Still great fruit and deep red garnet colour. Tar and smoky back palate. Mineral driven red fruit. Mocha and burnt dark chocolate. Elegant. Structure still good and in balance with the fruit. Long and complex. Drinking now but this is still alive and kicking, will last forever.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Impressive Smokey dark fruit. Great sweetness. Lovely silky and round in the mouth. A little shy on the nose and showing it’s age but still really nice. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP. Another bottle with slight hints of TCA and never went away, mild enough that’s drinkable. Excellent acidity to keep this really lively, good concentration and length. In its prime now and really no hurry to consume the rest of the case.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted a little dusty at first, but I was feeling confident that it would clean up given the deep purple color and beautiful aromatics. After an hour or so it was singing and so fresh -- perfectly mature and smooth as silk, with plenty of sweet dark fruit and bright acidity. So elegant and layered, this exceeded my expectations for sure. The ullage on this bottle was very good given the age, so perhaps that helped my good luck with this one...
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
50th Birthday Bash - night #2: Of the bottles of '66 wines I had this weekend, I rank them as follows: 1) Palmer 2) Latour 3) Haut Brion. The Haut Brion was the most mature of the three. Still a wonderful wine full of road tar, tobacco, cigar smoke, and black fruit.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Heidi's Redux at local fav STG. CV, BE,KB,DD,LI & JG. Kevin's btl. I think I had a tendency to feel a little disappointed here because the wine wasn't "other worldly" like a few other 60s Bdx my buddies lucked into from a a quiet local cellar sell off. This btl was not from that cellar and I assume sourced relatively recently by Kevin online? So, once I came to grips with this not being a 100+ wine I warmed up to its nuanced, balanced and terroir true aromas & flavors. This was fresh & quite enjoyable.\ In the end, a very very nice '66 that we were lucky to drink. Bravo!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Heidi's Gang: Seriously Folks (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color with a 5mm transition to clear. Double decanted for 30 minutes and recorked. I love the nose with all the classic Pessac notes; filled with cigar and tobacco notes, scorched earth, truffle, and dark brooding fruits. The palate is similar with the smoke, tobacco, tar, cigar ash, truffle, cassis, black plum and dark berries, full bodied and there's still tannin providing structure. This was a little savory too. The color and depth was impressive for the age. I really enjoyed this as I think most did. 93pts or better for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hard to rate. Ullage was not good, maybe 7 cm. Original cork and plenty signs of seepage. At first I thought, no good. Then I kept it around and started coming back for more until the bottle was gone. Tons of musty cigar box, leather, tabaco elements. The fruit was completely gone. Weirdly, enjoyable and if there was more fruit left it would be a lot better. Hope the next bottle has some of the black fruit.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slightly past full maturity, the wine is medium-bodied and focused on its secondary notes of burning wood, tar, spice, leather, tobacco, cigar box, and currants. Soft, dusty, and smoky on the palate with notes of currants and cherries on the backend. This is not a wine to hold for future development. Drink from 2923-2026.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The fill wasn't great and so I was a bit skeptical but I've had this bottle a number of times including a half bottle maybe a few months ago that turned out to be great. Alas this one was not to be. Never came around.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
[Blind] Stunningly youthful. Obviously Bordeaux on the nose with a wallop of blue and black fruit, but more like an ‘86 or something with youth, power, and structure. Great detail of red cedar spice and forest floor. A certain lushness and exoticism made me guess Mouton first, and then Haut Brion for the red cedar. Subtle smoke. Gorgeous fruit. Still has a green edge, stems, bell pepper, cracked black pepper. Earthy, loamy soil. Great.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Boxing day wines at Empire: Probably the most divisive wine of the dinner, there wasn't a consensus on the nose and palate. I belonged to the camp who didn't like the nose as it was a little old and musty with mushroom notes (some did love it though), but I absolutely loved the palate on this. Silky, dark red fruit that was so young and pure, would have thought this came from the 1980s. Had the aristocratic, understated elegance that was very similar to the 1996 I tried the other day. My WOTN.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A real privilege to drink the first growth at over 50 years of age. The shocking amount of fruit and color is still intact. Strong cigar box on the nose and plenty of red fruits on the palate. Hard to judge for me as I don't have so much experience with wines of this age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A disappointing bottle of this otherwise outstanding wine. The cork didn't for a convincing seal as it was quite loose. The fill level was decent at top shoulder. Decanted shortly before serving but didn't hold up. The oxidative character rapidly came through. Will drink remaining bottle in near future.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
No flaws, just soft and elegant with lovely notes of forest floor and earth. Not much fruit left, but was surprised how vibrant the color was still. Such fun to experiment with a true classic.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Received as a gift, unknown how well stored before 2000. Nose was slightly sulfurous, and forest floor. Was smooth on the palate with no tannins and a hint of fruit. An honor to have the opportunity to drink and a pleasant conclusion to the evening.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Charleston VI; 11/3/2021-11/7/2021 (Charleston, SC (various locations)): Ok - flawed may be going a bit far, but this definitely wasn't quite right. When it poured it was very musty and in the glass that would kindof blow off and it would be.... fine.... HB in my experience is almost never just 'fine' and the '66 is usually very good. So perhaps some suboptimal storage in it's life span (bought from auction) or a not quite there bottle. Pity. We haven't popped one of these in a few years and I was excited to try again.
Although stored properly from acquisition shortly after release until consumed, Cork was flawed. Some blew off, but there was enough residual to impact the pure enjoyment of a truly great wine from a good vintage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slight hints of TCA and never went away. Underwhelmed on the palate too, a touch thin initially, put on a little bit of weight over 3 hours but never did reach previous height, disappointing bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Surprisingly dark. Medium ruby with lightening only toward the outer edge. Started out nice but deteriorated rather quickly. Nose right out the gate was still powerful and holding on to a bit of liveliness. Complex mature bouquet of mushroom and earth scents, tobacco, bright red fruit (cherries) still with a lift, smoke and ash, old leather bound books with moldy paper. Over time , as some of the Unami and earthy notes blew off, this went from exotic to classy before declining in intensity after an hour. The palate was light to medium weight and incredibly smooth but still holds a bit of acidity that I think is evident in the still slight streak of fresh fruit in the nose. Smoked wood chips and darker fruits (maybe some tar) dominate the somewhat lacking palate. DRINK NOW. 92+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Unsmoked cigar, warm earth, and old leather dominate the attack and with 15 minutes of air a lovely sweet dark fruit profile emerges, lingering for another 15 minutes until reverting to its empyreumatic base. Very Haut Brion but if this (high fill) bottle is representative it may be best to drink soon.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle came from a good collection, but the fill was on the low side and the cork was slightly depressed so our expectations were modest. Cork came out cleanly, and I decanted carefully off sediment. At first there was a slight note of madeirization, and I thought maybe 15 to 20 minutes of air could help that dissipate. The decanter smelled much better when I poured for the table (Riedel vinum Bordeaux stems), noting the extremely deep color, like old blood, and saturation nearly to the rim. On the nose, dark berry fruit was still very much in evidence, along with the tobacco leaf and mushroomy notes you'd expect. It didn't have ton of Haut Brion character, and had one toe in non-fortified port. In the mouth, there was a noteable lack of concentration through the mid-palate, which improved when sipped along with the rich leg of lamb we were eating. I think we hit the window on this bottle just right, as it began to move pretty quickly towards coffee notes. We got its best 30 minutes, though! Overall, a bottle more enjoyable intellectually and emotionally (a birth year bottle for one of our guests who had never had anything from 1966) than it was delicious. Though 1966 has never been considered a great year, it's one we've come to appreciate, and this bottle was not really representative. Still, I love to drink old claret, and even less than great bottles can be a lot of fun.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured out of the bottle and was a little thin and austere, but then after 15 minutes in the glass it took off and was silky, elegant, perfumy with sous-bois, pot pouri, leather chair, pine tree sent, really lovely. Fine resolved tannins, silky, good mid-palate, fairly long finish. At Hiro's backyard.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fantastic nose with red berries, sweet Tobacco, leather, cigarbox, very Classic bdx. On the palate near perfect structure with firm elegance, nice red berries, leather and incredible length, Grand Vin!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle had a low fill and depressed cork so I did not have high hopes. That said, it was much better to drink than my last bottle, and really lovely. It was dark garnet, with almost no bricking, still had some fruit, good tannin and a long finish. Really terrific.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black fruit and brambles with wet earth and forest floor flavors. Very similar flavor profile to the 67 Latour which was paired with it. Long and elegant. Lovely wine. I have had this wine numerous times and it never disappoints.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Family dinner at Italian restaurant. Drinking great again just not as good as previous bottle. Heavy tobacco on the nose, somewhat tannic surprisingly, good acidity level, with burnt cigars and savory finish. No sign of fading over 2 hours dinner, went really well with Florentine T-bone steak. 2/12.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
quite a bit less bricking than I would have expected for a 53 year old wine. Is it the real deal, I wonder? Still, it had shoulder-level fill and nose is in any case fun, with blue and black berries and telltale hints of green pepper. After about half an hour, it settles and does not change at all after that in the nose or the palate just intensifies and the taste will follow me in all next day. Has a slightly glossy surface, with bright fruit, mushroom, a little green pepper and a backbone of cedar. On the finish, which gains length with air, there is a distinctive combination of sweet tannins and spice, the distinctive classicism of which reminds me of other 1st- growth Bordeaux. So perhaps the real deal.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Funky nose, mushroom, turned leaves, lead pencil. Mature, not exceptionally lively though sports nice freshness. Very even on the palate, plenty of freshness on top, fruit is mature, giving rise to some iodine, and feather lite heat. With time, the funk and heat did dissipate, leaving some faint soil and light red fruit. Bottle had a great fill, though thought this was slightly past peak and not quite up to its billing.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lunch at Wah Lok. The case came in from London last month, finally got an opportunity to open one today. Heavy tobaccos on the nose so typical of a matured HB. Very clean on the nose. Sweet and smooth on the entry. Fine tannins. Previous taster was correct, this tasted so young. In blind tasting I would have guessed as a ‘89 or ‘90 HB. Vibrant acidity and no sign of fading over 2 hours lunch. This is going to last forever. Long may you run! Marvelous wine, so pure and elegant.
If this was served blind, no way would I think over 50 years old. Still lots of dark red and even purple hues. Classic bordeaux notes that hit you immediately. Sadly this was tried in a small quantity so I couldn't savour properly, but all around me loved it also. I felt a step up from the 1966 Misson Haut Brion. Tried at SW Open house.
Drink now to 2040+ (could it last 100 years... Possibly!)
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Route 66 - Bordeaux Exploration (Vaucluse Townhouse): Graves A: Another wine that belies it's age. If I hadn't know the vintage at least for the wines I would likely have guessed much younger. Suspect this had some great storage as I have had this wine before and the age was a lot more apparent. This as a result started off pretty closed and tight. Over the course of the night it opened up quite a bit. Again some of the more dark fruit flavors. Some more cigar and tobacco. A hint of saddle. Really lovely wine with a long life ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bern's dinner - ullage into neck; wet cork; PnP; great color, no bricking, good on opening, kept improving over the next 4 hours; Beautiful nose, amazingly bright and youthful for its age, cedar, leather, very well balanced, good length. Just a wonderful bottle at a great restaurant. 96+
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Last bottle from restaurant cellar. Low shoulder, cork fully soaked, so expectations were not high. But goodness what a wine. Just pessac from an outstanding terroir matured to perfection. Not the strongest of wines, obviously, but what an elegance, subtle power around silky tannins and outstanding length, all in discretion. Still notes of licorice and mint, of course forest floor, tar and tobacco, but also remains of dark berries and plums. A majestic wine with still some way to go.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP -- Deep crimson with not a hint of bricking. Little sediment. Cedar, camphor, tobacco and earth nose. As this opened in the glass. more fruit emerged -- blackberries and currants with some smoked cherry. This wine was complex and delicate. The finish went on for a couple of minutes. The cedar & tobacco notes were an integrating line throughout the tasting and gave gravity to a surprisingly rich and youthful wine. Hard to believe, but this 52 year old had perhaps another 10 years in it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
11th of 12, decanted an hour, saturated cork, level c. 1 cm down - light garnet, brown rim; some violet, cassis and bramble but largely eclipsed by tobacco, road tar, earth and chocolate with a hint of spice and truffle light VA lift; medium, very slightly angular (as befits a 66), wonderful length, persistence, harmony, grace and sheer class, with just enough VA to lift the flavours, no rush needed to drink but hard to imagine it getting better, though the last glass was the best. VFI (19.5)…...edged a nigh on faultless and potentially better 98, a propos, a touch more VA, largely (and IMO wrongly) eliminated in modern wine making, would benefit this 98 wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ahhhh - lovely old Bordeaux. Not perhaps my favorite of the night (the 64 Ausone was rocking by the end), but a great showing. Lots of tobacco and cigar notes. Definitely in the secondary characteristic stage, but I like that. It also needed some time to open up. Perhaps should have done a decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
did not see this coming... I didn't have proper glasses or decanter, so wine was served as is and that wasn't very good. Next day, in a better suited glass, the wine revealed everything it had hidden the previous day: deep color with minimal browning, classic cigar box nose and earth. still tannins present, of excellent quality. Gives the wine great support and length. Classic Graves. drink over next 3-5 years
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Much better on the nose, with its wonderful, smoke, tobacco, cigar box, wet forest floor and cherry pipe tobacco filled nose, than on the light, slightly rustic palate. There was a discernible green note in the finish, that took away from the earthy, red fruits. Fully mature, there is no reason to hold this any longer.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This had an OMG bouquet-- the quintessence of Graves, with huge notes of scorched earth, cigarbox, smoke, cinder, and a touch of soy sauce. The palate couldn't quite match that amazing bouquet, but it still shows good fruit in a silky, seamless package. Showed a touch tart after the champagne flight, but when I tried it a bit later with food, the fruit was much better. Smooth, resolved, integrated, with that amazing nose. A real treat.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I's 50th (The Medlar, London): Mid ruby core to mid garnet at the rim. Lovely nose, classic Graves, all tobacco, pencil lead and some dusty blackcurrant leaf. Obviously fully resolved and very smooth on the palate. This is in excellent condition. Bright, a core of fruit, mid-weight and a long and very precise line on the finish. Superb. *****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1966 Château Haut Brion: Current Retail ~$800 (?). Whoa. That nose. Whoa. Blackberry and blueberry with earth and a touch of funk. On the palate this is heavenly. I am biased by the year, but this is a phenomenal wine. Rich, silky, all in concert. Whoa. The finish? I was worried about analyzing it as the wine was fading by the second, but I wanted to relish in that finish that lasted close to five minutes. Whoa. Times 66. I tried to objectively assess this wine without the obvious sentimental value attached to it. Still? Incredible does not begin to describe it. I guess this is the time to try this wine and this is why people search out “birthday wines.” 98-100 Points. Best wine I have ever had??? thedrunkencyclist.com
Haut-Brion vertical tasting (and a bit of La Mission Haut-Brion) (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): A light/medium ruby color, the lightest of all of the wines in this vertical tasting. A beautiful floral nose. Black currant, bacon, truffle, graphite, cigar tobacco, eucalyptus, and earth. Really enjoyed the elegant mouthfeel, but a bit weak in the mid-palate. Light on its feet. Tannins well-integrated. Lost a bit of steam throughout the evening, but it started out as one of the strongest wines tonight. A memorable finish with nice acidity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I was expecting disappointment in view of the mid-shoulder level but the wine was much better than I feared though not what it ideally should have been and less flawless than the Sociando-Mallet '96 which preceded. Colour still quite deep red with a little bricking at the rim. Nose subdued and musty at first but mature fruit and secondary aromas then came up. Palate was medium+ bodied and complex with with fresh acidity and some spice added to the mature fruit and forest floor and the finish was long with still enough firmness but it never completely threw off a certain musty dustiness which must be due to the ullage. Fascinating experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wonderful, beautiful, thank god I love wine kind of wine. 4 hours open and only then did it come together, showing a crackling forest and wet tobacco leaf and earth nose, so compelling and pure, such pungency. Whatever fruit there is here is deep and blackly pitched, and darkly beautiful. This wine goes on for miles, with detail and energy throughout. A treasure and a privilege at this age. The greatest of many great wines on the table on this night.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
BYO Dinner (Tocqueville): Red cedar, currant fruit, plenty of Haut-Brion spice, tertiary. Some scorched earth, ashy. Palate has fully ripe fruit still, slow burning finish. Still plenty of energy and grip here. Smoked red and black fruit, charcoal. An ominous and impressive Haut-Brion, really intriguing, advanced and tertiary.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
First of 12 from an OWC. Great level for 50 yrs old. Still quite dark like HB from 80s. Immediately open upon first pour. Immediate cigar box and dark, tarry fruit. Classic HB! Definitely some quite "advanced" forest floor aromas and a touch of green peppers but all in a good way! Mid-weight on the palate as it should be. Superb balance and freshness. 30s+ length of complex secondary and tertiary fruit, leather and T'n'A. Incredible stuff at 50. Holding up better than my 50 year old friend (just kidding)...
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was my first 1st Growth and it was great, opened the bottle and let it sit for 15-20, then another 15 in the glass. Really opened up then and was drinking great. Consumed over 4 hours. Went through a short funky period around 2 hours. This still seems to have life left, but I'm not astute enough to tell how many more years.
Best bottle of this wine I've had. Started out with leather, earth. Fruit really came around with a couple of hours of air. Gained depth on the palate as well. Long finish. Great bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Our third time tasting this wine over the last few years and by far the best showing: cork in great condition, high fill level, garnet red color with minimal browning. Tanins are fully resolved as you would expect, but aromas are still held tight together allowing for subtle aromas to develop in bottle: great earthy character, cigar box, very evolved prune... beautiful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Eye opening smokey aromas including bacon and tobacco leaves. With time, also some green peppers. Wonderful and rich on the palate. Very very youthful. I would even guess same age as the 85 Margaux. Superb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine continues to be awesome. Bold aromas of smoke, tobacco leaves, a hint of game, and some mild bell pepper. On the palate, this was powerful and deep, displaying dark fruit and smoke and earth tones.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle came from a lot with questionable provenance and less than ideal storage condition. The ullage was very large, beyond he low shoulder range. HB has a different style of bottles so the standard ullage description does not apply but my guess is that the wine is missing 5 to 6 ounces. Upon pouring, the wine had a very complex bouquet. It is deep, mushroom like and with a dusty and stony characteristic. The color is still very dark and bright with only the edge showing a warm glow. It is not at all browning considering the age and the provenance. On the palate the wine showed a smokey, dusty complexity with a stony and baked rock type of flavors. The fruit is still there. It is a great and complex bottle of old wine with a hint of baked and cooked aspect that I would rather do without but that did not detract this wine from being immensely pleasure giving.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine Tasted at Acker Auction (Riverpark - New York, NY): Small pour, brief note. Black cherry with sauteed mushroom, a bit of cedar and spice. Very elegant and balanced. Fresh for its age. Consistent with prior good bottles. Holding very well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dusty earthy leather, dry tobacco, dried red stone fruits. In nice shape and drink well. Mature and likely on slow down slope, forest floor, full of tobacco and wet soil. Gravelly edge. Soft, smooth, although slightly rustic with an iron ore finish. Drink up, but holding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rich and vibrant color. Tobacco, chocolate, coffee, smoke and sweet dark fruit on the nose. This carried through to the palate which was perfectly balanced and wonderfully detailed. Over the three hours this had some ups and downs, but over all developed nicely with more sweet dark fruit and banana oil. Very plush with nice depth. A treat.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Haut Brion Tasting 1918-1999 (Oslo): Decent fruit, but a bit thin, some odors that could resemble TCA, but they remained for several hours, so this was probably not a cork issue.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of cedar, crushed blackberry, leather, with some chocolate and coffee; elegant and textured with near perfect balance; soft perfectly integrated sweet blackberry and slight cherry supported by the perfect compliment of sweet tannins and underlying acidity; outstanding. Stood out completely from 66 Ducru and 66 Ausone. Blind tasting dinner at Harrion's, Tiverton.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle was filled very low shoulder. In the bouquet barnyard, rust, tea, cold coffee and celery. On the palate a somewhat sweet start followed by tea, celery, rust, chocolate, iodine and blood. High acidity. Develops at high speed in the glass. This clearly bad kept bottle was over the hill, but still drinkable. No score.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another perfect bottle, and this was really singing tonight. Same earthy nose with truffles and herbs. On the palate, the deep earthy notes you have come to expect from that wine, beguiling sweetness that seems to defy age, coffee, underwood. Wow.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
09 November 2013 - Vertical tasting of the 2000 , 1995 , 1966 and 1953 vintages at a dinner with friends . All great wines- starting with the 2000 which was wonderful , powerful but clearly has a long way to go to reach it's full potential ( will come back to this in another 5 years ) . 1995 was by general consensus the least preferred of the vintages - dark red in colour and slightly acidic at first , opened up after a couple of hours but lacked the length of the other vintages . 1966 magnum with a crusty cork but only faint shades of bricking - very fresh with good length . Got better and better after 3 to 4 hours . Only bottle of this - pity . 1953 was just superb - first of two bottles purchased for 60th birthday celebrations and it exceeded all expectations . Brick in colour but a depth and length which just went on and on . Was apprehensive that it might die quickly but 2 hours later still showing beautifully . Looking or ward to the 2nd bottle before the new year . Quite a night .
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Served blind to tasting group. Very good fill (~2 cm ullage). Open approx 30 minutes before serving. Very finessed start with lingering black fruit, meaty spice and aromas of cooked mushroom. Similar on palate with good balance with remaining structural elements helping provide texture and nuance. Kept getting better over the course of several hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Birthday/Going Away Dinner (Chicago, IL): Opened (not decanted) and followed for roughly 4 hours. Started off a little lean, musty and showing its acidity, but after an hour it really began to flesh out and shine. Aromas of red currant and cranberry with dried rose petal, cedar and dried tobacco leaves. Medium body with a medium plus finish. Fantastic balance and showing good power for its age. A really great showing and only got better as the night progressed.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wonderful bottle. Showing classic notes of earth smoke tobacco leather and some mushroom, followed by the most refined smooth palate. Fully mature but yet amazingly youthful - deep ruby with just a hint of edge browning. I took a chance on this bottle as the ullage was on the low side, but this was simply marvelous.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
this was simply splendid; tertiary notes of evolved dark fruit including black currants along with some leather, spice, cinnamon and smoke; very little sign of aging evidenced by the slightly browning edges; this represents what most would want from a mature wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another wine dinner at my home... crazy line up. Blind as always. I opened the 2005 Lucien Le Moine Echezaux and 2006 Perrot-Minot Charmes - Chambertin, Michael opened the 2001 Louis Jadot Corton - Pougets They were are fantastic in flavour, richness, intensity But when we tasted bottle #4....
Balanced, silky, youthful, dark red on the edges, currents, berries, hint of leather, fully intergated tanins and acidity. We guessed everything correctly, but I thought it was a 95 or 96 vintage. Only off by 30 years! Unbelievable, This is the new benchmark for great wines. Words do not do this wine justice. It was such a treat to have this wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Los Angeles "Bucket List" Offline (Los Angeles, California): Quintessential Graves nose: smoke, cigar tobacco, gravel, iron, forest floor, and dark fruits. Tertiary notes abound on the palate alongside black cherry and moderate acidity. The balance is flawless, and the mouthfeel is truly that of an iron fist in a velvet glove.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bel Air Bacchanal (Los Angeles, California): After nearly a half century of evolution, the tertiary, secondary, and primary features are in perfect harmony. Cigar smoke, leather, tobacco, mushroom, and the fermentation of decaying leaves explode from the glass, each waft revealing a novel nuance. With the fine tannins nearly resolved, the flawlessly smooth and finessed palate is pure elegance: black cherries, medium-plus acidity, and earthiness. Lightness of touch is the perfect foil for such great breadth and quiet power, all reinforced by quaint tannins on the immeasurable finish. Just divine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
An intoxicating bouquet of smoke, earth, mushroom, and leather, with a hint of fruit. Gorgeous and silky smooth on the palate with a medium-length finish. The best Haut-Brion and indeed one of the best reds I've tasted to date. Exquisite.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A spectacular fragrance right away with that vivid Haut-Brion smokiness, gravel, charcoal, and mature fruit, leather and cedary elements coming together into a scent that's hard to move away from. This is perfectly mature and in that phase where the taste just echoes the aromas; utterly seamless on the palate with amazing finesse and polish and stunning length.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A decent cork for a change after a run of horrors. Decanted and drunk over the next 4 hours or so. The color of this wine is astonishing- a translucent nebbiolo-style ruby with barely a hint of bricking. The nose immediately reminds me of a 79 Haut-Brion I had, with a complex blend of bitumen and burning embers, combined with a hint of eucalyptus. Where this differs from the 79 is that it still has fruit left- a delicious aroma of maraschino cherry.
In the mouth it's quite tart, lean and still fairly tannic with a longish finish. By comparison to, say, a recent medoc '66, it is far more austere. An intellectual wine, but not a sumptuous one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine opened up over the course of 2-3 hours as initially it was very lean and cool but started to develop red cherry, earth and spice that get picked up with the long acidity. Although the flavors are all there, they are a bit on the weakside as I can imagine 10+ years ago they came out in full force.. at the moment they are a bit weak. A softness to the texture as the tannins have resolved.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice well matured Bordeaux, slight VA that blew mostly off by an hour, got all the Haut Brion cigar box nose, decently powerful palate, but served along side the 45, this bottle surprisingly seems more tired than it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great color, bright with little sign of age. Some initial funk on the nose which blew off after 15 mins. A palate of dark dried fruits, with hints of cedar and coffee. Nice texture and persistence on the finish. A really nice bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured at my 40th, Balzac, December 2010. Level 4cm from cork. Cork in good condition and came out whole but wet to within a few millimetres of the top. Colour clear ruby red with amber tinges at the edges. Typically earthy, leathery Haut Brion nose with spice and savoury (almost meaty) notes. Palate faded quickly over 2-3 hours, but initially luscious red fruit and truffly, smoky multilayered midpalate with some residual silky tannins on the finish. Sadly, the fruit faded by 3 hours leaving a relatively unbalanced wine for those who got to it late. I didn't!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
What can I say. Amazing. In a blind tasting I had a change to compare the 1966 vs. 1955 and while the 55 was truly a great wine the 66 blew me away. It was velvety on the palette and young to the nose with ripe fruit. The balance was perfect with a strong sense of cherry and chocolate on the finish that seemed to last forever.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Geoff Lindsay's 50th: Close to WOTN but sentimental points awarded to the 3110 saw it pipped at the post. Green herbal fruits on the nose but full of stuffing. Pepper too. Similar to taste; very complete and linear. Sweet herbal fruits are a nice touch.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux North to South (My house): Fill: 4.5 cm below cork. Some smoke and earth on the nose; fruit is lacking, and not particularly interesting. In fact, I did find it a tad oxidized.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From Magnum, absolutely stellar, smelled like a cedar lined closet after opening and evolved over the evening into one of the most ethereal wine experiences of my life. This was a Monsieur Henri selection bottling and the cork was in pristine condition, it defined the intrigue of collecting Bordeaux and wine in general, by the end of the Mag (drank with 3 people in total) we were saturated from the aromatics and flavors of this bottle. At one point the aromatics were thick enough that you could feel their texture in your nostrils, if I have one resolution, by more Mags of great wine and drink them with friends!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow...what a treat. Dad brought this over for the birth of my son. 44 years old and barely any bricking. Not much on the nose but the palate was still explosive. A real special bottle of wine and enjoyed by all.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Open decanting the wine the first thing I noticed was the a cloudiness which did not seem to disapate. The color still had a redish tinge but could be best described as hazel. One could pick up strong hints of oak and cork on the nose which softened to include dried apricots, prunes and raison. I feared that the cloudiness and hints of oak on the nose would lead to a disapointing taste but I was pleased to taste rich caramel tones, milk chocolate, rich earth and dried fruit. The finish was refined and pleasant with a rich port like flavor. I was so pleased that this great wine had held its character this long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A really great bottle. Decanted and poured. Amazingly rich color. Deep cedar, ash and black fruit on the palate. The perfect structure--assertive but flexible and approachable. This bottle could have cellared for at least 5 more years with little change.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Powerful, mature black fruit with anise and well cooked mushrooms. Slightly compact to start, then lengthened into a wonderful wine after open 30+ minutes. Started showing less fruit and more earth at the 2 hour mark.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine was opened on March 8, 2008. The cork was wet almost to top and came out in one solid piece. The wine when first opened was very dark brown, slightly brackish in color. However, after being decanted and opened for 45 minutes the wine turned a rich burgundy color. As would be expected with a wine of this age there were very little tannins. The aromas were full of dried fruits and dark berries. On the finish of the wine there were some definite coffee notes as well. If you have the wine I would say drink it but it could still cellar for at least 15 more years. A truely great bottle of wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1989 vs 1990 Bordeaux: Unfortunately this bottle was flawed. It could have been great. Lots of VA and some oxidation or maderization. Hideing under that was some nice fruit. The VA blew off somewhat with air but was still present.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Premier Cru bottle. Actually very nice and better that the previous bottle. Drunk along side the '66 Latour at Marks Las Olas, which was obviously the bigger wine. The HB is still hanging on though, and except for a bit of excess acidity, it's well balanced, medium weight and true to its origin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just about what I expected from a this 40 year old HB from a recent purchase from Premier Cru in outstanding condition. Perfect color for age; beautiful deep garnet with an orange rim. Delicate on the nose, but it's classical Graves with the traditional smell of cedar and smoke. Soft and elegant on the palate and, although the tannins have melted away, the firm acidity keeps it fresh. The modest mid-palate and finish show me this is probably past its best. Still, very nice old Bordeaux that's gently fading.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Sydney 1st Growth Bordeaux/Grand Cru Burgundy Dinner (Marque Restaurant): This was an amazing colour, with only the slightest hints of brown around the edges. Complex nose of pencil shavings, blueberry, soap, liquorice, smoke, mushrooms and earth. The palate is all class, you can still just feel the tannins propping up the structure of the wine but they are integrated almost perfectly and the mouth-feel is silky smooth. It was wonderful, stunning and superb; roll out all the superlatives for this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My uncle plucked this out of his father-in-law's cellar, if you want to call it a "cellar". He said that it was almost certainly fried at some point over the years, but why not give it a run just in case?
Unfortunately, this was just a shell with no fruit. Metallic, with perhaps a faint hint of coffee, but like I said, no fruit. Too bad.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mike’s bottle. Old color. Very strange horsey smell. Not exactly madeirized but seems 10 years past its best. Some identifiable Haut-Brion character without the usual elegance. Unbalanced. Unclean. Not enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Historic note. An old note but a wonderful wine - my best of the '66 vintage. Cassis, minerals, tobacco, earth - it had the lot. Soft and lovely rather than powerful. One of the most elegant wines I have ever drunk - a seamless wine, with great balance and poise. It lasted for 3 hours in the decanter. Superb and probably would still be great. I see from my handwritten notes that the following week I had a 1971 Richebourg. Why does that never happen anymore...?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
67 Wines and Liquors bottle 12/1980. Very disappointing. Very deep color, no brown. Looks promising but it’s not fulfilled. Minimal aroma. No elegance on nose or palate. Despite not being overly tannic it’s much too dense. Unpleasant acidic finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
3/30/2024 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Still great fruit and deep red garnet colour. Tar and smoky back palate. Mineral driven red fruit. Mocha and burnt dark chocolate. Elegant. Structure still good and in balance with the fruit. Long and complex. Drinking now but this is still alive and kicking, will last forever.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2024 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Impressive Smokey dark fruit. Great sweetness. Lovely silky and round in the mouth. A little shy on the nose and showing it’s age but still really nice. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2024 - RayOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank in London
Alive and kicking, deep rich tar and forest floor.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/2024 - pclin wrote:
PnP. Another bottle with slight hints of TCA and never went away, mild enough that’s drinkable. Excellent acidity to keep this really lively, good concentration and length. In its prime now and really no hurry to consume the rest of the case.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2024 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted a little dusty at first, but I was feeling confident that it would clean up given the deep purple color and beautiful aromatics. After an hour or so it was singing and so fresh -- perfectly mature and smooth as silk, with plenty of sweet dark fruit and bright acidity. So elegant and layered, this exceeded my expectations for sure. The ullage on this bottle was very good given the age, so perhaps that helped my good luck with this one...
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2023 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Mature; light cedar; some berry; earth; light finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2023 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:
50th Birthday Bash - night #2: Of the bottles of '66 wines I had this weekend, I rank them as follows: 1) Palmer 2) Latour 3) Haut Brion. The Haut Brion was the most mature of the three. Still a wonderful wine full of road tar, tobacco, cigar smoke, and black fruit.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2023 - chablis28 wrote: 94 Points
Heidi's Redux at local fav STG. CV, BE,KB,DD,LI & JG. Kevin's btl. I think I had a tendency to feel a little disappointed here because the wine wasn't "other worldly" like a few other 60s Bdx my buddies lucked into from a a quiet local cellar sell off. This btl was not from that cellar and I assume sourced relatively recently by Kevin online? So, once I came to grips with this not being a 100+ wine I warmed up to its nuanced, balanced and terroir true aromas & flavors. This was fresh & quite enjoyable.\ In the end, a very very nice '66 that we were lucky to drink. Bravo!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2023 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Heidi's Gang: Seriously Folks (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color with a 5mm transition to clear. Double decanted for 30 minutes and recorked. I love the nose with all the classic Pessac notes; filled with cigar and tobacco notes, scorched earth, truffle, and dark brooding fruits. The palate is similar with the smoke, tobacco, tar, cigar ash, truffle, cassis, black plum and dark berries, full bodied and there's still tannin providing structure. This was a little savory too. The color and depth was impressive for the age. I really enjoyed this as I think most did. 93pts or better for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2023 - VINNICK Likes this wine: 90 Points
Hard to rate. Ullage was not good, maybe 7 cm. Original cork and plenty signs of seepage. At first I thought, no good. Then I kept it around and started coming back for more until the bottle was gone. Tons of musty cigar box, leather, tabaco elements. The fruit was completely gone. Weirdly, enjoyable and if there was more fruit left it would be a lot better. Hope the next bottle has some of the black fruit.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 88 Points
Slightly past full maturity, the wine is medium-bodied and focused on its secondary notes of burning wood, tar, spice, leather, tobacco, cigar box, and currants. Soft, dusty, and smoky on the palate with notes of currants and cherries on the backend. This is not a wine to hold for future development. Drink from 2923-2026.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/2/2023 - JPadilla3 Likes this wine: 85 Points
Nice color, deep purple. Light nose. Lacked structure. Perhaps it’s the age or just the bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2023 - MC2 Wines wrote: flawed
The fill wasn't great and so I was a bit skeptical but I've had this bottle a number of times including a half bottle maybe a few months ago that turned out to be great. Alas this one was not to be. Never came around.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
[Blind] Stunningly youthful. Obviously Bordeaux on the nose with a wallop of blue and black fruit, but more like an ‘86 or something with youth, power, and structure. Great detail of red cedar spice and forest floor. A certain lushness and exoticism made me guess Mouton first, and then Haut Brion for the red cedar. Subtle smoke. Gorgeous fruit. Still has a green edge, stems, bell pepper, cracked black pepper. Earthy, loamy soil. Great.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2022 - melvinyeowq wrote: 95 Points
Boxing day wines at Empire: Probably the most divisive wine of the dinner, there wasn't a consensus on the nose and palate. I belonged to the camp who didn't like the nose as it was a little old and musty with mushroom notes (some did love it though), but I absolutely loved the palate on this. Silky, dark red fruit that was so young and pure, would have thought this came from the 1980s. Had the aristocratic, understated elegance that was very similar to the 1996 I tried the other day. My WOTN.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2022 - Dibbs Likes this wine:
A real privilege to drink the first growth at over 50 years of age. The shocking amount of fruit and color is still intact. Strong cigar box on the nose and plenty of red fruits on the palate. Hard to judge for me as I don't have so much experience with wines of this age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2022 - vagrantone wrote: flawed
A disappointing bottle of this otherwise outstanding wine.
The cork didn't for a convincing seal as it was quite loose.
The fill level was decent at top shoulder.
Decanted shortly before serving but didn't hold up. The oxidative character rapidly came through.
Will drink remaining bottle in near future.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mature; light cedar nose; lean sweet blackberry; light tannin; soft but with some texture; moderate finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2022 - Wine Kat Likes this wine: 89 Points
No flaws, just soft and elegant with lovely notes of forest floor and earth. Not much fruit left, but was surprised how vibrant the color was still. Such fun to experiment with a true classic.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 89 Points
Light earthy blackberry; soft tannin; mature; elegant.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/17/2021 - jongeld wrote: 88 Points
Received as a gift, unknown how well stored before 2000. Nose was slightly sulfurous, and forest floor. Was smooth on the palate with no tannins and a hint of fruit. An honor to have the opportunity to drink and a pleasant conclusion to the evening.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Wines Enjoyed at John Kapon's 50th Birthday Bash (The Pool - New York NY): Small glass, brief note. Second of two bottles tasted tonight. While fully mature, this bottle has so much going on - lingering black plum, black truffle, mushroom, smoked game and meaty spices. Very enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Wines Enjoyed at John Kapon's 50th Birthday Bash (The Pool - New York NY): Small glass, brief note. One of two bottles tasted tonight, this one was very tired and all earth.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2021 - S1 Likes this wine:
Chas Offlineorama VI, Another embarrassment of riches; 11/3/2021-11/7/2021 (Various locations): Mushroom, forest floor, Fruit mostly gone. Very pleasant, but not the best showing of HB, but still a wonderful experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2021 - MC2 Wines wrote: flawed
Charleston VI; 11/3/2021-11/7/2021 (Charleston, SC (various locations)): Ok - flawed may be going a bit far, but this definitely wasn't quite right. When it poured it was very musty and in the glass that would kindof blow off and it would be.... fine.... HB in my experience is almost never just 'fine' and the '66 is usually very good. So perhaps some suboptimal storage in it's life span (bought from auction) or a not quite there bottle. Pity. We haven't popped one of these in a few years and I was excited to try again.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
10/16/2021 - paulst Likes this wine: 96 Points
Delicate and elegant; smooth elegant blackberry and cedar; earthy balanced finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/25/2021 - jordanj Likes this wine: 93 Points
Much better and much more fresh than last bottle
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2021 - Wine_Bear wrote: flawed
Although stored properly from acquisition shortly after release until consumed, Cork was flawed. Some blew off, but there was enough residual to impact the pure enjoyment of a truly great wine from a good vintage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2020 - pclin wrote:
Slight hints of TCA and never went away. Underwhelmed on the palate too, a touch thin initially, put on a little bit of weight over 3 hours but never did reach previous height, disappointing bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2020 - jordanj wrote: 92 Points
Surprisingly dark. Medium ruby with lightening only toward the outer edge. Started out nice but deteriorated rather quickly. Nose right out the gate was still powerful and holding on to a bit of liveliness. Complex mature bouquet of mushroom and earth scents, tobacco, bright red fruit (cherries) still with a lift, smoke and ash, old leather bound books with moldy paper. Over time , as some of the Unami and earthy notes blew off, this went from exotic to classy before declining in intensity after an hour. The palate was light to medium weight and incredibly smooth but still holds a bit of acidity that I think is evident in the still slight streak of fresh fruit in the nose. Smoked wood chips and darker fruits (maybe some tar) dominate the somewhat lacking palate. DRINK NOW. 92+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2020 - G_H wrote: flawed
Corked unfortunately, but behind it showed that Haut Brion beauty
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/7/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Unsmoked cigar, warm earth, and old leather dominate the attack and with 15 minutes of air a lovely sweet dark fruit profile emerges, lingering for another 15 minutes until reverting to its empyreumatic base. Very Haut Brion but if this (high fill) bottle is representative it may be best to drink soon.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2020 - Blind Taste wrote: 97 Points
Perfectly stored recorked 20 years ago elegant sophisticated great balance beautiful old Bordeaux .
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2020 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tough nose of damp basement; velvety body; smooth and light with finesse and long elegant finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2020 - NYC_Maenad Likes this wine:
This bottle came from a good collection, but the fill was on the low side and the cork was slightly depressed so our expectations were modest. Cork came out cleanly, and I decanted carefully off sediment. At first there was a slight note of madeirization, and I thought maybe 15 to 20 minutes of air could help that dissipate. The decanter smelled much better when I poured for the table (Riedel vinum Bordeaux stems), noting the extremely deep color, like old blood, and saturation nearly to the rim. On the nose, dark berry fruit was still very much in evidence, along with the tobacco leaf and mushroomy notes you'd expect. It didn't have ton of Haut Brion character, and had one toe in non-fortified port. In the mouth, there was a noteable lack of concentration through the mid-palate, which improved when sipped along with the rich leg of lamb we were eating. I think we hit the window on this bottle just right, as it began to move pretty quickly towards coffee notes. We got its best 30 minutes, though! Overall, a bottle more enjoyable intellectually and emotionally (a birth year bottle for one of our guests who had never had anything from 1966) than it was delicious. Though 1966 has never been considered a great year, it's one we've come to appreciate, and this bottle was not really representative. Still, I love to drink old claret, and even less than great bottles can be a lot of fun.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2020 - peternelson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured out of the bottle and was a little thin and austere, but then after 15 minutes in the glass it took off and was silky, elegant, perfumy with sous-bois, pot pouri, leather chair, pine tree sent, really lovely. Fine resolved tannins, silky, good mid-palate, fairly long finish. At Hiro's backyard.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2020 - Wine by Bok wrote: 97 Points
“Awesome nose.”
more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2020 - Blauweiss Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fantastic nose with red berries, sweet Tobacco, leather, cigarbox, very Classic bdx.
On the palate near perfect structure with firm elegance, nice red berries, leather and incredible length, Grand Vin!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/20/2020 - ATL wrote:
This bottle had a low fill and depressed cork so I did not have high hopes. That said, it was much better to drink than my last bottle, and really lovely. It was dark garnet, with almost no bricking, still had some fruit, good tannin and a long finish. Really terrific.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/13/2019 - Boone's Farm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Black fruit and brambles with wet earth and forest floor flavors. Very similar flavor profile to the 67 Latour which was paired with it. Long and elegant. Lovely wine. I have had this wine numerous times and it never disappoints.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2019 - pclin wrote: 95 Points
Family dinner at Italian restaurant. Drinking great again just not as good as previous bottle. Heavy tobacco on the nose, somewhat tannic surprisingly, good acidity level, with burnt cigars and savory finish. No sign of fading over 2 hours dinner, went really well with Florentine T-bone steak. 2/12.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2019 - Forest Floor wrote: 93 Points
quite a bit less bricking than I would have expected for a 53 year old wine. Is it the real deal, I wonder? Still, it had shoulder-level fill and nose is in any case fun, with blue and black berries and telltale hints of green pepper. After about half an hour, it settles and does not change at all after that in the nose or the palate just intensifies and the taste will follow me in all next day. Has a slightly glossy surface, with bright fruit, mushroom, a little green pepper and a backbone of cedar. On the finish, which gains length with air, there is a distinctive combination of sweet tannins and spice, the distinctive classicism of which reminds me of other 1st- growth Bordeaux. So perhaps the real deal.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2019 - Robert Pavlovich wrote:
Funky nose, mushroom, turned leaves, lead pencil. Mature, not exceptionally lively though sports nice freshness. Very even on the palate, plenty of freshness on top, fruit is mature, giving rise to some iodine, and feather lite heat. With time, the funk and heat did dissipate, leaving some faint soil and light red fruit. Bottle had a great fill, though thought this was slightly past peak and not quite up to its billing.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2019 - pclin wrote: 97 Points
Lunch at Wah Lok. The case came in from London last month, finally got an opportunity to open one today. Heavy tobaccos on the nose so typical of a matured HB. Very clean on the nose. Sweet and smooth on the entry. Fine tannins. Previous taster was correct, this tasted so young. In blind tasting I would have guessed as a ‘89 or ‘90 HB. Vibrant acidity and no sign of fading over 2 hours lunch. This is going to last forever. Long may you run! Marvelous wine, so pure and elegant.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
6/15/2019 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 96 Points
If this was served blind, no way would I think over 50 years old. Still lots of dark red and even purple hues. Classic bordeaux notes that hit you immediately. Sadly this was tried in a small quantity so I couldn't savour properly, but all around me loved it also. I felt a step up from the 1966 Misson Haut Brion. Tried at SW Open house.
Drink now to 2040+ (could it last 100 years... Possibly!)
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/29/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Route 66 - Bordeaux Exploration (Vaucluse Townhouse): Graves A: Another wine that belies it's age. If I hadn't know the vintage at least for the wines I would likely have guessed much younger. Suspect this had some great storage as I have had this wine before and the age was a lot more apparent. This as a result started off pretty closed and tight. Over the course of the night it opened up quite a bit. Again some of the more dark fruit flavors. Some more cigar and tobacco. A hint of saddle. Really lovely wine with a long life ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2019 - Bigtuna Likes this wine: 96 Points
Bern's dinner - ullage into neck; wet cork; PnP; great color, no bricking, good on opening, kept improving over the next 4 hours; Beautiful nose, amazingly bright and youthful for its age, cedar, leather, very well balanced, good length. Just a wonderful bottle at a great restaurant. 96+
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2018 - Thong_Luu Likes this wine: 93 Points
Smokey, leathery, cherry, very smooth
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/11/2018 - Willi Vinotti Likes this wine: 95 Points
Last bottle from restaurant cellar. Low shoulder, cork fully soaked, so expectations were not high. But goodness what a wine. Just pessac from an outstanding terroir matured to perfection. Not the strongest of wines, obviously, but what an elegance, subtle power around silky tannins and outstanding length, all in discretion. Still notes of licorice and mint, of course forest floor, tar and tobacco, but also remains of dark berries and plums. A majestic wine with still some way to go.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2018 - PDavisMarble wrote: 95 Points
PnP -- Deep crimson with not a hint of bricking. Little sediment. Cedar, camphor, tobacco and earth nose. As this opened in the glass. more fruit emerged -- blackberries and currants with some smoked cherry. This wine was complex and delicate. The finish went on for a couple of minutes. The cedar & tobacco notes were an integrating line throughout the tasting and gave gravity to a surprisingly rich and youthful wine. Hard to believe, but this 52 year old had perhaps another 10 years in it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2018 - liber Likes this wine: 98 Points
11th of 12, decanted an hour, saturated cork, level c. 1 cm down - light garnet, brown rim; some violet, cassis and bramble but largely eclipsed by tobacco, road tar, earth and chocolate with a hint of spice and truffle light VA lift; medium, very slightly angular (as befits a 66), wonderful length, persistence, harmony, grace and sheer class, with just enough VA to lift the flavours, no rush needed to drink but hard to imagine it getting better, though the last glass was the best. VFI (19.5)…...edged a nigh on faultless and potentially better 98, a propos, a touch more VA, largely (and IMO wrongly) eliminated in modern wine making, would benefit this 98 wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2018 - MC wrote:
Cork spun out on opening. DOA
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Ahhhh - lovely old Bordeaux. Not perhaps my favorite of the night (the 64 Ausone was rocking by the end), but a great showing. Lots of tobacco and cigar notes. Definitely in the secondary characteristic stage, but I like that. It also needed some time to open up. Perhaps should have done a decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2018 - vagrantone Likes this wine: 93 Points
did not see this coming...
I didn't have proper glasses or decanter, so wine was served as is and that wasn't very good. Next day, in a better suited glass, the wine revealed everything it had hidden the previous day: deep color with minimal browning, classic cigar box nose and earth.
still tannins present, of excellent quality. Gives the wine great support and length. Classic Graves. drink over next 3-5 years
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Much better on the nose, with its wonderful, smoke, tobacco, cigar box, wet forest floor and cherry pipe tobacco filled nose, than on the light, slightly rustic palate. There was a discernible green note in the finish, that took away from the earthy, red fruits. Fully mature, there is no reason to hold this any longer.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/13/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 97 Points
Sweet blackberry with cedar and coffee; complex; sweet tannic finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/12/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sweet cedar; blackberry; long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/24/2017 - blanquito wrote: 93 Points
This had an OMG bouquet-- the quintessence of Graves, with huge notes of scorched earth, cigarbox, smoke, cinder, and a touch of soy sauce. The palate couldn't quite match that amazing bouquet, but it still shows good fruit in a silky, seamless package. Showed a touch tart after the champagne flight, but when I tried it a bit later with food, the fruit was much better. Smooth, resolved, integrated, with that amazing nose. A real treat.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2017 - SimonG wrote: 95 Points
I's 50th (The Medlar, London): Mid ruby core to mid garnet at the rim. Lovely nose, classic Graves, all tobacco, pencil lead and some dusty blackcurrant leaf. Obviously fully resolved and very smooth on the palate. This is in excellent condition. Bright, a core of fruit, mid-weight and a long and very precise line on the finish. Superb. *****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2016 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 99 Points
1966 Château Haut Brion: Current Retail ~$800 (?). Whoa. That nose. Whoa. Blackberry and blueberry with earth and a touch of funk. On the palate this is heavenly. I am biased by the year, but this is a phenomenal wine. Rich, silky, all in concert. Whoa. The finish? I was worried about analyzing it as the wine was fading by the second, but I wanted to relish in that finish that lasted close to five minutes. Whoa. Times 66. I tried to objectively assess this wine without the obvious sentimental value attached to it. Still? Incredible does not begin to describe it. I guess this is the time to try this wine and this is why people search out “birthday wines.” 98-100 Points. Best wine I have ever had??? thedrunkencyclist.com
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
11/24/2016 - paulst Likes this wine: 97 Points
Outstanding; fully integrated; cedar; going strong but time to drink; complex; sweet layered long elegant finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
Haut-Brion vertical tasting (and a bit of La Mission Haut-Brion) (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): A light/medium ruby color, the lightest of all of the wines in this vertical tasting. A beautiful floral nose. Black currant, bacon, truffle, graphite, cigar tobacco, eucalyptus, and earth. Really enjoyed the elegant mouthfeel, but a bit weak in the mid-palate. Light on its feet. Tannins well-integrated. Lost a bit of steam throughout the evening, but it started out as one of the strongest wines tonight. A memorable finish with nice acidity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/6/2016 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cedar and tobacco; sweet blackberry; rustic finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2016 - eboracum Likes this wine: 90 Points
I was expecting disappointment in view of the mid-shoulder level but the wine was much better than I feared though not what it ideally should have been and less flawless than the Sociando-Mallet '96 which preceded. Colour still quite deep red with a little bricking at the rim. Nose subdued and musty at first but mature fruit and secondary aromas then came up. Palate was medium+ bodied and complex with with fresh acidity and some spice added to the mature fruit and forest floor and the finish was long with still enough firmness but it never completely threw off a certain musty dustiness which must be due to the ullage. Fascinating experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2016 - G_H wrote: 95 Points
Black Pudding, classic bordeaux, cedar, graphite, this was a mouton lookalike
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2016 - brooklynguy Likes this wine:
Wonderful, beautiful, thank god I love wine kind of wine. 4 hours open and only then did it come together, showing a crackling forest and wet tobacco leaf and earth nose, so compelling and pure, such pungency. Whatever fruit there is here is deep and blackly pitched, and darkly beautiful. This wine goes on for miles, with detail and energy throughout. A treasure and a privilege at this age. The greatest of many great wines on the table on this night.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/6/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
BYO Dinner (Tocqueville): Red cedar, currant fruit, plenty of Haut-Brion spice, tertiary. Some scorched earth, ashy. Palate has fully ripe fruit still, slow burning finish. Still plenty of energy and grip here. Smoked red and black fruit, charcoal. An ominous and impressive Haut-Brion, really intriguing, advanced and tertiary.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2016 - dchain Likes this wine: 94 Points
First of 12 from an OWC. Great level for 50 yrs old. Still quite dark like HB from 80s. Immediately open upon first pour. Immediate cigar box and dark, tarry fruit. Classic HB! Definitely some quite "advanced" forest floor aromas and a touch of green peppers but all in a good way! Mid-weight on the palate as it should be. Superb balance and freshness. 30s+ length of complex secondary and tertiary fruit, leather and T'n'A. Incredible stuff at 50. Holding up better than my 50 year old friend (just kidding)...
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2016 - scamhi wrote: flawed
loose cork and this bottle was maderized
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2016 - JOsgood wrote: 95 Points
Very nice stuff. Perfectly aged and holding strong. Classic notes of pencil lead and tar. Finishes dry and long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2016 - Cgrant1029 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was my first 1st Growth and it was great, opened the bottle and let it sit for 15-20, then another 15 in the glass. Really opened up then and was drinking great. Consumed over 4 hours. Went through a short funky period around 2 hours. This still seems to have life left, but I'm not astute enough to tell how many more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
3/10/2016 - mclancy10006 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Smoke and leather. Tons of complexity on the nose, but a bit less on the palate. Big hit with the crowd, but the 77 side by side was much better
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
2/20/2016 - ATBridge wrote:
Best bottle of this wine I've had. Started out with leather, earth. Fruit really came around with a couple of hours of air. Gained depth on the palate as well. Long finish. Great bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2015 - Jiverest wrote: 86 Points
Barn yardy nose. Fruit still there.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2015 - vagrantone Likes this wine: 95 Points
Our third time tasting this wine over the last few years and by far the best showing: cork in great condition, high fill level, garnet red color with minimal browning. Tanins are fully resolved as you would expect, but aromas are still held tight together allowing for subtle aromas to develop in bottle: great earthy character, cigar box, very evolved prune... beautiful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2015 - FYC wrote:
Eye opening smokey aromas including bacon and tobacco leaves. With time, also some green peppers. Wonderful and rich on the palate. Very very youthful. I would even guess same age as the 85 Margaux. Superb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2015 - mjg87 wrote:
This wine continues to be awesome. Bold aromas of smoke, tobacco leaves, a hint of game, and some mild bell pepper. On the palate, this was powerful and deep, displaying dark fruit and smoke and earth tones.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2015 - Wineteacher Likes this wine: 90 Points
This bottle came from a lot with questionable provenance and less than ideal storage condition. The ullage was very large, beyond he low shoulder range. HB has a different style of bottles so the standard ullage description does not apply but my guess is that the wine is missing 5 to 6 ounces. Upon pouring, the wine had a very complex bouquet. It is deep, mushroom like and with a dusty and stony characteristic. The color is still very dark and bright with only the edge showing a warm glow. It is not at all browning considering the age and the provenance. On the palate the wine showed a smokey, dusty complexity with a stony and baked rock type of flavors. The fruit is still there. It is a great and complex bottle of old wine with a hint of baked and cooked aspect that I would rather do without but that did not detract this wine from being immensely pleasure giving.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Wine Tasted at Acker Auction (Riverpark - New York, NY): Small pour, brief note. Black cherry with sauteed mushroom, a bit of cedar and spice. Very elegant and balanced. Fresh for its age. Consistent with prior good bottles. Holding very well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/4/2015 - ricknat1 wrote: 91 Points
Others liked this much more than me feeling it typified great HB, but to me it was a lite version that was blown away by the 64
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2015 - KenK Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dusty earthy leather, dry tobacco, dried red stone fruits. In nice shape and drink well. Mature and likely on slow down slope, forest floor, full of tobacco and wet soil. Gravelly edge. Soft, smooth, although slightly rustic with an iron ore finish. Drink up, but holding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2015 - johnh1001 wrote: flawed
I went back and forth, but in the end believe this bottle was corked. Though I was still able to get that banana oil note I recall from the last one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/12/2015 - ricknat1 wrote: 92 Points
very nice, balanced but not stellar compared with the 61 la mission (marred by a burnt attack) but still lovely with all the class HB characterisitcs
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
Rich and vibrant color. Tobacco, chocolate, coffee, smoke and sweet dark fruit on the nose. This carried through to the palate which was perfectly balanced and wonderfully detailed. Over the three hours this had some ups and downs, but over all developed nicely with more sweet dark fruit and banana oil. Very plush with nice depth. A treat.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2014 - LWI wrote: flawed
Haut Brion Tasting 1918-1999 (Oslo): Decent fruit, but a bit thin, some odors that could resemble TCA, but they remained for several hours, so this was probably not a cork issue.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2014 - EndreS wrote: flawed
Chateau Haut-Brion Vertical (Litteraturhuset, Oslo): Smelled like glue and burnt wood.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/28/2014 - paulst Likes this wine: 98 Points
Nose of cedar, crushed blackberry, leather, with some chocolate and coffee; elegant and textured with near perfect balance; soft perfectly integrated sweet blackberry and slight cherry supported by the perfect compliment of sweet tannins and underlying acidity; outstanding. Stood out completely from 66 Ducru and 66 Ausone. Blind tasting dinner at Harrion's, Tiverton.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2014 - G_H Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really nice, great elegance, very long and balanced, espresso, chocolate, at the beginning some medicinal notes, slightly herbal. Very nice!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2014 - Zweder wrote:
This bottle was filled very low shoulder. In the bouquet barnyard, rust, tea, cold coffee and celery. On the palate a somewhat sweet start followed by tea, celery, rust, chocolate, iodine and blood. High acidity. Develops at high speed in the glass. This clearly bad kept bottle was over the hill, but still drinkable. No score.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2014 - mwanasheria wrote: 96 Points
Another perfect bottle, and this was really singing tonight. Same earthy nose with truffles and herbs. On the palate, the deep earthy notes you have come to expect from that wine, beguiling sweetness that seems to defy age, coffee, underwood. Wow.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2014 - mwanasheria wrote: 95 Points
Nose of truffles, leather, licorice, earth. On the palate youthful, rich, creamy, sappy. Spectacular.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2013 - sphBacchus Likes this wine: 95 Points
09 November 2013 - Vertical tasting of the 2000 , 1995 , 1966 and 1953 vintages at a dinner with friends . All great wines- starting with the 2000 which was wonderful , powerful but clearly has a long way to go to reach it's full potential ( will come back to this in another 5 years ) . 1995 was by general consensus the least preferred of the vintages - dark red in colour and slightly acidic at first , opened up after a couple of hours but lacked the length of the other vintages . 1966 magnum with a crusty cork but only faint shades of bricking - very fresh with good length . Got better and better after 3 to 4 hours . Only bottle of this - pity . 1953 was just superb - first of two bottles purchased for 60th birthday celebrations and it exceeded all expectations . Brick in colour but a depth and length which just went on and on . Was apprehensive that it might die quickly but 2 hours later still showing beautifully . Looking or ward to the 2nd bottle before the new year . Quite a night .
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Served blind to tasting group. Very good fill (~2 cm ullage). Open approx 30 minutes before serving. Very finessed start with lingering black fruit, meaty spice and aromas of cooked mushroom. Similar on palate with good balance with remaining structural elements helping provide texture and nuance. Kept getting better over the course of several hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2013 - MatthewF wrote:
Birthday/Going Away Dinner (Chicago, IL): Opened (not decanted) and followed for roughly 4 hours. Started off a little lean, musty and showing its acidity, but after an hour it really began to flesh out and shine. Aromas of red currant and cranberry with dried rose petal, cedar and dried tobacco leaves. Medium body with a medium plus finish. Fantastic balance and showing good power for its age. A really great showing and only got better as the night progressed.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/23/2013 - ron m wrote:
Wonderful bottle. Showing classic notes of earth smoke tobacco leather and some mushroom, followed by the most refined smooth palate. Fully mature but yet amazingly youthful - deep ruby with just a hint of edge browning. I took a chance on this bottle as the ullage was on the low side, but this was simply marvelous.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2013 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 93 Points
this was simply splendid; tertiary notes of evolved dark fruit including black currants along with some leather, spice, cinnamon and smoke; very little sign of aging evidenced by the slightly browning edges; this represents what most would want from a mature wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2013 - cchin Likes this wine: 99 Points
Another wine dinner at my home... crazy line up. Blind as always.
I opened the 2005 Lucien Le Moine Echezaux and 2006 Perrot-Minot Charmes - Chambertin, Michael opened the 2001 Louis Jadot Corton - Pougets They were are fantastic in flavour, richness, intensity But when we tasted bottle #4....
Balanced, silky, youthful, dark red on the edges, currents, berries, hint of leather, fully intergated tanins and acidity. We guessed everything correctly, but I thought it was a 95 or 96 vintage. Only off by 30 years!
Unbelievable, This is the new benchmark for great wines. Words do not do this wine justice. It was such a treat to have this wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2013 - bpj87 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Los Angeles "Bucket List" Offline (Los Angeles, California): Quintessential Graves nose: smoke, cigar tobacco, gravel, iron, forest floor, and dark fruits. Tertiary notes abound on the palate alongside black cherry and moderate acidity. The balance is flawless, and the mouthfeel is truly that of an iron fist in a velvet glove.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2013 - bpj87 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Bel Air Bacchanal (Los Angeles, California): After nearly a half century of evolution, the tertiary, secondary, and primary features are in perfect harmony. Cigar smoke, leather, tobacco, mushroom, and the fermentation of decaying leaves explode from the glass, each waft revealing a novel nuance. With the fine tannins nearly resolved, the flawlessly smooth and finessed palate is pure elegance: black cherries, medium-plus acidity, and earthiness. Lightness of touch is the perfect foil for such great breadth and quiet power, all reinforced by quaint tannins on the immeasurable finish. Just divine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2013 - mjg87 wrote: 97 Points
An intoxicating bouquet of smoke, earth, mushroom, and leather, with a hint of fruit. Gorgeous and silky smooth on the palate with a medium-length finish. The best Haut-Brion and indeed one of the best reds I've tasted to date. Exquisite.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/16/2012 - salil wrote: 97 Points
A spectacular fragrance right away with that vivid Haut-Brion smokiness, gravel, charcoal, and mature fruit, leather and cedary elements coming together into a scent that's hard to move away from. This is perfectly mature and in that phase where the taste just echoes the aromas; utterly seamless on the palate with amazing finesse and polish and stunning length.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2012 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 91 Points
A decent cork for a change after a run of horrors. Decanted and drunk over the next 4 hours or so. The color of this wine is astonishing- a translucent nebbiolo-style ruby with barely a hint of bricking. The nose immediately reminds me of a 79 Haut-Brion I had, with a complex blend of bitumen and burning embers, combined with a hint of eucalyptus. Where this differs from the 79 is that it still has fruit left- a delicious aroma of maraschino cherry.
In the mouth it's quite tart, lean and still fairly tannic with a longish finish. By comparison to, say, a recent medoc '66, it is far more austere. An intellectual wine, but not a sumptuous one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2012 - clayfu wrote:
The wine opened up over the course of 2-3 hours as initially it was very lean and cool but started to develop red cherry, earth and spice that get picked up with the long acidity. Although the flavors are all there, they are a bit on the weakside as I can imagine 10+ years ago they came out in full force.. at the moment they are a bit weak. A softness to the texture as the tannins have resolved.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2012 - TimothyJames wrote: 94 Points
This was drinking perfectly. There was still lots of fruit of cherries and raisins. Paired with raw goat cheese. Beautiful.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/10/2012 - klanham wrote:
Vinegar although I was told this was professionally stored.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/2012 - asaselzer wrote:
garnet to thin orange rim. musty nose. no fruit, lots of acid. past window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/11/2011 - Pacalet wrote: 92 Points
Nice well matured Bordeaux, slight VA that blew mostly off by an hour, got all the Haut Brion cigar box nose, decently powerful palate, but served along side the 45, this bottle surprisingly seems more tired than it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2011 - paul195 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great color, bright with little sign of age. Some initial funk on the nose which blew off after 15 mins. A palate of dark dried fruits, with hints of cedar and coffee. Nice texture and persistence on the finish. A really nice bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2011 - wenderoth wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured at my 40th, Balzac, December 2010. Level 4cm from cork. Cork in good condition and came out whole but wet to within a few millimetres of the top. Colour clear ruby red with amber tinges at the edges. Typically earthy, leathery Haut Brion nose with spice and savoury (almost meaty) notes. Palate faded quickly over 2-3 hours, but initially luscious red fruit and truffly, smoky multilayered midpalate with some residual silky tannins on the finish. Sadly, the fruit faded by 3 hours leaving a relatively unbalanced wine for those who got to it late. I didn't!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/17/2011 - Lord Rayas wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Roland, Eric and other K2 parents (The News Room): earthy and meaty. notes of dried herbs and spices. powerful and masculine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2011 - Mr. Jeffries Likes this wine: 95 Points
What can I say. Amazing. In a blind tasting I had a change to compare the 1966 vs. 1955 and while the 55 was truly a great wine the 66 blew me away. It was velvety on the palette and young to the nose with ripe fruit. The balance was perfect with a strong sense of cherry and chocolate on the finish that seemed to last forever.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2011 - MRichman wrote:
Blind tasting at Hearth (Hearth Restaurant, NYC): Soft, mature, broad. A bit light.
B/B+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/7/2011 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Totally Over the Top Lunch and Tasting (Tocqueville Restaurant - New York NY): Good balance of fruit and mature character, even if slightly drying on the finish. Very nice, just lost in the quality of this flight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2010 - StewartWent wrote: 94 Points
Geoff Lindsay's 50th: Close to WOTN but sentimental points awarded to the 3110 saw it pipped at the post. Green herbal fruits on the nose but full of stuffing. Pepper too. Similar to taste; very complete and linear. Sweet herbal fruits are a nice touch.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2010 - LWI wrote: 86 Points
Bordeaux North to South (My house): Fill: 4.5 cm below cork. Some smoke and earth on the nose; fruit is lacking, and not particularly interesting. In fact, I did find it a tad oxidized.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2010 - Honey Badger wrote: 96 Points
From Magnum, absolutely stellar, smelled like a cedar lined closet after opening and evolved over the evening into one of the most ethereal wine experiences of my life. This was a Monsieur Henri selection bottling and the cork was in pristine condition, it defined the intrigue of collecting Bordeaux and wine in general, by the end of the Mag (drank with 3 people in total) we were saturated from the aromatics and flavors of this bottle. At one point the aromatics were thick enough that you could feel their texture in your nostrils, if I have one resolution, by more Mags of great wine and drink them with friends!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2010 - Evil Homer wrote: 94 Points
Wow...what a treat. Dad brought this over for the birth of my son. 44 years old and barely any bricking. Not much on the nose but the palate was still explosive. A real special bottle of wine and enjoyed by all.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/30/2009 - Jossik wrote: 86 Points
Molto buono, bel tabacco dolce al naso. Però mi aspetterei di più, forse un po' in la
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2009 - BenRoberts wrote: 95 Points
Open decanting the wine the first thing I noticed was the a cloudiness which did not seem to disapate. The color still had a redish tinge but could be best described as hazel. One could pick up strong hints of oak and cork on the nose which softened to include dried apricots, prunes and raison. I feared that the cloudiness and hints of oak on the nose would lead to a disapointing taste but I was pleased to taste rich caramel tones, milk chocolate, rich earth and dried fruit. The finish was refined and pleasant with a rich port like flavor. I was so pleased that this great wine had held its character this long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2009 - plitton wrote: 96 Points
A really great bottle. Decanted and poured. Amazingly rich color. Deep cedar, ash and black fruit on the palate. The perfect structure--assertive but flexible and approachable. This bottle could have cellared for at least 5 more years with little change.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2008 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Powerful, mature black fruit with anise and well cooked mushrooms. Slightly compact to start, then lengthened into a wonderful wine after open 30+ minutes. Started showing less fruit and more earth at the 2 hour mark.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/9/2008 - josmesser wrote: 94 Points
This wine was opened on March 8, 2008. The cork was wet almost to top and came out in one solid piece. The wine when first opened was very dark brown, slightly brackish in color. However, after being decanted and opened for 45 minutes the wine turned a rich burgundy color. As would be expected with a wine of this age there were very little tannins. The aromas were full of dried fruits and dark berries. On the finish of the wine there were some definite coffee notes as well. If you have the wine I would say drink it but it could still cellar for at least 15 more years. A truely great bottle of wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2008 - kris.h wrote: flawed
1989 vs 1990 Bordeaux: Unfortunately this bottle was flawed. It could have been great. Lots of VA and some oxidation or maderization. Hideing under that was some nice fruit. The VA blew off somewhat with air but was still present.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2007 - G SQUARED wrote: 97 Points
Drunk out of split. This just sang. Sweet, pure fruit with a very focused, lightly tannic backbone. Just heavenly.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2006 - jlaz wrote: 96 Points
Foil was covered with mold making us very cautious but the wine was magnificent. A pleasant surprise. Very little setiment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2006 - sdr wrote: 89 Points
Premier Cru bottle. Actually very nice and better that the previous bottle. Drunk along side the '66 Latour at Marks Las Olas, which was obviously the bigger wine. The HB is still hanging on though, and except for a bit of excess acidity, it's well balanced, medium weight and true to its origin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2006 - sdr wrote: 88 Points
Just about what I expected from a this 40 year old HB from a recent purchase from Premier Cru in outstanding condition. Perfect color for age; beautiful deep garnet with an orange rim. Delicate on the nose, but it's classical Graves with the traditional smell of cedar and smoke. Soft and elegant on the palate and, although the tannins have melted away, the firm acidity keeps it fresh. The modest mid-palate and finish show me this is probably past its best. Still, very nice old Bordeaux that's gently fading.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2006 - CamWheeler wrote: 97 Points
Sydney 1st Growth Bordeaux/Grand Cru Burgundy Dinner (Marque Restaurant): This was an amazing colour, with only the slightest hints of brown around the edges. Complex nose of pencil shavings, blueberry, soap, liquorice, smoke, mushrooms and earth. The palate is all class, you can still just feel the tannins propping up the structure of the wine but they are integrated almost perfectly and the mouth-feel is silky smooth. It was wonderful, stunning and superb; roll out all the superlatives for this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2006 - BradE wrote:
Chinese Dinner at the Maple Garden in Honolulu (Maple Garden Honolulu): The bottle was in perfect shape. Nice wine, great Graves smokiness, but a bit diffused and fat. The 66 is not a noteworthy HB, but this was interesting and fun to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2005 - muttt wrote:
My uncle plucked this out of his father-in-law's cellar, if you want to call it a "cellar". He said that it was almost certainly fried at some point over the years, but why not give it a run just in case?
Unfortunately, this was just a shell with no fruit. Metallic, with perhaps a faint hint of coffee, but like I said, no fruit. Too bad.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/1/1997 - sdr Does not like this wine: 81 Points
Mike’s bottle. Old color. Very strange horsey smell. Not exactly madeirized but seems 10 years past its best. Some identifiable Haut-Brion character without the usual elegance. Unbalanced. Unclean. Not enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/1994 - kevin h wrote: 94 Points
Historic note. An old note but a wonderful wine - my best of the '66 vintage. Cassis, minerals, tobacco, earth - it had the lot. Soft and lovely rather than powerful. One of the most elegant wines I have ever drunk - a seamless wine, with great balance and poise. It lasted for 3 hours in the decanter. Superb and probably would still be great. I see from my handwritten notes that the following week I had a 1971 Richebourg. Why does that never happen anymore...?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/1/1987 - sdr Does not like this wine: 74 Points
67 Wines and Liquors bottle 12/1980. Very disappointing. Very deep color, no brown. Looks promising but it’s not fulfilled. Minimal aroma. No elegance on nose or palate. Despite not being overly tannic it’s much too dense. Unpleasant acidic finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment