92-93 fully mature Bordeaux, nose had some dusty library/cellar funk that took a minute to blow off but when it did showed leather, savory notes, tobacco, fairly classic nose. Palate had fully resolved tannin, nice acidity and medium persistence/length. Solid showing tonight. 90s are consistently one of my favorite vintages for Bordeaux.
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Controversial wine. There’s some definite bell pepper and a little pine needle, but also solid cassis fruit accented with truffle. I like more than others. B+
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Typical old school nose - mushrooms, wet earth, wood and tobacco. Palate was disappointing an d the end was very short. Not a good vintage for the comtesse! 88-89
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Blind. Nose has sliced mushrooms and glossy dark fruit on pouring. Meaty and profound. Some smoky blueberries emerge, so complete. Savoury, long, more-ish, poised. The faintest hint of grated chocolate after an hour. Outstanding.
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CdB Annual Meeting (Minneapolis Club, Mpls, MN): Medium dark red color. Tasting pour. Gorgeous earth, slightly herbaceous, truffle, red berries, dried earth and cigar box, medium bodied, very refined and soft.
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Decanted for two hours before dinner. Correct in all its aspects, but just couldn’t hold a candle to the 1982 we opened alongside. Muted? Or a dumb phase (seems late for that)? Paired with standing rib roast.
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My birth year! Drunk at Christmas dinner in Wyoming with many thanks to @m.batard. Decanted for 2-3 hours.
Color - very clear and ruby in the glass. Muted nose - we wondered if it was in a dumb phase. At the beginning of the evening found the palate very similar to the 1982 we drank alongside (leather, dark fruit, and orange peel). Upon further reflection— a bit sour with red fruit and a bit of leather.
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No signs of aging in color. Fruit , earthy notes, seductive, balanced and medium length. Good acidity, well integrated tannins. Lack of intensity. 92/93
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Quickie at neighbours' house. Drank in Zalto. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Thin legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of cigar,tobacco, pencil lead, dark herbs, smoked tea leaf, earth, slight tau geh bean sprouts. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium- alcohol (12.5%), resolved tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of herbs, smoky tea leaves, cigar-box, tobacco, earth, dark red cherries spice. Very long pleasurable finish. Very good quality. Classic Left Bank Bordeaux. Such a joy to drink now.
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So....I was going to sell this at auction, checked the cork, and a pinhole leak developed. I had to open it, but all my wine drinking friends are away, so what does a person do? I opened it and drank it over 24 hours.
First 750ml was thin, loads of iodine, barnyard, no fruit. All tertiary notes. 87 pts
Second 750ml the wine started to balance out. Consumed cellar temperature which seemed to round out the wine? The wine was starting to evolve. More floral. 88pts
Third 750ml the wine has settled down nicely. Drinking exactly how one would expect of an aged BDX. Much smoother and silkier now. 89 pts
Last 750ml is drinking the best. Some remnants of red fruit seemed to have percolated to the wines surface. By far the best the wine showed from this three liter jug. 90-91 pts
Quite the experience knocking back this big bottle solo.
Lots of grilled meat and also Whitespot delivery. Britt's mom visited today.
6 years since my last bottle. Needed 30 min in the glass to open up. Very nice balance and finish with fully resolved tannins. A wine in its prime that should drink well for at least another decade but why wait. Revisit 2025
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Perfect condition. A few-hour decant. Intense mineral-lead pencil nose with a top-note of bell pepper, that may put off a few folks, but I like. As dinner goes on, the bell pepper transforms, surprisingly, into baking spices. Medium-bodied, still structured on opening, but resolves nicely with the time in the decanter. A good time to drink this, but this bottle would still hold for some time.
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Nicely mature Claret but a bit too much of that signature green pepper PL can get when they screw it up. Parker was right about this vintage for them. At Commanderie dinner French Consulate NYC.
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Drank side by side with 1989. The 89 was very similar in nearly every respect but with bigger fruit. In my view the 89 lacked some of the nuance, grace, depth and complexity of the 1990, which had a slightly lighter body. The 1990 was amazing right out of the gate, nose to palate to finish. After being open about an hour in the bottle it really started to sing. Dark fruits and graphite shavings. Very long finish. Maybe it was the night, but this seemed substantially better than a bottle I opened (and shared a tasting note on) recently.
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Decanted for 90 min which gave time for the funk to blow off. Seductive on the nose, but disappointing in the mouth. It just never got “there” over 2-3 hours. (Of course when I came back downstairs for a snack at 2am, roughly 10 hours after opening and decanting I took a sip and it was much more pleasurable.)
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Opened in Courchevel, P&P and enjoyed over dinner.
There was a bit of funk at the start, but this blew off after about 15 minutes in the glass. With air, this opened up very well into a classic left-bank Bordeaux. There was still some fruit, but not much freshness, paving the way for more tertiary notes. Tannins were mostly resolved, with good structure and acidity. No fireworks however.
In a good spot and enjoyable - definitely better than the old RP rating would have suggested - but don't hesitate to drink up. Not sure how much upside there is, if any.
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Decanted 1,5 hours before drinking. Coffee and tobacco on the nose. Surprising amount of red fresh fruits on the palette. Incredible juicy! More irony after a while. After 6 hours it has built more character. More intense and fruity, hint of pine cone. More prominent tannins. Incredible wine. 96 points
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Could be WOTN. High alcohol, high acidity, lengthy finish, touch of red fruit. Is that a touch of licorice as well? Ethereal vanilla, hint of oak — absolutely singing. @ Napa Boys Trip
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Double decanted and enjoyed over about 1.5 hours. Light body, very smooth fully resolved tannin. All in nice balance. The fruit and overall flavor profile of is a bit flat and one dimensional. The saving grace and what makes this interesting, is the subtle dusty graphite characteristic which carries into the finish.
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After breathing for 4+ hours opened up wonderfully . Based on early reviews of 1990 expected more from Pichon. Still has many years left in bottle to go In the 92 to 93 range at this point
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"In the mature bouquet earth, cedar, some herbs and spices and lead pencil. On the palate the same impressions. Autumn forest after the rain. A slight touch of sweetness and still beautifully fresh acidity. Aristocratic wine which is not a bit too old yet. Just great!"
8 months later: this review is still spot on! I bought 12 bottles as a rookie and enjoy it now being semi retired.
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This is one of my go to producers who never disappoints and I'd say that's the same here. Had heard a rumor that the '90 is not up to snuff with the producer and the vintage and maybe that's true, but for me this was still really good and just a treat to get to drink. In a nice spot - it's integrated and yet still bright and fresh. Not sure it's getting better (perhaps that is the point as many 90's are still quite young?). Still, happy to get a chance to try and very happy to see we have a few bottles resting.
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Better than RP rated it during EP but probably underperformed for such a good vintage in Bordeaux. Very typical Pichon Lalande nose but another case of better on the nose than on the palate. Nevertheless it’s still a enjoyable wine.
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Blood red color with a light amber edge. PNP Leather, herbs, blackberries, graphite and blueberries. The wine seemed to turn flat quickly in glass after 30 minutes. We’re wondering if this bottle was somewhat compromised … I guess we’ll find out on the next.
p.s. leftovers
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For a much-maligned vintage, this is drinking well. Classic Pauillac on the nose, one sniff and it really can't be anything else. The palate is velvety with the silkiness of tannins but the fruit is taking a backseat to tertiary elements. It all comes together with a very savory finish that doesn't linger but does deliver pleasure. It doesn't have the depth of the better 90's Bordeauxs but overall it is a solid wine. Feel like Comtesse de Lalande weren't able to use the heat of the vintage to their advantage but whatever it might be it is time to drink this up. No upside here.
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Weekend at Bernie's; 2/25/2022-2/27/2022 (Vero Beach): A producer which has fast become a favorite of mine esp as we visited here back in the fall. There's always an elegance to these wines. Power of course with the Pauillac, but this has just that hint of floral and a nice balance to it. A touch less expressive than I would have expected for a '90, but very enjoyable nonetheless.
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Wow - loved this. Such a long lingering nose of graphite, herbs, faint spice and some red fruit. Married to a long lingering finish and decently good acid. Think RP rated this sub 90 back in the day?! Our palates clearly don't align!
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Drank this on xmas dinner with deer filet in a port wine sauce, great wine, some fruit left but tertiary aromas were very present, great length, really enjoy how well Bordeaux wine can age. At 31 years old this wine I think is in its peak and will stay at this stage for another 5 to 8 years before it starts to decline. Can't believe I paid this wine $60 at release in 1993 and today current vintage is releasing at over $250.
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Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; Birthday lunch (@ RW): In the mature bouquet earth, cedar, some herbs and spices and lead pencil. On the palate the same impressions. Autumn forest after the rain. A slight touch of sweetness and still beautifully fresh acidity. Aristocratic wine which is not a bit too old yet. Just great!
Difficult animal this one, needed a good hour in the decanter to soften the mould forest floor smell, was fairly balanced thereafter but lacked both the complexity and logevity of the finish that so many 1990 peers are delivering at a lower price point… was good after an hour but no more than that, bottle might have been off, will need to check, the comtesse usually never disappoints….
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Consistent with recent notes, this is a lighter style, but I found it to be sublime. Amazing nose, served with roast duck. Classic blend of fruit melding with cigar box, just tantalizing. Mid weight and smooth on the finished. Enjoyed very much. I don't see it getting a lot better from here.
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The Pichon Lalande was exactly as I expected it to be with the trademark green capsicum entry, and medium palate and medium finish. A really pleasant wine with little ambition. It is at its best as a foil for fine cuisine. Very much one of the also rans in this 1990 horizontal, and easily outgunned by the bigger, bolder Baron.
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Po's 1990 Bordeaux Dinner (La Trompette, Chiswick): Aromatic, fragrant, red fruit, florals. Medium bodied, spicy red fruit, pencil lead, floats attractively across the palate, vibrant acidity, medium-good length finish. Relatively light but quite classy and certainly enjoyable.
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Po's 1990 Bordeaux dinner (La Trompette): Seemed a bit light, especially following the Trotanoy, and the suggestion was that the Chateau overcompensated for the ripe vintage and undercooked the wine. Nevertheless certainly an attractive and distinctive wine, and actually the best of the flight with the food, with vanilla cream on the nose, and tomato stalk, Bloody Mary, autumn leaves and some salinity on the palate.
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Po’s 1990 Bordeaux (La Trompette, London): A little mute and flat on the nose. A touch diffuse and soft on the mid palate. Enjoyable and easy going but underpowered in the context of chateau and vintage. Consistent with previous bottles. ***1/2
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Opened 3 hours in advance. Decanted just before drinking. Great, sweet nose. So charming. Complex. Sweet. Long. A great claret (which I bought 27 years ago!). Day after, decanter smells nice, but clearly not a young wine anymore. It has past its prime but it is very enjoyable.
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Lighter-bodied and fully mature with subdued black fruit and black truffle notes. The finish lacks much complexity but there is a nice charcoal spice quality that I liked. A bit thin in the middle but still quite enjoyable. Drink up!
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Medium garnet in colour. Clear and no cloudiness or heavy sentiments. Pronounced nose intensity with notes of barnyard, wet forest, black tea, spices, cedar, toast, oak, black cherry, black fruits. Medium+ acidity and medium tannin. Medium body with long finish. The tannin had been integrated but the nose of barnyard, wet forest was persistent even after aerating in the glass for 1 hour. Decanting of 2-3 hours will certainly help in the aromas.
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Good bottle, from a cold cellar since release, and less developed than a very enjoyable but more mature bottle I had 4-5 years ago. Deep red, no signs of bricking. A striking lead pencil aroma in the forefront. Red fruited, good development, followed by a wave of ripe tannin. This has upside, glad I have another.
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Rocking with an hour of air. Effusive nose that is classically PLL — bell pepper and tobacco infused sweet plum and cherry aromas. Medium rich fruit with so many layers and suave melded tannin. Wow, so great. Should hold for 5-10+ years.
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The cork was loose when trying to open the wine. Broke halfway as well. Strong nose of wood. Decanted for 30 min. Theres still fruits smell, still drinkable but as compare to my 2 previous bottles, I know that 1990 Pichon can do much better.
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Just a lovely classic aged bordeaux. At first this was a bit closed and muted, but after about an hour or so in the glass it began to open up and continued to improve. Very elegant notes of cigarbox, woods, leather, with some nice dark fruits. I still have a strong taste memory the next day, which is a good sign. I recommend decanting at least an hour at this point, perhaps longer. I have about a third of the bottle in a small glass container for later this week -- so will update if I feel differently. This was PnP, Riedel Somm Bdx glass.
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Sharp reduction and barnyard at first opened up to an expressive, integrated, and well balanced wine complete with green pepper notes and dark fruit. Wonderful.
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Rich, delicious black cherry fruit, very integrated, leathery flavors which softened as fruit emerged with airing, breathed for 3 hours, excellent structure, long finish, at its plateau
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Very pleasing. Well integrated, probably just past prime. Red fruit with truffles and some fern. Two hour decant improved complexity but impressive at first taste
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Looking at the other comments, this is a classic example of how the wine has been kept. This bottle came from a friend who I know had kept it impeccably. There was no sign of age, the colour was perfect, the fruit was still there dark cherries - maybe past the prime but still a great wine - easily drinkable. Taste was medium long.
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Slowly drank it down over the last week, courtesy Coravin. Color was a dusty red, not too pale but clearly mature. Nose was a little musty but still had clear leather and plum. It was very soft but still had some red fruits, a little oak and cigar box to keep it interesting. I’d say it seemed a little past it’s prime so if I had another, I’d drink it soon.
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Opens up fairly quickly. Cedar, bell pepper, truffles, wet earth and whiff of barnyard. Lovely fresh tobacco (think Marlboro) on the palate. Dark fruit. Longish aftertaste. My only concern is the balance. Alcohol poking out a little. Still, when bottles come this good - who am I to complain.
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Pristine cork. Nice smokey nose. This is still relatively tightly wound. Tannins are fine grained. Fresh cassis flavors with some lavender and licorice. Finish is a bit short. Compared to most 1990s, this doesn't have quite the same level of sweetness and opulence.
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Bordeaux 1990 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): 1990 Bordeaux horizontal hosted by a private collector. 30 years down the road, the vintage comes across as bold and muscular, youthful and in general not yet open for business or at times closed. Highlights included Figeac, Haut-Brion, Mouton, Calon Ségur – and to my surprise – Marquis de Terme. See tasting story for more take-aways and the complete line-up.
Tasting note Not overly expressive at first, but opening up. Espresso, red and dark cherry, blueberries, smoky oak notes and leather. Round and well integrated palate, but lacking layers. Otherwise very much fruit forward. But there is details and finesse to the nose which has to be liked and a patient drinker or arduous decanter might very well be rewarded with much more than what I found.
Silky smooth fully mature Bordeaux in prime drinking window, probably not improving from here. Still fresh, tannins are fully integrated, round and viscous mouth feel, earthy/mushroomy, some barn funk on the nose but quite elegant.
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Agree with Sean Tay review. Wine is drinking very nicely, with red fruit, leather and truffle and a hint of spice. Tannins are fine and well integrated. Drink now.
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Had a bottle previously in Feb 2020. Having a similar note of leather, wet forest, truffle, mushroom tertiary aromas. On the taste, it very much that the nose. Tannin integrated and in the perfect drinking window. Note that the acidity in the wine is medium, it might not be able to keep fresh for long though.
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Father's Day. This was given a 30 minutes of a slow-ox and was firing on all cylinders. Classic PLL with gorgeously complex layering of bell pepper and cedar. Still fresh and rich with pin point balance and refinement. Awesome.
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1st anniversary with the missus. Decanted 1hr. Classically Paulliac with notes of graphite, green vegetal, smoky charcoal, still very fresh, underlying dark fruits. Palate is similar, blackberries, a lot of pencil lead, but has good sweetness. Acid is a bit Low at this time but tannins still giving a bit of structure. Very well resolved. Drink up soon though. The finish is a bit short and mid palate is a bit diffused. MB MA LT SF
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Tasted with the 1989 tonight. Deep color. Nose of chocolate, more chocolate than the 89, but less complex, I don’t get the thyme and forest floor that I got in the 89, but the 90 nose is bigger, more full bodied than the 89, taste of blackberries, and again I’m having trouble differentiating the tastes but lovely Bordeaux flavors. So I rate it the same 94 points as the 89. The 89 was more complex and the 90 some of that complexity but much more power.
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Kompleks, mangfoldig og relativt intens duft av solbær, pepper, snev av jord/våt skogbunn, paprika. Utrolig harmonisk få duft. Og likeså i munnen - harmonisk og rund, fremdeles litt frukt, men mest paprika og tobakk. Deilig så lenge det varer - men den kjenner alderen i ettersmaken, som er litt på den korte sida og i overkant syrlig. Likevel herlig, men ikke noe å lagre på.
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This 1990 Pichon is drinking beautifully, with still bright red color, leather, wet forest, truffle, mushroom teitiary aromas. On the taste, it very much that the nose. Very approachable and with tannin integrated, it’s very enjoyable. Hope to have this more often
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1990 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Pauillac Bordeaux) Leather and cassis nose, rich round mature flavour curve with surprisingly soft, well integrated tannins. Very elegant wine...like a Bordeaux on Botox trying to become a big Burgundy.
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Notes from 2 bottles over 2 consecutive evenings, both decanted for 2 hours in advance. Deep purple-red looking at least 10 years younger than its age. Nose is quiet but a pitch-perfect in-tune orchestra of all the classic Pauillac notes... all very linear and precisely delineated. Palate is gosh... so clean, pure and linear. Too many star anise, etc. layers to identify. Silence creating... this is in Lafite territory. Quiet, understated - not shouty - very resonant and reverberant on the palate and inside the head on the really long finish. This is really gorgeous and my kind of lean, angular high cheekboned classic Pauillac. I love it. This has 2 decades ahead of it and I have updated the CT website drinking window accordingly. On the first night it totally blew a Cos D'Estournel 2002 out of the water but on the second night it was significantly outclassed by a Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 1986 which shared many characteristics but was more 'Bordeaux' at a higher level, surprisingly. Overall, 94+
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Still holding up - colour still quite youthful red, with only a little browning at the rim. Decanted for 30 mins, very light sediment. Nose open straight-away, classic left-bank, cedar, some plum. Some tannin and structure left, enough to make this much more than just an old bottle for interest. Very silky, voluptuous wine with good balance and a great match with côte du boeuf. Drink or hold.
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At a Commanderie BYO event. Lots of great wines on the table on this evening. Nice opportunity to try this wine, its been a ferw years sine last tasting
From prior tasting:"Purple/red color, no signs of separation. Nose red fruits, currant, leather, mild barnyard, graphite. Elegant, silky palate of red fruits, blackcurrant, spices. Tannins are fined, smooth. Really elegant throughout..."
Slightly less forward on this tasting. Fruits a bit more faded but still very nice, dusted red fruits, cedar, graphite all there. Still drinking well, in a great spot but might drink up over next 5 years
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The third wine of 14 vintages of PL back to ‘61 courtesy of Mark Golodetz. A pleasant drink showing full maturity and lovely notes of faded black fruits and truffles with a smooth finish that lacks much complexity. There were quite a few off-vintages that trumped this wine so I guess Parker was right about it early on.
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From 375. Very reliable source, good condition bottle at a wine bar/restaurant. No signs it was corked, just not very good overall. Refrained from scoring but would assign an especially low score given the fact that we didn't want to finish the glass :( Avoid this one at all costs!
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Decanted briefly and back into the btl for trip downtown. Pull cork not long after arrival at venue. Likely needed a bit more air as this came on near the end. My btl at recent Capital grill BDX dinner. Elegance with plenty of lead pencil, dark fruit, tobacco and splendid earthiness. In the context of a stellar group of table mates this took a back seat to the killer '83 Montrose and several Ducru vintages from 55,70 & 89. This was really only competitive with the 95 Ducru and the 83/99 Leoville poyferres. On its own I might have loved it more. Felt a little fat tonight. 93+
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I'm not sure this is the wine of a lifetime or has any suggestion of once being that but I do recall my last tasting note -- when I said that if I was on an island, this would be the wine I could drink for the rest of my life. I might feel the same way now but let me offer another context. If my local bar offered this as their house wine, I would stop by every day for a glass or two after work. It's that good 29 years after.
Unfortunately I have the memory of my prior tasting stuck in my head. These notes reflect a somewhat narrower taste profile, a bit thinner in the mid-palate but remaining quite balanced and full. What stands out is a long, sweet finish that is more than sufficient to offset any deficiencies noted earlier.
This wine had very little sediment on decanting. No foul notes in the aroma. A clear, beautiful, near perfect color profile. And absolutely no tannins or distractions as the wine swirls in your mouth. Earlier in the evening, I had pegged this wine at 90 but I am revising my score upward to 92 the more I think about it. Beautiful!
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Day of the Goat: A Pichon Lalande Fractured Vertical (Leo & Cheryl's Place, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color. Splash decanted for 15 minutes. Drank a glass over 2hours plus. Spellbinding and seamless, this is wonderful. Nearly perfectly integrated this has the depth and finesse of a hypothetical blend of the 83 and 85. Silky and caressing on the palate with a glorious perfume of potpourri, cassis, wild raspberry, leather, damp earth, pencil, and fine cigar. This is beatifully balanced and supremely elegant and long. Great fuit, structure and polish. One of my all time favorite Pichons.
From 75cl, perfect provenance. Aged cork extracted with some difficulty but in one piece. On opening: Closed down tight, so decanted 2 hours. Looks like a 10 year old - barely any orange-brown in sight. Intense forest floor, cedar and dried spice/star anise scent; complacent, full-bodied, hot-year entry with more cedar, raw leather, non-descript dark-red fruit; drier towards mid-palate; hot, unexpectedly tannic finish. Blind I would have guessed 2003 left bank classified growth, po-faced, over-extracted and perhaps prematurely aged, perhaps a St. Juilen I don't know or just maybe Lynch Bages? No hurry given good storage, and if you like hot-year southern Rhône more than I do, then you might well rate this a few points higher than the (89-)90P I have in my glass tonight.
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In its optimal window right now. Great aromatics. Paired so well with pheasant and Moroccan spice cream sauce. Loads of bright red cherry, perfectly resolved tannins and wood. Thanks so much to Jim Aronson for bringing this to the table tonight.
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Acker April 2019 (Marea in NYC): This was in an great spot right now. Lovely fruit and freshness without being over done or over ripe. Good age notes. Just overall balanced between all of the components.
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Another great showing. Great complexity, with both fruit and tertiary characteristics blending nicely. Long and smooth. Not a big wine, almost fragile, but still very much in a great drinking window now. Really a pleasure, and not just a historical anomaly at this stage.
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Another classic vintage for Pauillac. I love how the first 4 tasters rated the wines with shit scores, stating that it's uninteresting with a questionable future. This grew up to be a shining example of a Cabernet-dominated blend. Superb complexity of aromatics, I could spend hours just smelling this - stewed and fresh black fruit play around, tones of cigar box, crushed stone, vanilla pudding, leather and whiffs of soya sauce. Dense and rich with a superb integration of fresh character and bottle aging. Ripe, medium-expressed tannins. Medium acidity. Long impressive finish. Drink now or keep for 3-4 more years.
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Allowed to breathe in bottle 30 minutes, then decanted and served. Clear medium deep garnet-blood red color. Outstanding bouquet initially of cigar tobacco, dried porcini mushrooms, cassis, stony soil. After an hour, sweet fresh red currants and boysenberries moved into the spotlight, accented with pencil shavings, hints of leather, and more earthy mushrooms. Similar on the palate, silk-satin mouthfeel, balanced, seamless. Power without weight. A beautiful, fully mature Lalande that improved over two hours with no sign of tiring.
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Jord, tobakk, et lite snev av plommer på duft. Kristin finner også en ubehagelig lukt av sure sokker (som forsvinner etterhvert) som Dag ikke kjenner, men kanskje et lite snev av kokt kål, uten at det er særlig sjenerende for han. Noe røkt kjøtt. I munnen silkemyke tanniner med nydelig struktur, flott intensitet, deilig dybde, men litt «alt på en gang», for å være pirkete. Nydelig, mild ettersmak som sitter lenge. Deilig vin, synes begge.
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1990 Bordeaux (Piccolino, Exchange Square, London): Medium ruby/garnet, wide pale rim. Nose is spicy, red fruited, touch of earth and a floral top note. Medium bodied, red fruited, attractive touch of herb, soil, vibrant acidity, elegant, long, leanish finish. Lovely!
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Served with short ribs and side by side with a 1996 Chateau Giscours. This had a huge, bouquet with lots of barnyard funk. It was freightening because not all the notes were positive. Some of the mustiness eventually blew off revealing a wonderful cedar, cherry core. The wine evolved and became more integrated over the course of the meal. It was an experience. Sadly my last bottle of this from a buying spree 25 years ago
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Eu Ming's Birthday (Bee Heong Palace, Singapore): It was nice to end a dinner full of Burgs with a Bordeaux, and this was a very enjoyable one. The nose was classic Pauillac, Lalande I guessed, with lovely drifts of cedar wood, pencil lead and just that slightest hint of leafy tobacco floating about gentle cassis notes. Charming. The palate was absolutely on point. Soft, melting, with the plushest of tannins wrapped like a silken robe around a sweet, supple core of sweet cassis and blueberries, all gently seasoned with little notes of cedar, spice and just that tiny lily of tobacco. Not profound in the way the 1982 and 1996 are - this did not have the sheer depth and power of the greater vintages - but it was so very charmingly enjoyable, and drinking beautifully now.
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I really enjoyed this but it was not mind blowing. Initially in the decanter it had a slight maritime smell and I was worried that the bottle was lost. This blew off and it really blossomed in the glass. dark berries, bell pepper, and a hint of cigar box. Tannins mostly resolved giving the wine a softer side. Probably has plenty of life left, but why wait?
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This wine blew my expectations out of the galaxy. A little subtle to begin with. However, with an hour/1.5 it started to blossom beautifully.
Green bell pepper, hot herbs and spices like an Algerian bazaar, (feminine) musk, dark - but not too dark - berries, hints of casis, blackcurrant and cherry. All very well structured. Tannins were alive and kicking but with a woman's touch. This was oh so great and nowhere near close to peak.
Atleast two decades left in the tank. No rush to drink this.
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Happy Birthday Kathy and Virgie (Yan's China Bistro, Walnut Creek, Ca.): Happy Birthday Kathy and Virgie, nose of black berry, black currants, plum, red bell pepper, spring flowers, and hints of cigar box and saddle leather, same on the palate, at its peak, medium/big body, very tasty, lovely to sip and savor, almost elegant, classic Chateau Pichon Lalande to me, all the classic Bordeaux flavors are fully integrated and at their best today, and a long finish.
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Small pour at a Bordeaux tasting. I have had this wine a couple times, and it never disappoints! This was WOTN for me, and had a beautiful, perfumed nose of violets, rain and sandalwood. On the palate, it displayed silky tannins that were well integrated with the fruit, and primary flavors of black current, dark berries and a hint of plum and oak. Secondary flavors included leather, earthiness, and tobacco. All in all, a great wine that will offers a fantastic QPR (especially looking at recent release prices of Bordeaux). If you have bottles, drink now or hold a while longer, but I don't see the wine improving. Thanks Joe!
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Bordeaux by Joe (Jason's house): Decanted an hour. I brought this to a tasting so people would be able to try a fully mature good Bordeaux. And it is that. Soft, floral, slight funk, graphite, tobacco.
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Guys Night - Bordeaux vs Napa (Jason's House): 1 hour decant. As good as this was, it was not as good as other bottles that I've had. Some people at the table agreed, while others felt it was as good or better than their expectation. Anyway, a great Bordeaux for sure, and in a great drinking window.
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Aged High End Bordeaux Blends (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Dark red color. Decanted for just over an hour. Drank 1 glass over 2 hours. This really was fresh and singing from the start, yet it continued to evolve and build over the net couple hours. I preferred the nose of the '84 Dominus at first, but as this changed, it certainly equaled and I'd have to say it surpassed even that which saying something. This has a splendid perfume of crushed rose petals, leather, sandalwood, fine cigar wrapper, pencil lead and pretty red fruits wrapped up with damp forest floor aromas. The palate has near perfect integration, supreme elegance, beautiful red berry fruit, tart red fruit, pencil, dried tobacco, and earth. Very long and fresh this has great balance and such pretty red fruit. These has been consistently great too. My and group WOTN by a hair over the '84 Dominus.
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Consistently snobbed as underperformer in 1990, this bottle drank well. Charming nose, mature red fruit, cedar, tobacco. Silky and developped in the mouth, with cassis and raspberries notes, tobacco, hints of chocolate. Admittedly less complex and intense than most of its 1990 siblings, but charming, reminding me of 1999. Drink now.
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The nose was musky for the first hour before it opened up to a lovely perfume of dark fruits, tobacco and leather. The texture is smooth and chewy and the length, long. Tannins are nicely integrated now. The taste bursts of cassis and yet it is earthy and savoury. The nose continues to blossom in the next hour and is most intoxicating...cigar box, earth and dark berries. However, in the third hour, the nose dives and the wine actually smells sour and offensive...
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WINNER. This is classic PLL; the fruit's surprisingly restrained for the vintage but there's plenty of fresh black currant and other dark berried fruit here, and it's augmented by intense cedar, graphite, and those green herbal and peppery scents that I always find in PLL. The texture's very elegant and polished, and this is a fantastic wine to sit down and follow over a few hours.
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Fabulous wine that was still a baby. It was a textbook Pauillac. Cedar...tobacco...cigar box...leather. This was served out of 3.0L and was a showstopper. Decanted in bottle for 2 hours before serving.
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It needs good 3 -5 hours of aeration for flavours to harmonise.
Nose and palate are classic Pauillac (cassis, cedar, graphite, tobacco, leather) with savoury edge. The finish is long, with slightly sweet undertone but with excessive alcohol heat. Tannins are mature and silky. The palate is not as angular as most Pauillac, but not as supple or rounded as merlot-dominated blend.
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Decanted three + hours before drinking and drank over about 90 minutes. Great, dark color, nose was everything you would expect from a wine like this. Pepper, earth, tobacco, evolved nicely over two and a half glasses. Seems to still have a lot of time left, but drinking very well right now.
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Good dark color. Nose and palate have excellent Pauillac characteristics but nothing extraordinary or outstanding. Would have been much more pleased with the quality if not for this coming from the outstanding 1990 vintage. Happily paired with Richard Olney's scallop and monkfish skewers, a fish dish that goes well with Bordeaux. Excellent.
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Tasted blind. Tremendous right now, really hitting on all cylinders. Lush, broad yet with a fine structure and acidity. Notes of old leather, figs, blackcurrant and ever so slight green herbs.
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Bordeaux 1990 tasting. Better then the one we tasted in March (from same purchase). Excellent classic nose, Cedar and Tobacco. On the palate elegant and decent but not great and not the best Lalande I had. Still a joy. Drink now-2022, 91.
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A very good and very traditional Lalande.Needs 2-3 hours or so in the decanter to really open up. Classical Pauillac nose with cassis,blackberry,cedar,blond tobacco,lead pencil.Velvety texture with excellent depth and fully resolved tannins.Long racy finish.Beautiful wine and fully mature,but no real hurry.
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Colour mature some browning. Hint of oxidation on nose at first but soon dissipated. Then classic mature Pichon. Ripe fruit voluptuous with some mineral. Silky , ripe , smooth, coffee, very long and balanced finish. Drunk over a couple of hours and started to dip on last glass. Delicious and fully ready.
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Balanced and mellow, definitely past its peak. Decanted for 2 hours which helped, but the wine was just not very engaging. Cork in good condition, subtle nose, clear color with no sign of oxidation.
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Purple/red color, no signs of separation. Nose red fruits, currant, leather, mild barnyard, graphite. Elegant, silky palate of red fruits, blackcurrant, spices. Tannins are fined, smooth. Really elegant throughout.
Interesting to see the range of taster experience with this wine on CT, perhaps some bottle variation? Pichon Lalande is pretty consistent in my experience. This was in a great spot on this evening, a good old-school bdx, nicely aged from a great vintage.
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Another bottle in great shape. A lighter bodied Lalande but still with admirable depth and complexity. Smooth and soft palate, herbal and cigar box notes. A pleasure to drink and not falling over at all at 27 years of age.
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Guys Wine Night - Bring something you've been saving (Jason's House): Slow O'd for an hour, this initially seemed to be a science project, with weird funk and alcohol. That all blew off, and it blossomed into a textbook old world, mature Bordeaux. Funk, barnyard, leather, animal, tobacco, some strawberry, currant and cherry. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins. This is downright silky with so much complexity. This wine was a real treat, and every bit as good as the last time I had it.
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Great Dinner at Jason's: Bring a bottle you have been saving: Youthfully purple. Graphite, mint, soy and hoisin aromas. Excellent mellow energy on the soft palate. Clear finish. Not a blockbuster, but classic claret. This is in a really great place right now.
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Drunk from magnum, soft cork but out in one piece. Decanted for an hour. Took a little while to open up, and for the nose to express with notes of earth, cowpat, and a little red fruit. On palate drinking well, fruit still showing well but fading a little, mostly blackcurrant and cherry. Good length with decent palate weight. This was showing better than other bottles I have had, perhaps due to magnum format. Thought this bottle could go a few more years.
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Cork clean and uncompromised, wine had beautiful bouquet straight out of the bottle. Clear brick color. No sediment. Decanted for 2 hrs. Wine opened up nicely: fresh notes of strawberry, rose petals and liquorice. Soft tannins and good acidity. Still improved the next day. May be past its peak but this bottle was flawless.
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Nose: dark fruit, blackberry, roasted cherry and green pepper. Palate: grew in complexity over the night but really never got beyond the primary lalande fruit notes and coconut oak element. A bit roasted for lalande but green at the same time. Finish: dark fruit, saline and horsey notes. Green pepper and some nice mint tones.
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Classic nose of cedar, black currants, dark roasted oak, tar, iodine, coffee. stables. Medium length. Seems like nothing more will happen here. Its elegant, it sits together but lacks depth and some comeplexity. Good but not great.
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1.5cm. Cork shows signs of seepage. Decant. Color quite engaging, not much bricking. Initial impressions upon decant: nose: floral, some animal notes, mint, thyme. Mouth: rounded, harmonious, elegant, complex. Good length. Very pleasant.
1.5 hrs later: animality on the nose has receded, taken over by tar, licorice, mint, thyme. Mouth: round first impression, very fine tanins, good structure, fruit (blackcurrant), thyme. Very good
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Nice Puillac nose, especially the Tobacco. But the palate is so disappointing, a bit faded and lacks any power. Not of the caliber you expect. 89 at best.
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Tasted blind. Ripe nose yet undoubtedly left bank Bordeaux from the 90s. Notes of tobacco, sweet red fruit, cedar. Fully resolved, silky, very fine tannins.
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An earthy entry, a green streak and a hint of oxidative pong, mellow sweet fruit in the middle - three bottles now from this case, showing consistently. It's a warm, very attractive earthy claret, but it's not as good as I'd hoped - nowhere near the level of 81 or 84
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PnP. Don't be fooled by the perceived quality. The 1990 Bordeaux may have been great ten years ago, but I would dare say not now. I enjoyed both the 1987 and 1992 Pichon Lalande much more than this one. At $145, a horrible QPR at this point.
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Extremely bouquet of truffle, mushroom, earthy notes, black fruits, toast and spices. Medium acidity and tannin. Drinking extremely well with tannin integrated. Tasted at Bar a Vin.
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1990 CHATEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE- COMTESSE de LALANDE PAUILLAC- I`ve had many a fine bottle of this stellar top of the 1990 vintage Bordeaux and this fell right in line complimenting all previous ones; the color was a brilliant, youthful dark purple; the nose offered superb cedar, leather, earth and coffee notes along with some black currant; the taste had more of the same plus nice black cherry/ berry fruit and obvious tannic backbone; it had complexity and depth and stayed around for a long satisfying finish; a great bottle; some of my friends who I know are enamored with this wine would have appreciated it as much as I did.
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Color: Medium garnet going to ruby on the edges. – Bouquet: Muted fruit with plum, berry, a faint whiff of cassis, a little tobacco, herbs, olive, and some loamy, earthy undertones with a whiff of asphalt. – Palate: Muted berry, strawberry, ripe plum, a hint of cassis, and a touch of milk chocolate. Very finely integrated tannins. Elegant, feminine, delicate – all as in medium bodied. Smooth mouth-feel, but a finish of medium length, or less so, for this 25-year old Super Second. That said, this bottle of wine seemingly was not as “elegant” as some other Cabernet Sauvignon dominant Bordeaux wines in the 1990 vintage having 20+ years of age. – Poured on the occasion of a 63rd birthday; and served with rack of lamb and roasted potato wedges with fresh rosemary sprigs, Caprese salad, and steamed fresh asparagus with drawn butter served on the side; finished with chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. (12.5% abv)
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1990 PICHON-LALANDE LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE de LALANDE PAUILLAC- and one more bottle coming up as good as any I`ve had over many years, this still is young, vibrant, evolving and an eye opener as all at our table took a look around the table after it was first poured and tasted; the nose had some cedar, leather and licorice that melded into the tasty black cherry, black currant and blueberry fruit; all was bundled up and delivered in a smooth, lush texture which carried on to extend the climaxing finish; this was full bodied, seamless and a sensory treat in every way.
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This is what you want from mature BDX. Silky elegance with plenty of lead pencil, dark fruit, tobacco and splendid earthiness. Very pretty! The most fully realized red of the night.
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The nose was divine, multifaceted, fresh, cedar and coal and spice. The palate warmer and riper than the nose suggests, the tannins all gone, this is very smooth and round, but seemingly on the way down.
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Noble Rot restaurant - drank with lamb, aubergine and peas. Still very dark and young looking! Beautiful complete nose with cedar, blackcurrant, leather and licorice. Parma violet. Even better on the palate. Lovely tingly fruit and very plush and elegant. So silky and light on the delivery but with great fruit and bite. Perfect combination of fruit and evolution.
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Clear and deep purple; tinge of brown around the edges. Lovely fruit aromas; Lovely sweet fruit still on the palate; baked cherries and cassis with cedar and tar even some truffle. Not especially thick legs but rounded mouthfeel and still some tannins which softened as the evening progressed. Good length. Holding very well for its age and beautiful now. Best drunk without food.
Looking back at the tasting notes of others, this wine must have closed right down in the late 90s. The first few bottles I had in the mid 90s were very nice but I remember the last bottle I had about 5 years ago was disappointing; I had low expectations of this one. Fascinating.
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Very fragrant and heady turned earth, sweet leather, truffle, touch funky barnyard with soft earthy spices, anise, wet tobacco, cooked plum, cassis; plush velour mouthfeel, low, mostly resolved tannins at this point. Lovely nose, a bit soft in the palate, but excellent, delish. 92, but 93 in the nose!
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Slowly decanted 2 hrs, deep garnet in color. Nose of tobacco, and some red fruit aroma looming at the back. Pencil shaving aroma on palate, bitter sweet where tannin is largely integrated. Smoky after taste with cedar and currant. Textbook of aged bdx.
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Delicious. Brilliant ruby/crimson, heavy extract/legs. Decanted for about an hour but was surprisingly approachable upon opening. Fantastic bouquet with ripe red fruit, green pepper, and forest floor. Luscious, silky tannins lend themselves to a marvelous and elegant finish. Probably will improve with more bottle age but it's drinking beautifully now.
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Pretty crimson / ruby. Graphite, cedar, tobacco nose. Some red fruits, though the overwhelming notes are lead pencil, chalk, earth, wet stones. This is drinking beautifully.
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Vertikal provning Pichon Lalande 12 årgångar 66-90. 1990: solig sötma, sötsur frukt, generös, öppen, kraftfull, merlot driven, rondör, mkt tanniner, kan lagras längre. Ingen av mina favoriter men top 3 baserat på blinda röster från 16 personer i sällskapet.
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This juice may be out of favor with one of the critics, but the gang loved it (blind) with one rating as high as 96 and a few preferring it over 1990 Leoville Poyferre. It is still in late adolescence or very early maturity and somewhat tannic, with a rich tarriness and enough cherry/cassis fruit and sweetness to provide balance. Classic Bordeaux nose of cedar, leather, tobacco. Try again in 2018.
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What a lovely glass of wine this has developed into. Colour still limpid fresh and mid red. Gorgeous nose, classic PL ripe fruit with mixed with graphite. Merlot to the fore but restrained by the Cabernet. Luscious mouthfeel coating the mouth then fanning out. Quite mineral on finish . Delicious
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Drinking very nicely. Lovely nose with a palate that matched. Good balance between fruit and acid. Still tasted surprisingly young, but then I prefer very old wines. Wonderful with a New York ribeye.
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Sipping and snacking at Harlan's Penthouse Hong Kong. The “man” himself waived corkage so we went big. Brownish red to the eye. Dark, ripe, red fruits on the nose with a hint of leather, coffee and chocolate. Elegant on the palate, very soft tannins. Perhaps just a few years past her stride in terms of structure, but still silky on the finish. We would have preferred five years ago, but still luvly.
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Superb. Dark ruby with some bricking. Very smooth and rich with mellow tannins. Tobacco, chocolate, berry and coffee tastes, well integrated. Drinking beautifully.
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Bordeaux wine dinner; 6/18/15: Pichon Lalande 1990 - Lighter color than others, I think passing its prime. A little dry on the finish but perfectly nice still. 90 Gruaud Larose 1989 - Very classic nose and palate of cedar and pine notes. Most silky palate of the bunch. Two at the table thought it was wine of the night. Not as much to my taste but very much classy Gruaud. 91 Cos 1986 - Funky barnyard nose. Deep palate with still strong tannin, but plenty of fruit coming through. Liked it but there was some brett there that to me, hurt. 92 Lynch Bages 1985 - For me, the wine of the night, largely due to the truly stunning nose. A tad dry on the palate but still long finish of dark fruit. 94
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Fill into neck, cork pulled out cleanly. Medium dark red with lightening at rim. Modest amount of sediment on bottom of bottle. Medium bodied with long finish. An elegant, complex wine we enjoyed on its own with PnP. But would complement many dishes. Best the first hour, then grew less smooth.
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Nose is off and a bit funky, overall wine seems very advanced. Rich fruit still hanging out but totally resolved. Suave and silky with high class fruit, but not that exciting. Not sure of storage conditions of this bottle, so that could be a contributing factor.
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At a blind tasting of 7 $100+ wines, the only thing I was certain of was that this is old world well-aged Bordeaux. Lovely clean funk. Tar, leather, extremely complex.
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Worldwide $100+ Wines Double Blind (Edina, MN): Very dark red/purple color. Double decanted for 15 minutes with 2 hours slow-O prior. Drank 2 pours, unblinded, as we did know our own wines. Just an intoxicating nose, with plenty of perfume and lots of great clean (as Joe said) funky goodness, leather, floral, soft cedarbox, and pretty red berry fruits. The palate was equal to the nose and just popped with bright fruit, black and red berries, vibrant with great acidity, wow, nice cassis, red berries. This was just so nicely balanced and integrated with everything where it should be and doing what it should. Seamless and long. Remarkably fresh and young still - tons of time left. For me personally, it doesn't get much better than this. 95+ to 96pts. My and group WOTN.
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Bottle variation is probably a factor at this stage judging by recent comments, but this bottle was glorious. Ruby red. The nose an elixir of dried red rose petals and warm, dusky depths, then a gently rich and savoury palate with tannins that just melted. Seemed to come further to life in combination with food - and rich food in this case. We first tasted this wine on release c1993 and have always rated it a beauty.
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Drank at Otto's Had alongside a '90 Troplong & Pichon Lalande. All three were wonderful and shows what a great vintage '90 was and all three have many years of life ahead of them. Classic nose of cedar, tobacco, cassis, earth and spice. Some incredible depth and length. Wonderful stuff.
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Straightforward but appealing nose of difficult to pin down fruit (cherry, raspberry?), faint white pepper, and light chalky notes. Palate is thin but enjoyable with green notes in the background. Decanted for one hour, consumed over two. Definitely fading in my opinion, drink now.
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Allowed to breathe in bottle for an hour, then decanted and tasted over three hours. Clear deep garnet-blood red. Fabulous bouquet of fresh crushed red currants, creme de cassis, spice box, pipe tobacco, saddle leather, with hints of lavender, mint, and river stones. Similar on the palate, full body, power without weight. An exhilarating experience.
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Tired. Green streak in nose and on the palate. Some graphite and limp fruit. Really not much to like here. A paltry thing, a tattered coat upon a stick.
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Wine Dinner at Le Philosophe (Le Philosophe): The wine pours an inky ruby color with some bricking at the rim, along with medium legs with minimal sediment. On the nose the scent is quite concentrated albeit slightly green. There is a bouquet dominated by spice, peppers, tobacco, leather, earth, mushrooms and kirsch. Surprisingly for such a good vintage, the wine is green with minimal fruit. On the palate, the tannins are well integrated with a velvety structure. Dominated by mineral, the backbone yields flavors of brett, bacon fat, leather, eucalyptus and scorched stones. The wine is also very smoky. Finish is quite long with minimal acidity in the end. A fabulous wine, and also a very interesting and intellectual wine.
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Classic Bordeaux nose. Vegetal, meaty and sweet cassis and dark fruits. Palate is a bit austere, green streak and good acidity and tannin. This should have the fruit to develop a bit more and let the tannin resolve.
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Opened for one hour, poured half of bottle into decanter and drank with steak at home. Cork completely soaked. Garnet, bricking at the rim. Forest floor on the nose, initially a few green notes then a touch of dark fruit and plenty of leather and tobacco. Fine tannis, medium finish. Would not recommend decanting as it lost the remaining fruit with more air time. This drank like a mid 80s classified growth but not more. Can see where the disapointment is coming from, given this is a Super Second and 1990. Still, this is a fully mature, elegant Bdx and nowhere near the 79 points Parker gave it. Drink up. 90-91. QPR hmm...
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Blood red, nose of spices, lead, currants, chocolate. First tastes of lead and meat. Followed with currants, licorice and pomegrante. Still lively, fruity and young.
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Nice mature Pauillac. Lots of cassis, pencil, cedar. Also really quite green in a herbacous Bordeaux way, but not in a way that put me off. Can see that the greeness could split the audience on this one though. Good to very good, but there are some hard edges to the wine that stops it from meriting a higher score. I had hoped for a bit more elegance.
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Great 1980s Bordeaux Tasting and Dinner (Michael Restaurant - Winnetka IL): One of two bottles opened at the tasting, the 2nd was corked. This bottle was more finessed vs powerful and lush. Also slightly more advanced than the "typical" 1990, but overall classically styled with plum, anise, tobacco, even if just moderate intensity.
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had this next to a 85 lynch bagues my good friend brought. the two were both excellent. the 90 pichon lalande was more forward - more tobacco and fruit on the nose and palate, much stronger tannins - def in prime drinking window but could age another 5-10 years and the tannins may soften more. the lynch had no rough edges - a bit more muted on the nose and the tannins were as soft as one would want without it losing some finish. diff styles/ages but both very enjoyable.
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Perfect deep ruby color without cloudiness or a hint of bricking at the rim. The nose was a seamless, yet confusing mix of dark fruit, Asian spices, green pepper and weeds. In the mouth it was confusing; herbs and spices overshadowed the lean fruit. While there may have been bottle variation, this was nothing I would expect from a mature Pauillac. Will only worsen with age as the fruit dies further. Avoid if possible
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Pichon-Lalande Vertical Tasting (Mark Allen): Wet cigar with mixed spices, tobacco and sweet black plum; moderate + body, ample tannins, acid, fuller body than the others in the vertical; sour black cherry finish. This was strong, but to me lacked complexity and elegance. May need more time. Black fruits, earthy, dark character marked this wine. (RP 79)
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7 decades of Bordeaux - Blind tasting (Martin's House): Nearly all of us non-wine writes are influenced by a wine's pedigree and reputation, so if I had this non-blind, I'm pretty sure that I would have rated it lower. That's the reason we try to drink nearly everything blind and if possible double blind as the case tonight. This stunned everyone!! Toasted bread, banana, chocolate, leather, superbly elegant, espresso, red bell peppers, really long finish. A claret at it's perfect maturity.
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For a supposedly tough Pichon vintage, this drank very well. Fully open and mature nose of herbs, dark fruit, pepper. Plush on the plate. Cedar. Nice green pepper. Sleek. Medium depth and finish.
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wineph Drank this after our annual IWFS business meeting along with rare tenderloin and spinach crepes. Double decanted for three hours. The wine was much more accessible than the 1995, which we had two weeks ago. The bouquet is full, the wine harmonious with soft tannins and nice fruit. Drinking beautifully now and seems to have some more time left, in spite of what RP predicts.
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From Mag. Classic mature pauillac, only needs about 10min of air then ready to drink, ever evolving in the glass, no fading even after couple of hours. Very enjoyable
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very classic Pichon Lalande...tasted similar to the 2003 I had recently...but a little more finish and a little more delicate....great elegant structure....not a lot of complexity...but classic bordeaux notes of cherry and some clay...light and gentle...ability to change and some playfulness.
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This wine shows the ripeness of the vintage but is otherwise very pauillac in style. Nose is of dark fruit (cassis, blackberry, black cherry), all kinds of undergrowth, wet decaying leaves, tobacco, leather, cedar shavings, tar. Palate is certainly ripe, dense and dark fruited. Tannins are quite integrated without much in the way of acid. Nice fairly long dark plum skin finish. A little alcohol noted on the nose and finish but is not too high. Very nice wine.
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Into the 24th year and fresh as a daisy! Beautiful dark red color (still no bricking). The nose is a big stuffed bell pepper, some wet tobacco, leather, anise and cassis breaking through at the end. Lots of layers on the nose. Magnificent structure and balance on the palate - built layer upon layer. Red fruits, fruit cake, licorice root and a little vegetal on the finish.
I have drank this wine over the past 10 years and have the satisfaction of experiencing its evolution. I have 1 left and will save it for a while to get a last peek at this gracefully aging wine. Truly a world class wine.
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Forrest floor, stone and stale fruit nose on pour of a 3 decant. 20 minutes of glass time to open its coat of light oak, hard fruit and tannins to reveal velvet, rich but not deep fruit and some juiciness and smooth tannins. The dark ruby color really opened up after 2 hours of glass time to layered red and dark fruits and spice box with cinnamon and crème brulee notes - even better 2nd day. Outstanding bottle was overshadowed by the '89 LMHB and drank well regardless.
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fill well into neck. velvet red colour some maturity. Nose soared from glass. enticing seductive and very PL. weave of cedar and hint of mocha. Rich velvety and mouthfilling. tannins in background holding structure. Sweet long finish just fading a little.delicious and ready. Paired with Cos 1990 and loin of lamb
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HDH '90 vs '00 BDX Comparative Tasting (Chicago, IL - Spiaggia): Scaled back compared to the Pichon Baron. More herbal with a leafy tobacco slightly green character. Palate slightly thinner than the PB, but maybe more complex. I think this is a step down from the PB, but I prefer the flavor profile. A-
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San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 9/20/2013 (The Westgate Room, Westgate Hotel): Clear medium garnet-blood ruby color. Bouquet of bright fresh red cherries, cigar tobacco, red currants, saddle leather. Similar on the palate, with beautiful balance, full body, long finish. Rich and sophisticated. Others remarked "classic Bordeaux -- screams Pauillac." My #1 tonight.
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Wonderfully pungent nose of fresh cedar, leather, spices, dark chocolate, with hints of pencil, licorice and violets. A bit closed at first on the palate. Cherries, pencil/graphite, plums. A bit closed still, with some nice, but not overpowering, tannins. A bit harsh on the finish. I think I like this more than the 89; Jen is the reverse.
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Drank at the Boot & Flogger See previous notes. This is a wonderfully mature classic claret with lots of great silky smooth tannins that will let it last many more years.
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This is a lovely mature Pichon from a good year with everything that I could wish for. A nose of cedar wood and blackcurrants, complex ripe tannins with no flavour predominating but hints of liquorice, smoke, cassis etc. Very long with prolonged finish. A joy and only affordable by buying early. WoFW 18/20
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Rheingau Gourmet Festival "Weinraritätenlunch Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande" (12 PLC vintages), late Feb 2013, from a 0.375 L bottle: rubin red color; reductive nose: bread and red fruits, improved over time; nice, mild fruit acidity on the palate; medium body.
1-2 h decanting time would have beneficial.
1st flight: 1986 - 1988 - 1989 - 1990
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Rubin med lett orange kant. Klassisk Bordeaux men litt vel fremtredende eik. God solbærfrukt, underskog, fin syre og balanserende tanniner. Bra vin som ikke er helt i mål enda.
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not a great showing for this wine, served out of 5L bottle (thanks kevin), maybe it was too early for this format, somewhat astringent and no fruit, tannins still present but not overwhelming... maybe it was my palate, most of the wines this night disappointed me
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attractive earthy tobacco like bouquet. Palate, tobacco, cedar dominant -tannins still forward sophisticated wine, but a little lacking in fruit and body. Score < 90 given its price.
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Bordeaux 1990 plus some extra's (@ VadM): Beautiful mature bouquet with sweet spices and beautiful perfumed oak with cedar, tobacco etc. On the palate juicy red fruits, good acidity and a little bit drying tannin in the finish. Certainly a beautiful wine, but a little bit disappointing considering its status. My score of 92 says it right; outstanding, but not extraordinary. Not sure about the future of this wine. Could be at its prime now…..How it will show in 5 years time…..could be more soft, but it could also have been falling apart by then….On the other hand...with a wine of this age, this just could be not a perfect bottle....
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Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: 2001 CA cabs (Mike & Judi's): Crimson red color, dark, youthful core. Opens with notes of roasted red bell peppers, tobacco and a hint of barnyardy funk. Leather, cedar, red fruit and plum on the palate. Displays tobacco, cedar, cigar box and black fruit notes as it breathes, all with a nice earthy undertone. Black fruit, tobacco and earth on the palate with a lengthy finish. Much more impressive than previous bottles.
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Enjoyed this at dinner. Decanted for ~1 hour before first tasting & enjoyed over next 1-2 hours. Had white asparagus soup & lamb with this wine which paired nicely.
Nice bouquet which came across as predominantly floral to me - violets & roses. A little light on the flavour profile for my taste but so silky and easy drinking. Medium & balanced tannins with silky smooth mouth feel & medium weight. Long finish. Not a big pichon but super classy. Drink now
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The last bottle must have had heat damage or something because this one very great! if not for the 82, this would be my WOTN out of the 6.
Part of a 6 bottle vertical: 76, 82, 89, 90, 95, 98. No doubt a class above the other 5 bottles although 90 put on quite a show as well. Liked both these 2 vintages best. 89 had great aromatics but not as pleasing when drank. 76 was still enjoyable with some aromatics and very smooth palate. 95 still too young and powerful, need a long decant. 98 good aromatics but otherwise did not gave much.
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Très joli nez de cèdre de boite a cigare, suave. La bouche est souple et à point, sans manquer de tonus. Il manque de concentration à mon goût mais la finale est d'une belle finesse. Ma perception de ce vin a beaucoup évolué pendant une heure...Je le trouvais en fait très mince au début et peu intéressant, ma note provisoire fut un faible 87 pts. Il m'a beaucoup étonné par la suite en développant une harmonie et en montrant un équilibre exemplaire, je lui trouvais de plus en plus de qualités et de finesse. Très Pauillac au nez, j'hésitais entre Pichon et Lynch mais le coté féminin est vraiment Pichon Lalande. Le doute subsistait en raison des critiques négatives de ce vin .....Il me semblait trop bon! 91 pts
Certes, il n'a pas la profondeur ni la concentration que ce millésime aurait du donner à ce cru. Mais c'est un vin qui fut injustement descendu par Parker. (79 pts???)
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Dinner with Casey McClellan (Sue's): From magnum, not decanted. My first impression, with a couple of others in agreement, was that this was ever so slightly corked. I revisited this briefly toward the end of the evening, and detected the herb, red fruit and roasted bell pepper tones I had expected. Still seemed slightly off though; clipped finish and thin.
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Last bottle of this nice wine. After having tasted a half case of this one, I think it is ultimately a subtle wine that tastes much better at the three hour mark. Nothing super special at first, it seemed to get increasingly more sophisticated during the last hour of swilling. Yet, I would not purchase anymore as there are just too many more intrigung choices out there.
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Had to go back and try this again. It takes a while to open up but then it really is something special. Yes there is a slight fading of the high notes but it is still wonderfully complex.
See previous note.
Drink 'em up if you have 'em especially if you have an English Palate
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89/90 Bordeaux Retrospective with Hart Davis Hart: My second time with this recently and this pretty much showed the same. A fair amount of controversy with this one and I'm not sure I see why some people are so violently against this wine. True, it's a bit of a disappointment given what Pichon can do in great vintages, but despite its relative lack of elegance and the floral force you can usually expect, it's still a wine I like. Leathery, pencil-lead, red fruited, and yes a bit herbaceous, but still lovely by my lights. I suppose I fall into the British camp on this one.
4+
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This was WOTN in a tasting with some very fine grape juice in competition with it. Really singing right now, big spicy nose, big old bordeaux on the pallet and a finish that goes on for 30 seconds or more. Comfort wine.
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Upon opening the first night, I could see why Parker panned the wine. There was little or no taste, like red water. But I pumped it off and found it much, much better the second night. About a 90 point wine. Now on the third day, after a few minutes in the glass, the last few ounces are lovely. It is lighter than other vintages to be sure, and not as tasty as the off year of 1994, but this is actually quite a lovely wine. I suggest opening hours before to let it put on some weight. Color is good. No bricking in my bottle. Do not despair. It just needs a little coaxing.
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Simple night: Grass fed Angus Prime and 2 great 1990's (Angelus). Once again this made me wonder why is this getting no respect? A fab bottle -while it is unquestionably on the "light" side for a PLL it is just a silky gorgeous bottle of Bordeaux. In the wheel house tonight after 6hrs slow ox and quick decant. Great stuff.
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EWG Dealer's Choice (A/K/A Bistro, Pasadena, CA): Terrific classic Bordeaux nose of tobacco and green peppers with some sweet florals thrown in. Nicely balanced with medium tannin still hanging around. Clean character. The caveat would be that this was somewhat thin surprisingly. It left it very light bodied for a Bordeaux. That would make me say drink now. I tracked this in my glass for over an hour with consistent results. Good.
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Garnet ruby color, very lovely nose of pencil lead, red fruit, leather and earth. Sweet on the attack and throughout the midpalate. Cherry comes through along with cocoa and tobacco, tannins are resolved and don't interfere. 30+seconds finish. Excellent bottle
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Blind versus STs, Bordeaux & cali cabs. Reserved, but nice fruit. With a little time in the glass got the flavors that I would expect (this was after decanting).
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Great color, excellent nose. You knew you were in for a treat and the first sip did not disappoint. great balance. Earth, fruit, all accompanied by a well balanced tannin spine.
Just a great bottle of wine with lots of life left in it.
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A gorgeous wine. It has a beautiful clear color. The nose smells of herbs and earth. As much as I would love to have my nose in it all day, taste is something else. The palate is complex and full-bodied. Strong flavor of green pepper and leather with blackberry fruit as well as hints of tobacco. Silky smooth with a wonderfully long smoky finish. Would love to be able to have again.
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The Big Bordeaux Redux: 1986, 1990, 1995 and 1998 (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Very dark red.purple color. Decanted 6.5 to 7 hours and drank over 2+ hours. WOW, this was absolutely glorious from the start. The nose is outstanding and has lavendar, garrigue, and fresh herbs, subtle wood, lots of graphite, sweet creme de cassis and blackberry. The palate just wows you, lush and vibrant with soft velvety tannins that envelope the mouth. Black fruits, ripe blackberry and cassis, herbs, graphite and cedar and subtle tobacco. Massive finsih, 60sec plus. This wine has it all, layers of complexity, power, but oh so elegant. My WOTN and group WOTN with 5 of 7 first place votes and two 2nd place votes.
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I agree with many of the recent reviews on this wine. I set the bottle upright the night before to let the sediment settle, which worked well. Super clear wine with a volatile look and bricked ruby color. The cork was very long and just starting to show signs of light seepage. Smells are all Pauillac with tobacco and autumn leaves--very contemplative. Thin mouth feel with nice balance of acidity, mild fruit, and pencil. Touch of mild bitterness and vegetables that were well integrated due to the age (maybe what turned RP off when it was young). Nice smoky finish.
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I bought this at auction. Cork was wet and came out fine. Initially, at first opening, the wine was unimpressive. I did not decant but just poured from the bottle. The color was burgundy and the bouquet good but undistinctive. By 30 minutes, there were no tannins and it tasted like a mild pinot. By 1 hour, however, it became more interesting. A faint chocolate but mostly cherry with a bit of pepper and a refined taste. I think this is a repeat if drunk soon but I am not sure how well it would age from this point forward after 21 years.
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Wasn't sure what to expect here but this was in terrific shape. Initially a very strong nose of cedar and cigar box which settled down with some time in the decanter. Quite a complex palate showing cassis, dried herbs and cured meats and with a silky and nicely integrated texture. Fully mature but still has the legs to continue on.
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Someone at PL really pissed RP off; the 79 score is below what he gives for plonk most of us would not even cook with. I found the wine a very good example of the genre if lacking a bit in power vis-a-vis its 1990 Bdx brethern. The wine on this night at least from this well-stored bottle had tobacco leaf, leather, and black and blue fruits on the nose; and then again on the palate spread on a nice bed of polymerized tannins stretching the good stuff out a bit. I would like to see this wine inserted blindly with a host of other 1990's of lesser pedigree that were awarded 90+ scores. It may be a tier below the upper crust (where it should be and routinely is) but the 79 slam is unjust.
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Filling in w/the Friday Brown Bag Group (Rich & Dana's): Garnet core, light edge. Initial aromas of rose petals, red berries, currants, graphite and roasted herbs. Develops a more prominent graphite quality and maintains a nice earthy undertone. Balanced, and fully-integrated at this stage, with flavors of red currants, plum and herbs. Medium finish. Very nice, and didn't show the thinness I tasted before in previous bottles.
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From 375; a hint of seepage out the edge of the cork. Mature, brick disc and a deep robe. Beautiful nose of pencil lead, dark fruit, and a bit of barnyard. Just classic left bank. If the nose is a hair simple, the palate makes up for it. The same notes, but throw in a bit more density of fruit and some really nice minerality. A medium body, which you hardly see in a good year anymore, but which is fine by me. The tannin and acidity are appropriate for the weight.
Just a really well put together, classic wine. An Englishman's Claret! Not Parker's style, I'll grant you, I can't come close to agreeing with his score. That said, a bit of autumn leaf on the finish suggests that these need drinking soon to be still be had in their prime. This wine is overall more lean than the '82, more pencil and less floral (than even the '97 actually) - more in the '88 vein. An interesting intellectual comparison as always, but also so nice to just slide back in your seat with a glass of PL. Life's good.
4.5/5
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Apparently, Bobo rated this 79, so I'm told. While I don't think it's a blockbuster, it is a nice wine and easily better than his note indicates. I should note that Bordeaux is not really my thing, but I do enjoy it occasionally. Pretty nose of tobacco, herbs, plums and graphite. There is a touch of green/steminess, but I find this enhances the flavors rather than deters. The palate is rich with some tannins left to resolve. It seems a bit more polished than I prefer, nevertheless, I'd happily drink this wine again. Paired with Flannery hangar steak and Mediterranean pasta salad.
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very disappointing bottle - consumed at Christmas and ended up dumping most of it - very antiseptic smell and acrid, acidic taste. I have several others left, and little time to drink them but will keep my fingers crossed.
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Decanted 2 hours (and kept in the fridge). Cork was saturated to the top but no signs of leaking. Lovely transparent blood-red color with a hint of brown at the rim. Soaring nose of tobacco, cedar, dried currants, Asian spices, and ripe plums. Noted it as very Bordeaux but not very Pichon. Good enough on the palate but not equal to the nose. Some ripe fruit hidden under a rather green-ish tartness. Nothing out of place or out of balance though and, in hindsight, this was simply stunning with food. I expected more depth on the palate. Made a wonderful foil for rabbit braised in fresh porcini and thyme.
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Oh What a Night! aka Kelvin's Stag Party (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): Good stuff. This was another wine that we all picked out as a Pauillac, but we could not quite place either the vintage or the maker somehow. It certainly had a lovely maturing Pauillac nose, with notes of tobacco leaf and cigar smoke, a whiff of undergrowth and a nice amount of sweet cassis. Very nice indeed. The palate belied the usual bigness of the vintage though. This was not quite a powerful wine. Instead, it was clean, fresh and almost high-toned in its juicy cassis and dark berry flavours. These were met with a munch of tobacco leaf on the midpalate and then a curl of smokiness at the decently long finish, all wrapped in silky tannins and held in lovely balance. Still young, really fresh, but this was a very pleasurable wine with every part in the right place. Not a Lalande for the ages I would say, but it certainly did not merit the 79 points from Parker all those years back.
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Beautiful nose and with fresh and lovely texture; a stunning showing. I've completely maligned this wine over the years. Here I was just naive and drinking it too young.
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Rick H had this decanting for about 2 hrs, and back in the bottle it went as the aromatics were just sublime. This bottle did not disappoint - a classic showing for Lalande with silky texture and good balance and length. Makes you wonder why this was so controversial. No official TN's but this bottle rocked.
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Maskulin nese, stall, litt tung. Blåser av etter et par minutter i glasset. Klassisk, glatt, lang, sedertre og solbær. Noe tobakk og vanilje. Meget elegant.
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Wow, what a beauty. Opened for mother's day dinner, with a beautiful painted hills rib roast. This was absolutely drinking beautifully , great nose, full on the palate, still a great finish. So sad we only have one bottle left.
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What a CHOCOLATA !° great mouthfilling great WINE ! at the beginning, after screwing the cork, it opens up very quick, but WOW ! After 3-6 hours having sipping on this smooth silky old school WINE ..... and on the next DAY ! after absorbing , aeration of 18 hours- WOW it opens up the way you wont let any others taste and nipp on your glass ! !!! at the meantime it remembers me of teh MARGAUX MEDOW... like Palmer 1991,.... but in addition... very sexy... good lenght... more than the Palmer 1991 and in comparison to old Wines I like . (Clerc Milon 1990 - very simular )BUT in Addition so much more Lenght - the LENGHT is overwhelming.!!! .. Like a really good beloved horse which will win the race becaus e of its rafinesse, power, and Experience ! tasting: truffels, chocolate, sweet and harmonious, grip, and accacia Flowers- spring Floral Bouquet ! OVERWHELMING °°°° an very extraordinary WINE ! 94/ from 100 % so almost over the TOP ! !!
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Very smooth, well-integrated tannins. Medium body with tar, tobacco and cassis. Muted nose in comparison to fruit and body. Popped and poured. Very enjoyable and drinking well.
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I was very much looking forward to this but it was a little disappointing. Does not seem flawed in any perceptible way but just rather muted and unexpressive. The palette does have some nice dark fruit, cassis and an elegant texture but complexity is missing. Perhaps a bad bottle?
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Wow. Up there for WOTN above 4 vintages of Leoville Las Caes and Lafite. Perfect timing on this one. 30-60 minute decant, min sediment. Bring it to somewhere special.
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Excellent wine that has subtle yet sophisticated tannins. Medium bodied, we found the soft cherry and mushroom fruit to be more tender then we are accustomed to and it drank better by itself then with our dinner. It continued to improve throughout the evening and approached being spectacular after 3 hours of being open. Tasty!
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Bright ruby red with a hint of terracotta, this wine is ready to drink now. Nice nose with vanilla, cassis, raspberries gives way to strawberries and pencil lead on the palate. With silky tannins, crisp acidity and light-ish body, this reminds me a little of a good burgundy. Not typical, but very good nonetheless.
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Seems like a curiously inconsistent vintage for Pichon. This one did not make the grade. Still a young color, soft on the palate. a short tobacco finish. An aging Bordeaux, but not exciting in any way.
Double decanted and opened up nicely over the course of dinner...a mature wine now and I wouldn't wait on the others if I still had them. Rather one dimensional on the nose but the inherent sweetness in the mouth that only mature bordeaux can do right...
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Decanted 2 hours, very weak nose with little scent left, bottle did not seem to be flawed and was kept in a good wine fridge. Body was too light to my liking. Perhaps the real problem was we also had a great bottle of 83 Palmer side by side?
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Decanted 3 hours prior to tasting. The nose for this bottle was decent. Nice oak, musk, cassis, currant. But the palate for this wine is disappointing, especially for a chateau of this caliber. There is little body, no complexity. I would classify the wine as shrill. None of the visceral experience one might expect from a 20 year old grand cru.
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with Yealland & Co at Cafe Anglais MAGNUM: have had this on numerous occasions and it has never failed to deliver - okay, it is very soft, mid-weight and elegant, more Burgundian that Bordeaux, but the fact is, it is delicious ripe supple Pauillac; plenty of pencil lead, ripe fine tannins, good juice and extremely moorish. Balance good too, a great drink NOW. No need for any more cellaring, this is at its peak. Drink it now, everyone (should it be in your cellar)!
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great bordeaux nose of lead pencil , graphite, with a little barnyard. Also some very nice dark fruit. Deep ruby in color, no visible signs of aging along the edge. initially a little tight and astringent on the finnish but after an hour in the glass, it was showing beautifully.
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Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Vertical Dinner (The Marine Room, La Jolla, California): Deep red/garnet. The bouquet is quite intense, with black olive, cocoa, red cherry, mint and cigar box aromas. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with melted tannins and a silky mouth texture. The flavors mirror the nose and the middle palate is solid. Medium-to-long, smooth finish. Although this wine has always had an herbal edge, it is still drinking well. Bottles which are well-cellared should hold up for another 5-7 years. Drink now-12/17.
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Ledbury with B&A and R&Y (The Ledbury, London): A less expressive nose than the 89 with a touch of greenness. Similar on palate with blackcurrant fruit and pencil lead, but a polyester rather than silky texture and a clipped slightly dilute finish. Blind this would seem a decent effort from a middling Chateau in a slightly difficult, possibly wet year. So yes, it is weak for what it is (or should be), but it's still a decent and enjoyable wine that went well with the lamb. Top ***, possibly ***1/2 with a tail wind.
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Ruby color. Classic mature nose of blackberry, cassis, pencil shavings, leather. Similar on the palate with some tobacco, stones. Tannins are soft. This is definitely a lighter-style left bank wine, but it was very elegant, well-balanced, and lovely.
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Ruby with light tea coloring at the edges, the perfume offersd, cassis, spice, olive and herbal aromas. Medium bodied, this lighter style of Pichon ends with soft, cherry and strawberry flavors.
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I should have written my notes while I was drinking this wonderful bottle. This is drinking very well right now. Still fresh fruit balanced and integrated with aged flavors of saddle leather and spices.
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1980s Bordeaux; 6/18/2010-6/20/2010: My first try of this wine, and I can understand the perplexed reactions. Weird, sour, green, fleshy, tart, with sweetness then kicking in, but surprisingly substantial glycerin, but no integration of the components. Not bad, but unusual and it suffers in this exulted company of '90's Bordeaux.
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Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of thistle, cigar box, black cherries, spices, melted black licorice and a bit of perfume. Flavors of black cherries, black berries, dark plums and a hint of black currants. Medium to bright acidity, medium tannins and body. Drink now with some air or continue to hold. Almost there.
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Garnet color. Notes of tobacco, spice box, roasted herbs and fruit. On the palate, flavors of red currant and roasted herbs are evident. This has a terrific nose and attack, but there is a thinness in the midpalate and finish. 90-92 pts.
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Medium ruby color with crushed violet, tobacco aromas. Tannins are ultra-smooth in this wine have really softened since the last bottle was opened some time ago. Decanted over a two hour period. Given its age it's still showing nice fruit and depth however it clearly peaked a few years ago.
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Heavy tobacco on nose and palate. Some plum and herbal/ vegetative qualities to the finish. Tannins were relaxed. While drinking nicely now, this wine might be on the decline. Originally purchased a 1/2 case, this is my last bottle.
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Smell - Only hints of black fruit, saddle, clove even 2+ hours after opening; Taste - one dimension of black fruit and spices; short, stewed finish. The color was fine; this wine just wasn't very good.
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This was my first taste of this wine. It wasn't corked or flawed, just bland. The color was pretty youthful so I don't believe the wine was peaked. And, I had let the bottle sit in room temps for about a day to get it warmed up, But despite that, there was much less fruit and a much shorter finish than I expected, especially given other reviews on this board. We decanted for about 45 mins before we had a sip and then drank over 2 hours on new years eve with crab cakes and a pancetta and noodle stew. Both foods were rich enough to bring something out of the wine but it was just underwhelming. We have a few more bottles; I am hoping the next one is the 95 pointer referenced by others...
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A round up of notes from november and december; 10/31/2009-1/2/2010: Bottle variation!? This is my first bottle of this and have to say that for this bottle the 79 RP rating doesn't make any sense... It was dark red - looked very young. It has a massive nose of pure dark blackcurrants, pine needle (is this what RP calls green) and some sweetness. In the mouth the fruit appers very young. Also there is fine tannins and a long aftertaste. Seems to me like a delicious wine with a long life ahead of it. My sister-in-law brought this and I drank it unaware of the low RP rating. It was christmas eve and my judgment might have been clouded, but I still cannot understand that this should be 79p with all of those mediocre cabs getting 85-90p all the time...
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Keith's Christmas Ledbury Bash (The Ledbury, London): Lighter than the 88 Baron. Deep ruby. Lovely nose, velvety fruit and a touch of tobacco. A floaty, ethereal quality to the nose. Light for the vintage and lightens further in the glass though the fruit rounds out and becomes really quite sweet. Very pleasing and pretty wine though lacks complexity and a bit of stuffing. Finishes a little dilute. Top ***
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What a treat. Wine of the night at a Bordeaux tasting across regions and vintages (which included Mouton, Las Cases, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, Ducru, Lafluer, et. al.). Classic in every sense. Sweet cedar and tobacco expressive of Pauillac. A wine made for the second, third, fourth ... glass.
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Euchre: Popped and poured, I didn't like. It was a mid-80s score of vegetal, green and disjointed experiences. The bottle wasn't finished so it was corked and put in the fridge. I forgot about it and then opened 3 days later. Everything unpleasant about had evaporated leaving a wonderfully round, soft wine, medium body with great fruit/acid balance. Complete harmony.
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Birthday Weekend; 7/23/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicagoland): Delicate, soft, with a significant merlot influence and green tobacco notes. Fine structure. Have never understood the controversy with this wine; I find it consistently very nice.
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After drinking this wine last night along with the other PLL vintages, there is zero doubt in my mind that this is a flawed vintaged for Pichon Lalande. I'd concluded that in the past when I'd had this wine by itself, but last night the problems with this wine just screamed out. Just nothing of interest there. It tasted like a $15 California supermarket cab. We expect more from this estate in this vintage. It is not as bad as the 79 rating that Parker gave it. I'll give it an 82.
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Dinner at Richard B's: This bottle was pulled from an excellent cellar, which perhaps makes a difference for this very controversial wine. Our vote was uniformly in the positive, and strongly so camp. This was delicous, aged claret drinking at full peak conditions.
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I hate to say it, but I have to go with Laube over Parker on this intensely debated wine (I'd be tempted to attribute such a bi-polar dispute to bottle variation, but I believe that both have repeated their tastings and conclusions multiple times). In any case, we just pulled the cork and gently poured the wine into some nice stems (no decanting), and drank away with some tasty flank steak. No fruit bomb here, but a very well balanced, pretty wine, with plenty of classic Bordeaux flavors and aromas. I'm generally more of a New World guy, but this was exactly what I'd expect and hope for from a well-aged, top notch Bordeaux.
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Light colour, smoke, sweet berries on the nose. Opened up slowly in the glass. Good balance, much better wine than I expected. Fine claret, probably peaking at the moment.
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Thursday at Heidi's: I'm a huge fan of Pichon Lalande and this was a major disappointment. The nose possessed some mild, nondescript aromas that bore no resemblance to previous bottles of Pichon Lalande. In the mouth there was a pleasing texture and balance, but no flavors to speak of. Weird.
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Seriously, not sure were the decline comments are coming from this bottle is in peak form. Classic Pauillac nose of lead pencil, cedar and tobacco. Nice and spicy pepper on the finish.
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apparently, per others, a decent example, but this wine had absolutely no soul even if the fruit showed some good secondary nuances of tobacco and leather.
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One of our members described the wine as ‘having a mob of sheep running through it’ referring to the fair whack of brett it was carrying. There were elements of tar, meat and iron adding complexity. In the mouth it was sweet, vinous and nicely textured with decent length and focus.
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This wine last evening was spectacular. Parker is totally wrong about it. The color was a shimmering garnet. The nose was filled with scents of roses, cherries and cherry tart. The taste was intense and complex with flavors of red cherry, bing cherry, cassis and currants with some earthy mushrooms.
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Mmmm, difficult to say. It was either flawed or over the top. The last bottle (Feb this year) we had of this one was much beter. It almost felt like this one was corked.....difficult to judge.
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this wine may be a bit green, but it is subtle and there is some nice underlying material...especially after 18 years...this wine gets a bad rap b/c of one man
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After a few disappointing bottles over the years this wine is starting to come out and play with the big boys. Classic Bordeaux taste, nice nose, great finish. Tried this a year ago and it was not good, thought I might have missed the window and the wine was in decline. Wrong... it was just in a closed period. If you have some of theses beauties in the cellar time to give it a try.
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This is showing beautifully, and better than when I had it a couple of months ago. A mix of pepper and dark fruit on the nose. On the palette, mature classi bordeaux. It is perfumed, and subtle. I would agree that it is not overl complex. Because of the controversial scoring on this wine, it is readily available and cheap (in comparison to its peers). Go and buy it!
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A well-known controversial wine. The nose was terrfic - layers of leather, healthy vegetal tinge and smoky fruit. But when you taste it becomes a simple singular wine. It is light, drinking well, it has another ten years left. But it is like a simple young Cru Bourgeois, a disappointment from this producer in this vintage. However Parker with his 79 rating is just trying to make a point!
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Pichon-Lalande Vertical (Harry's Steak): Very nice aroma, sweet cocoa with a meaty funk - one of the most interesting wines in the lineup to sniff. On the palate, much more difficult. It is extremely structured with the material between the walls a bit sparse - almost watery, even - and marred by an odd tomato flavor. Maybe it will turn out pleasant one day, but it seems just as likely to completely hollow out.
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Had this at Gerard Bensson in Paris. The nose was earth shaking but unfortunalty that was the best part. During the 3 hour dinner the wine never seemed to open. It was good and with the food it sang but it was not worth the price. A disapointment considering the vintage. There are better wines for the money.
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This wine had a rich garnet color with brick colored tones; it was quite brick orange at the rim. The nose had leather, lead pencil, incense scents that later muted into sulphuric aromas like in a just extinguished match. It was very tannic and the more you tasted it the greener the tannins tasted. There were also tastes of dark red fruits. Overall this was much better than I was lead to believe from Robt. Parker's last tasting note on this wine but his note did resonate in glass of wine I drank.
50+5+10+14+ 6=85
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I know this has been a controversal wine, but we opened last night and it was singing! Traditional Bordeaux nose of tobacco, cigar. More tobacco in the mouth, perhaps a little bit green but not offputting at all. Very smooth, completely resolved tannins. Finish is not super-long or lush, but great flavors that I love from Pauillac!
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This is a top flight Pauillac in peak form. Garnet color with a little browning toward the rim. I should have decanted it in advance but I didn't have time so I poured into a ship's decanter and swirled it gently. Classic Pauillac nose of lead pencil, cedar and tobacco. Elegant but yet plenty of stuffing. Cassis fruit just a tad on the light side makes me wonder if it's starting to lose its edge, but there's no mistaking the pedigree here. There's an appealingly lean quality to it, nothing amped or overstated.
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Bottle in perfect condition, acquired at auction in 1998. Tasted over 3 hours after an hou out of cellar poured directly into glass. Clear ruby with substantial clearing at the rim, some slight bricking at transition zone. Nose of red fruits and tobacco, hints of cedar box. Palate very delicate; tannins not detectable, very soft mouth feel with minimal apparent acidity......I suspect a very high pH. Red fruits and tobacco again, maybe a faint top note of cassis. Finish is relatively short but gradual so not jarring despite the length.
This has been a very controversial wine even prior to bottling. It clearly does not perform at a "Super Second" level in this very good vintage. I also do not see any potential up-side based on showing tonight. I would not buy this wine again except at "fire sale" pricing.......maybe not then. 3 bottles left, will consume all in next 12 months to free rack space.
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Ruby red with a light clearing on the rim. Huge aromatics from the get-go with notes of dark forest fruits, green peppar, licorice, cigarbox and pencil shavings. The wine has a very enjoyable mouthfeel of soft and nuanced character, polished tannins, and a long finish. Flavors of dark fruits, green peppar, licorice and tobacco. A very nice Pichon Lalande and way better than what parker rated it, but to me it lacks some of the sexy characters of the 89´. 94 pts.
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Other TNs on this wine offer a rather negative view with which I have to disagree. We did not detect the vegetal nose described by others but rather a very elegant bouquet of cedar/cigar box. Clear garnet red, the wine was an epitome of lean refinement, not overstated in any way, but affording a subtle cherry tinged, balanced, lingering example of what claret is. A stark contrast to the modern fashion of the new world Shiraz.
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This bottle was opened without decanting, in light of previous notes that it fades rapidly. Although the wine has quite a vegetal nose as in the original WA review.. its palate is pleasant with some cigar, dark fruit notes.. integrated tanins and a short finish.. indeed, after 2 hours the wine had faded.. tasted with 5 others with similar observations.. a plesant wine for drinking now..more in the mid 80’s rating by all
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I cannot believe all of the bad scores for this wine. I wonder if there were multiple batches made? I had this at my favorite restaurant in NC so I was in a good mood and atmosphere.
This wine was tremendous from the first taste. Nice dark ruby color, and typical Pauillac/Lalande nose of cassis liquor, dark currant. Quite ripe, and rounded and decadent, and long in the mouth. I would like to taste again and see if this decadent roundness was what some are calling lack of soul. I am positive this bottle was very good.
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BLIND 1995 Bordeaux etc...: Served BLIND. My second favorite wine of the flight (after the '95 Pichon Lalande). Earthy, fairly wide open and expressive. Reddish fruit, tobacco, dirt, spice. Long finish. Nice balance. This seems older than 1995 (the "theme" for the tasting)...
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1990 Bordeaux Horizontal (Tribeca Grill): A little flat, tart. Some sweetness, some herbs. Short finish. Better than I expected based on one other experience. B/B+
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Tasting of 80's Bordeaux at Seattle Wine Storage (Seattle, WA): The nose is weedy, really weedy, some vitamin pill and some horse. The light palate shows cinnamon, cedar, fairly pretty, sweet but a bit simple, nice spiciness on the finish. A pleasant claret at best.
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HDH Pre-Auction Tasting (Chicago IL): Wine tasting. Fair degree of advanced aromas. Moderate concentration of black fruit and earthy flavors, far less interesting than I expected.
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Tasted at the Left Bank Bordeaux tasting at the home of FreeTheGrapes 1/19/2005.
This wine was decanted for two hours.
This was the most disappointing wine of the night. Lean and green makes me mean. About every fourth or fifth swirl, I thought this wine may have been corked, though none of the other tasters agreed with me. Still, I would not assign a rating to this wine.
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I had low expectations when I pulled the cork, but was rather surprised at first, a nose of earth and leather flowed from the glass. It's a lighter style, with a medium light and smooth finish. This didn't last long, and the wine degraded noticeably after 20 minutes. The nose of receded and the finish became leaner. Unlike RP, my bottle was not vegetal, and only slightly herbaceous. Interesting, on the second day, the wine rounded out, got fatter and richer on both the nose and in the mouth. It did pick up a vegetal note that was not present the first day, the herbaciousness intensified. It would have merited a point increase if it were not for the vegetal note on the nose.
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Tasted in single-blind fashion at an '89/'90 Bordeaux dinner at El Bizcocho. Bottle taken from my personal cellar. Bright disc. Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense black cherry, mint, mushroom, cedar, tobacco and damp earth aromas. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with medium supple tannins, low acidity and similar flavors as for the nose. Medium-to-long, smooth finish. Nicely paired in the flight of wines served with braised veal cheek (with savoy cabbage and serrano prosciutto in orange juniper berry sauce).
Parenthetically, it is difficult to understand how Robert Parker could assign this wine such a dismal score (79). While certainly not one of the better Pichon-Lalande offerings, it was unanimously agreed that this wine merits nothing less than a high 80's or low 90's score. The issue of multiple bottling dates (i.e. "batches" perhaps of bad bottles) was suggested as possibly accounting for his consistently negative impression. Most of the tasters had previously tasted this wine (including double-blinded) with similar impressions.
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Presented in double-blind fashion to the usual Friday tasting group at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bottle taken from my personal cellar. Bright disc. Deep garnet robe with brick rim. Clean nose, showing (immediately after decanting) coffee, cocoa, kirsch and leather aromas. Over a period of two hours in decanter, cigar box aromas entered the picture but did not replace the immediate bouquet. Medium-bodied on the palate, with medium sweet tannins, low acidity and similar flavors as for the nose. Medium, smooth finish. Very well-received by the group, most of whom guessed that it was a fine example of '89 or '90 Bordeaux.
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Dark red. The nose revealed scents of wood, vanilla, and pudding. Good and plummy in the mouth. The structure was somewhat flabby, and the dimensions are somewhat limited. This is a lot better than the Mr Parker scored it. There's a nice aftertaste with notes of mint.
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Bright disc with medium to deep ruby robe and pink rim. Clean nose showing very intense cherry, plum, cedar and mint. Silky in texture on the palate, with ample but well-integrated tannins. Medium-bodied, with similar flavors as nose. Long, smooth finish. Will continue to improve.
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Decanted one and a half hours before we started to dive into this wonderful wine. Lots of layers and complex flavours - such as mushrooms, old books with a mineral undercurrent. What it lacks in structure and body, it makes up for in aroma, and finesse.
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Great Wine Seminar. Much better this time. Medium color. Complex intense nose with interesting possibilities. Very Pichon-Lalande. Full. Beautiful balance. Surprisingly forward. Clive Coates: “delicate, forward, composed, lacks concentration”
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3/26/2024 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 93 Points
92-93 fully mature Bordeaux, nose had some dusty library/cellar funk that took a minute to blow off but when it did showed leather, savory notes, tobacco, fairly classic nose. Palate had fully resolved tannin, nice acidity and medium persistence/length. Solid showing tonight. 90s are consistently one of my favorite vintages for Bordeaux.
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3/26/2024 - DaleW wrote:
Controversial wine. There’s some definite bell pepper and a little pine needle, but also solid cassis fruit accented with truffle. I like more than others. B+
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3/16/2024 - Chrysostomus wrote: 89 Points
Typical old school nose - mushrooms, wet earth, wood and tobacco. Palate was disappointing an d the end was very short. Not a good vintage for the comtesse! 88-89
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1/26/2024 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blind. Nose has sliced mushrooms and glossy dark fruit on pouring. Meaty and profound. Some smoky blueberries emerge, so complete. Savoury, long, more-ish, poised. The faintest hint of grated chocolate after an hour. Outstanding.
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1/26/2024 - Philip_Bundpropperne Likes this wine: 95 Points
Rating: 4,5/5,0.
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1/17/2024 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
CdB Annual Meeting (Minneapolis Club, Mpls, MN): Medium dark red color. Tasting pour. Gorgeous earth, slightly herbaceous, truffle, red berries, dried earth and cigar box, medium bodied, very refined and soft.
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12/25/2023 - M.Batard wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for two hours before dinner. Correct in all its aspects, but just couldn’t hold a candle to the 1982 we opened alongside. Muted? Or a dumb phase (seems late for that)? Paired with standing rib roast.
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12/25/2023 - bishopblock wrote: 91 Points
My birth year! Drunk at Christmas dinner in Wyoming with many thanks to @m.batard. Decanted for 2-3 hours.
Color - very clear and ruby in the glass. Muted nose - we wondered if it was in a dumb phase. At the beginning of the evening found the palate very similar to the 1982 we drank alongside (leather, dark fruit, and orange peel). Upon further reflection— a bit sour with red fruit and a bit of leather.
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12/23/2023 - mick978@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Superb
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10/22/2023 - maaike2 wrote: 92 Points
No signs of aging in color. Fruit , earthy notes, seductive, balanced and medium length. Good acidity, well integrated tannins. Lack of intensity. 92/93
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9/3/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Weelend with Friends and Wine; 9/3/2023-9/4/2023 (Asian Spice House - Buchanan MI): I never recall having a particularly noteworthy bottle of this wine from this freet vintage, and today’s lackluster bottle seemed slightly stewed.
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8/13/2023 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 94 Points
Quickie at neighbours' house. Drank in Zalto.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Thin legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of cigar,tobacco, pencil lead, dark herbs, smoked tea leaf, earth, slight tau geh bean sprouts. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium- alcohol (12.5%), resolved tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of herbs, smoky tea leaves, cigar-box, tobacco, earth, dark red cherries spice. Very long pleasurable finish.
Very good quality. Classic Left Bank Bordeaux. Such a joy to drink now.
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8/7/2023 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 90 Points
3L solo consumption
So....I was going to sell this at auction, checked the cork, and a pinhole leak developed. I had to open it, but all my wine drinking friends are away, so what does a person do? I opened it and drank it over 24 hours.
First 750ml was thin, loads of iodine, barnyard, no fruit. All tertiary notes. 87 pts
Second 750ml the wine started to balance out. Consumed cellar temperature which seemed to round out the wine? The wine was starting to evolve. More floral. 88pts
Third 750ml the wine has settled down nicely. Drinking exactly how one would expect of an aged BDX. Much smoother and silkier now. 89 pts
Last 750ml is drinking the best. Some remnants of red fruit seemed to have percolated to the wines surface. By far the best the wine showed from this three liter jug. 90-91 pts
Quite the experience knocking back this big bottle solo.
Lots of grilled meat and also Whitespot delivery. Britt's mom visited today.
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8/1/2023 - Amerique wrote: 97 Points
Terrific wine. Very rich, delicious black cherry fruit with explosive cherry flavors, excellent structure, long finish, ample acidity, big bouquet
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7/30/2023 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
6 years since my last bottle. Needed 30 min in the glass to open up. Very nice balance and finish with fully resolved tannins. A wine in its prime that should drink well for at least another decade but why wait. Revisit 2025
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7/28/2023 - Force5 Likes this wine:
Perfect condition. A few-hour decant. Intense mineral-lead pencil nose with a top-note of bell pepper, that may put off a few folks, but I like. As dinner goes on, the bell pepper transforms, surprisingly, into baking spices. Medium-bodied, still structured on opening, but resolves nicely with the time in the decanter. A good time to drink this, but this bottle would still hold for some time.
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5/19/2023 - dream wrote: 87 Points
Nicely mature Claret but a bit too much of that signature green pepper PL can get when they screw it up. Parker was right about this vintage for them. At Commanderie dinner French Consulate NYC.
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5/11/2023 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank side by side with 1989. The 89 was very similar in nearly every respect but with bigger fruit. In my view the 89 lacked some of the nuance, grace, depth and complexity of the 1990, which had a slightly lighter body. The 1990 was amazing right out of the gate, nose to palate to finish. After being open about an hour in the bottle it really started to sing. Dark fruits and graphite shavings. Very long finish. Maybe it was the night, but this seemed substantially better than a bottle I opened (and shared a tasting note on) recently.
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4/7/2023 - seaninbrooklyn wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 90 min which gave time for the funk to blow off. Seductive on the nose, but disappointing in the mouth. It just never got “there” over 2-3 hours. (Of course when I came back downstairs for a snack at 2am, roughly 10 hours after opening and decanting I took a sip and it was much more pleasurable.)
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3/9/2023 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened in Courchevel, P&P and enjoyed over dinner.
There was a bit of funk at the start, but this blew off after about 15 minutes in the glass. With air, this opened up very well into a classic left-bank Bordeaux. There was still some fruit, but not much freshness, paving the way for more tertiary notes. Tannins were mostly resolved, with good structure and acidity. No fireworks however.
In a good spot and enjoyable - definitely better than the old RP rating would have suggested - but don't hesitate to drink up. Not sure how much upside there is, if any.
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3/3/2023 - jsander Likes this wine: 97 Points
33 years young and so fresh. 10 years since last bottle and wow. Lilac notes with red fruit and dirt. Tannins resolved and silky smooth.
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2/25/2023 - oleronning wrote: 96 Points
Decanted 1,5 hours before drinking. Coffee and tobacco on the nose. Surprising amount of red fresh fruits on the palette. Incredible juicy! More irony after a while. After 6 hours it has built more character. More intense and fruity, hint of pine cone. More prominent tannins. Incredible wine. 96 points
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2/4/2023 - ash_then_chase Likes this wine: 99 Points
Could be WOTN. High alcohol, high acidity, lengthy finish, touch of red fruit. Is that a touch of licorice as well? Ethereal vanilla, hint of oak — absolutely singing. @ Napa Boys Trip
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1/15/2023 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine: 91 Points
Double decanted and enjoyed over about 1.5 hours. Light body, very smooth fully resolved tannin. All in nice balance. The fruit and overall flavor profile of is a bit flat and one dimensional. The saving grace and what makes this interesting, is the subtle dusty graphite characteristic which carries into the finish.
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11/5/2022 - Kim Gerner wrote: 90 Points
Leisner jubilæums dinner (Søllerød Kro): 2 magnums: Pichon Comtesse 1990 against Mouton Rothschild 1982 (3. flight): Not successful:
Comtesse: Past it's best. 90.
Mouton: Corked.
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10/12/2022 - dlcolester wrote:
After breathing for 4+ hours opened up wonderfully . Based on early reviews of 1990 expected more from Pichon. Still has many years left in bottle to go
In the 92 to 93 range at this point
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9/12/2022 - SeaSea Likes this wine: 94 Points
Quick double decant before leaving for the restaurant. Cork is in great shape. Drinking perfectly in the zone. Lovely, elegant food-wine.
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8/27/2022 - pemazel Likes this wine: 92 Points
29-12-2021 - ZWEDER WROTE:
"In the mature bouquet earth, cedar, some herbs and spices and lead pencil. On the palate the same impressions. Autumn forest after the rain. A slight touch of sweetness and still beautifully fresh acidity. Aristocratic wine which is not a bit too old yet. Just great!"
8 months later: this review is still spot on! I bought 12 bottles as a rookie and enjoy it now being semi retired.
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8/26/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
This is one of my go to producers who never disappoints and I'd say that's the same here. Had heard a rumor that the '90 is not up to snuff with the producer and the vintage and maybe that's true, but for me this was still really good and just a treat to get to drink. In a nice spot - it's integrated and yet still bright and fresh. Not sure it's getting better (perhaps that is the point as many 90's are still quite young?). Still, happy to get a chance to try and very happy to see we have a few bottles resting.
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5/2/2022 - melvinyeowq wrote: 91 Points
Mostly Burgundies: Understated and lacking depth for the blockbuster vintage, but still a very pleasant drink.
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5/2/2022 - pclin wrote: 91 Points
Better than RP rated it during EP but probably underperformed for such a good vintage in Bordeaux. Very typical Pichon Lalande nose but another case of better on the nose than on the palate. Nevertheless it’s still a enjoyable wine.
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3/21/2022 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 89 Points
Blood red color with a light amber edge. PNP Leather, herbs, blackberries, graphite and blueberries. The wine seemed to turn flat quickly in glass after 30 minutes. We’re wondering if this bottle was somewhat compromised … I guess we’ll find out on the next.
p.s. leftovers
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3/15/2022 - Dibbs Likes this wine: 92 Points
For a much-maligned vintage, this is drinking well. Classic Pauillac on the nose, one sniff and it really can't be anything else. The palate is velvety with the silkiness of tannins but the fruit is taking a backseat to tertiary elements. It all comes together with a very savory finish that doesn't linger but does deliver pleasure. It doesn't have the depth of the better 90's Bordeauxs but overall it is a solid wine. Feel like Comtesse de Lalande weren't able to use the heat of the vintage to their advantage but whatever it might be it is time to drink this up. No upside here.
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2/26/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Weekend at Bernie's; 2/25/2022-2/27/2022 (Vero Beach): A producer which has fast become a favorite of mine esp as we visited here back in the fall. There's always an elegance to these wines. Power of course with the Pauillac, but this has just that hint of floral and a nice balance to it. A touch less expressive than I would have expected for a '90, but very enjoyable nonetheless.
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1/12/2022 - asparagus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow - loved this. Such a long lingering nose of graphite, herbs, faint spice and some red fruit. Married to a long lingering finish and decently good acid. Think RP rated this sub 90 back in the day?! Our palates clearly don't align!
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1/6/2022 - clinet12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank this on xmas dinner with deer filet in a port wine sauce, great wine, some fruit left but tertiary aromas were very present, great length, really enjoy how well Bordeaux wine can age. At 31 years old this wine I think is in its peak and will stay at this stage for another 5 to 8 years before it starts to decline. Can't believe I paid this wine $60 at release in 1993 and today current vintage is releasing at over $250.
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12/29/2021 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; Birthday lunch (@ RW): In the mature bouquet earth, cedar, some herbs and spices and lead pencil. On the palate the same impressions. Autumn forest after the rain. A slight touch of sweetness and still beautifully fresh acidity. Aristocratic wine which is not a bit too old yet. Just great!
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12/24/2021 - JulesMaster_1982 wrote: 91 Points
Difficult animal this one, needed a good hour in the decanter to soften the mould forest floor smell, was fairly balanced thereafter but lacked both the complexity and logevity of the finish that so many 1990 peers are delivering at a lower price point… was good after an hour but no more than that, bottle might have been off, will need to check, the comtesse usually never disappoints….
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12/22/2021 - Zweder wrote: flawed
Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; Pauillac: Corked
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12/19/2021 - jkwoodward Likes this wine: 94 Points
Consistent with recent notes, this is a lighter style, but I found it to be sublime. Amazing nose, served with roast duck. Classic blend of fruit melding with cigar box, just tantalizing. Mid weight and smooth on the finished. Enjoyed very much. I don't see it getting a lot better from here.
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10/14/2021 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 91 Points
The Pichon Lalande was exactly as I expected it to be with the trademark green capsicum entry, and medium palate and medium finish. A really pleasant wine with little ambition. It is at its best as a foil for fine cuisine. Very much one of the also rans in this 1990 horizontal, and easily outgunned by the bigger, bolder Baron.
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10/14/2021 - Paul D wrote: 91 Points
Po's 1990 Bordeaux Dinner (La Trompette, Chiswick): Aromatic, fragrant, red fruit, florals. Medium bodied, spicy red fruit, pencil lead, floats attractively across the palate, vibrant acidity, medium-good length finish. Relatively light but quite classy and certainly enjoyable.
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10/14/2021 - NickA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Po's 1990 Bordeaux dinner (La Trompette): Seemed a bit light, especially following the Trotanoy, and the suggestion was that the Chateau overcompensated for the ripe vintage and undercooked the wine. Nevertheless certainly an attractive and distinctive wine, and actually the best of the flight with the food, with vanilla cream on the nose, and tomato stalk, Bloody Mary, autumn leaves and some salinity on the palate.
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10/14/2021 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
Po’s 1990 Bordeaux (La Trompette, London): A little mute and flat on the nose. A touch diffuse and soft on the mid palate. Enjoyable and easy going but underpowered in the context of chateau and vintage. Consistent with previous bottles. ***1/2
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10/4/2021 - Grand Amateur Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened 3 hours in advance. Decanted just before drinking. Great, sweet nose. So charming. Complex. Sweet. Long. A great claret (which I bought 27 years ago!). Day after, decanter smells nice, but clearly not a young wine anymore. It has past its prime but it is very enjoyable.
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9/28/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lighter-bodied and fully mature with subdued black fruit and black truffle notes. The finish lacks much complexity but there is a nice charcoal spice quality that I liked. A bit thin in the middle but still quite enjoyable. Drink up!
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9/27/2021 - Sean Tay wrote: 93 Points
Medium garnet in colour. Clear and no cloudiness or heavy sentiments. Pronounced nose intensity with notes of barnyard, wet forest, black tea, spices, cedar, toast, oak, black cherry, black fruits. Medium+ acidity and medium tannin. Medium body with long finish. The tannin had been integrated but the nose of barnyard, wet forest was persistent even after aerating in the glass for 1 hour. Decanting of 2-3 hours will certainly help in the aromas.
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9/13/2021 - broadband013 wrote: 94 Points
Toujours aussi bon!
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6/30/2021 - Force5 Likes this wine:
Good bottle, from a cold cellar since release, and less developed than a very enjoyable but more mature bottle I had 4-5 years ago. Deep red, no signs of bricking. A striking lead pencil aroma in the forefront. Red fruited, good development, followed by a wave of ripe tannin. This has upside, glad I have another.
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4/18/2021 - Nanda wrote: 94 Points
Rocking with an hour of air. Effusive nose that is classically PLL — bell pepper and tobacco infused sweet plum and cherry aromas. Medium rich fruit with so many layers and suave melded tannin. Wow, so great. Should hold for 5-10+ years.
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4/16/2021 - Sean Tay wrote: 92 Points
The cork was loose when trying to open the wine. Broke halfway as well. Strong nose of wood. Decanted for 30 min. Theres still fruits smell, still drinkable but as compare to my 2 previous bottles, I know that 1990 Pichon can do much better.
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4/9/2021 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great after 3 hour decant
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1/24/2021 - Ron Slye wrote: 93 Points
Just a lovely classic aged bordeaux. At first this was a bit closed and muted, but after about an hour or so in the glass it began to open up and continued to improve. Very elegant notes of cigarbox, woods, leather, with some nice dark fruits. I still have a strong taste memory the next day, which is a good sign. I recommend decanting at least an hour at this point, perhaps longer. I have about a third of the bottle in a small glass container for later this week -- so will update if I feel differently. This was PnP, Riedel Somm Bdx glass.
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1/4/2021 - Chefannie11 wrote: flawed
Big time corked
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12/27/2020 - Jmwestiv Likes this wine: 96 Points
Sharp reduction and barnyard at first opened up to an expressive, integrated, and well balanced wine complete with green pepper notes and dark fruit. Wonderful.
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12/25/2020 - Amerique wrote: 95 Points
Rich, delicious black cherry fruit, very integrated, leathery flavors which softened as fruit emerged with airing, breathed for 3 hours, excellent structure, long finish, at its plateau
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12/25/2020 - VAGentleman wrote: 91 Points
Very pleasing. Well integrated, probably just past prime. Red fruit with truffles and some fern. Two hour decant improved complexity but impressive at first taste
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12/3/2020 - Rogershkg wrote: 92 Points
Looking at the other comments, this is a classic example of how the wine has been kept. This bottle came from a friend who I know had kept it impeccably. There was no sign of age, the colour was perfect, the fruit was still there dark cherries - maybe past the prime but still a great wine - easily drinkable. Taste was medium long.
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11/28/2020 - Annapolis Does not like this wine: 88 Points
quite hard and ungenerous. some herbal notes but in all just lean and mean. and from 1990 no less. odd.
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11/21/2020 - JuniorSamples wrote: 89 Points
Slowly drank it down over the last week, courtesy Coravin. Color was a dusty red, not too pale but clearly mature. Nose was a little musty but still had clear leather and plum. It was very soft but still had some red fruits, a little oak and cigar box to keep it interesting. I’d say it seemed a little past it’s prime so if I had another, I’d drink it soon.
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11/16/2020 - Eriklainen wrote:
Opens up fairly quickly. Cedar, bell pepper, truffles, wet earth and whiff of barnyard. Lovely fresh tobacco (think Marlboro) on the palate. Dark fruit. Longish aftertaste. My only concern is the balance. Alcohol poking out a little. Still, when bottles come this good - who am I to complain.
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11/6/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 92 Points
Pristine cork. Nice smokey nose. This is still relatively tightly wound. Tannins are fine grained. Fresh cassis flavors with some lavender and licorice. Finish is a bit short. Compared to most 1990s, this doesn't have quite the same level of sweetness and opulence.
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9/2/2020 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
Some brett, more disturbing on the nose than in the mouth. Smooth, long and dark-fruited wine, almost glossy.
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8/24/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux 1990 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): 1990 Bordeaux horizontal hosted by a private collector. 30 years down the road, the vintage comes across as bold and muscular, youthful and in general not yet open for business or at times closed. Highlights included Figeac, Haut-Brion, Mouton, Calon Ségur – and to my surprise – Marquis de Terme. See tasting story for more take-aways and the complete line-up.
Tasting note
Not overly expressive at first, but opening up. Espresso, red and dark cherry, blueberries, smoky oak notes and leather. Round and well integrated palate, but lacking layers. Otherwise very much fruit forward. But there is details and finesse to the nose which has to be liked and a patient drinker or arduous decanter might very well be rewarded with much more than what I found.
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8/15/2020 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Silky smooth fully mature Bordeaux in prime drinking window, probably not improving from here. Still fresh, tannins are fully integrated, round and viscous mouth feel, earthy/mushroomy, some barn funk on the nose but quite elegant.
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7/24/2020 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Agree with Sean Tay review. Wine is drinking very nicely, with red fruit, leather and truffle and a hint of spice. Tannins are fine and well integrated. Drink now.
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7/6/2020 - Sean Tay wrote: 96 Points
Had a bottle previously in Feb 2020. Having a similar note of leather, wet forest, truffle, mushroom tertiary aromas. On the taste, it very much that the nose. Tannin integrated and in the perfect drinking window. Note that the acidity in the wine is medium, it might not be able to keep fresh for long though.
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6/21/2020 - Nanda wrote: 94 Points
Father's Day. This was given a 30 minutes of a slow-ox and was firing on all cylinders. Classic PLL with gorgeously complex layering of bell pepper and cedar. Still fresh and rich with pin point balance and refinement. Awesome.
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6/20/2020 - Ksquare Likes this wine: 94 Points
1st anniversary with the missus. Decanted 1hr. Classically Paulliac with notes of graphite, green vegetal, smoky charcoal, still very fresh, underlying dark fruits. Palate is similar, blackberries, a lot of pencil lead, but has good sweetness. Acid is a bit Low at this time but tannins still giving a bit of structure. Very well resolved. Drink up soon though. The finish is a bit short and mid palate is a bit diffused. MB MA LT SF
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6/13/2020 - nytiger wrote: 94 Points
Tasted with the 1989 tonight. Deep color. Nose of chocolate, more chocolate than the 89, but less complex, I don’t get the thyme and forest floor that I got in the 89, but the 90 nose is bigger, more full bodied than the 89, taste of blackberries, and again I’m having trouble differentiating the tastes but lovely Bordeaux flavors. So I rate it the same 94 points as the 89. The 89 was more complex and the 90 some of that complexity but much more power.
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4/4/2020 - daghaug Likes this wine:
Kompleks, mangfoldig og relativt intens duft av solbær, pepper, snev av jord/våt skogbunn, paprika. Utrolig harmonisk få duft. Og likeså i munnen - harmonisk og rund, fremdeles litt frukt, men mest paprika og tobakk. Deilig så lenge det varer - men den kjenner alderen i ettersmaken, som er litt på den korte sida og i overkant syrlig. Likevel herlig, men ikke noe å lagre på.
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2/26/2020 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 95 Points
This 1990 Pichon is drinking beautifully, with still bright red color, leather, wet forest, truffle, mushroom teitiary aromas. On the taste, it very much that the nose. Very approachable and with tannin integrated, it’s very enjoyable. Hope to have this more often
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1/6/2020 - noblerot23 Likes this wine: 90 Points
1990 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Pauillac Bordeaux) Leather and cassis nose, rich round mature flavour curve with surprisingly soft, well integrated tannins. Very elegant wine...like a Bordeaux on Botox trying to become a big Burgundy.
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1/2/2020 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 94 Points
Notes from 2 bottles over 2 consecutive evenings, both decanted for 2 hours in advance. Deep purple-red looking at least 10 years younger than its age. Nose is quiet but a pitch-perfect in-tune orchestra of all the classic Pauillac notes... all very linear and precisely delineated. Palate is gosh... so clean, pure and linear. Too many star anise, etc. layers to identify. Silence creating... this is in Lafite territory. Quiet, understated - not shouty - very resonant and reverberant on the palate and inside the head on the really long finish. This is really gorgeous and my kind of lean, angular high cheekboned classic Pauillac. I love it. This has 2 decades ahead of it and I have updated the CT website drinking window accordingly. On the first night it totally blew a Cos D'Estournel 2002 out of the water but on the second night it was significantly outclassed by a Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 1986 which shared many characteristics but was more 'Bordeaux' at a higher level, surprisingly. Overall, 94+
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12/30/2019 - Nohedes wrote: 92 Points
Still holding up - colour still quite youthful red, with only a little browning at the rim. Decanted for 30 mins, very light sediment. Nose open straight-away, classic left-bank, cedar, some plum. Some tannin and structure left, enough to make this much more than just an old bottle for interest. Very silky, voluptuous wine with good balance and a great match with côte du boeuf. Drink or hold.
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11/22/2019 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chateau Pichon Lalande-1986, 1988, 1989, and1990 (Yan's China Bistro, Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nose of black berry pie with hint of vanill, cigar box, black currants, and plum, no bell pepper, same on the palate, at its peak, medium/big body, very tasty, elegant, at its best today, and a long, flavorful finish.
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10/16/2019 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
At a Commanderie BYO event. Lots of great wines on the table on this evening. Nice opportunity to try this wine, its been a ferw years sine last tasting
From prior tasting:"Purple/red color, no signs of separation. Nose red fruits, currant, leather, mild barnyard, graphite. Elegant, silky palate of red fruits, blackcurrant, spices. Tannins are fined, smooth. Really elegant throughout..."
Slightly less forward on this tasting. Fruits a bit more faded but still very nice, dusted red fruits, cedar, graphite all there. Still drinking well, in a great spot but might drink up over next 5 years
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9/15/2019 - dream wrote: 88 Points
The third wine of 14 vintages of PL back to ‘61 courtesy of Mark Golodetz. A pleasant drink showing full maturity and lovely notes of faded black fruits and truffles with a smooth finish that lacks much complexity. There were quite a few off-vintages that trumped this wine so I guess Parker was right about it early on.
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8/27/2019 - townjbc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Given the vintage and Chateau I was expecting much more than this wine delivered. Still, faultless wine and enjoyable drinking.
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8/8/2019 - SonnyChiba wrote:
From 375. Very reliable source, good condition bottle at a wine bar/restaurant. No signs it was corked, just not very good overall. Refrained from scoring but would assign an especially low score given the fact that we didn't want to finish the glass :(
Avoid this one at all costs!
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7/24/2019 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted briefly and back into the btl for trip downtown. Pull cork not long after arrival at venue. Likely needed a bit more air as this came on near the end. My btl at recent Capital grill BDX dinner. Elegance with plenty of lead pencil, dark fruit, tobacco and splendid earthiness. In the context of a stellar group of table mates this took a back seat to the killer '83 Montrose and several Ducru vintages from 55,70 & 89. This was really only competitive with the 95 Ducru and the 83/99 Leoville poyferres. On its own I might have loved it more. Felt a little fat tonight. 93+
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6/7/2019 - pepmi wrote: 92 Points
I'm not sure this is the wine of a lifetime or has any suggestion of once being that but I do recall my last tasting note -- when I said that if I was on an island, this would be the wine I could drink for the rest of my life. I might feel the same way now but let me offer another context. If my local bar offered this as their house wine, I would stop by every day for a glass or two after work. It's that good 29 years after.
Unfortunately I have the memory of my prior tasting stuck in my head. These notes reflect a somewhat narrower taste profile, a bit thinner in the mid-palate but remaining quite balanced and full. What stands out is a long, sweet finish that is more than sufficient to offset any deficiencies noted earlier.
This wine had very little sediment on decanting. No foul notes in the aroma. A clear, beautiful, near perfect color profile. And absolutely no tannins or distractions as the wine swirls in your mouth. Earlier in the evening, I had pegged this wine at 90 but I am revising my score upward to 92 the more I think about it. Beautiful!
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5/14/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
Day of the Goat: A Pichon Lalande Fractured Vertical (Leo & Cheryl's Place, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color. Splash decanted for 15 minutes. Drank a glass over 2hours plus. Spellbinding and seamless, this is wonderful. Nearly perfectly integrated this has the depth and finesse of a hypothetical blend of the 83 and 85. Silky and caressing on the palate with a glorious perfume of potpourri, cassis, wild raspberry, leather, damp earth, pencil, and fine cigar. This is beatifully balanced and supremely elegant and long. Great fuit, structure and polish. One of my all time favorite Pichons.
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5/11/2019 - honest bob wrote: 90 Points
From 75cl, perfect provenance. Aged cork extracted with some difficulty but in one piece. On opening: Closed down tight, so decanted 2 hours. Looks like a 10 year old - barely any orange-brown in sight. Intense forest floor, cedar and dried spice/star anise scent; complacent, full-bodied, hot-year entry with more cedar, raw leather, non-descript dark-red fruit; drier towards mid-palate; hot, unexpectedly tannic finish. Blind I would have guessed 2003 left bank classified growth, po-faced, over-extracted and perhaps prematurely aged, perhaps a St. Juilen I don't know or just maybe Lynch Bages? No hurry given good storage, and if you like hot-year southern Rhône more than I do, then you might well rate this a few points higher than the (89-)90P I have in my glass tonight.
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4/16/2019 - AWBryce wrote:
Bell pepper and pencil shavings, red fruits, plums, cranberry. silky, long finish, drink now in a great spot
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4/13/2019 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 95 Points
In its optimal window right now. Great aromatics. Paired so well with pheasant and Moroccan spice cream sauce. Loads of bright red cherry, perfectly resolved tannins and wood. Thanks so much to Jim Aronson for bringing this to the table tonight.
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4/7/2019 - galewskj wrote: flawed
Reruns - The Wine Event: Corked :(
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4/6/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Acker April 2019 (Marea in NYC): This was in an great spot right now. Lovely fruit and freshness without being over done or over ripe. Good age notes. Just overall balanced between all of the components.
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4/6/2019 - hprphf wrote: 90 Points
Acker April Auction 2019 (sad day) (Marea): Spicy, woody and stemmy. 90
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4/4/2019 - rocknroller wrote: flawed
Reruns (Joe & Khem's Place, Mpls): Corked. Very sad as this is such a great bottle of wine too.
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2/9/2019 - SteelerFan wrote: 95 Points
Another great showing. Great complexity, with both fruit and tertiary characteristics blending nicely. Long and smooth. Not a big wine, almost fragile, but still very much in a great drinking window now. Really a pleasure, and not just a historical anomaly at this stage.
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1/22/2019 - RayOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at 67
Incredible purity and depth. Fresh and young
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12/30/2018 - grapenomad wrote: 95 Points
Another classic vintage for Pauillac. I love how the first 4 tasters rated the wines with shit scores, stating that it's uninteresting with a questionable future. This grew up to be a shining example of a Cabernet-dominated blend. Superb complexity of aromatics, I could spend hours just smelling this - stewed and fresh black fruit play around, tones of cigar box, crushed stone, vanilla pudding, leather and whiffs of soya sauce. Dense and rich with a superb integration of fresh character and bottle aging. Ripe, medium-expressed tannins. Medium acidity. Long impressive finish. Drink now or keep for 3-4 more years.
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12/25/2018 - Javachip Likes this wine: 94 Points
Allowed to breathe in bottle 30 minutes, then decanted and served. Clear medium deep garnet-blood red color. Outstanding bouquet initially of cigar tobacco, dried porcini mushrooms, cassis, stony soil. After an hour, sweet fresh red currants and boysenberries moved into the spotlight, accented with pencil shavings, hints of leather, and more earthy mushrooms. Similar on the palate, silk-satin mouthfeel, balanced, seamless. Power without weight. A beautiful, fully mature Lalande that improved over two hours with no sign of tiring.
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12/21/2018 - dvansteenderen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Winter Solstice Tasting @ JD's home (Groot-Ammers): Winter Solstice tasting.
Another JD bottle...In a really fine place right now, drinking elegantly and feminine!
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12/21/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Winter Solstice Tasting (Jan-Dirk Taams' residence, Groot-Ammers, Netherlands): Classic mature left bank nose, elegant and fresh, slender style, gentle tannins, Cabernet Franc leafiness, generous and feminine, light but stylish.
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12/15/2018 - phol wrote: 95 Points
Chassis black currant leather and barnyard in perfect harmony with silky smooth tannins very very nice.
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12/1/2018 - daghaug Likes this wine:
Jord, tobakk, et lite snev av plommer på duft. Kristin finner også en ubehagelig lukt av sure sokker (som forsvinner etterhvert) som Dag ikke kjenner, men kanskje et lite snev av kokt kål, uten at det er særlig sjenerende for han. Noe røkt kjøtt. I munnen silkemyke tanniner med nydelig struktur, flott intensitet, deilig dybde, men litt «alt på en gang», for å være pirkete. Nydelig, mild ettersmak som sitter lenge. Deilig vin, synes begge.
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11/22/2018 - PDavisMarble wrote: 94 Points
Consistent with other bottles. Wonderful. Showing few signs of age, other than more balance and complexity.
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11/12/2018 - daveste Likes this wine: 94 Points
Splendid. PNP but needed a half hour to show well in the glass. My favorite Bordeaux in a fine year.
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10/11/2018 - Paul D wrote: 93 Points
1990 Bordeaux (Piccolino, Exchange Square, London): Medium ruby/garnet, wide pale rim. Nose is spicy, red fruited, touch of earth and a floral top note. Medium bodied, red fruited, attractive touch of herb, soil, vibrant acidity, elegant, long, leanish finish. Lovely!
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9/23/2018 - Ereynoldnelson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Served with short ribs and side by side with a 1996 Chateau Giscours. This had a huge, bouquet with lots of barnyard funk. It was freightening because not all the notes were positive. Some of the mustiness eventually blew off revealing a wonderful cedar, cherry core. The wine evolved and became more integrated over the course of the meal. It was an experience. Sadly my last bottle of this from a buying spree 25 years ago
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8/25/2018 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Eu Ming's Birthday (Bee Heong Palace, Singapore): It was nice to end a dinner full of Burgs with a Bordeaux, and this was a very enjoyable one. The nose was classic Pauillac, Lalande I guessed, with lovely drifts of cedar wood, pencil lead and just that slightest hint of leafy tobacco floating about gentle cassis notes. Charming. The palate was absolutely on point. Soft, melting, with the plushest of tannins wrapped like a silken robe around a sweet, supple core of sweet cassis and blueberries, all gently seasoned with little notes of cedar, spice and just that tiny lily of tobacco. Not profound in the way the 1982 and 1996 are - this did not have the sheer depth and power of the greater vintages - but it was so very charmingly enjoyable, and drinking beautifully now.
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8/17/2018 - wbohonnon Likes this wine: 93 Points
I really enjoyed this but it was not mind blowing. Initially in the decanter it had a slight maritime smell and I was worried that the bottle was lost. This blew off and it really blossomed in the glass. dark berries, bell pepper, and a hint of cigar box. Tannins mostly resolved giving the wine a softer side. Probably has plenty of life left, but why wait?
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8/14/2018 - Fred_Bo Likes this wine: 94 Points
WOW!
This wine blew my expectations out of the galaxy. A little subtle to begin with. However, with an hour/1.5 it started to blossom beautifully.
Green bell pepper, hot herbs and spices like an Algerian bazaar, (feminine) musk, dark - but not too dark - berries, hints of casis, blackcurrant and cherry. All very well structured. Tannins were alive and kicking but with a woman's touch. This was oh so great and nowhere near close to peak.
Atleast two decades left in the tank. No rush to drink this.
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7/7/2018 - appel54 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ljusröd tunn färg, lite drag åt det bruna hållet
Lite multna löv, bränd jord, stalligt och skitigt, ceder, blyerts, snygga fattoner, torkat trä
Oerhört torrt, strävt, fortsatt tanninrikt, grymt bra längd
Väldigt traddig bdx av den lite slankare skolan. Kul att prova och ännu ett bra vin
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5/15/2018 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 94 Points
Happy Birthday Kathy and Virgie (Yan's China Bistro, Walnut Creek, Ca.): Happy Birthday Kathy and Virgie, nose of black berry, black currants, plum, red bell pepper, spring flowers, and hints of cigar box and saddle leather, same on the palate, at its peak, medium/big body, very tasty, lovely to sip and savor, almost elegant, classic Chateau Pichon Lalande to me, all the classic Bordeaux flavors are fully integrated and at their best today, and a long finish.
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5/7/2018 - For the Love of Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Small pour at a Bordeaux tasting. I have had this wine a couple times, and it never disappoints! This was WOTN for me, and had a beautiful, perfumed nose of violets, rain and sandalwood. On the palate, it displayed silky tannins that were well integrated with the fruit, and primary flavors of black current, dark berries and a hint of plum and oak. Secondary flavors included leather, earthiness, and tobacco. All in all, a great wine that will offers a fantastic QPR (especially looking at recent release prices of Bordeaux). If you have bottles, drink now or hold a while longer, but I don't see the wine improving. Thanks Joe!
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5/6/2018 - galewskj wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux by Joe (Jason's house): Decanted an hour. I brought this to a tasting so people would be able to try a fully mature good Bordeaux. And it is that. Soft, floral, slight funk, graphite, tobacco.
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4/7/2018 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Guys Night - Bordeaux vs Napa (Jason's House): 1 hour decant. As good as this was, it was not as good as other bottles that I've had. Some people at the table agreed, while others felt it was as good or better than their expectation. Anyway, a great Bordeaux for sure, and in a great drinking window.
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4/4/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
Aged High End Bordeaux Blends (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Dark red color. Decanted for just over an hour. Drank 1 glass over 2 hours. This really was fresh and singing from the start, yet it continued to evolve and build over the net couple hours. I preferred the nose of the '84 Dominus at first, but as this changed, it certainly equaled and I'd have to say it surpassed even that which saying something. This has a splendid perfume of crushed rose petals, leather, sandalwood, fine cigar wrapper, pencil lead and pretty red fruits wrapped up with damp forest floor aromas. The palate has near perfect integration, supreme elegance, beautiful red berry fruit, tart red fruit, pencil, dried tobacco, and earth. Very long and fresh this has great balance and such pretty red fruit. These has been consistently great too. My and group WOTN by a hair over the '84 Dominus.
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3/19/2018 - txangu Likes this wine: 93 Points
Un Burdeos maduro y con vida por delante. Con biche, setas y calabaza jugó bien.
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3/10/2018 - CarpeDiem! wrote: 89 Points
Consistently snobbed as underperformer in 1990, this bottle drank well. Charming nose, mature red fruit, cedar, tobacco. Silky and developped in the mouth, with cassis and raspberries notes, tobacco, hints of chocolate. Admittedly less complex and intense than most of its 1990 siblings, but charming, reminding me of 1999. Drink now.
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3/1/2018 - Chaochao Likes this wine: 90 Points
The nose was musky for the first hour before it opened up to a lovely perfume of dark fruits, tobacco and leather. The texture is smooth and chewy and the length, long. Tannins are nicely integrated now. The taste bursts of cassis and yet it is earthy and savoury. The nose continues to blossom in the next hour and is most intoxicating...cigar box, earth and dark berries. However, in the third hour, the nose dives and the wine actually smells sour and offensive...
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2/1/2018 - salil wrote: 94 Points
WINNER. This is classic PLL; the fruit's surprisingly restrained for the vintage but there's plenty of fresh black currant and other dark berried fruit here, and it's augmented by intense cedar, graphite, and those green herbal and peppery scents that I always find in PLL. The texture's very elegant and polished, and this is a fantastic wine to sit down and follow over a few hours.
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1/12/2018 - Alexfb0 wrote: 93 Points
Buenisimo, abierto, aun con taninos
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12/31/2017 - GA Old World Guy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fabulous wine that was still a baby. It was a textbook Pauillac. Cedar...tobacco...cigar box...leather. This was served out of 3.0L and was a showstopper. Decanted in bottle for 2 hours before serving.
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12/31/2017 - pepmi wrote: 92 Points
On a island in the Pacific, I choose to drink this wine every day for the rest of my life. I mean this particular vintage...
Very lush, rolling in the mouth. A royal experience. Dark berry, sweet cedar grounded by saddle. No pepper or spice or distractions.
Open one bottle and you'll wish you had a magnum.
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11/13/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rubber and tar; still young; blackberry; good balanced; moderate finish.
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11/8/2017 - vinhslee wrote: 95 Points
It needs good 3 -5 hours of aeration for flavours to harmonise.
Nose and palate are classic Pauillac (cassis, cedar, graphite, tobacco, leather) with savoury edge. The finish is long, with slightly sweet undertone but with excessive alcohol heat. Tannins are mature and silky. The palate is not as angular as most Pauillac, but not as supple or rounded as merlot-dominated blend.
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11/7/2017 - Fausto_Coppi Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fully mature, great balance of blackcurrent fruit and leafy tannins. Lingering complex finish, superb wine.
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10/15/2017 - fhmesq wrote: 92 Points
Decanted three + hours before drinking and drank over about 90 minutes. Great, dark color, nose was everything you would expect from a wine like this. Pepper, earth, tobacco, evolved nicely over two and a half glasses. Seems to still have a lot of time left, but drinking very well right now.
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9/23/2017 - theRealPepe Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good dark color. Nose and palate have excellent Pauillac characteristics but nothing extraordinary or outstanding. Would have been much more pleased with the quality if not for this coming from the outstanding 1990 vintage. Happily paired with Richard Olney's scallop and monkfish skewers, a fish dish that goes well with Bordeaux. Excellent.
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9/22/2017 - Rupert wrote: 94 Points
Silky, seamless, very tobaccoey, absolutely gorgeous
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8/31/2017 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Assertive green fragrance, cool and dry, but in the glass it got more and more tobacco-ey and more charming. I like this a lot.
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8/18/2017 - Rani Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Tremendous right now, really hitting on all cylinders. Lush, broad yet with a fine structure and acidity. Notes of old leather, figs, blackcurrant and ever so slight green herbs.
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8/16/2017 - AMRS Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bordeaux 1990 tasting. Better then the one we tasted in March (from same purchase). Excellent classic nose, Cedar and Tobacco. On the palate elegant and decent but not great and not the best Lalande I had. Still a joy. Drink now-2022, 91.
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7/27/2017 - valedeniro wrote: 94 Points
A very good and very traditional Lalande.Needs 2-3 hours or so in the decanter to really open up. Classical Pauillac nose with cassis,blackberry,cedar,blond tobacco,lead pencil.Velvety texture with excellent depth and fully resolved tannins.Long racy finish.Beautiful wine and fully mature,but no real hurry.
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7/23/2017 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
Needs about an hour in the glass, light bodied, fully matured wine with great balance and average finish. Will continue to hold for 10 plus years.
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7/22/2017 - redders Likes this wine: 94 Points
Colour mature some browning. Hint of oxidation on nose at first but soon dissipated. Then classic mature Pichon. Ripe fruit voluptuous with some mineral. Silky , ripe , smooth, coffee, very long and balanced finish. Drunk over a couple of hours and started to dip on last glass. Delicious and fully ready.
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7/16/2017 - "Rhône Rider" wrote: flawed
Cork fault.
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6/21/2017 - Henning13 wrote: 89 Points
Balanced and mellow, definitely past its peak. Decanted for 2 hours which helped, but the wine was just not very engaging. Cork in good condition, subtle nose, clear color with no sign of oxidation.
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6/1/2017 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
Alfresco dinner w old wines and young - Princeton Wine Crew and special guest Jamie Leahy of Marston Vineyards (Chez Walker - Princeton, NJ): One of 2 generous contributions from Jay this evening. Decanted for about an hour+ before drinking. Post dinner, towards the end of the evening. Well stored bottle bought at release...
Purple/red color, no signs of separation. Nose red fruits, currant, leather, mild barnyard, graphite. Elegant, silky palate of red fruits, blackcurrant, spices. Tannins are fined, smooth. Really elegant throughout.
Interesting to see the range of taster experience with this wine on CT, perhaps some bottle variation? Pichon Lalande is pretty consistent in my experience. This was in a great spot on this evening, a good old-school bdx, nicely aged from a great vintage.
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5/7/2017 - deverett wrote: 93 Points
Another bottle in great shape. A lighter bodied Lalande but still with admirable depth and complexity. Smooth and soft palate, herbal and cigar box notes. A pleasure to drink and not falling over at all at 27 years of age.
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4/1/2017 - mkoss Likes this wine: 94 Points
Long decant 1-2 hours. Beautiful.
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3/20/2017 - brianakrin wrote: 94 Points
Elegant, balanced smooth, long. Light but so flavorful! Drinking well. No hurry
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2/6/2017 - galewskj wrote: 95 Points
Guys Wine Night - Bring something you've been saving (Jason's House): Slow O'd for an hour, this initially seemed to be a science project, with weird funk and alcohol. That all blew off, and it blossomed into a textbook old world, mature Bordeaux. Funk, barnyard, leather, animal, tobacco, some strawberry, currant and cherry. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins. This is downright silky with so much complexity. This wine was a real treat, and every bit as good as the last time I had it.
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2/4/2017 - mzimberg Likes this wine:
Great Dinner at Jason's: Bring a bottle you have been saving: Youthfully purple. Graphite, mint, soy and hoisin aromas. Excellent mellow energy on the soft palate. Clear finish. Not a blockbuster, but classic claret. This is in a really great place right now.
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1/20/2017 - jkoenen wrote: flawed
Bordeaux 1990 (Restaurant Fitzgerald, Rotterdam): Corked.
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1/14/2017 - ArtF wrote: 88 Points
A few years past prime. Drink up.
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1/9/2017 - Wineson Likes this wine: 91 Points
A little over.
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12/26/2016 - TheThirstyYau wrote: 92 Points
Drunk from magnum, soft cork but out in one piece. Decanted for an hour. Took a little while to open up, and for the nose to express with notes of earth, cowpat, and a little red fruit. On palate drinking well, fruit still showing well but fading a little, mostly blackcurrant and cherry. Good length with decent palate weight. This was showing better than other bottles I have had, perhaps due to magnum format. Thought this bottle could go a few more years.
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12/3/2016 - Rupert wrote:
Consistent with past bottles, this is advanced, warm, herby - very nice but not what you expect from a top vintage.
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11/26/2016 - Henning13 wrote: 90 Points
Cork clean and uncompromised, wine had beautiful bouquet straight out of the bottle. Clear brick color. No sediment. Decanted for 2 hrs. Wine opened up nicely: fresh notes of strawberry, rose petals and liquorice. Soft tannins and good acidity. Still improved the next day. May be past its peak but this bottle was flawless.
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11/19/2016 - RockinCabs wrote: 91 Points
Nose: dark fruit, blackberry, roasted cherry and green pepper. Palate: grew in complexity over the night but really never got beyond the primary lalande fruit notes and coconut oak element. A bit roasted for lalande but green at the same time. Finish: dark fruit, saline and horsey notes. Green pepper and some nice mint tones.
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10/16/2016 - roboto wrote: 88 Points
Classic nose of cedar, black currants, dark roasted oak, tar, iodine, coffee. stables. Medium length. Seems like nothing more will happen here. Its elegant, it sits together but lacks depth and some comeplexity. Good but not great.
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9/27/2016 - CMallard Likes this wine: 92 Points
1.5cm. Cork shows signs of seepage. Decant. Color quite engaging, not much bricking.
Initial impressions upon decant: nose: floral, some animal notes, mint, thyme. Mouth: rounded, harmonious, elegant, complex. Good length. Very pleasant.
1.5 hrs later: animality on the nose has receded, taken over by tar, licorice, mint, thyme. Mouth: round first impression, very fine tanins, good structure, fruit (blackcurrant), thyme. Very good
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9/11/2016 - mkoss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted, found a very soft cork, but wine was ready to go right away.
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9/3/2016 - AMRS wrote: 89 Points
Nice Puillac nose, especially the Tobacco. But the palate is so disappointing, a bit faded and lacks any power. Not of the caliber you expect. 89 at best.
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9/3/2016 - Rani Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted blind. Ripe nose yet undoubtedly left bank Bordeaux from the 90s. Notes of tobacco, sweet red fruit, cedar. Fully resolved, silky, very fine tannins.
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7/29/2016 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
An earthy entry, a green streak and a hint of oxidative pong, mellow sweet fruit in the middle - three bottles now from this case, showing consistently. It's a warm, very attractive earthy claret, but it's not as good as I'd hoped - nowhere near the level of 81 or 84
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7/23/2016 - Indybond wrote: 87 Points
PnP. Don't be fooled by the perceived quality. The 1990 Bordeaux may have been great ten years ago, but I would dare say not now. I enjoyed both the 1987 and 1992 Pichon Lalande much more than this one. At $145, a horrible QPR at this point.
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7/17/2016 - justinez Likes this wine:
Took 2+ to open up
Not much tannin left
Remote cherries
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7/17/2016 - Hanover Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Can an entire case be bad? I'm beginning to think so. The first six have been short on fruit and structure.
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7/16/2016 - Sean Tay wrote:
Extremely bouquet of truffle, mushroom, earthy notes, black fruits, toast and spices. Medium acidity and tannin. Drinking extremely well with tannin integrated. Tasted at Bar a Vin.
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7/12/2016 - Blake Brown wrote:
1990 CHATEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE- COMTESSE de LALANDE PAUILLAC- I`ve had many a fine bottle of this stellar top of the 1990 vintage Bordeaux and this fell right in line complimenting all previous ones; the color was a brilliant, youthful dark purple; the nose offered superb cedar, leather, earth and coffee notes along with some black currant; the taste had more of the same plus nice black cherry/ berry fruit and obvious tannic backbone; it had complexity and depth and stayed around for a long satisfying finish; a great bottle; some of my friends who I know are enamored with this wine would have appreciated it as much as I did.
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6/30/2016 - RWallace Likes this wine: 88 Points
Color: Medium garnet going to ruby on the edges. – Bouquet: Muted fruit with plum, berry, a faint whiff of cassis, a little tobacco, herbs, olive, and some loamy, earthy undertones with a whiff of asphalt. – Palate: Muted berry, strawberry, ripe plum, a hint of cassis, and a touch of milk chocolate. Very finely integrated tannins. Elegant, feminine, delicate – all as in medium bodied. Smooth mouth-feel, but a finish of medium length, or less so, for this 25-year old Super Second. That said, this bottle of wine seemingly was not as “elegant” as some other Cabernet Sauvignon dominant Bordeaux wines in the 1990 vintage having 20+ years of age. – Poured on the occasion of a 63rd birthday; and served with rack of lamb and roasted potato wedges with fresh rosemary sprigs, Caprese salad, and steamed fresh asparagus with drawn butter served on the side; finished with chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. (12.5% abv)
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6/19/2016 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 96 Points
1990 PICHON-LALANDE LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE de LALANDE PAUILLAC- and one more bottle coming up as good as any I`ve had over many years, this still is young, vibrant, evolving and an eye opener as all at our table took a look around the table after it was first poured and tasted; the nose had some cedar, leather and licorice that melded into the tasty black cherry, black currant and blueberry fruit; all was bundled up and delivered in a smooth, lush texture which carried on to extend the climaxing finish; this was full bodied, seamless and a sensory treat in every way.
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6/5/2016 - chablis28 wrote: 94 Points
This is what you want from mature BDX. Silky elegance with plenty of lead pencil, dark fruit, tobacco and splendid earthiness. Very pretty! The most fully realized red of the night.
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6/5/2016 - hajoha wrote: flawed
Svakt korket.
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5/29/2016 - Rupert wrote: 93 Points
The nose was divine, multifaceted, fresh, cedar and coal and spice. The palate warmer and riper than the nose suggests, the tannins all gone, this is very smooth and round, but seemingly on the way down.
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5/28/2016 - MattGeneve Likes this wine: 95 Points
Noble Rot restaurant - drank with lamb, aubergine and peas. Still very dark and young looking! Beautiful complete nose with cedar, blackcurrant, leather and licorice. Parma violet. Even better on the palate. Lovely tingly fruit and very plush and elegant. So silky and light on the delivery but with great fruit and bite. Perfect combination of fruit and evolution.
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4/17/2016 - Shoebox Likes this wine: 95 Points
Clear and deep purple; tinge of brown around the edges. Lovely fruit aromas; Lovely sweet fruit still on the palate; baked cherries and cassis with cedar and tar even some truffle. Not especially thick legs but rounded mouthfeel and still some tannins which softened as the evening progressed. Good length. Holding very well for its age and beautiful now. Best drunk without food.
Looking back at the tasting notes of others, this wine must have closed right down in the late 90s. The first few bottles I had in the mid 90s were very nice but I remember the last bottle I had about 5 years ago was disappointing; I had low expectations of this one. Fascinating.
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4/6/2016 - mkoss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still tastes big and tannic. Needs at least 2 hours of decanting. Then it opened and was gorgeous and structured but fully integrated. Loved it.
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4/1/2016 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Very fragrant and heady turned earth, sweet leather, truffle, touch funky barnyard with soft earthy spices, anise, wet tobacco, cooked plum, cassis; plush velour mouthfeel, low, mostly resolved tannins at this point. Lovely nose, a bit soft in the palate, but excellent, delish. 92, but 93 in the nose!
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3/30/2016 - conviction buy wrote: 92 Points
Slowly decanted 2 hrs, deep garnet in color. Nose of tobacco, and some red fruit aroma looming at the back. Pencil shaving aroma on palate, bitter sweet where tannin is largely integrated. Smoky after taste with cedar and currant. Textbook of aged bdx.
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3/20/2016 - rocknroller wrote: flawed
Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux with Some Real Honeys (Victory 44, Mpls, MN): Corked and a half. What a shame for such a beautiful wine. Sucks.
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2/25/2016 - Percy_K Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious. Brilliant ruby/crimson, heavy extract/legs. Decanted for about an hour but was surprisingly approachable upon opening. Fantastic bouquet with ripe red fruit, green pepper, and forest floor. Luscious, silky tannins lend themselves to a marvelous and elegant finish. Probably will improve with more bottle age but it's drinking beautifully now.
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2/10/2016 - Philippe_C wrote: 94 Points
Nose of ripe green pepers, hint of vegetal... taste of very ripe strawberries, this wine has improved a lot with ageing, quite delicious now!!!
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12/30/2015 - Good Monkey wrote:
Aging well.
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12/23/2015 - ThalesGaspar Likes this wine: 96 Points
Excellent! Brownish garnet colour, showing it's age. Amazing bouquet, complex and intense. Soft tannins on the palate, medium/full body, fully mature. Remarkable long finish.
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11/20/2015 - PDavisMarble wrote: 93 Points
Pretty crimson / ruby. Graphite, cedar, tobacco nose. Some red fruits, though the overwhelming notes are lead pencil, chalk, earth, wet stones. This is drinking beautifully.
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11/9/2015 - Markus IWC wrote: 91 Points
Vertikal provning Pichon Lalande 12 årgångar 66-90. 1990: solig sötma, sötsur frukt, generös, öppen, kraftfull, merlot driven, rondör, mkt tanniner, kan lagras längre. Ingen av mina favoriter men top 3 baserat på blinda röster från 16 personer i sällskapet.
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9/15/2015 - oncocyte wrote: 93 Points
This juice may be out of favor with one of the critics, but the gang loved it (blind) with one rating as high as 96 and a few preferring it over 1990 Leoville Poyferre. It is still in late adolescence or very early maturity and somewhat tannic, with a rich tarriness and enough cherry/cassis fruit and sweetness to provide balance. Classic Bordeaux nose of cedar, leather, tobacco. Try again in 2018.
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8/31/2015 - redders Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a lovely glass of wine this has developed into. Colour still limpid fresh and mid red. Gorgeous nose, classic PL ripe fruit with mixed with graphite. Merlot to the fore but restrained by the Cabernet. Luscious mouthfeel coating the mouth then fanning out. Quite mineral on finish . Delicious
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7/24/2015 - LJD Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking very nicely. Lovely nose with a palate that matched. Good balance between fruit and acid. Still tasted surprisingly young, but then I prefer very old wines. Wonderful with a New York ribeye.
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7/2/2015 - BuzzzzOff Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sipping and snacking at Harlan's Penthouse Hong Kong. The “man” himself waived corkage so we went big. Brownish red to the eye. Dark, ripe, red fruits on the nose with a hint of leather, coffee and chocolate. Elegant on the palate, very soft tannins. Perhaps just a few years past her stride in terms of structure, but still silky on the finish. We would have preferred five years ago, but still luvly.
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6/28/2015 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Smooth, tangy, lovely interplay of spice and acid, not much structure, but delightful
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6/26/2015 - SteelerFan wrote: 95 Points
Superb. Dark ruby with some bricking. Very smooth and rich with mellow tannins. Tobacco, chocolate, berry and coffee tastes, well integrated. Drinking beautifully.
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6/18/2015 - rcg62 wrote: 90 Points
Bordeaux wine dinner; 6/18/15:
Pichon Lalande 1990 - Lighter color than others, I think passing its prime. A little dry on the finish but perfectly nice still. 90
Gruaud Larose 1989 - Very classic nose and palate of cedar and pine notes. Most silky palate of the bunch. Two at the table thought it was wine of the night. Not as much to my taste but very much classy Gruaud. 91
Cos 1986 - Funky barnyard nose. Deep palate with still strong tannin, but plenty of fruit coming through. Liked it but there was some brett there that to me, hurt. 92
Lynch Bages 1985 - For me, the wine of the night, largely due to the truly stunning nose. A tad dry on the palate but still long finish of dark fruit. 94
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6/13/2015 - Rupert wrote: 90 Points
Full, ripe, smooth, very evolved, warm and easy and lacking structure and bite
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5/25/2015 - ArtF Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fill into neck, cork pulled out cleanly. Medium dark red with lightening at rim. Modest amount of sediment on bottom of bottle. Medium bodied with long finish. An elegant, complex wine we enjoyed on its own with PnP. But would complement many dishes. Best the first hour, then grew less smooth.
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4/18/2015 - joshbryer wrote:
Nose is off and a bit funky, overall wine seems very advanced. Rich fruit still hanging out but totally resolved. Suave and silky with high class fruit, but not that exciting. Not sure of storage conditions of this bottle, so that could be a contributing factor.
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3/30/2015 - galewskj wrote: 95 Points
At a blind tasting of 7 $100+ wines, the only thing I was certain of was that this is old world well-aged Bordeaux. Lovely clean funk. Tar, leather, extremely complex.
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3/29/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
Worldwide $100+ Wines Double Blind (Edina, MN): Very dark red/purple color. Double decanted for 15 minutes with 2 hours slow-O prior. Drank 2 pours, unblinded, as we did know our own wines. Just an intoxicating nose, with plenty of perfume and lots of great clean (as Joe said) funky goodness, leather, floral, soft cedarbox, and pretty red berry fruits. The palate was equal to the nose and just popped with bright fruit, black and red berries, vibrant with great acidity, wow, nice cassis, red berries. This was just so nicely balanced and integrated with everything where it should be and doing what it should. Seamless and long. Remarkably fresh and young still - tons of time left. For me personally, it doesn't get much better than this. 95+ to 96pts. My and group WOTN.
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3/29/2015 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
Really good showing with funk, gravel, dried fruits and minerals. In a perfect spot for consumption so drink now. Excellent showing.
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3/28/2015 - Shanta wrote:
Bottle variation is probably a factor at this stage judging by recent comments, but this bottle was glorious. Ruby red. The nose an elixir of dried red rose petals and warm, dusky depths, then a gently rich and savoury palate with tannins that just melted. Seemed to come further to life in combination with food - and rich food in this case. We first tasted this wine on release c1993 and have always rated it a beauty.
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3/12/2015 - RayOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at Otto's
Had alongside a '90 Troplong & Pichon Lalande. All three were wonderful and shows what a great vintage '90 was and all three have many years of life ahead of them.
Classic nose of cedar, tobacco, cassis, earth and spice. Some incredible depth and length. Wonderful stuff.
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2/18/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 88 Points
Light, this seemed older than its true age with its mostly secondary nose, medium body and light, short, red fruit and spicy finish. Drink up.
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2/4/2015 - Philippe_C wrote: 94 Points
Super ripe nose, black fruit, cedar, cigar box, lead pencil, barbecue smoked wood… super silky tannins, ripe cassis, very nice mature Bordeaux
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2/1/2015 - tinybubbles wrote: 89 Points
Straightforward but appealing nose of difficult to pin down fruit (cherry, raspberry?), faint white pepper, and light chalky notes. Palate is thin but enjoyable with green notes in the background. Decanted for one hour, consumed over two. Definitely fading in my opinion, drink now.
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1/25/2015 - Javachip wrote: 95 Points
Allowed to breathe in bottle for an hour, then decanted and tasted over three hours. Clear deep garnet-blood red. Fabulous bouquet of fresh crushed red currants, creme de cassis, spice box, pipe tobacco, saddle leather, with hints of lavender, mint, and river stones. Similar on the palate, full body, power without weight. An exhilarating experience.
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1/25/2015 - bevetroppo Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Tired. Green streak in nose and on the palate. Some graphite and limp fruit. Really not much to like here. A paltry thing, a tattered coat upon a stick.
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1/23/2015 - emzee.mc wrote: 94 Points
Wine Dinner at Le Philosophe (Le Philosophe): The wine pours an inky ruby color with some bricking at the rim, along with medium legs with minimal sediment. On the nose the scent is quite concentrated albeit slightly green. There is a bouquet dominated by spice, peppers, tobacco, leather, earth, mushrooms and kirsch. Surprisingly for such a good vintage, the wine is green with minimal fruit. On the palate, the tannins are well integrated with a velvety structure. Dominated by mineral, the backbone yields flavors of brett, bacon fat, leather, eucalyptus and scorched stones. The wine is also very smoky. Finish is quite long with minimal acidity in the end. A fabulous wine, and also a very interesting and intellectual wine.
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11/9/2014 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Outstanding nose (A-). Excellent palate (B++). Still feels young!
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10/20/2014 - RayOB wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Home
Still singing beautifully. A classic claret with quiet a few years left.
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9/28/2014 - AWBryce Likes this wine:
Classic Bordeaux nose. Vegetal, meaty and sweet cassis and dark fruits. Palate is a bit austere, green streak and good acidity and tannin. This should have the fruit to develop a bit more and let the tannin resolve.
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9/22/2014 - Alexjr1 wrote: 91 Points
Drank as part of a vertical tasting of 86,88,89,90 and 95.
The 90 was in the middle of the pack but still a very classical Comtesse wine.
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8/3/2014 - pavel_p wrote: 91 Points
Opened for one hour, poured half of bottle into decanter and drank with steak at home. Cork completely soaked. Garnet, bricking at the rim. Forest floor on the nose, initially a few green notes then a touch of dark fruit and plenty of leather and tobacco. Fine tannis, medium finish. Would not recommend decanting as it lost the remaining fruit with more air time. This drank like a mid 80s classified growth but not more. Can see where the disapointment is coming from, given this is a Super Second and 1990. Still, this is a fully mature, elegant Bdx and nowhere near the 79 points Parker gave it. Drink up. 90-91. QPR hmm...
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7/12/2014 - PDavisMarble wrote: 95 Points
Blood red, nose of spices, lead, currants, chocolate. First tastes of lead and meat. Followed with currants, licorice and pomegrante. Still lively, fruity and young.
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7/7/2014 - EirikM wrote: 90 Points
Nice mature Pauillac. Lots of cassis, pencil, cedar. Also really quite green in a herbacous Bordeaux way, but not in a way that put me off. Can see that the greeness could split the audience on this one though. Good to very good, but there are some hard edges to the wine that stops it from meriting a higher score. I had hoped for a bit more elegance.
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6/22/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Great 1980s Bordeaux Tasting and Dinner (Michael Restaurant - Winnetka IL): One of two bottles opened at the tasting, the 2nd was corked. This bottle was more finessed vs powerful and lush. Also slightly more advanced than the "typical" 1990, but overall classically styled with plum, anise, tobacco, even if just moderate intensity.
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6/22/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Great 1980s Bordeaux Tasting and Dinner (Michael Restaurant - Winnetka IL): Corked. One of two bottles opened.
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6/14/2014 - winelover1808 wrote: 93 Points
had this next to a 85 lynch bagues my good friend brought. the two were both excellent. the 90 pichon lalande was more forward - more tobacco and fruit on the nose and palate, much stronger tannins - def in prime drinking window but could age another 5-10 years and the tannins may soften more. the lynch had no rough edges - a bit more muted on the nose and the tannins were as soft as one would want without it losing some finish. diff styles/ages but both very enjoyable.
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6/9/2014 - dharrison93 Does not like this wine: 76 Points
Perfect deep ruby color without cloudiness or a hint of bricking at the rim.
The nose was a seamless, yet confusing mix of dark fruit, Asian spices, green pepper and weeds.
In the mouth it was confusing; herbs and spices overshadowed the lean fruit. While there may have been bottle variation, this was nothing I would expect from a mature Pauillac.
Will only worsen with age as the fruit dies further. Avoid if possible
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5/29/2014 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Pichon-Lalande Vertical Tasting (Mark Allen): Wet cigar with mixed spices, tobacco and sweet black plum; moderate + body, ample tannins, acid, fuller body than the others in the vertical; sour black cherry finish. This was strong, but to me lacked complexity and elegance. May need more time. Black fruits, earthy, dark character marked this wine. (RP 79)
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5/29/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 91 Points
Exactly the same as the last bottle.
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5/24/2014 - G_H Likes this wine: 94 Points
7 decades of Bordeaux - Blind tasting (Martin's House): Nearly all of us non-wine writes are influenced by a wine's pedigree and reputation, so if I had this non-blind, I'm pretty sure that I would have rated it lower. That's the reason we try to drink nearly everything blind and if possible double blind as the case tonight.
This stunned everyone!!
Toasted bread, banana, chocolate, leather, superbly elegant, espresso, red bell peppers, really long finish. A claret at it's perfect maturity.
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4/15/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 91 Points
For a supposedly tough Pichon vintage, this drank very well. Fully open and mature nose of herbs, dark fruit, pepper. Plush on the plate. Cedar. Nice green pepper. Sleek. Medium depth and finish.
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2/14/2014 - broadband013 wrote: 93 Points
91-94, puissant, puissant, a boire encore 30 ans! oh oui!
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2/3/2014 - iwfsrst Likes this wine: 93 Points
wineph Drank this after our annual IWFS business meeting along with rare tenderloin and spinach crepes. Double decanted for three hours. The wine was much more accessible than the 1995, which we had two weeks ago. The bouquet is full, the wine harmonious with soft tannins and nice fruit. Drinking beautifully now and seems to have some more time left, in spite of what RP predicts.
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12/26/2013 - Stefan75 Likes this wine: 93 Points
From Mag. Classic mature pauillac, only needs about 10min of air then ready to drink, ever evolving in the glass, no fading even after couple of hours. Very enjoyable
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12/26/2013 - richshoes Likes this wine: 97 Points
very classic Pichon Lalande...tasted similar to the 2003 I had recently...but a little more finish and a little more delicate....great elegant structure....not a lot of complexity...but classic bordeaux notes of cherry and some clay...light and gentle...ability to change and some playfulness.
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12/25/2013 - Wine Canuck wrote: 93 Points
This wine shows the ripeness of the vintage but is otherwise very pauillac in style. Nose is of dark fruit (cassis, blackberry, black cherry), all kinds of undergrowth, wet decaying leaves, tobacco, leather, cedar shavings, tar. Palate is certainly ripe, dense and dark fruited. Tannins are quite integrated without much in the way of acid. Nice fairly long dark plum skin finish. A little alcohol noted on the nose and finish but is not too high. Very nice wine.
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12/24/2013 - pepmi wrote: 92 Points
A superb wine. No hints yet of being over the hill. A good 10 years left in the drinking window. An integrated, balanced drinking experience.
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12/13/2013 - unionst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Into the 24th year and fresh as a daisy! Beautiful dark red color (still no bricking). The nose is a big stuffed bell pepper, some wet tobacco, leather, anise and cassis breaking through at the end. Lots of layers on the nose. Magnificent structure and balance on the palate - built layer upon layer. Red fruits, fruit cake, licorice root and a little vegetal on the finish.
I have drank this wine over the past 10 years and have the satisfaction of experiencing its evolution. I have 1 left and will save it for a while to get a last peek at this gracefully aging wine. Truly a world class wine.
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12/11/2013 - Javatrader wrote: 90 Points
Nose of lead pencil, chocolate, black pepper, black cherry, tobacco, blackberries
Black cherry and very earthy, still a zip on the edges, brooding tannins
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11/28/2013 - punter wrote: 94 Points
Forrest floor, stone and stale fruit nose on pour of a 3 decant. 20 minutes of glass time to open its coat of light oak, hard fruit and tannins to reveal velvet, rich but not deep fruit and some juiciness and smooth tannins. The dark ruby color really opened up after 2 hours of glass time to layered red and dark fruits and spice box with cinnamon and crème brulee notes - even better 2nd day. Outstanding bottle was overshadowed by the '89 LMHB and drank well regardless.
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11/23/2013 - CyroW wrote: 92 Points
Much less herbaceous aromatics... Much better than a couple of years ago in fact. Lovely.
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10/13/2013 - redders Likes this wine: 95 Points
fill well into neck. velvet red colour some maturity. Nose soared from glass. enticing seductive and very PL. weave of cedar and hint of mocha.
Rich velvety and mouthfilling. tannins in background holding structure. Sweet long finish just fading a little.delicious and ready.
Paired with Cos 1990 and loin of lamb
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9/20/2013 - Nutty08 wrote:
HDH '90 vs '00 BDX Comparative Tasting (Chicago, IL - Spiaggia): Scaled back compared to the Pichon Baron. More herbal with a leafy tobacco slightly green character. Palate slightly thinner than the PB, but maybe more complex. I think this is a step down from the PB, but I prefer the flavor profile. A-
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9/20/2013 - Javachip wrote: 96 Points
San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 9/20/2013 (The Westgate Room, Westgate Hotel): Clear medium garnet-blood ruby color. Bouquet of bright fresh red cherries, cigar tobacco, red currants, saddle leather. Similar on the palate, with beautiful balance, full body, long finish. Rich and sophisticated. Others remarked "classic Bordeaux -- screams Pauillac." My #1 tonight.
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8/14/2013 - Ron Slye wrote: 93 Points
Wonderfully pungent nose of fresh cedar, leather, spices, dark chocolate, with hints of pencil, licorice and violets. A bit closed at first on the palate. Cherries, pencil/graphite, plums. A bit closed still, with some nice, but not overpowering, tannins. A bit harsh on the finish. I think I like this more than the 89; Jen is the reverse.
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4/10/2013 - RayOB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank at the Boot & Flogger
See previous notes. This is a wonderfully mature classic claret with lots of great silky smooth tannins that will let it last many more years.
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3/9/2013 - Zazzaman Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a lovely mature Pichon from a good year with everything that I could wish for. A nose of cedar wood and blackcurrants, complex ripe tannins with no flavour predominating but hints of liquorice, smoke, cassis etc. Very long with prolonged finish. A joy and only affordable by buying early. WoFW 18/20
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2/24/2013 - Fatty Cat wrote: 91 Points
Rheingau Gourmet Festival "Weinraritätenlunch Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande" (12 PLC vintages), late Feb 2013, from a 0.375 L bottle: rubin red color; reductive nose: bread and red fruits, improved over time; nice, mild fruit acidity on the palate; medium body.
1-2 h decanting time would have beneficial.
1st flight: 1986 - 1988 - 1989 - 1990
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2/18/2013 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Showed some sweet earth, cedar, leather and mushroom and had a solid graphite spine.
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12/14/2012 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Battle between Pichon Baron, Pichon Comtesse and Lynch Bages. 11 TOP Vintages from 1982 - 2009 (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Beautiful and complex bouquet. Still fruit forward. On the palate a slightly sweet start, beautifully melted tannin. See also my previous note.
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12/8/2012 - Vinovine wrote:
- Ruby color with medium forming legs. aromas and flavor of ripe fruit and fresh cut mushroom.
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11/17/2012 - Li wrote:
Rubin med lett orange kant. Klassisk Bordeaux men litt vel fremtredende eik. God solbærfrukt, underskog, fin syre og balanserende tanniner. Bra vin som ikke er helt i mål enda.
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9/11/2012 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 89 Points
not a great showing for this wine, served out of 5L bottle (thanks kevin), maybe it was too early for this format, somewhat astringent and no fruit, tannins still present but not overwhelming... maybe it was my palate, most of the wines this night disappointed me
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9/7/2012 - Brook23 wrote: 89 Points
attractive earthy tobacco like bouquet. Palate, tobacco, cedar dominant -tannins still forward sophisticated wine, but a little lacking in fruit and body. Score < 90 given its price.
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7/28/2012 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux 1990 plus some extra's (@ VadM): Beautiful mature bouquet with sweet spices and beautiful perfumed oak with cedar, tobacco etc. On the palate juicy red fruits, good acidity and a little bit drying tannin in the finish. Certainly a beautiful wine, but a little bit disappointing considering its status. My score of 92 says it right; outstanding, but not extraordinary. Not sure about the future of this wine. Could be at its prime now…..How it will show in 5 years time…..could be more soft, but it could also have been falling apart by then….On the other hand...with a wine of this age, this just could be not a perfect bottle....
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7/16/2012 - sdwineguru wrote: 94 Points
Mid-dark garnet, amber edges. Earthy, terroir, mint, chocolate nose; mid-tannins, rich and ripe, some life left. W/tournedos.
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7/8/2012 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: 2001 CA cabs (Mike & Judi's): Crimson red color, dark, youthful core. Opens with notes of roasted red bell peppers, tobacco and a hint of barnyardy funk. Leather, cedar, red fruit and plum on the palate. Displays tobacco, cedar, cigar box and black fruit notes as it breathes, all with a nice earthy undertone. Black fruit, tobacco and earth on the palate with a lengthy finish. Much more impressive than previous bottles.
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6/20/2012 - chuckk Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enjoyed this at dinner. Decanted for ~1 hour before first tasting & enjoyed over next 1-2 hours. Had white asparagus soup & lamb with this wine which paired nicely.
Nice bouquet which came across as predominantly floral to me - violets & roses. A little light on the flavour profile for my taste but so silky and easy drinking. Medium & balanced tannins with silky smooth mouth feel & medium weight. Long finish. Not a big pichon but super classy. Drink now
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6/7/2012 - danielk168 wrote: 93 Points
The last bottle must have had heat damage or something because this one very great! if not for the 82, this would be my WOTN out of the 6.
Part of a 6 bottle vertical: 76, 82, 89, 90, 95, 98. No doubt a class above the other 5 bottles although 90 put on quite a show as well. Liked both these 2 vintages best. 89 had great aromatics but not as pleasing when drank. 76 was still enjoyable with some aromatics and very smooth palate. 95 still too young and powerful, need a long decant. 98 good aromatics but otherwise did not gave much.
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6/1/2012 - -E- wrote:
Bordeaux Søskenparsmaking (Moss, Norway): Fruktig nese med jordlige aromaer samt noe svidd gummi. Mørk og saftig frukt med lett syre. NR
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6/1/2012 - LWI wrote: 88 Points
Bordeaux Siblings (Moss, Norway): Some vegetal notes, surprisingly mixed with heat, some spice, and good length.
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5/13/2012 - FAA wrote: 90 Points
Still good color, and red fruit flavor. Improved as time went by.
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4/27/2012 - d'Artagnan wrote: 91 Points
Très joli nez de cèdre de boite a cigare, suave. La bouche est souple et à point, sans manquer de tonus. Il manque de concentration à mon goût mais la finale est d'une belle finesse. Ma perception de ce vin a beaucoup évolué pendant une heure...Je le trouvais en fait très mince au début et peu intéressant, ma note provisoire fut un faible 87 pts. Il m'a beaucoup étonné par la suite en développant une harmonie et en montrant un équilibre exemplaire, je lui trouvais de plus en plus de qualités et de finesse. Très Pauillac au nez, j'hésitais entre Pichon et Lynch mais le coté féminin est vraiment Pichon Lalande. Le doute subsistait en raison des critiques négatives de ce vin .....Il me semblait trop bon! 91 pts
Certes, il n'a pas la profondeur ni la concentration que ce millésime aurait du donner à ce cru. Mais c'est un vin qui fut injustement descendu par Parker. (79 pts???)
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4/23/2012 - AllRed wrote:
Dinner with Casey McClellan (Sue's): From magnum, not decanted. My first impression, with a couple of others in agreement, was that this was ever so slightly corked. I revisited this briefly toward the end of the evening, and detected the herb, red fruit and roasted bell pepper tones I had expected. Still seemed slightly off though; clipped finish and thin.
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4/21/2012 - Radboy wrote: 93 Points
Last bottle of this nice wine. After having tasted a half case of this one, I think it is ultimately a subtle wine that tastes much better at the three hour mark. Nothing super special at first, it seemed to get increasingly more sophisticated during the last hour of swilling. Yet, I would not purchase anymore as there are just too many more intrigung choices out there.
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4/17/2012 - RayOB wrote: 92 Points
Drank at Davies
Funky nose with cassis, tar and smoke
Silky smooth, sweet with a slight tang
Medium length
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3/20/2012 - RayOB wrote: 94 Points
Drank at Davies
Had to go back and try this again. It takes a while to open up but then it really is something special. Yes there is a slight fading of the high notes but it is still wonderfully complex.
See previous note.
Drink 'em up if you have 'em especially if you have an English Palate
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2/29/2012 - Cellar Dweller wrote:
Taken to SxSwine14, 3/10/12
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2/11/2012 - jlgnml wrote: 97 Points
Magnums at EL Restaurant (EL Restaurant, Chicago, IL): En magnum. Heavy, fragrant, perfumed flowery, full throttle bordeaux. peppery classic. Decanted for several hours and still huge.
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1/25/2012 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
89/90 Bordeaux Retrospective with Hart Davis Hart: My second time with this recently and this pretty much showed the same. A fair amount of controversy with this one and I'm not sure I see why some people are so violently against this wine. True, it's a bit of a disappointment given what Pichon can do in great vintages, but despite its relative lack of elegance and the floral force you can usually expect, it's still a wine I like. Leathery, pencil-lead, red fruited, and yes a bit herbaceous, but still lovely by my lights. I suppose I fall into the British camp on this one.
4+
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1/6/2012 - jsander wrote: 98 Points
This was WOTN in a tasting with some very fine grape juice in competition with it. Really singing right now, big spicy nose, big old bordeaux on the pallet and a finish that goes on for 30 seconds or more. Comfort wine.
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12/25/2011 - rojoloco wrote: 91 Points
Upon opening the first night, I could see why Parker panned the wine. There was little or no taste, like red water. But I pumped it off and found it much, much better the second night. About a 90 point wine. Now on the third day, after a few minutes in the glass, the last few ounces are lovely. It is lighter than other vintages to be sure, and not as tasty as the off year of 1994, but this is actually quite a lovely wine. I suggest opening hours before to let it put on some weight. Color is good. No bricking in my bottle. Do not despair. It just needs a little coaxing.
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12/16/2011 - bon vivant wrote:
Simple night: Grass fed Angus Prime and 2 great 1990's (Angelus). Once again this made me wonder why is this getting no respect? A fab bottle -while it is unquestionably on the "light" side for a PLL it is just a silky gorgeous bottle of Bordeaux. In the wheel house tonight after 6hrs slow ox and quick decant. Great stuff.
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12/4/2011 - Tight Lines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Showed more complexity than the prior bottle - a nice mature Bordeaux.
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11/27/2011 - WetRock wrote:
EWG Dealer's Choice (A/K/A Bistro, Pasadena, CA): Terrific classic Bordeaux nose of tobacco and green peppers with some sweet florals thrown in. Nicely balanced with medium tannin still hanging around. Clean character. The caveat would be that this was somewhat thin surprisingly. It left it very light bodied for a Bordeaux. That would make me say drink now. I tracked this in my glass for over an hour with consistent results. Good.
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11/25/2011 - plitton wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Continues to drink well. Lots of olives and earthiness. Hits the sweet spot of what aged Bordeaux is all about. Drink through 2015.
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11/20/2011 - RKatzDO wrote:
Wet cork, great fill. Great nose, but off pallate.
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11/19/2011 - guile wrote: 94 Points
Garnet ruby color, very lovely nose of pencil lead, red fruit, leather and earth. Sweet on the attack and throughout the midpalate. Cherry comes through along with cocoa and tobacco, tannins are resolved and don't interfere. 30+seconds finish. Excellent bottle
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11/5/2011 - pmravens wrote: 91 Points
Blind versus STs, Bordeaux & cali cabs. Reserved, but nice fruit. With a little time in the glass got the flavors that I would expect (this was after decanting).
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10/31/2011 - dbermanmd wrote: 95 Points
Great bottle of wine.
Great color, excellent nose. You knew you were in for a treat and the first sip did not disappoint. great balance. Earth, fruit, all accompanied by a well balanced tannin spine.
Just a great bottle of wine with lots of life left in it.
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10/17/2011 - Cantora wrote: 95 Points
A gorgeous wine. It has a beautiful clear color. The nose smells of herbs and earth. As much as I would love to have my nose in it all day, taste is something else. The palate is complex and full-bodied. Strong flavor of green pepper and leather with blackberry fruit as well as hints of tobacco. Silky smooth with a wonderfully long smoky finish. Would love to be able to have again.
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10/15/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
The Big Bordeaux Redux: 1986, 1990, 1995 and 1998 (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Very dark red.purple color. Decanted 6.5 to 7 hours and drank over 2+ hours. WOW, this was absolutely glorious from the start. The nose is outstanding and has lavendar, garrigue, and fresh herbs, subtle wood, lots of graphite, sweet creme de cassis and blackberry. The palate just wows you, lush and vibrant with soft velvety tannins that envelope the mouth. Black fruits, ripe blackberry and cassis, herbs, graphite and cedar and subtle tobacco. Massive finsih, 60sec plus. This wine has it all, layers of complexity, power, but oh so elegant. My WOTN and group WOTN with 5 of 7 first place votes and two 2nd place votes.
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10/15/2011 - djdaqm wrote: 93 Points
I agree with many of the recent reviews on this wine. I set the bottle upright the night before to let the sediment settle, which worked well. Super clear wine with a volatile look and bricked ruby color. The cork was very long and just starting to show signs of light seepage. Smells are all Pauillac with tobacco and autumn leaves--very contemplative. Thin mouth feel with nice balance of acidity, mild fruit, and pencil. Touch of mild bitterness and vegetables that were well integrated due to the age (maybe what turned RP off when it was young). Nice smoky finish.
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10/14/2011 - gbardy wrote: 93 Points
I bought this at auction. Cork was wet and came out fine. Initially, at first opening, the wine was unimpressive. I did not decant but just poured from the bottle. The color was burgundy and the bouquet good but undistinctive. By 30 minutes, there were no tannins and it tasted like a mild pinot. By 1 hour, however, it became more interesting. A faint chocolate but mostly cherry with a bit of pepper and a refined taste. I think this is a repeat if drunk soon but I am not sure how well it would age from this point forward after 21 years.
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10/2/2011 - RayOB wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Davies
Red currants and wood with heavy smoke overtones. Nice and smooth with a lot of power and depth.
Lalande really is a wonderful St Julien that competes with it's brother each year. The last twenty years is amazing to see which one is best.
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9/18/2011 - deverett wrote: 91 Points
Wasn't sure what to expect here but this was in terrific shape. Initially a very strong nose of cedar and cigar box which settled down with some time in the decanter. Quite a complex palate showing cassis, dried herbs and cured meats and with a silky and nicely integrated texture. Fully mature but still has the legs to continue on.
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9/5/2011 - Tgood wrote: 91 Points
Someone at PL really pissed RP off; the 79 score is below what he gives for plonk most of us would not even cook with. I found the wine a very good example of the genre if lacking a bit in power vis-a-vis its 1990 Bdx brethern. The wine on this night at least from this well-stored bottle had tobacco leaf, leather, and black and blue fruits on the nose; and then again on the palate spread on a nice bed of polymerized tannins stretching the good stuff out a bit. I would like to see this wine inserted blindly with a host of other 1990's of lesser pedigree that were awarded 90+ scores. It may be a tier below the upper crust (where it should be and routinely is) but the 79 slam is unjust.
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9/2/2011 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Filling in w/the Friday Brown Bag Group (Rich & Dana's): Garnet core, light edge. Initial aromas of rose petals, red berries, currants, graphite and roasted herbs. Develops a more prominent graphite quality and maintains a nice earthy undertone. Balanced, and fully-integrated at this stage, with flavors of red currants, plum and herbs. Medium finish. Very nice, and didn't show the thinness I tasted before in previous bottles.
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8/20/2011 - englishman's claret wrote:
From 375; a hint of seepage out the edge of the cork. Mature, brick disc and a deep robe. Beautiful nose of pencil lead, dark fruit, and a bit of barnyard. Just classic left bank. If the nose is a hair simple, the palate makes up for it. The same notes, but throw in a bit more density of fruit and some really nice minerality. A medium body, which you hardly see in a good year anymore, but which is fine by me. The tannin and acidity are appropriate for the weight.
Just a really well put together, classic wine. An Englishman's Claret! Not Parker's style, I'll grant you, I can't come close to agreeing with his score. That said, a bit of autumn leaf on the finish suggests that these need drinking soon to be still be had in their prime. This wine is overall more lean than the '82, more pencil and less floral (than even the '97 actually) - more in the '88 vein. An interesting intellectual comparison as always, but also so nice to just slide back in your seat with a glass of PL. Life's good.
4.5/5
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8/7/2011 - gregg g wrote:
Apparently, Bobo rated this 79, so I'm told. While I don't think it's a blockbuster, it is a nice wine and easily better than his note indicates. I should note that Bordeaux is not really my thing, but I do enjoy it occasionally. Pretty nose of tobacco, herbs, plums and graphite. There is a touch of green/steminess, but I find this enhances the flavors rather than deters. The palate is rich with some tannins left to resolve. It seems a bit more polished than I prefer, nevertheless, I'd happily drink this wine again. Paired with Flannery hangar steak and Mediterranean pasta salad.
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7/30/2011 - slmckenney wrote:
very disappointing bottle - consumed at Christmas and ended up dumping most of it - very antiseptic smell and acrid, acidic taste. I have several others left, and little time to drink them but will keep my fingers crossed.
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7/20/2011 - Alex H wrote: 88 Points
Fresh flowrals with leathers. Delicious fresh dainty but refreshing currant fruits. Delish
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7/10/2011 - tomandlu wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours (and kept in the fridge). Cork was saturated to the top but no signs of leaking. Lovely transparent blood-red color with a hint of brown at the rim. Soaring nose of tobacco, cedar, dried currants, Asian spices, and ripe plums. Noted it as very Bordeaux but not very Pichon. Good enough on the palate but not equal to the nose. Some ripe fruit hidden under a rather green-ish tartness. Nothing out of place or out of balance though and, in hindsight, this was simply stunning with food. I expected more depth on the palate. Made a wonderful foil for rabbit braised in fresh porcini and thyme.
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7/8/2011 - Mingmong wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful bouquet of earth and barnyard. Array of blueberries, tobacco and cassis. Excellent balance and elegance. Drinking wonderfully now.
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7/8/2011 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Oh What a Night! aka Kelvin's Stag Party (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): Good stuff. This was another wine that we all picked out as a Pauillac, but we could not quite place either the vintage or the maker somehow. It certainly had a lovely maturing Pauillac nose, with notes of tobacco leaf and cigar smoke, a whiff of undergrowth and a nice amount of sweet cassis. Very nice indeed. The palate belied the usual bigness of the vintage though. This was not quite a powerful wine. Instead, it was clean, fresh and almost high-toned in its juicy cassis and dark berry flavours. These were met with a munch of tobacco leaf on the midpalate and then a curl of smokiness at the decently long finish, all wrapped in silky tannins and held in lovely balance. Still young, really fresh, but this was a very pleasurable wine with every part in the right place. Not a Lalande for the ages I would say, but it certainly did not merit the 79 points from Parker all those years back.
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6/26/2011 - Night wrote:
- Garnet color with medium forming legs and aromas of tea and has flavours of mushroom and oak.
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6/19/2011 - Haltermr wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful nose and with fresh and lovely texture; a stunning showing. I've completely maligned this wine over the years. Here I was just naive and drinking it too young.
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6/18/2011 - bon vivant wrote:
Rick H had this decanting for about 2 hrs, and back in the bottle it went as the aromatics were just sublime. This bottle did not disappoint - a classic showing for Lalande with silky texture and good balance and length. Makes you wonder why this was so controversial. No official TN's but this bottle rocked.
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6/12/2011 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Sweet on the nose with a suggestion of raspberries, liquorice and cedar. It’s mid-weight, nicely balanced in the mouth and quite elegant.
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5/28/2011 - stiang wrote: 91 Points
Maskulin nese, stall, litt tung. Blåser av etter et par minutter i glasset. Klassisk, glatt, lang, sedertre og solbær. Noe tobakk og vanilje. Meget elegant.
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5/8/2011 - fandj wrote: 95 Points
Wow, what a beauty. Opened for mother's day dinner, with a beautiful painted hills rib roast. This was absolutely drinking beautifully , great nose, full on the palate, still a great finish. So sad we only have one bottle left.
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4/27/2011 - jlgnml wrote: 94 Points
Les Degustateurs (SPROUT Chicago IL): Bordeaux nose, great color, good depth, full on the palate.
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4/14/2011 - GlöckliWein wrote: 94 Points
What a CHOCOLATA !° great mouthfilling great WINE !
at the beginning, after screwing the cork, it opens up very quick, but WOW ! After 3-6 hours
having sipping on this smooth silky old school WINE ..... and on the next DAY ! after absorbing , aeration of 18 hours- WOW it opens up the way
you wont let any others taste and nipp on your glass ! !!!
at the meantime it remembers me
of teh MARGAUX MEDOW... like Palmer 1991,.... but in addition... very sexy... good lenght... more than the Palmer 1991
and in comparison to old Wines I like . (Clerc Milon 1990 - very simular )BUT in Addition so much more Lenght - the LENGHT is overwhelming.!!!
.. Like a really good beloved horse which will win the race becaus e of its rafinesse, power, and Experience !
tasting: truffels, chocolate, sweet and harmonious, grip, and accacia Flowers- spring Floral Bouquet ! OVERWHELMING °°°°
an very extraordinary WINE ! 94/ from 100 % so almost over the TOP ! !!
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4/10/2011 - SteelerFan wrote: 92 Points
Very smooth, well-integrated tannins. Medium body with tar, tobacco and cassis. Muted nose in comparison to fruit and body. Popped and poured. Very enjoyable and drinking well.
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4/4/2011 - Hazeo wrote:
I was very much looking forward to this but it was a little disappointing. Does not seem flawed in any perceptible way but just rather muted and unexpressive. The palette does have some nice dark fruit, cassis and an elegant texture but complexity is missing. Perhaps a bad bottle?
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3/26/2011 - RKatzDO wrote: 95 Points
Wow. Up there for WOTN above 4 vintages of Leoville Las Caes and Lafite. Perfect timing on this one. 30-60 minute decant, min sediment. Bring it to somewhere special.
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3/11/2011 - RKatzDO wrote:
Excellent bottle! Nothing wrong here.
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3/6/2011 - Radboy wrote: 94 Points
Excellent wine that has subtle yet sophisticated tannins. Medium bodied, we found the soft cherry and mushroom fruit to be more tender then we are accustomed to and it drank better by itself then with our dinner. It continued to improve throughout the evening and approached being spectacular after 3 hours of being open. Tasty!
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2/6/2011 - Sailquik wrote: 93 Points
Bright ruby red with a hint of terracotta, this wine is ready to drink now. Nice nose with vanilla, cassis, raspberries gives way to strawberries and pencil lead on the palate. With silky tannins, crisp acidity and light-ish body, this reminds me a little of a good burgundy. Not typical, but very good nonetheless.
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12/26/2010 - dougie wrote: 92 Points
A beautiful, aged bordeaux. No green meanies at all. Full bodied and wonderful cigar box.
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12/25/2010 - Hanover wrote: 84 Points
Seems like a curiously inconsistent vintage for Pichon. This one did not make the grade. Still a young color, soft on the palate. a short tobacco finish. An aging Bordeaux, but not exciting in any way.
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12/23/2010 - paulst wrote: 93 Points
Smooth earthy light blackberry with sweet long tannins.
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12/17/2010 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
18-bottle Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Vertical (1976-2007) (Jeff & Chuck's, Mountain View, California): Drinking very well right now, but somehow didn't meet my expectations of the vintage. Tannins fully integrated.
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12/4/2010 - pll4 wrote: 89 Points
Double decanted and opened up nicely over the course of dinner...a mature wine now and I wouldn't wait on the others if I still had them. Rather one dimensional on the nose but the inherent sweetness in the mouth that only mature bordeaux can do right...
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11/27/2010 - danielk168 wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 2 hours, very weak nose with little scent left, bottle did not seem to be flawed and was kept in a good wine fridge. Body was too light to my liking. Perhaps the real problem was we also had a great bottle of 83 Palmer side by side?
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11/15/2010 - DonWinspear wrote: 84 Points
Decanted 3 hours prior to tasting. The nose for this bottle was decent. Nice oak, musk, cassis, currant. But the palate for this wine is disappointing, especially for a chateau of this caliber. There is little body, no complexity. I would classify the wine as shrill. None of the visceral experience one might expect from a 20 year old grand cru.
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11/5/2010 - sooper65 wrote: 93 Points
with Yealland & Co at Cafe Anglais
MAGNUM: have had this on numerous occasions and it has never failed to deliver - okay, it is very soft, mid-weight and elegant, more Burgundian that Bordeaux, but the fact is, it is delicious ripe supple Pauillac; plenty of pencil lead, ripe fine tannins, good juice and extremely moorish. Balance good too, a great drink NOW. No need for any more cellaring, this is at its peak. Drink it now, everyone (should it be in your cellar)!
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10/28/2010 - RSSmith wrote: 94 Points
excellent wine, one of the few Parker misses. 94 points
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10/23/2010 - SteveHoch wrote: 92 Points
great bordeaux nose of lead pencil , graphite, with a little barnyard. Also some very nice dark fruit. Deep ruby in color, no visible signs of aging along the edge. initially a little tight and astringent on the finnish but after an hour in the glass, it was showing beautifully.
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10/12/2010 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 90 Points
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Vertical Dinner (The Marine Room, La Jolla, California): Deep red/garnet. The bouquet is quite intense, with black olive, cocoa, red cherry, mint and cigar box aromas. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with melted tannins and a silky mouth texture. The flavors mirror the nose and the middle palate is solid. Medium-to-long, smooth finish. Although this wine has always had an herbal edge, it is still drinking well. Bottles which are well-cellared should hold up for another 5-7 years. Drink now-12/17.
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9/29/2010 - SimonG wrote:
Ledbury with B&A and R&Y (The Ledbury, London): A less expressive nose than the 89 with a touch of greenness. Similar on palate with blackcurrant fruit and pencil lead, but a polyester rather than silky texture and a clipped slightly dilute finish. Blind this would seem a decent effort from a middling Chateau in a slightly difficult, possibly wet year. So yes, it is weak for what it is (or should be), but it's still a decent and enjoyable wine that went well with the lamb. Top ***, possibly ***1/2 with a tail wind.
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7/31/2010 - cgrimes wrote: 94 Points
Ruby color. Classic mature nose of blackberry, cassis, pencil shavings, leather. Similar on the palate with some tobacco, stones. Tannins are soft. This is definitely a lighter-style left bank wine, but it was very elegant, well-balanced, and lovely.
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7/1/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 88 Points
Ruby with light tea coloring at the edges, the perfume offersd, cassis, spice, olive and herbal aromas. Medium bodied, this lighter style of Pichon ends with soft, cherry and strawberry flavors.
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6/20/2010 - ekirby wrote: 93 Points
I should have written my notes while I was drinking this wonderful bottle. This is drinking very well right now. Still fresh fruit balanced and integrated with aged flavors of saddle leather and spices.
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6/18/2010 - blanquito wrote: 85 Points
1980s Bordeaux; 6/18/2010-6/20/2010: My first try of this wine, and I can understand the perplexed reactions. Weird, sour, green, fleshy, tart, with sweetness then kicking in, but surprisingly substantial glycerin, but no integration of the components. Not bad, but unusual and it suffers in this exulted company of '90's Bordeaux.
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6/12/2010 - Tight Lines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking nicely. Great example of a mature Bordeaux.
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5/22/2010 - 60ouvrees wrote:
Very elegant and perfumed. Drinking really well right now.
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5/5/2010 - wineismylife Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dallas 2nd Wednesday Group - May 2010 (SteveW's house in North Dallas): WIML93
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of thistle, cigar box, black cherries, spices, melted black licorice and a bit of perfume. Flavors of black cherries, black berries, dark plums and a hint of black currants. Medium to bright acidity, medium tannins and body. Drink now with some air or continue to hold. Almost there.
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4/17/2010 - bigdogflow wrote: flawed
Clive Coates Dinner 2010 (Dashiell House, San Antonio): Flawed bottle. Very "off" flavor. Extremely disappointing.
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3/23/2010 - ed-d wrote: 87 Points
Tasted blind. Earthy & a bit stinky on the nose. Light, leathery flavors with gripping tannin. Light on its feet with good sweetness. OK.
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2/28/2010 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Garnet color. Notes of tobacco, spice box, roasted herbs and fruit. On the palate, flavors of red currant and roasted herbs are evident. This has a terrific nose and attack, but there is a thinness in the midpalate and finish. 90-92 pts.
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2/6/2010 - dougie wrote: 92 Points
Amazing fruit. Excellent flavors.
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1/31/2010 - airbourneone wrote: 92 Points
Medium ruby color with crushed violet, tobacco aromas. Tannins are ultra-smooth in this wine have really softened since the last bottle was opened some time ago. Decanted over a two hour period. Given its age it's still showing nice fruit and depth however it clearly peaked a few years ago.
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1/30/2010 - KSWinegeek wrote: 91 Points
Heavy tobacco on nose and palate. Some plum and herbal/ vegetative qualities to the finish. Tannins were relaxed. While drinking nicely now, this wine might be on the decline. Originally purchased a 1/2 case, this is my last bottle.
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1/1/2010 - BURG-ARESCO wrote: 84 Points
Smell - Only hints of black fruit, saddle, clove even 2+ hours after opening; Taste - one dimension of black fruit and spices; short, stewed finish. The color was fine; this wine just wasn't very good.
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1/1/2010 - johnecase wrote: 86 Points
This was my first taste of this wine. It wasn't corked or flawed, just bland. The color was pretty youthful so I don't believe the wine was peaked. And, I had let the bottle sit in room temps for about a day to get it warmed up, But despite that, there was much less fruit and a much shorter finish than I expected, especially given other reviews on this board. We decanted for about 45 mins before we had a sip and then drank over 2 hours on new years eve with crab cakes and a pancetta and noodle stew. Both foods were rich enough to bring something out of the wine but it was just underwhelming. We have a few more bottles; I am hoping the next one is the 95 pointer referenced by others...
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12/24/2009 - gorm wrote: 95 Points
A round up of notes from november and december; 10/31/2009-1/2/2010: Bottle variation!? This is my first bottle of this and have to say that for this bottle the 79 RP rating doesn't make any sense... It was dark red - looked very young. It has a massive nose of pure dark blackcurrants, pine needle (is this what RP calls green) and some sweetness. In the mouth the fruit appers very young. Also there is fine tannins and a long aftertaste. Seems to me like a delicious wine with a long life ahead of it. My sister-in-law brought this and I drank it unaware of the low RP rating. It was christmas eve and my judgment might have been clouded, but I still cannot understand that this should be 79p with all of those mediocre cabs getting 85-90p all the time...
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12/21/2009 - SimonG wrote:
Keith's Christmas Ledbury Bash (The Ledbury, London): Lighter than the 88 Baron. Deep ruby. Lovely nose, velvety fruit and a touch of tobacco. A floaty, ethereal quality to the nose. Light for the vintage and lightens further in the glass though the fruit rounds out and becomes really quite sweet. Very pleasing and pretty wine though lacks complexity and a bit of stuffing. Finishes a little dilute. Top ***
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10/9/2009 - THA wrote: 95 Points
What a treat. Wine of the night at a Bordeaux tasting across regions and vintages (which included Mouton, Las Cases, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, Ducru, Lafluer, et. al.). Classic in every sense. Sweet cedar and tobacco expressive of Pauillac. A wine made for the second, third, fourth ... glass.
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8/21/2009 - RussK wrote: 94 Points
RUSSK My favorite from the "Great Bottles" WW tasting. Great balance. Complex nose. Great ambassador for older Bordeaux.
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8/11/2009 - SteveHoch wrote: 92 Points
beautiful expression of bordeaux.. great nose of dark fruit , leather etc. great balance, nicely intergrated tannins and fruit
drinking very well
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8/8/2009 - plitton wrote: 94 Points
Euchre: Popped and poured, I didn't like. It was a mid-80s score of vegetal, green and disjointed experiences. The bottle wasn't finished so it was corked and put in the fridge. I forgot about it and then opened 3 days later. Everything unpleasant about had evaporated leaving a wonderfully round, soft wine, medium body with great fruit/acid balance. Complete harmony.
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7/25/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 95 Points
Phil's MONUMENTAL 33rd Birthday Wine Tasting (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Brighter riper fruit than expected. Play of purple flowers on dusty leather.
Lots of life in this bottle.
Wonderful depth and purity. Clean and well defined terroir.
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7/25/2009 - psmith wrote:
Birthday Weekend; 7/23/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicagoland): Delicate, soft, with a significant merlot influence and green tobacco notes. Fine structure. Have never understood the controversy with this wine; I find it consistently very nice.
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6/22/2009 - JimHow wrote: 82 Points
After drinking this wine last night along with the other PLL vintages, there is zero doubt in my mind that this is a flawed vintaged for Pichon Lalande. I'd concluded that in the past when I'd had this wine by itself, but last night the problems with this wine just screamed out. Just nothing of interest there. It tasted like a $15 California supermarket cab. We expect more from this estate in this vintage. It is not as bad as the 79 rating that Parker gave it. I'll give it an 82.
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5/18/2009 - jaga wrote: 95 Points
Dinner at Richard B's: This bottle was pulled from an excellent cellar, which perhaps makes a difference for this very controversial wine. Our vote was uniformly in the positive, and strongly so camp. This was delicous, aged claret drinking at full peak conditions.
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3/15/2009 - 2loyal wrote: 93 Points
I hate to say it, but I have to go with Laube over Parker on this intensely debated wine (I'd be tempted to attribute such a bi-polar dispute to bottle variation, but I believe that both have repeated their tastings and conclusions multiple times). In any case, we just pulled the cork and gently poured the wine into some nice stems (no decanting), and drank away with some tasty flank steak. No fruit bomb here, but a very well balanced, pretty wine, with plenty of classic Bordeaux flavors and aromas. I'm generally more of a New World guy, but this was exactly what I'd expect and hope for from a well-aged, top notch Bordeaux.
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2/26/2009 - tahava wrote: 91 Points
Light colour, smoke, sweet berries on the nose. Opened up slowly in the glass. Good balance, much better wine than I expected. Fine claret, probably peaking at the moment.
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2/6/2009 - G SQUARED wrote: 93 Points
This was good right out of the bottle, too cold to drink or not. Lush tannins, lead pencil nose, steely and precise. Lovely.
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1/8/2009 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Thursday at Heidi's: I'm a huge fan of Pichon Lalande and this was a major disappointment. The nose possessed some mild, nondescript aromas that bore no resemblance to previous bottles of Pichon Lalande. In the mouth there was a pleasing texture and balance, but no flavors to speak of. Weird.
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1/8/2009 - Siggy wrote: 80 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Bordeaux at Heidi's (Heidi's, Minneapolis): This wine lived up to its low expectations. Interesting nose of coffee, smoke, and dark cherries, but the palate is flat and short. Not overtly offensive, just boring.
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1/8/2009 - BradE wrote:
Very weak. Okay on the nose, but a total lack of palate. Avoid.
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12/25/2008 - jsander wrote: 93 Points
Seriously, not sure were the decline comments are coming from this bottle is in peak form. Classic Pauillac nose of lead pencil, cedar and tobacco. Nice and spicy pepper on the finish.
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12/17/2008 - Rupert wrote: 87 Points
31 Vintages of Pichon Lalande 1928-2005; 12/16/2008-12/17/2008 (IOD, London): Old, herbal nose, cedary fruit, grainy tannin - like a very traditional claret well on way downhill
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12/6/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: 88 Points
apparently, per others, a decent example, but this wine had absolutely no soul even if the fruit showed some good secondary nuances of tobacco and leather.
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11/22/2008 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
One of our members described the wine as ‘having a mob of sheep running through it’ referring to the fair whack of brett it was carrying. There were elements of tar, meat and iron adding complexity. In the mouth it was sweet, vinous and nicely textured with decent length and focus.
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11/20/2008 - johnwine wrote: 91 Points
This wine last evening was spectacular. Parker is totally wrong about it. The color was a shimmering garnet. The nose was filled with scents of roses, cherries and cherry tart. The taste was intense and complex with flavors of red cherry, bing cherry, cassis and currants with some earthy mushrooms.
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10/11/2008 - Ltim BE wrote:
Mmmm, difficult to say. It was either flawed or over the top. The last bottle (Feb this year) we had of this one was much beter. It almost felt like this one was corked.....difficult to judge.
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8/6/2008 - WineLover26 wrote: 87 Points
Drinkable. musty. weak tannins. Definitely past its peak.
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7/27/2008 - pll4 wrote: 90 Points
this wine may be a bit green, but it is subtle and there is some nice underlying material...especially after 18 years...this wine gets a bad rap b/c of one man
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7/20/2008 - jsander wrote: 92 Points
After a few disappointing bottles over the years this wine is starting to come out and play with the big boys. Classic Bordeaux taste, nice nose, great finish. Tried this a year ago and it was not good, thought I might have missed the window and the wine was in decline. Wrong... it was just in a closed period. If you have some of theses beauties in the cellar time to give it a try.
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7/12/2008 - Winevestor wrote: 91 Points
This is showing beautifully, and better than when I had it a couple of months ago. A mix of pepper and dark fruit on the nose. On the palette, mature classi bordeaux. It is perfumed, and subtle. I would agree that it is not overl complex. Because of the controversial scoring on this wine, it is readily available and cheap (in comparison to its peers). Go and buy it!
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6/2/2008 - Winevestor wrote: 88 Points
A well-known controversial wine. The nose was terrfic - layers of leather, healthy vegetal tinge and smoky fruit. But when you taste it becomes a simple singular wine. It is light, drinking well, it has another ten years left. But it is like a simple young Cru Bourgeois, a disappointment from this producer in this vintage. However Parker with his 79 rating is just trying to make a point!
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5/31/2008 - vpoms wrote: 91 Points
Medium body, nice dark color, very smooth drinking wine
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5/12/2008 - Ricky99 wrote: 92 Points
Next to a 90 Haut Brion. This was a more feminine soft style but really beautiful on the nose and on the palette
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2/21/2008 - GA wrote: 88 Points
2/08 Dark ruby - medium-bodied - a bit flat and mundane - good dinner wine. 88pts.
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2/20/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 78 Points
Pichon-Lalande Vertical (Harry's Steak): Very nice aroma, sweet cocoa with a meaty funk - one of the most interesting wines in the lineup to sniff. On the palate, much more difficult. It is extremely structured with the material between the walls a bit sparse - almost watery, even - and marred by an odd tomato flavor. Maybe it will turn out pleasant one day, but it seems just as likely to completely hollow out.
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2/16/2008 - Ltim BE wrote: 90 Points
Lovely classical Pauillac. Earthy nose, animal notes with a touch of dates and figs. I like it.
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12/24/2007 - fandj wrote: 90 Points
A classic Paulliac
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12/13/2007 - KeithAkers wrote: 88 Points
HDH bordeaux tasting (evanston IL): nice solid bricking on this
nose: lots of cedar and leather with slight hints of cranberry
taste: a bit thin on the mouth. getting mostly cedar and leather
overall: decent. it brings some solid flavors but doesn't have that finesse that LaLande is known for. a bit hollow
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11/18/2007 - SoCal wrote: 87 Points
Had this at Gerard Bensson in Paris. The nose was earth shaking but unfortunalty that was the best part. During the 3 hour dinner the wine never seemed to open. It was good and with the food it sang but it was not worth the price. A disapointment considering the vintage. There are better wines for the money.
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10/7/2007 - Tad GW wrote: 85 Points
This wine had a rich garnet color with brick colored tones; it was quite brick orange at the rim. The nose had leather, lead pencil, incense scents that later muted into sulphuric aromas like in a just extinguished match. It was very tannic and the more you tasted it the greener the tannins tasted. There were also tastes of dark red fruits. Overall this was much better than I was lead to believe from Robt. Parker's last tasting note on this wine but his note did resonate in glass of wine I drank.
50+5+10+14+ 6=85
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7/23/2007 - JacksonLee wrote: 93 Points
I know this has been a controversal wine, but we opened last night and it was singing! Traditional Bordeaux nose of tobacco, cigar. More tobacco in the mouth, perhaps a little bit green but not offputting at all. Very smooth, completely resolved tannins. Finish is not super-long or lush, but great flavors that I love from Pauillac!
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5/13/2007 - bevetroppo wrote: 92 Points
This is a top flight Pauillac in peak form. Garnet color with a little browning toward the rim. I should have decanted it in advance but I didn't have time so I poured into a ship's decanter and swirled it gently. Classic Pauillac nose of lead pencil, cedar and tobacco. Elegant but yet plenty of stuffing. Cassis fruit just a tad on the light side makes me wonder if it's starting to lose its edge, but there's no mistaking the pedigree here. There's an appealingly lean quality to it, nothing amped or overstated.
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5/1/2007 - dant wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours--good nose. floral, lead, cassis mouth.
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12/23/2006 - teekayfl wrote: 88 Points
Bottle in perfect condition, acquired at auction in 1998. Tasted over 3 hours after an hou out of cellar poured directly into glass. Clear ruby with substantial clearing at the rim, some slight bricking at transition zone. Nose of red fruits and tobacco, hints of cedar box. Palate very delicate; tannins not detectable, very soft mouth feel with minimal apparent acidity......I suspect a very high pH. Red fruits and tobacco again, maybe a faint top note of cassis. Finish is relatively short but gradual so not jarring despite the length.
This has been a very controversial wine even prior to bottling. It clearly does not perform at a "Super Second" level in this very good vintage. I also do not see any potential up-side based on showing tonight. I would not buy this wine again except at "fire sale" pricing.......maybe not then. 3 bottles left, will consume all in next 12 months to free rack space.
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12/17/2006 - Sommelier81 wrote: 94 Points
Ruby red with a light clearing on the rim. Huge aromatics from the get-go with notes of dark forest fruits, green peppar, licorice, cigarbox and pencil shavings. The wine has a very enjoyable mouthfeel of soft and nuanced character, polished tannins, and a long finish. Flavors of dark fruits, green peppar, licorice and tobacco. A very nice Pichon Lalande and way better than what parker rated it, but to me it lacks some of the sexy characters of the 89´. 94 pts.
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11/11/2006 - Dulcie and Aylwin wrote:
Other TNs on this wine offer a rather negative view with which I have to disagree. We did not detect the vegetal nose described by others but rather a very elegant bouquet of cedar/cigar box. Clear garnet red, the wine was an epitome of lean refinement, not overstated in any way, but affording a subtle cherry tinged, balanced, lingering example of what claret is. A stark contrast to the modern fashion of the new world Shiraz.
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11/3/2006 - vintage72 wrote: 84 Points
Vegetal and boring. Lousy QPR. Drank in Galena with stuffed pork chops.
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9/8/2006 - Eric wrote: 85 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does Bordeaux 1990 and older (Issaquah, WA): A weedy, nasty nose, slightly burned smelling. The palate is pleasant, albeit dilute. This wine is not an utter disaster, but given the vintage and the producer it's a real shame.
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9/8/2006 - michaelgor wrote: 85 Points
This bottle was opened without decanting, in light of previous notes that it fades rapidly. Although the wine has quite a vegetal nose as in the original WA review.. its palate is pleasant with some cigar, dark fruit notes.. integrated tanins and a short finish.. indeed, after 2 hours the wine had faded..
tasted with 5 others with similar observations.. a plesant wine for drinking now..more in the mid 80’s rating by all
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7/7/2006 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 95 Points
I cannot believe all of the bad scores for this wine. I wonder if there were multiple batches made? I had this at my favorite restaurant in NC so I was in a good mood and atmosphere.
This wine was tremendous from the first taste. Nice dark ruby color, and typical Pauillac/Lalande nose of cassis liquor, dark currant. Quite ripe, and rounded and decadent, and long in the mouth. I would like to taste again and see if this decadent roundness was what some are calling lack of soul. I am positive this bottle was very good.
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7/3/2006 - tcb215 wrote: 85 Points
Tasting ok upon opening. However, heads south within a matter of a couple of hours.
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4/14/2006 - sbwino wrote: 92 Points
Cedar, Earth and very open fruit. Drinking well right now, and will hold for 4-5 yrs+.
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12/18/2005 - BigTurtle wrote: 88 Points
Cigar, tobacco leaves, earthy.
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11/20/2005 - Ben Andersen wrote:
BLIND 1995 Bordeaux etc...: Served BLIND. My second favorite wine of the flight (after the '95 Pichon Lalande). Earthy, fairly wide open and expressive. Reddish fruit, tobacco, dirt, spice. Long finish. Nice balance. This seems older than 1995 (the "theme" for the tasting)...
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11/14/2005 - MRichman wrote:
1990 Bordeaux Horizontal (Tribeca Grill): A little flat, tart. Some sweetness, some herbs. Short finish. Better than I expected based on one other experience.
B/B+
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10/9/2005 - Eric wrote: 87 Points
Tasting of 80's Bordeaux at Seattle Wine Storage (Seattle, WA): The nose is weedy, really weedy, some vitamin pill and some horse. The light palate shows cinnamon, cedar, fairly pretty, sweet but a bit simple, nice spiciness on the finish. A pleasant claret at best.
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7/6/2005 - mrwuid wrote: 89 Points
Bright mid ruby - clear edge. Classic tobacco/cedar/cassis - with a slight leafy character. Nice ripe fruit - blackcurrant. Elegant. Tobacco leaf. Very good length - moderate intensity. Very nice drink.
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4/21/2005 - MRichman wrote: flawed
Pichon Baron vs Pichon Lalande (Triomphe Restaurant in NYC): Corked.
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4/21/2005 - jamiekutch wrote: flawed
TN: OFFline: Pichon Baron VS. Pichon Lalande 1982, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000 (NYC): Corked!!!
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1/29/2005 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
HDH Pre-Auction Tasting (Chicago IL): Wine tasting. Fair degree of advanced aromas. Moderate concentration of black fruit and earthy flavors, far less interesting than I expected.
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1/19/2005 - SacredCow wrote:
Tasted at the Left Bank Bordeaux tasting at the home of FreeTheGrapes 1/19/2005.
This wine was decanted for two hours.
This was the most disappointing wine of the night. Lean and green makes me mean. About every fourth or fifth swirl, I thought this wine may have been corked, though none of the other tasters agreed with me. Still, I would not assign a rating to this wine.
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1/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 91 Points
Pale pink garnet. Medium aroma of red fruit and licorice. Tight and acidic with some good fruit. 1/05
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8/17/2004 - Mark wrote: 83 Points
I had low expectations when I pulled the cork, but was rather surprised at first, a nose of earth and leather flowed from the glass. It's a lighter style, with a medium light and smooth finish. This didn't last long, and the wine degraded noticeably after 20 minutes. The nose of receded and the finish became leaner. Unlike RP, my bottle was not vegetal, and only slightly herbaceous. Interesting, on the second day, the wine rounded out, got fatter and richer on both the nose and in the mouth. It did pick up a vegetal note that was not present the first day, the herbaciousness intensified. It would have merited a point increase if it were not for the vegetal note on the nose.
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11/11/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 91 Points
Tasted in single-blind fashion at an '89/'90 Bordeaux dinner at El Bizcocho. Bottle taken from my personal cellar. Bright disc. Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense black cherry, mint, mushroom, cedar, tobacco and damp earth aromas. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with medium supple tannins, low acidity and similar flavors as for the nose. Medium-to-long, smooth finish. Nicely paired in the flight of wines served with braised veal cheek (with savoy cabbage and serrano prosciutto in orange juniper berry sauce).
Parenthetically, it is difficult to understand how Robert Parker could assign this wine such a dismal score (79). While certainly not one of the better Pichon-Lalande offerings, it was unanimously agreed that this wine merits nothing less than a high 80's or low 90's score. The issue of multiple bottling dates (i.e. "batches" perhaps of bad bottles) was suggested as possibly accounting for his consistently negative impression. Most of the tasters had previously tasted this wine (including double-blinded) with similar impressions.
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6/6/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
Presented in double-blind fashion to the usual Friday tasting group at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bottle taken from my personal cellar. Bright disc. Deep garnet robe with brick rim. Clean nose, showing (immediately after decanting) coffee, cocoa, kirsch and leather aromas. Over a period of two hours in decanter, cigar box aromas entered the picture but did not replace the immediate bouquet. Medium-bodied on the palate, with medium sweet tannins, low acidity and similar flavors as for the nose. Medium, smooth finish. Very well-received by the group, most of whom guessed that it was a fine example of '89 or '90 Bordeaux.
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5/31/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 92 Points
Dark red. The nose revealed scents of wood, vanilla, and pudding. Good and plummy in the mouth. The structure was somewhat flabby, and the dimensions are somewhat limited. This is a lot better than the Mr Parker scored it. There's a nice aftertaste with notes of mint.
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9/29/2002 - Henman wrote:
N: barnyard,cassis,banana(!)
P: full bodied,cedar,cassis.
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6/8/2002 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 94 Points
Bright disc with medium to deep ruby robe and pink rim. Clean nose showing very intense cherry, plum, cedar and mint. Silky in texture on the palate, with ample but well-integrated tannins. Medium-bodied, with similar flavors as nose. Long, smooth finish. Will continue to improve.
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3/3/2002 - MFenton wrote: 94 Points
Decanted one and a half hours before we started to dive into this wonderful wine. Lots of layers and complex flavours - such as mushrooms, old books with a mineral undercurrent. What it lacks in structure and body, it makes up for in aroma, and finesse.
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9/1/2000 - sdr Does not like this wine: 81 Points
Andy’s bottle. A weak effort. Lacks focus and size. Nothing flawed but totally lacks interest.
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12/28/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 84 Points
Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ lots of Bordeauxs (NYC): Decent fruit, oaky, but a bit unbalanced? An OK wine, but certainly not worthy of special notice.
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3/1/1996 - sdr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great Wine Seminar. Much better this time. Medium color. Complex intense nose with interesting possibilities. Very Pichon-Lalande. Full. Beautiful balance. Surprisingly forward.
Clive Coates: “delicate, forward, composed, lacks concentration”
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2/1/1996 - sdr Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Lovely cherry fragrance but thins out quickly in the mouth. And the finish is slightly bitter. Questionable future.
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7/20/1994 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 94 Points
1990 Bordeaux Tasting of 6 Red Wines (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Very rich, sweet candy fruit, fruity nose, same in the mouth, lovely, young, ripe fruit, long finish. My #1 and Group #1.
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12/27/1993 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 85 Points
Wine Group Tasting Around the World (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Very earthy, too earthy, almost rustic, well balanced.
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