5/23/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Explosive nose of funky prunes, olives and mushrooms. Intense depth of flavor with a beautiful balance of acidity, fruit and ultra-fine tannins that give this a gorgeous structure. Delicious!

5/23/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Still quite young and tight, especially for a 2001. The fruit is bright with cassis, some mint and virtually no signs of secondary development yet. The tannins are fine-grained but prominent and in the foreground. Medium length. Enjoyable now but will be very interesting to see how this develops over the next 5 and 10 years.

5/16/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Purple color. Nice nose of blackberries and mint. The fruit is jammy and inviting. However, the day I opened it, t was extremely tight and refused to open up. Even after 5 days under Vacuvin and a couple of hours in the glass, it remains closed and tannic. Not clear if this needs another 5-10 years (like an '86) or will need leave this closed state?

5/10/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Remainder of the bottle after first Coravin sample. Drinking beautifully. Smokey nose like a Haut Brion. Tannins alive and well given it a solid structure. Full round dark fruit. Blackberry, eucalyptus and some wet ears on the finish. A nice core of acidity makes this feel 20 years younger than its 40 years.

5/7/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

A beauty. Sweet prunes and olives with cedar and smoke. Dark brooding fruit bursts out of the glass. A nice undercurrent of acidity gives this lots of energy. Superfine tannins tucked away in the background. A hedonistic wine like a top Aussie Shiraz.

4/27/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Drank with dinner at Le Coucou. Softer and more evolved than prior bottles. Tell-tale big smokey nose of LMHB. Brambly blackberries, tobacco and some menthol. Entering tertiary development. This bottle was slightly beyond its peak but still very enjoyable.

4/5/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Very "Bordeaux-like". Not a typical California fruit-forward Cab but more balanced with plenty of freshness and acidity. Very fine grained tannins give it a beautiful structure. Brambly blackberries and earth and leather. Medium-light body. Elegant.

4/5/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

In pristine condition. Leads with fresh blackberries and telltale Graves smokey notes. Lots of fruit left with some secondary development but would never have guessed blind that this was 35 years old. Tannins are still firm and a little drying. Not overly complex but very enjoyable.

3/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

A beauty. This has a viscous mouthfeel but no sign of heat. Lots of blackberry compote, currants and forest floor. A nice backbone of acidity keeps this perfectly balanced. Secondary development is just emerging and gives this nice complexity. A long lingering finish.

3/27/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

In a very nice drinking window now. Very fresh and vibrant. Leads with a solid core of fruit. Black cherry, some cigar box and beefy flavors. Great depth, nuance and complexity. Long lingering finish. Delicious

3/24/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Drinking very nicely now. The blend is almost pure Merlot which is very apparent inn the flavor profile. Meat and mushrooms with some herbal notes. Nice complexity. The fruit is still fresh and vibrant. Very enjoyable and easy drinking. Not over the top or over-extracted.

3/14/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Gorgeous medium-grained tannins give this a great mouthfeel. Starting to show some notes of secondary development. A bit of heat but not distracting. Black stewed fruit, black olives and a bit of mint.

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): What a treat! From the Chateau's cellar. Incredible how these old Bordeaux just never die. This had an explosive nose of blood orange. Lively fruit with lots of acidity. Beautiful tertiary aromas tucked away in the background on the finish.

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): Much more brawny and robust than the more feminine 2016. More dark and brooding in profile. Very nice complexity.

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): Subtle and elegant. Very pretty. Superfine tannins. Red fruit with great energy and acidity. Very consistent in profile with the other 2016s tonight

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): Gorgeous nose with great complexity. Soft but with enough structure left to avoid it falling apart. Smoke and cigar box. Fading after a bit of time in the glass, so need to drink this now. Controversial around the table with other finding it too funky and vegetal.

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): Nice fine grained tannins in the foreground. Very structured with great purity of fruit. Like the 2016, shows the more feminine side of Merlot (80/20 blend with Cab Franc).

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): The 2016 showed beautifully tonight. A very consistent pattern of bright red ripe fruit. This wine was very pretty and feminine. Superfine tannins.

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): WOTN for me (and others around my table). Spectacular nose with smoke and charcoal exploding from the glass. Beautifully delineated tannins. Lots of tar and wet earth. Lots of complexity. Our host described it as "controversial" but I don't see how any Bordeaux fan would not love this?

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): Huge tannic profile. This is a brutish big wine even after 14 years. Dark fruit, black earth, tobacco and eucalyptus. Requires lots of patience but I suspect will ultimately be pretty spectacular.

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): Difficult to judge he wine this young. Tannins are in the foreground but they don't obscure the bright red fruit. This leads with ripe fruit rather than earthy complexity at this young age. Clearly has great potential and is likely to warrant a higher score in a few years.

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): Beautiful tertiary development on the nose. Lacks a bit of depth. Dark fruit and earthy notes. Enjoyable

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): Typical 1995 profile. A bit rustic. Soft and earthy, and lighter in style. Funky notes on the medium finish.

2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): Bright red fruit, beautiful acidity. Light on its feet but with plenty of flavor depth. Licorice and coffee on the finish. 60% whole cluster (unusual for Bordeaux)

3/1/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Lean and tight. Black cherry with black licorice and earth tones. Good acidity. As with other Pinots by this producer, I find the wines lacking in charm. Maybe they will open up after another decade.

2/27/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

PnP. Very soft and round. Fragrant notes of kirsch. Sweet fruit balanced with nuanced earth tones. Red and black licorice. Good length. Gaining weight with time in the glass. Very fine tannins buried deep in the background.

2/24/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Assertive tannins followed by full bodied fruit. A voluptuous body once you get passed the initial tannins. A beautiful melange of brambly blackberries and red fruit. Nice complexity. Very enjoyable.

2/24/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Initially a bit tight, lean and unexpressive. Took on more weight with time in the glass. Acidity in the foreground with tar and loam and dark brambly fruit. Tannins are a bit dry. Decent complexity. Medium finish.

2/24/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Very impressive. Lots of earthiness, loam and tobacco on the nose. The fruit is still vibrant but with plenty of complexity and secondary development notes. Good underlying acidity and very fine tannins. Delicious.

2/22/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

I really enjoyed this wine, just like when I tasted it at the winery 3.5 years ago. The unmistakable fragrance of Cab Franc, like a nice Loire red, but with some California sunshine. This has a lot of spiciness, almost like a Syrah. Lovely red and dark plum fruit, lots of earth tones and some tar and tobacco on the finish. Lively acidity. Others commented on the lean body, but for a Cab Franc (which is always leaner than a Cab Sauvignon), this has plenty of stuffing and a nice long finish.

2/18/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Decanted for 2 hours. Lots of smoke and graphite on the nose. Blackberries and cassis fruit. Feels a bit thin and diluted, with some grippy drying tannins. Good acidity. The wine started to blend together a bit better after 3 hours in decanter, feeling less disjointed and warranting an upgrade of 1-2 point to a 93.

2/4/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Nice fresh acidity shows the signature of cool climate Pinot. Red sour cherry, strawberry and licorice with savory notes on the finish. Nicely balanced. Tannins are tucked away in the background but there is plenty of structure there.

2/2/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Big round wine, showing the heat of the vintage. Red strawberry cream. Sweet but balanced with some acidity. Nice fine tannins. Lacks a bit of subtlety.

2/1/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

PnP. Assertive drying tannins. Black cherries with wet earth and mushrooms. Black licorice and olives. Complex and savory. Full bodied with a medium finish.

1/31/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Beautiful complexity and signature notes of aging but far from being old or tired. Great acidity and freshness. Savory meaty flavors with fresh herbs. Red macerated cherries on the long lingering finish. Impressive body and depth for a Cab Franc.

1/28/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Stylistically similar to a Russian River Pinot. Bright red cherry, very fruit forward. Nice round body. Good acidity and freshness with fine tannins and a medium finish with some nice earth and nuance.

1/24/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

PnP. Once this opened up a bit in the glass, it was just singing. Cassis and brambly blackberries with lots of graphite, earth, smoke and complexity. The fruit took a little while to emerge from the acidic curtain around it but eventually found its balance. The tannins are quite assertive and a bit drying. This is a "serious" wine rather than a fruit-driven one. Very well done in an under-the-radar vintage.

1/19/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Red cherry and strawberry fruit. Good acidity and freshness. Delicate b ut decent depth. Finish is a bit short and clipped.

1/19/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Big soft and round. Like a milk chocolate shake. No tannins left. Just enough acidity far in the background to nuance it a smidge but not a well balanced wine. This is after 1.5 hours in decanter.

1/14/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Brought to dinner at Crown Shy. Cork in great condition, just a short decant. Initially very soft and plush but started to pick up more body and structure with time. Fully mature with beautiful blackberry jam flavors and signature smoke and cigarbox. This is a perennial favorite of mine and I've had multiple bottles over the past 5-10 years. I think it is now starting to crest and needs to be consumed over the next 5 years, although it will always vary bottle by bottle.

1/10/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Fragrant nose of red licorice and kirsch. Voluptuous and saturated without feeling too heavy. A little bit of heat but it quickly fades into the background. Chocolate ganache and stewed blueberry flavors. Medium complexity and medium finish. Enjoyable

1/5/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

No seepage at all although the cork was very soft. The color is still a dark burgundy without any signs of bricking. Still remarkably young and alive for a 50-year old. Nice complex tertiary flavor profile with stewed plums, mushrooms, barnyard, and green olives. Initially felt a bit thin but picked up considerable weight in the glass after 30 minutes. Long lingering finish.

1/2/2024 - nywine68 wrote:

Initially a waft of alcohol, followed by scents of brambly stewed blackberries and black olives. Loam and wet earth on the complex finish. This has nice underlying acidity to keep the fruit fresh and in balance. The tannins are finely pixelated and give the wine a good firm structure. Well made and enjoyable.

12/31/2023 - nywine68 wrote:

Drank side by side with the 2005 Perdrix NSG. The Echezeaux has much firmer tannins and structure. However, it lacks some of the fragrance and charm of the NSG. Stewed macerated strawberries with a bit of earthiness. Finish is a bit short

12/31/2023 - nywine68 wrote:

There is nothing like that tell-tale Aubert crisp minerality which the 2018 Eastside has in spades. Lemon zest and cashew nuts. Full saturation without ever feeling heavy.

12/30/2023 - nywine68 wrote:

Drinking very nicely now. Sweet strawberries mixed with sour red cherries. Tannins have almost entirely melted away but there's enough to hold it together. Medium to full-bodied with a nice lingering finish. Not particularly complex but very enjoyable.

12/29/2023 - nywine68 wrote:

Big bold, in your face wine. Dark brambly fruit encased in firm but beautiful tannins with a burst of fresh acidity. This wine has it all in spades, amping up the volume on all dimensions but keeping them in perfect balance. Blackberry preserves, tar and wet earth. This is very enjoyable now but will last for well over a decade longer.

12/29/2023 - nywine68 wrote:

I recently acquired a few bottles of this and did not realize how maligned this wine was by the critics. While it is not a blockbuster by any means, the criticism seems overdone. It lacks some depth but still has plenty of life left in it with good vibrant acidity and typical mature Bordeaux flavors. Medium body and finish.

After a few hours of air, this took on considerably more weight. Pretty strawberry aromas wafting from the glass. Added two points to my earlier score.

12/29/2023 - nywine68 wrote:

Drank side by side with the 95 last night. The 96 has more stuffing and complexity. This has a racy core of acidity that keeps the wine very fresh and vibrant. Superfine tannins give this very nice structure. Blackberries and red currants. In secondary development but will easily last another 10 years (unlike the 95).

12/27/2023 - nywine68 wrote:

Nice red fruit with subtle earthy notes. Tannins are a bit drying and the wine lacks some depth and saturation. Nice nose but the finish is a bit short and clipped.