From an excellent looking bottle with a 2 cm fill, this wine had a purple center and red/orange rims. The high- intensity nose went through a number a phases but generally improved with air. It put forth black cherry, minerals, smoked meat, tan spice, and plum notes.
In the mouth, this wine was big and bold at first with a bit of an edge on it. After a few hours of air it showed intense fruit, rounded tannin, firm acidity, and great length.
This wine is still a powerhouse. It needed 5+ hours in a decanter to show its best. This is fantastic wine that needed quite a bit air to come into balance. It will easily last another decade or two.
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[Blind] Challenging blind, I was in red Burgundy albeit in a darker more sous bois kind of place with hoisin and spice above darker secondary red fruit. Was thinking Meo Camuzet for the muddled / dark and stormy appearance. Palate is refined and elegant though. Unresolved but softening tannin. Freshened up with more air and added size and weight. I find '89 to be a bit of a roasty vintage across French regions. 93+
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Opened in Courchevel. P&P and enjoyed over dinner.
This was absolutely fantastic - a beautiful Guigal in its prime. Rhone black and blue fruits very expressive, but complimented by red fruits and even hints of tropical fruit like banana. Great structure and body, but was also weightless on the palate, going down very smoothly. Tannins still there amazingly, though not grippy - just adding a slight enjoyable edge.
Overall, wow - really good, and definitely will keep for a while assuming good provenance and condition.
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Nose: espresso roast, tobacco, leather, game, menthol, guinea fowl, blue berry, puer tea Notes: The 89 La Landonne offer a silky finish and a dynamite palate. The tobacco and smoked meat/gamey flavor puts this amongst some of the top wines immediately. The complexity and depth to this wine is unrivaled across the world. It is impossible to dislike a well made and vintaged la la la. Tasted side by side with the 1988, it does feel like the tobacco is the dominant flavor in the 89 while 88 probably had a bit more showing of different notes thus the nose of the 88 is more attractive and less overwhelming. This 89 has some resemblance of the great 1989 Haut Brion in fact. Although this wine is great by itself but I must say this underperformed against the 1988. The 1988 was a clear winner in this situation although I think that the 1989 can probably age much longer than the 1988. Drank over 4 hours and this wine was excellent. Drink: now - 2055 Rating: 92
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2022 Excellent Burgundy Adventure; 10/31/2022-11/6/2022 (Burgundy): Absolutely gorgeous complex nose displaying generous black and red fruit, blackberry, black cherry, dry cherry, licorice, strong garrigue, tapenade, grilled fat, tobacco, rare steak and mineral. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of intense black fruit, very generous and rich yet also fluid and precise, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a seamless long rich black and red fruit driven finish with garrige and grilled fat at the end. This expresses everything that we want in a mature Guigal La La. Drinking perfectly.
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Now we are talking. Deep and dark red color. The nose is mesmerizing, with roasted meat, blood, dark fruit and leather. Incredibly complex on the palate, with a finish that keeps going. Not a score guy, but I understand why Parker gave it a 💯.
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A fun gathering at L'Auberge Chez Francois (L'Auberge Chez Francois, Great Falls, VA): Perfectly mature nose displaying perfectly ripe intense black fruit, blackberry concentrated, black cherry, licorice, tapenade, garrigue, tobacco, dark caramel, charred rare steak and earth. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of explosive black fruit, rich, opulent and dense, yet also silky and sensual, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and the never ending finish that resonates with garrigue and tapenade. There is undeliverable richness, intensity and opulence without compromising balance and harmony.
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Northern Rhône Dinner (semi-blind) (AB' house, Keizersgracht Amsterdam): My first experience Guigal La-la's and specifically this wine was in 2016 when I gave 100 points. Great to have this tonight again (Thanks S!), between other fabulous bottles from the same region. Stunning masculine wine with great precision. Notes of blood, grilled meat, band-aid, iron and bacon. Smooth, silky and polished. Many years of life ahead.
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There was bottle variability from the last one. It was acidic in the beginning and I thought was ruined. It opened up over 2 hours and became a pleasant wine with accents of black fruit and the acidity quieted. I didn’t like this bottle as much as the last I had.
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Youthfull, deep, concentrated, fresh, broad-shouldered, dark and packed with smoldering black and red fruits, the wine fills your palate. Powerful and refined is not something you see often, but it is here in spades. Juicy, dynamic, complex, long and holding on to its last vestiges of youth, before hitting full maturity, this is stunning in every sense of the word.
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A friend turns 50: Always the shyest of the siblings i"m not sure I've ever had one of these that was really ready to drink. Instead this felt tight and a bit more tannic and overall just a bit quiet. Give it at least 20 more years.
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Nose was not showing much. A bit musky. Palate was excellent with rich and powerful black fruit, meat and olive. Good complexity. It should have been decanted to serve after I look at other tasters’ note.
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Un nez spectaculaire à mon avis, mais une bouche qui laisse paraitre un début d’oxydation. Au nez, j’y dénote de la fumée, un léger côté viandé, des fruits noirs, du chocolat et des épices. En bouche, c’est moins large comme éventail de saveur, l’oxydation y laisse un peu ses traces.
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Required an hour to fully opened up, and would have been better with a longer decant. Focused spice and dark red fruit on the nose. Good energy across the palate. 94+
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Lazy Sunday lunch - La Las, Papa, Dom Oeno, Ultramarine, L’Oree, Nigl & old Prum (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): Incredibly complex yet youthful nose displaying fresh blackberry and cherry, licorice, smoked meat, bacon fat, tapenade, garrigue, tobacco and mineral. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered fresh black fruit, silky and polish, almost airy, bright acidity, strong presence of mineral, still a hint of sweet tannins, and a finish that lasts over a minute. Very precise, polished and detailed expression of Syrah. It is so interesting to compare to the 90. I slightly prefer the 89 for the precision and freshness. Absolute pleasure.
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Wines Worthy of a Somewhat Impromptu Celebration (21 Club, New York): Two bottles, only afforded a quick decant, barely 30 minutes, but how this wine sang from the get-go! A little VA on the nose did not distract from the powerful aromatics of black fruit, pine needles, fig and charred meat. So concentrated on the palate, though never clumsy in any way! Layered waves of pure and powerful flavors: smoked meat pepper, forest floor and a bit of saddle leather. There was a sort of momentum to the wine, as each sip gained strength from front to rear palate, peaking on the finish in such a commanding and wonderful way. The wine struck me as fully mature, but no hurry either.
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Good but lacked the depth and crispness of the best bottles. Strong fruit but weaker on the other notes than it can be. Tannins more resolved than is typical for this wine at this point. Initially tasted blind. 94-95
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Coconut, licorice, smoke, fig, black plum, dark cherry and forest floor aromatics are in full force. Full bodied, deep, concentrated and youthfully fresh, yet ready to drink, there is a lot of vibrancy in the long finish.
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Lots of volatile acidity on the nose, but fortunately there is more to it than the oak. Saturation is, like the La Turque '89, simply marvelous, showing waves of sweet fruit balanced but acidity. Lots of vitality here, still primary and a slight dry note on the finish. (The Modern)
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In Toulouse. Hugely powerful nose of black fruit, smoked meats, strawberry, black pepper and a slight herbal note. Seriously concentrated on the palate and we saved half the bottle until the next day and while the nose had faded slightly, the palate was even bolder. Quite beefy which a gravely texture and nice grip on the finish. This still needs time to fully integrate but is impressive now.
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Drank alongside the La Landonne 1999 by Guigal (wow!) half on Friday (pop & pour) and the second half on Saturday for dinner. Stunning wine, next to the 1999 this wine is in the next gear with another ten years on bottle. Wasn't even aware such great wine could be made in Cote Rotie even though I have been a fan of the appellation since a long time. Notes of the second day, also this bottle really needs the 24 hours to open up. Thick freshly crushed dark cherries in the nose, marzipan, almond-paste but also layers of horse saddle, bacon fat, spices and chocolate. A wine to sit back and mesmerize. On the concentrated and intense palate dark fruits, saddle and wood like wet forest floor in Autumn. Excellent balance, good acidity for many more years. Magical finish (earth and minerals), lingering on for minutes with still loads of well-integrated tannins. Note: It didn't have the delineation of the 1999 and has a different more masculine style.
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Capella with the guys. Delicious, amazing nose that was very different from the 1985. Incredibly refined fruit with very little tannin remaining. Lucky to have experienced. A learning experience along with the 1985. 2nd only to the 1985.
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Night with the boyz at Capella (Capella): I was a bit surprised with this, it is just so young still, massive wall of tannins with good fruit still. I'm actually wondering if it will ever have a drinking window with the tannins in check while the fruit is still alive. It's still very good, but I'm not sure if it will ever get better.
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At 98 Pts, I am probably short changing this stunning wine. It has an incredible depth of flavor that does not quit. There is intensity and concentration of flavor, purity of fruit, a nose that competes with the best perfumed scents, length, density and class. Still young, I hope to age as well as this wine.
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Explosive nose of iron, blackberry liqueur, Asian spice, smoke, black cherry liqueur and earth, full bodied, concentrated, rich and powerful, the finish is palate filling and long.
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From a good looking bottle, this wine had a purple center with red rims. The tight but medium intensity nose showed black cherries, Provencal herbs, blackberries, pepper, and soil.
Interestingly, the evolution of this wine in the glass was the inverse of the Mouline. While the Mouline was watery and firmed up, this wine was bold and dramatic at first with sappy fruit and notable but rounded tannin. As the wine aired, the tannins softened and it came more into balance.
While clearly this is still too young and needs at least another 5-10 years, it seems to me it needs no more time than the '89 Turque. An impressive bottle that should improve by a least a couple points in time.
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2011 Special Session 4 - Wine bash of 2011 (Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant, The Forum Shopping Mall, Orchard Road): Alcohol :: 13% Bottle breath for 5hrs. Very dark ruby core with light brick red. The nose is truly sweet and seductive, intoxicating! Very intense and high tone, stunningly perfume, complex and airy: blackcurrant, plum, earth, star anise, cloves and perfume floral all wrapped in a harmonious package. This 22yrs old La Ladonne still pretty tight on the palate, with incredible concentration and depth all cloaked in a massive structured and absolutely polished, silky texture. Even more incredible is this wine has the perfect balance and precision for the power without weight mouth feel. Fresh, vibrant, lots of concentrated sweet dark fruits with soft, elegant mineral for the lift. The long finish goes on and on, unstoppable with sweet cocoa, dark chocolate and mineral that keep lingering at the end. Still youthful yet so complete. Extraordinary. This has long life ahead. 95-97
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Wine Bash of the Year 2011 (Jade Palace): Superlative. This was one of my two or three favourite wines on a night of many incredible wines. The 1980 Landonne that came before it was wonderfully pleasing. But while that was ready and this was still way too young, I thought the 1989 was far and away the superior wine. It had a wonderful nose, deeper, broader and wider-scaled than the 1980, with lovely scents of dried earth and dried flowers, plums and black cherries, a touch of kirsch maybe and bits of savoury meat - deep reservoirs of beautiful Rhone aromas there. The palate was a bit tightly wound when first poured, a show of clenched up power and intensity, but as it opened up in the glass, it blossomed into a beautifully balanced mouthful, with super bright acidity and wonderfully fine tannins running through incredibly rich and deep, yet superbly detailed flavours of black cherries and black berries flecked by earthy minerality. This was amazing in ways that I find hard to express - beautiful integrated, perfectly balanced and wonderfully precise all at the same time. I just loved it. The finish was wonderful too, melting across the back-palate in rich layers of dark fruit and meat. This was one of the best Rhones I have ever had and has become the Côte-Rôtie against which I will measure many a bottle to come. While super-impressive now, it has a long life ahead of it and is likely only to hit its peak in another decade or so.
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Tasted blind, this wine looked strong with a deep purple center with light red rims. The high intensity nose of black cherries, roasted meat, mocha, and Provencal herbs was impressive.
In the mouth, the wine was super ripe and rich but had great acidity and notable rounded tannin to balance out the wealth of fruit. It is so full of flavor that it could easily be mistaken for being ready. However, I suspect this wine with improve for 10 to 20 years. I would also expect my score to improve as well.
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wijn deed het helemaal, vulniveau nog optimaal, mooie schone kurk, geur is combinatie, mooie herfst tonen bosgrond, bladeren, licht aards, bovendien is daar nog het fruitige, levendige karakter, mooie kersen, veel diepgang, prachtige geuren, smaak is zeer aangenaam, fris met nog mooie zuren, breedte, intens, veel fitheid, vitaal, zachte tannines, rond en met lange afdronk, maakt echt indruk, prachtig bij de hertenrug biefstuk
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Ledbury-AK 45th birthday- med dark color with some lighter edging. a nose of bacon and earth, like a great smokehouse. could smell tis all night long. the mouth was as good or better. layers and layers of cigar, leather, with a touch of dark berries hanging on. really long finish.
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Absolutely stunning bottle. This took first prize over the weekend with Don and Terry, ahead of 83 Margaux, 83 Palmer, 82 Las Cases and 90 Gaja Sori Tilden. So rich and concentrated that it was hard to tell it was a French wine. Still lively, youthful, but full of smoke, bacon-fat, and underlying fruit.
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Looks about right for its age, faded a little but no amber yet at the rim. A bit of oak showing on the nose when first decanted. This needed three hours in the decanter to show its stuff then a gorgeous nose of ripe red fruits, thyme, blood and what can only be described as smoky dried blackcurrants - quite intense with a lick of menthol too. After these magnificent aromas the flavour had a lot to live up to; almost but not quite - more saturated red fruits with iron/blood quite pronounced, the oak now well integrated and not showing. Very polished, quite intense and with a good lingering finish but just lacking a little in sauvage character and no real sign of those blackcurrants that made this smell supreme. A very great wine for sure but not streets ahead of other fine Cote Rotie which can now be had for a lot less. This drank well now and evolved superbly but it has years of life ahead of it still.
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This wine is great and acutally tasted more closed than the last time I had it about 4 years ago. It has a dark black/purple color. The nose is somewhat coiled at first but with swirling is full of dark fruit, coffee, tar, leather, spice and bacon. The palate is large-scaled and to me is where the La' La's show their stuff. The concentration and density in the palate are something to behold. The finish is long, balanced and tannic. This wine is still years from peak and could approach a perfect score with more bottle age.
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La La's with Leve in La La Land (Los Angeles, CA): Earthy and mineral scented with a sweaty and salty edge. This just seems to hold back and doesn't deliver in the same forward way as the other vineyard offerings. (There was some joking about the La Landonne always being a 'tease' and I have to agree on this one.)
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Dark red in the glass. Black, dense looking core. Scents of dark berries. Cinnamon spice notes appear with a few minutes of air and swirling. And the classic bacon fat note is there too. Strong in the mouth, built into a huge framework, large bodied, brilliantly concentrated and complex beyond mere words. There were new impressions to be identified with each sip. This wine is still quite tannic and will probably benefit from a few years of cellaring, but I will be the last to complain about how this wine drinks right now. There's size yet style, intensity and power, yet sweetness and delicacy. Long, long aftertaste. Grade A juice.
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Seattle Tasting Group does Northern Rhône (Bellevue, WA, USA): A sweet caramel edge to the nose. This is gorgeous and clearly has had time to resolve some edges, but wow does this have simply massive structure throughout. I thought this was actually pretty closed and was holding back a lot, but still clearly a gorgeous wine. Group average of 90.625.
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Dark red in the glass. Noticeably darker than the previous two in this flight. Raisins, prunes, and graphite on the nose. Fat and packed with dense fruit. Quite a large chunk of glycerin dominates here, and I'm just missing that last element of dimension here. Slightly less complex than the previous two wines. However, a superb glass by any standard.
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12/16/2023 - fclarity wrote: 96 Points
From an excellent looking bottle with a 2 cm fill, this wine had a purple center and red/orange rims. The high- intensity nose went through a number a phases but generally improved with air. It put forth black cherry, minerals, smoked meat, tan spice, and plum notes.
In the mouth, this wine was big and bold at first with a bit of an edge on it. After a few hours of air it showed intense fruit, rounded tannin, firm acidity, and great length.
This wine is still a powerhouse. It needed 5+ hours in a decanter to show its best. This is fantastic wine that needed quite a bit air to come into balance. It will easily last another decade or two.
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8/1/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 93 Points
[Blind] Challenging blind, I was in red Burgundy albeit in a darker more sous bois kind of place with hoisin and spice above darker secondary red fruit. Was thinking Meo Camuzet for the muddled / dark and stormy appearance. Palate is refined and elegant though. Unresolved but softening tannin. Freshened up with more air and added size and weight. I find '89 to be a bit of a roasty vintage across French regions. 93+
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3/4/2023 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened in Courchevel. P&P and enjoyed over dinner.
This was absolutely fantastic - a beautiful Guigal in its prime. Rhone black and blue fruits very expressive, but complimented by red fruits and even hints of tropical fruit like banana. Great structure and body, but was also weightless on the palate, going down very smoothly. Tannins still there amazingly, though not grippy - just adding a slight enjoyable edge.
Overall, wow - really good, and definitely will keep for a while assuming good provenance and condition.
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3/3/2023 - apg23 Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose - very pungent at first. Damp earth for sure. Deep ruby color. It’s much better on the palate than on the nose. Very dry wine, but balanced.
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12/21/2022 - TWSA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose: espresso roast, tobacco, leather, game, menthol, guinea fowl, blue berry, puer tea
Notes: The 89 La Landonne offer a silky finish and a dynamite palate. The tobacco and smoked meat/gamey flavor puts this amongst some of the top wines immediately. The complexity and depth to this wine is unrivaled across the world. It is impossible to dislike a well made and vintaged la la la. Tasted side by side with the 1988, it does feel like the tobacco is the dominant flavor in the 89 while 88 probably had a bit more showing of different notes thus the nose of the 88 is more attractive and less overwhelming. This 89 has some resemblance of the great 1989 Haut Brion in fact. Although this wine is great by itself but I must say this underperformed against the 1988. The 1988 was a clear winner in this situation although I think that the 1989 can probably age much longer than the 1988. Drank over 4 hours and this wine was excellent.
Drink: now - 2055
Rating: 92
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10/31/2022 - dcwino wrote: 99 Points
2022 Excellent Burgundy Adventure; 10/31/2022-11/6/2022 (Burgundy): Absolutely gorgeous complex nose displaying generous black and red fruit, blackberry, black cherry, dry cherry, licorice, strong garrigue, tapenade, grilled fat, tobacco, rare steak and mineral. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of intense black fruit, very generous and rich yet also fluid and precise, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a seamless long rich black and red fruit driven finish with garrige and grilled fat at the end. This expresses everything that we want in a mature Guigal La La. Drinking perfectly.
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2/12/2022 - jfpwine Likes this wine: 98 Points
Now we are talking. Deep and dark red color. The nose is mesmerizing, with roasted meat, blood, dark fruit and leather. Incredibly complex on the palate, with a finish that keeps going. Not a score guy, but I understand why Parker gave it a 💯.
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1/19/2022 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big, dark, and meaty. Drank at Shukette.
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8/19/2020 - dcwino wrote: 99 Points
A fun gathering at L'Auberge Chez Francois (L'Auberge Chez Francois, Great Falls, VA): Perfectly mature nose displaying perfectly ripe intense black fruit, blackberry concentrated, black cherry, licorice, tapenade, garrigue, tobacco, dark caramel, charred rare steak and earth. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of explosive black fruit, rich, opulent and dense, yet also silky and sensual, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and the never ending finish that resonates with garrigue and tapenade. There is undeliverable richness, intensity and opulence without compromising balance and harmony.
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4/24/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
A vintage that plays to Landonne's strengths. More time will lead to additional complexity, but this showed well. 93+
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3/6/2020 - Ary Likes this wine: 98 Points
Northern Rhône Dinner (semi-blind) (AB' house, Keizersgracht Amsterdam): My first experience Guigal La-la's and specifically this wine was in 2016 when I gave 100 points. Great to have this tonight again (Thanks S!), between other fabulous bottles from the same region.
Stunning masculine wine with great precision. Notes of blood, grilled meat, band-aid, iron and bacon. Smooth, silky and polished. Many years of life ahead.
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2/4/2020 - dbenglis Likes this wine: 91 Points
There was bottle variability from the last one. It was acidic in the beginning and I thought was ruined. It opened up over 2 hours and became a pleasant wine with accents of black fruit and the acidity quieted. I didn’t like this bottle as much as the last I had.
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2/2/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
Youthfull, deep, concentrated, fresh, broad-shouldered, dark and packed with smoldering black and red fruits, the wine fills your palate. Powerful and refined is not something you see often, but it is here in spades. Juicy, dynamic, complex, long and holding on to its last vestiges of youth, before hitting full maturity, this is stunning in every sense of the word.
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12/15/2019 - dbenglis Likes this wine: 98 Points
Powerful wine. Decant. Black fruit, pepper. I'm going to keep buying these. They have time.
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12/7/2019 - Zweder wrote: 98 Points
Occasional dinner group. Keller, Coche Dury, Guigal La Landonne plus some ringers. (By PVa @ Monarh in Tilburg, The Netherlands): In the bouquet beautiful garrigue and chocolate. On the palate chocolate, leather, autumn impressions, a bit pleasantly rustic, beautiful acidity and a pleasant touch of sweetness. Truly great wine. Fully mature now.
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11/21/2019 - MC2 Wines wrote:
A friend turns 50: Always the shyest of the siblings i"m not sure I've ever had one of these that was really ready to drink. Instead this felt tight and a bit more tannic and overall just a bit quiet. Give it at least 20 more years.
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8/22/2019 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
A rich La Landonne with ample dark fruit, black olives, herbs and earth. Lacking the extra bit of layers and transperency. Still a very solid guigal.
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11/17/2018 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose was not showing much. A bit musky. Palate was excellent with rich and powerful black fruit, meat and olive. Good complexity. It should have been decanted to serve after I look at other tasters’ note.
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11/2/2018 - fontaine wrote: 91 Points
Un nez spectaculaire à mon avis, mais une bouche qui laisse paraitre un début d’oxydation. Au nez, j’y dénote de la fumée, un léger côté viandé, des fruits noirs, du chocolat et des épices. En bouche, c’est moins large comme éventail de saveur, l’oxydation y laisse un peu ses traces.
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11/2/2018 - sb_guido wrote:
Quite disappointing. Might have been very slightly oxidized... did not show up to expectations.
Little fruit, not much of the complexity usually found, none of the olives, meaty characters either. Two 91's (Landonne & Mouline) were much better.
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7/13/2018 - HKNick Likes this wine: 98 Points
Deep ruby, but powerful and a long finish. Composed. Very different from the elegant Clinet 89 before. Never disappoints
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6/12/2018 - BradE wrote:
A very good bottle that drank well. Interestingly, I've never had this vintage of Landonne before.
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1/29/2018 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Required an hour to fully opened up, and would have been better with a longer decant. Focused spice and dark red fruit on the nose. Good energy across the palate. 94+
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9/4/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote: 97 Points
decanted for 2.5hrs. plenty of exotic notes. intense but not too heavy. beautiful wine.
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4/2/2017 - dcwino wrote: 98 Points
Lazy Sunday lunch - La Las, Papa, Dom Oeno, Ultramarine, L’Oree, Nigl & old Prum (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): Incredibly complex yet youthful nose displaying fresh blackberry and cherry, licorice, smoked meat, bacon fat, tapenade, garrigue, tobacco and mineral. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered fresh black fruit, silky and polish, almost airy, bright acidity, strong presence of mineral, still a hint of sweet tannins, and a finish that lasts over a minute. Very precise, polished and detailed expression of Syrah. It is so interesting to compare to the 90. I slightly prefer the 89 for the precision and freshness. Absolute pleasure.
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2/19/2017 - clayfu wrote:
Rain storms and burgundy (and rhone): A story of Favre's birthday in Los Angeles. (N/Naka): Nose was a little muted for me but the palate had a great dense meaty fruit on it, a little heavy and clunky but filling.
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12/20/2016 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 99 Points
Wines Worthy of a Somewhat Impromptu Celebration (21 Club, New York): Two bottles, only afforded a quick decant, barely 30 minutes, but how this wine sang from the get-go! A little VA on the nose did not distract from the powerful aromatics of black fruit, pine needles, fig and charred meat. So concentrated on the palate, though never clumsy in any way! Layered waves of pure and powerful flavors: smoked meat pepper, forest floor and a bit of saddle leather. There was a sort of momentum to the wine, as each sip gained strength from front to rear palate, peaking on the finish in such a commanding and wonderful way. The wine struck me as fully mature, but no hurry either.
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7/18/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good but lacked the depth and crispness of the best bottles. Strong fruit but weaker on the other notes than it can be. Tannins more resolved than is typical for this wine at this point. Initially tasted blind. 94-95
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7/10/2016 - pakabear wrote: flawed
Slightly corked, I was really looking forward to this one...
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7/9/2016 - dcwino wrote: flawed
Marks duckhouse – La Las, 02 HB, 01 Pavie, CSH, Leflaive, QdC and etc. (Marks duckhouse, Falls Church, Va): Slightly corked.
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12/17/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Coconut, licorice, smoke, fig, black plum, dark cherry and forest floor aromatics are in full force. Full bodied, deep, concentrated and youthfully fresh, yet ready to drink, there is a lot of vibrancy in the long finish.
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6/11/2015 - jhngo Likes this wine: 99 Points
wow beautiful crunchy acids rustic yet fresh. a beautiful wine!
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4/23/2015 - jhngo Likes this wine: 97 Points
sexy rustic
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1/16/2015 - lepetitchateau wrote: 95 Points
Lots of volatile acidity on the nose, but fortunately there is more to it than the oak. Saturation is, like the La Turque '89, simply marvelous, showing waves of sweet fruit balanced but acidity. Lots of vitality here, still primary and a slight dry note on the finish. (The Modern)
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12/14/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 96 Points
In Toulouse. Hugely powerful nose of black fruit, smoked meats, strawberry, black pepper and a slight herbal note. Seriously concentrated on the palate and we saved half the bottle until the next day and while the nose had faded slightly, the palate was even bolder. Quite beefy which a gravely texture and nice grip on the finish. This still needs time to fully integrate but is impressive now.
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10/10/2014 - fcxj wrote: 94 Points
Roast
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8/15/2014 - Ary wrote: 100 Points
Drank alongside the La Landonne 1999 by Guigal (wow!) half on Friday (pop & pour) and the second half on Saturday for dinner. Stunning wine, next to the 1999 this wine is in the next gear with another ten years on bottle. Wasn't even aware such great wine could be made in Cote Rotie even though I have been a fan of the appellation since a long time. Notes of the second day, also this bottle really needs the 24 hours to open up. Thick freshly crushed dark cherries in the nose, marzipan, almond-paste but also layers of horse saddle, bacon fat, spices and chocolate. A wine to sit back and mesmerize. On the concentrated and intense palate dark fruits, saddle and wood like wet forest floor in Autumn. Excellent balance, good acidity for many more years. Magical finish (earth and minerals), lingering on for minutes with still loads of well-integrated tannins. Note: It didn't have the delineation of the 1999 and has a different more masculine style.
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6/26/2014 - Peech Likes this wine: 96 Points
double-decanted more than 3 hours prior to serving. very farmy with leather notes. Very lovely.
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6/26/2014 - Lord Rayas wrote: 96 Points
MNSC - Peter (The Principal (Tom Aikens as guest chef)): beautifully developed after being double-decanted 3hrs ahead. wonderful balance of intensity and finesse. lovely.
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3/20/2014 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Rhone gathering - 08 Rayas, 85 and 89 La Las (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Silky black fruit driven, bacon fat, charred steak, crushed black pepper and a hint of black olive. Good concentration, silky, nicely integrated tannins and good length. Not as expressive and harmonious as the 85 version but still really enjoyable.
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3/20/2014 - BinVA Likes this wine: 96 Points
Capella with the guys. Delicious, amazing nose that was very different from the 1985. Incredibly refined fruit with very little tannin remaining. Lucky to have experienced. A learning experience along with the 1985. 2nd only to the 1985.
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3/20/2014 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Night with the boyz at Capella (Capella): I was a bit surprised with this, it is just so young still, massive wall of tannins with good fruit still. I'm actually wondering if it will ever have a drinking window with the tannins in check while the fruit is still alive. It's still very good, but I'm not sure if it will ever get better.
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2/22/2014 - jhngo Likes this wine: 97 Points
Rich, iron, a certain crispness to the tannin so refined. Fruit was well controlled with good rich minerality. great wine.
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11/21/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
At 98 Pts, I am probably short changing this stunning wine. It has an incredible depth of flavor that does not quit. There is intensity and concentration of flavor, purity of fruit, a nose that competes with the best perfumed scents, length, density and class. Still young, I hope to age as well as this wine.
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11/14/2013 - rnellans wrote: 94 Points
Mature, dark cherries, spice, concentrated, nice length. I liked better than Charlie.
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11/9/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Explosive nose of iron, blackberry liqueur, Asian spice, smoke, black cherry liqueur and earth, full bodied, concentrated, rich and powerful, the finish is palate filling and long.
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5/30/2012 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
From a good looking bottle, this wine had a purple center with red rims. The tight but medium intensity nose showed black cherries, Provencal herbs, blackberries, pepper, and soil.
Interestingly, the evolution of this wine in the glass was the inverse of the Mouline. While the Mouline was watery and firmed up, this wine was bold and dramatic at first with sappy fruit and notable but rounded tannin. As the wine aired, the tannins softened and it came more into balance.
While clearly this is still too young and needs at least another 5-10 years, it seems to me it needs no more time than the '89 Turque. An impressive bottle that should improve by a least a couple points in time.
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12/27/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 95 Points
2011 Special Session 4 - Wine bash of 2011 (Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant, The Forum Shopping Mall, Orchard Road): Alcohol :: 13%
Bottle breath for 5hrs. Very dark ruby core with light brick red. The nose is truly sweet and seductive, intoxicating! Very intense and high tone, stunningly perfume, complex and airy: blackcurrant, plum, earth, star anise, cloves and perfume floral all wrapped in a harmonious package. This 22yrs old La Ladonne still pretty tight on the palate, with incredible concentration and depth all cloaked in a massive structured and absolutely polished, silky texture. Even more incredible is this wine has the perfect balance and precision for the power without weight mouth feel. Fresh, vibrant, lots of concentrated sweet dark fruits with soft, elegant mineral for the lift. The long finish goes on and on, unstoppable with sweet cocoa, dark chocolate and mineral that keep lingering at the end. Still youthful yet so complete. Extraordinary. This has long life ahead. 95-97
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12/27/2011 - Paul S wrote: 96 Points
Wine Bash of the Year 2011 (Jade Palace): Superlative. This was one of my two or three favourite wines on a night of many incredible wines. The 1980 Landonne that came before it was wonderfully pleasing. But while that was ready and this was still way too young, I thought the 1989 was far and away the superior wine. It had a wonderful nose, deeper, broader and wider-scaled than the 1980, with lovely scents of dried earth and dried flowers, plums and black cherries, a touch of kirsch maybe and bits of savoury meat - deep reservoirs of beautiful Rhone aromas there. The palate was a bit tightly wound when first poured, a show of clenched up power and intensity, but as it opened up in the glass, it blossomed into a beautifully balanced mouthful, with super bright acidity and wonderfully fine tannins running through incredibly rich and deep, yet superbly detailed flavours of black cherries and black berries flecked by earthy minerality. This was amazing in ways that I find hard to express - beautiful integrated, perfectly balanced and wonderfully precise all at the same time. I just loved it. The finish was wonderful too, melting across the back-palate in rich layers of dark fruit and meat. This was one of the best Rhones I have ever had and has become the Côte-Rôtie against which I will measure many a bottle to come. While super-impressive now, it has a long life ahead of it and is likely only to hit its peak in another decade or so.
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12/12/2011 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind, this wine looked strong with a deep purple center with light red rims. The high intensity nose of black cherries, roasted meat, mocha, and Provencal herbs was impressive.
In the mouth, the wine was super ripe and rich but had great acidity and notable rounded tannin to balance out the wealth of fruit. It is so full of flavor that it could easily be mistaken for being ready. However, I suspect this wine with improve for 10 to 20 years. I would also expect my score to improve as well.
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12/1/2011 - Biglama wrote: 97 Points
wijn deed het helemaal, vulniveau nog optimaal, mooie schone kurk, geur is combinatie, mooie herfst tonen bosgrond, bladeren, licht aards, bovendien is daar nog het fruitige, levendige karakter, mooie kersen, veel diepgang, prachtige geuren, smaak is zeer aangenaam, fris met nog mooie zuren, breedte, intens, veel fitheid, vitaal, zachte tannines, rond en met lange afdronk, maakt echt indruk, prachtig bij de hertenrug biefstuk
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6/19/2010 - reichken wrote: 95 Points
Ledbury-AK 45th birthday- med dark color with some lighter edging. a nose of bacon and earth, like a great smokehouse. could smell tis all night long. the mouth was as good or better. layers and layers of cigar, leather, with a touch of dark berries hanging on. really long finish.
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4/22/2010 - Edclr wrote: 100 Points
Absolutely stunning bottle. This took first prize over the weekend with Don and Terry, ahead of 83 Margaux, 83 Palmer, 82 Las Cases and 90 Gaja Sori Tilden. So rich and concentrated that it was hard to tell it was a French wine. Still lively, youthful, but full of smoke, bacon-fat, and underlying fruit.
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9/14/2008 - kevin h wrote: 94 Points
Looks about right for its age, faded a little but no amber yet at the rim. A bit of oak showing on the nose when first decanted. This needed three hours in the decanter to show its stuff then a gorgeous nose of ripe red fruits, thyme, blood and what can only be described as smoky dried blackcurrants - quite intense with a lick of menthol too. After these magnificent aromas the flavour had a lot to live up to; almost but not quite - more saturated red fruits with iron/blood quite pronounced, the oak now well integrated and not showing. Very polished, quite intense and with a good lingering finish but just lacking a little in sauvage character and no real sign of those blackcurrants that made this smell supreme. A very great wine for sure but not streets ahead of other fine Cote Rotie which can now be had for a lot less. This drank well now and evolved superbly but it has years of life ahead of it still.
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1/2/2008 - Roberto_1 wrote: 96 Points
This wine is great and acutally tasted more closed than the last time I had it about 4 years ago. It has a dark black/purple color. The nose is somewhat coiled at first but with swirling is full of dark fruit, coffee, tar, leather, spice and bacon. The palate is large-scaled and to me is where the La' La's show their stuff. The concentration and density in the palate are something to behold. The finish is long, balanced and tannic. This wine is still years from peak and could approach a perfect score with more bottle age.
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9/20/2007 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Ripe, dense, black fruit, minerals and spices jumped from the glass. Concentration and complexity of flavors are the hallmark of this young wine.
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8/24/2006 - Rani Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a wonderdul wine. Huge raspberry fruit, ample acidity and some white pepper. Very harmonious and long.
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2/14/2005 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
This offered black, jammy raspberries, cassis and forest smells. Very dense, concentrated juice. Ripe, fat, sexy fruit.
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2/14/2005 - Eric wrote: 91 Points
La La's with Leve in La La Land (Los Angeles, CA): Earthy and mineral scented with a sweaty and salty edge. This just seems to hold back and doesn't deliver in the same forward way as the other vineyard offerings. (There was some joking about the La Landonne always being a 'tease' and I have to agree on this one.)
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11/7/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 99 Points
Dark red in the glass. Black, dense looking core. Scents of dark berries. Cinnamon spice notes appear with a few minutes of air and swirling. And the classic bacon fat note is there too. Strong in the mouth, built into a huge framework, large bodied, brilliantly concentrated and complex beyond mere words. There were new impressions to be identified with each sip. This wine is still quite tannic and will probably benefit from a few years of cellaring, but I will be the last to complain about how this wine drinks right now. There's size yet style, intensity and power, yet sweetness and delicacy. Long, long aftertaste. Grade A juice.
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8/9/2003 - Eric wrote: 92 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does Northern Rhône (Bellevue, WA, USA): A sweet caramel edge to the nose. This is gorgeous and clearly has had time to resolve some edges, but wow does this have simply massive structure throughout. I thought this was actually pretty closed and was holding back a lot, but still clearly a gorgeous wine. Group average of 90.625.
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5/10/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 96 Points
Dark red in the glass. Noticeably darker than the previous two in this flight. Raisins, prunes, and graphite on the nose. Fat and packed with dense fruit. Quite a large chunk of glycerin dominates here, and I'm just missing that last element of dimension here. Slightly less complex than the previous two wines. However, a superb glass by any standard.
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