5/19/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Notes of chocolate, vanilla, plum, blackberry. Hints of vanilla and spice. Wide open after 2 hours in decanter and beautifully smooth, with a very nice burst of acid to counterbalance the drying tannins. It was very nice, but certainly on the more powerful side for my tastes. Not a frequent CDP drinker.

5/17/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Very nice, quite fresh. Strawberry, cherry, raspberry, slight hint of "zingy" cola notes, with a hint of spice. Pleasant salinity. This really is very pretty. Was surprised to read it is 14.5ABV. Open from the get-go. Medium-bodied. Nice medium length finish. 92pts - revisit in a couple of years if can resist not coming back sooner.

5/12/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Dark, brooding, intense. Waves of black fruit, smoke, tar, leather and earth. This also had an elegance to it, and a surprising amount of red fruit showing through; which was surprising given how brooding it first appeared. Very very good, but outshone by the ‘96 Margaux consumed side by side. Decanted for ca. 1hr before consuming.

5/12/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Decanted ca. 1hr before consumption. Wonderful notes of mint menthol, and earthy tones. Tobacco, smoke and truffle also came through. Beautiful well integrated tannins. Relatively secondary and tertiary, with relatively limited showing of fruit, but very sophisticated, and very enjoyable. Clearly outshone the ‘89 Montrose consumed side by side. May have opened up with more time. Will be interested to follow my other bottle of this over an evening and not in a dinner setting.

5/10/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Clear signs of Brett and Oxidisation. Undrinkable. Poured down the sink.

5/4/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Very good, but still oh so primary. This took 5 hours to begin to show its true colours. Deep dark fruit, blackberry, cassis, red cherry and a hint of raspberry laced with a hint of menthol and a touch of smoke. Tannins still a bit chewy on the finish. Not much secondary or tertiary development here. At 19 years old, I think this needs at least another 5-10 years to come into its own. 94pts

5/3/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

It came kicking and screaming out of the bottle. Very acidic, but you could taste the potential for when it would unfurl. 30 mins in decanter and the nose started to open up with notes of blackberry cassis and coffee. After 45 mins I took the first sip. It had a real smell and taste of pencil shaving, and deep dark fruits in the finish, but it was still a bit light on the palette. But it was showing promise. Good things to come. 90 mins after opening it really began to blossom. Truffle, tobacco and mushroom , and earthy pepper underpinning the dark fruit with red fruits bursting through. Long cigar notes on the finish. Would say the wine was at peak 2.5 hours post decant.

Very, very impressive wine; and glad to have ticked off a bucket list wine, but to my palette it’s on the same level as as something like a 1989 Lynch Bages at 40% of the cost.

97pts.

5/2/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

90 mins in the decanter, consumed over the next 4 hours. Was at peak about 3 hours post opening. Wonderful smoky nose, notes of menthol, eucalyptus, tobacco, and dark forest floor fruits. Perfectly in balance, the wine was velvet smooth with resolved tannins. Favour this to 2003 Montrose right now. I don’t think this is going to get much better than where it is now. Very impressive wine. 95pts

4/27/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Underwhelming. Decanted for one hour prior to serving, was all it needed. Still primary, but over extracted, plum, prune and raisin notes. Jammy. More reminiscent of a Napa to be honest and lacked any trace of terroir. Let’s see what it looks like in a few more years, but not holding out much hope

3/28/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

This was beautiful, but it still requires time.
Decanted for 2hrs, initially very red fruited, slightly herbal, beautiful nose, but not much else to it. After about 4 hours it closed back up and became relatively tannic. After 6 hours it opened back up again, seemingly transformed with blueberry, dark black fruits, perfectly smooth tannins, it was glorious. Probably the best wine I’ve drank in the last 6 months, Palmer 2019 was probably the last one on this level. No rush to drink these, I think they’ll get better, but also irristiable now; but the next one you open, make sure to give it 5/6 hours for now to make the most of it.

3/22/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

90 mins in the decanter. Consumed over the next 4 hours.

Slightly flat on the nose, much more on the palette. Dark black fruit, very slight notes of plum but remains mainly in check, good given it was a relatively hot year.

After the initial fruit it is a multi-layered wine with tobacco, smoke, tar, aniseed, and a very slight hint of menthol / mint. The tannins are largely fully resolved, and it drinks very smooth.

The finish is quite intense at first, and then diminishes after about 30 seconds, but stays residually in the mouth for 60+ seconds.

Overall this was very enjoyable, indeed very good, but I wasn't blown away, I expected slightly more. 94pts

2/28/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Round 2. Much better than the previous bottle consumed late last year. A return to what I expect, suggesting the previous bottle perhaps wasn't perfect (or I didn't give it enough time!).

Much better mouthfeel, composed black fruit and red fruit palate. Small amount of oak coming through via notes of vanilla. Medium finish.

I would be a buyer again at Costco pricing // $40-50, but above that, I think I would rather put my dollars elsewhere.

12/9/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

This wine is a journey. It embodies everything aged Bordeaux should, and to my mind is the best Lynch Bages I have ever tasted.

This wine requires PATIENCE.

Once I opened the cork and took a first sip in the glass, I thought "Oh shit" it tasted like acidic vinegar. I ran to Cellartracker and saw I wasn't alone.

I revisited in two hours. At that point it was very smooth drinking, with tannins largely resolved. It had a WONDERFUL bouqet of truffle, mushroom, earth and pepper, but on the mouth it fell short. It was bare of fruit at first (or very minimal), with all of the tertiary notes aforementioned above. It was somewhat drying in texture.

After about 3-4 hours is when it really shines. Retaining all of the tertiary notes mentioned above, but then with waves of fully flowing black fruit and plum, with perfect acidity offsetting the dryness. The nose was complemented by fig, cigar box, and pepper.

After about 5 hours on my final glass, it was back in its shell again.

The wine is a journey, be patient, buckle up and enjoy the ride over the course of a long evening.

I questioned whether the price I had to pay (~3x a newer vintage of Lynch) was worth it, the answer is an emphatic yes.

12/3/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Deep, dark, black cherry, earth, smoke, spice, and a hint of game. Tannins are largely resolved. Overall perhaps a bit too muscular and slightly too ripe for me. This was very closed when opened, and much improved after 3 hours in the decanter, and even the next day as well. Overall I think this would benefit from another ~5 years in the bottle.

11/30/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Really f*cking good. On par with the 2013.

In the past few weeks I have drank the 2008, 09, 13, 15. This was wonderfully balanced, fruit forward, but not overdone. Tannins are well integrated, good as a pop and pour; and a good long finish.

10/18/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Experience with this bottle (different source my other x6) is consistent with Neumann 47 note. Very green and vegetal, and seems to be shutting down quite hard. Still several positive indicators in the wine, but a very different experience to my note in July, which was pure joy. Will be holding my remaining bottles for several years.

10/16/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Consistent with my earlier note. Newly acquired OWC from BBR. This one was even more accessible, PnP, and good to go after 30 mins vs. the ~2 hr+ decant I found needed with my previous bottle 3/4 months back.

10/2/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Quite expressive from the outset, but improved more with a couple of hours slow ox and time
in glass. Rather nice expressive nose , a little thin on the palette texture wise with a moderate pleasant finish and decent tannic backbone remaining. Notes of cigar box, mushroom pepper, blackberry, cherry, raspberry, and herbs. Classical in style, no rush to drink. I’m a buyer at 25-30$. 90 pts

9/29/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Good, runs a bit hot and a bit one dimensional with not a huge amount of complexity. However enjoyable nevertheless. Open from the get-go, but acid and tannin still noticeable.. probably would benefit from a few more years in the bottle. Notes of plum, smoke, leather, cassis. It has a very fragrant and pleasant nose with some spice to accompany the fruit and a smooth velvet mouthfeel. Finish is moderate. Right now it is a bit much to tackle more than a couple of glasses, but has potential. At the $50 price point, this isn’t half bad. 90/91

9/26/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Recommend a 3+ hour decant. I did a 4-5 hour slow ox and the last glass was by far the best. Notes of earth, tobacco, mint and underbrush with blackberry, pepper and leather. Very nice wine, just be patient with it. Will probably be better in a few years. Would probably pick up another few bottles to try again down the road at the right price. 91/92pts

9/23/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Palatable, but nothing to write home about. Dark black fruit, plum, some red fruit. Relatively smooth, moderate tannins and acidity, unusually presents as a bit too sweet for my taste. 88pts

9/3/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Plum blackberry spice chocolate almost prune. Very dense dark rich. Wonderful opulent nose. This is drinking very well. Recommend 1hr decant. Perhaps slightly less accessible than the 12 right now, which just pipped this for me, 92/93.

8/30/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

This was average. Quite a muted nose, with some spice and leather. Liquorice and concentrated black fruit on the palette, with reasonable acidity. This wine also runs relatively hot, but can be controlled serving a bit below room temperature. Finish was relatively muted. Overall, it was quite closed and I hope that it would benefit from more time in the bottle. I’d revisit in 3-5 years. 90pts but I could see 92/93 with time.

8/19/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Definitely some of Takeshi’s note resonated. This is a medium bodied, somewhat feminine expression of Bordeaux. It presents wonderful lavender and floral notes, with blackberry and red fruit with a mineral streak. However, I found this to be slightly acidic and tart which overshadowed the finish, it seemed slightly out of kilter with the fruit and tannins - which were certainly there but very fine and didn’t counteract the acid. Overall this wine has potential, but I think it needs a lot more time. Revisit in 5+ years, 93pts

8/19/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Decanted for 3 hours before serving, which might have been a mistake. The wine was very nice, but felt like it had a bit of a hole in the middle. It was almost a bit too placid. Muted on the nose and also on the palette, its redeeming feature was the finish, was was long and complex. Blueberry, blackberry, leather, tobacco, and a hint of underbrush, however the oak was a bit too prominent through vanilla, butterscotch and almost toffee. Overall very drinkable, but no real flair or anything to get excited about. 90pts

7/29/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Similar in many ways to my note on Alter Ego last week. This was popped out of curiosity, after how much I enjoyed the AE.

In many ways this wine reflects its baby brother, beautiful perfumed aroma of violet, flowers, and raspberries / blueberries. The wine is a stunning garnet / crimson colour, with plenty of black fruit, tobacco, and mint on the palette, with a smidge of green underbrush and almost graphite in the tannins. As the evening went on the black fruit gave way to more red fruit as the tannins subsided. It has a wonderful silky mouthfeel, and a long 45+ second finish.

Overall relative to the Alter Ego, this wine has more structure, power and stuffing for the long haul. It went through a few stages of being open and closed over the 5 hour drinking window in which it was consumed (post 1 hour double decant).

Overall this wine has a bright future ahead of it, and if you have 4+ tucked away, it might be worth opening one just out of curiosity before this shuts down completely. Unsurprisingly I'll be cracking Alter Ego's before I come back to this again in 6-8 years time. 96+

7/28/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Slightly candied red fruit, surprisingly slightly gamey notes for this stage of development, as well as smoke / earth. Very mild oak noticeable , and a reasonable amount of tannins. Not much of a finish and lacked any real complexity. It felt somewhat out of balance and a bit hollow at this stage, even after several hours of being open. I wouldn't rush back to buy more, though it is clearly still too young and may resolve with time.

7/23/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

This really was very good stuff. The nose is a dream of violet, a bouquet of flowers, pencil shaving and mineral. The taste was blueberry, red fruit, flowers, with a bit of green-ness and eucalyptus / leaf. Very lightly oaked, a perfect amount of oak in my view. Well integrated and velvet tannins. Finish was long and ~30 secs.

Double decanted and left to stand for one hour. Went a little back into its shell after 3-4 hrs of air, but was singing again the following day.

I went back to Costco and picked up another 4 bottles today. This has a bright future ahead of it. If I can resist, I'll pop the next one in 2-3 years. 93 / 94 pts.

I'm very excited to have 7 of the Grand Vin, and might pop #7 just out of pure curiosity.

7/15/2023 - Noremedy21 Likes this wine:

A beautiful expression of Pessac Leognan. Took some time to open up in the decanter, 2-3 hours even; which surprised me, I would have expected it to be more approachable now given the vintage and age. Wonderful cigar box, mushroom, charcoal and graphite. Plenty of black fruit and well integrated tannins. Wonderful, I will be acquiring more.

7/13/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Honestly, slightly underwhelmed. It was quite thin and lacked the richer mouthfeel that I enjoy. Relative to the bottle I had 9 months ago which I would give a 92/93 this is probably a 90. Albeit I can't recall the vintage from 9 months ago.

I didn't get much black fruit at all, it was almost entirely red to my palate. Cherry, raspberry for sure, with an almost violet like aroma. Clear pepper and mint, and a small amount of oak coming through via notes of vanilla and tobacco. Relatively short finish.

Will hold the other bottle for a 3-5 years to see how it develops.

7/5/2023 - Noremedy21 Likes this wine:

Good to go with <30 mins in the decanter. Very fruit forward, lots of blackberry, cassis, small amounts of red fruit and blueberry. Some oak remaining. Well integrated tannins hit, with well balanced acid and a long, did I mention long... finish. Started to get a bit alcoholic and overpowering at the end of the bottle, but put it back in the fridge again for 20 mins which quietened down the alcohol. I do really love the Bone Ash, it's a fantastic counterpoint to my preferred more classical Bordeaux, and goes to show that one can successfully enjoy both old school Bordeaux, and new world HOT Cabernet. 94pts

7/3/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

This was pretty rough. Very green, little fruit, thin texture. Some fruit on day two, reasonable acidity and some tannic strength. However, altogether very underwhelming. Hopefully the other 5 bottles get better with some age. Overall at $30 not a disaster, but not impressed. 86PTS

7/1/2023 - Noremedy21 wrote:

Unfortunately way too tannic and backward, completely overpowering the fruit. It presented green underbrush, a little tobacco and pepper. The fruit did start to show after about 4 hours in the glass. Perhaps it will be better with time, but it was my only bottle… Never buy just one, and check CT before you pop a cork !!