Needed 20 minutes or so to open up, but very good. Nuanced and balanced; not a ton of power or fruit. More secondary flavors, but well done. Starting to show its age a bit, but still a fine showing. Popped and poured
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From a very good looking bottle, cork intact, removed with a Durand, soaked maybe 75% through, no signs of seepage, high neck fill. Dark ruby/garnet with just a touch of aged browning on the rim. Based on color, this could be a 1998, or a 2008. Does not show its age at all on the color. Neither does it show it on the nose. Nose is developed but still very much on the fresh red fruited side. Red fruits, cranberries, little bit of rustic brettiness, burnt tobacco, cedar, vanilla, touch of menthol, licorice. Palate is medium bodied, red fruited, chocolate and some earthiness, not overly complex, but still very enjoyable. Finishes medium+ with smooth resolved tannins. This is likely right at peak, it probably won't improve but isn't going downhill either any time soon.
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Evolves over 2 to 3 hours.....decanted for 75 minutes and was not open. An hours later...hints of the dark fruits and good integrated structure. After another hour....obvious improvemnt in complexity and finish....Wow. Good for another 5-10 years...
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The color is a beautiful dark red with some rim variation—way brighter and fresher than expected for an ‘88. The nose shows tobacco leaves, leather, and cigar box. Not much dark red fruit but I could imagine some. The palate is fresh but no obvious fruits. Well integrated tannins, and a finish forever. 95 points
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I did not dare to decant a 35 year old chap. I should have! The wine took almost 2 hours to wake up and reveal noble cask, leather, tobacco, roast, ink and dark chocolate aromas. Add pencil shaving, herbal and earthy notes kicking into a long, fresh finish and you are left with a puzzle: is it too still too early to open? Will I (n)ever understand this wine? But overall an enjoyable classic Bdx.
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A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) and Merlot (30%). 13% alcohol.
Deep, dark and quite mature black cherry color with a somewhat evolved pomegranate hue. The developed nose feels a bit reticent but also nuanced and attractive with fine-tuned aromas of autumnal leaves and smoky chipotle character, some sweet notes of wizened blackcurrants and ripe cherries, a little bit of ferrous blood, light woody notes of cedary oak, a hint of pipe tobacco, a touch of prunes and a whiff of exotic spices. The wine feels ripe, silky and open-textured on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and layered flavors of tobacco and meaty umami, some sweet-fruited notes of wizened blackcurrants and dark plums, a little bit of roasted bell pepper, a woody hint of pencil shavings and a touch of earth. The overall feel is pretty mellow and supple, thanks to the medium-to-moderately high acidity and resolved, powdery and quite gentle tannins. The finish is long, silky and gently grippy with a dry aftertaste of tobacco and wizened blackcurrants, some red licorice, light autumnal notes of damp leaves and sous-bois, a little bit of sweet black cherry, a woody hint of pencil shavings and a touch of roasted bell pepper.
A delicious and harmonious vintage of Cos that is more or less fully resolved and at its peak now. A very fine wine by all accounts, although feels somewhat less impressive after two exceptional vintages, 1985 and 1986, coming across as slightly softer and a bit less complex and not matching their flavor intensity. Most likely this wine won't improve with additional aging, but I don't see it falling apart anytime soon - drink or keep. Highly recommended.
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PnP Lovely nose of dried red fruit, pencil shavings, cigar box, and spice. The mouthfeel is perfectly balanced with medium body, medium acid, and moderately grippy tannin. This is fantastic at the moment. Drinks like something 10-15 years younger. Wow. Try again in a few years and enjoy over the next 10-15+
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Monday Night Bordeaux (Hawksmoor, Guildhall): Wonderful, all olive tapenade, green peppers and sweet red and black fruit, soft and delicious. Great wine that has aged perfectly, fully into the final stages and in a great spot. Despite the age difference I found it surprisingly difficult to separate from the 2001, maybe it was the stage of the evening where I mixed my glasses up....
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Monday night Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall): This bottle had held up well and was much more to my taste than the '01. Cool and refreshing, with floral and leathery notes on the nose, and beautifully medium-bodied, with a strong flavour of black cherry and nicely resolved tannins. A classy bottle of wine that I could happily have enjoyed over an evening.
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Bordeaux at Hawksmoor: Smoky savoury cured meats, antique wood and boot polish. Resolved on the palate, smooth and balanced. Savoury with tannins and acid giving this life: long finish
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Consumed over 2 evenings, and showing best on day 2. I love this particular vintage of Cos, and am a huge fan of '88 in general. This is a wine I've had more than half a dozen times, and . Cassis, cedar and shoe leather on the nose; rustic yet refined, with fine-grained tannins.
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I'm generally not a big fan of Cos, but these ones from the 80s are generally more to my preference. Earthy nose with dark fruits, hints of bell pepper and a touch of smokey (oak?). Drinking much better than the last time I tried this (9 years ago) but I don't see any upside here in terms of improvement, but it certainly won't fall apart anytime soon.
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perfect bottle, into neck, cork came out very easily; intense red; sour cherries and barnyard in the nose; fruity and young on the palate with good structure; my last bottle, opened two hours before consumption, no decant
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Popped and poured. Brick-edged; earth nose. Some fruit still remains. Dark black fruit, currant dominates. Wonderful savory tones. Surprisingly, some tannic structure remains.
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Amber rim with dark red core. Looks mature. Very expressive on the nose and explodes on the palate with ripe red fruits. Nice persistance. Clearly at the tail end of its drinking window but what a wine!
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This traveled by air in my Vingarde Valise to St. John, so it's still a bit murky from suspended sediment. Cork was pristine when extracted with an Ah-so, and the fill was base neck. Dark opaque purple color, very youthful with no signs of bricking. Rustic, cedar-laced savory nose, with tobacco leaf, sandalwood and a touch of capsicum. On the palate, cedar dominates, with black currant, plum, and some spicy and herbal notes, with a nice dose of acidity. A wonderful, old-school vintage of Cos.
Tasted blind. Beautiful, classic Bordeaux nose of leather, red fruit, and underwood. Great acidity with resolved tannins, more of the red fruited flavors and forest floor notes on the palate. Quite long on the finish. Drinking really well right now.
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magnum. ullage lower neck; double-decanted to travel, then uncorked about 1.5 hours.
deep red, dusty powdered red clay edge; fine grown-up nose, cedar, turned mulch, mulled & red berried; manly palate weight; delightfully old-school claret, where fruit provides the substructure, again cedar, underbrush, tobacco & green leaf; powdered tannins mature & functional.
NY Eve fifth course, so note from memory. this evolved considerably in the glass, suggesting a significant decant in the near future. second of four, purchased on release for second child's birth year, to his appreciation.
short ribs, butternut polenta
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NYE lunch at Bishan. Tasted completely blind. Drank in Grassl 1855. Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of bell peppers, blackcurrant, blackberries, graphite, tobacco leaf. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), integrated medium+ tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of bell peppers, blackcurrant, tobacco leaf, graphite pencil lead, black cherries, blackberries. Long finish. Very good quality. Classic. I was guessing 10-15 years younger than its actual age!! +1 just for its sheer longevity.
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New Year's Eve Cosy Wine Night!: Black fruits, red fruits, plums, tobacco, cloves, green peppers, barnyard. Quite austere somehow. Maybe tongue fatigue as this was the 10th bottle of the night.
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Medium garnet in colour. Pronounced nose intensity with developed notes of barnyard, fig, prune, wet forest, cooked red fruits. Dry, medium+ acidity, medium tannin, pronounced flavour intensity and long finish. I thought this was a very good wine unfortunately in a group blind tasting, it was ranked second last together with 1988 Chateau Margaux. Whats wrong with 1988? The CT tracker also indicate that it had past it prime drinking date of 2016 based on 50 user opinions.
Did a Bordeaux 1980s theme blinded with 5 friends + 2 host. Total 7 due to COVID restrictions. The flight was mixed and not arranged so that all don't have a clue. () = my own score.
For my own scores vs the final result, the only difference was that I prefer 1988 Cos d'Estournel more than 1982 Pichon Baron. For more notes, please refer to my other individual bottles.
I absolutely adore this vintage of Cos. This bottle is from a recent auction purchase and has a fill into the neck and pristine cork. Has a stunning rustic nose with forest floor, pencil lead, blackberry. Cassis fruit up front, with some coffee, cedar and cigar box on the back end and deft acidity, finishing with a wall of tannins that are big but smooth. I would gladly drink this wine every day for the rest of my life if I could afford to do so.
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I believe this is the vintage that got me to fall in love with Cos, back in the mid- to late-90s. I'd had the '82 before this, and while that is an excellent wine, the exotic, rustic nose and rugged brambly fruit of this particular wine really spoke to me. I've probably had this half a dozen times and have seen some bottle variation, as might be expected, but this particular bottle is sensational. Mid-neck fill, served with a Coravin, pouring a deep garnet purple with no signs of bricking. The nose is killer, sauvage and vegetal, filling the room with spicy cigar wrapper, blackberry and green Szechuan peppercorn. On the palate, powerful and full-bodied, smokey, stemmy and rich with plum, cassis and tobacco leaf, finishing with firm but ripe tannins. Big and rustic and very St. Estephe. I've been fortunate to drink a fair amount of Cos in my life, but this vintage remains a benchmark for me.
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Beautiful wine. Ripe, juicy, balanced. Nose of sharp black pepper, plum, and red cherries. Palate also hits with black pepper first followed by licorice, smooth red fruit, and ending with a very rounded tiramisu. Delicious.
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Contrary to other tasters I feel this wine hasn’t reached full maturity yet and is still about 5-10 years away. Still quite harsh tannin structure with a promising future, nice fruit and secondary notes.
Give this some time and it will blossom beautifully
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Fully mature - this bottle anyway. Distinctly right bank, with leafy, green notes mixed with soil and place notes. Some black tea, and subtle, yet complex brown spice notes. Medium bodied, with high-ish acids, and tannins that are mature but still offering a nice frame. Fun example, but based on this showing, absolutely drink now. recommended
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Good colour concentration, only just showing garnet, still nice ruby core. Nose: some mustiness, forest floor. Showing it's quality on the palate, deep black fruit, damson, wet leaf, some subtle spices, light clove. Fairly powerful which is surprising,. Tannins are so silky and resolved, long finish, finishing savoury with tobacco. This is in a lovely place right now. Classic, delicious.
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Opened and transfer in Carafe 2 hours before drinking for aperitif. Quite dark for such age. A little acidity in mouth that disappeared. Drunk last glass more than - hour later and it is a very different wine so smooth round and well balanced. Two advices : drink now and open 3 good hours before!
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Base neck fill. Lowest of a recent auction purchase of 6 bottles. Did not show nearly as well as a bottle consumed two years ago, purchased shortly after release. Expressive nose, typical of Cos with brambly blackberry fruit, cedar and cassis. Seemed to be slightly off with a flat finish, dry tannins and a slight cardboard notes. Hopefully just an off bottle.
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Unfortunately I think this got lost in a night of very impressive bottles. This was poured alongside 88 Mondavi Reserve, 88 Dunn HM, 88 DC red rock. For this flight I think the Cos was runner up to the Dunn. Showed nice mature Bordeaux character, resolved tannin, good acid, lacked a little of the mid palate density to bring this up a notch but overall very nice showing.
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In the eye: of course, lighter of color, but no significant coper tones. Very clear ruby, a beauty of age. The bouquet: Light, still some slow acknowledgement (initially almost hidden) prune, stable, yet with a certain freshness. On the pallet: Full of tender or gentile fruit, earthy and chocolate maybe traces of residual tannins, FULL and lengthy. Possibly a bit alcoholic (more than expected). A unique opportunity.
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Cos D'Etournel Tasting at BWC Green pepper with significant acidity that seeks food for balance. Acidity of this line was quite delightful once we had the squash agnolotti with smoked bacon. Elegant finish. 6 but then 9!
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Beautiful, alluring nose that captivates, after sufficient air time. On the palate, slightly more austere but overall, an extremely enjoyable mature St. Estephe experience - feels like it's on a fine plateau and not showing any tiredness for a 30yr old. Enjoy! (Underrated year)
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The wine was medium to dark ruby in colour and threw some sediment. It had an integrated nose of black currant, cherry, blackberry, cedar, spices, sweet chestnut and underbrush aromas. On the palate, the wine showed black currant, cherry, blackberry, cedar, cocoa, coffee, spices, tobacco, vegetal notes, a hint of sweet liquorice and a mineral component, with lively, well-integrated acidity, mostly resolved tannin, a great, smooth mouthfeel and superb length. The wine even improved over night and drank even better on day two. Withstanding time.
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BBQ at our house. No formal notes. The wine was supposed to follow after a 1986 Château Prieuré-Lichine, but the Prieuré-Lichine was corked. The Cos did hence not get the rock start treatment it had deserved as it had to be opened and poured quickly.
No formal notes. Nice, fresh black currant, cherry, cedar and tobacco aromas and flavours, with fine, mostly resolved tannin and very good length. Very balanced, harmonious and complete. Probably at its peak, on a long plateau. A lovely bottle of Bordeaux that was empty in no time!
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Classic 30 year old Bordeaux from a slow maturing vintage. On nose:green bell pepper, cigar tobacco and faint edge of eucalyptus. On palate:all of the above including a complex blend of bitter chocolate, ripe currants and hints of leather and cinnamon. The wine was decanted for 1 hour . A fine medium colour of Garnet. During the last two glasses , it developed a superbly woven balance of fruit, leather and lively light tannins. On nose: after an hour .... it smelled unmistably like the interior of a Mercedes 280 SL! A great wine for Prime rib or Porterhouse steak.
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88 Bordeaux @ La T (La Trompette, London): Lovely traditional nose, all cedar and cigar. A hint of richness to the fruit too. Classic 88 — thedrynesd quite prominent on the finish. Bare ****
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Vintages ending in 8 (La Trompette, London): Blind. Lovely plush claret nose. 98 I think. A sweetness to the fruit and then a slight licorice edge to the darker, slightly bitter finish. Wow, revealed as 88. Really vibrant and quite padded for the vintage. This is a good bottle. ****
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My first experience with this famous Domaine. The wine is soft, complex and elegant, there is little fruit left, but still a very enjoyable wine. Drink up.
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Black currant and dark red fruit on the nose. Similar flavors on palate, medium body, good structure of developed tannins. Medium finish of dusty tannins, well balanced with little to no alcohol. Decanted two hours.
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Beautifully aged transparency. Between ruby and copper but closer to ruby. Bouquet of pear, fruit nice fresheur. Bottle opened 1 hr before and decanted immediately before tasting. Locked up peppers developed to incredible length. Nice fruit, maybe a bit of raw beef and prune, super balance lost maybe a bit of complexity. Incredibly pleasant experience. Lucky to have held on to this bottle.
Decanted at 4pm and enjoyed through the last sip at about 9pm. Medium to dark garnet with surprisingly little bricking for a nearly 30 year old wine. This is restrained but elegant and totally balanced. Nose is earthy and brambly with pine needles and leather. Smooth as silk on the tongue with perfect texture and depth. The palate in complex and layered with black currant, cigar tobacco, a hint of chocolate, forest floor and mineral notes on the finish. Just a what a nicely aged Bordeaux should be like. Really nice with a local grass fed beef NY Strip steak grilled rare.
Dark crimson colour, almost black - no bricking - quite remarkable for a 30 year-old Bordeaux. Lively and vibrant bouquet with lashings of blackberries, cassis, spice, pencil shavings, cigar box and cedar lead into a powerful, structured palate full of grip and backbone. But then the fruit comes to the fore, drifting into the long, silky finish. What a stunner, from a vintage one doesn’t hear much about. A real surprise, although Cos never surprises to the downside !
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Dark crimson in color with some bricking at the edge of the glass. 13% ABV. Classic nose of cedar, leather, cigar box and cassis. Medium body with ample tart fruit and substantial tannins. Earthy flavors of plum, cherries and mint on the palate. The finish is long, caressing and silky. The wine got better with time in the glass so consider a 1-2 hour decant. Super showing for this wine that is approaching 30 years of age. Right now there is enough fruit to keep the tannins in check but I would be inclined to drink in the next few years.
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Cos vertical dinner at Mulino in Raleigh. Easily my WOTN against stiff competition from the trifecta of glorified vintages '00, '95 and '05. Somewhat vegetal nose upon opening but this emerged into a magnificent and classic Cos with air. Surely peaking now, with blackberry, cedar and cassis. A great wine in an oft-overlooked vintage.
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Medium ruby. Aromas of raspberries, red currant, pencil shavings and cedar. Medium + tannins, high acidity. Savoury and earthy flavor. Long finish. Fully mature. Would drink now.
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Perfect maturity. Opened the bottle 2 hours before. Took a couple of minutes for the wine to open up in the glass. In perfect condition. brick colored. On the nose classic notes of cassis, black berries and cigarbox. Smooth tannins, lingering fruit with a bit of black pepper and a long ending. Perfect now. Would not keep it for more then 2-3 years.
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Nice Ruby color, no clear signs of its age. Still quite fresh, with lots of acidity. A touch out of balance initially, but with about 45 min in the glass came together. Drinks very well now and will likely hold for some time longer. Nice wine!
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Not as complex as other reviews suggest and I would not have guessed its origin in a blind tasting. A little one dimensional IMHO That said, very soft cherry, raspberry vibrant fruit for its age Nice but not my fave Bordeaux
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Fantastic claret - complex and layered with an array of savoury earth, tobacco, graphite, and cedar wood notes framing mature red and dark fruited flavours. Incredibly fragrant, and drinking beautifully now. My favorite of the three clarets.
Wine Octet (extended) meeting (The Traklin - new location): excellent tertiary aroma nose of dark fruits, spice, tobacco, graphite, light wood. medium bodied & silky on the palate; bright cherry, tobacco, graphite. Beautiful, and surprisingly enjoyable despite a mediocre vintage.
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Nose of pencil lead, cigar, dark berry. Medium-bodied, a bit chalky/dusty; cigar, cedar, and pencil; very fine tannin, medium(-plus) acid. Very pretty. Finish is medium length, a bit drying. Classic.
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Drank to celebrate the birth of little Jimmy Oliver.
A complex wine that beautifully combines fruit and secondary aromas. Cherries and raspberries mix with leather and tobacco. Very smooth and easy to drink with well integrated tannin, albeit there are still some sticking to the cheeks and gums. A dark red at the core but showing some bricking at the edges.
Please note that I gave this one hour of air. I made a mistake before by not giving it air as straight from the bottle it is slightly bitter and quite intense. The air allows it to soften and the fruit to rise to the front.
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A medium red with only very slight hints of aging; a wine that could easily pass as something from the late 90s. A classic bordeaux nose with earthy notes but a lovely perfume that cuts through and then develops into caramel. Straight from the bottle this was quite harsh with lots of heat, but this really got better with air and become a much smoother drinking experience with dominant fruit. I strongly recommend airing for at least 30 mins. Drink now
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Monthly Tuesday group #009: 25 years or older. (By JWS): In the bouquet soy and lovage. On the palate not much better. Cold coffee as well. Full bodied, but completely over the hill. This must be a seriously mistreated bottle, because the bottle I had in October last year was still perfectly ok.
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Fantastic wine. This is in such a great place right now - fully mature with an array of cedar, tobacco, graphite, and other savoury flavours framing a core of red and dark fruited flavours that still feel very fresh and vibrant. Surprisingly this bottle didn't show much of that hard '88 tannin, and it has a remarkably light, gentle palate presence with the structure mostly resolved.
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Beautiful nose of spice, tobacco, graphite, light wood. Very light and silky on the palate; bright cherry, tobacco, graphite. Beautiful, and surprisingly light.
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Nose of smoke, mushroom, oddly grapefruit, gasoline (?), strawberry, blackberry, hay? Lot going on here. Deep dark color, like black velvet, but bricking on the edges. Soft tannins. Nice balance with acid. Rounded mouthfeel.
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Only a hint of aging on the otherwise solid dark ruby color. Pretty aromas of berries, cedar, tobacco. Palate adds a slight vegetal dimension, not too aggressively. Good length. rather classy.
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Over dinner with friends. Still quite young, nice aromas of tobacco, pit cherries, plums, smoke. Very smooth with fruits of cherries and plums still upfront. Underrated and preferred this to the '89 and '90 I have tried previously.
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On the downward slope. Pleasant earthy aromas, tobacco. Losing its vitality on the palate, not much structure nor depth. A significant step down from my previous bottle a few years ago.
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Rather uninteresting upon opening so decanted for about an hour prior to serving; however, still took about an hour in the glass for this wine to wake up; intense yet elegant aromas of dark berries and cherries, caramel, lavenders, and violets in the nose; juicy and smooth on the palate, berries, cherries, dark chocolate, bell peppers, and light wood spices; long finish, with noticeable half-ripe tannins; overall, 94-95 points for now; still not close to full maturity for this bottle to me, contrary to some of the notes below.
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Occasional dinner group; TOP Bordeaux 1988: In the bouquet dark forest fruits, beautiful oak and a touch of pleasant barnyard. On the palate red and dark forest fruits, some graphite and chocolate, firm acidity and mature, soft tannin. Not extremely concentrated, but a beautiful and complex, elegant wine. Completely ready now.
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Tasting against mini-vertical of 81,91, 88, 89. Once again, supposedly outside its drinking window, this showed well with little of no diminution from age. Medium bodied, bright ruby colored, classic Bordeaux floral perfume, blackberry, spice, tar, a moderate finish. http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/10/hemingways-bistro-wine-dinner.html
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From a pristinely cellared bottle, this deep garnet wine illustrates the depth and structure of the underrated 1988 vintage. With a core of plum and cherry fruit, it offers aromas and flavors of cigar box, leather, black olive and coriander. Full-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic and with soft residual tannins, it stays solid in the middle and closes with impressive length. Those holding properly cellared bottles should be able to enjoy this wine for several more years. Drink now-2022.
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Ruby-red, white rim, medium (-) body Bell peppers on the nose, earthy, with faded fruit, some terroir, allspice Soft tannin, dry, leather and tobacco, faint fruit (raspberries), also some remnants of red licorice and pencil shavings This bottle was past its prime, no punch whatsoever.
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, raspberry, black currant (cassis), forest floor, mushroom, light toast, lead pencil and hazelnut. On the palate even better, showing more potential. Excellent wine, best bottle so far, next in two years
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Nose: plum, blackberry, fig, earth and spice. Palate: Classic Cos with black fruit, macerated plum, olive, earth, tobacco and spices. A bit muddy, but excellent feel. Finish: Moderate with some unintegrated oak showing and a bit of drying tannin.
Very nice bottle in its own right, and on any other night this would have been tops. But tonight it played a contrasting part giving context against the PLL and Palmer. Thanks Erik!
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Stiff competition tonight for this little engine that could, against 90 Palmer and 82 PL! Bottle was in very good shape and showed nicely: herbaceous funk on the nose, stewed fruit on the palate (we agreed on plum!), and still quite lively in the glass and remarkably, in appearance! Drink up but, if yours have been stored well, these are still very much alive.
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More substantial than you might expect from most 88s at this stage. Though it won't get any better (or hold much longer), it's still got that plummy, muddy Cos quality that keeps things interesting.
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Vin difficile à aborder. Boîte à cigares et sciure de bois au niveau olfactif. Un vin intellectuel, difficile à lire, assez austère. Une texture agréable et une finale un peu plus nette que le milieu de bouche. À revoir. Très bien sans plus.
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Opened for Xmas dinner. Nice cork condition. Opened and decanted over 2 hrs. Very little sediment with good garnet color no noticeable bricking. Medium body and light fruit seeming to be fading a little. Got better over time but never a wow wine still very nice. Last one :(
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Allegedly cellared since release. Stood 750ml for a week. Slow ox-ed/flash double decant before serving over cheese. Clearly well stored, as I didn't find this to be tired at all. If anything, this bottle showed coyly, as if holding a touch in reserve. Deep crimson, barely bricking at the edges. Rather forward, sweet red fruit palate, as you expect from the house, yet plenty of secondary/subtle characteristics: some herbal notes on the nose, with a hint of mint on the finish. I have no drinking experience with 1988 so I can't comment on vintage specifics. Very enjoyable. Certainly no reason to wait on these, especially if stored less than perfectly.
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Not quite the knockout showing I experienced two years ago; the fruit's much more understated in this bottle, and it's all about developed earthy, cedary, graphite and other savoury flavours. It's medium weight on the palate, elegant up front but turning more gritty on the back end where the '88 tannin really makes itself felt. Compelling to sit down and follow over a few hours, and kept getting better with time in the decanter.
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Fairly pronounced nose of pencil lead (primarily), cedar, and dark fruit. Palate of chewed up pencils (graphite and wood), bit of darker fruit, some minerality, some gritty tannin, medium-plus acid. Very classic, non-fruit-driven Bordeaux.
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Killer nose and the palate followed with dark fruit and Cabernet characteristics. It ended as well as it started, although it took a back seat to the 1978 that was opened with it. A very enjoyable wine.
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Old Bordeaux (Uncle Jack's): Very nice ripe cassis, lots of cedar and earth, noticeable bell pepper/pyrazine. Deep and silky, good concentration, cedary and tertiary. Nothing earth shattering, but a very nice, mature claret. Probably the best of the reds this evening for me.
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Impromptu gathering - Cos, Velvet Glove, SQN, Alban, Larkmead and etc. (Charlie Palmer - Washington DC): Expressive nose, slightly unripe cab nose, sharp green pepper, cassis also a hint of red fruits, lead pencil and scorched earth. Good concentration, sweet dark fruit driven palate impression and a bit dusty and angular tannins. This gave me the impression of an old school hard as nail kinda of claret. For some participants, this was WOTN.
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really fantastically good for a wine from this vintage. had at neil's wedding (born in 88). good cedary backbone and lots of lead pencil type flavours. a success!
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nose of barnyard; initially notes of green vegetables; one hour after decanting good fruit with solid structure, well rounded; long finish; goes well with lamb; very pleasurable
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Un vin symbolique dans la famille que j'ai donc eu la chance de prendre une dizaine de fois. Un vin fin, encore en pleine forme, le textbook claret! Des arômes de cuir et de poivron, encore une belle vigueur, c'est l'élégance bordelaise si appréciée des Anglais (et de moi!). Un vin d'une autre époque, au classicisme d'école. Délicieux et encore en pleine forme. Une des meilleures bouteilles de ce vin que j'ai pris, beaucoup plus en forme que celle prise en juillet dernier. 92 pts
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Opened by Allred last weekend while Eyesintime was in town. My favorite red of the night. Very typical for this producer. Solid red color. Aromas of lead pencil and tobacco. This had a smooth texture with integrated tannins. Notes of red currant, cigar box and saddle leather. Drinking very well. I liked this better than the 1996,1997 or 1998 Cos which I've had but not quite as much as the 1995 or 2000. 94 points.
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Opened by Allred at Anvil. Obviously Bordeaux right from the first sniff. This has loads of violets, cedar and graphite, with some black fruits on the finish. Very nice.
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Post-holiday dinner w/eyesintime (Anvil Club): Double decanted briefly off its sediment back into the bottle a couple of hours before dinner. Light garnet color featuring aromas of violets, graphite, cherries, currants and forest floor. Fully-integrated on the palate. Flavors of red and dark berries, roasted herbs and earth. Finishes very well with good length and balance.
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A pleasant surprise. This was served alongside the '82 and '86 Cos. I thought this would be a distant third, but it held its own. Yes, it has some cool vintage character. There is some green pepper, and even a hint of spearmint, but the wine had lovely body and a surprising sweetness of fruit. Nice, and will hold for years.
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Open an hour before drinking. Nice red color with very little to no bricking on the edges. Very nice Bdx, maybe reaching the end of its life, but still very good. Has a soft nose of fruit and earth, palate is a great balance of acid and fruit with light tannins. Drank with a pork tenderloin and was very good.
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Deep garnet colour with still a lot of brightness. Cool and complex nose with a dominance of undergrowth, earth, green pepper, dried herbs and pencil shavings. Some red fruit too in the background, shining through in every other whiff and with aeration. The palate is very smooth, with resolved tannins, exhibiting green and spicy notes and a clear-cut acidity in a medium+ body. Good freshness and length. Overall this wine feels insolently youthful and no way near decline. A classic, traditional Bordeaux. Was a good match with lamb tenderloin. My wife and I loved it.
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Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: Lytton Springs Zinfandel vertical (C's): Deep crimson color. Opens with lovely funky red fruit followed by herbs and currants. Medium-bodied and nicely integrated with flavors of red currant, roasted herbs and forest floor. Has just enough of a pasture-like funk to make it interesting without being distracting or overbearing. Finishes well. Drink now-2016. 91-92 pts.
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Un nez tertiaire, de tomate séchées, de cerises de terre, poivron rouge. Cette bouteille me parait plus évoluée qu'une précédente prise l'an dernier. La bouche est ronde et presque sucrée, savoureuse, dans un style tertiaire. Très bien, mais plus évolué que prévu. 90 pts
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La Commanderie de Bordeaux à Vancouver - 1988 Horizontal (Boneta): Dusty old book nose with bell pepper and dark cherries. A bit shy on the nose and the green profile seems to dominate everything else. Tannins are firm and powdery on the back end a good amount of fruit. This is quite youthful looking (almost still ruby in colour) and there’s seems to be enough fruit to match the structure to, based on this bottle, I’d say it needs time. Very good. 89+
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La Commanderie de Bordeaux: 1988 Horizontal (Boneta Restaurant - Vancouver, BC): This was really green on the nose, almost as if you stuck a green pepper in the blender then took a whiff. Super green upfront, with some lead pencil, black cherry, and rubber peeking out from behind. The green carries through to the palate, showing more bell pepper along with some tar, red cherry, and tart cranberry. Short length finish ending on notes of green bell pepper and cherry. There seems to be a fair bit of bottle variation here, although some notes seem to have found similar traits. Very green, chalky, and astringent. My least favorite of the flight by far. OK.
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Decanted for just over an hour before tasting. Deep purple core, pink rim – surprisingly young looking. Stunning nose with hints of blackcurrants, exotic spices, cigar box, menthol, leather, liquorish and vanilla-toffee. The relative youth shows itself again on the palate where there’s still quite a bit of tannic bite, which in combination with a generous dose of refreshing acidity elegantly balances out the concentrated sweet fruit. After a couple of hours in the glass, though, the vibrancy and structure seem to disappear resulting in a far less exiting experience. This unexpected and unwelcome transition would make me think twice about decanting again if I had more. It’s also the reason why I haven't scored it a couple of points higher.
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Expected great thing sas have had this before, but this bottle was just tired and not showing any of the usual Cos exotic fruit or spices and was just rather dull. Way outclassed by an 88 Gruaud. Disappointing bottle.
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Wow, this was such an awesome wine! Surprisingly youthful even though it's a 1988 vintage, with fresh spice yet balanced, refined, hints of mint, grass, minerals; there is still a lot of vigour in this wine, rather powerful sweet black fruits and cherries, yet smooth tannins, very elegant. Doesn't need much aerating... just pop and pour! The wine got even sweeter after about 2 hours, hints of dates and raisins. Mmm...
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wonderful cedar wood fruit, smooth as silk, and plenty of vitality. balanced, a point; a bit of a gem. No hard edges, just a great drop of mature claret
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Mature Bordeaux. The '86, '88 and '89 all showed really well. The '90 was a bit bretty and the '95 seemed to be a different style which was less structured and complex and more one dimensional. The '88 showed beautiful minerality, and earthiness.
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Beach House Wine Night (Dmac's, Torquay): Deep ruby with slight bricking. Delightful, detailed nose with cigar box, tobacco, red berries, and spice. Well developed wine with smooth tannin and balanced acid. Flavours and structure very true to my other (albiet somewhat limited) experiences with St Estephe. Great length and balance. Drink up and enjoy.
NB: Two bottles were consumed with some variation. Notes reflect the better of the two, with the first bottle less vibrant and alive (subtract a point or two if you wish).
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I have always had a fondness for this vintage of Cos, which I think way over-delivers in a year overshadowed by '89 and '90. I love the sauvage and rustic character of this wine, showing wild blackberry, cassis, forest floor, cedar, tobacco and a lot of classic St. Estèphe character. Dark ruby red with no sign of bricking, intense yet balanced, with a medium to full body. The tannins begin to clamp down a bit after this had been open for a few hours, so my feeling is this drinks best with a pop-n-pour. Classic Cos, and really a benchmark of their old style for me.
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December WIMPS, Bordeaux Table (The Ledbury, London): Darker than the other two 88s, just. Tightly mineral and a dense, wet clay nose. Again, dense dark fruit. Quite tight and closed, perhaps more so than the others. Pretty hard work on the palate. Something behind it, but now is not the right time. **(**)
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Just a fantastic claret; a combination of cedar, graphite, tobacco, mineral and fresh dark fruited flavours all coming together seamlessly in a fragrant medium weight package with stunning balance. There's certainly a bit of tannin here on the back end and it still feels very fresh and youthful with the grainy tannin on the back end suggesting there's plenty of time ahead, but this is drinking stunningly well right now.
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When first opened, the cork smelled very fruity and heavy as did the bottle. That quickly evaporated. There were 3 of us and we all agreed it tasted as if the grape was gone and just the light taste of alchohol remained. We decanted and waited but alas our bottle must have been expired. This was my last 88. I am guessing I waited too long to drink this lovely wine.
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Perfect bottle out of a cool cellar. Very youthful color, classical Bordeaux nose with a hint of exotic spice, mineralic. Deep long finsh, with great balance. Dark fruit. This specific bottle is now ready to drink and has at least another 10 years until it peaks. Now -2025
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À Québec avec Christopher pour boire avec lui le vin de son baptême! Nez suave de cuir, de prunes avec un coté fumé, même un peu de cassis noir. Superbe bouche de corps moyen, très élégante, c'est un aristocrate bordelais classique, montrant une belle vigueur et qui a encore plusieurs années à son sommet. Longueur respectable et une impression d'équilibre magique. 92 pts
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A Weekend in Excess; 1/20/2012-1/21/2012 (Trondheim, Norway): Dark without any noticeable signs of maturity; Bell peppers and blueberries on the nose, some tea or herbal elements; Softer in the mouth than expected, nice acidity, comforting and round. This was blind to the rest of the pack, and they landed on a good Chinon, due to identifying this as mainly Cabernet Franc.
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Minneapolis Wine Club Year End Event (Shari's House): Drinking window is closing on this wine. While it showed well it got dominated by the rest of the wines. Pencil lead, raspberry, tobacco, saddlewood and spices. A soft wine at this stage and medium finish. Drink now.
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Mpls Wine Club: Highly Rated Rhones: Chave, Guigal, Usseglio + Poyferre & Cos (Shari's house): Very dark red color, showing no bricking. Decanted for 1.5 hours, drank 2 glassses over 3+hrs. This wine is a bit of an enigma. The nose is almost purely secondary characteristics dominated by earth, graphite, wood, creosote, but does show some floral notes and after abut an hour or more in the glass I found some black fruits showing up distinct cassis. The palate was consistent, medium bodied, wood, mineral, moderately tannic still, but fairly round, medium finish. The fruit is clearly way in the background here. Some thought this was green, I can't say i really thought that. Not the best wine but still very good, yet it really suffered against the other phenoms of the evening.
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From 375ml. Crumbly cork but apparently intact. Mature disc. Beautiful Cos nose; not quite as rich and chocolatey as the '89 but in a similar vein and certainly beautiful in its own right. Characteristically plummy, loam, spice and pencil. On the palate the fruit takes the fore; this is very St. Estephe and a nice example of Cos. As usual, well put together. This seems to have more flesh than the other 88s I've had. Nice finish. Drink now - only going to go downhill from here.
Classic for my taste, but I can see why Parker didn't rate this well - it's certainly not an exuberant fruit bomb. Maybe I'm biased; Cos is a favorite. A full bottle of this could disappear very quickly in front of me!
Solid 4/5
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surprisingly good now that it is 23 years old! some classic cos notes, particularly lead pencil features. certainly lacks the stuffing of a decent vintage and needs drinking soon
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Dark, rather unevolved color; dark berries, meat juice, some cassis, even some flowers; long and intense, fresh dark fruits, very good acidity, medium+ bodied, long, and a hefty tannic bite. More primary than a previous bottle – long life ahead. 93-95p
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Decanted for two hours, utilizing a funnel and screen. Tomato-ruby red rim and very dark core, you cannot see through this Bordeaux. Stupendous provenance; wonderful condition. I'm entranced by the nose; scorched earth, mint, black tea, pencil lead, cigar box,and rose petals. There's some cajun spice at the end of the aroma and palate. Silky tannins that are still evident , yet very relaxed. Nice long finish that echoes the Cajun spice and all other nuances. This is one of the best '88 Bordeaux I have had and is really surprising - I did not expect this in terms of quality; it has everything I love in an aged Bordeaux. More of an extracted look than I assumed as well. Bliss in a glass and if the provenance is there, a must have for anyone looking to par-take in some gorgeous Cos action. One of the best from that estate, just as good as the '00 - even more ready. There's still a few good years left, however, no need to wait. Drink now - 2020.
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Colour dark sherry, orange on the sides of the glass. I really like this bouquet. Lots of leather on the nose, dust, dark fruits. Some tannins and acidity. Good mature Bordeaux.
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nice bouquet . not overly rich as seems to be common with the 88 vintage.plenty of cabernet flavor. some right bank 88 s are falling apart. good to see this and the leoville barton hanging in there.
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dark cherry red; nose of citrus; quite fruity right after opening, gooseberry, but also rather green finish; improves considerably about 1 hour after decanting
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with the Fink's at L'estranger, alongside the 1994 Stotteswoode. The Cos was a star - still very much alive, red fruit, sligh vegetal tones. Terrific. Lot of life left in this wine.
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Scorched earth, cigar box, ripe currants, dark chocolate and mint. Impressive bouquet--like a full vase of potpourri. Big and sweet palate on a backdrop of dark toast with a lot of length. Superb.
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Bordeaux North to South (My house): Gorgeous mature nose, some acidity and graphite; long and soft, but with some tannins at the end. It is long and intense, dry. Wonderful drinking claret!
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Pas décanté, robe orangée. Un peu de fruit encore, un peu de poivron, beaucop de cèdre, très balsamique , terre, épices: poivre. À l´aération, on sent le toasté. Tanins fondus. A son apogée, je crois.
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cork was a complete mess. Ripe round red fruit with a little dark cherry flavor, cedar and graphite were more on the nose. still has a little tannic bite.
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One of the more enjoyable Bordeaux's I've had in some time. As one of the other tasters said, this is the reason to let Bordeaux age. And, so far another very good 1988. Compared to the 1985, 1986, and 1989 Cos I thought this was superior. However one of two bottles of the '93 I thought was even better, perhaps more developed. That's not to say it's a great wine, however. And the '88 probably needs more time. But I am getting more and more concerned about Bordeaux in general, and for those who saw Eric Asimov's article in the NYT this week, perhaps the Bordelais should too. But, not to worry: think of all those billionaires in Asia willing to stock up. Anyway, back to the Cos: not profound, but a very good if slighty one dimernsional wine. At least the fruit was rounded, blackberries and dark cherries, and the tannins weren't intrusive.
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drinking perfectly with all of the hallmarks of bordeaux at its peak - fragrant aromas of plums, cassis, wood, cedar, mint, iron - full bodied, elegant and a long endearing finish - tannins, acid, fruit are all in perfect balance. Wow - a terrific reminder to hold off on drinking any of my young bordeaux - give them time.
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I bought two cases of this shortly after release when it was put on sale at a sharp discount. Shotly thereafter, Parker's review made me feel as though I had been had. Subsequent tasting were unbalanced, acidic and tannic. I came to believe that I owned a lot of bottles of a flawed wine. Other reviewers here on cellar tracker gave the wine some positive reviews , so tonight I opened a bottle to accompany a provencal beef stew. I am happy to report that the wine was delicious: a fine example of an aged claret, harmonious, balanced and ful of wonderful cassis tones. Made me glad that I still have a case and a half on hand. Thanks cellar tracker community!!
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First Offline of the Decade (Boca Raton, FL): A fairly big Bordeaux, medium to full bodied, with just a touch of earth, and the typical somewhat hard dark fruit of St Estephe, with notes of graphite and a mineral edge. A very nice classic Bordeaux that is probably at its peak right now
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Poivron vert encore une fois, petit coté poivré. Les notes tertiaires sont définitivement présente. À son apogée en ce moment. Très beau match avec le sanglier sauce aux petits fruits rouges. 93.
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Fairly deep color for this 21 year old wine. Reticent bouquet, with subtle notes of dark fruit, earth and cedar. Astringent, with no fruit on the palate and no finish whatsoever.
While a generous contribution, a bit out of place with this group. This bottle, being a curiosity, was manhandled by a lot of tasters before it was opened, repeatedly being picked up and turned about as they ogled the bottle. Perhaps the tossing & turning about was enough to cause a poor showing?
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Bright Beautiful medium colour maybe a hint of brown. Excellent, strong nose with stable and soil. Taste seemed first to be a little flat but then it really fills the mouth up. Soft fullbodied tannins. Strong taste with woody aromas and liquorice. This wine really show us what is classical, elegant and harmonious Bordeaux. Should be decant at least two hous before tasting. I don't see any reason it wouldn't be even better in next five years.
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This wine is drinking beautifully at the moment. Classic Cos and classic claret. The fruit is robust followed by a long and smooth finish. Might the finish have been a little more complex when the wine was younger? Perhaps, but still delicious today. Drink up what's left
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Tasted Nov. 2007: 2-hour decant. Purple rim; nose developing; still tannic; palate has weight but not complexity; finish is shorter than expected; "wait 10 years."
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Good acidity, tannins were old and tired. Some fruit, but flat-lined after an hour. Open and drink, don't sit on it. Got beat handily by '88 Las Cases opened next.
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nice cork -Decanted for 15 minutes for sediment before pouring. Simmering ruby in color, nice nose - but it did not really open until it had spent 30 mins in the glass. Cherry and plum with a hint of cedar. barely outstanding - not as good as the two previous bottles.
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wow - dark ruby - almost shimmering in the light. dark cherry and cedar on the nose with a hint of pencil lead. Multi-layered flavors - cherry, dark cherry, cedar, graphite, hint of leather with a long 30 sec+ finish. Tannins mostly resolved - at or right at peak. no decant. Auction bottles. 93-95
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decanted 1 hour before drinking - good colour slight brick at edges - hint of brett at first then just lovely fruit - beautiful mature 21 year old wine with solid lingering aftertaste
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Stood up and pulled cork 2 hours before dinner, then aerated with a Vinturi (really worked this time... amazing how hit or miss it can be!?!) into a decanter for a second hour. Unfortunately, the second hour wasn't productive, as the peak was fairly short-lived. Maybe 30 minutes of nice sweet fruit in a classic Bordeaux style. Stayed soft, but I was too greedy and lost some fruit by the end of the last glass. Still a wonderful wine, to which most should aspire at age 20.
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Chouette vin ! Nez sur le sous-bois, avec de la fraîcheur, des notes minérales, et légèrement épicé En bouche, super équilibre avec une belle rondeur et une finale assez longue.
Gros coup de coeur
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Great wine drinking beautifully. Not the most complex, but nicely balanced. Old wine flavors, still some fruit mid-palate, and a nice finish. The wine was decanted, and took about 20 minutes to open up.
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Brought by w+a to Sweets and Savories for the champagne and bdx dinner. This was a very fine bottle of wine. A little exotic showing rich fruit, complexity, and relatively high acidity. I would have preferred a little "fatter" feel, but this was a terrific wine nonetheless.
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Had with Lamb Shank in the main dining room on a Carribean Cruise. A little earthy on the nose, with graphite, anise and black fruits. Amazing color for being 20 years old. It shows no signs of being that age. Pretty well-balanced on the palate showing dark fruits, but maybe still a little tannic. Medium bodied with great length. This will last quite a while, but may never throw off that extra bit of tannin to bring it into the extraordinary range. Definitely do not agree with Parker on the low-ball 87 rating from 1998. Would be curious if he would still have the same opinion 10 years later?
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HDH Fine and Rare Wines at Flair House (Flair House 219 W Erie Street, Chicago): Color: Dark garnet color. A clarified wine. Nose: Bang! This is a "big boy". Very nice bouquet on the nose. Large amounts of dark red and black fruits wafting up the sides of the glass. Taste: A big left banker. Good oak and vanillins. Great integration between tannins and acid. A touch dry on the finish - but the finish is very long. Some chocolately notes making as appearance as well.
Overall: Quite a nice wine, but I would like to revisit with some additional age. 91 Points.
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East Bank / HDH Tasting (Chicago): Beautiful nose with sweet dark currant fruit, earth and leather. To me, however, the palate did not live up to the nose. Both on the palate and on the finish, the wine was rather austere, with the tannin eclipsing the fruit. I think it may have been a mistake to pour this after the Pomerol, as it was definitely a leaner wine and that was only accentuated by the order.
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East Bank / HDH Wine Tasting (Flair House): Easy WOTN for me. This is singing for what it is. Full red color with hints of crimson. Beautiful nose of cedar, saddle leather, pencil and dusty black fruit. Lovely round slightly sweet spicy red/black fruit on the palate. Drinking very well at this moment.
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Just fantastic. Decanted about an hour before we started drinking, and it was quite nice at the time, but it just got better and better in the glass. Still plenty of tannins to last at least a few more years before rolling over, but why wait?
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(From a very good condition bottle, not decanted) Rather strong sents of wet-moss and ripe brie. Pretty wallflower-red colour, almost Fleurie-like. Intial taste showed supporting light tannin and light, almost thin texture. But when it opened up there was then a lot more, with blackberries and orange flower water, hints of korma curry and a little sharpness. There is pretty good balance here. The length was a little short, 10-20 seconds perhaps, and I guess the fruit may start to fade. The tannin will keep it going for a good few years, however, and overall this is balanced and lively. In my view this is a contender for the best Cos of the 80s decade. This is a more interesting wine than the 86, and is rather less ''in your face" than the 82.
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Learning about Bordeaux with the Astorettes; 10/8/2007-10/10/2008 (Cafe Loup): Lovley nose opens with cool layers of pencil lead, burnt marshmallow, leafy herbs and coffee bean with a gentle plummy note and an edge of roast meat. Opens to reveal lots of bell pepper which I usually don't like to much but this is balanced, fresh , and attractive with more of a smoked green chili savoriness to it as opposed to a really vegetal aspect. Rich and perfectly balanced in the mouth with rich blackberry fruit balanced by dark, minerally earth that carries through to the long, firm finish. Classy bottle, very presice with excellent focus and cut and the perfectly ripe fruit really gives this an elegant softness that is appealing. 2007-2020
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We enjoyed this wine very much tonight at our friend Dee's house, on the Bordentown Garden Tour night. Nice dark ruby color in the decanter and glass, with a nose of pencil lead, earth, anise, leather, dirty black fruits, and cedar. This wine has a nice balance, and is drinking well now, but I wouldn't be surprised if this wine would last another 10-15 years in the bottle under proper storage conditions. Unfortunately, the fruit was not as prevelant on the palate as it was the nose. I thought for sure this would be a very fruit forward fruit bomb, but not the case. Don't get me wrong, it was still there, and there was still a ton of fruit in the mouth, but not like the explosive nose. This wine got better and fruitier with time in the glass. Tons of blackberry and black cherry, with hints of oak and subtle tannins made this wine a true treat! A nice medium finish ended this wine, and I would give it 93 points, with more points possible in time perhaps. Time will tell!
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Drinking very well. Expressive spicy nose, medium to full bodied, nice acidity and tannins that are present but not overwhelming. This stood up to rack of lamb very well.
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Agree with grossie's note. There is a nice refreshing acidity and energy to this wine that stimulates the palate. Terrific aromatic spiciness. Much preferred to the '89 Cos we drank alongside it, especially with food.
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The Wine Summit 2007: Château Cos d'Estournel - Saturday, June 2, 2007 - afternoon: Another deep mahogany colour – wider rim; bouquet reflects cedar and some smoky oak, along with berry fruit; elegantly styled; more in balance than the 1989; broader spectrum on the palate – black currant fruit once again with spice edges – black coffee – a liqueur like note or two; nice harmony, with no element standing out except for the fruit; finishes attractively. This isn’t a heavyweight wine, but it’s easy to drink.
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The nose was spectacular, the palate slightly muted. Still fairly youthful. Dark berry fruit, coffee, licorice, leather, moist earth and more. Medium finish. A beautiful wine.
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Bordeaux Tasting, Dallas, Texas (IL Sole Restaurant & Wine Bar): Very dark maroon red—amazing color. Smelled very young, tight with some herbaceous and red berry notes that was somewhat shut down initially, but opened up nicely over an hour. Still fairly tannic with great potential and a finish that lasted over 45 seconds. 91-94
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tasted at dee-trane's house with grilled farmers market venison. wonderful aromatics that began dominated by tobacco and deep muddy earth, expanded to include currants and coffee. not very generous with the fruit though - some dark plums and berries, but without vibrancy. incredible silky texure and a medium bodied mouth feel.
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Acidic, especially as the wine moves to the finish. On the nose the prominent aromas are cedar, tobacco, and a touch of camphor with blackberry and currant fruit joining, as egh says, on the palate. Firm in the mouth from both remaining tannins and acid. The finish will get better with time...maybe.
Four people tasted this wine, their scores were 89,90,92,93.
Purchased for $31, this is the first of three I've opened.
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Not bad, not great. Not much of a nose. Definitely not a fruit-forward Bordeaux. There is a nice core of dark fruit here, but nothing bright. High acid, which I notice other tasting notes seem to have an issue with, but I don't find it off-putting at all - very food friendly.
Pretty tannic, but hard to know if there is enough fruit to hold this up for several more years. Hard to know, but I'll take the risk and try to hold off on my last bottle until...2011.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Dark violet color with no fading. Strong nose of vanilla oak, cedar and black currant, asian spice. High acidity level, well-integrated tannins. However, it feels somewhat out of focus.
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Ruby red with clear fading around the rim. Lovely and interesting aromas of oak, peat, wild fruits, marzipan and some vanilla. Full body with a good concentration, providing flavors of prunes, some spices and ripe grapes. Good balance, with nicely integrated and soft tannins, very high acidity which was not much to my liking, and lovely oak. A nice and long finish, with a good aftertaste. Overall this is good and tasty wine, that though has a reasonable feel to it, provides a pretty extreme structure, with a dominating level of acidity, which I felt was a touch too much.
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The color was definitely bricking. This earthy scented wine was light on the fruit in the nose and palate. Hints of under ripeness. The finish was chalky and not very interesting. This has already started to fade.
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Bottle taken from my personal cellar to the Superbowl wine and food extravaganza at the home of Amy Weinberg. Ninety minutes prior to leaving for the party, the wine was double-decanted. Of note is that the cork was dry and crumbly, requiring use of a coffee filter. Deep garnet in color, with a red rim. After breathing for more than 60 minutes, the nose shows moderately intense coffee, leather, plum and cigar aromas. Medium-bodied on the palate, with tannins that have largely melted at this point. The texture is silky, with similar flavors as for the nose. Medium, smooth finish.
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Look at the disparity between the Parker (86) and WS (95) ratings. You decide! A bit austere, tannic, a hint of Bordeaux perfume, blackberry, spice, tar, moderate finish. From the cellar w/ Rick C.
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2 bottles, consistent notes. Deep ruby, lots of fruit with cedar and pencil, still fairly tannic, opening up nicely after 45 minutes, fairly elegant and complex, lots of backbone, good length on the palate. Classic clater.
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Very appealing nose, cocoa, tobacco, vanilla, deep, rich and dark, meaty; compact, powerful structure well-sheathed in flesh, excellent balance, racy, tight, needs time to soften; great length.
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4/9/2024 - BernieMSY wrote: 92 Points
We were reluctant to decant such an old wine, but it apparently needed it. No discernable fruit initially, with lots of mushroomy savory notes.
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4/8/2024 - BrendanMcS wrote: 94 Points
Needed 20 minutes or so to open up, but very good. Nuanced and balanced; not a ton of power or fruit. More secondary flavors, but well done. Starting to show its age a bit, but still a fine showing. Popped and poured
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4/3/2024 - dera Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a very good looking bottle, cork intact, removed with a Durand, soaked maybe 75% through, no signs of seepage, high neck fill.
Dark ruby/garnet with just a touch of aged browning on the rim. Based on color, this could be a 1998, or a 2008. Does not show its age at all on the color.
Neither does it show it on the nose. Nose is developed but still very much on the fresh red fruited side. Red fruits, cranberries, little bit of rustic brettiness, burnt tobacco, cedar, vanilla, touch of menthol, licorice.
Palate is medium bodied, red fruited, chocolate and some earthiness, not overly complex, but still very enjoyable.
Finishes medium+ with smooth resolved tannins.
This is likely right at peak, it probably won't improve but isn't going downhill either any time soon.
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3/15/2024 - edjBoca Likes this wine: 94 Points
Evolves over 2 to 3 hours.....decanted for 75 minutes and was not open. An hours later...hints of the dark fruits and good integrated structure. After another hour....obvious improvemnt in complexity and finish....Wow. Good for another 5-10 years...
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1/17/2024 - HalaniMD Likes this wine: 95 Points
The color is a beautiful dark red with some rim variation—way brighter and fresher than expected for an ‘88. The nose shows tobacco leaves, leather, and cigar box. Not much dark red fruit but I could imagine some. The palate is fresh but no obvious fruits. Well integrated tannins, and a finish forever. 95 points
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12/12/2023 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Earth and tobacco; berry; composed; balanced; elegant finish.
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12/3/2023 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 92 Points
I did not dare to decant a 35 year old chap. I should have! The wine took almost 2 hours to wake up and reveal noble cask, leather, tobacco, roast, ink and dark chocolate aromas. Add pencil shaving, herbal and earthy notes kicking into a long, fresh finish and you are left with a puzzle: is it too still too early to open? Will I (n)ever understand this wine? But overall an enjoyable classic Bdx.
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9/10/2023 - forceberry wrote: 93 Points
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) and Merlot (30%). 13% alcohol.
Deep, dark and quite mature black cherry color with a somewhat evolved pomegranate hue. The developed nose feels a bit reticent but also nuanced and attractive with fine-tuned aromas of autumnal leaves and smoky chipotle character, some sweet notes of wizened blackcurrants and ripe cherries, a little bit of ferrous blood, light woody notes of cedary oak, a hint of pipe tobacco, a touch of prunes and a whiff of exotic spices. The wine feels ripe, silky and open-textured on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and layered flavors of tobacco and meaty umami, some sweet-fruited notes of wizened blackcurrants and dark plums, a little bit of roasted bell pepper, a woody hint of pencil shavings and a touch of earth. The overall feel is pretty mellow and supple, thanks to the medium-to-moderately high acidity and resolved, powdery and quite gentle tannins. The finish is long, silky and gently grippy with a dry aftertaste of tobacco and wizened blackcurrants, some red licorice, light autumnal notes of damp leaves and sous-bois, a little bit of sweet black cherry, a woody hint of pencil shavings and a touch of roasted bell pepper.
A delicious and harmonious vintage of Cos that is more or less fully resolved and at its peak now. A very fine wine by all accounts, although feels somewhat less impressive after two exceptional vintages, 1985 and 1986, coming across as slightly softer and a bit less complex and not matching their flavor intensity. Most likely this wine won't improve with additional aging, but I don't see it falling apart anytime soon - drink or keep. Highly recommended.
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7/30/2023 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
PnP
Lovely nose of dried red fruit, pencil shavings, cigar box, and spice.
The mouthfeel is perfectly balanced with medium body, medium acid, and moderately grippy tannin.
This is fantastic at the moment. Drinks like something 10-15 years younger. Wow. Try again in a few years and enjoy over the next 10-15+
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3/20/2023 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Monday Night Bordeaux (Hawksmoor, Guildhall): Wonderful, all olive tapenade, green peppers and sweet red and black fruit, soft and delicious. Great wine that has aged perfectly, fully into the final stages and in a great spot. Despite the age difference I found it surprisingly difficult to separate from the 2001, maybe it was the stage of the evening where I mixed my glasses up....
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3/20/2023 - NickA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Monday night Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall): This bottle had held up well and was much more to my taste than the '01. Cool and refreshing, with floral and leathery notes on the nose, and beautifully medium-bodied, with a strong flavour of black cherry and nicely resolved tannins. A classy bottle of wine that I could happily have enjoyed over an evening.
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3/20/2023 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bordeaux at Hawksmoor: Smoky savoury cured meats, antique wood and boot polish. Resolved on the palate, smooth and balanced. Savoury with tannins and acid giving this life: long finish
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2/21/2023 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Earth with blackberry; a bit tight; tannic support; long finish.
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1/13/2023 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light cedar; some earth; lean berry and semi-tart; velvet; layered and smooth with lean tannin; elegant finish.
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12/31/2022 - GrapeScott wrote: 93 Points
Consumed over 2 evenings, and showing best on day 2. I love this particular vintage of Cos, and am a huge fan of '88 in general. This is a wine I've had more than half a dozen times, and . Cassis, cedar and shoe leather on the nose; rustic yet refined, with fine-grained tannins.
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12/6/2022 - godx wrote: 90 Points
I'm generally not a big fan of Cos, but these ones from the 80s are generally more to my preference. Earthy nose with dark fruits, hints of bell pepper and a touch of smokey (oak?). Drinking much better than the last time I tried this (9 years ago) but I don't see any upside here in terms of improvement, but it certainly won't fall apart anytime soon.
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6/18/2022 - mariow wrote: 92 Points
perfect bottle, into neck, cork came out very easily; intense red; sour cherries and barnyard in the nose; fruity and young on the palate with good structure; my last bottle, opened two hours before consumption, no decant
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11/24/2021 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and poured.
Brick-edged; earth nose.
Some fruit still remains. Dark black fruit, currant dominates. Wonderful savory tones. Surprisingly, some tannic structure remains.
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7/29/2021 - iainlo@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Amber rim with dark red core. Looks mature. Very expressive on the nose and explodes on the palate with ripe red fruits. Nice persistance. Clearly at the tail end of its drinking window but what a wine!
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5/11/2021 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 98 Points
Pronounced nose with notes of mushroom, truffle, cooked red and black fruits, spices and toast. Medium acidity and tannin. Drinking beautifully.
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4/1/2021 - Sean Tay wrote: 91 Points
Pronounced nose with notes of smoke, oaky, spices. Medium acidity and tannin. Drank it from left over previous day and kept cool in refrigerator.
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3/12/2021 - GrapeScott wrote: 93 Points
This traveled by air in my Vingarde Valise to St. John, so it's still a bit murky from suspended sediment. Cork was pristine when extracted with an Ah-so, and the fill was base neck. Dark opaque purple color, very youthful with no signs of bricking. Rustic, cedar-laced savory nose, with tobacco leaf, sandalwood and a touch of capsicum. On the palate, cedar dominates, with black currant, plum, and some spicy and herbal notes, with a nice dose of acidity. A wonderful, old-school vintage of Cos.
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1/5/2021 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Beautiful, classic Bordeaux nose of leather, red fruit, and underwood. Great acidity with resolved tannins, more of the red fruited flavors and forest floor notes on the palate. Quite long on the finish. Drinking really well right now.
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1/1/2021 - pigdaddy wrote: 92 Points
magnum. ullage lower neck; double-decanted to travel, then uncorked about 1.5 hours.
deep red, dusty powdered red clay edge; fine grown-up nose, cedar, turned mulch, mulled & red berried; manly palate weight; delightfully old-school claret, where fruit provides the substructure, again cedar, underbrush, tobacco & green leaf; powdered tannins mature & functional.
NY Eve fifth course, so note from memory. this evolved considerably in the glass, suggesting a significant decant in the near future. second of four, purchased on release for second child's birth year, to his appreciation.
short ribs, butternut polenta
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12/31/2020 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 93 Points
NYE lunch at Bishan. Tasted completely blind. Drank in Grassl 1855.
Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of bell peppers, blackcurrant, blackberries, graphite, tobacco leaf. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), integrated medium+ tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of bell peppers, blackcurrant, tobacco leaf, graphite pencil lead, black cherries, blackberries. Long finish.
Very good quality. Classic. I was guessing 10-15 years younger than its actual age!! +1 just for its sheer longevity.
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12/31/2020 - dnnk88 wrote: 91 Points
New Year's Eve Cosy Wine Night!: Black fruits, red fruits, plums, tobacco, cloves, green peppers, barnyard. Quite austere somehow. Maybe tongue fatigue as this was the 10th bottle of the night.
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11/21/2020 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 97 Points
Medium garnet in colour. Pronounced nose intensity with developed notes of barnyard, fig, prune, wet forest, cooked red fruits. Dry, medium+ acidity, medium tannin, pronounced flavour intensity and long finish. I thought this was a very good wine unfortunately in a group blind tasting, it was ranked second last together with 1988 Chateau Margaux. Whats wrong with 1988? The CT tracker also indicate that it had past it prime drinking date of 2016 based on 50 user opinions.
Did a Bordeaux 1980s theme blinded with 5 friends + 2 host. Total 7 due to COVID restrictions. The flight was mixed and not arranged so that all don't have a clue. () = my own score.
Blind Flight 1: 1988 Chateau Margaux (92 points), 1988 Cos d'Estournel (97points)
Blind Flight 2: 1983 Trotanoy (95 points), 1982 Pichon Baron (93 points), 1986 Lynch Bages (96 points)
Blind Flight 3: 1983 Haut Brion (98 points), 1985 Chateau Margaux Pavilion (94 points)
The result was mixed with 2 clear distinctive winners and loser. 1983 Haut Brion distinct winner while 1988 Chateau Margaux ranked last.
The final results were based on their own individual preference and palate as follow: () = my own ranking
#1 1983 Haut Brion (1)
#2 Joint 1982 Pichon Baron (6) and 1986 Lynch Bages (3)
#3 1985 Chateau Margaux Pavilion (5)
#4 1983 Trotanoy (4)
#5 1988 Cos d'Estournel (2)
#6 1988 Chateau Margaux (7)
For my own scores vs the final result, the only difference was that I prefer 1988 Cos d'Estournel more than 1982 Pichon Baron. For more notes, please refer to my other individual bottles.
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11/6/2020 - mariow wrote: 91 Points
a perfect bottle, into neck; still dark intense red; nose of barnyard, peppers and citrus; very soft tannins; beautiful now
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10/22/2020 - GrapeScott wrote: 93 Points
I absolutely adore this vintage of Cos. This bottle is from a recent auction purchase and has a fill into the neck and pristine cork. Has a stunning rustic nose with forest floor, pencil lead, blackberry. Cassis fruit up front, with some coffee, cedar and cigar box on the back end and deft acidity, finishing with a wall of tannins that are big but smooth. I would gladly drink this wine every day for the rest of my life if I could afford to do so.
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8/28/2020 - GrapeScott wrote: 96 Points
I believe this is the vintage that got me to fall in love with Cos, back in the mid- to late-90s. I'd had the '82 before this, and while that is an excellent wine, the exotic, rustic nose and rugged brambly fruit of this particular wine really spoke to me. I've probably had this half a dozen times and have seen some bottle variation, as might be expected, but this particular bottle is sensational. Mid-neck fill, served with a Coravin, pouring a deep garnet purple with no signs of bricking. The nose is killer, sauvage and vegetal, filling the room with spicy cigar wrapper, blackberry and green Szechuan peppercorn. On the palate, powerful and full-bodied, smokey, stemmy and rich with plum, cassis and tobacco leaf, finishing with firm but ripe tannins. Big and rustic and very St. Estephe. I've been fortunate to drink a fair amount of Cos in my life, but this vintage remains a benchmark for me.
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8/15/2020 - winecoffee wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful wine. Ripe, juicy, balanced. Nose of sharp black pepper, plum, and red cherries. Palate also hits with black pepper first followed by licorice, smooth red fruit, and ending with a very rounded tiramisu. Delicious.
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6/5/2020 - G_H wrote: 93 Points
Contrary to other tasters I feel this wine hasn’t reached full maturity yet and is still about 5-10 years away. Still quite harsh tannin structure with a promising future, nice fruit and secondary notes.
Give this some time and it will blossom beautifully
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5/17/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Fully mature - this bottle anyway. Distinctly right bank, with leafy, green notes mixed with soil and place notes. Some black tea, and subtle, yet complex brown spice notes. Medium bodied, with high-ish acids, and tannins that are mature but still offering a nice frame. Fun example, but based on this showing, absolutely drink now. recommended
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3/12/2020 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Ian’s unfashionable 80’s Bordeaux (Piccolino, Liverpool Street Stn, London): Consistent with previous bottles.bright mid ruby. Cedar and cigar. Smooth, fully resolved, nicely sweet fruit.good line. Lovely wine. ****
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3/4/2020 - JHSP Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good precision and strength and great complexity - any time again - soft integrated tannins - pleasure to drink
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1/11/2020 - R J Lewis wrote:
Grotty under the capsule but cork is perfect.
Good colour concentration, only just showing garnet, still nice ruby core. Nose: some mustiness, forest floor. Showing it's quality on the palate, deep black fruit, damson, wet leaf, some subtle spices, light clove. Fairly powerful which is surprising,. Tannins are so silky and resolved, long finish, finishing savoury with tobacco. This is in a lovely place right now. Classic, delicious.
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12/23/2019 - Fmarret wrote: 92 Points
Opened and transfer in Carafe 2 hours before drinking for aperitif.
Quite dark for such age.
A little acidity in mouth that disappeared.
Drunk last glass more than - hour later and it is a very different wine so smooth round and well balanced.
Two advices : drink now and open 3 good hours before!
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12/11/2019 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a bottle ! It is like it prepared itself for 30 years to be drunk at a specific date! One of the best bordeaux i have tasted
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11/28/2019 - GrapeScott wrote: 88 Points
Base neck fill. Lowest of a recent auction purchase of 6 bottles. Did not show nearly as well as a bottle consumed two years ago, purchased shortly after release. Expressive nose, typical of Cos with brambly blackberry fruit, cedar and cassis. Seemed to be slightly off with a flat finish, dry tannins and a slight cardboard notes. Hopefully just an off bottle.
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11/15/2019 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 92 Points
Unfortunately I think this got lost in a night of very impressive bottles. This was poured alongside 88 Mondavi Reserve, 88 Dunn HM, 88 DC red rock. For this flight I think the Cos was runner up to the Dunn. Showed nice mature Bordeaux character, resolved tannin, good acid, lacked a little of the mid palate density to bring this up a notch but overall very nice showing.
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12/23/2018 - Grant75 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Best after 2-3 hr wait. Great finish. Classic Bordeaux
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11/18/2018 - MichielH wrote: 92 Points
In the eye: of course, lighter of color, but no significant coper tones. Very clear ruby, a beauty of age.
The bouquet: Light, still some slow acknowledgement (initially almost hidden) prune, stable, yet with a certain freshness.
On the pallet: Full of tender or gentile fruit, earthy and chocolate maybe traces of residual tannins, FULL and lengthy. Possibly a bit alcoholic (more than expected).
A unique opportunity.
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10/30/2018 - andreask888 wrote: 90 Points
Cos D'Etournel Tasting at BWC
Green pepper with significant acidity that seeks food for balance. Acidity of this line was quite delightful once we had the squash agnolotti with smoked bacon. Elegant finish. 6 but then 9!
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10/25/2018 - yinha Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful, alluring nose that captivates, after sufficient air time. On the palate, slightly more austere but overall, an extremely enjoyable mature St. Estephe experience - feels like it's on a fine plateau and not showing any tiredness for a 30yr old. Enjoy! (Underrated year)
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9/30/2018 - PSPatrick wrote: 93 Points
The wine was medium to dark ruby in colour and threw some sediment. It had an integrated nose of black currant, cherry, blackberry, cedar, spices, sweet chestnut and underbrush aromas. On the palate, the wine showed black currant, cherry, blackberry, cedar, cocoa, coffee, spices, tobacco, vegetal notes, a hint of sweet liquorice and a mineral component, with lively, well-integrated acidity, mostly resolved tannin, a great, smooth mouthfeel and superb length. The wine even improved over night and drank even better on day two. Withstanding time.
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9/22/2018 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Earthy and cedar and tobacco; light blackberry; nice finish.
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8/27/2018 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Earthy cedar and blackberry with concentrated follow through; long sweet finish.
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8/24/2018 - PSPatrick wrote: 93 Points
BBQ at our house. No formal notes. The wine was supposed to follow after a 1986 Château Prieuré-Lichine, but the Prieuré-Lichine was corked. The Cos did hence not get the rock start treatment it had deserved as it had to be opened and poured quickly.
No formal notes. Nice, fresh black currant, cherry, cedar and tobacco aromas and flavours, with fine, mostly resolved tannin and very good length. Very balanced, harmonious and complete. Probably at its peak, on a long plateau. A lovely bottle of Bordeaux that was empty in no time!
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8/11/2018 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light nose; smooth silky and layered; blackberry with cedar; balanced; silky smooth sweet finish.
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7/7/2018 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Occasional dinner group: Magnums chosen by Kenny (@ Invincible in Antwerp, Belgium): In the bouquet dark and red berries, rustic flavors and some minerals. On the palate beautiful dark berries, good acidity and melted tannin.
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6/30/2018 - canan wrote: 91 Points
4x4 - Mini Tastings: Dusty and fragile with some fruit left but also some bitter chocolate.
Harsh tannins and not very pleasurable on its own.
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6/14/2018 - Pontifax Likes this wine: 94 Points
Classic 30 year old Bordeaux from a slow maturing vintage.
On nose:green bell pepper, cigar tobacco and faint edge of eucalyptus.
On palate:all of the above including a complex blend of bitter chocolate, ripe currants and hints of leather and cinnamon.
The wine was decanted for 1 hour .
A fine medium colour of Garnet.
During the last two glasses , it developed a superbly woven balance of fruit, leather and lively light tannins.
On nose: after an hour .... it smelled unmistably like the interior of a Mercedes 280 SL!
A great wine for Prime rib or Porterhouse steak.
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6/7/2018 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 92 Points
Violets, briar, tobacco leaf, rich, compact, understated, elegant, with excellent depth and balance; ‘a point’
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6/7/2018 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
88 Bordeaux @ La T (La Trompette, London): Lovely traditional nose, all cedar and cigar. A hint of richness to the fruit too. Classic 88 — thedrynesd quite prominent on the finish. Bare ****
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5/4/2018 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Vintages ending in 8 (La Trompette, London): Blind. Lovely plush claret nose. 98 I think. A sweetness to the fruit and then a slight licorice edge to the darker, slightly bitter finish. Wow, revealed as 88. Really vibrant and quite padded for the vintage. This is a good bottle. ****
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1/26/2018 - Blackbeard. Likes this wine: 92 Points
My first experience with this famous Domaine. The wine is soft, complex and elegant, there is little fruit left, but still a very enjoyable wine. Drink up.
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1/14/2018 - Winterfell Likes this wine: 92 Points
Black currant and dark red fruit on the nose. Similar flavors on palate, medium body, good structure of developed tannins. Medium finish of dusty tannins, well balanced with little to no alcohol. Decanted two hours.
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1/3/2018 - MichielH wrote: 94 Points
Beautifully aged transparency. Between ruby and copper but closer to ruby. Bouquet of pear, fruit nice fresheur.
Bottle opened 1 hr before and decanted immediately before tasting. Locked up peppers developed to incredible length. Nice fruit, maybe a bit of raw beef and prune, super balance lost maybe a bit of complexity. Incredibly pleasant experience. Lucky to have held on to this bottle.
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12/29/2017 - oldwines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted at 4pm and enjoyed through the last sip at about 9pm. Medium to dark garnet with surprisingly little bricking for a nearly 30 year old wine. This is restrained but elegant and totally balanced. Nose is earthy and brambly with pine needles and leather. Smooth as silk on the tongue with perfect texture and depth. The palate in complex and layered with black currant, cigar tobacco, a hint of chocolate, forest floor and mineral notes on the finish. Just a what a nicely aged Bordeaux should be like. Really nice with a local grass fed beef NY Strip steak grilled rare.
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12/26/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Structured with tar and rubber; concentrated and deep; sweet earthy blackberry with long finish.
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12/25/2017 - t.c.green Likes this wine: 90 Points
Matched with prime rib. They matched well.
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12/10/2017 - RISM Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark crimson colour, almost black - no bricking - quite remarkable for a 30 year-old Bordeaux. Lively and vibrant bouquet with lashings of blackberries, cassis, spice, pencil shavings, cigar box and cedar lead into a powerful, structured palate full of grip and backbone. But then the fruit comes to the fore, drifting into the long, silky finish. What a stunner, from a vintage one doesn’t hear much about. A real surprise, although Cos never surprises to the downside !
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11/13/2017 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 91 Points
No bricking, long legs, vibrant fruit and good acidity, with a prominent green tobacco leaf note.
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10/24/2017 - Yassine23 Likes this wine:
Medium garnet. Cassis us fading but still a bit there. Cedar, savoury and tomato leaf. Very nice.
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9/24/2017 - tomlee wrote: 93 Points
Dark crimson in color with some bricking at the edge of the glass. 13% ABV. Classic nose of cedar, leather, cigar box and cassis. Medium body with ample tart fruit and substantial tannins. Earthy flavors of plum, cherries and mint on the palate. The finish is long, caressing and silky. The wine got better with time in the glass so consider a 1-2 hour decant. Super showing for this wine that is approaching 30 years of age. Right now there is enough fruit to keep the tannins in check but I would be inclined to drink in the next few years.
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9/14/2017 - GrapeScott wrote: 95 Points
Cos vertical dinner at Mulino in Raleigh. Easily my WOTN against stiff competition from the trifecta of glorified vintages '00, '95 and '05. Somewhat vegetal nose upon opening but this emerged into a magnificent and classic Cos with air. Surely peaking now, with blackberry, cedar and cassis. A great wine in an oft-overlooked vintage.
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8/29/2017 - Yassine23 Likes this wine:
Medium ruby. Aromas of raspberries, red currant, pencil shavings and cedar. Medium + tannins, high acidity. Savoury and earthy flavor. Long finish. Fully mature. Would drink now.
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7/5/2017 - ElmbergGC Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfect maturity. Opened the bottle 2 hours before. Took a couple of minutes for the wine to open up in the glass. In perfect condition. brick colored. On the nose classic notes of cassis, black berries and cigarbox. Smooth tannins, lingering fruit with a bit of black pepper and a long ending. Perfect now. Would not keep it for more then 2-3 years.
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7/4/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rubber and earth; nice balance; length.
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5/21/2017 - Elvis1969 wrote: 89 Points
Lite trött flaska (kokt?) men öppnade ändå upp sig riktigt bra på slutet.
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5/19/2017 - SonnyChiba wrote: 92 Points
Nice Ruby color, no clear signs of its age. Still quite fresh, with lots of acidity. A touch out of balance initially, but with about 45 min in the glass came together. Drinks very well now and will likely hold for some time longer. Nice wine!
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5/11/2017 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Plenty of fruit left, and great acidity - along with a huge amount of pencil shavings and a little green pepper. Lovely.
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3/24/2017 - mjdixon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not as complex as other reviews suggest and I would not have guessed its origin in a blind tasting. A little one dimensional IMHO
That said, very soft cherry, raspberry vibrant fruit for its age
Nice but not my fave Bordeaux
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12/22/2016 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Fantastic claret - complex and layered with an array of savoury earth, tobacco, graphite, and cedar wood notes framing mature red and dark fruited flavours. Incredibly fragrant, and drinking beautifully now. My favorite of the three clarets.
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12/22/2016 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
Wine Octet (extended) meeting (The Traklin - new location): excellent tertiary aroma nose of dark fruits, spice, tobacco, graphite, light wood. medium bodied & silky on the palate; bright cherry, tobacco, graphite. Beautiful, and surprisingly enjoyable despite a mediocre vintage.
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12/22/2016 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 92 Points
Nose of pencil lead, cigar, dark berry. Medium-bodied, a bit chalky/dusty; cigar, cedar, and pencil; very fine tannin, medium(-plus) acid. Very pretty. Finish is medium length, a bit drying. Classic.
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11/2/2016 - Elvis1969 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Kanske inte riktigt lika pigg flaska den här gången men fortfarande väldigt bra!
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10/21/2016 - Chuck Miller wrote: flawed
corked
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10/15/2016 - Elvis1969 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Provad på PM & Vänner. Slog både Ch Margaux 85 och Ch Latour 85 blint!
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8/20/2016 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cedar, earth, blackberry and leather; great depth although a bit tannic near the back; follows through to a great finish.
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8/7/2016 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank to celebrate the birth of little Jimmy Oliver.
A complex wine that beautifully combines fruit and secondary aromas. Cherries and raspberries mix with leather and tobacco. Very smooth and easy to drink with well integrated tannin, albeit there are still some sticking to the cheeks and gums. A dark red at the core but showing some bricking at the edges.
Please note that I gave this one hour of air. I made a mistake before by not giving it air as straight from the bottle it is slightly bitter and quite intense. The air allows it to soften and the fruit to rise to the front.
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8/2/2016 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mature; earth; delicate fruit; easy and balanced finish.
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6/14/2016 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 92 Points
A medium red with only very slight hints of aging; a wine that could easily pass as something from the late 90s. A classic bordeaux nose with earthy notes but a lovely perfume that cuts through and then develops into caramel. Straight from the bottle this was quite harsh with lots of heat, but this really got better with air and become a much smoother drinking experience with dominant fruit. I strongly recommend airing for at least 30 mins. Drink now
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5/17/2016 - Zweder wrote:
Monthly Tuesday group #009: 25 years or older. (By JWS): In the bouquet soy and lovage. On the palate not much better. Cold coffee as well. Full bodied, but completely over the hill. This must be a seriously mistreated bottle, because the bottle I had in October last year was still perfectly ok.
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4/17/2016 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic wine. This is in such a great place right now - fully mature with an array of cedar, tobacco, graphite, and other savoury flavours framing a core of red and dark fruited flavours that still feel very fresh and vibrant. Surprisingly this bottle didn't show much of that hard '88 tannin, and it has a remarkably light, gentle palate presence with the structure mostly resolved.
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4/17/2016 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful nose of spice, tobacco, graphite, light wood. Very light and silky on the palate; bright cherry, tobacco, graphite. Beautiful, and surprisingly light.
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3/27/2016 - VindependenceDay Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose of smoke, mushroom, oddly grapefruit, gasoline (?), strawberry, blackberry, hay? Lot going on here. Deep dark color, like black velvet, but bricking on the edges. Soft tannins. Nice balance with acid. Rounded mouthfeel.
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3/19/2016 - guribh Likes this wine: 92 Points
Only a hint of aging on the otherwise solid dark ruby color. Pretty aromas of berries, cedar, tobacco. Palate adds a slight vegetal dimension, not too aggressively. Good length. rather classy.
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1/29/2016 - macker100 wrote: 93 Points
Over dinner with friends. Still quite young, nice aromas of tobacco, pit cherries, plums, smoke. Very smooth with fruits of cherries and plums still upfront. Underrated and preferred this to the '89 and '90 I have tried previously.
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12/25/2015 - cdunn wrote: 89 Points
On the downward slope. Pleasant earthy aromas, tobacco. Losing its vitality on the palate, not much structure nor depth. A significant step down from my previous bottle a few years ago.
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11/20/2015 - CWang wrote: 95 Points
Rather uninteresting upon opening so decanted for about an hour prior to serving; however, still took about an hour in the glass for this wine to wake up; intense yet elegant aromas of dark berries and cherries, caramel, lavenders, and violets in the nose; juicy and smooth on the palate, berries, cherries, dark chocolate, bell peppers, and light wood spices; long finish, with noticeable half-ripe tannins; overall, 94-95 points for now; still not close to full maturity for this bottle to me, contrary to some of the notes below.
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11/2/2015 - nywine68 wrote:
Awesome! Perfect drinking age. Full bodied and flavored with gorgeous mature cabernet notes. Nose is terrific. This tastes like a top vintage
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10/23/2015 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Occasional dinner group; TOP Bordeaux 1988: In the bouquet dark forest fruits, beautiful oak and a touch of pleasant barnyard. On the palate red and dark forest fruits, some graphite and chocolate, firm acidity and mature, soft tannin. Not extremely concentrated, but a beautiful and complex, elegant wine. Completely ready now.
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10/16/2015 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasting against mini-vertical of 81,91, 88, 89. Once again, supposedly outside its drinking window, this showed well with little of no diminution from age. Medium bodied, bright ruby colored, classic Bordeaux floral perfume, blackberry, spice, tar, a moderate finish.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/10/hemingways-bistro-wine-dinner.html
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9/27/2015 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a pristinely cellared bottle, this deep garnet wine illustrates the depth and structure of the underrated 1988 vintage. With a core of plum and cherry fruit, it offers aromas and flavors of cigar box, leather, black olive and coriander. Full-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic and with soft residual tannins, it stays solid in the middle and closes with impressive length. Those holding properly cellared bottles should be able to enjoy this wine for several more years. Drink now-2022.
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9/8/2015 - Genghis88 wrote:
@ Homer with the pies...
Ruby-red, white rim, medium (-) body
Bell peppers on the nose, earthy, with faded fruit, some terroir, allspice
Soft tannin, dry, leather and tobacco, faint fruit (raspberries), also
some remnants of red licorice and pencil shavings
This bottle was past its prime, no punch whatsoever.
DRINK YOUR WINE IN TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!
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6/17/2015 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
Has evolved, slowly approaching its plateau
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4/21/2015 - jbroich Likes this wine: 94 Points
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, raspberry, black currant (cassis), forest floor, mushroom, light toast, lead pencil and hazelnut. On the palate even better, showing more potential. Excellent wine, best bottle so far, next in two years
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4/18/2015 - RockinCabs wrote: 91 Points
Nose: plum, blackberry, fig, earth and spice. Palate: Classic Cos with black fruit, macerated plum, olive, earth, tobacco and spices. A bit muddy, but excellent feel. Finish: Moderate with some unintegrated oak showing and a bit of drying tannin.
Very nice bottle in its own right, and on any other night this would have been tops. But tonight it played a contrasting part giving context against the PLL and Palmer. Thanks Erik!
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4/18/2015 - nortonnose wrote: 92 Points
Stiff competition tonight for this little engine that could, against 90 Palmer and 82 PL! Bottle was in very good shape and showed nicely: herbaceous funk on the nose, stewed fruit on the palate (we agreed on plum!), and still quite lively in the glass and remarkably, in appearance! Drink up but, if yours have been stored well, these are still very much alive.
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4/18/2015 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
More substantial than you might expect from most 88s at this stage. Though it won't get any better (or hold much longer), it's still got that plummy, muddy Cos quality that keeps things interesting.
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4/5/2015 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mid-brick, amber edges; earth, terroir, Cabernet, blackberry, smokey nose; mid-body; decent tannins; long tight finish. Some life left. w/beef
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4/4/2015 - mrguyot wrote: 89 Points
Vin difficile à aborder. Boîte à cigares et sciure de bois au niveau olfactif. Un vin intellectuel, difficile à lire, assez austère. Une texture agréable et une finale un peu plus nette que le milieu de bouche. À revoir. Très bien sans plus.
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12/25/2014 - redmancge Likes this wine: 89 Points
Opened for Xmas dinner. Nice cork condition. Opened and decanted over 2 hrs. Very little sediment with good garnet color no noticeable bricking. Medium body and light fruit seeming to be fading a little. Got better over time but never a wow wine still very nice. Last one :(
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12/16/2014 - nortonnose wrote: 92 Points
Allegedly cellared since release. Stood 750ml for a week. Slow ox-ed/flash double decant before serving over cheese. Clearly well stored, as I didn't find this to be tired at all. If anything, this bottle showed coyly, as if holding a touch in reserve. Deep crimson, barely bricking at the edges. Rather forward, sweet red fruit palate, as you expect from the house, yet plenty of secondary/subtle characteristics: some herbal notes on the nose, with a hint of mint on the finish. I have no drinking experience with 1988 so I can't comment on vintage specifics. Very enjoyable. Certainly no reason to wait on these, especially if stored less than perfectly.
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11/16/2014 - salil wrote: 91 Points
Not quite the knockout showing I experienced two years ago; the fruit's much more understated in this bottle, and it's all about developed earthy, cedary, graphite and other savoury flavours. It's medium weight on the palate, elegant up front but turning more gritty on the back end where the '88 tannin really makes itself felt. Compelling to sit down and follow over a few hours, and kept getting better with time in the decanter.
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11/16/2014 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 91 Points
Fairly pronounced nose of pencil lead (primarily), cedar, and dark fruit. Palate of chewed up pencils (graphite and wood), bit of darker fruit, some minerality, some gritty tannin, medium-plus acid. Very classic, non-fruit-driven Bordeaux.
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10/19/2014 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Killer nose and the palate followed with dark fruit and Cabernet characteristics. It ended as well as it started, although it took a back seat to the 1978 that was opened with it. A very enjoyable wine.
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10/18/2014 - coremill wrote: 90 Points
Old Bordeaux (Uncle Jack's): Very nice ripe cassis, lots of cedar and earth, noticeable bell pepper/pyrazine. Deep and silky, good concentration, cedary and tertiary. Nothing earth shattering, but a very nice, mature claret. Probably the best of the reds this evening for me.
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9/13/2014 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Light nose; integrated tannins; textured with soft sweet blackberry; faded a bit at times, but provided nice finish.
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9/2/2014 - dcwino wrote: 93 Points
Impromptu gathering - Cos, Velvet Glove, SQN, Alban, Larkmead and etc. (Charlie Palmer - Washington DC): Expressive nose, slightly unripe cab nose, sharp green pepper, cassis also a hint of red fruits, lead pencil and scorched earth. Good concentration, sweet dark fruit driven palate impression and a bit dusty and angular tannins. This gave me the impression of an old school hard as nail kinda of claret. For some participants, this was WOTN.
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8/24/2014 - jcoleman Likes this wine: 93 Points
really fantastically good for a wine from this vintage. had at neil's wedding (born in 88). good cedary backbone and lots of lead pencil type flavours. a success!
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7/18/2014 - chitownmb Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well balanced with mild tannins, tobacco, bright fruit.
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7/17/2014 - mariow wrote: 92 Points
nose of barnyard; initially notes of green vegetables; one hour after decanting good fruit with solid structure, well rounded; long finish; goes well with lamb; very pleasurable
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6/7/2014 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bordeaux 1988 Horizontal Tasting: Tasting note to follow
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5/29/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 91 Points
Big nose of dark fruit, tobacco, asphalt. Gravelly texture. Great grip on the finish. Smoky.
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5/1/2014 - MarceloIdeses wrote: 95 Points
- Aromas of tobacco, black currant, chocolate, black pepper and cloves and has flavours of tobacco, black currant, chocolate, black pepper and cloves.
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4/25/2014 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 93 Points
A beautiful bottle, still drinking well, brownish, rich plum and spicy with deep herbal notes.
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4/16/2014 - BradE wrote:
Belied its vintage, and was a gorgeous bottle.
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3/18/2014 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Renotcka's 40th birthday week.
Although we all enjoyed the wine, it came off as being green, and somewhat vegetative, as well as a little metallic. HIGH QPR!
MUCH better vintages.
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3/16/2014 - BernieMSY wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding, beautifully integrated. Second bottle as good as the first.
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3/16/2014 - BernieMSY wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding, beautifully integrated. No hard edges at all. Dark and delicious.
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3/8/2014 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Un vin symbolique dans la famille que j'ai donc eu la chance de prendre une dizaine de fois. Un vin fin, encore en pleine forme, le textbook claret! Des arômes de cuir et de poivron, encore une belle vigueur, c'est l'élégance bordelaise si appréciée des Anglais (et de moi!). Un vin d'une autre époque, au classicisme d'école. Délicieux et encore en pleine forme. Une des meilleures bouteilles de ce vin que j'ai pris, beaucoup plus en forme que celle prise en juillet dernier. 92 pts
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12/31/2013 - RKatzDO Likes this wine: 93 Points
NYE party. Wonderful drink. Wet cork, but 1.5cm fill from top. As good as one cold hope from the vintage.
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12/30/2013 - G-Man555 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Wow, what a wine. Has such good balance, earth, and fruits in equal measure. And drinking just perfectly.
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12/4/2013 - Vino Me wrote: 94 Points
Opened by Allred last weekend while Eyesintime was in town. My favorite red of the night. Very typical for this producer. Solid red color. Aromas of lead pencil and tobacco. This had a smooth texture with integrated tannins. Notes of red currant, cigar box and saddle leather. Drinking very well. I liked this better than the 1996,1997 or 1998 Cos which I've had but not quite as much as the 1995 or 2000. 94 points.
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11/29/2013 - thelostverse wrote: 93 Points
Opened by Allred at Anvil. Obviously Bordeaux right from the first sniff. This has loads of violets, cedar and graphite, with some black fruits on the finish. Very nice.
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11/29/2013 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Post-holiday dinner w/eyesintime (Anvil Club): Double decanted briefly off its sediment back into the bottle a couple of hours before dinner. Light garnet color featuring aromas of violets, graphite, cherries, currants and forest floor. Fully-integrated on the palate. Flavors of red and dark berries, roasted herbs and earth. Finishes very well with good length and balance.
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11/22/2013 - Blair Curtis wrote: 93 Points
A pleasant surprise. This was served alongside the '82 and '86 Cos. I thought this would be a distant third, but it held its own. Yes, it has some cool vintage character. There is some green pepper, and even a hint of spearmint, but the wine had lovely body and a surprising sweetness of fruit. Nice, and will hold for years.
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11/16/2013 - SkeBum Likes this wine: 92 Points
Open an hour before drinking. Nice red color with very little to no bricking on the edges. Very nice Bdx, maybe reaching the end of its life, but still very good. Has a soft nose of fruit and earth, palate is a great balance of acid and fruit with light tannins. Drank with a pork tenderloin and was very good.
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10/7/2013 - Chuck Miller wrote: flawed
corked.
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9/7/2013 - SmoothPalate wrote: 92 Points
Deep garnet colour with still a lot of brightness. Cool and complex nose with a dominance of undergrowth, earth, green pepper, dried herbs and pencil shavings. Some red fruit too in the background, shining through in every other whiff and with aeration. The palate is very smooth, with resolved tannins, exhibiting green and spicy notes and a clear-cut acidity in a medium+ body. Good freshness and length. Overall this wine feels insolently youthful and no way near decline. A classic, traditional Bordeaux. Was a good match with lamb tenderloin. My wife and I loved it.
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8/11/2013 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: Lytton Springs Zinfandel vertical (C's): Deep crimson color. Opens with lovely funky red fruit followed by herbs and currants. Medium-bodied and nicely integrated with flavors of red currant, roasted herbs and forest floor. Has just enough of a pasture-like funk to make it interesting without being distracting or overbearing. Finishes well. Drink now-2016. 91-92 pts.
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7/31/2013 - d'Artagnan wrote: 90 Points
Un nez tertiaire, de tomate séchées, de cerises de terre, poivron rouge. Cette bouteille me parait plus évoluée qu'une précédente prise l'an dernier.
La bouche est ronde et presque sucrée, savoureuse, dans un style tertiaire. Très bien, mais plus évolué que prévu. 90 pts
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5/23/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 91 Points
deep purple in color. tart fruit, mushroom, earth, old soil, spice, cedar, on the nose. mild acid on the finish.
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4/9/2013 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Spring Lamb with 20+ Years Old Bordeaux (Portola Kitchen Restaurant, CA): Great nose!! Smooth palate with a gorgeous fruit, but a little bit of acidity on the finish. Seems to have quite a few years left. 91-92 pts.
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4/8/2013 - godx wrote: 89 Points
La Commanderie de Bordeaux à Vancouver - 1988 Horizontal (Boneta): Dusty old book nose with bell pepper and dark cherries. A bit shy on the nose and the green profile seems to dominate everything else. Tannins are firm and powdery on the back end a good amount of fruit. This is quite youthful looking (almost still ruby in colour) and there’s seems to be enough fruit to match the structure to, based on this bottle, I’d say it needs time. Very good. 89+
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4/8/2013 - MattTM wrote:
La Commanderie de Bordeaux: 1988 Horizontal (Boneta Restaurant - Vancouver, BC): This was really green on the nose, almost as if you stuck a green pepper in the blender then took a whiff. Super green upfront, with some lead pencil, black cherry, and rubber peeking out from behind. The green carries through to the palate, showing more bell pepper along with some tar, red cherry, and tart cranberry. Short length finish ending on notes of green bell pepper and cherry. There seems to be a fair bit of bottle variation here, although some notes seem to have found similar traits. Very green, chalky, and astringent. My least favorite of the flight by far. OK.
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4/6/2013 - Pebben wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for just over an hour before tasting. Deep purple core, pink rim – surprisingly young looking. Stunning nose with hints of blackcurrants, exotic spices, cigar box, menthol, leather, liquorish and vanilla-toffee. The relative youth shows itself again on the palate where there’s still quite a bit of tannic bite, which in combination with a generous dose of refreshing acidity elegantly balances out the concentrated sweet fruit. After a couple of hours in the glass, though, the vibrancy and structure seem to disappear resulting in a far less exiting experience. This unexpected and unwelcome transition would make me think twice about decanting again if I had more. It’s also the reason why I haven't scored it a couple of points higher.
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4/3/2013 - latimer Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Expected great thing sas have had this before, but this bottle was just tired and not showing any of the usual Cos exotic fruit or spices and was just rather dull. Way outclassed by an 88 Gruaud. Disappointing bottle.
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3/16/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 82 Points
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Bitter with rough edges. All earth. Hopefully a poorly stored or transported bottle, this came across as well past its drinking window.
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3/15/2013 - Davyd Chong Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow, this was such an awesome wine! Surprisingly youthful even though it's a 1988 vintage, with fresh spice yet balanced, refined, hints of mint, grass, minerals; there is still a lot of vigour in this wine, rather powerful sweet black fruits and cherries, yet smooth tannins, very elegant. Doesn't need much aerating... just pop and pour! The wine got even sweeter after about 2 hours, hints of dates and raisins. Mmm...
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3/3/2013 - sooper65 wrote: 94 Points
wonderful cedar wood fruit, smooth as silk, and plenty of vitality.
balanced, a point; a bit of a gem. No hard edges, just a great drop of mature claret
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1/24/2013 - winemaker Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mature Bordeaux. The '86, '88 and '89 all showed really well. The '90 was a bit bretty and the '95 seemed to be a different style which was less structured and complex and more one dimensional. The '88 showed beautiful minerality, and earthiness.
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1/19/2013 - G.M. wrote: 93 Points
Beach House Wine Night (Dmac's, Torquay): Deep ruby with slight bricking. Delightful, detailed nose with cigar box, tobacco, red berries, and spice. Well developed wine with smooth tannin and balanced acid. Flavours and structure very true to my other (albiet somewhat limited) experiences with St Estephe. Great length and balance. Drink up and enjoy.
NB: Two bottles were consumed with some variation. Notes reflect the better of the two, with the first bottle less vibrant and alive (subtract a point or two if you wish).
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12/25/2012 - GrapeScott wrote: 94 Points
I have always had a fondness for this vintage of Cos, which I think way over-delivers in a year overshadowed by '89 and '90. I love the sauvage and rustic character of this wine, showing wild blackberry, cassis, forest floor, cedar, tobacco and a lot of classic St. Estèphe character. Dark ruby red with no sign of bricking, intense yet balanced, with a medium to full body. The tannins begin to clamp down a bit after this had been open for a few hours, so my feeling is this drinks best with a pop-n-pour. Classic Cos, and really a benchmark of their old style for me.
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12/11/2012 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
December WIMPS, Bordeaux Table (The Ledbury, London): Darker than the other two 88s, just. Tightly mineral and a dense, wet clay nose. Again, dense dark fruit. Quite tight and closed, perhaps more so than the others. Pretty hard work on the palate. Something behind it, but now is not the right time. **(**)
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11/5/2012 - Geoff wrote: 94 Points
What sail said +1.
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10/27/2012 - mariow wrote: 92 Points
nice red; very well balanced, a pleasurable wine; should hold well for a few years; decanted for one hour
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10/23/2012 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Grand Sichuan NYC (quick notes): Very classic nose, focused palate, medium finish. Very nice. +
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10/23/2012 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Just a fantastic claret; a combination of cedar, graphite, tobacco, mineral and fresh dark fruited flavours all coming together seamlessly in a fragrant medium weight package with stunning balance. There's certainly a bit of tannin here on the back end and it still feels very fresh and youthful with the grainy tannin on the back end suggesting there's plenty of time ahead, but this is drinking stunningly well right now.
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8/18/2012 - twavering wrote:
When first opened, the cork smelled very fruity and heavy as did the bottle. That quickly evaporated. There were 3 of us and we all agreed it tasted as if the grape was gone and just the light taste of alchohol remained. We decanted and waited but alas our bottle must have been expired. This was my last 88. I am guessing I waited too long to drink this lovely wine.
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7/31/2012 - Wine_lvr wrote: 94 Points
Perfect bottle out of a cool cellar. Very youthful color, classical Bordeaux nose with a hint of exotic spice, mineralic. Deep long finsh, with great balance. Dark fruit. This specific bottle is now ready to drink and has at least another 10 years until it peaks. Now -2025
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7/1/2012 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
À Québec avec Christopher pour boire avec lui le vin de son baptême!
Nez suave de cuir, de prunes avec un coté fumé, même un peu de cassis noir.
Superbe bouche de corps moyen, très élégante, c'est un aristocrate bordelais classique, montrant une belle vigueur et qui a encore plusieurs années à son sommet. Longueur respectable et une impression d'équilibre magique. 92 pts
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6/18/2012 - TimothyR wrote: 90 Points
Wine is definately still drinking well but there is no point in waiting any longer.
Not much stuffing left so drink up.
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1/30/2012 - jcoleman wrote: 90 Points
delicious, if slightly light, wine. good lead pencil and cassis flavours but no real stuffing
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1/23/2012 - jcoleman wrote: 90 Points
surprisingly good for the vintage. it is soft with some cedar wood flavous and light cassis. not a lot of time left for this charming wine
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1/20/2012 - LWI wrote: 91 Points
A Weekend in Excess; 1/20/2012-1/21/2012 (Trondheim, Norway): Dark without any noticeable signs of maturity; Bell peppers and blueberries on the nose, some tea or herbal elements; Softer in the mouth than expected, nice acidity, comforting and round. This was blind to the rest of the pack, and they landed on a good Chinon, due to identifying this as mainly Cabernet Franc.
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1/15/2012 - galewskj wrote: 90 Points
A vegetal nose. There is a little fruit but is dominated by secondary flavors, especially tar. An enjoyable aged bordeaux.
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1/15/2012 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 91 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club Year End Event (Shari's House): Drinking window is closing on this wine. While it showed well it got dominated by the rest of the wines. Pencil lead, raspberry, tobacco, saddlewood and spices. A soft wine at this stage and medium finish. Drink now.
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1/14/2012 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Mpls Wine Club: Highly Rated Rhones: Chave, Guigal, Usseglio + Poyferre & Cos (Shari's house): Very dark red color, showing no bricking. Decanted for 1.5 hours, drank 2 glassses over 3+hrs. This wine is a bit of an enigma. The nose is almost purely secondary characteristics dominated by earth, graphite, wood, creosote, but does show some floral notes and after abut an hour or more in the glass I found some black fruits showing up distinct cassis. The palate was consistent, medium bodied, wood, mineral, moderately tannic still, but fairly round, medium finish. The fruit is clearly way in the background here. Some thought this was green, I can't say i really thought that. Not the best wine but still very good, yet it really suffered against the other phenoms of the evening.
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7/8/2011 - englishman's claret wrote:
From 375ml. Crumbly cork but apparently intact. Mature disc. Beautiful Cos nose; not quite as rich and chocolatey as the '89 but in a similar vein and certainly beautiful in its own right. Characteristically plummy, loam, spice and pencil. On the palate the fruit takes the fore; this is very St. Estephe and a nice example of Cos. As usual, well put together. This seems to have more flesh than the other 88s I've had. Nice finish. Drink now - only going to go downhill from here.
Classic for my taste, but I can see why Parker didn't rate this well - it's certainly not an exuberant fruit bomb. Maybe I'm biased; Cos is a favorite. A full bottle of this could disappear very quickly in front of me!
Solid 4/5
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6/30/2011 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
Bordeaux Vertizontal (88,89,90 - Palmer/Leoville Barton/Cos/Mouton) (Roberson Wine, South Ken, London): Mild on the nose and not very expressive but long and very much alive on the palate. St estephe minerality, dry stony feel to it. Some rough edges on the finish and maybe could use some more time. Felt a bit young to be honest. Hopefully it will improve. 90 for the moment
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6/21/2011 - gabrielb wrote:
No record of consumption - bottle missing 6-21-11
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6/2/2011 - jcoleman wrote: 89 Points
surprisingly good now that it is 23 years old! some classic cos notes, particularly lead pencil features. certainly lacks the stuffing of a decent vintage and needs drinking soon
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4/16/2011 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 92 Points
All-around exquisitely balanced bottle. Round, earth, leather, tea, subdued fruit, harmonious.
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4/9/2011 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
Dark, rather unevolved color; dark berries, meat juice, some cassis, even some flowers; long and intense, fresh dark fruits, very good acidity, medium+ bodied, long, and a hefty tannic bite. More primary than a previous bottle – long life ahead. 93-95p
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11/21/2010 - Matt Scott wrote: 95 Points
Birthday night, drank with the '89 Montrose.
Decanted for two hours, utilizing a funnel and screen. Tomato-ruby red rim and very dark core, you cannot see through this Bordeaux. Stupendous provenance; wonderful condition. I'm entranced by the nose; scorched earth, mint, black tea, pencil lead, cigar box,and rose petals. There's some cajun spice at the end of the aroma and palate. Silky tannins that are still evident , yet very relaxed. Nice long finish that echoes the Cajun spice and all other nuances. This is one of the best '88 Bordeaux I have had and is really surprising - I did not expect this in terms of quality; it has everything I love in an aged Bordeaux. More of an extracted look than I assumed as well. Bliss in a glass and if the provenance is there, a must have for anyone looking to par-take in some gorgeous Cos action. One of the best from that estate, just as good as the '00 - even more ready. There's still a few good years left, however, no need to wait. Drink now - 2020.
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11/19/2010 - mariow wrote: 90 Points
intense red; nose of citrus and almonds; quite green right after opening, develops well after 30 minutes. pleasurable wine
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11/19/2010 - Stickan wrote: 92 Points
Colour dark sherry, orange on the sides of the glass. I really like this bouquet. Lots of leather on the nose, dust, dark fruits. Some tannins and acidity. Good mature Bordeaux.
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11/13/2010 - beezer6 wrote: 91 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): A bit past its prime. Some nice fruit. Elegant.
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11/13/2010 - psmith wrote:
Mature. Without the grainy, fierce tannins that some '88s have. Well-balanced and ready. Cedar and softened, lightened dark fruits. Nice.
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11/3/2010 - IAMVLAD wrote: 89 Points
nice bouquet . not overly rich as seems to be common with the 88 vintage.plenty of cabernet flavor. some right bank 88 s are falling apart. good to see this and the leoville barton hanging in there.
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9/26/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: flawed
Some older Bordeaux's and a few more: Corked! Sucks!
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9/25/2010 - mariow wrote: 90 Points
dark cherry red; nose of citrus; quite fruity right after opening, gooseberry, but also rather green finish; improves considerably about 1 hour after decanting
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9/5/2010 - jdlee1232 wrote: 90 Points
A little disappointing -- earthy, saddle leather, vegetal like a good aged Bordeaux but a little thin and short on the finish -- not a blockbuster.
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9/5/2010 - JDowdy wrote: 92 Points
with the Fink's at L'estranger, alongside the 1994 Stotteswoode. The Cos was a star - still very much alive, red fruit, sligh vegetal tones. Terrific. Lot of life left in this wine.
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8/24/2010 - magyarsvensk wrote: 97 Points
Scorched earth, cigar box, ripe currants, dark chocolate and mint. Impressive bouquet--like a full vase of potpourri. Big and sweet palate on a backdrop of dark toast with a lot of length. Superb.
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8/20/2010 - LWI wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux North to South (My house): Gorgeous mature nose, some acidity and graphite; long and soft, but with some tannins at the end. It is long and intense, dry. Wonderful drinking claret!
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8/15/2010 - silfra wrote: 89 Points
Pas décanté, robe orangée. Un peu de fruit encore, un peu de poivron, beaucop de cèdre, très balsamique , terre, épices: poivre. À l´aération, on sent le toasté. Tanins fondus. A son apogée, je crois.
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8/3/2010 - thirstyman wrote:
cork was a complete mess. Ripe round red fruit with a little dark cherry flavor, cedar and graphite were more on the nose. still has a little tannic bite.
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7/6/2010 - twelch wrote: 93 Points
No formal notes taken but this is still very youthful, full of fruit and has many years ahead in my opinion. I really enjoyed this wine immensly.
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5/22/2010 - essconsults wrote: 91 Points
One of the more enjoyable Bordeaux's I've had in some time. As one of the other tasters said, this is the reason to let Bordeaux age. And, so far another very good 1988. Compared to the 1985, 1986, and 1989 Cos I thought this was superior. However one of two bottles of the '93 I thought was even better, perhaps more developed. That's not to say it's a great wine, however. And the '88 probably needs more time. But I am getting more and more concerned about Bordeaux in general, and for those who saw Eric Asimov's article in the NYT this week, perhaps the Bordelais should too. But, not to worry: think of all those billionaires in Asia willing to stock up. Anyway, back to the Cos: not profound, but a very good if slighty one dimernsional wine. At least the fruit was rounded, blackberries and dark cherries, and the tannins weren't intrusive.
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3/13/2010 - spaniel wrote: 92 Points
Classic aged Bordeeaux. Thick inky purple. Nose of cassis and graphite. Tastes of pencils, currant, plum, crushed rocks and ratatouille.
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2/13/2010 - pea wrote: 92 Points
Classic
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1/26/2010 - S. Lorin wrote: 95 Points
drinking perfectly with all of the hallmarks of bordeaux at its peak - fragrant aromas of plums, cassis, wood, cedar, mint, iron - full bodied, elegant and a long endearing finish - tannins, acid, fruit are all in perfect balance. Wow - a terrific reminder to hold off on drinking any of my young bordeaux - give them time.
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1/24/2010 - BernieMSY wrote: 92 Points
I bought two cases of this shortly after release when it was put on sale at a sharp discount. Shotly thereafter, Parker's review made me feel as though I had been had. Subsequent tasting were unbalanced, acidic and tannic. I came to believe that I owned a lot of bottles of a flawed wine.
Other reviewers here on cellar tracker gave the wine some positive reviews , so tonight I opened a bottle to accompany a provencal beef stew. I am happy to report that the wine was delicious: a fine example of an aged claret, harmonious, balanced and ful of wonderful cassis tones. Made me glad that I still have a case and a half on hand. Thanks cellar tracker community!!
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1/16/2010 - vinole wrote: 93 Points
First Offline of the Decade (Boca Raton, FL): A fairly big Bordeaux, medium to full bodied, with just a touch of earth, and the typical somewhat hard dark fruit of St Estephe, with notes of graphite and a mineral edge. A very nice classic Bordeaux that is probably at its peak right now
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12/5/2009 - jarjarbinx99 wrote: 93 Points
Poivron vert encore une fois, petit coté poivré. Les notes tertiaires sont définitivement présente. À son apogée en ce moment. Très beau match avec le sanglier sauce aux petits fruits rouges. 93.
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11/7/2009 - Edclr wrote: 90 Points
Now totally mature, this wine has lost it's harsh tannic skin and has softened very nicely. Glad I saved a few bottles.
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11/6/2009 - AllRed wrote: 75 Points
Fairly deep color for this 21 year old wine. Reticent bouquet, with subtle notes of dark fruit, earth and cedar. Astringent, with no fruit on the palate and no finish whatsoever.
While a generous contribution, a bit out of place with this group. This bottle, being a curiosity, was manhandled by a lot of tasters before it was opened, repeatedly being picked up and turned about as they ogled the bottle. Perhaps the tossing & turning about was enough to cause a poor showing?
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10/30/2009 - JiiTee wrote: 94 Points
Bright Beautiful medium colour maybe a hint of brown. Excellent, strong nose with stable and soil. Taste seemed first to be a little flat but then it really fills the mouth up. Soft fullbodied tannins. Strong taste with woody aromas and liquorice. This wine really show us what is classical, elegant and harmonious Bordeaux. Should be decant at least two hous before tasting.
I don't see any reason it wouldn't be even better in next five years.
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10/25/2009 - NittanyLion wrote:
Perfect pairing with a mushroom risotto -- lots of nice fruit still on this --Boysenberry evolving into Blackberry. Yum!
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10/24/2009 - jaga wrote: 94 Points
This wine is drinking beautifully at the moment. Classic Cos and classic claret. The fruit is robust followed by a long and smooth finish. Might the finish have been a little more complex when the wine was younger? Perhaps, but still delicious today. Drink up what's left
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10/17/2009 - Vinomane wrote: 91 Points
Tasted Nov. 2007: 2-hour decant. Purple rim; nose developing; still tannic; palate has weight but not complexity; finish is shorter than expected; "wait 10 years."
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10/10/2009 - THA wrote: 89 Points
Excellent. Memorable. Aromatics and flavors may be getting tired. Drink now.
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8/19/2009 - JJL wrote: 88 Points
Good acidity, tannins were old and tired. Some fruit, but flat-lined after an hour. Open and drink, don't sit on it. Got beat handily by '88 Las Cases opened next.
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8/4/2009 - thirstyman wrote: 90 Points
nice cork -Decanted for 15 minutes for sediment before pouring. Simmering ruby in color, nice nose - but it did not really open until it had spent 30 mins in the glass. Cherry and plum with a hint of cedar. barely outstanding - not as good as the two previous bottles.
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6/27/2009 - thirstyman wrote:
similar to my earlier notes. This wine is in a very nice place.
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6/16/2009 - thirstyman wrote: 94 Points
wow - dark ruby - almost shimmering in the light. dark cherry and cedar on the nose with a hint of pencil lead. Multi-layered flavors - cherry, dark cherry, cedar, graphite, hint of leather with a long 30 sec+ finish. Tannins mostly resolved - at or right at peak. no decant. Auction bottles. 93-95
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5/31/2009 - BIlgen wrote: 95 Points
Very dark red, almost black
Great nose, blackcurrent, powerful
Tough ad strong, very well developed, great after taste with vanilla and fruit
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5/1/2009 - MauriceE wrote: flawed
Tasted at 3-Michelin star restaurant De Librije: corky, enough to spoil the pleasure.
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2/6/2009 - drblanger wrote: 92 Points
decanted 1 hour before drinking - good colour slight brick at edges - hint of brett at first then just lovely fruit - beautiful mature 21 year old wine with solid lingering aftertaste
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12/29/2008 - 2loyal wrote: 92 Points
Stood up and pulled cork 2 hours before dinner, then aerated with a Vinturi (really worked this time... amazing how hit or miss it can be!?!) into a decanter for a second hour. Unfortunately, the second hour wasn't productive, as the peak was fairly short-lived. Maybe 30 minutes of nice sweet fruit in a classic Bordeaux style. Stayed soft, but I was too greedy and lost some fruit by the end of the last glass. Still a wonderful wine, to which most should aspire at age 20.
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11/29/2008 - imbibe wrote: 92 Points
Plums and cocoa. Ready to go!
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11/22/2008 - DamienT Likes this wine: 94 Points
Chouette vin !
Nez sur le sous-bois, avec de la fraîcheur, des notes minérales, et légèrement épicé
En bouche, super équilibre avec une belle rondeur et une finale assez longue.
Gros coup de coeur
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9/18/2008 - louisl wrote: 92 Points
Great wine drinking beautifully. Not the most complex, but nicely balanced. Old wine flavors, still some fruit mid-palate, and a nice finish. The wine was decanted, and took about 20 minutes to open up.
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4/25/2008 - futronic wrote: 92 Points
4th Annual Italian Offline Pre-Game - Champagne and Bordeaux (Sweets & Savories, Chicago, USA): Dark ruby colour, almost opaque. Cedar, cherry, plum, and pencil lead aromas lead into the medium-bodied wine. Layered, with pencil lead, cedar, red fruit notes on the palate. Moderate-length finish, ~30-35s, with more red fruit. Very nice.
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4/25/2008 - grossie wrote: 92 Points
Brought by w+a to Sweets and Savories for the champagne and bdx dinner. This was a very fine bottle of wine. A little exotic showing rich fruit, complexity, and relatively high acidity. I would have preferred a little "fatter" feel, but this was a terrific wine nonetheless.
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4/9/2008 - SenorTJ wrote: 94 Points
Drank a bottle at a terrific restaurant with frog legs and venison.
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4/1/2008 - peteng wrote:
vinprovning; lysande lent o långt
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3/5/2008 - 1800kidney wrote: 92 Points
Similar notes to my April 2006 note; wine is developing nicely and the finish was longer and not clipped. Enjoy!
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1/27/2008 - donrad wrote: 93 Points
Had with Lamb Shank in the main dining room on a Carribean Cruise. A little earthy on the nose, with graphite, anise and black fruits. Amazing color for being 20 years old. It shows no signs of being that age. Pretty well-balanced on the palate showing dark fruits, but maybe still a little tannic. Medium bodied with great length. This will last quite a while, but may never throw off that extra bit of tannin to bring it into the extraordinary range. Definitely do not agree with Parker on the low-ball 87 rating from 1998. Would be curious if he would still have the same opinion 10 years later?
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1/17/2008 - Claudio161 wrote: 91 Points
HDH Fine and Rare Wines at Flair House (Flair House 219 W Erie Street, Chicago): Color: Dark garnet color. A clarified wine.
Nose: Bang! This is a "big boy". Very nice bouquet on the nose. Large amounts of dark red and black fruits wafting up the sides of the glass.
Taste: A big left banker. Good oak and vanillins. Great integration between tannins and acid. A touch dry on the finish - but the finish is very long. Some chocolately notes making as appearance as well.
Overall: Quite a nice wine, but I would like to revisit with some additional age. 91 Points.
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1/17/2008 - jlm wrote:
East Bank / HDH Tasting (Chicago): Beautiful nose with sweet dark currant fruit, earth and leather. To me, however, the palate did not live up to the nose. Both on the palate and on the finish, the wine was rather austere, with the tannin eclipsing the fruit. I think it may have been a mistake to pour this after the Pomerol, as it was definitely a leaner wine and that was only accentuated by the order.
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1/17/2008 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
East Bank / HDH Wine Tasting (Flair House): Easy WOTN for me. This is singing for what it is. Full red color with hints of crimson. Beautiful nose of cedar, saddle leather, pencil and dusty black fruit. Lovely round slightly sweet spicy red/black fruit on the palate. Drinking very well at this moment.
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12/31/2007 - 2loyal wrote: 93 Points
Just fantastic. Decanted about an hour before we started drinking, and it was quite nice at the time, but it just got better and better in the glass. Still plenty of tannins to last at least a few more years before rolling over, but why wait?
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12/26/2007 - jhtswhiteley wrote: 91 Points
(From a very good condition bottle, not decanted) Rather strong sents of wet-moss and ripe brie. Pretty wallflower-red colour, almost Fleurie-like. Intial taste showed supporting light tannin and light, almost thin texture. But when it opened up there was then a lot more, with blackberries and orange flower water, hints of korma curry and a little sharpness. There is pretty good balance here. The length was a little short, 10-20 seconds perhaps, and I guess the fruit may start to fade. The tannin will keep it going for a good few years, however, and overall this is balanced and lively. In my view this is a contender for the best Cos of the 80s decade. This is a more interesting wine than the 86, and is rather less ''in your face" than the 82.
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10/9/2007 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 94 Points
Learning about Bordeaux with the Astorettes; 10/8/2007-10/10/2008 (Cafe Loup): Lovley nose opens with cool layers of pencil lead, burnt marshmallow, leafy herbs and coffee bean with a gentle plummy note and an edge of roast meat. Opens to reveal lots of bell pepper which I usually don't like to much but this is balanced, fresh , and attractive with more of a smoked green chili savoriness to it as opposed to a really vegetal aspect. Rich and perfectly balanced in the mouth with rich blackberry fruit balanced by dark, minerally earth that carries through to the long, firm finish. Classy bottle, very presice with excellent focus and cut and the perfectly ripe fruit really gives this an elegant softness that is appealing. 2007-2020
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7/24/2007 - IAMVLAD wrote: flawed
blue nose tasting group of a number of cos vintages. the 1988 was badly corked [as was the 86 and they were from different cellars].
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6/23/2007 - markjahnke wrote: 93 Points
We enjoyed this wine very much tonight at our friend Dee's house, on the Bordentown Garden Tour night. Nice dark ruby color in the decanter and glass, with a nose of pencil lead, earth, anise, leather, dirty black fruits, and cedar. This wine has a nice balance, and is drinking well now, but I wouldn't be surprised if this wine would last another 10-15 years in the bottle under proper storage conditions. Unfortunately, the fruit was not as prevelant on the palate as it was the nose. I thought for sure this would be a very fruit forward fruit bomb, but not the case. Don't get me wrong, it was still there, and there was still a ton of fruit in the mouth, but not like the explosive nose. This wine got better and fruitier with time in the glass. Tons of blackberry and black cherry, with hints of oak and subtle tannins made this wine a true treat! A nice medium finish ended this wine, and I would give it 93 points, with more points possible in time perhaps. Time will tell!
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6/16/2007 - grossie wrote: 91 Points
Drinking very well. Expressive spicy nose, medium to full bodied, nice acidity and tannins that are present but not overwhelming. This stood up to rack of lamb very well.
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6/15/2007 - otisabdul wrote: 91 Points
Agree with grossie's note. There is a nice refreshing acidity and energy to this wine that stimulates the palate. Terrific aromatic spiciness. Much preferred to the '89 Cos we drank alongside it, especially with food.
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6/2/2007 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
The Wine Summit 2007: Château Cos d'Estournel - Saturday, June 2, 2007 - afternoon: Another deep mahogany colour – wider rim; bouquet reflects cedar and some smoky oak, along with berry fruit; elegantly styled; more in balance than the 1989; broader spectrum on the palate – black currant fruit once again with spice edges – black coffee – a liqueur like note or two; nice harmony, with no element standing out except for the fruit; finishes attractively. This isn’t a heavyweight wine, but it’s easy to drink.
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4/15/2007 - WST wrote: 89 Points
The nose was spectacular, the palate slightly muted. Still fairly youthful. Dark berry fruit, coffee, licorice, leather, moist earth and more. Medium finish. A beautiful wine.
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1/1/2007 - peteng wrote:
vinprovning, Dov o tät sötma; Brio fruktblandning.Lite tvärt slut.Lovande
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10/16/2006 - BIlgen wrote: 92 Points
Dark red, purple, not very tranparant
Nose of fruit, vanilla, blueberry
Powerful round full taste, soft taninnes, beautiful long lasting aftertase
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7/19/2006 - win wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux Tasting, Dallas, Texas (IL Sole Restaurant & Wine Bar): Very dark maroon red—amazing color. Smelled very young, tight with some herbaceous and red berry notes that was somewhat shut down initially, but opened up nicely over an hour. Still fairly tannic with great potential and a finish that lasted over 45 seconds. 91-94
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6/28/2006 - brooklynguy wrote: 88 Points
tasted at dee-trane's house with grilled farmers market venison. wonderful aromatics that began dominated by tobacco and deep muddy earth, expanded to include currants and coffee. not very generous with the fruit though - some dark plums and berries, but without vibrancy. incredible silky texure and a medium bodied mouth feel.
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6/11/2006 - vendange wrote: 90 Points
Acidic, especially as the wine moves to the finish. On the nose the prominent aromas are cedar, tobacco, and a touch of camphor with blackberry and currant fruit joining, as egh says, on the palate. Firm in the mouth from both remaining tannins and acid. The finish will get better with time...maybe.
Four people tasted this wine, their scores were 89,90,92,93.
Purchased for $31, this is the first of three I've opened.
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4/29/2006 - 1800kidney wrote: 92 Points
Weekend in Boca Grande; 4/27/2006-4/29/2006 (Gasparilla Island): Really quite good, at its prime. Round fruits with nich tannins, bit short winded in the finish, but nicely put together. At its prime
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2/16/2006 - ml wrote:
Not bad, not great. Not much of a nose. Definitely not a fruit-forward Bordeaux. There is a nice core of dark fruit here, but nothing bright. High acid, which I notice other tasting notes seem to have an issue with, but I don't find it off-putting at all - very food friendly.
Pretty tannic, but hard to know if there is enough fruit to hold this up for several more years. Hard to know, but I'll take the risk and try to hold off on my last bottle until...2011.
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8/19/2005 - archer752000 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Dark violet color with no fading. Strong nose of vanilla oak, cedar and black currant, asian spice.
High acidity level, well-integrated tannins. However, it feels somewhat out of focus.
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7/15/2005 - Mlermontov wrote: 92 Points
Roy in NYC part 1: "The Brothers" at Tribeca (Tribeca Grill): see the note for '85. this was actually a bit better. more fruit and structure. would love to have this.
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5/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Nice. Very rich and youthful. 5/05
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6/2/2004 - Lorien wrote: 91 Points
Ruby red with clear fading around the rim. Lovely and interesting aromas of oak, peat, wild fruits, marzipan and some vanilla. Full body with a good concentration, providing flavors of prunes, some spices and ripe grapes. Good balance, with nicely integrated and soft tannins, very high acidity which was not much to my liking, and lovely oak. A nice and long finish, with a good aftertaste. Overall this is good and tasty wine, that though has a reasonable feel to it, provides a pretty extreme structure, with a dominating level of acidity, which I felt was a touch too much.
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5/1/2004 - Jeff Leve wrote: 88 Points
The color was definitely bricking. This earthy scented wine was light on the fruit in the nose and palate. Hints of under ripeness. The finish was chalky and not very interesting. This has already started to fade.
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1/26/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 90 Points
Bottle taken from my personal cellar to the Superbowl wine and food extravaganza at the home of Amy Weinberg. Ninety minutes prior to leaving for the party, the wine was double-decanted. Of note is that the cork was dry and crumbly, requiring use of a coffee filter. Deep garnet in color, with a red rim. After breathing for more than 60 minutes, the nose shows moderately intense coffee, leather, plum and cigar aromas. Medium-bodied on the palate, with tannins that have largely melted at this point. The texture is silky, with similar flavors as for the nose. Medium, smooth finish.
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12/1/2001 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($100) The Mann's '88 Blowout: Potent herbal-menthol nose. Dry with high acidity. Thin, harsh. Disappointing.
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9/12/2001 - rmcnees wrote: 88 Points
Look at the disparity between the Parker (86) and WS (95) ratings. You decide! A bit austere, tannic, a hint of Bordeaux perfume, blackberry, spice, tar, moderate finish. From the cellar w/ Rick C.
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3/5/2001 - chevalblanc1959 wrote: 92 Points
2 bottles, consistent notes. Deep ruby, lots of fruit with cedar and pencil, still fairly tannic, opening up nicely after 45 minutes, fairly elegant and complex, lots of backbone, good length on the palate. Classic clater.
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12/1/1995 - peteng wrote:
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11/5/1993 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Very appealing nose, cocoa, tobacco, vanilla, deep, rich and dark, meaty; compact, powerful structure well-sheathed in flesh, excellent balance, racy, tight, needs time to soften; great length.
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11/28/1992 - cos65 wrote:
black violet red, deep smoky aroma, very tannic
****
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