October 7, 2013 - Weekly tasting group #091; A fully blind test. (@ WW): Chocolate brown color. In the bouquet chocolate and pleasant barnyard, but quite mature. On the palate tea, organic impressions, sweet spices, no fruits and completely integrated and softened tannin. Still pleasant acidity. This bottle is past its peak but it is not representative, because it has been standing upright in a shop for many years. Still a pleasure to drink if you like really mature wine, but no score from me for today.
January 22, 2013 - Very nice. Drinking remarkably well at this point. Very typical Pauillac characteristics of black current, toasty oak, pencil lead... There is a bit of greenery here but the character shines through and the class is evident. Tannins are still evident but I think they may outlast the fruit here. Drink up.
February 5, 2012 - Fresh leather, wood, underbrush and forest berries. Slightly medicinal and with hints of green capsicums and spicy spiced plums. Actually drinking very flavorfully. Delightful to drink now
July 27, 2011 - Our second French '94 of the night. Good dark ruby color with some fine sediment. Nose of evolved Bordeaux, earth, mushroom, and then good sweet fruit on the palate. Still some fine tannins, but this has fully resolved and has fallen apart slightly. An interesting experiment given the recommended cellarability of second wines, but I would have consumed this sooner.
July 27, 2011 - red fruity nose, some greeness and green herbs, lots of smoky, toasted oak with cigarish characters. Palate- medium bodied, high acid structure, gaining substantial weight with time coming forth with red fruits, blackcurrants, cigarish oak notes, slightly tight with soft fine tannins. Nice reflection of vintage characteristics and a rather well made second wine.
June 19, 2011 - Popped and poured. Tannins fully resolved. Liquorice, earth, graphite with some fruits and some herbs supporting in the background. Rather simple with a short finish but very enjoyable. Did not took the table too long to finish it off.
February 20, 2011 - Opened a magnum and served with french lentil soup and some hearty bread. It was just singing - I think the perfect provenance and 1.5L form factor helped.
Earth, mushrooms, tobacco, and barnyard. Medium bodied, reddish fruits, very old world. A bit of an odd bitter character and shortish finish, but otherwise far exceeded my expectations. Wish I had more.
November 19, 2010 - Smokier and more robust dark tobacco leaves than the 93. Lightly bitter tea leaves lifted black cassis partial sweet fruits. Aged and drinking well. Preferred this a bit more than the 93 as was more masculine and manlier
August 14, 2010 - Past its prime. Has lovely mouthfeel and concentrated fruit flavors, but has lost much of its structure. A bit flabby and one dimensional.
May 13, 2010 - Considering it was a second wine from an indifferent year, and that the bottle may not have been properly stored (found at the bottom of a cupboard in my parents' house), it actually drank pretty well. Dark appearance, with little evidence of any browning around the edges, classic Pauillac nose, just missing a little fruit, a little concentration, and a longer finish. To my tastes, borrowing a phrase from a rather well-known reviewer, a wine to admire rather than one to enjoy perhaps, yet went well with cottage pie and still quite drinkable 24 hours later.