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

1992 Château Valandraud

 St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more
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12/4/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 91 points

Valandrau vertical (1991-2020) (Fribourg): Selected tasting notes from a complete Valandraud vertical (1991-2020) hosted by a collector with an estate representative. Main observation was that both the work the estate did during the transition phase 2000-2012 is clearly bearing fruit in more recent vintages, further helped by warmer growing seasons that are favorable for this cool site in St Emillon. Additional comments included in the tasting story.

Tasting note:
A pretty varied fruit profile of cherry with darker accents of plum and ripe raspberry. While there were riper accents, in the end the fruit also had a slightly unripe quality. Whiffs of meat, herbal and earthy base notes. With a bit of air also adding aging features like leather. Fresh acidity on the palate, a rather full body and maybe a tad green tannin, but in good balance overall. Aromatically only hints of age on the palate.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    5/3/2024 8:48:00 AM - Why only selected notes? Where are the other notes? What are you hiding? Did the other vintages go undercover? Are they in witness protection? You should have kept a close eye on those other notes, knowing they are a flight risk! And btw, who made you the judge of things?
White - Fortified

1974 Heitz Cellar Angelica

 California Mission, Listán Prieto more
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5/1/2024 - Cailles wrote: 83 points

23x California 1974: Do the legendary 1974s still hold up? The answer is a resounding YES, and not just for one or two top wines, but across the board. These best wines showed incredible complexity, with still vibrant fruit cores perfectly complemented by layers upon layers of tertiary aromas, a fully intact structural frame, stature, poise, and freshness. While many of these wines should continue to age well, I don't expect them to get any better than they are now. The top wines in the tasting were the Mondavi Cabernet and the Phelps Insignia (both 97pts), the Mondavi Reserve and the Mount Eden (both 96pts), and the Ridge Monte Bello (95pts). Many more wines scored in the 90-94 point range. I'm convinced that many wines would have scored even higher in a different tasting setting, where you can follow the wine over the course of an evening. Only 5 of the 24 bottles showed signs of weakness, with 1 of those already oxidized, but given the substance that could be tasted underneath, this is more likely due to weak corks or poor storage than anything nature delivered this year. All the wines had very good fill levels and had been quickly double decanted before tasting to remove the sediment.

TN: A unicorn sweet wine, produced only in 1974, it spent 17 years in barrel. Many people loved it thanks to an impressive complexity and superb precision, with a sweetness well kept in check by a deep acid backbone. I didn't like the aromatic profile, with lots of dried fruit, and the alcohol was strong on the nose and palate, which is not surprising at 19% alcohol.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    5/3/2024 8:42:00 AM - Yes, the first time. And yes, it's definitely not my style (and I always score accordingly, you won't find a high score for port wines or Madeira in my notes). Too alcoholic and I don't like the very dried fruit aromatics. Others liked it clearly better. Technically, it is for sure a better wine although it cannot hide the alcohol at all.
Red

2019 Château Pontet-Canet

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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2/12/2024 - Zweder wrote: NR

I am not going to score this wine. It was so a-typical. The bottle had been tasted earlier with the Coravin and I don’t know if this has influenced the development of the wine. The wine had a very ripe and sweet bouquet with red berries and impressions of cocoa and oak. On the palate some sweetness and overripe impressions, full bodied, good length, round tannin and lush. I have a few bottles myself, so eventually there will be a tasting note from one of my own bottles, but that will not be on the short term.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    4/30/2024 7:58:00 AM - That's just how Pontet is in 2019... I had a similar impression. Also fitting to what TWA's Will Kelley wrote: [...] it's a wine I find somewhat perplexing: in a blind tasting, I might be more inclined to place it in Gigondas than Pauillac. I'm far from dogmatic when it comes to what the French call "typicité," and stylistic diversity surely enriches every appellation; but by the same token, I'm not convinced that this is the most compelling aesthetic that a Cabernet-based blend from this part of Bordeaux can realize. [...]

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    4/30/2024 11:18:00 PM - Tahts my TN on that.

    Tasted double blind. This wine is fantastic! At this early stage, there is so much laser-sharp fruit embedded in such a perfect structure with lots of the ultra-finest tannins and an unbelievable weightlessness. The sweet and fresh red fruit, the hyper precision, the absolute absence of any weight made me believe that I‘m having a great young Sine Qua Non Grenache in my glass! This isn’t really a Pauillac. But anyway, the 2016 Bordeaux vintage seems to best all other vintages in the past 20, 30 or more years, perfect ripeness, fresh, clean fruit, superb freshness, no weight.... wow. 97+ points.

    TN: Incredibly nose with so much pure rhubarb, bright red berries, spices, intense, hyper-precise and singular. Directly reminded me of a great SQN Grenache. Killer nose. Very fresh, totally weightless palate displaying fresh red and dark red berries, slight herbs, spices, some minerality with ultra-fine, hardly noticeable tannins. Long, red fruit and slightly earthy finish.

    Decanting: A two hour decant should do the job.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    4/30/2024 11:18:00 PM - I‘ve had the 2016 once blind (not a Bdx evening, open night). And I guessed this to be a Central Californian wine (a Sine Qua Non Grenache to be precise). It was fantastic, but far away from being a Pauillac.
Red

2020 Ridge Monte Bello

 Santa Cruz Mountains Red Bordeaux Blend more
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4/28/2024 - Cailles wrote: 94 points

Following the encounter with two smoke-tainted half bottles (see comment from April 21), a tasting session involving a 750ml bottle revealed no perceptible smoky undertones among the seven participants, whether tested blind or otherwise. Maybe the half bottles offer a glimpse into the future for the regular bottle. This wine appears unsuitable for aging.

TN: This wine presents a luxurious structure marked by elegance and vivacity. It boasts a wide aromatic range anchored by a vibrant fruit core, enriched by subtle earthy mineral and woody/herbal notes of cedar and pine. While the wine delivers a balanced and delightful experience, it concludes with a relatively brief finish.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    4/29/2024 9:29:00 PM - Difficult to say. But if the difference between two half bottles and the 750 are an indication, the drinking window isn‘t too long for the 750. 1-2 more years?
Red

2009 Château Haut-Bailly

 Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend more
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11/23/2022 - Cailles wrote: 96 points

Ten Vintages Haut Bailly vs Mission HB: Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.

Some findings:
1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).

TN: Expressive nose with ripe dark berries, some toast and coffee notes too. Very inviting. On the palate this is round and seductive, toasted and full of ripe dark fruits, cassis, dark red fruit, coffee and burnt sugar. Some minerality and herbs to complement. Round, superb tannin quality, fine acidity to keep it quite fresh. Overall a fantastic, balanced wine although it is quite ripe.

Decanting: Like with many 2009s, a short decant should be sufficient.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    1/3/2023 1:15:00 AM - thanks Mark!

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    4/28/2024 1:18:00 PM - Have fun, report back and Happy Birthday!!!!
White - Sparkling

1995 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon

 Champagne Blend more
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11/19/2023 - Cailles wrote: flawed

Corked.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    4/20/2024 1:53:00 AM - Sorry, you gotta help me on that. What does that mean?

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    4/21/2024 9:29:00 PM - Ah, ok :). Recent auction buy. Full case (not opened cardboard box) which made me buy it as it… was not a good idea as it seems.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    4/22/2024 11:49:00 AM - Sadly, not the case here. Badly corked, no recovery. I love old Champagne, DP from the 60/70s is amazing too, but no hope here.
Red

2011 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse)

 St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more
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3/18/2021 - bethel31 wrote: 89 points

Silky and mineral. High level of alcohol and dry finish. Still not open and will be better in a few years.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    4/11/2024 10:06:00 AM - The high alcohol won’t go away and the dry finish will only get drier…
Red

2014 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse)

 St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more
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3/14/2024 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine: NR

Bottle variation

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    4/11/2024 9:52:00 AM - No, it’s the wine
White - Sparkling

2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

 Champagne Blend more
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3/18/2024 - Cailles wrote: 95 points

It has been 18 months since I last tasted this vintage. Until now, I found it not overly expressive or layered but always with an unmatched elegance in structure. My ratings have consistently hovered between 93 and 94pts. Revisiting now, I've observed a significant evolution: it has finally intensified in both concentration and expressiveness, though at the slight expense of its finesse. Still, this was the best bottle so far. And it's also the first bottle that made me more confident about the longer-term potential of this wine. But contrary to critical opinion, I don't think that this will be the best big house 2008 (and btw, the 2012 always showed more promising and still does). 95/96pts

TN: Expressive right from the go and without much air. Layered and highly precise aromas of peach, lemon,white fruit, slate and saline minerality, a beautiful toffee and slight buttery note. Super mid-palate weight and long finish. Great freshness and a lot of cut. It’s no longer as fine and elegant as before but gained some edges but still well-built and time will bring that softness back. All in all a great Champagne to drink.

Decanting: No extensive decanting needed.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    3/18/2024 4:22:00 AM - Dom Perignon. But I would check out some other CT users here which had more 08s to get a few more data points. Probably not everybody thinks the same.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    3/19/2024 7:43:00 AM - If you got one bottle of the Cristal, I would definitely wait! If you have a few, no harm in opening the first now but my guess is that in another 10 years, this wine will be much better.
Red

1988 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia

 Vino da Tavola Red Bordeaux Blend more
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3/18/2024 - Cailles wrote: 96 points

A few years back, this vintage was like an uncut gem—still rough around the edges, its aromas shy and reserved, craving a generous breath of air to truly shine. I speculated it was at least a decade away from hitting its stride. Fast forward four years, and it's as if the wine found its voice, bursting into a symphony of flavor. It has entered its prime drinking window, presenting an intricate tapestry of mature aromas, balanced with an exquisite sweetness and vibrant fruitiness. Its robust structure promises decades of drinking pleasure ahead. This is the best Sassicaia I’ve ever had, very much old-school left bank Bordeaux in its style and feel. 96/97pts.

TN: Intense, dark fruit nose with menthol notes, tobacco, herbs. The same on the palate, lots of fresh dark berries, minerality, tobacco, some truffles, menthol notes, some red and blue fruits underneath that become more pronounced with time. Some caramel sweetness on the back, which balances the earthy and tertiary aromas beautifully. Superb precision, every flavor is in HD. There are plenty of well-integrated tannins that are fine but still noticeable, plenty of freshness and a fine velvety texture. This can go on for several more decades. Lots of stuffing, lots of poise, superb!

Decanting: This needs at least an hour to fully open up. Better two.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    3/18/2024 9:13:00 AM - sure, hit me up: CTcailles@gmail.com
Red

2003 Château d'Issan

 Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend more
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5/7/2023 - Cailles wrote: 92 points

Bordeaux 2003 – 20 Years On – 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind, not decanted (some wines would have needed it). Observations: 1) 2003 is not a good vintage. The wines don’t have the depth and elegance of good years. But I was positively surprised, that while it’s clearly a hot year, there are less overripe, over-extracted and prematurely dying wines than in 09/10. Still, there is no comparison to how Chateauxs handle hot years today. 2) Compared to five other vintage retrospectives, the 2003 came in last place (lower average score than 2011), with just Chateau Margaux reaching a group score above 95pts. 3) Margaux wines showed best, with the typical immediate charm, while St. Estephe and Pauillac have potential but will need more time (and/or would have needed more air). 4) Right bank wines did not show as good with some alcohol showing and a few wines being on a downhill path. I would not chase 2003 right banks.

TN: Beautiful, classic Pauillac nose, ripe but not too ripe, quite luxurious dark fruit, some burnt sugar notes, some blue fruit and minerality. Good level complex, very precise. On the palate there is fine blue and dark fruit, minerality, some herbs and cedar notes. Not as complex and even a bit hollow on the mid palate and towards the not overly exciting finish. Fine tannins, well-integrated acidity, quite light. This is a very solid effort and drinks beautifully today.

Decanting: No extensive decanting needed.

Group average: 92.8 pts
Group rank: Shared 4th out of 29 reds

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    1/18/2024 3:12:00 PM - Cassis & Graphite
Red

1994 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard

 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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12/31/2023 - Cailles wrote: 93 points

No notes taken. This second bottle from a weaker batch didn’t showcase the peak qualities that the 1994 vintage can achieve. It had just a bit less of everything that typically makes this wine outstanding: less density, a weaker and less pure fruit core, fewer tertiary aromas, and less tension and verve. It was still a very good wine, but not exceptional.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    1/1/2024 4:47:00 PM - I was fortunate enough to taste this wine over a dozen times over the past few years and usually the bottles were ready to go without decanting, but some bottle needed a few hours in the decanter (see previous tasting notes, often with decanting comment). So no definite answer. I would open it 2, 3 hours in advance and if its not open and singing decant it.
Red

1998 Penfolds Grange

 South Australia Shiraz Blend, Syrah more
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10/29/2023 - Cailles wrote: 93 points

A few observations: A) The wines undoubtedly deserve their legendary status. Few wines manage to square the circle of being intense, rich in substance and structure, while at the same time being ethereal, delicate and airy. B) The wines are all complex and very precise. With age (and/or air) the wines show a Rayas-like pure red berry fruit to die for. Other defining aromas are the minty/eucalyptus notes and especially the sweet spice I find in many Aussie Shirazes. C) The wines age at a glacial pace. Even the 40+ year old wines are still quite young and all will need a lot of decanting. D) All the wines were on a high level (except for one subpar bottle of the 2000). The winner was the magical 1982 (98pts), the epitome of elegance and balance.

TN: Dark intense fruit, some finer red fruit underneath, spices, minty notes on the nose. Not as perfectly clean as the 2001/2002 we had before but still quite good. Cleaner on the palate with finer red berries, blue and black fruit, spices, some minty notes, some cola notes. Fine and round, suave, quite light and airy. This bottle was drinking on a 93pts level (the palate higher). As it is one of the more legendary vintages for Grange, my guess is that this bottle was not perfectly right. In addition, my previous experience with this wine suggests that it needs to be decanted for several hours in order to show its best.

Decanting: All wines were quickly double decanted 3h before the tasting. In my experience Grange usually needs hours of proper decanting. I would decant it at least for 4 hours.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    12/14/2023 9:25:00 PM - Oh yes, completely agree. Grange needs 40 years to really blossom.
Red

1982 Château Brane-Cantenac

 Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend more
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11/19/2023 - Cailles wrote: 89 points

20 Vintages of Brane Cantenac: My limited experience with Brane has been mostly positive, and this tasting confirmed my initial thoughts: these days, Brane is A) usually quite accessible and charming, even young; B) the quality has steadily improved over the years, the wines are becoming more complex, precise and balanced; while vintages pre 2015 often seemed a bit simple, more recent vintages show better, C) the aromatics in recent vintages remind me of Ch. Margaux, with beautiful ripe red fruit core, as well as floral and coffee components; and D) the quality/price ratio is exceptionally good (not considered for the ratings). E) The best wine was the ethereal 2020 (96 points), followed by a superbly fresh 2010 (95 points). Although the quality is exceptional these days, the Chateau didn't fully nail every vintage, the 2019 (93pts) and, more surprisingly, the 2016 (93pts) were strong but a tad too ripe and sweet.

TN: Sadly, this bottle wasn’t particularly good. While there was still some life left on the nose, the palate was thin and with barely any fruit left. Nothing to write home about. Still, 89pts for the good nose displaying intense dark berries, crushed rocks, herbal notes and fine burnt sugar notes.

Decanting: Not decanted. I don’t think that more air would have changed things here but maybe this wasn’t a representative bottle.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    11/21/2023 11:28:00 AM - Many thanks for the input. Might very well be, I have had made the same experience too.
Red

1998 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière

 St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more
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11/19/2023 - Cailles wrote: 97 points

Tasted double blind. Two 1998s side-by-side. The Canon La Gaffeliere (97pts) showed at its peak, highly complex, ultra-high precision lots of fruit left but so well balanced by all the tertiary aromas. The Mission Haut-Brion (96pts) was just a notch behind, displaying wonderful maturity, superb fruit, fine, elegant structure just missing a layer or two more to match the Canon La Gaffeliere. The 1998 vintage is singing today.

TN: Very expressive nose with lots of graphite, tobacco, creme de cassis. So textbook Left Bank (at least that’s what I wrongly thought). Beautiful from the attack through the finish with fine velvety tannins, a nice creaminess, without any excess weight and a good freshness. Intense fruit core, herbs, meaty notes, crushed rocks, tobacco, some black truffles. Yes it could be more complex but precision and balance are quite perfect. This gave me lots of drinking pleasure.

Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    11/19/2023 10:48:00 AM - I hope that mags are as singing as the bottle I had! Fingers crossed!
Red

2009 Château La Conseillante

 Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend more
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10/2/2023 - Cailles wrote: 92 points

20 Vintages of La Conseillante (1947-2020): All wines tasted blind. I have had many beautiful Conseillantes in the past, but in this tasting the wines did not shine as expected. A few thoughts: A) Conseillante is a seductive, sensual wine, not unlike more Bordeaux-esque Napa Valley wines. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Opus One, with the blue and black forest berry aromas found in almost every vintage. B) The fruit is ripe, but never too ripe. But only in the cooler years (and 2020) is the fruit perfectly pure and fresh. C) Even in the newer vintages, the (luxurious) oak notes are still present and will need some time to be fully absorbed. D) My biggest problem (and the group had the same one) was that almost all of the newer vintages showed alcohol notes that weren't noticeable en primeur or in the Arrivage tastings (and the wines were served at a perfect temperature or rather a little too cold). E) There were some beautiful wines, complex and seductive, but La Conseillante is not a wine for classic Bordeaux or Left Bank lovers. Conseillante is the hot one-night stand, not the elegant and intellectually appealing wine I want to drink every day. F) The best wine was the 2020 (96pts, the only score above 95pts), confirming my impression that it is a better, less ripe Bordeaux vintage than 2019.

TN: I’ve had this a few times before and it always needed air to open up and become balanced and round. This bottle didn’t get that time. Served in a flight with the 2010, 14 and 15, I was surprised that this was the 2009 as it was the least ripe wine in the series. Maybe the fact that it was a bit muted and would have needed air masked the ripeness a bit. After a muted nose, there was fresh fruit and lots of spices at the core of the palate. Unfortunately, some alcohol notes too. The tannin quality and acidity were good, the balance slightly off. My guess is that these 92pts are not reflective of what the wine can achieve when properly prepared.

Decanting: The bottle was opened a few hours before consumption but not decanted. I would decant this for 2-3 hours.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    11/7/2023 11:21:00 PM - Many thanks for your input! Sounds very promising. I didn't bite En Primeur, despite the high praises (I don't think that prices will move much until the arrivage and I didn't had time to taste it).
Red

2016 Château Montrose

 St. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend more
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9/4/2021 - Cailles wrote: 97 points

Bordeaux 2016 - 5 Years On - 8 Top Reds: All wines tasted single blind. This tasting proved again that 2016 is an amazing vintage. Compared to many other recent vintages, the 2016s show no excess in any category (especially beneficial for right banks these days) but wines that are still fully ripe. The aromatic complexity and precision are off the charts and structural frames are luxurious. Compared to the more solar 2015s wines we tasted last year, the 2016s will need more time to integrate and open up and might be a tad less charming at this point, but the potential is immense. Group winner was an incredible Ausone, ahead of the Pichon Lalande and an incredible and singular Montrose (which for me was a tied #1 with the Ausone).

TN: Bombastic nose with layers and layers of expressive aromas of dark berries, bright red fruit, crushed rocks, fresh and roasted herbs and some Mouton-like burnt sugar aromas, I‘ve never experienced in a Montrose before. A 98/99 pts nose, just wow, wow, wow. On the palate the wine is spectacular too with super precise red and dark fruit, burnt sugar, roasted aromas, minerality, herbs all embedded in a superb structural frame with fine tannins and a perfect structure. The wine is light and airy but not in the same category yet as the Ausone in the flight before. Long, expanding and complex finish. What was surprising, and the same is true for the Cos, is how open, ready and feminine these St. Estephe wines were showing. This is without doubt the most spectacular young Montrose I‘ve ever had and I‘m pretty sure this can reach perfection. So far, this is one of the wines of the vintage for me. 97/98 pts in the context of this tasting with upside for more.

Decanting: Decanted for roughly 2 hours which seemed prefect.

Group rank: #3 out of 8 wines
Group score: 95.9 pts

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    9/15/2022 11:46:00 PM - Many thanks!

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    10/30/2023 9:41:00 PM - Montrose and Lalande. All three seem to have great potential but LLC usually needs 30-40 years just to open up a bit.
White - Sparkling

NV Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Réserve

 Champagne Blend more
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9/28/2023 - Cailles wrote: 92 points

No notes taken. From magnum. This showed beautifully today. Open and accessible. Aromatically expressive on the nose and through the palate with fine brioche notes, some fresher citrus notes mixed with hints of red berries, as well as a touch of minerality. Fairly round but not es elegant as bigger names and good freshness. Superb entry level Champagne. 92/93pts.

Decanting: No decanting needed.

  • Comment posted by Cailles:

    10/8/2023 2:04:00 PM - It is indeed a great Champagne with an almost unmatched quality price ratio.

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