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

2010 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

 Chardonnay more
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3/1/2024 - drwine2001 wrote: NR

Opened and decanted. Yellow. Young Raveneau aromas of beeswax and honeysuckle. Medium weight, obvious oak base. Ripe pear and vanilla with a curious lack of grip and intensity. Only average acidity and little in the way of other distinguishing Chablis character. Sound but a gross disappointment. This should be far better than it showed tonight.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    3/13/2024 10:32:00 AM - How long did you decant it?

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    3/13/2024 10:56:00 AM - I think it would be interesting to try a 6-7 hour decant. This has been successful for me in the past with other wines of this age.
Red

1989 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano

 Nebbiolo more
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11/7/2020 - dcwino wrote: 94 points

Saturday lunch gathering (Bethesda, Maryland): Medium expressive nose dominated by iron, also sweet red fruit, strawberry jam, a hint of cherry, cedar, leather, cinnamon and iron mineral. Fully integrated palate, finely layered slightly coiled red fruit, silky and polished, bright acidity and iron mineral, still showing significant tannins, and a medium to long slightly dry sweet red fruit driven finish with iron at the end. This was decanted ahead. This may be a blasphemy for some but I prefer only a splash decanting for the 89 Giacosa wines. As Eric Guido observed, the 89 Giacosa SSR losses fruit with air. I prefer to enjoy fruit than mineral so it is a matter of personal preference. Everyone prefers the 89 Monprivato.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    9/17/2022 10:05:00 AM - I agree with your decanting comment with one addition. I have found that the tannin will gradually increase for 4-6 hours and then gradually decrease.
    Thus, if you can decant a wine like this 12 hours in advance, that will allow it to release its complexity as well as mellow the tannin. If you don't have that much runway PNP is probably best.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    9/18/2022 11:42:00 AM - I hear you. It might depend on how much fruit intensity the wine starts with.
Red

1989 Château Haut-Brion

 Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend more
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3/14/2021 - Tony Ling Likes this wine: 95 points

1.5 hour upon opening into Zalto Burgundy glass (“Leaf” day): Medium ruby with fine deposits.

Smoke, Cabernet green bell pepper in the best way possible. Meaty notes.

Very complete wine indeed. Black plummy and cherry fruits. Still robust with a lot of fine cigar box spices.

One of the top Bordeaux tried to date. 95-96 points.

Second round: even more powerful this round with lots of savoury spices.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    9/10/2022 12:38:00 PM - Tony,
    I enjoy your notes. Try giving this wine a 5 hour decant before you drink it the next time. I suspect it will open up even more for you. Enjoy!
    Stan
White - Sparkling

2002 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

 Champagne Blend more
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7/16/2022 - sdr Likes this wine: 95 points

It’s rewarding when you catch a wine you just know is at a peak of maturity like this one. The foam has settled down. That Cristal fragrance of soft yellow fruit, tangerine and vanilla leads to firmly fruity and somehow sunny flavors on the palate with excellent length. Still easy to appreciate and enjoy yet far from sweet or blowsy. Archetypal Cristal and unique in the world of Champagne. If you're aching for toast, yeast and beer, look somewhere else.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    9/9/2022 10:20:00 PM - Agreed!
Red

1990 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle

 Syrah more
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3/26/2022 - fclarity wrote: 95 points

This wine had a deep red/purple center with red/orange rims. Its medium intensity nose generated roasted meat, plums, mocha, and mineral notes.

Rich and ripe in the mouth with great balance and length, this was very young and likely had several points of upside.

Hold for 10+ years or decant at breakfast!

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    4/2/2022 9:54:00 PM - You will know a good time is ahead all day!
White - Sparkling

1996 Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Liesse d'Harbonville

 Champagne Blend more
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2/26/2022 - fclarity wrote: 92 points

Tasting more advanced than previous bottles

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    2/27/2022 6:06:00 PM - I have visited their cellars and have good experiences with other bottles. Nice to hear my assessment that it was not what it should be is shared by another experienced taster!
Red

1990 Château Margaux

 Red Bordeaux Blend more
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5/24/2021 - englishman's claret wrote: 98 points

It's amazing to think it's been almost a decade since I last tasted this, one of my first 100 point wines and a reference for Bordeaux. And it didn't disappoint tonight. In true Margaux fashion, it seems to represent the essence of pencil lead liquefied, accented by cassis, raspberry, and white flower, carried in a powerful but elegant frame. In its way, the 90 Margaux embodies that typically-Burgundian paradox of power without weight: its aroma is perceptible inches from the glass, yet the wine dances across the palate.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    2/11/2022 7:30:00 AM - I am a fan of your notes. However, I find this one paradoxical. Did you mean to write 98 pts?

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    2/11/2022 12:04:00 PM - Great, glad I asked!
Red

1990 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle

 Syrah more
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5/8/2021 - winedupe Likes this wine: 95 points

Just found 7 bottles of this buried deep behind other wines, probably intentionally to hide it so as not to drink it too early. I bought this as futures based on Parker's rave, and stored it my passively cooled New England cellar (58 Fahrenheit in winter and 68 in summer with slow change). Cork was moldy on the top.
As a complete aside, I'd like to mention that almost every old French wine that I open has mold on the cork, while practically every old California wine that I open does not. This makes me think that CA wineries do some sort of sterilization that the French do not. It is unlikely to be bleach, which can lead to "corked" (trichloroanisol), as my casual observation is that more old French wines than CA wines are reported on this forum to be corked. Dunn of course dips in molten wax, which inhibits mold, but their corks are awful. Don't get me started on that!
Anyway, back to the La Chapelle. The cork was nonetheless in good shape, and red only about bottom 1/3. Fill was 3/4 inch below cork, so looked good. No decant.
For another aside, a fellow smart and compassionate wine fellow and I did an experiment in 2017 with 1982 Ch. Leoville Poyferre (by the way a excellent wine). We decanted one bottle for three hours in an extremely clean Ehrlenmyer flask (sorry - no fancy decanter here, but lots of surface area in the flask), and then opened a second bottle and poured immediately. In comparison, we both agreed that we could not detect any difference between the two samples. As such, I am mystified by the voluminous discussion on this forum about decanting and how great and necessary it is. I would like to hear from anyone who has done a similar controlled EXPERIMENT!
Anyway, back to the La Chapelle. Absolutely no browning, which is highly unusual for a wine this old. Firm acidity (tannin still?). Everyone has their fruits that they taste, but I tasted strawberries. Also some burning wood smoke. Very high in estery flavors. Looooong finish.
Bottom line, this wine still tasted very young for 31 years old, suggesting that it might be even better in the future. I wish I had cases more of this wine to follow until I am no longer of sound mind. I noticed that it is available for about $600, while recent first growth Bordeaux are about $1200... But of course the risk of buying old wine is that you don't know where or how it has been all these years.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    9/17/2021 7:34:00 PM - Thank you for a fun wine note. I have done the PNP v. decanted experiment many times. Most of the time you will find a noteworthy difference with wines that are approaching maturity.

    In my opinion, the issue with the experiment here is that this wine is so young that it would take 8-12 hours to have the aeration process really make a difference. Bottom line is, I agree with you conclusion. This wine will be better in the future. The main question is, how long will it take? Enjoy!
Red

2001 Harlan Estate

 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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8/19/2019 - Peech Likes this wine: 93 points

decanted 3 hours prior to serving. Overall a bit more muted than expected. Perhaps over-decanted? Got nicer a little later with some fruit, maybe a hint of chocolate, and smoke. Still tannic

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    8/21/2021 7:39:00 AM - My thought on a wine like this is that you either have to PNP or decant for a much longer time, say 10 hours. My guess is that the tannin will build over the first 2-4 hours and then become more balanced after 6-8 hours. I know it sounds risky but I have done it countless times with younger wines and oxygen resistant Piedmontese.
Red

1982 Château Gruaud Larose

 St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more
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3/7/2021 - UFGators Likes this wine: 95 points

I usually don't like to post multiple ratings of the same wine but I believed it was appropriate given the age of this wine to re examine. This was the 5th time tasting this wine and all have been fairly consistent. I picked this wine which was top shoulder fill. The cork came out perfectly with the aid of the durand and the cork was stained with wine 80 pecent of the way up. Poured into the glass and the nose at first was cedar and and barnyard funk. I thought at first brett but I wanted to see how the wine would progress and since I couldn't return it anyways wanted to go give it best chance of success. The Som at the restaurant suggested no decant but I went against his suggestion and I was very pleased with the results. The wine transformed from a basically super austere and basically dead wine to a elegant and complex wine with beautiful acidity and a beautiful fruit core. Cassis, tobacco, leather and cedar notes and the wine continued to gain intensity as the wine sat in the decanter and in the glass. Lesson learned- these 1982s have some incredible staying power. Don't be afraid to decant these wines to awake them from their 38 year slumber. I would drink these wines over the next ten years but that is just a guess.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    7/31/2021 6:53:00 AM - While I certainly agree that opening, tasing and making a decision makes sense, I don't agree with the concept of "dangerous decanting". My 40 years of intensive wine experience suggests that (as a general rule) the only time decanting is dangerous is when the wine is flawed from the start.

    If the wine is not flawed, it will almost always benefit from air, the only question is how much air. It is often more than one would expect. Many tasters will finish a wine while it is still evolving in the glass. Ever heard the phrase "the last taste was the best"? That is because they finished the wine before it finished evolving. They will never know how great it could have been.

    In another point of agreement, working Somm's don't have 2-10 hours to monitor a bottle to see how it is progressing. Moreover, when you are ordering a bottle in a restaurant, you don't have that much time either. Many times, I will work with a Somm to open a bottle many hours before I arrive for dinner. Trying to figure out how optimize aeration is part of the fun. Enjoy!
Red

1966 Château Latour Grand Vin

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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12/12/2020 - fclarity wrote: 95 points

This wine is really the poster child for aeration. In the first couple hours it showed cellar must, volatile acidity, and was relatively thin. I would maybe have given it 90 points.

Afterwards, it gradually developed lovely structure, a fine grained texture, and excellent length. The volatile acidity disappeared and the old world fruit came forward.

This is a lovely wine that is fully mature.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    12/13/2020 12:16:00 PM - Hi Mark,
    Thanks for your note. This last bottle was a high shoulder fill, so certainly not perfect. I think the key is color and smell. If your color looks strong (very deep red center with orange at the rim), I would risk even a longer decant. For example, with my recent bottle the acidity died down at first during the hour and the wine was left quite flat and boring. It did not taste bad, just not great. However, as time went along a magnificent structure developed after hour 3. This last bottle, and several other bottles I have had of this wine, were nice in the beginning but outstanding after 3 hours in a decanter.

    It does seem risky and, if you bottle has been oxidized, the wine won't come around. However, I think you will be able to tell this upon opening. If your color is good and the wine doesn't taste oxidized you might want to give it a try. I will say that if you don't give a wine like this at least 3 hours you won't see the heights it can reach. Good luck!
Red

1959 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche

 La Tâche Grand Cru Pinot Noir more
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6/4/2017 - fclarity wrote: 97 points

Tasted blind, this wine had a red center and light orange rims. The medium+ intensity nose wasn't showing much. It seemed more like an ancient CDP rather than a Burgundy. What is counter intuitive about wines like this is that even though they seem like they might be over the hill, they really need air to bring them back to life and resuscitate their flavor profile.

After a few hours, the medium+ intensity nose offered up black cherries, anise, brown spices, and candle wax. As it aired, the wine developed classic Rhubarb notes.

Again, this wine was not particularly special in the mouth for the first hour or two and it slowly came out of its shell. Toward the end, it had light, rounded tannin, solid acidity, excellent balance, and fantastic length. It had a slight roasted quality that suggested a warm year.

This wine moved up from a 92 point wine to 97 over the course of 5 hours in a decanter. Open it early and try not to drink it before it can reveal itself!

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    3/24/2019 7:55:00 AM - Thank you for your note. I definitely do. Please see my main CellarTracker page for more details. However, in brief, how long you let it air will depend on what you find after you open the bottle. Have fun!

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    12/1/2020 9:26:00 AM - I gradually discovered the idea of extended decanting for older wines 15 years ago. As I went along I generally found that the longer I decanted wines the better they got. You see in tasting notes all the time that the last sip was the best. This made me wonder what am I missing after the last sip? It turns out, quite a bit.

    Even knowing all this, the counter-intuitive nature of extended decanting had me doubting this practice for years. Even after I had so many successes doing it, I still wondered will it really work for this wine? I have found it works the vast majority of times, including white wines.

    For robust wines like the '59 and '61 Bordeaux in great condition a 5 hour decant is a no-brainer. I can guarantee you that a '59 Mouton in great condition will be fantastic and needs a MINIMUM of 5 hours to show itself. It is possible in 2008 that you didn't give it enough air time or you had a bad bottle. As they say, there are no great wines only great bottles.

    I always give older Burgundies and even Bordeaux from the 20's a few hours as well. As I note in my profile. I usually taste them ever hour to see the progression and use a vacuum cork if I want to halt the aeration process for a while. Have fun!

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    12/2/2020 9:38:00 AM - Older bottles come around from time to time. I like to find collections that are from estates or the consignor is selling a lot of older bottles at once. One has to be very careful but you can get some 100 year old bottles that are not rebouchee nor late release. Have fun!
Rosé - Sparkling

2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne Rosé

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8/31/2020 - fclarity wrote: 94 points

As an experiment, I slow Oxed this wine for 6 hours before I tasted it over 3 hours. It got better over the entire time frame and, surprisingly, the mousse remained active and attractive throughout.

After the slow ox, this wine showed a fruity core of raspberries with some mineral in the finish. As the bottle received additional air, it continued to firm up and show more minerals. It became attractively integrated and much longer.

This wine has some big scores from the critics and it is certainly very good. My experiment also confirmed that it is very young and will improve a lot with age. This is a nice wine that will get better but is it better than the alternatives at this price?

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    8/31/2020 2:38:00 PM - I usually keep it chilled but I don’t think it matters. My thesis that it is the amount of oxygen exposure that matters not the temperature during the exposure. Of course, the temperature has to be correct when consuming. Please let me know if you have a different opinion.
Red

1990 Château Margaux

 Red Bordeaux Blend more
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4/18/2020 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 points

“Grapey” is usually a derogative term when applied to wine. But how else to describe a wine which plumbs the depth of the essence of perfectly ripe sweet blackberry and raspberries? The texture is almost too silky, the tannins subdued, the acid and oak well integrated, the alcohol almost invisible in the background. The feminine soft side of Château Margaux. I wish for a bit more grip though. At peak for sure and probably not for the very long term.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    5/28/2020 4:39:00 PM - Hi,
    How long was this bottle open?

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    5/28/2020 5:57:00 PM - I definitely find that air tends to firm up bottles. Sometimes it takes a while. Thanks for the response!

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    5/28/2020 6:07:00 PM - One more thought. I think the key for me would be color. Given your note, and if it had strong color, I would probably try decanting it for 4 hours before I started drinking to see if it firms up. Then I would drink it over a few hours. I agree with you that a nice bottle like this needs to have some spine. Otherwise, it is off to auction!
Red

1966 Château Latour Grand Vin

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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4/18/2020 - fclarity wrote: 94 points

From an otherwise nice looking bottle with a high shoulder fill, this wine had a dark red center and orange rims. The high- intensity nose featured blackberries, minerals, black spices, toasted nuts, and a hint of iodine.

In the mouth, this wine was rich with light rounded tannin and firm acidity. It was a touch lean in the mid-palate for the first couple hours. As the wine aired, it became more integrated and the finish became more detailed. It remained a bit less phenolicly ripe than some other bottles.

This bottle had a distinctive dark (cooler year) flavor profile. I would have scored it in the 92-93 range during the first few hours in the decanter. At the end it was very intense and at least 94 points and arguably 95 points. It is drinking well now with air but it is likely to last at this level for a decade or two.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    4/18/2020 6:18:00 PM - A couple months
Red

1961 Château Latour Grand Vin

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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9/7/2019 - fclarity wrote: 99 points

From a so-so looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red/purple center and light red rims (I bought it because the color was great). The medium+ intensity nose displayed black cherries, plums, walnuts, anise, and minerals.

In the mouth, this wine was rich and ripe with huge fruit and substantial round tannin. It had crisp acidity and stunning length. Amazingly enough, this wine was still a touch closed even after 5+ hours in a decanter.

Fortunately, this bottle showed extremely well. It is hard to imagine a classier, more complete wine. It really needs another 10-20 years in the cellar or about 8 hours in a decanter. I have given it an extra point here for seemingly guaranteed potential.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    4/9/2020 6:50:00 AM - I assure you, it is not too good to be true. It is just expensive!
Red

1969 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

 Napa Valley more
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5/26/2017 - jsteach wrote: 99 points

The wine is, in a word, exceptional. cigar ash, funk, granite, red currants, violets, balsamic . very complex nose . The mouthfeel is exceptionally youthful given its age; there’s so much vibrancy here. The finish is full of earth, cloves, and currants, and goes on, and on, and on…

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    12/30/2019 7:21:00 AM - Hi JS,
    My understanding is the first bottle of Reserve was in 1971. Was this possibly an "unfined" or "unfiltered" bottling? I would love to see a picture of the bottle. Thanks for you tasting note! I am just trying to clarify. Thank you.
    Fclarity
Red

1966 Château Latour Grand Vin

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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9/1/2018 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 points

Could the great ‘66 Latour be fading into the good night or is it just this bottle? From WineBid, it certainly looked excellent, sporting a top shoulder ullage and the cork was moist and firm, just as it should be. The color too was excellent. Vague unformed nose though, just barely detectable. Exceptionally soft in the mouth with no detectable tannins. The acidity was good but the finish was short. Not defective but not memorable.

  • Comment posted by fclarity:

    7/19/2019 9:22:00 AM - SDR, I enjoy your notes. My experience with this wine was that it was pretty powerful after several hours of air. This appears to be in stark contrast to your recent note. I was wondering how long this bottle was in a decanter before you started drinking? Thanks!

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