Still showing incredibly well (cork in remarkably good condition!). Fairly delicate & pretty with restrained alcohol and an expressive nose that was classic Left Bank. With this much age, soft and pretty on the palate and amazingly easy to drink. A great reminder of what Bordeaux can (could?) be for someone who doesn't naturally gravitate toward it.
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Dinner at Bar-a-Thym (Bar-a-Thym): Maybe edging just past its peak, but this was still a tremendously enjoyable wine - one of the best few bottles on the night actually. The nose was delightful and very Haut Brion, with lovely drifts of tobacco spice swirling around a core of plums and cassis, loamy earth and fragrant herb. Very pretty. The palate was perfectly soft and silky, with the tannins completely resolved, and gentle acidity just tracing its way through lovely notes of cassis and plums laced with loamy notes forest floor and lovely blush of cigarette and tobacco spice - all trailing away into an oh-so elegant finish. Absolutely delightful. Not a wine of strength and weight, and perhaps lacking some of the voluptuousness of a great Haut-Brion, but this was such an elegant charmer.
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13x 1980 Birthday Bash: What to expect from a mediocre 1980 vintage in Bordeaux? We tasted Mouton, Lafite, Haut Brion and Pichon Lalande all blind side by side. The Mouton (92 points) and especially the Lafite (89) display some nice tertiary aromatics but are lacking substance, precision and balance (especially on the palate). Haut Brion (95) and Pichon Lalande (94) are beautifully mature with lots of tertiary flavors and surprisingly still plenty of fruit. Both are quite clean, focused and harmonious. Of course the complexity and finesse are not on par with great vintages but still these were quite enjoyable.
TN: Lots of barnyard, earth and tobacco as well as some dark and red berries on the nose. Quite inviting, medium intense and with good precision. The highlight here comes with the palate which shows a) layered, b) precise, c) harmonious and d) sexy. A potpourri of sweet berries, a layer of fresh blueberries, burnt sugar, herbs, minerality all embedded in a relatively fine structural frame with fairly round but still noticeable tannins and a well-integrated acidity. Harmonious and with a nice, layered finish. At first I scored this beauty in the 96-97 point range. As I went back during the evening it showed less impressive with the last glasses rather on a 93/94 point level.
Decanting: Double decanted 2+ hours before service. Which seemed good for this bottle.
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"You only turn 40 once tasting" (At home): Double-decanted. The surprise of the tasting and also WOTN – even more so if you could see what the cork looked like! Impressive precision showing delicate fruit, forest floor and menthol. Round, soft and harmonious palate. This put both 1980 Mouton and Lafite to shame in comparison.
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Cellared for 30 years, decanted x 2 hours, clear, dark red color with a forward leather and tobacco nose. The body was quite full with an earthy, currant, classic Claret flavor. It had a very long finish.....a lovely Bordeaux.
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Ex-chateau for brother in law. Classic aromas, still some fruit but more cedar and slightly chemical in familiar and pleasant way. Much lighter on palate than 1980 Petrus and finished shorter. Shame they were next to each other, as we may have enjoyed this more on its own. Nonetheless, a pleasurable experience for a mediocre vintage.
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Drank to celebrate the SB 48 win of my Seattle Seahawks! Seems over the hill to me seemed cough syrupy but not in a over the top fruit way as there was almost no fruit. Just tasted old, dusty and moldy, not much else going on unfortunately; but hey we won the game:)
Bordeaux 1st Growth Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs; 4/30/2013-5/1/2013 (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): Alvaro's wine. Garnet color. Slow legs. Cassis, Eucalyptus, dark berry, tobacco, and graphite minerality. Brilliant with an extended finish. My WOTN. I have always loved Haut Brion White or Red. The 61 HAUT BRION BLANC is one of the 10 best wines I have had over the past 43 years. It had a mesmerizing complex floral bouquet and flavor.
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Nose is clearly Haut Brion, barnyard and menthol and with endless depth. In the mouth, though, it's prune juice going nowhere. Big and dense, but the fruit has gone if it was ever present at all. Obvious pedigree, bad vintage.
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6/26/2023 - jhbrower1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still showing incredibly well (cork in remarkably good condition!). Fairly delicate & pretty with restrained alcohol and an expressive nose that was classic Left Bank. With this much age, soft and pretty on the palate and amazingly easy to drink. A great reminder of what Bordeaux can (could?) be for someone who doesn't naturally gravitate toward it.
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3/6/2023 - Cpu249 wrote: 92 Points
Huge Tobacco aroma, some leather! Still drinkable and worth every penny. Best after 45 min...
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2/20/2021 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at Bar-a-Thym (Bar-a-Thym): Maybe edging just past its peak, but this was still a tremendously enjoyable wine - one of the best few bottles on the night actually. The nose was delightful and very Haut Brion, with lovely drifts of tobacco spice swirling around a core of plums and cassis, loamy earth and fragrant herb. Very pretty. The palate was perfectly soft and silky, with the tannins completely resolved, and gentle acidity just tracing its way through lovely notes of cassis and plums laced with loamy notes forest floor and lovely blush of cigarette and tobacco spice - all trailing away into an oh-so elegant finish. Absolutely delightful. Not a wine of strength and weight, and perhaps lacking some of the voluptuousness of a great Haut-Brion, but this was such an elegant charmer.
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10/12/2020 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
13x 1980 Birthday Bash: What to expect from a mediocre 1980 vintage in Bordeaux? We tasted Mouton, Lafite, Haut Brion and Pichon Lalande all blind side by side. The Mouton (92 points) and especially the Lafite (89) display some nice tertiary aromatics but are lacking substance, precision and balance (especially on the palate). Haut Brion (95) and Pichon Lalande (94) are beautifully mature with lots of tertiary flavors and surprisingly still plenty of fruit. Both are quite clean, focused and harmonious. Of course the complexity and finesse are not on par with great vintages but still these were quite enjoyable.
TN: Lots of barnyard, earth and tobacco as well as some dark and red berries on the nose. Quite inviting, medium intense and with good precision. The highlight here comes with the palate which shows a) layered, b) precise, c) harmonious and d) sexy. A potpourri of sweet berries, a layer of fresh blueberries, burnt sugar, herbs, minerality all embedded in a relatively fine structural frame with fairly round but still noticeable tannins and a well-integrated acidity. Harmonious and with a nice, layered finish. At first I scored this beauty in the 96-97 point range. As I went back during the evening it showed less impressive with the last glasses rather on a 93/94 point level.
Decanting: Double decanted 2+ hours before service. Which seemed good for this bottle.
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9/19/2020 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 96 Points
"You only turn 40 once tasting" (At home): Double-decanted. The surprise of the tasting and also WOTN – even more so if you could see what the cork looked like! Impressive precision showing delicate fruit, forest floor and menthol. Round, soft and harmonious palate. This put both 1980 Mouton and Lafite to shame in comparison.
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12/21/2016 - potates Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cellared for 30 years, decanted x 2 hours, clear, dark red color with a forward leather and tobacco nose. The body was quite full with an earthy, currant, classic Claret flavor. It had a very long finish.....a lovely Bordeaux.
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5/7/2016 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Ex-chateau for brother in law. Classic aromas, still some fruit but more cedar and slightly chemical in familiar and pleasant way. Much lighter on palate than 1980 Petrus and finished shorter. Shame they were next to each other, as we may have enjoyed this more on its own. Nonetheless, a pleasurable experience for a mediocre vintage.
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2/5/2014 - hdchappy wrote:
Drank to celebrate the SB 48 win of my Seattle Seahawks! Seems over the hill to me seemed cough syrupy but not in a over the top fruit way as there was almost no fruit. Just tasted old, dusty and moldy, not much else going on unfortunately; but hey we won the game:)
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4/30/2013 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bordeaux 1st Growth Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs; 4/30/2013-5/1/2013 (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): Alvaro's wine. Garnet color. Slow legs. Cassis, Eucalyptus, dark berry, tobacco, and graphite minerality. Brilliant with an extended finish. My WOTN.
I have always loved Haut Brion White or Red.
The 61 HAUT BRION BLANC is one of the 10 best wines I have had over the past 43 years. It had a mesmerizing complex floral bouquet and flavor.
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4/18/2010 - Vinomane wrote:
Nose is clearly Haut Brion, barnyard and menthol and with endless depth. In the mouth, though, it's prune juice going nowhere. Big and dense, but the
fruit has gone if it was ever present at all. Obvious pedigree, bad vintage.
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12/5/2006 - biggiepaul wrote:
Drank at Emerald when Abi was born. Wasnt worth the $300 pricetag paid.
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9/12/2006 - sotovikis wrote: 92 Points
πολύ καλο σώμα με αρώματα χώματος , στρογγυλεμμένο και ολοκληρωμένο χωρίς ίζημα.
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