4/26/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Crazy that this was $230 off their list given lowest retail price on Wine-Searcher is $450! Crisp and taut in the style of the 2016 vintage but it also showed plenty of expressive flavors with notes of dried lemons, yeasty bread and minerals. The finish has a perfect intensity and complexity and is deeply satisfying. I love Collin!

4/26/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

A perfect bottle of this which is certainly reaching full maturity. It shows so well that round and creamy texture that Raveneau’s develop with age and while I might’ve liked a bit more acidity and intensity, the finish was beautifully complex with notes of oyster shells, clove spice and tingly minerals. 94-5

4/26/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Bob was right, this should’ve been served in the first flight with the Pichon Lalande and Ducru above as it was simply over-shadowed by the power of the '96 LLC and Haut Brion drunk alongside. That being said, I still thought it was a beautiful wine that really showed the terroir of St. Estephe with flavors of earthy dark fruits, Asian spices and road tar. A beautiful wine that needs drinking now. 94

4/26/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Another beautiful '96 with a bit more heft than the Pichon but not as refined. What was interesting was how clear the difference was between Pauillac and St. Julien with the Ducru showing more on the red fruit spectrum with a fabulous spicy complexity on the finish. As David said correctly, it did begin to fade in the glass while the Pichon held up better so drink this with a short decant. 95

4/26/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

As good a bottle as I’ve had of this wine and it was showing everything you’d ever want in a great Pauillac with age. Black fruits, graphite minerals and a gorgeous silky texture which leads to a refined, complex finish with notes of grilled nuts and smoked earth. One cannot under-estimate the greatness of Pauillac and this is a classic example in every way.
96-7

4/26/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

A huge, extremely high-class wine with first-growth quality written all over it. Deep, dark and magisterial with a great sense of power and the finest silk woven into the texture. Easily the youngest wine on the table and not fully revealing itself until perhaps the last sip. Don’t drink this without at least a 6-hour decant but better to wait as this is an astounding vintage of LLC that should blossom over the next decade. 96+

4/26/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

1996 Haut Brion – if you think it was just Cabernet Sauvignon that thrived in the ’96 vintage, think again. This wine which is 50% Merlot, 39% Cab Sauv and 11% Cab Franc was simply outstanding with incredible depth and that classic smoky complexity that only Haut Brion can show. It was deep, dark and mysterious and still quite youthful but with time in the glass it showed it’s first-growth pedigree with fabulous balance and an effortless breed and class. A totally underrated vintage of Haut Brion from a top-notch bottle. 97+

4/23/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

This really improved in the glass and could've even benefitted from a decant. Once it reached its zenith, it just flowed over the palate like liquid cashmere with beautiful dark cherry and bluish fruit and perfect balance. Just a gorgeous Burgundy with many years of life left but with some air, this is close to peak if you like some fruit left in your Burgundy. Has the stuffing to grow more complex over the next two decades if I can keep my hands off it. 95+

4/23/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Really elegant wine drinking well now with delicious apple and lemon fruit and a lovely complex finish. Quite Burgundian in style but I still preferred the '20 Cuvee Anne for it's better verve and intensity.

4/23/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Really a superb west coast Chardonnay truly made in a Burgundian style. A year has softened the reduction here and this wine is now delivering on all cylinders with succulent acidity and classy lemon/lime and apple fruit. The finish is complex and tingly not unlike a top village Meursault or Santenay Premier Cru with excellent verve and freshness. Yum.

4/23/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

The rich ripeness of this vintage has settled down some and this now delivers a superb Bojo experience. It oozes fresh red fruits but it's beautifully balanced by crisp acidity ending in an enthusiastic juicy finish. A real hit at the Passover table!

4/23/2024 - dream wrote:

Too much brett in this bottle for me. Perhaps due to the very warm vintage?

4/23/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Lovely smoky black fruit makes this wine quite alluring along with interesting flavors of warm asphalt and coal dust. Chiseled in style with plenty of acidity yet beautifully layered with a refined, silky texture. The finish perhaps lacks some complexity and power but there are still some crisp tannins and more smoky minerals. Aging so well with plenty left in the tank.

4/23/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Lovely, rich Margaux that needs time. 91+

4/20/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

The best '07's are really having their moment now and this is certainly one of them. Taut and minerally in the Roumier style with a wonderful smooth texture and great dark cherry fruit. Really improved in the glass for over and hour and the last sip was best so no rush here but no need to wait either. Beautiful, elegant Burgundy.

4/20/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

As good a Roumier Bonnes Mares as I've ever had. This is still youthful with a deep core of dark cherry fruit and it took a while to come around in the glass. Once it did though, the power and intensity was magnificent and the firm but lacy texture mind-boggling. Such amazing freshness and verve with a mineral-laden taut finish that is legendary. One of those Burgundies that reminds me of the heights these wines can reach despite the frustrating, costly and inconsistent process of finding them.

4/20/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

This bottle was double-decanted for 5 hours and then thrown into a decanter for 1.5 hours at the restaurant. Layered and creamy in texture with classic HB notes of char and melted asphalt and very much on the black-fruited side in this strong, full-bodied vintage. The complexity on the finish is just developing and it remains a young wine in need of further aging. 94+

4/20/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

This is such a classic Chassagne showing real elegance and complexity as compared to say the raw power of PYCM Puligny or Meursault. Really grew in the glass with very finely detailed flavors of lemons, minerals and salted butter. The finish is lifted and beautifully complex with a saturated intensity that builds on the palate. Great stuff and drinking beautifully now (off the list at Claud).

4/20/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

A beautiful vintage for this wine and while it's a bit leaner than the '99 drunk the night before, the still succulent blue/cherry fruit is fabulous and the acidic verve is perfectly judged. The taut finish shows really top-notch complexity with notes of stems, minerals and dark cherry spice. Ready for sure but will hold.

4/13/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Fabulous Pomerol drinking at peak now. Quite layered and sexy in the style of the vintage. Deep black fruits with a very expressive and complex finish. Just gorgeous! Commanderie BYOB Pomerol Dinner.

4/13/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Beautiful wine. More chiseled but less giving than the '90. Very fine with subtle notes of truffles, coal dust and minerals. Tasted from 3 different bottles! Commanderie BYOB Pomerol Dinner.

4/13/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Young but so balanced and layered. Going to be one of their greatest vintages in time. 94+ Commanderie BYOB Pomerol Dinner.

4/13/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Really elegant and minerally wine. Very fine and chiseled with notes of graphite and black truffles. Commanderie BYOB Pomerol Dinner.

4/13/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Open and fully mature with a wonderful layered texture and loads of VCC complexity. Very buoyant and flavorful for a VCC with lovely flavors of bluish fruits and cigar box. Really stood out as being a special wine this evening. Commanderie BYOB Pomerol dinner.

4/13/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

This was really singing out of magnum showing an incredible complexity with notes of charred wood and dark spices. It kept improving in the glass and is perfectly mature now with some air. Commanderie BYOB Pomerol dinner.

4/13/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully today out of magnum showing real complexity and a lovely silky mouthfeel. A real success for the vintage and a wine I could drink all night! Commanderie BYOB Pomerol night.

4/13/2024 - dream wrote:

Not my favorite vintage of Grange. It's very ripe and rich with a really deep and layered texture and there are more black fruit and black olive notes rather than the usual fresh berry spice and eucalyptus. Tastes like it's from a warm vintage that got a little overdone. Decadent and velvety so it will appeal to some more than me.

4/11/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Decided to check in on this but right now it's brooding and closed. It shows black raspberry fruit with a firm structure and good density. There is a lot of good material hiding underneath a wall of tannins and I like the balance and the freshness. Finishes with notes of tobacco and chocolate but it's not at all overripe. Excellent potential but let it sleep for 5 more years and probably longer. 92+

4/11/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Lovely Meursault nose of lemon oil and hazelnuts. This is a weighty style of Meursault but with good intensity and complexity on the finish. Quite an oily texture with lots of clove-like spices and dark minerals. Less broad and more pinpoint at least at this stage. Overall, a bit of heaviness and lacks the tingly freshness I want in a young Meursault. Let's see if it changes or opens up a bit in a few more years. 88?

4/11/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

The more this sat in the glass, the better it got. Showing a gorgeous smoky, black forest flavor with great complexity on the finish. Ready now with a long decant even out of magnum.

4/11/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Beautiful nose but doesn't quite follow through on the palate. I've had some bottles that are more open but mine seem to be pretty closed down still but there feels like a great wine lurking underneath. 92+

4/11/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

This is a big, ripe and rich vintage for La Conseillante with great depth of dark berry fruit and a polished, velvety texture. The finish still shows plenty of tannin and there is a classic tautness at the end. This is showing itself quite well but begs for further aging at least out of magnum. 93+

4/6/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Beautiful Burgundy drinking well now.

4/4/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

This wine has such a purity to it but it's also quite tannic still and needs a ton of decanting time. After 3 hours, it started to blossom especially with rack of lamb and a wonderful berry spice shows up to accompany the succulent acidity and beautiful black currant/cassis fruit. There's also a gritty Rutherford dust note which gives this wine excellent vigor. The finish is lean and stylish with a taut, mineral intensity. Interestingly, the '13 Kronos is more open than this wine. Trusting as I do in Cathy, I'll let this one sit for 5+ more years to reach peak. 93+

4/4/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

A superb bottle of this that is drinking well now but with plenty left in the tank. Really ultra-smooth even for the normally rustic Barton style with deep blackberry fruit and gorgeous, supple tannins. Double-decanted 4 hours.

3/31/2024 - dream wrote:

This remains a fairly big, juicy and primary wine that's not yet showing the nuance and complexity I've found in other vintages with a bit of age. There are rich dark berry fruits with still firm tannins and the classic taut finish from the plethora of limestone underneath this site. Delicious but needs more time. 90+

3/29/2024 - dream wrote:

This is a nice wine that's not overripe or overdone thank God. It lacks some vigor and intensity but came around with some air. Soft and elegant with blackberry fruit and hints of Napa earth and subtle spices.

3/18/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

This is aging nicely and is not overdone at all. In fact, it's fairly Bordeaux-like in character with a leaner profile than most Napa Cabs and an ethereal texture with lots of freshness. I definitely get the flavors of Napa earth and berry fruit but there are also notes of lead pencil and dark minerals. The tannins needed to soften a bit in a decanter but after an hour, the wine flowed over the tongue like silk. Well done and this should last. At We-Ko-Pa Embers restaurant which has a great wine list with excellent prices - certainly a rarity these days.

3/18/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

A very lively wine with superb intensity and interesting flavors of clove-like spices and copper-like minerals. Beautifully balanced with live-wire acidity accompanying lovely aged flavors. A perfect time to drink this and it's better than a lot of white Bordeaux out there. Crazy value.

3/14/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Rather high-toned and unforgiving but with time in the glass it opened enough to be quite enjoyable despite the firm structure and acidity. There is wonderful smoky black cherry fruit with charcoal-like minerals and a beautifully aged silky texture. Haunting in a dark forest way.

3/14/2024 - dream wrote:

This is quite compacted and lacking much broadness across the palate. Good acidity and intensity with nice lemon/peach fruit but it's tight and coiled in a strange way with a short finish.

3/14/2024 - dream wrote:

A lovely Champagne served out of magnum and it's very '06 in its soft texture and nice complexity. For my tastes though, it lacks verve and intensity which is typical of the vintage.

3/14/2024 - dream wrote:

Not a bad wine by any means but clearly past its best lacking much vigor and acidity. It's weighty rather than fresh. There are subdued tropical fruit flavors and chalky minerals apparent with some complexity on the finish.

3/14/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

From a magnum purchased from the mailing list on release and cellared perfectly since. Double-decanted for 4 hours and best after an hour in the glass. The texture is so ethereal and silky-fine with a flavor profile reminiscent of a top Pauillac with subdued blackberry fruit and a distinct lead pencil note. There is also a touch of eucalyptus on the finish which shows smooth and refined tannins and a building complexity on the tongue. Very impressive and still with many years of life at least in magnum form. This was a big wine in its youth but its aged gracefully helped by less alcohol (14%) than future vintages. An absolutely beautiful bottle of wine.

3/12/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Just a perfect bottle of this and it's a vintage I love showing ripe golden citrus fruits and distinctive chalky minerals. The finish is just so fine and complex with notes of clove-like spices and apricot nectar. In a perfect place of maturity now but it will of course still motor on. Not as oily and decadent and the '83 or '89 but perhaps more precise and detailed.

3/12/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

This bottle showed a bit more maturity than I expected but it's still classic Lafite with deep and subdued dark red fruits, a gorgeous silky texture and classic notes of cedar wood and lead pencil on the complex finish. I love this wine and still think it has a long way to go so either this was decanted just a bit too long or an ever-so-slightly tired bottle.

3/12/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

This was singing tonight and showing great maturity with just fabulous spicy dark berry fruits with and a wonderful lick of eucalyptus and superb floral lift. Layered with a gorgeously opulent texture and so giving now with superb concentration and complexity on the finish. Just a flourishing wine that's exciting to drink and yet so balanced and light on its feet. Certainly another decade of development here but I love where it is now. It was paired against the '96 Lafite and at least today, I slightly preferred the Montebello which is saying something.

3/12/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

There is a nice beam of acidity here with good Puligny body and cut and tasty notes of lemon, apple and wintergreen. The finishes is nicely complex with chalky minerals and tingly spices. Good but I had expected a bit more from this producer and vintage.

3/12/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

In a good spot for me as the acidity has faded some and the wine retains just enough to balance out the lemon/peach fruit nicely. The texture is silky and the finish is layered with nice complex notes of citrus and clove-like spices.

3/12/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

Excellent bottle of this showing a fully mature flavor profile but with plenty of richness and acidity in the style of the vintage. Really complex and satisfying on the finish with notes of clove spice, caramel and minerals. Plenty of vigor and plenty of life left in this gorgeous vintage of Krug.