Tasted an opening and it clearly needed some ear, gave it about an hour and the Decant and then wow. What a plush deep gorgeous and sensual wine this is. And a perfect place now to enjoy but should continue to evolve over the next 5 to 10 years.
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Northern Rhone Dinner (2012/2005/1998 focus) (Chez Lagragne): Large-scale and bold wine with overt wood and polished fruit at this stage. Meat, pepper and smoke notes are there, just way in the background. Clear potential with another 10-15 years of cellaring. My #4/5 in the flight.
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(Mostly) 1998, 2005, 2012 Northern Rhône (Chicago, IL): Shows a fair bit more oak than the four wines in the single blind 2012 flight. Quite dense and powerful, but the fruit isn't as precise as I would have liked. In some sense there's a little muddiness to this wine. But the weight and stature is certainly impressive, and I do like the sweet fruit notes here. There is no doubt in my mind of the longevity of this wine.
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Not much different than the bottle I noted on CT about a year ago. Tasted blind, I’d guess a very good $75 Cote Rotie, not LaLa, because its soft, quaffable, delicious, and ripe, typical Syrah fruit, but It’s also not at all exotic and the finish again seems dilute. I’m a seller, not a buyer on this vintage.
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Decanted for two hours. but tasted 4 or 5 times while waiting. Cellar kept since release. Closed for 40 minutes, with fairly simple Syrah typicity. Then, with some swirling, the shoe leather, shoe polish, minty blackberry and briary undergrowth cones through. In another half hour, we smell and taste menthol, chocolate, and woodsmoke. Acidity and tannin in perfect balance. On the long finish, there is black licorice, fennel pollen, and cigar wrapper . Score held down a bit because :a) mid palate texture seems a bit thin , dilute and b). there is an absence of exoticism, sauvage. Lala feral energy. Still , very delicious, although there are more exciting vintages.
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Improving with age, yet I want to like it more than I do. Very muted, herbal, dusty rose. High acidity makes it a good food wine. Maybe not lush enough for my taste, more on the austere side, probably better suited for the true connoisseur and not yours truly.
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Blinded. Spot on Northern Rhone typicity. With air it immediately open up with enticing aromas of ripe blackberry, black olives, smoky, scorched earth, some liquorice and leather with hint of savoury game. Well integrated new oak flavours. Powerful, complex, layered, rock solid backbone. Surprisingly open for business.
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MoT Masterclass - Pinacle of the Roasted Slopes (Singapore): Hard to judge this wine. I had mature samples of this and they were outer worldly. This one had a really green streak with which I did not know what to do with. Lots of cigarette smoke as well and tar which is typical. Let's see how this evolves. 94-?
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A La Landonne approachable at this point in its evolution is a rare treat. Beautiful red fruits, spices, meat, game, olive tapenade, and earth accentuated by herbal notes and balanced by refreshing acidity. Lots of life in it, but there is no harm in trying one early to experience the amazing primary fruit.
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Deep ruby. Dusty, toned down, cherry and dry wood. Medium bodied, fine acidity, beautiful fruit, coats the mouth with sweet cherry fruit. Oak emerges in t he finish, ends somewhat dry. Long, should be aged for many years.
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Nuanced nose of lavender, cassis and graphite; luxury mouthfilling cassis and anise; excellent balance with big tannins and acidity; gorgeous wine that could lubricate hours of discussion and contemplation
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A powerhouse of blackness and tar, this is the dark master of Côte-Rôtie, and I love it. A big, bold and spicy wine, tar & tannins here, concentration galore, but the backbone of la Landonne keeps everything in place. Clearly the youngest of the set of LaLaLa's, as usual. #withPhilippeGuigal#Kokkeriet
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Guigal New Releases including 2012 LaLas: Blood and iron, smoke, herbal notes, blackberry and blackcurrant on the nose. The palate has excellent fruit presence and enough structure to give this plenty of potential. Good acidity lifts the fruit up a level, but in the glass it got tighter and more reserved. The least pure pleasure among the 2012 LaLas today.
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4/27/2024 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very good now but not yet outstanding. Might hit peak window at 15 years of age.
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4/16/2024 - jmoon Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tasted an opening and it clearly needed some ear, gave it about an hour and the Decant and then wow. What a plush deep gorgeous and sensual wine this is. And a perfect place now to enjoy but should continue to evolve over the next 5 to 10 years.
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10/27/2023 - Nanda wrote:
Northern Rhone Dinner (2012/2005/1998 focus) (Chez Lagragne): Large-scale and bold wine with overt wood and polished fruit at this stage. Meat, pepper and smoke notes are there, just way in the background. Clear potential with another 10-15 years of cellaring. My #4/5 in the flight.
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10/27/2023 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
(Mostly) 1998, 2005, 2012 Northern Rhône (Chicago, IL): Shows a fair bit more oak than the four wines in the single blind 2012 flight. Quite dense and powerful, but the fruit isn't as precise as I would have liked. In some sense there's a little muddiness to this wine. But the weight and stature is certainly impressive, and I do like the sweet fruit notes here. There is no doubt in my mind of the longevity of this wine.
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7/23/2022 - OenoEd wrote: 91 Points
Not much different than the bottle I noted on CT about a year ago. Tasted blind, I’d guess a very good $75 Cote Rotie, not LaLa, because its soft, quaffable, delicious, and ripe, typical Syrah fruit, but It’s also not at all exotic and the finish again seems dilute. I’m a seller, not a buyer on this vintage.
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8/15/2021 - OenoEd wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for two hours. but tasted 4 or 5 times while waiting. Cellar kept since release. Closed for 40 minutes, with fairly simple Syrah typicity. Then, with some swirling, the shoe leather, shoe polish, minty blackberry and briary undergrowth cones through. In another half hour, we smell and taste menthol, chocolate, and woodsmoke. Acidity and tannin in perfect balance. On the long finish, there is black licorice, fennel pollen, and cigar wrapper . Score held down a bit because :a) mid palate texture seems a bit thin , dilute and b). there is an absence of exoticism, sauvage. Lala feral energy. Still , very delicious, although there are more exciting vintages.
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6/2/2021 - Niagara wrote: 93 Points
Improving with age, yet I want to like it more than I do. Very muted, herbal, dusty rose. High acidity makes it a good food wine. Maybe not lush enough for my taste, more on the austere side, probably better suited for the true connoisseur and not yours truly.
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5/18/2020 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 98 Points
Blinded. Spot on Northern Rhone typicity. With air it immediately open up with enticing aromas of ripe blackberry, black olives, smoky, scorched earth, some liquorice and leather with hint of savoury game. Well integrated new oak flavours. Powerful, complex, layered, rock solid backbone. Surprisingly open for business.
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1/11/2020 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
“Best Bottle” tasting in Fitzgerald, Rotterdam. (By JvT @ Fitzgerald): In the bouquet red berries, earth and iron. Same on the palate plus chocolate and a firm dose of good acidity. Needs more time in the bottle. 95 – 96
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8/26/2018 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
MoT Masterclass - Pinacle of the Roasted Slopes (Singapore): Hard to judge this wine. I had mature samples of this and they were outer worldly. This one had a really green streak with which I did not know what to do with. Lots of cigarette smoke as well and tar which is typical. Let's see how this evolves. 94-?
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5/16/2018 - blacktruffle Likes this wine: 96 Points
A La Landonne approachable at this point in its evolution is a rare treat. Beautiful red fruits, spices, meat, game, olive tapenade, and earth accentuated by herbal notes and balanced by refreshing acidity. Lots of life in it, but there is no harm in trying one early to experience the amazing primary fruit.
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9/1/2017 - Niagara wrote: 89 Points
too early? or just the Emperor's New Clothes?
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8/19/2017 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Way herby, way way herby compared to La Turque. And smoked herb.
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3/23/2017 - dagij wrote: 90 Points
Deep ruby. Dusty, toned down, cherry and dry wood. Medium bodied, fine acidity, beautiful fruit, coats the mouth with sweet cherry fruit. Oak emerges in t he finish, ends somewhat dry. Long, should be aged for many years.
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3/16/2017 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nuanced nose of lavender, cassis and graphite; luxury mouthfilling cassis and anise; excellent balance with big tannins and acidity; gorgeous wine that could lubricate hours of discussion and contemplation
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11/6/2016 - beatles Likes this wine: 97 Points
A powerhouse of blackness and tar, this is the dark master of Côte-Rôtie, and I love it. A big, bold and spicy wine, tar & tannins here, concentration galore, but the backbone of la Landonne keeps everything in place. Clearly the youngest of the set of LaLaLa's, as usual. #withPhilippeGuigal#Kokkeriet
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9/27/2016 - CamWheeler wrote: 94 Points
Guigal New Releases including 2012 LaLas: Blood and iron, smoke, herbal notes, blackberry and blackcurrant on the nose. The palate has excellent fruit presence and enough structure to give this plenty of potential. Good acidity lifts the fruit up a level, but in the glass it got tighter and more reserved. The least pure pleasure among the 2012 LaLas today.
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