheaper and always seems to be, as near as damn it, approachable with the ability to age. Perhaps the slightly higher merlot % helps out with this? Or the fact that it's further south, and in a more urban environs that assists with the Cabernet getting riper? Regardless they always feel like the personification of elegance on the left bank at a considerably less impact to the wallet than Margaux...

    Sorry, I've rabbited on a bit here. What about you? What presses your Bordeaux buttons? What about other regions?

    cheers,

    chatters

    *along with Senejac & Belgrave and probably a few others; Lafon Rochet, Talbot, Prieure Lichine, Batailley, yeah, well, I really like Left Bank Bordeaux truth be told but LB and DdC are the ones that I get thoroughly over-excited by...

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    1/10/2021 2:49:00 PM - hahaha! thanks WineGuyDelMar, very kind of you...

    I am trying, honest, but I have two main challenges to wrestle with...one is cost - Right bank wines tend to be about 50%+ more expensive than left bank for the same quality level (note - this may be a restriction specific to Australia) and, alas, budget is limited - and two is the tendency for these wines to be a little over-extracted and alcoholic for my palate.

    Having said that I've been hunting and have tried some older options that have provided pleasure (70 la tour figeac, 85 pavie decesse, 95 larmande, 89 magdelaine) and some younger wines that have been equally enjoyable (09 + 16 Pavie Macquin, 12 magnan figeac) and I've always been more than happy with Angelus, Gazin, Figeac and l'Arrosee...but, but...the cost! the alcohol (sometimes)!!

    cheers, chatters
White - Sweet/Dessert

1980 Château Rieussec

 Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more
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6/26/2020 - Formerwinemaker Likes this wine: 97 points

What a fine showing, and the best Rieussec I have had in a few years. The 1980 Sauternes are very under-rated as a whole and there are some gems to be had from this lower-botrytis year. The additional acidity that this vintage carries as a consequence is holding these wines in good stead. Medium gold in colour, soaring aromatics, with a delicious line of acidity running through it. The palate is long and wonderfully poised from start to finish. This is a wine which has aged brilliantly, carrying its age so well, and was delightful to drink.

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    11/29/2020 4:26:00 PM - Great notes, thanks,
    Quick question - was this from a a half or full size bottle?
Red

2015 Domaine de Chevalier

 Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend more
Options

12/24/2020 - Motz wrote: 97 points

Split, tasted over two days.

Unpretentious luxury!

The bottle sang from the outset, offering a knee-weakening bouquet of all things floral, ripe forest berries (red, blue, and purple), berry liqueurs (including creme de cassis), mint, menthol, dark chocolate ganache, light roast coffee beans, drying tobacco, and evocative terroir.

Strikingly open-knit, and yet deeply substantive. Put differently, it tantalizes the senses now, and packs the substance to last for 30 years. Even more intriguing, the wine conveys seductively Queenly poise, perhaps shading burlesque.

Burgundy-like elements run deep here, offering particular impressions of Corton. Indeed, quite magical!

Technically: Juicy, expansively fleshy, featuring medium plus acid, ripe, medium to medium plus tannin, perfect oak treatment, and impeccable balance. Will it shut down? Who knows!? Drink or hold...through 2045. Off-the-chain QPR!

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    1/10/2021 9:15:00 PM - @Motz...yes to Pontet Canet, Brane-Cantenac, Lagrange and Montrose...

    @WineGuyDelMar...acknowledged and Figeac and Angelus would be my faves but, well, the former (on wine-searcher.com) is AUD 573 down under (as opposed to AUD 309 in the US) for the 2016 vintage with Leoville Barton at AUD 304 (vs AUD 229 in the US)...current exchange rate means times these by 3/4 for USD pricing...

    The general argument is that because estates are, for the most part, smaller on the RB there is less wine and, consequently, the price is higher...like a milder version of the Burgundy rationale...

    I'll also play the age card here as I was still exploring the joy of alcohol in all it's myriad forms in the 80's and early 90's and it was only around the late 90's that I realised that vino was my happy place...consequently my first steps in the world of En Primeur was 2000...

    Anyway, roll on the vaccine then I can come and visit you both and we can continue you this in person over a bottle of three :)

    cheers, chatters
Red

2016 Château Lynch-Bages

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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12/25/2020 - Bmhoward2004 wrote: 97 points

WS

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    12/26/2020 8:50:00 PM - COWineLover - I suspect some form of code to identify the source or potential location of the wine but I'm rather hoping it's an acronym based expression e.g. Wine Super or Wholly Smashable or Wonderful, sexy
White

2008 Lake's Folly Chardonnay

 Hunter Valley more
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4/16/2017 - rmarkey Likes this wine: 97 points

Excellent, absolutely superb wine. 12.7% alc.
Tasted alongside a Tyrrell's Vat 47 2008, Pegasus Bay Virtuso 2013 (both of which Bradon brought), plus a recently acquired 2015 Stefano Lubiana from Tasmania. The Folly was possibly the best rated of the evening though they were all superb, and especially the Pegasus Bay.
Colour: very bright light golden
Bouquet: melon and peach, nutty oak vanilla, but all subtle. Very clean and fresh.
Palate: great fruit density, similar flavours to bouquet, apples and pears, fine grained tannins, creamy/buttery characters, but with stony minerality, quite rich, voluptuous and good body without being over the top, and all balanced by fantastic acid. Long clean fruit finish.
April 2017

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    4/16/2017 4:23:00 AM - Cracking note, thanks! How was it from an aging perspective? cheers, chatters
Red

2001 Penfolds Grange

 South Australia Shiraz Blend, Syrah more
Options

4/28/2017 - Romol Likes this wine: 97 points

Decanted 3 hours. Was not long enough. The wine improved during the dinner. One hour later it was even better. This wine is really something special. Very good now. No hurry to drink. 97+ pts.

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    4/29/2017 3:52:00 AM - Still a puppy then? Cheers,chatters
Red

2016 Château Lynch-Bages

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
Options

12/25/2020 - Bmhoward2004 wrote: 97 points

WS

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    12/25/2020 5:55:00 PM - WS?
White

2018 Giaconda Chardonnay Estate Vineyard

 Beechworth more
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11/11/2021 - yodamark Likes this wine: 97 points

not much to say about Giaconda Chardonnay. it is the best in Australia by a mile. This bottle was as expected. Opulent fat rich laden with Pear, ripe lemon, ripe limes, melons, all wrapped in gentle toasty oak and mouthwatering acid and 10 years from being at its best where it will easily merit a higher score. Superb to drink now but you just know you are in for a treat in a decades time.

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    11/11/2021 8:24:00 PM - If you think this is the best Chardonnay in Australia by a mile then you have a lot of lovely and rewarding Chardonnay to taste...I concur it is the best but there are quite a few contenders who would be within a few yards of it at the finish line...Happy Tasting!
    cheers,
    chatters
White

2007 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes

 more
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10/8/2020 - Marc wrote: 97 points

Visitors from Wellington brave the Queensberry hills (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): A great wine of extraordinary depth, richness and complexity. Without question a wine that is at a qualitative level equal to the finest Grand Cru Burgundy. Totally clean, fully subsumed oak, an opulence of fruit expression that finishes in a beautifully modulated and complex finish. Rich, but balanced, floral, and balanced. Ageing effortlessly. Grand wine.

  • Comment posted by chatters:

    10/8/2020 7:44:00 PM - Hi there, just a quick question - which dish did the Beaucastel match to? cheers, chatters

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