Not for me. To acidic, thin and lacking in personality. The nose is beautiful, typical and filled with diving into the behinds of cows on top of Bordeaux earth. Bet, in the mouth this wine is a far cry from the price it commands…
Many more wines are available at far better and more attractive price points.
It¡s easy! Any day, I choose 6 better bottles for the same price as this one bottle.
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Pronounced nose intensity with notes of cooked black fruits, toast, spices, leather, wet forest. Drinking at its peak. Decanted 2 hours. Medium+ acidity and medium tannin. Tannin is smooth.
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Lovely fruity wet forest on the nose. Strong elegance with plenty of layers growing with each sip. Full fruity body finishing very soft and long. Great wine from a not so great vintage.
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Had two small pours. Served from a decanter along with other 1998 Bordeaux. Medium garnet to tawny color. Nose offers leather and tobacco with some plum notes. Refined, showing off more tertiary notes of leather, old books, and dried tobacco than fruit. Tannins nicely integrated. Enjoyable.
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This showed beautifully today and was best after a couple hours in the decanter. High toned and even a little volatile at first, with nail polish, transitioning into pen ink, purple fruits, some bay leaf, and rose hip. This was lovely and will sit on its plateau for a good 5-10 years. Not the best vintage but a good one for PLL
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Clean and correct nose, with secondary notes of dried black fruit, tobacco and leather wafting up and raising one’s hopes. Unfortunately, the wine was more herbal and structured than generous on the palate, with the fruit subdued at best even after a 3-hour aeration via splash decant.
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The nose is dominated by the slightly luxury of leathery black fruits! Rather dark in colour, a touchy tannic, slightly sweet leathery charming dark fruits attacking the palate, a medium finish! Not the best example of Pichon Lalande I have to admit!
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On the nose, whiff of barnyard and wet earth. Tannins more or less resolved. On the palate, tertiary notes, dry finish, alcohol still evident with bit of black tea. Not much fruit left other than bit of sweetness.
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Dès l'ouverture, un nez envoutant de Bordelais racé, une pointe de cassis, de menthol, de sous-bois, une austérité récompensée par son age qui dévoile complexité et élégance: c'est précis et typé Pauillac! La bouche est d'emblée dans le registre de la finesse, c'est un peu plus aéré que le vin se montra plus dense: le grain est magnifique, soyeux, noble, médocain à souhait, sans altération, avec une pointe de fraicheur sur la finale qui lui sied à ravir. Pas un monstre de puissance, mais quelle longueur, quel raffinement! A boire.
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24 Vintages of Pichon Lalande: All wines tasted blind. A few general observations: 1) Most wines showed the typical Pichon Lalande elegance. This is certainly one of the more delicate and elegant Paulliacs. 2) The relatively high Merlot content (often 20-30%) showed in many wines with fine, fresh rhubarb, rosehip and floral aromas I wouldn’t necessarily associate with a Medoc - all adding to the sensuous quality of the wines. 3) A few vintages showed the very sexy burnt sugar/coffee notes you associate with the 1982 Lalande or a Mouton or a Cheval Blanc - unfortunately, not to an extent and with an intensity to truly excite. 4) Following the legendary 1982 and until the most recent vintages (starting with 2014 but especially with 2016) there are three decades of pleasant Pichon Lalandes but hardly any vintage has the depth and length of truly great wines. The best wine tonight was the 2009 (rated 95+ points) with many more in the 92-94 point category.
TN: On the nose the 98 was rather muted with a very dark, dense and unforgiving core. On the palate, however, this was much more open and showed beautifully sexy and sweet, light and airy. Sweet red fruits, cola, herbs, tobacco all embedded in this fine frame. It didn’t had the depth and precision of the 1996 but was still fun to drink and easily worth 92 to 93 points that night.
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Bestimmt nicht die größte Comtesse!? Aber diese hier war heute voll auf den Punkt!! Das Tannin größtenteils abgeschmolzen. Ein toller Mix aus allerlei Frucht und auch schon schönen Reifenoten. Nicht enorm druckvoll oder besonders lang. Aber ganz elegant und seidig!! Hält sich bestimmt noch eine Weile, wird sich aber wohl nicht mehr verbessern!? Jetzt einfach verdammt lecker!!! Sachlich bewertet bei vielleicht 92 P. Aber Spaß für mindestens 94P!!
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This is beautifully resolved and in its last 1/3 drinking window. Complex tertiary flavours of earth and cedar while retaining some fruit and roundeness. Elegant and enjoyable
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Initially there barnyard nose, after decanting it went away. Savoury, meaty, wet forest, black tea, cooked black fruits. Medium+ acidity and medium tannin. At its peak drinking window.
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A bit of a struggle with the cork, so I had to use the Durand. Popped and poured. Appropriate dark brick color for its age, although it is still pretty opaque at the center. Ripe dark fruit, a bit of wood, dried herbs, quite earthy. Sweet fruit, quite rich, soft, juicy, ground coffee, bittersweet chocolate. Just medium length, though. So easy to drink. Had to force myself to leave some to make this note, although I poured off half the bottle to drink with dinner tomorrow. Went beautifully with steak tartare and Beef Wellington. For me, at peak now. Outstanding.
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This has just become a comtesse again! Out the drying tannins and reductive notes. It woke up up full of vibrant youth, vanilla, pencil shavings, plum and spicy sweetness so well characterizing this chateau. Maybe the petit verdot turned this around finally? Elegant, yet powerful, this holds up to any sort of food you throw at it, wonderful. And has more life in it, so, no hurry.
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Classic, left bank Bordeaux. Medium, garnet color with no evidence of bricking. A bit opaque. Nose full of damp leaves and forest floor. Some blackberry and cassis on the palate but outweighed by saddle leather, tobacco and moist earth. Medium bodied with a medium finish. The tannins are gone, replaced by glycerine, the only indication other than diminished fruit that this is past prime. Still very drinkable if you know what to expect from aged Bordeaux.
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Drank from half bottle as I self-medicate during the coronavirus quarantine. Lovely left bank Bordeaux nose, lots of cedar, blackberry, currant, some lead pencil with great depth and complexity. Meaty and gamey wine with solid finish. Lovely bottle
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First Wednesday Wine Club (Napoli in Bocca, Haberfield): Served blind. Gamey, meaty, a little Brett, plum, black fruits are to the fore, a little blackcurrant as well here. In the mouth it's juicy with black hued fruits, a little alcohol warmth, plums, grippy, grainy tannins, rich. Yum. Guessed Left Bank Bordeaux 2000
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(Blind tasting) Second time in the same month. And the same wonderful performance. Another perfect bottle! Full, very BDX-ish nose. Cedar, tobacco, smoke, cigarre-box, and dark fruit bottom. Very expressive and deep. Perfectly complex. Simply harmonious and very classic. Medium-fullish, lovely tannins. Austere, but with enough fruit stuffing. Structure. Very good concentration, depth, grip and finish. Lovely Bdx.
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(Blind tasting) Full, deep, very complex and classic Pauillac nose. Cedar, tobacco, leather intermingles with dark fruit, plum that is on the perfect turning point between fresh and dried. Lovely. Pure. Perfectly mature Claret! Spicy, balanced, complex and very well-structured. Liquorice, cedar, plum, cigarre and ripe tannins. Long finish. Ripe, clean and pure. One of the best left-bank Bdx 1998 we have tried in a long while. A perfect bottle!
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Double decant and opened up well. Some violet on bouquet, with green tobacco, and cedar.with hints of leather, all typical left bank characteristics. Hints of green olive, and black/red fruit and the tannins evolving well now.. No hurry to drink, as in a happy place , for some time I believe.
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Cassis, liquorice, mint leaves aromas with notes of green pepper and slight tinge of flowers. Tasted red fruits, herbs, earth, with slight pencil shavings. Medium bodied. Rather lethargic bottle. You just feel this was more. Nonetheless an enjoyable bottle. Close to the end of its drinking window for me.
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Double decanted, and sat for an hour or so. Great nose with notes of leather, hint of dark fruit, green and bell pepper with the initial whiff of tertiary notes. On the palate, more red fruit and green pepper. Tannins mostly well integrated at this point, with some acidity remaining. Elegant structure and good length. Medium to pale ruby in the glass, showing really well right now. Think this could sit another 3 to 5 years. Worthy 2nd growth!
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Decanted 30 minutes and served. Could have used more air as it was still putting on weight by the time we finished and was a bit restrained. Nevertheless, very sturdy Pauillac with touches of earth and leather and full body. Classic and enjoyable.
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A classic nose of ripe, savory cassis fruit, cigar box and oak with some herbal and minerally hints. On the palate quite rich and perhaps unusually primary. On the heady side with some warmth. Very lively and has everything seemingly in place for a bright future but seriously speaking I think this is at least 10 years from reaching any kind of maturity. Plenty of ripe fruit at this point but not really much in terms of tertiary development.
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The best description is when my son said, without knowing what it was-this is better than your first growths. The nose was beautiful , the Colourist was deep and the multiple overtones and long taste with plenty of fruit capped it all
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Came out at a lower level than expected : good but for me has entered in its decline path. no need to decant and to be drunk after opening (a glass left aside for half a day was judged disappointing) elegant, but lacking body
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I thought this was disappointing. I expected it to be better. Colourist was good, no sign of age. I thought nose was flat, even given for the fact I don’t have a sevnsitive nose. The was OK not brilliant, the wine was well balanced, but the taste was only medium at best
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Unverkennbar Comtesse, Zeder, Leder, etwas Graphit und Lakritze, dunkle Beeren, Cassis, aber auch grüne Paprikanoten, Meersaum, erste Anklänge von Sous-Bois. Am Gaumen weich und gut ausbalanciert, dunkler Fruchtkern mit ausreichend Extrakt und nur ein wenig grün. Mineralisch, erdig und würzig, kaum mehr Tannin, verliert sich leider etwas im Abgang. Klassisches Bordeaux-Kino mit gerade einmal 12,5%.
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perfekt mogen redan nu. Ett vin jag gärna dricker mer av i stora klunkar. Väldigt stalligt och härligt, men kanske inte har den där andra finaste finessen för att nå till de högsta poängnivåerna
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Not much has changed since last fall. Wonderful and mature wine even though it's in it's own fall. Good mature fruit with strawberries and blackberries dominating. Liquorice, chocolate and mostly soft and secondary notes remaining. Some greenness still showing also. Medium aftertaste. Last glas was not the best! Great treat but also lacking some bite in the form af tannins and acidity. Drink up
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Double decanted two hours before dinner, which was good because the acidity was jumping out of the bottle upon opening then settled down. Classic Pauillac nose of saddle leather and herbs. This vintage of Lalande seems very Cab-Sauv driven, earthy and more like the Baron. In a lovely place right now.
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From Imperial, opened 4 hours prior consumption and decanted 1 hr before. At the beginning of its drinking window from this format, classic left bank with great nose and well integrated tannins.
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Medium garnet in color with no significant signs of age. The nose fills the room with violet and lavender...huge nose. Dark fruit, leather and tobacco on the palate. This is our favorite Bordeaux and we have tasted probably 10 vintages over the years. This evening we were fortunate to drink this side by side with the '89 vintage. The similarities were overwhelming. It was a real challenge to articulate differences. A tribute to not just the terroir but also to the skill of the winemaker in making such a consistent, classic wine year in and year out.
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Has definately improved since last. Mature red color and a nose which signals fruit and Bordeaux maturity. Overripe black berries, chocolate, cedar and pleasant medicin cabinet. Receding tannins and this wine has slowly started its recline. But not at all near its end. It's in a beautiful balance with quite long aftertaste.
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From a magnum. Nice color, just a little amber starting to develop around the rim. Red and black fruits with cocoa, tarragon and watercress in the nose. In the mouth the fruit is there, but so is what I call "unripe merlot green" (whether from Merlot or not) which suggests some unripe grapes made it into the wine. Medium finish was pleasant with the food masking any bitterness the green might have caused at the last moment of the finish. I am not worried about my other magnums of this but 750s could be pushing the point soon.
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Pichon Lalande Tasting: Some bonfire smoke on the nose, the fruit is a bit one dimensional, albeit grows with air. Decent length and structure, slightly warm fruit.
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This wine seems at its best. Not to say it won't keep, really enjoyable. Colour is a beautiful strong red, nose is typical Pichon and the taste multi layered and long
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Great earth right out of the gate. More farm and barn than would be expected for a relatively young Lalande, but still good fleshy fruit present. Red fruit becomes a little more robust once you get past the aromatics of damp hay. Notes of tea leaf and cinnamon show up towards the end. A fine minerality persists throughout. At a great stage of development at the moment: very enjoyable to drink right now and has plenty of distance to go.
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Medium to big bodied, merlot never showed, tobacco, earthy. We had variation between the bottles. More beauty in the nose in the better bottles. Served with Crispy duck with peaches.
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Color: dark red Nose: green and under ripe nose but still has lingering red fruits in the background Palate: at it's apogee now, lovely with food, medium bodied and much better than its nose, offering good pleasure so need I say more! 92
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Fantastiskt vin, togs dock direkt ur källaren och serverade 12 grader kall. Trots detta härligt fyllig och rund smak, inte mycket tanniner kvar så den var lagom att dricka nu.
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Better on the nose, with its smoky, tobacco, earthy, blackberry, forest floor and cigar box character, than on the medium bodied, crisp, bright, sharp, cassis and olive tapanade palate. The wine was produced from a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc.
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Deep ruby. Perfectly mature wine powerfull aromatic, elegant, black fruits, fresh, floral. Great, full, rounded palate. Very equilibrated, not complex, very full palate, washable. I like it
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now very soft easy to drink, superb wine. Colour deep, nose typical Pichon Lalande, with dark fruit. Reasonably long taste, had a bottle and only one other drinking, no problem finishing that bottle
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For a wine that people say is not that great and should be drunk soon, it seemed pretty good to me. Deep red colour black fruit nose, well balanced and long taste with redberry fruit to the fore
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The colour was still good. The 2 bottles did not show any sign of bricking. Nose a little closed. Taste not typical of Pichon Lalande but strong could cope with strongish flavour. Taste reasonably long. Although some give it a short date from now it seemed still had good balck fruit
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opened in bottle for 3 hrs, decanted half bottle for 1 hr.
initial nose of earth, cedar, smokey wood, licorice and floral. very pleasant and strong nose as i could smell the bottle when it placed near to my on the table.
medium finishing with silky smooth texture, with cedar, licorice on palate. layers of flavour opened up in the glass and it went very well with steak dinner. i finished the rest of the bottle during the supper time, the nose was a bit closed (prob due to the low temp served as i put it back to wine fridge) and more prominent nose of plum, and dried rose. a very well made bordeaux and enjoyable one.
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Drank this wine last night along with some cabs and a brunello. Very funky perfumed nose that it was difficult to put my finger on. Wine tasted decent but not like the pure silk you would be expecting from Pichon. In no way over the hill but just different. The funky nose dissipated after time and the wine did smooth out, but didn't compare to the fantastic 96 Insignia we also drank. Probably best to decant for a few hours as we only opened the bottle for about an hour. Maybe just going thru a transition period!
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Started with a pronounced earthiness that I found unsettling. Over the next hour, the earthiness dissipated to a degree and the became very complex. The wine became the top red of the evening. However, the earthiness and lack of perfume was uncharacteristic of Pichon Lalande.
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enjoyed this much more than other bottles tasted - good balance with more depth than the last bottled tasted . The hour and a half decant made the difference ?
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This was part of a vertical tasting of 6 vintages. This vintage was meat and poison. One person loved it, 2 did not like it at all. I thought it was good, not as good as the '95, the nose was not as full, the taste was there and it was a strong wine, went well with the mushroom soup
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Rheingau Gourmet Festival "Weinraritätenlunch Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande" (12 PLC vintages), late Feb 2013: crimson color; classic Pauillac: cassis, red fruits, pencil; red fruit sweetness on the palate; medium body; polished texture; well-balanced with soft tannins.
2nd flight: 1995 -1998 - 2000 - 2003
The 1998 PLC performed wonderful that day and came in at first position (together with the 2000 PLC) of the 2nd flight.
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The age of the wine is immediately apparent on the eye, dark central core with brick red rims. Very aromatic on the nose with notes of plums, tobacco, leather, graphite, dark tea, dry leaves, smoke, and black pepper on the end. The wine comes across the palate exhibiting a smooth texture, a mid to full bodied structure, with plums, cassis, decent acidity, and a long finish with fully integrated tannins. Although fully integrated, it lacks complexity of flavors, a wine that is at its prime. Drink up sooner or later.
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Nose was quite good but body was a bit thin and lacks complexity.
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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Excellent tonight, although it took an hour or two to open. It was very closed at first, but it amazingly woke up fairly quickly. No real decant other than a pour and long wait. From a magnum, over hours, but really seems integrated, gaining slightly, with fruit, earth, and body. Not too tannic, we ended up drinking it a lot by the glass, although it accompanied food very well too. I would say easily ready to drink if you have it. Very nice bottle of Pauillac.
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Red currants and wood with heavy smoke overtones. A wonderful smooth wine with a medium weight and an beautiful balance of rich tastes. This will keep going a lot longer.
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Started out earthy and tea-like, with slightly austere finish. Opened up nicely after 2 hours, with complex nose and silky palate, while tannins are still evident. Classic styled, aroma is not strong but very attractive. Glad I opened the bottle tonight.
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This is drinking really well now. Had double blind at a tasting that was revealed to be a 1998 Bordeaux tasting and this along with the 1998 Chateau Lynch-Bages also served that night ( http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3665 ) stood out in excellence. I did slightly prefer the Lynch-Bages since it was a bit more seducing. Earthy, nice tannins, silky fruits. Textbook Bordeaux.
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no decant. tight and musty, within minutes opened up. earthy nose, nice mouthfeel, drinking very well right now. not extraordinary, but definitely a solid bordeaux.
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A small impromptu dinner at Greg O’s (Maryland): Pop and pour, a delightful and delicious claret that is drinking beautifully as in thirst quenching. Compare to the 98 Troplong Mondot, lighter in weight and not as expressive but after a sip this wine uplifts the palate where the TP brings the palate down with a heavy impression. Decent amount of crushed blueberries and cassis, cedar and wet cigar wrapper. Silky palate and well integrated tannins. Very fresh expression but no hint of green. Drinking beautifully but based on my experience with the 81, this will age and become more complex.
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Initially closed but opened up very quickly too reveal some leather and currant supported by a nose of barnyard. Classic, classic in style. Some secondary notes showing on this still relatively youthfull wine. Tannins are well blended in but a good acidity persits. The colour is now brick red leading me to think that this wine does not have as much years left as is relatively youthfulll character suggests. Drinking very well now.
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first bottle tasted . Decanted for a couple of hours and tasted over a couple more - was more open towards the end so perhaps needed longer . Classic Pauillac with still some strong tannins - I must drink another soon .
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This wine opened up quickly and delightfully. Decanted 1 hour before dinner, the wine was ready to drink with steaks but maintained its quality over the 2 hours of a slow, multiple-wine dinner. Nose of cedar, leather, cassis was followed by medium body and moderate (20-30 second) fade.
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Deep, aromatic wine. Smell of cassis, blueberries, tobacco. Classic pauillac nose with cabernet up front and merlot definitely noticable underneath. Absolutely perfect balance in the mouth. Velvety tannins, nice acidity and a long tobacco aftertaste. Beautiful meditation wine. Perfect age right now.
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Deep red color. Cassis, black currant, pepper, tobacco and wet earth. Medium aftertaste, but lacking acciddity and tannins. A little to smooth and easy.
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Tobacco, green peppers. Palate is lovely and just starting to mellow - middle aged. Lovely finish with just a shadow of the tannins to rough the tongue.
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Great nose w strong Bordeaux characteristics. Pleasant palate. Tanins mostly resolved. Not a long finish. Really enjoyable. Just not the best PLL you've ever had. Oh well, '98 Left Bank.
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1990's Bordeaux (Pappas Bros.): The nose had strong aromas of cherry and wet leaves, plus some raspberry, dirt, and vanilla. The palate was soft and earthy, with some cherry, spice, and vanilla.
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This appeared a bit aged, I thought the nose is wonderful, tobacco, damp earth, hint of tea and mushroom. The palate is kinda of disappointing.....although the acid is presence but the fruits went missing, and I feel this two layers between the fruits and water. It's this young or dilute?
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Plenty of seductive cassis scent, earth, mild woody, mineral....and cassis again. Reminds me of Latour 1978 a little bit. Very very delicious at this moment, more than expectation. I hardly can't stop drinking it..seductive texture too. One of the best Pichon Lalande I've ever tested. The finish is very nice too. Sometime its finished swings up to 94/100.
Drink beautifully now - 2020.............92-94/100...............
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Pichon is a long time favorite. This was absolutely outstanding. Deep purple color. Looong legs. Plenty of evidence of the terroir. Gravel, chalk and lead overtones balanced nicely with plenty of berry. Long finish...30 to 40 seconds. Interesting evolution as the wine opened over the course of two hours and developed additional fruit and a very nice floral bouquet. Began to close up again at hour 3 but still very palatable. Nice complement to the NZ lamb chops and tenderloin fondue.
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Enjoyed this bottle side by side with 1998 La Mission Haut Brion. It did not have the finese and power of the superior La Mission, but it is a very enjoyable Paulliac that is ready to drink. Smooth with spicy dark fruits with that classic lead pencil.
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Color - Shows slight bricking around the edges - a richly colored claret. Nose - Violet, some earth, chalk, and cinnamon Palate - Bold, ripe black fruit, softened tannins, decent midpalate, and a bit of cellar dust - not bad at all. Finish - Wonderful, graceful, lush, and 30-45+ secs long.
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Love this elegant and nicely structured Pauillac. Notes of earth, black fruits, nicely followed up a gorgeous 2001 Pavie. Shared with L and J at Del Porto's. Will try another in a year or so.
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HDH bordeaux tasting (evanston IL): nose: really fruit forward nose. Very atypical for bordeaux here on the nose completely, almost like a cali cab from sonoma on the initial nose. Getting cranberry, dark cherry, and other various dark fruit on the initial nose and then it leans into some leather and cigar box after some real opening up. very interesting
taste: much more bordeaux like here. real nice integrated mouth with tobbacco, leather, cranberry, and dark fruit
overall: good solid wine. It is a bit lean on the mouth and if it had some more structure to it, it could be something really good. Still, it's a very good wine and it provides a very nice finish
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Great example of Pauillac. Very deep, dark and compact nose, a bit closed even. Changing aromas the more often you check. A very smooth body even, gentle, elegant followed by a very long and lingering finish. Decanted for 5h
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smooth, elegant, soft tannins, medium body and medium finish, could really taste earth and eucalyptus. Smooth finish. Easy to drink. It doesn't overpower and quite simple in that regards. Well worth it. Would love to have another bottle. A good pairing to Kobe beef.
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Beautiful bouquet with soft cassis, lead pencil and cedar. Soft and juicy cassis, good acidity, bitterness and a hint of sweetness. A very tempting wine. Now already very enjoyable, but definitely still as good in the next 5 years or so.
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Under-rated by the critics I think. Quite a light wine, but with notable persistance in the finish. A really expressive nose. More enjoyable than other 1998s at the moment, but I think it still has plenty of life and development left in it. Try again in 5 years + purchase more if price right.
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Nice drinking wine with notes of woodland on the nose, followed by cedar and possibly even mint through the mid palate. Decent length finish although not mind blowing.
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Fantastic left bank effort from this vintage. Classic Paulliac notes of cedar and lead pencil wrapped in a balanced package with plenty of ripe fruit. This wine has the structure and stuffing for the long haul- I need to put a few away for 10 years or so.
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6/28/2023 - StefanAkiko Does not like this wine: 90 Points
Not for me.
To acidic, thin and lacking in personality.
The nose is beautiful, typical and filled with diving into the behinds of cows on top of Bordeaux earth. Bet, in the mouth this wine is a far cry from the price it commands…
Many more wines are available at far better and more attractive price points.
It¡s easy! Any day, I choose 6 better bottles for the same price as this one bottle.
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1/20/2023 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 96 Points
Pronounced nose intensity with notes of cooked black fruits, toast, spices, leather, wet forest. Drinking at its peak. Decanted 2 hours. Medium+ acidity and medium tannin. Tannin is smooth.
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1/1/2023 - pilatus88 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely fruity wet forest on the nose. Strong elegance with plenty of layers growing with each sip. Full fruity body finishing very soft and long. Great wine from a not so great vintage.
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6/17/2022 - Sean Tay wrote: 92 Points
Pronounced notes of wet forest, meat, forest floor, ripe black fruits, charr wood, fig, toast. Medium+ acidity and medium tannin. Tannin is polished.
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6/11/2022 - t_moderne wrote: 91 Points
Had two small pours. Served from a decanter along with other 1998 Bordeaux.
Medium garnet to tawny color.
Nose offers leather and tobacco with some plum notes.
Refined, showing off more tertiary notes of leather, old books, and dried tobacco than fruit. Tannins nicely integrated.
Enjoyable.
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4/1/2022 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
This showed beautifully today and was best after a couple hours in the decanter. High toned and even a little volatile at first, with nail polish, transitioning into pen ink, purple fruits, some bay leaf, and rose hip. This was lovely and will sit on its plateau for a good 5-10 years. Not the best vintage but a good one for PLL
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3/21/2022 - JonnyG wrote: 90 Points
Clean and correct nose, with secondary notes of dried black fruit, tobacco and leather wafting up and raising one’s hopes. Unfortunately, the wine was more herbal and structured than generous on the palate, with the fruit subdued at best even after a 3-hour aeration via splash decant.
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2/17/2022 - Patrick_from_champagne Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great and suple texutre, long and complex
Apogée
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9/14/2021 - Tao wrote: 91 Points
The nose is dominated by the slightly luxury of leathery black fruits! Rather dark in colour, a touchy tannic, slightly sweet leathery charming dark fruits attacking the palate, a medium finish! Not the best example of Pichon Lalande I have to admit!
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8/27/2021 - bethel31 Likes this wine: 92 Points
On the nose, whiff of barnyard and wet earth. Tannins more or less resolved. On the palate, tertiary notes, dry finish, alcohol still evident with bit of black tea. Not much fruit left other than bit of sweetness.
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7/7/2021 - Raage Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dès l'ouverture, un nez envoutant de Bordelais racé, une pointe de cassis, de menthol, de sous-bois, une austérité récompensée par son age qui dévoile complexité et élégance: c'est précis et typé Pauillac!
La bouche est d'emblée dans le registre de la finesse, c'est un peu plus aéré que le vin se montra plus dense: le grain est magnifique, soyeux, noble, médocain à souhait, sans altération, avec une pointe de fraicheur sur la finale qui lui sied à ravir.
Pas un monstre de puissance, mais quelle longueur, quel raffinement!
A boire.
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6/23/2021 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
24 Vintages of Pichon Lalande: All wines tasted blind. A few general observations: 1) Most wines showed the typical Pichon Lalande elegance. This is certainly one of the more delicate and elegant Paulliacs. 2) The relatively high Merlot content (often 20-30%) showed in many wines with fine, fresh rhubarb, rosehip and floral aromas I wouldn’t necessarily associate with a Medoc - all adding to the sensuous quality of the wines. 3) A few vintages showed the very sexy burnt sugar/coffee notes you associate with the 1982 Lalande or a Mouton or a Cheval Blanc - unfortunately, not to an extent and with an intensity to truly excite. 4) Following the legendary 1982 and until the most recent vintages (starting with 2014 but especially with 2016) there are three decades of pleasant Pichon Lalandes but hardly any vintage has the depth and length of truly great wines. The best wine tonight was the 2009 (rated 95+ points) with many more in the 92-94 point category.
TN: On the nose the 98 was rather muted with a very dark, dense and unforgiving core. On the palate, however, this was much more open and showed beautifully sexy and sweet, light and airy. Sweet red fruits, cola, herbs, tobacco all embedded in this fine frame. It didn’t had the depth and precision of the 1996 but was still fun to drink and easily worth 92 to 93 points that night.
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2/20/2021 - champussi Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bestimmt nicht die größte Comtesse!? Aber diese hier war heute voll auf den Punkt!! Das Tannin größtenteils abgeschmolzen. Ein toller Mix aus allerlei Frucht und auch schon schönen Reifenoten. Nicht enorm druckvoll oder besonders lang. Aber ganz elegant und seidig!! Hält sich bestimmt noch eine Weile, wird sich aber wohl nicht mehr verbessern!? Jetzt einfach verdammt lecker!!! Sachlich bewertet bei vielleicht 92 P. Aber Spaß für mindestens 94P!!
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2/20/2021 - Andice wrote: 93 Points
This is beautifully resolved and in its last 1/3 drinking window. Complex tertiary flavours of earth and cedar while retaining some fruit and roundeness. Elegant and enjoyable
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1/4/2021 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 93 Points
Initially there barnyard nose, after decanting it went away. Savoury, meaty, wet forest, black tea, cooked black fruits. Medium+ acidity and medium tannin. At its peak drinking window.
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10/29/2020 - winesteward Likes this wine: 92 Points
A bit of a struggle with the cork, so I had to use the Durand. Popped and poured. Appropriate dark brick color for its age, although it is still pretty opaque at the center. Ripe dark fruit, a bit of wood, dried herbs, quite earthy. Sweet fruit, quite rich, soft, juicy, ground coffee, bittersweet chocolate. Just medium length, though. So easy to drink. Had to force myself to leave some to make this note, although I poured off half the bottle to drink with dinner tomorrow. Went beautifully with steak tartare and Beef Wellington. For me, at peak now. Outstanding.
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9/8/2020 - Willi Vinotti Likes this wine: 93 Points
This has just become a comtesse again! Out the drying tannins and reductive notes. It woke up up full of vibrant youth, vanilla, pencil shavings, plum and spicy sweetness so well characterizing this chateau. Maybe the petit verdot turned this around finally? Elegant, yet powerful, this holds up to any sort of food you throw at it, wonderful. And has more life in it, so, no hurry.
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8/7/2020 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 90 Points
Classic, left bank Bordeaux. Medium, garnet color with no evidence of bricking. A bit opaque. Nose full of damp leaves and forest floor. Some blackberry and cassis on the palate but outweighed by saddle leather, tobacco and moist earth. Medium bodied with a medium finish. The tannins are gone, replaced by glycerine, the only indication other than diminished fruit that this is past prime. Still very drinkable if you know what to expect from aged Bordeaux.
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3/22/2020 - cephomer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank from half bottle as I self-medicate during the coronavirus quarantine. Lovely left bank Bordeaux nose, lots of cedar, blackberry, currant, some lead pencil with great depth and complexity. Meaty and gamey wine with solid finish. Lovely bottle
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12/4/2019 - chatters wrote:
First Wednesday Wine Club (Napoli in Bocca, Haberfield): Served blind. Gamey, meaty, a little Brett, plum, black fruits are to the fore, a little blackcurrant as well here. In the mouth it's juicy with black hued fruits, a little alcohol warmth, plums, grippy, grainy tannins, rich. Yum. Guessed Left Bank Bordeaux 2000
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10/12/2019 - Argrath wrote: 95 Points
(Blind tasting)
Second time in the same month. And the same wonderful performance. Another perfect bottle!
Full, very BDX-ish nose. Cedar, tobacco, smoke, cigarre-box, and dark fruit bottom. Very expressive and deep. Perfectly complex. Simply harmonious and very classic.
Medium-fullish, lovely tannins. Austere, but with enough fruit stuffing. Structure. Very good concentration, depth, grip and finish. Lovely Bdx.
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9/28/2019 - Argrath wrote: 95 Points
(Blind tasting)
Full, deep, very complex and classic Pauillac nose. Cedar, tobacco, leather intermingles with dark fruit, plum that is on the perfect turning point between fresh and dried. Lovely. Pure.
Perfectly mature Claret! Spicy, balanced, complex and very well-structured. Liquorice, cedar, plum, cigarre and ripe tannins. Long finish.
Ripe, clean and pure. One of the best left-bank Bdx 1998 we have tried in a long while. A perfect bottle!
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9/16/2019 - T.E.D. wrote: 90 Points
A bit weaker than expected. More reductive fruit notes then would like to see.
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8/2/2019 - wineguru57@yahoo.com.au wrote: 92 Points
Double decant and opened up well. Some violet on bouquet, with green tobacco, and cedar.with hints of leather, all typical left bank characteristics. Hints of green olive, and black/red fruit and the tannins evolving well now.. No hurry to drink, as in a happy place , for some time I believe.
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6/12/2019 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cassis, liquorice, mint leaves aromas with notes of green pepper and slight tinge of flowers. Tasted red fruits, herbs, earth, with slight pencil shavings. Medium bodied. Rather lethargic bottle. You just feel this was more. Nonetheless an enjoyable bottle. Close to the end of its drinking window for me.
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6/5/2019 - ieatprawnsss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted, and sat for an hour or so. Great nose with notes of leather, hint of dark fruit, green and bell pepper with the initial whiff of tertiary notes. On the palate, more red fruit and green pepper. Tannins mostly well integrated at this point, with some acidity remaining. Elegant structure and good length. Medium to pale ruby in the glass, showing really well right now. Think this could sit another 3 to 5 years. Worthy 2nd growth!
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3/2/2019 - WCMatWOW wrote: 94 Points
Tasted like a cellar - in a good way!
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1/19/2019 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 30 minutes and served. Could have used more air as it was still putting on weight by the time we finished and was a bit restrained. Nevertheless, very sturdy Pauillac with touches of earth and leather and full body. Classic and enjoyable.
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12/14/2018 - Nikiel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfect .. drink another 1 yr ago not well aged .. seems to be bottle variation .. this one perfect 30yr condition
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11/25/2018 - kuumies wrote:
A classic nose of ripe, savory cassis fruit, cigar box and oak with some herbal and minerally hints. On the palate quite rich and perhaps unusually primary. On the heady side with some warmth. Very lively and has everything seemingly in place for a bright future but seriously speaking I think this is at least 10 years from reaching any kind of maturity. Plenty of ripe fruit at this point but not really much in terms of tertiary development.
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8/10/2018 - Rogershkg wrote: 93 Points
The best description is when my son said, without knowing what it was-this is better than your first growths. The nose was beautiful , the Colourist was deep and the multiple overtones and long taste with plenty of fruit capped it all
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7/30/2018 - BastardMontrachet Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good nose, taste of berries,smoke,tobacco. Quite powerful with some tannins left, very good length and gets better after some air!
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1/6/2018 - Lady Chatelaine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Came out at a lower level than expected : good but for me has entered in its decline path.
no need to decant and to be drunk after opening (a glass left aside for half a day was judged disappointing)
elegant, but lacking body
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12/7/2017 - Rogershkg wrote: 90 Points
I thought this was disappointing. I expected it to be better. Colourist was good, no sign of age. I thought nose was flat, even given for the fact I don’t have a sevnsitive nose. The was OK not brilliant, the wine was well balanced, but the taste was only medium at best
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10/24/2017 - jeramirez wrote: 92 Points
Nice
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10/14/2017 - pinotwok Likes this wine: 92 Points
Unverkennbar Comtesse, Zeder, Leder, etwas Graphit und Lakritze, dunkle Beeren, Cassis, aber auch grüne Paprikanoten, Meersaum, erste Anklänge von Sous-Bois. Am Gaumen weich und gut ausbalanciert, dunkler Fruchtkern mit ausreichend Extrakt und nur ein wenig grün. Mineralisch, erdig und würzig, kaum mehr Tannin, verliert sich leider etwas im Abgang. Klassisches Bordeaux-Kino mit gerade einmal 12,5%.
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8/6/2017 - MWiking wrote: 94 Points
perfekt mogen redan nu. Ett vin jag gärna dricker mer av i stora klunkar. Väldigt stalligt och härligt, men kanske inte har den där andra finaste finessen för att nå till de högsta poängnivåerna
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6/12/2017 - eschuldt wrote: 93 Points
Excellent, nicely aged. PnP.
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4/20/2017 - Tartiflette wrote: 92 Points
Not much has changed since last fall. Wonderful and mature wine even though it's in it's own fall. Good mature fruit with strawberries and blackberries dominating. Liquorice, chocolate and mostly soft and secondary notes remaining. Some greenness still showing also. Medium aftertaste. Last glas was not the best! Great treat but also lacking some bite in the form af tannins and acidity. Drink up
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3/29/2017 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted two hours before dinner, which was good because the acidity was jumping out of the bottle upon opening then settled down. Classic Pauillac nose of saddle leather and herbs. This vintage of Lalande seems very Cab-Sauv driven, earthy and more like the Baron. In a lovely place right now.
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12/22/2016 - Stefan75 Likes this wine: 92 Points
From Imperial, opened 4 hours prior consumption and decanted 1 hr before. At the beginning of its drinking window from this format, classic left bank with great nose and well integrated tannins.
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8/21/2016 - sphBacchus Likes this wine: 91 Points
double decanted about an hour before tasting . Great nose but overly acidic on first taste - improved dramatically over the following 2 hours .
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8/14/2016 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium garnet in color with no significant signs of age. The nose fills the room with violet and lavender...huge nose. Dark fruit, leather and tobacco on the palate. This is our favorite Bordeaux and we have tasted probably 10 vintages over the years. This evening we were fortunate to drink this side by side with the '89 vintage. The similarities were overwhelming. It was a real challenge to articulate differences. A tribute to not just the terroir but also to the skill of the winemaker in making such a consistent, classic wine year in and year out.
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7/5/2016 - Tartiflette Likes this wine: 92 Points
Has definately improved since last. Mature red color and a nose which signals fruit and Bordeaux maturity. Overripe black berries, chocolate, cedar and pleasant medicin cabinet. Receding tannins and this wine has slowly started its recline. But not at all near its end. It's in a beautiful balance with quite long aftertaste.
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4/19/2016 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 89 Points
From a magnum. Nice color, just a little amber starting to develop around the rim. Red and black fruits with cocoa, tarragon and watercress in the nose. In the mouth the fruit is there, but so is what I call "unripe merlot green" (whether from Merlot or not) which suggests some unripe grapes made it into the wine. Medium finish was pleasant with the food masking any bitterness the green might have caused at the last moment of the finish. I am not worried about my other magnums of this but 750s could be pushing the point soon.
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4/19/2016 - LWI wrote: 91 Points
Pichon Lalande Tasting: Some bonfire smoke on the nose, the fruit is a bit one dimensional, albeit grows with air. Decent length and structure, slightly warm fruit.
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10/1/2015 - Rogershkg Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine seems at its best. Not to say it won't keep, really enjoyable. Colour is a beautiful strong red, nose is typical Pichon and the taste multi layered and long
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9/29/2015 - The Vines That Bind Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great earth right out of the gate. More farm and barn than would be expected for a relatively young Lalande, but still good fleshy fruit present. Red fruit becomes a little more robust once you get past the aromatics of damp hay. Notes of tea leaf and cinnamon show up towards the end. A fine minerality persists throughout. At a great stage of development at the moment: very enjoyable to drink right now and has plenty of distance to go.
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9/11/2015 - CellarBord Likes this wine:
Medium to big bodied, merlot never showed, tobacco, earthy. We had variation between the bottles. More beauty in the nose in the better bottles. Served with Crispy duck with peaches.
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8/21/2015 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 92 Points
Color: dark red
Nose: green and under ripe nose but still has lingering red fruits in the background
Palate: at it's apogee now, lovely with food, medium bodied and much better than its nose, offering good pleasure so need I say more!
92
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6/17/2015 - Markus IWC wrote: 93 Points
Fantastiskt vin, togs dock direkt ur källaren och serverade 12 grader kall. Trots detta härligt fyllig och rund smak, inte mycket tanniner kvar så den var lagom att dricka nu.
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6/14/2015 - KimBot wrote: 96 Points
Perfectly balanced, very nice
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5/13/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Better on the nose, with its smoky, tobacco, earthy, blackberry, forest floor and cigar box character, than on the medium bodied, crisp, bright, sharp, cassis and olive tapanade palate. The wine was produced from a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc.
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4/20/2015 - RaphaelMalago Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep ruby. Perfectly mature wine powerfull aromatic, elegant, black fruits, fresh, floral. Great, full, rounded palate. Very equilibrated, not complex, very full palate, washable. I like it
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3/6/2015 - Rogershkg wrote: 92 Points
now very soft easy to drink, superb wine. Colour deep, nose typical Pichon Lalande, with dark fruit. Reasonably long taste, had a bottle and only one other drinking, no problem finishing that bottle
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2/22/2015 - xena wrote: 89 Points
Tight and not particularly flavorful even after decanting for two hours. Slightly better with food but still a disappointment.
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1/22/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
A private tasting and dinner (Bilthoven): Mature, warm nose, gentle but no lack of tannin, elegant, subtle, attractive.
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10/1/2014 - Rogershkg wrote: 91 Points
For a wine that people say is not that great and should be drunk soon, it seemed pretty good to me. Deep red colour black fruit nose, well balanced and long taste with redberry fruit to the fore
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5/31/2014 - Rogershkg Likes this wine: 91 Points
The colour was still good. The 2 bottles did not show any sign of bricking. Nose a little closed. Taste not typical of Pichon Lalande but strong could cope with strongish flavour. Taste reasonably long. Although some give it a short date from now it seemed still had good balck fruit
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3/15/2014 - Radboy wrote: 93 Points
Lovely classic Bordeaux nose with hints of lavender and earth. Cherried fruit with hints of chocolate with medium body. Drinking well.
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11/3/2013 - mchiew Likes this wine: 93 Points
opened in bottle for 3 hrs, decanted half bottle for 1 hr.
initial nose of earth, cedar, smokey wood, licorice and floral. very pleasant and strong nose as i could smell the bottle when it placed near to my on the table.
medium finishing with silky smooth texture, with cedar, licorice on palate. layers of flavour opened up in the glass and it went very well with steak dinner. i finished the rest of the bottle during the supper time, the nose was a bit closed (prob due to the low temp served as i put it back to wine fridge) and more prominent nose of plum, and dried rose. a very well made bordeaux and enjoyable one.
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11/3/2013 - bv1 wrote: 88 Points
Drank this wine last night along with some cabs and a brunello. Very funky perfumed nose that it was difficult to put my finger on. Wine tasted decent but not like the pure silk you would be expecting from Pichon. In no way over the hill but just different. The funky nose dissipated after time and the wine did smooth out, but didn't compare to the fantastic 96 Insignia we also drank. Probably best to decant for a few hours as we only opened the bottle for about an hour. Maybe just going thru a transition period!
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7/6/2013 - shiel wrote: 95 Points
Perfectly balanced and perfumed
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6/23/2013 - spillwine wrote: 91 Points
Nez magnifique, classique cabernet
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6/8/2013 - CellarBord Likes this wine: 91 Points
Started with a pronounced earthiness that I found unsettling. Over the next hour, the earthiness dissipated to a degree and the became very complex. The wine became the top red of the evening. However, the earthiness and lack of perfume was uncharacteristic of Pichon Lalande.
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5/18/2013 - sphBacchus wrote: 92 Points
enjoyed this much more than other bottles tasted - good balance with more depth than the last bottled tasted . The hour and a half decant made the difference ?
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5/12/2013 - spillwine wrote: 91 Points
Classique cabernet
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4/29/2013 - sphBacchus wrote: 89 Points
dark colour and no bricking on this bottle . A beautiful nose and plenty of fruit on first taste but the finish disappoints .
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4/13/2013 - Rogershkg Likes this wine: 91 Points
This was part of a vertical tasting of 6 vintages. This vintage was meat and poison. One person loved it, 2 did not like it at all. I thought it was good, not as good as the '95, the nose was not as full, the taste was there and it was a strong wine, went well with the mushroom soup
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2/24/2013 - Fatty Cat wrote: 94 Points
Rheingau Gourmet Festival "Weinraritätenlunch Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande" (12 PLC vintages), late Feb 2013: crimson color; classic Pauillac: cassis, red fruits, pencil; red fruit sweetness on the palate; medium body; polished texture; well-balanced with soft tannins.
2nd flight: 1995 -1998 - 2000 - 2003
The 1998 PLC performed wonderful that day and came in at first position (together with the 2000 PLC) of the 2nd flight.
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12/22/2012 - sphBacchus wrote: 89 Points
drinking well now . medium bodied and lacks some power on the finish . not the bast vintage of this wine .
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7/24/2012 - Gobi wrote: 91 Points
The age of the wine is immediately apparent on the eye, dark central core with brick red rims. Very aromatic on the nose with notes of plums, tobacco, leather, graphite, dark tea, dry leaves, smoke, and black pepper on the end. The wine comes across the palate exhibiting a smooth texture, a mid to full bodied structure, with plums, cassis, decent acidity, and a long finish with fully integrated tannins. Although fully integrated, it lacks complexity of flavors, a wine that is at its prime. Drink up sooner or later.
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6/6/2012 - danielk168 wrote: 89 Points
Nose was quite good but body was a bit thin and lacks complexity.
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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4/8/2012 - Corgi wrote: 92 Points
From magnum and decanted for two hours. Silky smooth. Camphor, black tea.
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12/25/2011 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: flawed
Corked. Not massively but I will not drink wet cardboard and certainly not on Christmas day.
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11/24/2011 - gnosis wrote:
Excellent tonight, although it took an hour or two to open. It was very closed at first, but it amazingly woke up fairly quickly. No real decant other than a pour and long wait. From a magnum, over hours, but really seems integrated, gaining slightly, with fruit, earth, and body. Not too tannic, we ended up drinking it a lot by the glass, although it accompanied food very well too. I would say easily ready to drink if you have it. Very nice bottle of Pauillac.
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11/22/2011 - RayOB wrote: 94 Points
Drank at Davies
Red currants and wood with heavy smoke overtones. A wonderful smooth wine with a medium weight and an beautiful balance of rich tastes. This will keep going a lot longer.
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11/18/2011 - j30 wrote: 92 Points
Started out earthy and tea-like, with slightly austere finish. Opened up nicely after 2 hours, with complex nose and silky palate, while tannins are still evident. Classic styled, aroma is not strong but very attractive. Glad I opened the bottle tonight.
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10/28/2011 - sphBacchus wrote: 91 Points
decanted for an hour and a half at a dinner at the French Window in HK - beautiful .
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9/27/2011 - johan4711 wrote: 92 Points
This is drinking really well now. Had double blind at a tasting that was revealed to be a 1998 Bordeaux tasting and this along with the 1998 Chateau Lynch-Bages also served that night ( http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3665 ) stood out in excellence. I did slightly prefer the Lynch-Bages since it was a bit more seducing. Earthy, nice tannins, silky fruits. Textbook Bordeaux.
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9/21/2011 - asaselzer wrote: 91 Points
no decant. tight and musty, within minutes opened up. earthy nose, nice mouthfeel, drinking very well right now. not extraordinary, but definitely a solid bordeaux.
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7/20/2011 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
A small impromptu dinner at Greg O’s (Maryland): Pop and pour, a delightful and delicious claret that is drinking beautifully as in thirst quenching. Compare to the 98 Troplong Mondot, lighter in weight and not as expressive but after a sip this wine uplifts the palate where the TP brings the palate down with a heavy impression. Decent amount of crushed blueberries and cassis, cedar and wet cigar wrapper. Silky palate and well integrated tannins. Very fresh expression but no hint of green. Drinking beautifully but based on my experience with the 81, this will age and become more complex.
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7/15/2011 - smazur wrote: 90 Points
Initially closed but opened up very quickly too reveal some leather and currant supported by a nose of barnyard. Classic, classic in style. Some secondary notes showing on this still relatively youthfull wine. Tannins are well blended in but a good acidity persits. The colour is now brick red leading me to think that this wine does not have as much years left as is relatively youthfulll character suggests. Drinking very well now.
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7/14/2011 - sphBacchus wrote: 89 Points
first bottle tasted . Decanted for a couple of hours and tasted over a couple more - was more open towards the end so perhaps needed longer . Classic Pauillac with still some strong tannins - I must drink another soon .
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6/5/2011 - phil3 wrote: 92 Points
This wine opened up quickly and delightfully. Decanted 1 hour before dinner, the wine was ready to drink with steaks but maintained its quality over the 2 hours of a slow, multiple-wine dinner. Nose of cedar, leather, cassis was followed by medium body and moderate (20-30 second) fade.
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5/29/2011 - KVM wrote: 92 Points
sketchy memory... cedar, pencil lead, blackberry and good concentratio, balance and length.
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5/29/2011 - ekallio wrote:
Probably cooked - this was way advanced with a watery rim and somewhat tired taste. Oh well.
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3/4/2011 - klino wrote: 94 Points
Deep, aromatic wine. Smell of cassis, blueberries, tobacco. Classic pauillac nose with cabernet up front and merlot definitely noticable underneath. Absolutely perfect balance in the mouth. Velvety tannins, nice acidity and a long tobacco aftertaste. Beautiful meditation wine. Perfect age right now.
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2/24/2011 - Tartiflette wrote: 88 Points
Deep red color. Cassis, black currant, pepper, tobacco and wet earth. Medium aftertaste, but lacking acciddity and tannins. A little to smooth and easy.
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2/11/2011 - Wrighty wrote: 92 Points
Tobacco, green peppers. Palate is lovely and just starting to mellow - middle aged. Lovely finish with just a shadow of the tannins to rough the tongue.
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2/10/2011 - Rustyca wrote: 95 Points
What a nice suprise. Beautiful balance, nice soft texture with the essences of a maturing wine showing well.
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10/24/2010 - edjBoca wrote: 91 Points
Great nose w strong Bordeaux characteristics. Pleasant palate. Tanins mostly resolved. Not a long finish. Really enjoyable. Just not the best PLL you've ever had. Oh well, '98 Left Bank.
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10/14/2010 - dkmd99 wrote: 93 Points
Left bank off-year classic. Green pepper, tar, cigar box. Earthy. Food friendly.
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3/27/2010 - kenmmm wrote: 86 Points
This bottle was well past its prime. Unremarkable.
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3/20/2010 - Ardross wrote: 94 Points
Delightful classic cigar box nose - obviously Pauillac - very stylish, rich and seductive palate long finish , wish it was not my only bottle.
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11/20/2009 - SteveHoch wrote: 92 Points
very nice beautiful balance refined nice fruit, a little tar and good minerals.
nice finnish about 40 seconds
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11/19/2009 - clembos wrote: 89 Points
Good solid Paulliac. Nice dusty cassis, chalky, wet earth. Suprisingly little fruit and somewhat rustic.
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10/1/2009 - MauriceE wrote: 89 Points
Good, not spectacular. Stylish Pauillac, but lacking the backbone of the best vintages.
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9/22/2009 - moguls wrote: 87 Points
Nice, elegant nose of black fruits, w/ earthy overtones. Very pleasant well balanced mouth feel. Somewhat simple, but enjoyable.
Very good.
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7/10/2009 - mmurry wrote: 92 Points
1990's Bordeaux (Pappas Bros.): The nose had strong aromas of cherry and wet leaves, plus some raspberry, dirt, and vanilla. The palate was soft and earthy, with some cherry, spice, and vanilla.
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7/8/2009 - yeoman wrote:
This appeared a bit aged, I thought the nose is wonderful, tobacco, damp earth, hint of tea and mushroom. The palate is kinda of disappointing.....although the acid is presence but the fruits went missing, and I feel this two layers between the fruits and water. It's this young or dilute?
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1/16/2009 - noppakit s. wrote: 92 Points
Plenty of seductive cassis scent, earth, mild woody, mineral....and cassis again. Reminds me of Latour 1978 a little bit.
Very very delicious at this moment, more than expectation. I hardly can't stop drinking it..seductive texture too. One of the best Pichon Lalande I've ever tested.
The finish is very nice too. Sometime its finished swings up to 94/100.
Drink beautifully now - 2020.............92-94/100...............
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12/31/2008 - wconnolly wrote: 92 Points
Pichon is a long time favorite. This was absolutely outstanding. Deep purple color. Looong legs. Plenty of evidence of the terroir. Gravel, chalk and lead overtones balanced nicely with plenty of berry. Long finish...30 to 40 seconds. Interesting evolution as the wine opened over the course of two hours and developed additional fruit and a very nice floral bouquet. Began to close up again at hour 3 but still very palatable. Nice complement to the NZ lamb chops and tenderloin fondue.
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12/26/2008 - bluevespa wrote: 90 Points
Enjoyed this bottle side by side with 1998 La Mission Haut Brion. It did not have the finese and power of the superior La Mission, but it is a very enjoyable Paulliac that is ready to drink. Smooth with spicy dark fruits with that classic lead pencil.
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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): Plush nose, a hint of spice, dense, ripe and juicy, but not very special
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12/3/2008 - Rossodio wrote: 92 Points
Color - Shows slight bricking around the edges - a richly colored claret.
Nose - Violet, some earth, chalk, and cinnamon
Palate - Bold, ripe black fruit, softened tannins, decent midpalate, and a bit of cellar dust - not bad at all.
Finish - Wonderful, graceful, lush, and 30-45+ secs long.
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9/30/2008 - gsquireh wrote: 90 Points
Nice cedar and smoke with strong notes of cassis and black currents. Decanted and opened nicely becoming smooth and balanced within twenty minutes
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8/16/2008 - Hecht_Pede wrote: 85 Points
thin metallic taste not much here
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8/1/2008 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 92 Points
Love this elegant and nicely structured Pauillac. Notes of earth, black fruits, nicely followed up a gorgeous 2001 Pavie. Shared with L and J at Del Porto's. Will try another in a year or so.
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4/14/2008 - spotfin wrote: 91 Points
Nearing maturity, very pleasant, balanced.
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1/23/2008 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Complex, refined, good toasted oak, cassis, soft lead pencil. Really very tempting and already very supple. A treat!
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1/11/2008 - loverboy wrote: 89 Points
Last Glass from the bottle. Powerful nose, intense and concentrated. still has little tannin. average finish
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1/3/2008 - sapgem wrote: 87 Points
Performed ok over christmas. But was put in the shade by other wines. May blossom.
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12/13/2007 - KeithAkers wrote: 90 Points
HDH bordeaux tasting (evanston IL): nose: really fruit forward nose. Very atypical for bordeaux here on the nose completely, almost like a cali cab from sonoma on the initial nose. Getting cranberry, dark cherry, and other various dark fruit on the initial nose and then it leans into some leather and cigar box after some real opening up. very interesting
taste: much more bordeaux like here. real nice integrated mouth with tobbacco, leather, cranberry, and dark fruit
overall: good solid wine. It is a bit lean on the mouth and if it had some more structure to it, it could be something really good. Still, it's a very good wine and it provides a very nice finish
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11/23/2007 - matrask wrote: 95 Points
Great example of Pauillac. Very deep, dark and compact nose, a bit closed even. Changing aromas the more often you check. A very smooth body even, gentle, elegant followed by a very long and lingering finish. Decanted for 5h
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11/16/2007 - stanford88 wrote: 93 Points
smooth, elegant, soft tannins, medium body and medium finish, could really taste earth and eucalyptus. Smooth finish. Easy to drink. It doesn't overpower and quite simple in that regards. Well worth it. Would love to have another bottle. A good pairing to Kobe beef.
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11/12/2007 - burningstarIV wrote: 94 Points
50+4+13+18+9=94
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11/8/2007 - hehlers wrote: 92 Points
Very elegant glas of wine. And perfect to drink now! Medium bodied and medium length. Very balanced and pleasant.
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10/27/2007 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful bouquet with soft cassis, lead pencil and cedar. Soft and juicy cassis, good acidity, bitterness and a hint of sweetness. A very tempting wine. Now already very enjoyable, but definitely still as good in the next 5 years or so.
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10/23/2007 - sonakul_t wrote: 91 Points
Very good wine. Opened up rather slow but after a while it became very good.
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7/31/2007 - sapgem wrote: 90 Points
Under-rated by the critics I think. Quite a light wine, but with notable persistance in the finish. A really expressive nose. More enjoyable than other 1998s at the moment, but I think it still has plenty of life and development left in it. Try again in 5 years + purchase more if price right.
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6/11/2007 - Serge Birbrair wrote: 91 Points
Ready to drink now. Lots of cedar on the nose, some cassis. I don't see it getting any better.
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3/24/2007 - barthes wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby color. Elegant, fruit comes out with after about an hour of being decanted
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11/30/2006 - bencamp3 wrote: 90 Points
middle of the road wine from this bordeaux from this house.......subtle earth, wood flavors.....would drink again
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6/28/2006 - johnphinney8 wrote: 89 Points
Nice drinking wine with notes of woodland on the nose, followed by cedar and possibly even mint through the mid palate. Decent length finish although not mind blowing.
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3/12/2006 - BJLMD wrote: 90 Points
agree with the above. This is outstanding. Best after 2 or so hours. One of my favorites!!
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2/23/2006 - KRB wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic left bank effort from this vintage. Classic Paulliac notes of cedar and lead pencil wrapped in a balanced package with plenty of ripe fruit. This wine has the structure and stuffing for the long haul- I need to put a few away for 10 years or so.
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11/25/2005 - plitton wrote: 90 Points
Cona Thanksgiving 2005; 11/23/2005-11/27/2005: Delicious. A few more edges than the '85. Still has a few more years.
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4/27/2001 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 88 Points
1998 Vintage Bordeaux Tasting (Pleasant Hill, Ca.): Nice wine, rich fruit, still disappointing.
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