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Tasting Notes for lifebreath

(273 notes on 190 wines)

1 - 50 of 273 Sort order
Red
3/23/2024 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Very solid Côte-Rôtie! Perfect pop and pour with development in the glass. Somewhat ripe fruit-forward style but not overly so, with solid core of acidity and moderate well-integrated tannins. Lovely earthy nose, beautiful dark ruby color. Not as much spice as I expect from northern Rhône, but sufficient. Three superb bottles consumed with friends with steak dinner.
2 people found this helpful Comment
White
3/14/2024 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
Similar notes to previously. Dried apricot, ripe pineapple, sweet ripe green apple, and exotic spice like Chinese 5-spice blend.
Red
3/9/2024 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Pop and pour. In a perfect drinking spot. Paired with steak dinner.
White
1/17/2024 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
This has matured nicely and is drinking great. Oaky and floral on the nose. Stone fruit, alpine wildflowers, sandlewood, and white pepper on the palate. Good acidity. Very food friendly. Paired with pork chops with white wine mushroom white wine reduction sauce.
Red
1998 Château Cheval Blanc St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
12/25/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
95 points
This wine is still going strong. A great balance of primary cherry and orange fruit and pronounced tertiary flavors of sandal wood, paprika, leather and spice. Beat out the ‘98 Haut Brion and paired exceptionally well with dry aged prime rib roast. Sadly the last three bottles of 12. 😭
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
11/27/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
Wow! Mélange of strawberry, cranberry jelly, cherry, bubblegum and wood spice. Fresh and lively despite its age. Everything a good cru Beaujolais should be.
White
11/23/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
Stellar! Dried apricot, spiced peach pie, pineapple and seductive oak. Beautiful color.
Red
11/23/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
92 points
Solid Nebbiolo in the prime of its drinking window. Great with charcuterie board.
White
8/25/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
flawed
Sadly, this bottle was oxidized
Red
2005 Château Léoville Barton St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
8/13/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Wow! In a perfect drinking window, with an excellent balance of primary and tertiary flavors. Beautiful nose. Was superb with a black pepper crusted NY strip with wine reduction. Sadly, my last two of 12 bottles.
3 people found this helpful Comment
Red
6/21/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
In a great drinking window. Needs a good 30 minute minimum decant to open up after some exposure to air, the fruit emerges, the acidity recedes and the tannins soften. Beautiful dark fruit with assertive tannins, oak spice, vanilla, cedar, paprika, and caraway. Great with a ribeye steak!
White
6/4/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Absolutely stunning right now. Ripe pineapple, mango, lemon-lime, and a slight saltiness, all underpinned by excellent acidity and a rich, unctuous mouthfeel.
Red
4/13/2023 - lifebreath Likes this wine:
92 points
Recorked at château in 2011. A beautiful wine with elegance and charm, but I find it hard to reconcile the 95+ scores with the wine. It has all the qualities one would like from an aged Bordeaux, just not as much in the matter of degree! It lacks the fullness, body and finish that would put it into that higher echelon. For me, it gets a solid A, but not an A+.
White
4/9/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Wow! Good pop and pour, but … amazing after a couple hours slow ox with a half full bottle! Really expanded into a fine example of Puligny-Montrachet. Scratch the Puligny part and just go with Montrachet for a taste profile.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
4/9/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
My last 4 bottles consumed 🥲 Fantastic wine.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
3/27/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
89 points
A solid B+ wine. Still drinking well.
Red
3/22/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
96 points
Wow! Had this alongside 2004 Barolo. The Barolo was really good, but this wine absolutely knocked my socks off. Exceptional.
Red
3/22/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
Drinking great right now. Really pops after 30-60 minutes decant.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
3/18/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
96 points
This wine is amazing and in a perfect drinking window.
Red
2006 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Pinot Noir (view label images)
3/9/2023 - lifebreath Likes this wine:
93 points
In a great drinking window. I really like this style. Yes a little rustic, but like a fine, old hunting lodge in the country. An earthy nose with assertive tannins, crisp acidity, red fruit and some nutmeg and licorice.
White
1/14/2023 - lifebreath wrote:
92 points
Paired with bourbon soy ginger glazed salmon. Lanolin initially, gives way after 30-60 minutes to melon, pineapple, coconut, lime. Piña Colada!
Red
1998 Château Cheval Blanc St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
12/25/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
96 points
Drinking beautifully. Medium garnet turning medium red with air. Lovely nose. On the palate: cranberry, gooseberry, orange peel, cedar, sage, middle eastern spice and leather. Tannins are well resolved. A lovely wine. Paired perfectly with dry aged prime rib.
Red
1996 Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
12/1/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
95 points
Quick double decant then pour. Exceptional. Earthy Bordeaux nose, assertive tannins, nice acidity, tart berries and exotic spice. Beautiful, mature Bordeaux in a great drinking window.
2 people found this helpful Comment
White
11/24/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
89 points
Not bad, but not great.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1996 Château d'Yquem Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend (view label images)
11/13/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Great pop and pour, but really shines after an hour or more exposure to air and coming up to near room temp, at which point the apricots and peach cinnamon tart emerged!.
Red
11/12/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Dang good wine! Perfect with rack of lamb. Tons of beautiful tertiary flavors with good acidity moving it forward
Red
11/12/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
96 points
Needs a 3-4 hour decant. And another few years in bottle.
Red
2003 Château Angélus St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
11/7/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
96 points
In a beautiful drinking place. Amazing nose.
Red
10/23/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
Excellent terroir-driven Cab. Cathy makes such good wine, expressing what Napa is capable of, but which is too infrequently realized. Well integrated with some mint and floral notes on entry, cherry kirsch, blackberry and other dark fruit mid-palate, and orange bitters, cardamom and a hint of licorice on the finish, with moderate acidity and polished tannins that have just a nice bit of grip. In an excellent drinking window.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Red
9/5/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
83 points
This wine typifies what I abhor in so many US made Pinot Noir wines: saccharine sweet bubble gum with no sense of terroir. So many other good wines at this price point. Give me an Etna Rosso DOC, or a Côtes du Rhône. But, I guess there’s a market, so it it’s your thing, more power to you!
Red
8/20/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
Excellent paired with whole roasted duck.
White
8/14/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
92 points
This wine really needs more time to develop the richness of tertiary flavors to compliment and offset its sharply focused acidity and precision. I’d give it another 4-5 years until it really becomes the wine it wants to be.
Red
8/2/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Lovely mature Barolo. Started out of the bottle tasting almost overly sweet, but after a good 20-30 minutes, the tannins asserted themselves, while sour cherry and sous bois emerged, along with leather and sweet baking spices. After an hour, baked tart apple pie, caramelized baked cherry and some ripe pear with pear skin were present, with well integrated yet still assertive tannins and good acidity. The wine paired perfectly with beef blackstone.
White
7/11/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
91 points
I love good wine that’s inexpensive! Who doesn’t? This is a lovely wine with nice precision, stone fruit, minerals and lime/apple acidity. Each sip encourages the next! Easy drinking and good with Chinese dumplings.
White
2007 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Chardonnay (view label images)
7/8/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
One bottle was absolutely sublime, the second had just a hint of oxidation, but was still very good. Perfect with ginger lime seared scallops. Lovely ripe wheat color.
Red
7/7/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
Classic with strong tannins that are still very assertive. Developing good tertiary flavors. Tannins soften a little and fruit emerges with some air.
White - Sparkling
5/29/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Very fine example of Dom.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
5/7/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
Excellent Bordeaux. Good pnp but eeds a 2-3 hour+ decant to really come to life. Well structured and should continue improving for 5-10 years.
Red
4/14/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Excellent mature Hermitage. Tart dark cherry, orange fruit and peel, oak, earth and leather, some sweet cedary spice. Excellent with filet mignon and bernaise sauce. Short decant and good to go. I prefer Chave’s style, but this is an excellent wine. I always have a good store of both on hand.
2 people found this helpful Comments (2)
Red
1998 Château Cheval Blanc St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
4/9/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Needs a good decant. Good pop and pour, but the wine knits together after a good hour+ decant and the fruit emerges more prominently. Elegant and refined with a focused and precise structure
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
2/20/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
94 points
Pear, lemon, green apple and honey on the nose. Mandarin orange, sweet ginger, lime, apricot and dried pears on the palate. Smooth oaky vanilla and sandalwood underlying the wine but well integrated. Paired perfectly with seared scallops with ginger lime chili butter sauce. Caveat: one of two bottles had some slight premox. Some oxidation present initially but receded with a little air. Some oxidation remained on the finish. The other bottle had a hint of the same, but it disappeared quickly.
Red
1990 Château Angélus St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
1/3/2022 - lifebreath wrote:
96 points
Magnificent! Paired with dry aged ribeye with truffle butter, caramelized Brussels sprout and rosemary mashed potatoes. Sadly, my last two bottles.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
12/28/2021 - lifebreath wrote:
92 points
Excellent Brouilly. Very impressed.
Red
12/25/2021 - lifebreath wrote:
95 points
My last two bottles consumed tonight. Wonderful precision that blossoms with an hour or two decant. Sadly no more in the cellar.
1 person found this helpful Comments (2)
Red
12/24/2021 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
Excellent pommard. PnP with pan seared Red Snapper with sautéed mushroom/asparagus and port reduction. Great balance and integration of primary fruit, earthiness and acidity.
White
12/23/2021 - lifebreath wrote:
91 points
This is a nice Chablis but a little heavy on the oak and a little soft on the palate. Seems slightly disjointed Perhaps it will integrate with some time. Good but not great. Three bottles very consistent.
Rosé - Sparkling
12/18/2021 - lifebreath wrote:
93 points
Cranberry, lime, green apple, contreau and agave. Very nice.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Red
11/17/2021 - lifebreath wrote:
92 points
Blackberry, orange, bramble and pepper. Sour cherries at the core. Poured orange upon opening and darkened nicely to ruby with air. Needs a good 30-60 minute decant and will benefit from more.
1 person found this helpful Comment
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  • Tasting Notes: 273 notes on 190 wines
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