took 6 hours after double decanting to open up. didnt stand up to the complexity of petrus or Le Pin next to it, but hasd a similar balance and mouthfeel to the le pin. darker in fruit, a bit more rustic
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Similar to the last bottle, but a little less detailed and articulate. Nevertheless, an attention-grabbing dynamo of a wine, full of dark fruit, espresso, bitter chocolate. Yet for its heft, there's a freshness here and it doesn't get bogged down by its weight.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not an ideal bottle. Stern, celery seed, iron, notes of oxidation. This was a struggle for about 90 minutes, but it gained weight, power and purity with air. Unclear if this was a poor bottle (cork was excellent) or just a very reticent wine.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Needed time to fully unfurl to show what it really was. Recommend to decant WAY longer than others what other CT people indicate.
I opened this at 3pm. Was pretty closed and monolithic. Decanted at 5 and put back in the bottle at 6. Went to the Brix in Napa and decanted again. Drank some bubbles and got to this around 8pm. IE 3 hr decant plus plus. Was singing big time by then!! Tasted along the way and it kept getting better and better.
By 9pm this beauty melted in your mouth. All that merlot was dancing delicately on the tongue w a finish that went on and on and on. Wasn't there the first hour, after 3 hrs was magnificent.
What a wine. Amazing balance. Massive yet delicate. Harmonious all around. Leather, tobacco, kirsch, quince, all rolled up delivering pure joy.
AT PEAK PEAK. Drink now. I think this will not get any better and if anything will start to decline over the next few years.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I am curious reading recent rave reviews, and I am now starting to suspect that I have been unlucky with my case as it ages. I loved this wine a few years ago, and indeed, I still think it is a a great example of a mature Bordeaux, but I do stand by my last couple of notes. The nose and palate are rich with ripe blackcurrant and blackberry with chocolate and tobacco, but I'm finding the tannin now dominating end palate and the finish, and to be honest a little unpleasant. I mentioned last time that with higher alcohol wines, (this is 14%,) I have read that with time sometimes the tannin becomes unstable, and I can only deduce that this has happened with my case, as it is certainly not tainted. However, in spite of the issue, the sum of the total parts delivers a great experience.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was just a textbook example of top quality right bank Bordeaux from an incredible vintage, firing on all cylinders. This elixir explodes from the glass with waves of macerated blackberry, confiture de cassis, pipe tobacco, cedar box, espresso, dark chocolate, graphite, limestone, and hickory. Full bodied and totally integrated on the palate with ample balancing acidity and a finish that lasts well past a minute. Absolutely stunning example and among my top Bordeaux tasted of all time. So happy to have shared it with great friends.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
PNP. Cork in great condition and colour medium red with a slight amber rim. Expressive and promising nose, hint of animal notes, some spice after a while. On palate, initially light body with red fruits but as time passed, it developed impressive weight and complexity. Layers of flavours culminating in a chocolaty finish. Utterly seductive and beguiling, no rough edges. My wife and i finished the bottle within 90 min …. Fortunately 11 more bottles to go!!
I have always found Tertre Roteboeuf a bit of a mystery and difficult to assess - I thought this slightly cooked on first opening but then it seemed to close up completely over the next hour or so and was not very giving even over a couple of days
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I purchased a case of this as futures following the Wine Advocate's recommendation back in the day and have cellared it since. Decided to re-acquaint myself with it since I will be visiting the chateau in September. Top shoulder level, with a soaked cork that was removed in several fragments. Medium sediment upon decanting, with a garnet/brick color and immediate aromas of dark fruits, raisins, alcohol and menthol. No trace of TCA or brett. After 30 minutes in the glass, the alcohol blew off and whiffs of leather and cedar could be noted, with dried rose petal developing subsequently. On the palate, the wine is medium/heavy body, luscious, with integrated tannins, low acidity and a 30 second finish. You can taste the sun and the ripe fruit in this wine. Now completely in balance, there is a combination of dried figs, raisins, and five spice powder that contribute to its unique, exotic taste. The wine is fully mature and should be drunk within the next 3-5 years. A 1-1.5hr decant seems appropriate at this point. It is a delicious and individual expression of Bordeaux.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine seems to be rapidly in decline, and my ratings have declined over the last few years year on year from a peak of 96. This could be unique to my case although purchased reputabley and stored well over the last 15 years. I suspect the villain of the piece is the high alcohol content of 14%, and I had a similar experience with a case of 1990 Canon La Gaffeliere, (also 14%) a couple of years ago. I have been reading a lot around this issue and can only deduce that the alcohol has become unstable and bitter with its age. I am only a scientific amateur and would really appreciate any informed insight re the topic. Back to the wine, I will be looking to finish my last couple of bottles before year end.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Astounding. Full color, voluptuously aromatic. Packed with dark plummy fruit. Gentle but detectable tannins and mild acidity. Hold very well. No more of those prunes it had in its adolescence. Perfect state of maturity. Drink it now and as often as possible.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP'd -- took about 30 minutes to open up nicely. Fruit forward nose with red fruit..cherry and strawberry. Also a bit of earthiness, dried flowers and forest. On the palate still nice red fruit, rose hip and nicely acidic with fine tannins. On day 2 (used coravin for 2/3 of bottle on day 1), picked up hints of graphite on the nose and a bit of mocha on the palate. Excellent wine that aged very nicely!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Man, I haven’t had Tertre Roteboeuf in quite a few years and yet immediately on sniffing this, it was like I had one yesterday. Francois imprint on style with that extra ripened (not ripe or jammy), slightly stewy fruit was evident from the second I smelled this wine. Color was healthy with a tiny bit of bricking. On the palate, the wine was full of deep, ripe red/black fruit yet somehow always kept its balance with a mouth watering tinge of acid and tannin. The tannin was incredibly polished and well-integrated. Oak presence sad not evident at all and was incredibly well integrated. Overall a fantastic wine, in a fantastic drinking window, full of a typicity so specific to the winemaker and property! The wine was its best about 1.5 hours after being opened (not decanted). Retaining so much beautiful dark fruit and with everything so well balanced, These are ready to drink but can go another 10+ years easily.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Flawed bottle- TN noted here for future personal reference only.
medium red color with bricking rim, cherries and a very pungent roasted note like coffee with vegetal notes and something I can only describe as rotting mint, on the palate somewhat monolithic but with a good core of ripe fruit, however the nose was so off-putting as to make this undrinkable. I do not think this was a corked bottle- but given the universal raves of other TNs, something surely went awry with this particular bottle. Judgment reserved.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 1989 Tertre Roteboeuf shows a large-scaled yet fresh and complex nose of plum, espresso, game, wildflower, and mineral with a supple, medium-bodied palate. The richness is beautifully cut by lively acid. A great counterpoint to the more intense, qualitatively-equal, if not as articulate, 1990. The 1989 seems to be at its apogee now. While this should last, the tannin is resolved and it may be perched on the fulcrum between youth and age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I get the feeling that this needs to be drunk in the nearer term, as the fruit is starting to fade and the wine is beginning to dry out. That said, it is still at a magnificent stage and a special wine. The depth on the palate and finish is exceptional and is nuanced and complex. The length on the finish is pushing 60 seconds. As stated, the fruit is just starting to fade and it is starting to expose harsher notes, and I am always wary of high alcohol wines, (this is 14%,) when they start to hit 30 years. I am looking to consume my remaining bottles over the next couple of years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ripe red and dark fruit, notes of green pepper, tobacco, spices. Elegant and round on the palate, good concentration of fruit, good acidity, open and expressive with slightly drying tannins towards the finish. Fine length. Drink up. 91-93
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind next to its 1998 sibling. Elegant, notes of dark berries, sousbois, dried herbs. Silky with beet fine tannins and quite a pleasure to drink. I liked it better than it’s younger sibling.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bottle #2...1st was oxidized PnP Pours medium ruby with clear orance bricking Nose shows red cherrries, chocolate, subtle red flowers, soy all wrapped in beef jerkey...this is really beefy and has a whiff of oxidation Palate has a really nice solid core of red fruit.....cherry, raspberry. strawberry along with bitter choclate, spice, flowers, soy, bovril and beef jus. Finish is medium with moderate complexity.
This is 100% drink now unless you bought en primeur and held yourself in a cold cellar. Even then....I would check in.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pours right on the edge of tawny with hints of almost brown Nose is dominated by VA and dank sewer. Palate is all bovril, beef blood and oxidized fruit.
Very sad....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pours medium ruby with some slight bricking Nose shows a mix cherry, raspberry fruit with chocolate, beef jus, and red flowers. Palate is pretty and more intense tonight than the nose....lush pure red fruit, beef blood, bitter chocolate, spice, soy and earth. Finish is long.... While I do think that this wine is on the downward side of peak....it is still really pretty. If you have this....drink up
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is fully mature, and ready to drink with a couple of hours in the decanter, and is displaying secondary and tertiary notes. It is a classic old school Bordeaux. The nose is deeply rich with opulent aromas of blackcurrant and plum, with hints of port displaying its age. The tannin is fully resolved, but has retained a steeliness. It is multi-layered on the palate, with a great depth and balance. In spite of its maturity, the fruit still is prominent. The finish is 30 seconds plus, and exquisitely balanced. I do find it a little harsh at the end of the finish, but why nitpick. My only reservation is its potential for long-term aging, and I feel it is probably not a wine for the long haul and will need to be consumed over the next 5 years to enjoy it at its best. 96+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Initially I thought this was a bit past it. But the longer it was in the decanter the better it became, and after 1.5 hours it was so complex, with mature tertiary flavours. This was true experience, too many components to describe them. WOW
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Smoky BBQ, dried red fruit, balanced acidity and very smooth tannin. This is a wine of harmony. I think it is at its peak (slightly off peak). It is lacking the depth to merit a higher score.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark purple / ruby. A developed nose. Chocloate, tobacco, cigar and earth. Soft and velvety in the mouth. Balanced. I felt this is in the perfect drinking window and won't improve. Served by Kevin. Drink now to 2030+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Served blind, dark with bit of bricking, rich chocolate, cigar nose, very elegant & tannins were so silky, thought a 98, but a 89! Very good mature Bordeaux, classy, so much pleasure! Top drawer!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is for fans of classic old style Bordeaux with bold tannin and musty undertones, and is drinking in its prime drinking window. The nose is is very right bank with deep fruit filled aromas of blackcurrent and blackberry with background hints of port. On the palate the wine is exquisitely balanced but with strong tannin showing to the fore, and possibly not to everybody's taste. Similarly, the finish is excellent with good length and balance, but with very robust tannin. Lengthy decanting is needed for this wine, and I fully expect it to continue with its development over the next 5 years, and staying there for another decade plus.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rather subdued for the formerly flamboyant Tertre Rôteboeuf. Still, after a couple hours of coaxing, the signature prune flavor made an appearance. Not as sweet or energetic as before, is it just this bottle or is it fading?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and served. Decanting is definitely advisable here. ~4yrs since we tried this last ( Papies 95) and continues to perform beautifully and felt like it had another 10yrs easy on the tank. Very bright still and even the color pointed towards a younger wine. Good density of fruit, light chocolate feel, dark fruited all along, some evolution and definitely a few secondary touches but really the wine was just on the fruit. It definitely showed more secondary notes as it evolved in the glass. very solid 94-95
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Brought at the cellar door on release by the person who bought the bottle tonight
Ripe and round. Dark chocolate and ripe stony fruits. This is plush, and seems built on size rather than finesse. I was hoping for more, and to be clear this is very well made wine in its style, but for me it lacks focus and seems muddled. Impressive for scale, but blurred around the edges and for me lacks excitement. Enjoyable in a romantic comedy way. Others around the table liked it much more than I.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A sumptious wine which is fully mature. The nose is full of blackberry and blackcurrent, with hints of port. In the mouth the wine is packed with jammy fruits balanced by good firm tannins, and has great depth and complexity. The slightly tannic finish could be judged as being on the short side, but all in all a great right bank wine which is still packed full of fruit. Benefiting still from time in the decanter, I do feel that this wine is at its peak of its evolvement and should start being consumed now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rustic and exotic. I was expecting big things from this wine, after the incredible bottle of this I recently had (from the same case). This started out with a really exotic nose of red fruits, bacon, pepper, flowers, and dark chocolate. Surprisingly, the nose seemed to close down over time. Good weight and concentration, but didn’t seem to have the same finesse and elegant mouthfeel of the last bottle. Will have to try this again, as there is just so much potential with this wine. The complexity is obviously there, and there is ample fruit and structure for this wine to shine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Poker night - Bordeaux single blind - 95 GPL, 01 Ausone, 11 The Lovers, 03 Margaux and etc.: Pop and pour, ripe slightly pruney nose, clearly a right bank wine with a very ripe style of wine making. Assaf guesses as the 90 Troplong Mondot which is an excellent guess. Then Greg actually gets the Chateau right and calls it the 90 which is excellent. With air, it really resembles the 90 TM but a bit more precise and silky. The nose becomes more complex showing caramel, truffle, milky coffee and dark spices. Really sensual smooth silky palate. IMO, the wines are fresher and more precise since 2000. This is a bit chunky and portish, especially in the beginning. If you like the style of the 90 TM, you will really enjoy this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bottle which left its first home only afew months ago. 2-3 hour decant. Nice sour cherry and cassis aromas--the sour cherry was also much present on the long tart finish. The game and anise and the sweetness made us think of a mature Côte Rotie. great with our Christmas standing rib roast.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
More gloss and depth of colour than 85. Not as pale. Hints of menthol, still fresh, liquorice, bit of mushroom, dusty almost. Dry tannins, has more life ahead. More enjoyable than 85. Lots going on if you dig mature wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Visite au Château Tertre Rôteboeuf: Un vin que j'ai toujours trouvé étrange, avec une variation de bouteilles sur ce millésime dont FM dit qu'il fut le plus étrange qu'il ait eu, avec 2010 pas loin derrière.
Les raisins étaient très mûrs, tellement qu'il y avait un sucre résiduel important. Par principes, ils se sont obstinés à vouloir vinifier en sec, de sorte que la fermentation alcoolique a pris pas moins de sept mois!
Nez de volatiles à l'ouverture, qui s'estompe rapidement. Bouche ronde, d'une très belle concentration et texture impressionnante, mais l'aromatique me plaît moins: il est fascinant, mais le fruit est très sec, presque comme un porto, il paraît moins frais. Un ovni par rapport au style du domaine. Cette bouteille n'était pas à la hauteur des meilleures que j'ai prises du même vin. 90 pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A memorable bottle, which I've wanted to try for a long time. After a short decant the 1989 Tertre Roteboeuf bursts from the glass with a complex bouquet of dried red cherries, darker fruit tones, subtle mocha, Burgundian sous bois and "beef blood". On the palate the wine is supple, fresh and powerful, with notable body and concentration: ample but refined. Drinking a point to my taste. Thanks Julian!
Fully mature it is drinking beautifully. Perfectly balanced with a lingering finish. Even with the high alcohol content (14%) it should stay at this plateau for some time to come.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mature now and don't leave for too long as it seems to lose taste and flavor after a few hours Perfect nose and complex smooth style Typical 1989 Love it
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1989/1990 Right Bank Bordeaux tasting (Vienna Cafe & Wine Bar): Rustic and exotic. I was expecting big things from this wine, after the incredible bottle of this I recently had (from the same case). This started out with a really exotic nose of red fruits, bacon, pepper, flowers, and dark chocolate. Surprisingly, the nose seemed to close down over time. Good weight and concentration, but didn’t seem to have the same finesse and elegant mouthfeel of the last bottle. Standing on its own, this wine could still hold its own; tonight, however, it just didn’t stand out. Will have to try this again, as there is just so much potential with this wine. The complexity is obviously there, and there is ample fruit and structure for this wine to shine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The WOTN at our wine dinner, which also included the 1990 Pichon Baron, 2000 Malescot St. Exupéry, and 2008 VCC. Beautifully nuanced and drinking in its right place. Nose was very Merlot-driven, with red fruits, truffles, and spice. A classic nose. Love the weight and mouthfeel. The finish isn't terribly long but has the right amount of acidity and no overbearing tannins or astringency. This is drinking beautifully right now; do not hesitate to open if you have this in your cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fully mature, if you have a bottle, you should consider popping a cork so you can get the most of its fresh, ripe, black raspberries, flowers, earth, licorice and liqueur profile. Silky, soft and smooth, this is at, or sightly past its apogee.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank at dinner with Francois Mitjavile. Carried the bottle onto a flight before dinner. Bouquet opened up after 45min in glass, showing good inkiness, as well as wet stone and leathery notes. Great harmony on the palate, with vivid black fruit, cigar and leather, multi layered
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tremendous bottle of an outstanding wine, combining elegance and matter in a highly original but also convincing way. Color is hardly showing its age, dark red and dense. Nose is open for business with ripe (but not jammy) black fruit, elevage and secondary aromas. Palate is a wonder in its combination of abundance and sweetness finely woven together with a steel backbone of freshness and fruit definition. Very good length and comes highly recommended.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened for OTBN 2015, never having had a St. Emilion with real bottle age. Opened an hour before first glass, which had a medium garnet color and some orange around rim. Flavored were complex, with soy, dark red fruit, and a finish of orange rind predominating. As the bottle aged, I noticed more of the backbone and some flowers (violets?) and less orange in the finish. On the second night, had some expresso with the soy and fruit initially. The last glass was simplest. It had more particulates, and primary dark red fruits and a less lengthy finish. Overall, i would say this was a wine for the brain, which loved the wine, but my OMG senses never kicked in. Still, this bottle was immensely satisfying.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Super Bowl 2015 (Roswell, GA): Dark chocolate core aged, pale rim; mushrooms, sous bois, dark cherry, dark chocolate, a bit musty on the nose; palate is heavy, lower acid, nutty, less fruit, molasses; kind of awkward; a real shame, found out later the cork broke and the wine was filtered through a Vinturi which probably damaged the wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Small Athens wine event (Spondi , Athens): Tasted blind and decanted for 2 hours. Felt more ready that 3 yrs ago when we had this last ( Papies 93 then). Classic in a way, well evolved with lots of floral, leather and earthy notes. The fruit is very much there still but it feels like it is well within its drinking window and at peak. Rich, smoky at times and very complex. Very very good. 95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Adding to my previous CT note, this needs 90mins decant at the moment. Very distinctive wine - rich, sweet essence of beef blood. Fantastic with rare steaks. Lots of bottles consumed recently, not sure this will drink so well beyond 2020.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 2 hours Very dark and intense colour Lovely open nose from the start with lots of fruit wine with depth and still have fair amount of tannin Some sweetness and concentration of cherries and a hint of truffle
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I didn't take notes, but the richness and sweetness (almost cherry) gave way to some smoke, then an anise/eucalyptus twist on the finish. From a perfect bottle and cork. My first glass was the best - not because 2hrs was too long in a decanter (it was perfect), but because I found the wine a little tiring - it went extremely well with my Sri Lanka coriander beef curry, but seemed to lack complexity and the aromatics and complexity I was expecting. Almost as if a little closed. I'll probably drink the rest of the case in a couple of years to see if there is some additional improvement (would score ~93/94pts now)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Perfect for drinking now but will surely last another 10 years. Fruity and youthful but still with lots of mature notes. Both prunes and fresh black currants. Long wonderful aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a classic, aged TR with a very expressive nose of coffee beans, chocolate, beef and minerals. On the palate it is still full-bodied and somewhat rustic with rich flavors of beef blood, iodine and bitter chocolate. Deliciously concentrated with a lovely aged complexity and while the tannins have ameliorated, the wine remains freshened by good acidity. The finish is full of minerals with notes of rare beef and mocha. Aging beautifully and showing what a unique terroir this is. Mature but no sign of losing it's intensity anytime soon.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not spectacular this time, but very enjoyable nevertheless. Color just starting to fade. Not much on the nose. Terrific grip, though and very true to the vintage; somewhat coarse and rustic in a most positive way. The fruit was bold but not well defined, but recognizably on the black end of the spectrum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine has shown a lot of bottle variation. spicy raspberry, earthy, herbal, plumy, black cherry nose. Rich, complex, and multi layered, this unique expression of St. Emilion has reached maturity. The wine ends with a big mouth of chocolate covered strawberry flavor and velvet textures
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Super Tasting 1 of 6 - Andrew does 1989 Bordeaux (Langdon Hall, Blair, Ontario): Wow….stunning nose Raspberry, soy, beef carpaccio, black tea, salty beef jus dominate the nose with cherry, raspberry, beef blood, flowers, and chocolate on the palate. This is so lush, yet so focused. The finish is monumental….so long with waves of pure cherry, earth, chocolate, beef, flowers and soy coming in and out in waves. Profound wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Super Tasting 1 of 6 - Andrew (Langdon Hall, Cambridge, ON): Very nice wine of real character. So much soy sauce, and beef stock, but really nice and not in an over the hill kind of way at all. Good balanced fruit profile of crushed raspberries. Probably a love it or hate it type of wine, but it works for me. Only drawback in my mind is at age 23 it's not showing the typical aged Bordeaux notes I look for.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasting Group Dinner Series (1 of 6) / Andrew's 28th Birthday (Red Room, Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ontario): Popped and poured, followed over the course of the evening. Similar in appearance in the glass to the La Fleur de Gay; deep garnet, with mild brick. On the nose, the complete opposite end of the spectrum compared to the La Conseillante, giving way to intense aromas of crushed raspberries, dark cherries, beef jus, truffle, earth, brine, black tea leaves, soy and a touch of volatile acidity that compliments this rich/raw style quite nicely. On the palate, the plushest and most concentrated of the flight, with tastes of ripe red fruits, plums, spice, decomposing leaves and leather. Moderate acidity helps to counterbalance the nice ripe fruits, with a slight dryness on the long finish. Going in to this tasting, I thought the group would love or hate this wine, and it turns out the general consensus was quite positive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
JSM@RSJ Pre2000 Right Bank Offline (RSJ Restaurant, London): Blind. Fuller and seemingly younger. Sweeter, vanilla fruit. Quite dense and tight and modern in style. Opens up and shows sweeter fruit and a little more elegance. So different from previous examples. Quid dense and tight but not jerky as porty hot as Keith's bottle showed. With a tail wind this could get to barest **(**)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A lovely long weekend in Athens, GR; 8/27/2011-8/30/2011 (Athens, Greece): Needs decanting as this wine is still at this stage a baby. Lovely open nose from the start with lots of fruit and some secondary notes of earth. Amazing nose. Dark, dense in colour which leads to a very big powerful ( not on the alcohol side) wine with lots of depth. Tannins are very much alive , not dry though. Some merlot sweetness and concentration ( maybe a touch over extracted especially for 1989 standards). This needs another 10 yrs. 93-94 at the moment with lots of potential for the future. We suggest you wait.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It's always a nice surprise when the last bottle from a case turns out better than expected. Licorice, truffle, black cherry and smoke aromas led to an opulent, exotically textured wine. Rich and filled with layers of ripe juicy plums, this earthy wine finishes with chocolate, black raspberry and plums. This is probably fully mature. There is no reason to hold it any longer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
BYO (My House): Initially mostly mushrooms, iron and rust on the nose but with some air it showed lovely hints of black currant and barnyard. Still a young wine on the palate with lots of black currant fruit and a little iron and lead. The fruit is still quite intense with a lovely aged meat hint. This was definitely a wine that changed a lot over with a couple of hours of air. Initially it was lacking in depth but with some air it really put on a lot of weight
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
"The Good Stuff" 2011 -- A double blind tasting (La Fonda del Sol, NYC): Mellowed but still going strong. Tobacco, plum. Rich, big with a bit of sweetness. A beautiful, comlete, well aged wine. Iron and mineral and some toasted oak and coffee. Long meaty finish. I thought this was 1990 Bordeaux and guessed Leoville Las Cases. Glad the wine I brought (and have a few more of) was my blindly picked #2 WOTN (group's #3). A
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My friend M was kind enough to bring this bottle to dinner, and I tasted it double blind.
On the nose, this wine shows a tarry black olive note that made me think this was an early 90's cab or cab franc from CA at first - some of the tobacco/bell pepper CF characteristics showed as well. The rim shows slight bricking, supporting my theory on age, at least. A sweet note on the nose becomes apparent with time. The first taste of this wine feels a bit tannic, and I stick by my theory.
Told I am wrong on country, I re-examined the wine and guessed Bordeaux, slightly older... and noticed a sweetness of fruit that I realized was the merlot showing. Therefore I guessed St. Emilion, one of the wines with cab franc in the mix. I settled on guessing that it was a '90 Figeac that M had mentioned owning before, and then I found out it was this wine, which I've wanted to try for a long time.
Followed over the course of the evening, the nose opens up to reveal more red-fruitedness, and an exotic spice element that has hints of curry/cardamom, but also a faintly medicinal/mothball edge (another taster described it as "old books"). The palate opens up too, and becomes absolutely wonderful. The palate shows more red-fruit than before as well, and more transparency - this is a Bordeaux with finesse rather than viscosity. It also has excellent acidity, making this lip-smackingly juicy. The element that truly sets this wine apart for me is the lasting sweetness of the fruit. These qualities make this my favorite among a few other top Bordeaux of roughly the same age that I've had in the last year - I prefer this slightly to 1989 Lynch-Bages and 1990 Pichon Baron. M astutely remarks that this wine is starting to show some of the convergence that great wines from different regions can sometimes exhibit - and that I probably like this wine so much because it has some Burg-like characteristics; while this is clearly Bordeaux, it is indeed leaning toward Burgundian qualities within the spectrum of Bordeaux.
On night 2 (stored in fridge in smaller bottle), this shows as less transparent, and a little more dark-fruited and muscular again; it has staying power but is giving less pleasure.
On night 3, we are back to the wine I adore - juicy with transparency, and generous sweetness. The sweetish tarry note on the nose is showing itself more on this night.
A truly memorable wine; wonderful, mature Bordeaux. 95 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black cherry and black raspberries blended perfectly in the nose which was further complicated with scents of jam, licorice, coffee and spice. Soft, round and opulent, this racy St. Emilion finished with flavors with sweet, black raspberries.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Peddling for Pebbles 2 (The Ledbury): Blind. Dense mid garnet. A touch of alcohol on the nose. Quite foggy and a touch over-ripe initially then opening up to a beef tea nose. I think this is chateauneuf. Quite dry on the attack, some tannin and really quite pronounced glycerol and alcohol. Claret? Yikes! Really not sure about this or how it will age ***?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I'm halfway thru a case (at $19/btl futures), exotic complex nose, but the merlot in the mouth is not up to the nose. Chocolate and dark cherry. This wine has 20 years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stuffed with ripe, fresh, raspberry, minerals and fresh herbs, this rich, ripe, fresh and expressive wine ends with opulent, silky, black raspberry, licorice and dark cherry flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1989 Bordeaux at 20 years (Morton's NYC): Strong, brawny. Very full bodied. A bit sweet, muscular. Has a long way to go, not quite ready to drink. Excellent with an amazing nose. A
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose is a 10!. Concentrated black currants with beginning of mature Bordeaux. Very brown looking but dense for the age. (87;59) Initially (after one hour decanting) it was fairly hard and unyielding but then opened up and became delicious. Needs 2 hours+ of decanting. Still has a long life ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Keith's Blind Challenge (The Square, London): Bloody, garnet. Nose of acetone and peaar drops - seems quite VA-dominated. More Graves-like on the palate but with extra ripeness. Colour suggests late 80s but the palate seems younger. This needs a good few years yet. ***(*)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bacchanalian orgy in St Emilion with wine store owner and several Vin Expo participants....round 3...truly amazing broad shoulders...quite an example of Bordeaux at its best. 20 years old and still with plenty of room to mature. Red fruit...smooth tannins. Earthy, tobacco charm...can I just live here in St Emilion please?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine starts with an earthy, herbal, plummy nose complicated by scents of stewed black and red fruits and hints of black raspberry. Very sexy, plush mouth feel. Good concentration and a long, clean, velvety finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep brick red, good nose, great entry and palate, seamless with rich fruit notes, great length. What a dummy I was for drinking the first six of these when they were young, this is just a wonderful bottle hitting on all cylinders.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pratt's Bordeaux table and then some: From a small pour from the other Bordeaux table that was doing all ‘89’s. Shows some red fruit and stewed tomatoes on the nose. Shrill on the palate and quite shallow. Brown earth and brown spices with desiccated cherry fruit and that odd tomato note. Seems like poor storage. C+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine of the tasting! Rich and long, with many, many years to go. Complex assortment of cherries, plums and layered dark fruit. Explosive finish with very long and complex flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The cork was uncooperative for this wine and fell apart. Nice, classic nose though it took a little while before the barnyard smell was dominant. On the palate, this wine had a nice profile of vanilla early on and then some chocolate later. Some coffee was noticeable as well. This had a nice long lasting finish and seemed to be enjoyed by all.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine lacked the depth and concentration of better bottles. Higher in acid and brighter in flavor than usual, this also seemed fully mature. The tell tale ripe raspberry notes were present, but they were not out in full force and there was a slight tartness in the marginally clipped finish. This bottle was not singing as loud as I was hoping for.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Super start, rich blackcurrant fruit, cedary oak, layers of flavour, but somehow the vanilla oak took over and the fruit came over all sweet and soft - a very nice wine to be sure, but not as special as I remembered it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Closed nose at open. After 90 minute decant, good nose of iron, coffee. Strong palate of chocolate, coffee, dark cherry. Good finish, not great. Clean and nice palate. Tannins largely gone. Bricking at rim, deep red at core. Still strong 5 hours in decanter. Not quite outstanding, but very nice. At plateau for my teastes from my passive cellar (purchased on release as futures.)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Found on a local retailer's shelf 6 months ago in pristine condition. Uncorked and decanted for 90 minutes. Dark purple color with a bit of bricking at the edges. The nose was blasting by the close of dinner, with strong whiffs of warm caramel, moca, iron fillings, and cassis. Seamless and brooding on the palate, offering up understated but still powerful notes of plum, cedar, coffee, and earth. Finish was heavenly. Wonderful wine, still very young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bryan's Steaks and Bordeaux at the Hedonist's (Scott Manlin's): Full opaque black purple color. Full cassis liqueur nose. Big rich tight coffee black fruit with some sweetness and a long finish. A lovely wine that probably suffered a bit from the company.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Notes from 4 bottles. Very different. range from 80-96. Sometimes rich, ripe and jammy, with breat Bordeaux qualities. Sometimes it is thin, insipid and boring. All bottles are from the same case and with very good fill.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a Jekyl/Hyde wine. The cork was somewhat stained -it might have had some heat exposure. Still, after the first glass -I got great chocolate notes, and fruit. There was a slight green tinge at times, but not always. The nose was better than the palate. I was expecting more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This kinky, exotic, decadent wine is so much fun to drink. Tertre is one of the easier wines to recognize due to its exotic, red, fruit and herb tinted character.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
When first meeting this wine, you’re introduced to an explosion of red and black fruit, roasted plums and a fabulous raspberry note. This wine is huge, ripe, sweet and perfectly balanced. The long spicy, red fruit finish is compelling
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Leve does 1989 Bordeaux at Mélisse (Los Angeles, CA): Smoky in a bit of a BBQ sauce way, soy, and then whammo, the nose just clamped shut. However, the palate was fantastic, seamless, pure, silky, almost monolithic, drinking very young but opened up wonderfully with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Château Le Tertre Rôteboeuf Vertical (Bentley Hotel): Quite similar to the 1990, opinons were split as to which was preferred. Very complex, again sweet plum prune and cherry notes, tiny hint of menthol, velvet tannin that just glides across the palate
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Sensational in the jug after decanting: dark, dense, deeply fruit, but fresh and spicy, a touch of kirsch in the mid-palate. Served after the Las Cases '89 which accentuated the ripeness and sweetness of this wine and made it seem relatively unsophisticated. But, make no mistake, this was very lovely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This impressive "belching ox" never lets me down. Powerful, intense, distinct, idiosyncratic. Definite notes of raisin and fig, but not all all hot or alcoholic. Splendid wine that should go on for a long time but will never be more interesting than it is right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Year-End Wine Tasting -- Cellar Treasures (Trattoria Asti -- Austin): WOTN for me. I don't think I've tasted many things better than this. A monster wine with loads of fruit, tannins, and concentration and a finish that just won't quit.Earthy darr, black truffle layers add to the complexity of the wine. I had the impression that this wine could be held for decades longer as it drank like a "puppy". I'm going all out on this one ...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/5/2024 - vintage_whine wrote:
took 6 hours after double decanting to open up. didnt stand up to the complexity of petrus or Le Pin next to it, but hasd a similar balance and mouthfeel to the le pin. darker in fruit, a bit more rustic
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2024 - englishman's claret wrote:
Similar to the last bottle, but a little less detailed and articulate. Nevertheless, an attention-grabbing dynamo of a wine, full of dark fruit, espresso, bitter chocolate. Yet for its heft, there's a freshness here and it doesn't get bogged down by its weight.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/7/2023 - Eric wrote: 89 Points
Not an ideal bottle. Stern, celery seed, iron, notes of oxidation. This was a struggle for about 90 minutes, but it gained weight, power and purity with air. Unclear if this was a poor bottle (cork was excellent) or just a very reticent wine.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2023 - essenceofreal wrote: 96 Points
Gorgeous.
Needed time to fully unfurl to show what it really was. Recommend to decant WAY longer than others what other CT people indicate.
I opened this at 3pm. Was pretty closed and monolithic. Decanted at 5 and put back in the bottle at 6. Went to the Brix in Napa and decanted again. Drank some bubbles and got to this around 8pm. IE 3 hr decant plus plus. Was singing big time by then!! Tasted along the way and it kept getting better and better.
By 9pm this beauty melted in your mouth. All that merlot was dancing delicately on the tongue w a finish that went on and on and on. Wasn't there the first hour, after 3 hrs was magnificent.
What a wine. Amazing balance. Massive yet delicate. Harmonious all around. Leather, tobacco, kirsch, quince, all rolled up delivering pure joy.
AT PEAK PEAK. Drink now. I think this will not get any better and if anything will start to decline over the next few years.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/11/2023 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great example of mature right bank Bordeaux. Ripe and silky, with nicely integrated tannins and silky fruit. Really elegant and pretty wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
2/5/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
I am curious reading recent rave reviews, and I am now starting to suspect that I have been unlucky with my case as it ages. I loved this wine a few years ago, and indeed, I still think it is a a great example of a mature Bordeaux, but I do stand by my last couple of notes. The nose and palate are rich with ripe blackcurrant and blackberry with chocolate and tobacco, but I'm finding the tannin now dominating end palate and the finish, and to be honest a little unpleasant. I mentioned last time that with higher alcohol wines, (this is 14%,) I have read that with time sometimes the tannin becomes unstable, and I can only deduce that this has happened with my case, as it is certainly not tainted. However, in spite of the issue, the sum of the total parts delivers a great experience.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2023 - Ryan Whyte Wine Likes this wine: 98 Points
This was just a textbook example of top quality right bank Bordeaux from an incredible vintage, firing on all cylinders. This elixir explodes from the glass with waves of macerated blackberry, confiture de cassis, pipe tobacco, cedar box, espresso, dark chocolate, graphite, limestone, and hickory. Full bodied and totally integrated on the palate with ample balancing acidity and a finish that lasts well past a minute. Absolutely stunning example and among my top Bordeaux tasted of all time. So happy to have shared it with great friends.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2023 - iainlo@gmail.com Likes this wine: 96 Points
PNP. Cork in great condition and colour medium red with a slight amber rim. Expressive and promising nose, hint of animal notes, some spice after a while. On palate, initially light body with red fruits but as time passed, it developed impressive weight and complexity. Layers of flavours culminating in a chocolaty finish. Utterly seductive and beguiling, no rough edges. My wife and i finished the bottle within 90 min …. Fortunately 11 more bottles to go!!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
8/5/2022 - hargy Likes this wine: 90 Points
I have always found Tertre Roteboeuf a bit of a mystery and difficult to assess - I thought this slightly cooked on first opening but then it seemed to close up completely over the next hour or so and was not very giving even over a couple of days
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/18/2022 - Doubleten wrote: 95 Points
I purchased a case of this as futures following the Wine Advocate's recommendation back in the day and have cellared it since. Decided to re-acquaint myself with it since I will be visiting the chateau in September. Top shoulder level, with a soaked cork that was removed in several fragments. Medium sediment upon decanting, with a garnet/brick color and immediate aromas of dark fruits, raisins, alcohol and menthol. No trace of TCA or brett. After 30 minutes in the glass, the alcohol blew off and whiffs of leather and cedar could be noted, with dried rose petal developing subsequently. On the palate, the wine is medium/heavy body, luscious, with integrated tannins, low acidity and a 30 second finish. You can taste the sun and the ripe fruit in this wine. Now completely in balance, there is a combination of dried figs, raisins, and five spice powder that contribute to its unique, exotic taste.
The wine is fully mature and should be drunk within the next 3-5 years. A 1-1.5hr decant seems appropriate at this point. It is a delicious and individual expression of Bordeaux.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine seems to be rapidly in decline, and my ratings have declined over the last few years year on year from a peak of 96. This could be unique to my case although purchased reputabley and stored well over the last 15 years. I suspect the villain of the piece is the high alcohol content of 14%, and I had a similar experience with a case of 1990 Canon La Gaffeliere, (also 14%) a couple of years ago. I have been reading a lot around this issue and can only deduce that the alcohol has become unstable and bitter with its age. I am only a scientific amateur and would really appreciate any informed insight re the topic. Back to the wine, I will be looking to finish my last couple of bottles before year end.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2022 - sdr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Astounding. Full color, voluptuously aromatic. Packed with dark plummy fruit. Gentle but detectable tannins and mild acidity. Hold very well. No more of those prunes it had in its adolescence. Perfect state of maturity. Drink it now and as often as possible.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2021 - jmart2018 Likes this wine: 94 Points
PnP'd -- took about 30 minutes to open up nicely. Fruit forward nose with red fruit..cherry and strawberry. Also a bit of earthiness, dried flowers and forest. On the palate still nice red fruit, rose hip and nicely acidic with fine tannins. On day 2 (used coravin for 2/3 of bottle on day 1), picked up hints of graphite on the nose and a bit of mocha on the palate. Excellent wine that aged very nicely!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/28/2021 - rjpbath Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fabulous. Lovely intense mixture of spices. In its prime and no hurry, but it won't improve. This is a superb example of TRb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/12/2021 - Andyrodriguez87 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Man, I haven’t had Tertre Roteboeuf in quite a few years and yet immediately on sniffing this, it was like I had one yesterday. Francois imprint on style with that extra ripened (not ripe or jammy), slightly stewy fruit was evident from the second I smelled this wine. Color was healthy with a tiny bit of bricking. On the palate, the wine was full of deep, ripe red/black fruit yet somehow always kept its balance with a mouth watering tinge of acid and tannin. The tannin was incredibly polished and well-integrated. Oak presence sad not evident at all and was incredibly well integrated. Overall a fantastic wine, in a fantastic drinking window, full of a typicity so specific to the winemaker and property! The wine was its best about 1.5 hours after being opened (not decanted). Retaining so much beautiful dark fruit and with everything so well balanced, These are ready to drink but can go another 10+ years easily.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2021 - Rani Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted blind. Opened several hours before and yet it took half an hour to open up. Notes of espresso, dried herbs, black fruit. Nicely balanced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2021 - Elpaninaro wrote: flawed
Flawed bottle- TN noted here for future personal reference only.
medium red color with bricking rim, cherries and a very pungent roasted note like coffee with vegetal notes and something I can only describe as rotting mint, on the palate somewhat monolithic but with a good core of ripe fruit, however the nose was so off-putting as to make this undrinkable. I do not think this was a corked bottle- but given the universal raves of other TNs, something surely went awry with this particular bottle. Judgment reserved.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/23/2021 - englishman's claret wrote: 96 Points
The 1989 Tertre Roteboeuf shows a large-scaled yet fresh and complex nose of plum, espresso, game, wildflower, and mineral with a supple, medium-bodied palate. The richness is beautifully cut by lively acid. A great counterpoint to the more intense, qualitatively-equal, if not as articulate, 1990. The 1989 seems to be at its apogee now. While this should last, the tannin is resolved and it may be perched on the fulcrum between youth and age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
I get the feeling that this needs to be drunk in the nearer term, as the fruit is starting to fade and the wine is beginning to dry out. That said, it is still at a magnificent stage and a special wine. The depth on the palate and finish is exceptional and is nuanced and complex. The length on the finish is pushing 60 seconds. As stated, the fruit is just starting to fade and it is starting to expose harsher notes, and I am always wary of high alcohol wines, (this is 14%,) when they start to hit 30 years. I am looking to consume my remaining bottles over the next couple of years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2021 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Ripe red and dark fruit, notes of green pepper, tobacco, spices. Elegant and round on the palate, good concentration of fruit, good acidity, open and expressive with slightly drying tannins towards the finish. Fine length. Drink up. 91-93
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2021 - Rani Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted blind next to its 1998 sibling. Elegant, notes of dark berries, sousbois, dried herbs. Silky with beet fine tannins and quite a pleasure to drink. I liked it better than it’s younger sibling.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/20/2020 - racerchris wrote: 91 Points
Nothing wrong with this bottle but I don't find the wine to be all that enticing either.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2020 - Tim2 wrote: 92 Points
The last bottle in my cellar to share with Jim and Lianne. As Jim anticipated the right fruit to accompany my volcano shank stew. Merci François.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2020 - Tim2 wrote: 93 Points
Delicious match to volcano shank braised five hours
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2020 - Dave Canada wrote: 92 Points
Bottle #2...1st was oxidized
PnP
Pours medium ruby with clear orance bricking
Nose shows red cherrries, chocolate, subtle red flowers, soy all wrapped in beef jerkey...this is really beefy and has a whiff of oxidation
Palate has a really nice solid core of red fruit.....cherry, raspberry. strawberry along with bitter choclate, spice, flowers, soy, bovril and beef jus.
Finish is medium with moderate complexity.
This is 100% drink now unless you bought en primeur and held yourself in a cold cellar. Even then....I would check in.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2020 - Dave Canada wrote: flawed
Pours right on the edge of tawny with hints of almost brown
Nose is dominated by VA and dank sewer.
Palate is all bovril, beef blood and oxidized fruit.
Very sad....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2020 - Dave Canada wrote: 94 Points
Pours medium ruby with some slight bricking
Nose shows a mix cherry, raspberry fruit with chocolate, beef jus, and red flowers.
Palate is pretty and more intense tonight than the nose....lush pure red fruit, beef blood, bitter chocolate, spice, soy and earth.
Finish is long....
While I do think that this wine is on the downward side of peak....it is still really pretty.
If you have this....drink up
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is fully mature, and ready to drink with a couple of hours in the decanter, and is displaying secondary and tertiary notes. It is a classic old school Bordeaux. The nose is deeply rich with opulent aromas of blackcurrant and plum, with hints of port displaying its age. The tannin is fully resolved, but has retained a steeliness. It is multi-layered on the palate, with a great depth and balance. In spite of its maturity, the fruit still is prominent. The finish is 30 seconds plus, and exquisitely balanced. I do find it a little harsh at the end of the finish, but why nitpick. My only reservation is its potential for long-term aging, and I feel it is probably not a wine for the long haul and will need to be consumed over the next 5 years to enjoy it at its best. 96+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2019 - rjpbath Likes this wine: 95 Points
Initially I thought this was a bit past it. But the longer it was in the decanter the better it became, and after 1.5 hours it was so complex, with mature tertiary flavours. This was true experience, too many components to describe them. WOW
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2019 - overkloud wrote: 94 Points
Smoky BBQ, dried red fruit, balanced acidity and very smooth tannin. This is a wine of harmony. I think it is at its peak (slightly off peak).
It is lacking the depth to merit a higher score.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2019 - winebuff037 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark color; full bodied and taste of dark, sweet berries; long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2019 - caskratz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasting note from memory the next day.
The wine had a almost pale colour, wine seemed quiet vivid but very very delicate definitely not '89 classic. Almost like Burgundy structure.
I believe the wine was actually quiet refreshing, a joy to drink!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2019 - pilot360 wrote:
Bought from auction. Opened at an ‘89 tasting, this bottle felt tired and faded.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2019 - bunhiong wrote:
this is crazy, the wine is only starting to emerge from it's dumb phase, would recommend decanting two hours ahead.
this wine will only start to mature in another 10 years, unbelievable structure
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2019 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark purple / ruby. A developed nose. Chocloate, tobacco, cigar and earth. Soft and velvety in the mouth. Balanced. I felt this is in the perfect drinking window and won't improve. Served by Kevin.
Drink now to 2030+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2019 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
Served blind, dark with bit of bricking, rich chocolate, cigar nose, very elegant & tannins were so silky, thought a 98, but a 89! Very good mature Bordeaux, classy, so much pleasure! Top drawer!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2018 - bunhiong wrote:
arrange evolution, this bottle seems to have thinned out, bottle variation ? underlying power though, easily another 10 years
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is for fans of classic old style Bordeaux with bold tannin and musty undertones, and is drinking in its prime drinking window. The nose is is very right bank with deep fruit filled aromas of blackcurrent and blackberry with background hints of port. On the palate the wine is exquisitely balanced but with strong tannin showing to the fore, and possibly not to everybody's taste. Similarly, the finish is excellent with good length and balance, but with very robust tannin. Lengthy decanting is needed for this wine, and I fully expect it to continue with its development over the next 5 years, and staying there for another decade plus.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2018 - hnathanson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 4 hours. Served with homemade lasagna. Absolutely delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2018 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rather subdued for the formerly flamboyant Tertre Rôteboeuf. Still, after a couple hours of coaxing, the signature prune flavor made an appearance. Not as sweet or energetic as before, is it just this bottle or is it fading?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2018 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
Decanted and served. Decanting is definitely advisable here.
~4yrs since we tried this last ( Papies 95) and continues to perform beautifully and felt like it had another 10yrs easy on the tank.
Very bright still and even the color pointed towards a younger wine. Good density of fruit, light chocolate feel, dark fruited all along, some evolution and definitely a few secondary touches but really the wine was just on the fruit. It definitely showed more secondary notes as it evolved in the glass. very solid 94-95
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2017 - cct wrote: 88 Points
Brought at the cellar door on release by the person who bought the bottle tonight
Ripe and round. Dark chocolate and ripe stony fruits. This is plush, and seems built on size rather than finesse. I was hoping for more, and to be clear this is very well made wine in its style, but for me it lacks focus and seems muddled. Impressive for scale, but blurred around the edges and for me lacks excitement. Enjoyable in a romantic comedy way. Others around the table liked it much more than I.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
A sumptious wine which is fully mature. The nose is full of blackberry and blackcurrent, with hints of port. In the mouth the wine is packed with jammy fruits balanced by good firm tannins, and has great depth and complexity. The slightly tannic finish could be judged as being on the short side, but all in all a great right bank wine which is still packed full of fruit. Benefiting still from time in the decanter, I do feel that this wine is at its peak of its evolvement and should start being consumed now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2017 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
Poker night - Bordeaux single blind - 00 & 03 Pavie, 98 TR, 05 LD and etc. (My house - Northern Virginia): Sweet red fruit, showing significant VA. Not sure if this is correct showing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
Rustic and exotic. I was expecting big things from this wine, after the incredible bottle of this I recently had (from the same case). This started out with a really exotic nose of red fruits, bacon, pepper, flowers, and dark chocolate. Surprisingly, the nose seemed to close down over time. Good weight and concentration, but didn’t seem to have the same finesse and elegant mouthfeel of the last bottle. Will have to try this again, as there is just so much potential with this wine. The complexity is obviously there, and there is ample fruit and structure for this wine to shine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2017 - hargy Likes this wine: 91 Points
drunk a bit too quickly! Certainly plenty of life left in the wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2016 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Poker night - Bordeaux single blind - 95 GPL, 01 Ausone, 11 The Lovers, 03 Margaux and etc.: Pop and pour, ripe slightly pruney nose, clearly a right bank wine with a very ripe style of wine making. Assaf guesses as the 90 Troplong Mondot which is an excellent guess. Then Greg actually gets the Chateau right and calls it the 90 which is excellent. With air, it really resembles the 90 TM but a bit more precise and silky. The nose becomes more complex showing caramel, truffle, milky coffee and dark spices. Really sensual smooth silky palate. IMO, the wines are fresher and more precise since 2000. This is a bit chunky and portish, especially in the beginning. If you like the style of the 90 TM, you will really enjoy this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2016 - Mistress of Wine Likes this wine:
A bottle which left its first home only afew months ago. 2-3 hour decant. Nice sour cherry and cassis aromas--the sour cherry was also much present on the long tart finish. The game and anise and the sweetness made us think of a mature Côte Rotie. great with our Christmas standing rib roast.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2016 - thewineoceros wrote: 93 Points
More gloss and depth of colour than 85. Not as pale. Hints of menthol, still fresh, liquorice, bit of mushroom, dusty almost. Dry tannins, has more life ahead. More enjoyable than 85. Lots going on if you dig mature wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/15/2016 - d'Artagnan wrote: 90 Points
Visite au Château Tertre Rôteboeuf: Un vin que j'ai toujours trouvé étrange, avec une variation de bouteilles sur ce millésime dont FM dit qu'il fut le plus étrange qu'il ait eu, avec 2010 pas loin derrière.
Les raisins étaient très mûrs, tellement qu'il y avait un sucre résiduel important. Par principes, ils se sont obstinés à vouloir vinifier en sec, de sorte que la fermentation alcoolique a pris pas moins de sept mois!
Nez de volatiles à l'ouverture, qui s'estompe rapidement.
Bouche ronde, d'une très belle concentration et texture impressionnante, mais l'aromatique me plaît moins: il est fascinant, mais le fruit est très sec, presque comme un porto, il paraît moins frais. Un ovni par rapport au style du domaine. Cette bouteille n'était pas à la hauteur des meilleures que j'ai prises du même vin. 90 pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2016 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 95 Points
A memorable bottle, which I've wanted to try for a long time. After a short decant the 1989 Tertre Roteboeuf bursts from the glass with a complex bouquet of dried red cherries, darker fruit tones, subtle mocha, Burgundian sous bois and "beef blood". On the palate the wine is supple, fresh and powerful, with notable body and concentration: ample but refined. Drinking a point to my taste. Thanks Julian!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
5/16/2016 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fully mature it is drinking beautifully. Perfectly balanced with a lingering finish. Even with the high alcohol content (14%) it should stay at this plateau for some time to come.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/2016 - mjdixon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Mature now and don't leave for too long as it seems to lose taste and flavor after a few hours
Perfect nose and complex smooth style
Typical 1989
Love it
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2016 - ATBridge wrote:
Slightly corked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 93 Points
1989/1990 Right Bank Bordeaux tasting (Vienna Cafe & Wine Bar): Rustic and exotic. I was expecting big things from this wine, after the incredible bottle of this I recently had (from the same case). This started out with a really exotic nose of red fruits, bacon, pepper, flowers, and dark chocolate. Surprisingly, the nose seemed to close down over time. Good weight and concentration, but didn’t seem to have the same finesse and elegant mouthfeel of the last bottle. Standing on its own, this wine could still hold its own; tonight, however, it just didn’t stand out. Will have to try this again, as there is just so much potential with this wine. The complexity is obviously there, and there is ample fruit and structure for this wine to shine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2016 - bunhiong wrote:
no sign or ageing, beautifully balanced, tannins only starting to be tamed. easily another 10 years drinking life
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2015 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 97 Points
The WOTN at our wine dinner, which also included the 1990 Pichon Baron, 2000 Malescot St. Exupéry, and 2008 VCC. Beautifully nuanced and drinking in its right place. Nose was very Merlot-driven, with red fruits, truffles, and spice. A classic nose. Love the weight and mouthfeel. The finish isn't terribly long but has the right amount of acidity and no overbearing tannins or astringency. This is drinking beautifully right now; do not hesitate to open if you have this in your cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Fully mature, if you have a bottle, you should consider popping a cork so you can get the most of its fresh, ripe, black raspberries, flowers, earth, licorice and liqueur profile. Silky, soft and smooth, this is at, or sightly past its apogee.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2015 - Xiao1987 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Drank at dinner with Francois Mitjavile. Carried the bottle onto a flight before dinner. Bouquet opened up after 45min in glass, showing good inkiness, as well as wet stone and leathery notes. Great harmony on the palate, with vivid black fruit, cigar and leather, multi layered
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2015 - thomasito2001 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tremendous bottle of an outstanding wine, combining elegance and matter in a highly original but also convincing way. Color is hardly showing its age, dark red and dense. Nose is open for business with ripe (but not jammy) black fruit, elevage and secondary aromas. Palate is a wonder in its combination of abundance and sweetness finely woven together with a steel backbone of freshness and fruit definition. Very good length and comes highly recommended.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2015 - skifree wrote: 95 Points
Opened for OTBN 2015, never having had a St. Emilion with real bottle age. Opened an hour before first glass, which had a medium garnet color and some orange around rim. Flavored were complex, with soy, dark red fruit, and a finish of orange rind predominating. As the bottle aged, I noticed more of the backbone and some flowers (violets?) and less orange in the finish. On the second night, had some expresso with the soy and fruit initially. The last glass was simplest. It had more particulates, and primary dark red fruits and a less lengthy finish. Overall, i would say this was a wine for the brain, which loved the wine, but my OMG senses never kicked in. Still, this bottle was immensely satisfying.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2015 - Rezy13 wrote: 88 Points
Super Bowl 2015 (Roswell, GA): Dark chocolate core aged, pale rim; mushrooms, sous bois, dark cherry, dark chocolate, a bit musty on the nose; palate is heavy, lower acid, nutty, less fruit, molasses; kind of awkward; a real shame, found out later the cork broke and the wine was filtered through a Vinturi which probably damaged the wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/18/2014 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
A Small Athens wine event (Spondi , Athens): Tasted blind and decanted for 2 hours. Felt more ready that 3 yrs ago when we had this last ( Papies 93 then). Classic in a way, well evolved with lots of floral, leather and earthy notes. The fruit is very much there still but it feels like it is well within its drinking window and at peak. Rich, smoky at times and very complex. Very very good. 95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/5/2014 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 94 Points
Adding to my previous CT note, this needs 90mins decant at the moment. Very distinctive wine - rich, sweet essence of beef blood. Fantastic with rare steaks. Lots of bottles consumed recently, not sure this will drink so well beyond 2020.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2014 - michaelong wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 2 hours
Very dark and intense colour
Lovely open nose from the start with lots of fruit
wine with depth and still have fair amount of tannin
Some sweetness and concentration of cherries and a hint of truffle
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2014 - JulianSkeels wrote: 93 Points
I didn't take notes, but the richness and sweetness (almost cherry) gave way to some smoke, then an anise/eucalyptus twist on the finish. From a perfect bottle and cork. My first glass was the best - not because 2hrs was too long in a decanter (it was perfect), but because I found the wine a little tiring - it went extremely well with my Sri Lanka coriander beef curry, but seemed to lack complexity and the aromatics and complexity I was expecting. Almost as if a little closed. I'll probably drink the rest of the case in a couple of years to see if there is some additional improvement (would score ~93/94pts now)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2014 - phenricsson wrote: 95 Points
Perfect for drinking now but will surely last another 10 years. Fruity and youthful but still with lots of mature notes. Both prunes and fresh black currants. Long wonderful aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was a classic, aged TR with a very expressive nose of coffee beans, chocolate, beef and minerals. On the palate it is still full-bodied and somewhat rustic with rich flavors of beef blood, iodine and bitter chocolate. Deliciously concentrated with a lovely aged complexity and while the tannins have ameliorated, the wine remains freshened by good acidity. The finish is full of minerals with notes of rare beef and mocha. Aging beautifully and showing what a unique terroir this is. Mature but no sign of losing it's intensity anytime soon.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/11/2013 - Zesser wrote: flawed
CORKED!....ughhh,corked..... Got it for a steal last year at online retail, no wonder why.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2013 - MRichman wrote:
Not as good as previous bottles, this one actually showed a little young and with a lot of iron and mineral. No rush to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2013 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not spectacular this time, but very enjoyable nevertheless. Color just starting to fade. Not much on the nose. Terrific grip, though and very true to the vintage; somewhat coarse and rustic in a most positive way. The fruit was bold but not well defined, but recognizably on the black end of the spectrum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
This wine has shown a lot of bottle variation. spicy raspberry, earthy, herbal, plumy, black cherry nose. Rich, complex, and multi layered, this unique expression of St. Emilion has reached maturity. The wine ends with a big mouth of chocolate covered strawberry flavor and velvet textures
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2012 - Dave Canada wrote: 97 Points
Super Tasting 1 of 6 - Andrew does 1989 Bordeaux (Langdon Hall, Blair, Ontario): Wow….stunning nose
Raspberry, soy, beef carpaccio, black tea, salty beef jus dominate the nose with cherry, raspberry, beef blood, flowers, and chocolate on the palate. This is so lush, yet so focused. The finish is monumental….so long with waves of pure cherry, earth, chocolate, beef, flowers and soy coming in and out in waves. Profound wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2012 - Wine Canuck wrote: 95 Points
Super Tasting 1 of 6 - Andrew (Langdon Hall, Cambridge, ON): Very nice wine of real character. So much soy sauce, and beef stock, but really nice and not in an over the hill kind of way at all. Good balanced fruit profile of crushed raspberries. Probably a love it or hate it type of wine, but it works for me. Only drawback in my mind is at age 23 it's not showing the typical aged Bordeaux notes I look for.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2012 - alittle wrote: 96 Points
Tasting Group Dinner Series (1 of 6) / Andrew's 28th Birthday (Red Room, Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ontario): Popped and poured, followed over the course of the evening. Similar in appearance in the glass to the La Fleur de Gay; deep garnet, with mild brick. On the nose, the complete opposite end of the spectrum compared to the La Conseillante, giving way to intense aromas of crushed raspberries, dark cherries, beef jus, truffle, earth, brine, black tea leaves, soy and a touch of volatile acidity that compliments this rich/raw style quite nicely. On the palate, the plushest and most concentrated of the flight, with tastes of ripe red fruits, plums, spice, decomposing leaves and leather. Moderate acidity helps to counterbalance the nice ripe fruits, with a slight dryness on the long finish. Going in to this tasting, I thought the group would love or hate this wine, and it turns out the general consensus was quite positive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2012 - -E- wrote:
Østkantsmaking: NR
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2012 - LWI wrote: 90 Points
Seven Decades of Right Bank Wines (Trondheim, Norway (my house)): Very dark, very brown, sur maturité color. However fresh on the nose; sweet fruit – but still fresh. Lots of power. Zero complexity. Very far from elegant. Peculiar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2012 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
JSM@RSJ Pre2000 Right Bank Offline (RSJ Restaurant, London): Blind. Fuller and seemingly younger. Sweeter, vanilla fruit. Quite dense and tight and modern in style. Opens up and shows sweeter fruit and a little more elegance. So different from previous examples. Quid dense and tight but not jerky as porty hot as Keith's bottle showed. With a tail wind this could get to barest **(**)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2011 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
A lovely long weekend in Athens, GR; 8/27/2011-8/30/2011 (Athens, Greece): Needs decanting as this wine is still at this stage a baby. Lovely open nose from the start with lots of fruit and some secondary notes of earth. Amazing nose. Dark, dense in colour which leads to a very big powerful ( not on the alcohol side) wine with lots of depth. Tannins are very much alive , not dry though. Some merlot sweetness and concentration ( maybe a touch over extracted especially for 1989 standards). This needs another 10 yrs. 93-94 at the moment with lots of potential for the future. We suggest you wait.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
It's always a nice surprise when the last bottle from a case turns out better than expected. Licorice, truffle, black cherry and smoke aromas led to an opulent, exotically textured wine. Rich and filled with layers of ripe juicy plums, this earthy wine finishes with chocolate, black raspberry and plums. This is probably fully mature. There is no reason to hold it any longer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2011 - canan wrote: 95 Points
BYO (My House): Initially mostly mushrooms, iron and rust on the nose but with some air it showed lovely hints of black currant and barnyard.
Still a young wine on the palate with lots of black currant fruit and a little iron and lead.
The fruit is still quite intense with a lovely aged meat hint.
This was definitely a wine that changed a lot over with a couple of hours of air.
Initially it was lacking in depth but with some air it really put on a lot of weight
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2011 - MRichman wrote:
"The Good Stuff" 2011 -- A double blind tasting (La Fonda del Sol, NYC): Mellowed but still going strong. Tobacco, plum. Rich, big with a bit of sweetness. A beautiful, comlete, well aged wine. Iron and mineral and some toasted oak and coffee. Long meaty finish. I thought this was 1990 Bordeaux and guessed Leoville Las Cases. Glad the wine I brought (and have a few more of) was my blindly picked #2 WOTN (group's #3).
A
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2010 - WinoRick wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with my prior tastings.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/7/2010 - amateurwino wrote: 95 Points
My friend M was kind enough to bring this bottle to dinner, and I tasted it double blind.
On the nose, this wine shows a tarry black olive note that made me think this was an early 90's cab or cab franc from CA at first - some of the tobacco/bell pepper CF characteristics showed as well. The rim shows slight bricking, supporting my theory on age, at least. A sweet note on the nose becomes apparent with time. The first taste of this wine feels a bit tannic, and I stick by my theory.
Told I am wrong on country, I re-examined the wine and guessed Bordeaux, slightly older... and noticed a sweetness of fruit that I realized was the merlot showing. Therefore I guessed St. Emilion, one of the wines with cab franc in the mix. I settled on guessing that it was a '90 Figeac that M had mentioned owning before, and then I found out it was this wine, which I've wanted to try for a long time.
Followed over the course of the evening, the nose opens up to reveal more red-fruitedness, and an exotic spice element that has hints of curry/cardamom, but also a faintly medicinal/mothball edge (another taster described it as "old books"). The palate opens up too, and becomes absolutely wonderful. The palate shows more red-fruit than before as well, and more transparency - this is a Bordeaux with finesse rather than viscosity. It also has excellent acidity, making this lip-smackingly juicy. The element that truly sets this wine apart for me is the lasting sweetness of the fruit. These qualities make this my favorite among a few other top Bordeaux of roughly the same age that I've had in the last year - I prefer this slightly to 1989 Lynch-Bages and 1990 Pichon Baron. M astutely remarks that this wine is starting to show some of the convergence that great wines from different regions can sometimes exhibit - and that I probably like this wine so much because it has some Burg-like characteristics; while this is clearly Bordeaux, it is indeed leaning toward Burgundian qualities within the spectrum of Bordeaux.
On night 2 (stored in fridge in smaller bottle), this shows as less transparent, and a little more dark-fruited and muscular again; it has staying power but is giving less pleasure.
On night 3, we are back to the wine I adore - juicy with transparency, and generous sweetness. The sweetish tarry note on the nose is showing itself more on this night.
A truly memorable wine; wonderful, mature Bordeaux. 95 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Black cherry and black raspberries blended perfectly in the nose which was further complicated with scents of jam, licorice, coffee and spice. Soft, round and opulent, this racy St. Emilion finished with flavors with sweet, black raspberries.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2010 - SimonG wrote:
Peddling for Pebbles 2 (The Ledbury): Blind. Dense mid garnet. A touch of alcohol on the nose. Quite foggy and a touch over-ripe initially then opening up to a beef tea nose. I think this is chateauneuf. Quite dry on the attack, some tannin and really quite pronounced glycerol and alcohol. Claret? Yikes! Really not sure about this or how it will age ***?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2010 - Joealex wrote: 96 Points
Superb, muscular, layered, plenty of tannins , long and a little dry finish, old fashioned Bordeaux in positive way.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2010 - WinoRick wrote: 93 Points
I'm halfway thru a case (at $19/btl futures), exotic complex nose, but the merlot in the mouth is not up to the nose. Chocolate and dark cherry. This wine has 20 years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/15/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Stuffed with ripe, fresh, raspberry, minerals and fresh herbs, this rich, ripe, fresh and expressive wine ends with opulent, silky, black raspberry, licorice and dark cherry flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2009 - MRichman wrote:
1989 Bordeaux at 20 years (Morton's NYC): Strong, brawny. Very full bodied. A bit sweet, muscular. Has a long way to go, not quite ready to drink. Excellent with an amazing nose.
A
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2009 - phenricsson wrote: 95 Points
Nose is a 10!. Concentrated black currants with beginning of mature Bordeaux. Very brown looking but dense for the age. (87;59) Initially (after one hour decanting) it was fairly hard and unyielding but then opened up and became delicious. Needs 2 hours+ of decanting. Still has a long life ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/24/2009 - SimonG wrote:
Keith's Blind Challenge (The Square, London): Bloody, garnet. Nose of acetone and peaar drops - seems quite VA-dominated. More Graves-like on the palate but with extra ripeness. Colour suggests late 80s but the palate seems younger. This needs a good few years yet. ***(*)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2009 - GrapeExpectation wrote: 94 Points
Bacchanalian orgy in St Emilion with wine store owner and several Vin Expo participants....round 3...truly amazing broad shoulders...quite an example of Bordeaux at its best. 20 years old and still with plenty of room to mature. Red fruit...smooth tannins. Earthy, tobacco charm...can I just live here in St Emilion please?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
The wine starts with an earthy, herbal, plummy nose complicated by scents of stewed black and red fruits and hints of black raspberry. Very sexy, plush mouth feel. Good concentration and a long, clean, velvety finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2009 - Rechrom wrote: 95 Points
Deep brick red, good nose, great entry and palate, seamless with rich fruit notes, great length. What a dummy I was for drinking the first six of these when they were young, this is just a wonderful bottle hitting on all cylinders.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2009 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: 95 Points
still pretty dark for a twenty year wine. Looks more like a five year old wine. Still extremely primary on the nose. Very lush on the palate
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2009 - BradKNYC wrote:
Pratt's Bordeaux table and then some: From a small pour from the other Bordeaux table that was doing all ‘89’s. Shows some red fruit and stewed tomatoes on the nose. Shrill on the palate and quite shallow. Brown earth and brown spices with desiccated cherry fruit and that odd tomato note. Seems like poor storage. C+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2008 - Coastman3 wrote: 95 Points
Wine of the tasting! Rich and long, with many, many years to go. Complex assortment of cherries, plums and layered dark fruit. Explosive finish with very long and complex flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2008 - Amerique wrote: 95 Points
Elegant, rich, smooth, delicious black cherry fruit with cassis, tar, and cigar box flavors, excellent structure, still fairly youthful
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2008 - brynmair wrote: 94 Points
The cork was uncooperative for this wine and fell apart. Nice, classic nose though it took a little while before the barnyard smell was dominant. On the palate, this wine had a nice profile of vanilla early on and then some chocolate later. Some coffee was noticeable as well. This had a nice long lasting finish and seemed to be enjoyed by all.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2008 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
The wine lacked the depth and concentration of better bottles. Higher in acid and brighter in flavor than usual, this also seemed fully mature. The tell tale ripe raspberry notes were present, but they were not out in full force and there was a slight tartness in the marginally clipped finish. This bottle was not singing as loud as I was hoping for.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2008 - Rupert wrote: 91 Points
Super start, rich blackcurrant fruit, cedary oak, layers of flavour, but somehow the vanilla oak took over and the fruit came over all sweet and soft - a very nice wine to be sure, but not as special as I remembered it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2007 - Rechrom wrote: 93 Points
Closed nose at open. After 90 minute decant, good nose of iron, coffee. Strong palate of chocolate, coffee, dark cherry. Good finish, not great. Clean and nice palate. Tannins largely gone. Bricking at rim, deep red at core. Still strong 5 hours in decanter. Not quite outstanding, but very nice. At plateau for my teastes from my passive cellar (purchased on release as futures.)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2007 - DougLee wrote: 94 Points
Found on a local retailer's shelf 6 months ago in pristine condition. Uncorked and decanted for 90 minutes. Dark purple color with a bit of bricking at the edges. The nose was blasting by the close of dinner, with strong whiffs of warm caramel, moca, iron fillings, and cassis. Seamless and brooding on the palate, offering up understated but still powerful notes of plum, cedar, coffee, and earth. Finish was heavenly. Wonderful wine, still very young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/21/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Bryan's Steaks and Bordeaux at the Hedonist's (Scott Manlin's): Full opaque black purple color. Full cassis liqueur nose. Big rich tight coffee black fruit with some sweetness and a long finish. A lovely wine that probably suffered a bit from the company.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2006 - phenricsson wrote:
Notes from 4 bottles. Very different. range from 80-96. Sometimes rich, ripe and jammy, with breat Bordeaux qualities. Sometimes it is thin, insipid and boring. All bottles are from the same case and with very good fill.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/16/2006 - EBoyer wrote: 92 Points
This was a Jekyl/Hyde wine. The cork was somewhat stained -it might have had some heat exposure. Still, after the first glass -I got great chocolate notes, and fruit. There was a slight green tinge at times, but not always. The nose was better than the palate. I was expecting more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2006 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
This kinky, exotic, decadent wine is so much fun to drink. Tertre is one of the easier wines to recognize due to its exotic, red, fruit and herb tinted character.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2006 - Eric wrote:
Old Bordeaux and young Cults with Jeff Leve (Los Angeles, CA): Amazing iron, cranberry and dark chocolate. A baby of a wine that needs a lot of aeration.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2006 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
When first meeting this wine, you’re introduced to an explosion of red and black fruit, roasted plums and a fabulous raspberry note. This wine is huge, ripe, sweet and perfectly balanced. The long spicy, red fruit finish is compelling
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2006 - Eric wrote:
Leve does 1989 Bordeaux at Mélisse (Los Angeles, CA): Smoky in a bit of a BBQ sauce way, soy, and then whammo, the nose just clamped shut. However, the palate was fantastic, seamless, pure, silky, almost monolithic, drinking very young but opened up wonderfully with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/21/2005 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 95 Points
Château Le Tertre Rôteboeuf Vertical (Bentley Hotel): Quite similar to the 1990, opinons were split as to which was preferred.
Very complex, again sweet plum prune and cherry notes, tiny hint of menthol, velvet tannin that just glides across the palate
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2005 - Rupert wrote: 93 Points
Sensational in the jug after decanting: dark, dense, deeply fruit, but fresh and spicy, a touch of kirsch in the mid-palate. Served after the Las Cases '89 which accentuated the ripeness and sweetness of this wine and made it seem relatively unsophisticated. But, make no mistake, this was very lovely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/24/2005 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
This impressive "belching ox" never lets me down. Powerful, intense, distinct, idiosyncratic. Definite notes of raisin and fig, but not all all hot or alcoholic. Splendid wine that should go on for a long time but will never be more interesting than it is right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2004 - steffenpelz wrote: 96 Points
Year-End Wine Tasting -- Cellar Treasures (Trattoria Asti -- Austin): WOTN for me. I don't think I've tasted many things better than this. A monster wine with loads of fruit, tannins, and concentration and a finish that just won't quit.Earthy darr, black truffle layers add to the complexity of the wine. I had the impression that this wine could be held for decades longer as it drank like a "puppy". I'm going all out on this one ...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2004 - phenricsson wrote: 92 Points
With Bill Spohn.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment