Timuquana BYO (TCC): A definite treat to get to try this wine. One of my favorite producers and a wine that I’ll seek out all the time. Super yummy. Beautiful and clean. Lots of black fruit and very nice structure. A bit more lines to it than the L’Evangile. Really lovely. For many a WOTN and definitely a strong contender.
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Opened at Octavium in HK. Slow-oxed for several hours before being served as the first in a flight.
Darker than I expected, and though there was a good black fruit coming out I think this is still in a broody phase. It didn't open up too much more with air, in the glass or otherwise during fresh pours, and I think that this just needs a bit more time to come together. Quite dense and clearly there's more to unfurl.
Would revisit in 3+ years to see where it's at. I think this will stay at a good level for many years but sometimes these can turn corners suddenly, hence don't leave it too long before checking-in again.
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Vin avec aromes de fruits noirs et bien équilibré. Contrairement aux millésimes plus récents (post 2000), qui démontrent un profil aromatique avec plus de définition et un déroulé en bouche plus longitudinal et ciselé (style rive gauche), ce Ausone 1998 adopte un profil plus typique des vins de la rive droite qui sont plus ample et gras en bouche. L'équilibre affiché par ce vin est manifeste: à la fois moyennement corsé, gourmand et velouté (pour un Ausone), ce millésime ne démontre néanmoins aucune lourdeur car le niveau d'acidité sous-jacent participe à maintenir une belle fraicheur. Il y a cependant un seul petit bémol qui empêche la note de monter plus haut: il y a une légère note d'astringence qui apparait en finale dans pratiquement chacune des bouteilles que j'ai goûtées (laquelle astringence pourrait passer inaperçue lorsque le vin est accompagné d'un repas). Ceci découle de la présence d'un faible pourcentage de tanins secs et anguleux, ce qui peut laisser supposer que les raisins de quelques rangs de vigne n'ont pas réussi à atteindre leur maturité phénolique. En conclusion, à mon goût, ce vin a maintenant atteint une parfaite maturité (et celle-ci se maintiendra pendant les 15-20 prochaines années), et, hormis la petite astringence qui peut apparaître en finale, celui-ci offre toutes les qualités que l'on souhaite retrouver dans un grand vin de St-Émilion de cette époque.
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16x Right Bank Bordeaux 1998: Almost 25 years later, it’s a great time to check in on the wines of the much lauded right bank vintage. All wines tasted single blind. A few observations: A) most wines showed quite open with a melted tannin structure, but still good tension across the board. B) The highlight was rather on the structural side (elegance and finesse in most wines), than on the aromatic depth side, which was limited, also due to… C) …the fact that there is limited tertiary expression yet. Most wines will need at least another 5 to rather 10 years to reach their peak. D) An average rating of 91.9pts in my book and 92.0pts for the group shows that despite a few highlights, the reception was mixed overall. E) Best wines today were Angelus (group average 94.9pts), Valandraud (94.4) and Cheval Blanc (94.0). I would put L’Evangile (rated 95pts) in the top category too but the group (average 92.6) was less enthusiastic.
TN: Shy, greenish, even slightly corky nose at frist. Fortunately, with time these faulty notes disappeared and some dark fruit and coffee notes came forward. Right from the start the palate shows beautiful, fine red fruit, some red berries and then more and more coffee notes. Medium+ length. Impeccable structural frame. This showed promising although not overly deep and open. Maybe the long decant took away a bit of the expression, maybe the wine is still in a dormant phase.
Decanting: Decanted for probably 6+ hours. Not sure if it was too long. I would go for max 2 hours.
Group score: 93.9 Group rank: 4th out of 16 reds
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Decanted for 5 hours. Not enough. Tightly wound, but potential is clearly there. Wait on this one - I will put my remaining bottles on a 2-year rotation.
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General observations: Unfortunately, the tasting was below my expectations. The was no real "wow-effect" at any wines as I had with the left bank tasting 1982-1990 we had a year ago. So I had to find out, that, me, personally, I like more the aged left than the aged right banks. In the end, Ridge Montebello (pirate) ended even up being the wine of the night for me.
_______
TN: no notes
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Bordeaux Right Bank 1998 tasting (Essenz (Brugg)): Bordeaux right bank 1998 tasting. All wines were served single blind and were decanted several hours. The sample showed i/ generally healthy and structured wines, still quite primary with further aging potential; ii/ the overall performance was below expectations considering the repute of the vintage for the right bank (although this may be due to the very long aeration), iii/ top wine for me were 1. Valandrau (95), 2. L’Evangile (95), 3. Angélus (94) while for the group the ranking was 1. Angélus (94.9), 2. Valandrau (94.4), 3. Cheval Blanc (94.0). Complete list including group scores included in the tasting story.
Tasting note: Initially there was, even if only marginal, a hint of cork taint, the bouquet showed a rather narrow aroma profie with blurry flvaours expressint mostly red berry fruit. The palate however was fresh, juicy, with firm tannins well built in and electric acidity. With a bit of time the off notes dissipated almost entirely, revealing a mineral layer with green herbs which added a medicinal touch and espresso notes. Despite the notable improvement in the glass which added layers and complexity, that was unfortunately too little, too late for more than a solid performance.
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Tightly wound at first, unfurled after an hour or so and continued to improve from there. Probably would have benefited from even more air. Deep, rich, dark and opulent wine, but quite retrained at the same time. Fruit is ripe and silky, nicely balancing out the substantial tannin. Youthful but showing nice notes of maturity, drinking quite well with air.
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Decanted. Clear deep dark garnet color. Fresh notes of blackberries, black plums and their liqueurs; violets, clay, hints of tobacco, leather, and mushrooms. Seamless, balanced, refined, outstanding. The standout in a 1998 Right Bank horizontal with La Commanderie de Bordeaux.
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Packed with salt-edged rocks and stones, the wine is fresh, vibrant, bright and on the deep, red fruit side of the style range. Full-bodied, with a crisp, mineral-driven palate presence and finish, this is starting to show quite well.
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Color - Dense, dark and purple, in pristine form. No bricking, no signs of age. Enticing...
Nose - Stunning aromas of earth, truffle, nutmeg, rosemary and strawberry, followed by subtle undertones of cocoa and espresso. Absolutely gorgeous and otherworldly.
In the mouth - A tremendous explosion of flavor, with notes of black currant, cocoa, plum, dark cherries, pepper. Beautiful balance of structure, perfectly integrated tannins, opulent and complex, revealing new notes with each sip. Endless finish, lingering in the mouth for minutes.
This is a true, quintessential Bordeaux - A magnificent work of art, and a peak that very few can reach. Currently at it's best possible form IMO, perfect - like a prime Roger Federer. Will easily go strong for another decade, and probably last well through 2035 and beyond.
Masterpiece. 97 points...
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[Blind] Nose is smoky, lush, punchy, and has excellent graphite and stone. I'm getting subtle bell pepper weighing in favour of Cabernet Franc and keeping me in St. Émilion over Pomerol. Quite chocolatey too. Plate is juicy chocolate covered cherries and black fruit. Some very pleasant green herbaceousness to the nose as well. Delicious now but well built and clearly has over a decade to open up. Learned that this was opened last night and decanted at 09:00 this morning. 94 - 95.
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Perhaps not quite as perfect as top vintages in this millennium, but this starts to be ready to drink, has great complexity and length - in need of decanting still.
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Great bottle, the wine might have suffered from the comparison with the other wines that were in the tasting. No signs of aging, it is still going to evolve for a few years.
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Sweet spot. Drank with the nerds after a splash decant. Fully mature deep ruby with zero sediment. Much as been written raving about this wine and this lived up to high expectations. Exhilarating nose of black fruit, subtle oak and berries. Decant as long as you can resist, several hours if possible. If a date, this was an extremely sexy 30 year old Harvard MBA who conquers boardrooms as easily as your bedroom. Decades of vibrant life ahead
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God I find claret tiresome. It just doesn't do it for me. That this is expensive and so widely worshipped really doesn't help top claret's image as snobby, aloof and inaccessible. Fools pay big money for this. It's technically accomplished, of course (hence the rating) but this is pleasurable? Give me a break. There's some interest here - a touch of smokiness, that boring old cedariness and mintiness that shouts "Bordeaux!", some slate and bags and bags of jolly fruit. Admittedly it's still young, so that's amazing considering it's 20 years old. But I just don't find it fascinating or mesmerising, so at this price, it's just plain stupid to rave about this. Let the Chinese and Russians buy all of it and mix it with Coca-Cola, I really don't mind.
Beautiful but still too young. Decant for at least a couple of hours. Taught, muscular, but mineral and more red than dark fruits. Give it longer in the cellar. Stellar wine which will improve.
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Very mineral driven, with loads of crushed rocks, stones and floral notes to accompany all the ripe, dark, juicy, vibrant energetic plums. This is starting to drink well, but give this concentrated, full-bodied wine at least 2 hours of air, before imbibing.
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Opened for sister in laws 50th birthday dinner. Beautiful from thr start without decanting. Full red and black fruit nose. Velvety texture and long finish. Suitable for the ocasion
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The best showing yet for this wine. With a few hours of air, the wine offers a mineral driven, plum, licorice, black cherry and wet earth character. Full bodied, concentrated, elegant, regal and complex, this is only starting to wake up and get noticed. Another 5 years will add a lot more softness and complexity to the wine.
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flight of 4 vintage, 95 96 97 98: 98 clearly not yet entering drinking window and best kept in the cellar, 97 peaked but very elegant and a very nice wine to sip, 95 96 are both good and hard to say which one I liked better, however, only had about 100ml for each and hard to judge. I liked 95 best.
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Aired for 2.5 hours and decanted for another hour. Ruby deep red color. It started slow and remained rather slow throughout. The bottle is from wine shop in St Emilion. Dark fruits and almond nose, hint of leather and earth. It was ok but expected a lot more than that.
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Tasted blind. Fantastic nose of blackberries, cherries, dark chocolate, minerals and some smoke. Full-bodied, with relatively low acidity and medium tannins adding structure. Very good length. This is a dense, in-your-face kind of St-Emilion, but with enough structure and complexity to be very classy. I loved it!
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Served during a Bdx tasing. Came in 3th ex equo with Lafite 96 out of 10 wines (first/second were Latour 82 and Margaux 03). Nose suggest Merlot, rich, still a bit restraint and tight but newish style. Great structure with bitter chocolate and even a hint of Mint. Higher aromatic complexity is needed for a better score though.
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Still youthful in appearance, the wine offers minerality, floral, earth, licorice and smoky blackberries in the perfume. Concentrated and tannic, the wine is a bit firm and requires at least another decade to soften and come together.
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Terroir of St Emilion (Roberson Wine, South Ken, London): Dark and dense in colour. Light mint and herb on the nose. Nose is almost closed. Light and balanced, very elegant. Supple tannin. Mineral. Unfortunately also a bit disappointing. We expected so much more and hopefully this will bloom into something but we can’t really tell. 92
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Retail purchase, held one year. Clean cork. A non-starter on the first night after decanting and sitting for 3+ hours. Banished to a lowly vacuum stopper and the fridge overnight, it ia more cooperative day 2. But don't bother, it is dormant, primary and uncooperative on demand. That said... 2nd night is gaining power in the glass, spicy and floral notes on the nose, and now quaffing depth to taste. Finish much longer and vibrant. Its in there, but wow, it's a surly teen. Banish until 2014! 93-96
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Needed a longer decant than the 30 mins or so it got. This is still a young pup, but beautifully round and smooth with lagoon-like depth of chocolatey fruit. Will develop and blossom over the next 10 years to something spectacular. 94+
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Great Wine with a Pig on a Spit (Elmhurst IL): From magnum. Dark fruit with intense floral character. Great spice, texture and balance, with every part of the wine coming together harmoniously. Still a baby.
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The Greatest Pig Roast Ever?? (Chicagoland): From 1.5L Bottle. Very elegant dark plum and berry notes with some cocoa and floral notes as well. Medium plus body, great texture and fine tannins on the lengthy finish. Quite young, but drinking very well.
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Birthday Bash with Pig (Chicagoland): From 1.5L. This is great. Medium bodied. Sexy and elegant dark fruits and a great clarity to everything. Floral notes. Certainly young, but enough balance that this can really be enjoyed anytime. Fine tannins. Really good.
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We boarded the Silversea’s Silver Whisper in Athens, to travel through the Black Sea to ports in the Ukraine and Turkey, ending in Istanbul. After settling in, we sat at one of the ship’s bars talking to the staff, and I looked over the wine list. I was quite surprised—many terrific wines were listed at very attractive prices—often times, well below retail. “Did you see, we cut many of the wine prices in half?” asked the maitre d’?
And there it was. Though not a glory-type vintage, the 1998 Chateau Ausone was listed at a price well below retail, and at a price not to be found on land. Having visited Chateau Ausone a few months ago, and tasted with Francois Mauss, Kelly Walker and Alain Vaultier, it seemed just the right wine to order. At dinner the first night, as the gleaming and seemingly moving lights of Athens shown out the window, we ordered the wine. It was decanted and served in Riedel Vinum Bordeaux glasses (one of the Riedel family was on the last cruise and had given presentations on the importance of stems in wine tasting).
Regarding the ’98 Ausone, the nose was absolutely captivating. Over the first hour, the wine changed dramatically. At first, the wine was a bit warm (it was about 32C in Athens) and there was some alcohol on the nose. “Let me take it down to about 14 degrees (centigrade)” offered the sommelier, and then the wine really began to shine. The alcohol on the nose was no longer present. Black fruits and cedar were there, and the wine began to show its layers of complexity. An hour or so into our evening, the nose remained captivating even as the wine seemed to close a bit. There became lots of plum on the nose, and the palate showed cedar, fruits and much complexity. The only drawback of the wine was some drying tannins on the finish. Still, the fireworks on the nose was terrific. As the wine continued to open in the glass, more cigar box and my notes say “very full on the nose” and the black fruits continued develop. Finally, some cherries and brambles mixed with the black and red fruits. The wine is now fully open, about 2 hours after opening. 94-96 points.
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With its high proportion of Cabernet Franc, (almost 50%), remains tight at ten years of age. With decanting, black fruits, herbs, minerals and spices can be coaxed from the glass. Good concentration of raw materials. In character, the wine is slightly rustic in nature, especially when compared to Ausone produced at the Chateau in 1999 and later. This bottle indicates that 10-15 more years are needed before truly beginning to fully express its qualities.
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This is 3rd time of my testing but how come...this is the youngest 1998 I've ever had.
Close more than open, full-bodied and very very young, well-balanced, good texture but I'm not happy with it. At 7th hour, the wine can not stay any longer. The structure of Mouton 2000 is much better. ( tested it side by side )
Aftertaste, oh yeah, the promising. Long, dense and powerful.
Thickest of the night, The wine is way too young, it boost deep dark ruby color with somewhat muted nose in the beginning. It started to perform almost 4 hours after opened. Classic full bodied wine that need enormous amount of time. Big wine with strong tannic palate with superb finish !!!
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HDH 1998 Right Bank Tasting (Tru): Soft red/purple color. Subdued nose of red and black fruit with some acidity. Medium red/black fruit with some firm structure remaining. This may need quite a bit of time to shine, but otherwise I just don't get the premium here!
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This is my 2nd bottle...5.30 hours testing... ( first bottle was tasted last year ( 1 big glass ) it was ready to drink, deep clean and very smooth. Silky...no hard edge...95/100 )
But this time...tested along with Lafleur 1994...
Ausone 1998 is still too young, at 4.30 hrs, I can give it 100/100. It becomes prefect scents...aroma and bouquet intermixed, many layers, fresh, clean, dark fruits, flowery, mineral, asian herbs, etc. Perfect in the mouth, full-bodied, it declares itself...I am one of the best !!!
Aftertaste....almost can not resist....
Drink it 2010 - forever....the last typical classic vintage of Ausone....
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Dinner with England, Manlin, and Others (Brad's House): Double decanted about 12 hours before serving. Darker than the Lafite. Black. Big expressive nose of black fruit and some floral aromas. A bit monolithic in the mouth, showing mainly big earthy fruit. The finish had very strong tannins. Scott referred to them as chalky, and this is the first time I’ve ever really understood that term. It fit perfectly. This wine showed very well, but it is going to be something special with some bottle age. I wouldn’t touch another bottle for at least five to ten years.
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Fruity phase. Nose very fine. Grasses, black fruits, leather, truffle, butter, all one after the other and constantly changing towards the sweetish. Taste not so present but still nice. Closed after about 1.5 hrs and completely inaccessible after 2 hrs.
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3/25/2024 - steinersing wrote: 97 Points
So much controlled power here with an almost explosive attack and great length. Early drinking window.
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1/13/2024 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Timuquana BYO (TCC): A definite treat to get to try this wine. One of my favorite producers and a wine that I’ll seek out all the time. Super yummy. Beautiful and clean. Lots of black fruit and very nice structure. A bit more lines to it than the L’Evangile. Really lovely. For many a WOTN and definitely a strong contender.
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11/16/2023 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened at Octavium in HK. Slow-oxed for several hours before being served as the first in a flight.
Darker than I expected, and though there was a good black fruit coming out I think this is still in a broody phase. It didn't open up too much more with air, in the glass or otherwise during fresh pours, and I think that this just needs a bit more time to come together. Quite dense and clearly there's more to unfurl.
Would revisit in 3+ years to see where it's at. I think this will stay at a good level for many years but sometimes these can turn corners suddenly, hence don't leave it too long before checking-in again.
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5/1/2023 - LeVinDix20 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Vin avec aromes de fruits noirs et bien équilibré. Contrairement aux millésimes plus récents (post 2000), qui démontrent un profil aromatique avec plus de définition et un déroulé en bouche plus longitudinal et ciselé (style rive gauche), ce Ausone 1998 adopte un profil plus typique des vins de la rive droite qui sont plus ample et gras en bouche. L'équilibre affiché par ce vin est manifeste: à la fois moyennement corsé, gourmand et velouté (pour un Ausone), ce millésime ne démontre néanmoins aucune lourdeur car le niveau d'acidité sous-jacent participe à maintenir une belle fraicheur. Il y a cependant un seul petit bémol qui empêche la note de monter plus haut: il y a une légère note d'astringence qui apparait en finale dans pratiquement chacune des bouteilles que j'ai goûtées (laquelle astringence pourrait passer inaperçue lorsque le vin est accompagné d'un repas). Ceci découle de la présence d'un faible pourcentage de tanins secs et anguleux, ce qui peut laisser supposer que les raisins de quelques rangs de vigne n'ont pas réussi à atteindre leur maturité phénolique. En conclusion, à mon goût, ce vin a maintenant atteint une parfaite maturité (et celle-ci se maintiendra pendant les 15-20 prochaines années), et, hormis la petite astringence qui peut apparaître en finale, celui-ci offre toutes les qualités que l'on souhaite retrouver dans un grand vin de St-Émilion de cette époque.
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12/18/2022 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
16x Right Bank Bordeaux 1998: Almost 25 years later, it’s a great time to check in on the wines of the much lauded right bank vintage. All wines tasted single blind. A few observations: A) most wines showed quite open with a melted tannin structure, but still good tension across the board. B) The highlight was rather on the structural side (elegance and finesse in most wines), than on the aromatic depth side, which was limited, also due to… C) …the fact that there is limited tertiary expression yet. Most wines will need at least another 5 to rather 10 years to reach their peak. D) An average rating of 91.9pts in my book and 92.0pts for the group shows that despite a few highlights, the reception was mixed overall. E) Best wines today were Angelus (group average 94.9pts), Valandraud (94.4) and Cheval Blanc (94.0). I would put L’Evangile (rated 95pts) in the top category too but the group (average 92.6) was less enthusiastic.
TN: Shy, greenish, even slightly corky nose at frist. Fortunately, with time these faulty notes disappeared and some dark fruit and coffee notes came forward. Right from the start the palate shows beautiful, fine red fruit, some red berries and then more and more coffee notes. Medium+ length. Impeccable structural frame. This showed promising although not overly deep and open. Maybe the long decant took away a bit of the expression, maybe the wine is still in a dormant phase.
Decanting: Decanted for probably 6+ hours. Not sure if it was too long. I would go for max 2 hours.
Group score: 93.9
Group rank: 4th out of 16 reds
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12/8/2022 - alamoave Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 5 hours. Not enough. Tightly wound, but potential is clearly there. Wait on this one - I will put my remaining bottles on a 2-year rotation.
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11/26/2022 - La Sprezzatura wrote: 92 Points
1998 Horizontal Bordeaux Right Bank Tasting (private) (Essen'z): All wines were tasted single blind and were decanted before tasting. 14 right bank bordeaux and 2 pirates. All wines were from the vintage 1998.
General observations:
Unfortunately, the tasting was below my expectations. The was no real "wow-effect" at any wines as I had with the left bank tasting 1982-1990 we had a year ago. So I had to find out, that, me, personally, I like more the aged left than the aged right banks. In the end, Ridge Montebello (pirate) ended even up being the wine of the night for me.
_______
TN:
no notes
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11/26/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux Right Bank 1998 tasting (Essenz (Brugg)): Bordeaux right bank 1998 tasting. All wines were served single blind and were decanted several hours. The sample showed i/ generally healthy and structured wines, still quite primary with further aging potential; ii/ the overall performance was below expectations considering the repute of the vintage for the right bank (although this may be due to the very long aeration), iii/ top wine for me were 1. Valandrau (95), 2. L’Evangile (95), 3. Angélus (94) while for the group the ranking was 1. Angélus (94.9), 2. Valandrau (94.4), 3. Cheval Blanc (94.0). Complete list including group scores included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
Initially there was, even if only marginal, a hint of cork taint, the bouquet showed a rather narrow aroma profie with blurry flvaours expressint mostly red berry fruit. The palate however was fresh, juicy, with firm tannins well built in and electric acidity. With a bit of time the off notes dissipated almost entirely, revealing a mineral layer with green herbs which added a medicinal touch and espresso notes. Despite the notable improvement in the glass which added layers and complexity, that was unfortunately too little, too late for more than a solid performance.
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6/6/2022 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tightly wound at first, unfurled after an hour or so and continued to improve from there. Probably would have benefited from even more air. Deep, rich, dark and opulent wine, but quite retrained at the same time. Fruit is ripe and silky, nicely balancing out the substantial tannin. Youthful but showing nice notes of maturity, drinking quite well with air.
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4/5/2022 - Javachip Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted. Clear deep dark garnet color. Fresh notes of blackberries, black plums and their liqueurs; violets, clay, hints of tobacco, leather, and mushrooms. Seamless, balanced, refined, outstanding. The standout in a 1998 Right Bank horizontal with La Commanderie de Bordeaux.
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4/5/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Packed with salt-edged rocks and stones, the wine is fresh, vibrant, bright and on the deep, red fruit side of the style range. Full-bodied, with a crisp, mineral-driven palate presence and finish, this is starting to show quite well.
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2/24/2022 - DanielAVTL Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wine 6/7 of Bordeaux tasting at YOLO Wine club.
* Decanted 4 hours before serving
Color - Dense, dark and purple, in pristine form. No bricking, no signs of age. Enticing...
Nose - Stunning aromas of earth, truffle, nutmeg, rosemary and strawberry, followed by subtle undertones of cocoa and espresso. Absolutely gorgeous and otherworldly.
In the mouth - A tremendous explosion of flavor, with notes of black currant, cocoa, plum, dark cherries, pepper. Beautiful balance of structure, perfectly integrated tannins, opulent and complex, revealing new notes with each sip. Endless finish, lingering in the mouth for minutes.
This is a true, quintessential Bordeaux - A magnificent work of art, and a peak that very few can reach. Currently at it's best possible form IMO, perfect - like a prime Roger Federer. Will easily go strong for another decade, and probably last well through 2035 and beyond.
Masterpiece. 97 points...
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1/13/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
[Blind] Nose is smoky, lush, punchy, and has excellent graphite and stone. I'm getting subtle bell pepper weighing in favour of Cabernet Franc and keeping me in St. Émilion over Pomerol. Quite chocolatey too. Plate is juicy chocolate covered cherries and black fruit. Some very pleasant green herbaceousness to the nose as well. Delicious now but well built and clearly has over a decade to open up. Learned that this was opened last night and decanted at 09:00 this morning. 94 - 95.
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11/21/2020 - merlotsmile wrote:
St Emilion 1st Growths & those that deserve an upgrade!: 67 Pall Mall Zoom Webinar
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3/16/2020 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
Double decanted to serve. Tobacco, smoke and black fruit. Delicate and seamless on the palate with class. Surprisingly accessible.
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11/9/2019 - steinersing wrote: 97 Points
Perhaps not quite as perfect as top vintages in this millennium, but this starts to be ready to drink, has great complexity and length - in need of decanting still.
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11/8/2019 - Vmaster007 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great bottle, the wine might have suffered from the comparison with the other wines that were in the tasting. No signs of aging, it is still going to evolve for a few years.
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2/8/2019 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Sweet spot. Drank with the nerds after a splash decant. Fully mature deep ruby with zero sediment.
Much as been written raving about this wine and this lived up to high expectations.
Exhilarating nose of black fruit, subtle oak and berries. Decant as long as you can resist, several hours if possible.
If a date, this was an extremely sexy 30 year old Harvard MBA who conquers boardrooms as easily as your bedroom.
Decades of vibrant life ahead
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12/19/2018 - ricard wrote: 94 Points
God I find claret tiresome. It just doesn't do it for me. That this is expensive and so widely worshipped really doesn't help top claret's image as snobby, aloof and inaccessible. Fools pay big money for this. It's technically accomplished, of course (hence the rating) but this is pleasurable? Give me a break. There's some interest here - a touch of smokiness, that boring old cedariness and mintiness that shouts "Bordeaux!", some slate and bags and bags of jolly fruit. Admittedly it's still young, so that's amazing considering it's 20 years old. But I just don't find it fascinating or mesmerising, so at this price, it's just plain stupid to rave about this. Let the Chinese and Russians buy all of it and mix it with Coca-Cola, I really don't mind.
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11/7/2018 - Guzzzler Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful but still too young. Decant for at least a couple of hours.
Taught, muscular, but mineral and more red than dark fruits. Give it longer in the cellar. Stellar wine which will improve.
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9/8/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Very mineral driven, with loads of crushed rocks, stones and floral notes to accompany all the ripe, dark, juicy, vibrant energetic plums. This is starting to drink well, but give this concentrated, full-bodied wine at least 2 hours of air, before imbibing.
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6/14/2018 - M.S.L. wrote: 96 Points
Bordeaux right bank 1998 tasting. 16 wines including Petrus, Cheval Blanc and VCC (Copenhagen, Denmark): Like the Cheval Blanc in the same flight also a bit shy in the beginning. It does wake wake up and it is a lovely wine in the less decadent style.
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4/11/2018 - ve23 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Blind tasting on April 11, 2018 (Tornano, Moscow): 98/100. FINEST SILK
A brilliant, utterly harmonious and gentle Ausone from a bulletproof vintage, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
Sweet licorice and caramel, with neat balance and silky, caressing palate. Every sip was amazing. Totally at peak.
Струящийся шёлк. Hooray to St.-Èmilion!
WS 92, RP 91 - again, these scores matter zilch! Switching to Vinous, as ST 95+ much more relevant.
Blind set at Tornano / 11 April 2018
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12/27/2017 - europat55 wrote: 93 Points
Gorgeous nose, but a little bit hot (A-). Gorgeous palate (A-).
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9/15/2017 - Junekwu wrote: 100 Points
Vanilla nose (a little), plum, less tannin-y than masseto (per carol)
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6/24/2017 - chrispdawg12 Likes this wine:
Opened for sister in laws 50th birthday dinner. Beautiful from thr start without decanting. Full red and black fruit nose. Velvety texture and long finish. Suitable for the ocasion
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1/13/2017 - UPL wrote: 98 Points
without words -- in 10 to 20 years one of the best wines in the world -- my next bottle in 10 years -- and the rest for the kids of my kids --
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6/10/2016 - fcxj wrote: 94 Points
Drinking very well. Lush and velvety. Pretty ripe.
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12/15/2015 - steinersing wrote: 96 Points
This is now starting to enter an early drinking window. Still tight but drinkable.
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8/16/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
The best showing yet for this wine. With a few hours of air, the wine offers a mineral driven, plum, licorice, black cherry and wet earth character. Full bodied, concentrated, elegant, regal and complex, this is only starting to wake up and get noticed. Another 5 years will add a lot more softness and complexity to the wine.
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2/8/2015 - danielk168 wrote: 91 Points
flight of 4 vintage, 95 96 97 98: 98 clearly not yet entering drinking window and best kept in the cellar, 97 peaked but very elegant and a very nice wine to sip, 95 96 are both good and hard to say which one I liked better, however, only had about 100ml for each and hard to judge. I liked 95 best.
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1/29/2014 - Utopia3 Likes this wine:
very smooth. Delicate taste. Nothing acidic or jumps out. Not complex. no after taste
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9/21/2013 - Wine Expresso wrote: 89 Points
Aired for 2.5 hours and decanted for another hour. Ruby deep red color. It started slow and remained rather slow throughout. The bottle is from wine shop in St Emilion. Dark fruits and almond nose, hint of leather and earth. It was ok but expected a lot more than that.
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5/5/2013 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Right Bank Bordeaux Tasting; 4/27/2013-5/5/2013 (Kevin's House (Minneapolis)): Disappointed. Gravel, alcoholic, meat and red fruits. Picks up some gravel and spices on the palate. Medium finish. Could be in a dumb period. 3 hours decanted and consumed over 2 hours. Not even close to worth the price.
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4/27/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Big Bordeaux V: Stars of the Right Bank - St. Emilion (including '96 Cheval, '98 Ausone and Pavie, '90 Troplong, '98 d'Yquem and more) (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Purple red color. Decanted for 5.5 hrs. Drank 1 glass over 2+ hours. Even after a long decant this was pretty tight on the nose. Black fruits, scorched earth, road tar, spice. The palate is full bodied, very big and concentrated, dense, chewy, black fruits, lots of anise, some tobacco, tar, minerals, firm tannins. Very young, needs at least 5 years and probably 10.
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2/14/2013 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted blind. Fantastic nose of blackberries, cherries, dark chocolate, minerals and some smoke. Full-bodied, with relatively low acidity and medium tannins adding structure. Very good length. This is a dense, in-your-face kind of St-Emilion, but with enough structure and complexity to be very classy. I loved it!
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2/13/2013 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Served during a Bdx tasing. Came in 3th ex equo with Lafite 96 out of 10 wines (first/second were Latour 82 and Margaux 03). Nose suggest Merlot, rich, still a bit restraint and tight but newish style. Great structure with bitter chocolate and even a hint of Mint. Higher aromatic complexity is needed for a better score though.
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12/12/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Still youthful in appearance, the wine offers minerality, floral, earth, licorice and smoky blackberries in the perfume. Concentrated and tannic, the wine is a bit firm and requires at least another decade to soften and come together.
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11/12/2012 - Margauxguy wrote: 97 Points
rich opulent, newer style, still some tightness, great structure
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9/30/2012 - noppakit s. wrote: 95 Points
4th tasting...
One of my friends told me that it's very good at this moment, then I bring to drink along with Latour 1982.
Very good nose, many scents, deep, beautiful, dramatic but not fully opened. (may be too good condition)
Everything is set to be perfect. The great balance, nice acidity for holding the wine many years from now. It's a little bit too young to me
Aftertaste is superb even drinking after Latour 1982.
This 1998 Ausone is the promising !!!
Drink 2017 - 2045+
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3/8/2012 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Terroir of St Emilion (Roberson Wine, South Ken, London): Dark and dense in colour. Light mint and herb on the nose. Nose is almost closed. Light and balanced, very elegant. Supple tannin. Mineral. Unfortunately also a bit disappointing. We expected so much more and hopefully this will bloom into something but we can’t really tell. 92
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11/21/2010 - Leeying wrote: 93 Points
Full body, complex, balanced
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7/12/2010 - City Wine Journal wrote: 93 Points
Retail purchase, held one year. Clean cork. A non-starter on the first night after decanting and sitting for 3+ hours. Banished to a lowly vacuum stopper and the fridge overnight, it ia more cooperative day 2. But don't bother, it is dormant, primary and uncooperative on demand. That said... 2nd night is gaining power in the glass, spicy and floral notes on the nose, and now quaffing depth to taste. Finish much longer and vibrant. Its in there, but wow, it's a surly teen. Banish until 2014! 93-96
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6/1/2010 - Khamen wrote: 94 Points
Needed a longer decant than the 30 mins or so it got. This is still a young pup, but beautifully round and smooth with lagoon-like depth of chocolatey fruit. Will develop and blossom over the next 10 years to something spectacular. 94+
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5/22/2010 - Burgundy Al wrote: 95 Points
Great Wine with a Pig on a Spit (Elmhurst IL): From magnum. Dark fruit with intense floral character. Great spice, texture and balance, with every part of the wine coming together harmoniously. Still a baby.
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5/22/2010 - MatthewF wrote:
The Greatest Pig Roast Ever?? (Chicagoland): From 1.5L Bottle. Very elegant dark plum and berry notes with some cocoa and floral notes as well. Medium plus body, great texture and fine tannins on the lengthy finish. Quite young, but drinking very well.
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5/22/2010 - psmith wrote:
Birthday Bash with Pig (Chicagoland): From 1.5L. This is great. Medium bodied. Sexy and elegant dark fruits and a great clarity to everything. Floral notes. Certainly young, but enough balance that this can really be enjoyed anytime. Fine tannins. Really good.
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12/1/2009 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Chateau Ausone vertical 1929-2005 (Institute of Directors, London): Sweet and ripe, chocolate and cassis on the nose, fragrant, oaky, open and richly fruited, but grippily tannic
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7/13/2009 - Wil wrote: 96 Points
We boarded the Silversea’s Silver Whisper in Athens, to travel through the Black Sea to ports in the Ukraine and Turkey, ending in Istanbul. After settling in, we sat at one of the ship’s bars talking to the staff, and I looked over the wine list. I was quite surprised—many terrific wines were listed at very attractive prices—often times, well below retail. “Did you see, we cut many of the wine prices in half?” asked the maitre d’?
And there it was. Though not a glory-type vintage, the 1998 Chateau Ausone was listed at a price well below retail, and at a price not to be found on land. Having visited Chateau Ausone a few months ago, and tasted with Francois Mauss, Kelly Walker and Alain Vaultier, it seemed just the right wine to order. At dinner the first night, as the gleaming and seemingly moving lights of Athens shown out the window, we ordered the wine. It was decanted and served in Riedel Vinum Bordeaux glasses (one of the Riedel family was on the last cruise and had given presentations on the importance of stems in wine tasting).
Regarding the ’98 Ausone, the nose was absolutely captivating. Over the first hour, the wine changed dramatically. At first, the wine was a bit warm (it was about 32C in Athens) and there was some alcohol on the nose. “Let me take it down to about 14 degrees (centigrade)” offered the sommelier, and then the wine really began to shine. The alcohol on the nose was no longer present. Black fruits and cedar were there, and the wine began to show its layers of complexity. An hour or so into our evening, the nose remained captivating even as the wine seemed to close a bit. There became lots of plum on the nose, and the palate showed cedar, fruits and much complexity. The only drawback of the wine was some drying tannins on the finish. Still, the fireworks on the nose was terrific. As the wine continued to open in the glass, more cigar box and my notes say “very full on the nose” and the black fruits continued develop. Finally, some cherries and brambles mixed with the black and red fruits. The wine is now fully open, about 2 hours after opening. 94-96 points.
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10/10/2008 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
With its high proportion of Cabernet Franc, (almost 50%), remains tight at ten years of age. With decanting, black fruits, herbs, minerals and spices can be coaxed from the glass. Good concentration of raw materials. In character, the wine is slightly rustic in nature, especially when compared to Ausone produced at the Chateau in 1999 and later. This bottle indicates that 10-15 more years are needed before truly beginning to fully express its qualities.
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9/20/2008 - noppakit s. wrote: 96 Points
This is 3rd time of my testing but how come...this is the youngest 1998 I've ever had.
Close more than open, full-bodied and very very young, well-balanced, good texture but I'm not happy with it. At 7th hour, the wine can not stay any longer. The structure of Mouton 2000 is much better. ( tested it side by side )
Aftertaste, oh yeah, the promising. Long, dense and powerful.
Drink 2014 - 2050+.....................96-97/100....................
ps. Ausone is the best wine for me, for Bordeaux, I love it the most but...
Now I know that I must finished the whole bottle within 5-6 hours for the top vintage and 4.30 hours for a good vintage. dissapointed this time !!
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9/19/2008 - loverboy wrote: 94 Points
Thickest of the night, The wine is way too young, it boost deep dark ruby color with somewhat muted nose in the beginning. It started to perform almost 4 hours after opened. Classic full bodied wine that need enormous amount of time. Big wine with strong tannic palate with superb finish !!!
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3/30/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
HDH 1998 Right Bank Tasting (Tru): Soft red/purple color. Subdued nose of red and black fruit with some acidity. Medium red/black fruit with some firm structure remaining. This may need quite a bit of time to shine, but otherwise I just don't get the premium here!
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12/24/2006 - noppakit s. wrote: 100 Points
This is my 2nd bottle...5.30 hours testing...
( first bottle was tasted last year ( 1 big glass ) it was ready to drink, deep clean and very smooth. Silky...no hard edge...95/100 )
But this time...tested along with Lafleur 1994...
Ausone 1998 is still too young, at 4.30 hrs, I can give it 100/100. It becomes prefect scents...aroma and bouquet intermixed, many layers, fresh, clean, dark fruits, flowery, mineral, asian herbs, etc. Perfect in the mouth, full-bodied, it declares itself...I am one of the best !!!
Aftertaste....almost can not resist....
Drink it 2010 - forever....the last typical classic vintage of Ausone....
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4/25/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 96 Points
Dinner with England, Manlin, and Others (Brad's House): Double decanted about 12 hours before serving. Darker than the Lafite. Black. Big expressive nose of black fruit and some floral aromas. A bit monolithic in the mouth, showing mainly big earthy fruit. The finish had very strong tannins. Scott referred to them as chalky, and this is the first time I’ve ever really understood that term. It fit perfectly. This wine showed very well, but it is going to be something special with some bottle age. I wouldn’t touch another bottle for at least five to ten years.
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1/10/2005 - MRichman wrote:
1998 Right Bank Bordeaux Horizontal (Inside, NYC): Dark fruit. Lots of juicy fruit. Thick. Some emptiness on mid. Long herbal finish. Tome tannins.
B+/A-
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11/25/2002 - jusuf Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fruity phase. Nose very fine. Grasses, black fruits, leather, truffle, butter, all one after the other and constantly changing towards the sweetish. Taste not so present but still nice. Closed after about 1.5 hrs and completely inaccessible after 2 hrs.
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