January 20, 2024 - I am very partial to Clos de Tarts and this was outstanding. Smoke, savoury red fruit and plums shine on the bouquet with deep ripe fruit (think maraschino cherries), smoke and mulberry jam. Mid-palate showed power and complexity with plenty of fruit concentration. Fantastic structure and acidity here that I find typical of 1996. Drinking fabulously today.
March 14, 2023 - Smelled like it was cooked but tasted fresh at first, with deep and ripe fruit. I wasn't sure if it would clean up or not, but sadly it did not.
September 21, 2022 - Decanted. Cooked tomato flavor with herbal vintage acidity, the combination of the worst of the horizon. I joked that it smelled like Vogue, and without the finesse. My last two notes did not resemble this, but with Tart it is always a toss of the coin.
September 8, 2022 - 1996 Dinner...Top Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux (Park Ridge Country Club): In '96 Grand Cru flight. Red cherry throughout with good weight and depth, just not quite up to my Grand Cru expectations. More elegant than exciting, consistent with other times I have had this wine.
September 17, 2021 - Not as great as it was 10 years ago. Dark cherry/berry nose with some woodiness, some smoke. Palate has thinned with a tough of bitterness left versus the fruit. Tad short on the finish. Drink these up.
June 27, 2021 - Meilleur qu'en 2018. Beaucoup de fraise, un nez exubérant, moins solaire que dans mon souvenir, épicé, fraise mara confiturée, fleurs séchées, pot pourri, du sous-bois. Le vin est assez voluptueux, un tantinet sur le bois mouillé, mais assoupli par le temps, et d'une relative fraicheur aromatique.
A boire sans attendre, il est encore à point !
March 23, 2021 - A lot more open than last bottle. Elegant expression, so packed, a bit overripe somehow. 93-94
November 24, 2020 - Aerated in bottle for an hour. Light ruby with garnet rim-not perfect clarity. Very complex nose-red fruit, some barnyard, char, and fennel. All in all, it smells like mature Burgundy with secondary nuances. Relatively savory and complex on the palate as well, with medium body, a lightly earthy base, and discretely ripe dark red fruit and herbs. A 1996 that is not dominated by acidity, nor is it terribly tannic at this point either. Probably at or very close to its peak. This wine has been bashed in some places. No, it is not a spectacular, top tier Grand Cru and perhaps it is a bit muddled, but both times I've had it, it has been nothing short of excellent. In my opinion, it deserves a bit more love than it gets.
After being recorked overnight, both the acidity and soil are cast in sharper relief, and it has a cooler, greener profile. Sour cherry remains. I like the increased focus it's showing now and find the further development impressive and cause for optimism regarding its future.
November 8, 2020 - This 1996 Clos de Tart (ex-Domaine) remains a very serious wine that displays high complexity, though the tannins are far from invisible. Intense dark fruits, cassis, smoky oak spices, and mild green stems. Drinking well today with a still relatively primary nose. Masculine, brooding and high acidity. Too expensive for its quality. (90/100)
December 12, 2018 - Acker 2018/12 (Vaucluse): Still tight, good bouquet and medicine, a bit too ripe and too much acidity. 92