Wonderfully mature and integrated this had ripe sweet cassis fruit offset by a subtle savoury element. Complex, age has softened and rounded the tannins, which simply melt away in the mouth. It still retained freshness and lift, and yet had time for a lingering farewell as the flavours persisted. Superb. CHP 95 pts
At present, this is my favourite Paulliac from 1995, and outdrinking the first growths. It is forward for the vintage, and is mature, and seductive, but with the tannic restraint typical of the year in general. The nose is aromatic with cherry and blackcurrant, with cedar and menthol. The palate is exquisitely balanced between a silky smoothness and a tannic punch; a real iron fist in a velvet glove. The finish is a little light initially but eventually kicks in and it pushes past 30 seconds. Absolutely tremendous, and the first decent premillenial vintage after the legendary 1982 and excellent 1986, but for myself pipped by the 1996. 95+
Can't fault it! Once you uncork it, the distinctive charm and aristocratic aroma arise from the bottle! Deep ruby colour, nose of sweet, ripe berry fruits, the jewellery fruits dancing on your palate and a very lengthy, rewarding finish! A class of its own. Wish I had a case!
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Still beautiful and delicous but feels a bit past peak now - this bottle anyway, more cedar / basement than previous bottles, fruit softer. Still a lovely wine but may be start of a slow decline.
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Stunning. Peak of maturity, elegance, balance, equilibrium. Graphite, pencil shavings. Goes down like water. This has hit its peak of perfection but will continue to develop over time, although perhaps not improve from this particular peak. First rate Bordeaux.
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This seems fully mature now but will definitely last. It’s a beautifully elegant and seamless wine with great balance and silky-smooth tannins. Interestingly, the Cab Sauv in this vintage is 45% with 40%+ Merlot and it really shows in the roundness and suppleness of the wine. Many people’s favorite wine of the night but I slightly preferred the '96 drunk alongside. Commanderie Dinner, The Modern
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Paired with roast beef lots of veg and roast potatoes for lunch. Cork came out intact. Notes of black fruit, pencil and earthy forest floor integrated tannins in the background. It was in beautiful balance and a lovely enjoyable wine. My last bottle, but as when I tried the remains later in the evening, it was fading and not so enjoyable, I wonder how much longer it’s drinking window is.
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An attractive wine, not seeking to overwhelm but to bring finesse. Fruits were cassis, fig, and dark berries alongside light minerals and meadow grass. The tannin was present to hold it together but stayed in the background.
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A vintage with a larger percentage of Merlot in the blend - 45% Cab, 40% Merlot and 15% CF.
Very nice level of freshness, and the deep dark core appearance makes this seem a little younger then it actually is. Coming up to 30 years.. wow!
I found this to have an energetic ripe feel, with plum-like plushness and rich mouthfeel. Thus, I thought.. this is a Right Bank. Perhaps this was contributed by the higher levels of Merlot.
There was a nice complex level of sticky and concentration, which gives the impression of being rather muscular. Some remaining tannic grip. But this is a Pauillac in such nice balance, that it also comes across as elegant.
I did a studious deep-dive into this excellent vintage some 4 months ago, so will spare you reading more copious notes at this point!
Thanks LMC for sharing this with us. Memorable evening celebrating TC's holiday return to KL, joined by ET, DQ, SKT and LMC too over the amazing dishes at La Sense, Farm to Plate KL.
6th Dec 2023 La Sense at Farm to Plate, Damansara Kim, Malaysia
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Similar notes as earlier this year: Double decant, filtered, and rebottled. Drank at hour 5 at dinner party hosted by Dennis & Nora: Pencil lead, leather, dried herbs, muted brambleberry, light tannins integrated nicely with nice acidity and red berry.
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Elegant with soft tannins that surprised me considering the vintage. An hour of air brought out the dark cherry fruit. Not a blockbuster, but a beautifully mature Bordeaux.
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Blend: Interestingly for this 1995 vintage, with a larger percentage of Merlot in the blend. 45% Cab, 40% Merlot and 15% Cab Franc. Such a close proportion of Cab and Merlot, which deceived some to think ... "Is this a right bank?"
Colour: Only marginal sign of age, with dark garnet and transparent edge border on the rim is developing. Dark purple saturation of the cork.
Decanted: 2 hours bottle breathe, no full decant and I believe that was a good plan (Thanks DQ and WMK!).
Nose: Somewhat less aromatic then expected, initially lovely floral notes, but then gradually became more muted. Dark red fruit, with secondary notes of pencil lead as well as light cedar and leather. Tobacco and hints of mint too.
Palate: Attack is fresh and lively, and concentrated fruit is backed by firm tannins with sufficient grip here and perhaps even a little punch. Quite surprising considering this is a near-30 year vintage!
Love the beautiful ripe fruits of blackcurrant and plums, which are so lively especially over the first hour of enjoyment. Cedar and tobacco evolves on the mid-palate too.
Body: Medium bodied.
Mouthfeel: There is definitely some of that signature Comtesse charm and elegance, but lacked the full velvety feel I would expect from this stunning producer.
Tannins: Moderately tannic, some grippiness that slowly softened. LMC was one of those who described the tannins in this way, and he went on to say.. "Is this a 1995!" Voila!
I did enjoy and find that the tannins are not intrusive, but in fact well integrated into the overall experience.
Acidity: Medium-
Finish: Only medium length, wish it was longer!
Drinking window: I think this is some way into its drinking window now, can't quite tell if it is at the start or towards the tail-end though. Only way to tell is to try this again in 3-5 years.
Back in 1995, 50% of the crop was cut off the vine in a vendange verte (the culling of fruit in order to lower production and increase the concentration of the remaining grapes). This allowed this Pichon Lalande to be voted one of the top dozen wines of the 1995 vintage!
Some critics even rated this Pichon-Lalande higher than both the outstanding 1989 and what is sometimes called the uninspiring, light-weight 1990. I do think that to describe this as a "knock-out" 1995 is a little over-exuberant.
Some reviewers went as far as to describe that "Everything pulls together seamlessly on the finish, with a well-embedded graphite spine."
Jancis Robinson, just some years ago, described how much she appreciated the good bouquet of mature claret, with all its elements nicely integrated and developed.
The flavours are described as "fully evolved" and nicely spread across the palate, together with the lift and flirtatiousness of this property! Wonder how a wine is flirty... She goes on to say that this wine has now reached such maturity that it provides solid pleasure. I agree!
Overall, may be lacking in the full typicity of Pichon Lalande, but it does demonstrate more elegance and softness for a vintage which some describe as sometimes harsh.
Note that for this 1995 classic vintage - Some have described about the robust tannic spine and structure, this is only marginally here.
Whilst LMC and AK were pretty accurate in their deduction that this is a 1995 and a Pauillac, most of the other Bordeaux si-fus thought this may have been a Pessac-Leognan. Not a truly typical Pauillac!
1 Aug 2023 Dinner at Taman Tun's Hakurin and Enoteca Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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My problem is that I always seem to be comparing every PLL I open to a fantastic 1982 PLL I had at a tasting that lit up the room with its scent when opened. This was a beautiful mature bordeaux - but not a 1982. Noted that the wine level and cork were perfect. Cork was firm and removed intact. Dark purple saturation at the tip of the cork without any noted wicking or seepage. Color dark garnet to red with nice translucent edge border. Nose initially muted which improved over time. Wine decanted approx an hour. Core of dark red fruit noted on nose in balance with secondary /tertiary notes of pencil, leather, cedar, tobacco, herbs, and menthol. Enjoyed repeatedly taking in the nose to see what other nuances I could flesh out (often the best part of these mature bordeaux wines!). Velvety mouthfeel, medium to full bodied with fruit leading into moderately tannic finish (slight edge of harshness noted with the tannins on the finish). In its drinking window at present with a good number of years to go given the still-present tannins.
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Excellent. Decant for several hours … opens up to gorgeous fruit (still), hints of leather, deep rich complex finish. Still youthful, a long great life ahead.
Consumed at a wine dinner amongst an excellent lineup, this had, in my opinion, perhaps the best nose of any wine tasted this evening. Jumps out of the glass at you. The palate is fairly resolved and tannins are smooth. A lovely BDX aging gracefully and showing some of the softer character sometimes associated with Pichon Comtesse. Lovely.
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Generally agree with prior notes. This is striking a beautiful balance between BDX character and plush dark purple fruits which are still quite youthful. Nice tannic structure that sort of overlays everything.
Drinking beautifully now and should cruise for another 5-10 years easily.
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No detailed notes. Decanted about 2 hours and consumed over the following 2 hours. The wine was moderately fragrant and complex but did not reach the heights I expect from this estate in this vintage. There were no obvious flaws through. The cork was sound. Perhaps just a muted bottle. Purchased on release and stored in my cellar since.
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Dinner at Caroline's: Stunning textbook claret - my first instinct was Montrose from the mid-nineties, but on reveal it made sense that it was a PLL. So textured and elegant with seductive dark red fruit, plush but reined in by the hint of greenness. It is rare that you get Bordeaux that are so velvety but PLL is definitely one of them. Beautiful finish that is layered and long. Drinking wonderfully now.
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18th of 24, 90 minute decant, perfect cork and level, black cherry as well, otherwise as Jan bottle, consistently one of the best and generous for a 95, little upside, but 20+ years. F+ (18).
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A classic Paulliac, blackcurrant and plum are prominent, with additional menthol and cedar notes. I initially thought this was tainted, but a a few hours in the decanter and 30 minutes in the glass tamed the wine. It shows great depth and balance on the palate and finish, with the latter lengthy and deep, and is probably the wine's best feature. That said, it does have a classic 1995 profile with a robust tannic spine and might not suit all tastes. However, the tannin is not intrusive and enhances the wine in the same way heavy seasoning is sometimes appropriate in certain dishes. This is a wine that will keep going for the next 30 years, but do give it lots of air at this stage in its life.
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This was great, but not outstanding. Even at 27 years old, this tasted a little young - we didn't decant, and I think that was a mistake. Great flavors of graphite, eucalyptus, dark fruit, dried herbs and tobacco - the classic stuff - but the tannins were a bit harsh still.
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- Garnet color with medium forming legs. It's in total harmony and has flavours of raspberry and strawberry with a medium/full body. Smooth texture with a medium finish - Wonderful bottle of wine.
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Double decant, drank over a couple days. Pencil lead, old leather, dried herbs, muted brambleberry, a bit tart initially, resolved after 3 hours. Medium bodied. Lucky for me, my wife didn’t care for it!
I wouldn’t bet on this improving but it’s probably got another 5 years.
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This may have been my favorite wine at the table although it was close. Drinking fantastically well and not dissimilar to the bottle I had in November. Neither were mine or from the same source so that bodes well for the consistency of this wine. Leather, tobacco, pencil lead on the nose, cassis and plums on the palate and a long finish. Such a classic and in a perfect window right now.
17th of 24, decanted 90 minutes, perfect cork and level, consistent with last bottle in December 20, lovely, tertiary flavours developing nicely, generous as ever for a 95, indeed one of the wines of the vintage, plateau 20+ years. F+ (18).
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Spectacular bottle in a peak window. Loads of tobacco and bell pepper infused plum fruit that is perfectly plush and rich. Suave tannins fully integrated and offering a nice backbone. Wine of the vintage?
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2023 New Year's Day Blind Tasting (Marietta, GA): Deeper garnet with maroon rim; sexy nose, truffle, exotic spice, this seems like the L'Evangile I brought, red currant but a fleshier feel to it, cedar and luxurious wood, sandalwood, a bit abrupt on the finish and a bit of tannin suggest a little more aging would be best, also a little bit of sweat; maybe Left Bank but lots of Merlot if so; delicious, 94+, maybe it is still on the upswing because this was a magnum.
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2023 New Year's Day Double Blind Tasting: Served double blind. Incredible nose with classic Pauillac aromas of cedar, black fruit, anise, and Asian spices. Well integrated tannin with a very long balanced finish. Later found out this was served out of a 1.5L bottle. This producer and this vintage of PLC is what converted me into a Bordeaux lover back in 2004 when I had it for the first time. My WOTN #1.
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Decanted an hour before service; the fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine. Deep garnet, turning to blood red at the rim. Classic bouquet, eventually opening up to reveal scents of dried plums, briar patch, cigar box, scorched earth; hints of black truffle. Medium bodied, made in a classic style, with a velvety texture, excellent grip and delineation, with a long and savory finish.
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This wine is still big and structured. For me it could have used more time in the decanter. This was a Commanderie dinner so I assume it was double decanted a few hours before we drank it. Even so it was delicious and classic with initially subdued dark fruit (debate will it open up and come out, or will it never surpass the structure—personally I think it needs patience ), tertiary notes of tobacco and a hint of leather. Opened a bit in the glass and the fruit became fuller, long finish. Beautiful with our Waygu tenderloin and a favorite of everyone at my table except me!
Drinking at peak. Ready for action on opening. Lovely nose of cedar, tobacco, bakanced with rich fuit and a moderately long ginish. Not a blockbuster, but elegant, complex and complete. Sadly, our last bottle. Drink up and enjoy tho I suspect will be good for years yet.
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Charleston VII; 11/2/2022-11/6/2022 (Charleston, SC (various locations)): From a magnum. Excellent. Has the 'pretty' character which I think just means there's some floral in there. Dark fruits. Still needs more time - this was getting better and better throughout the night. A group favorite - the bottle went fast.
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Tasted regularly, this is consistent in its delivery and is one of the left bank highlights from 1995. Blackcurrant, blackberry, and plum are prominent with menthol and cedar notes. The nose is rich and rounded, and deeply aromatic. The palate is excellent with complexity and exceptional depth. Likewise the finish is first rate with incredible depth and pushing past 40 seconds. The last 12 months has seen it shrug off the previous harsh tannic notes on the finish. Whilst never going to come near the legendary 1982, and not quite up to the 1996, it is the best of the rest pre millennial.
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Near perfect. Decanted for about 30 minutes. Should have gone hour and half to two. Beautiful, fantastic Pauillac nose. Very well balanced. Plenty of mature fruit, well blended tannins. This wine can go another 5 years minimum , likely 10.
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Dark and pungent with black fruit, smoke, forest floor, coffee and mocha. Rich and bright, with great verve and resolved young tannins. A noticeable backbone with just great length on palate. Quite a long finish; the best bottle of 95 PLL I’ve had. Excellent Paulliac
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A big, powerful wine with great depth. Yes, it’s rustic and there’s a bit of “sloppy whore” to this vintage but I just really like drinking it and it should continue to age well. 93+
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Decanted for 2 hours and followed through the evening. Garnet purple. Nose of cassis, black currant, underbrush, plum blossom, hints of bell pepper. Quite elegant on the palate with smoothly integrated layers of currant, blackberry, leather, graphite and trace green notes. Unobtrusive tannin and lower acidity. Medium-length whispering finish of plum, blackberry, and resolved structure. A study in harmony.
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Dinner with the wine group (Spruce, SF): Aromatic, exceptional black fruits and plenty of bell pepper vegetal component, integrated, a bit of tobacco; palate is medium bodied, exceptional balance, medium alcohol, fully integrated tannins; medium-plus finish. Really nice. 93-94
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also started off buzzy[see casanova di neri 2004] this one completely resolved to yield french clay dark fruit and long length also went well with food at Vie
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Nose of forest floor and truffle. Smooth palate with aromas of blackcurrent and blackberry. The image coming up to my mind is one of a graceful old lady.
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Decanted for about two hours. The tannins and a few green notes dissipated, leaving beautiful fruit and a fine structure. There's real depth to the wine. I would say it has longer to go, but it is in an absolutely perfect phase now, so there is no reason to wait. It represents what a fine Bordeaux should be. Paired with a lovely lamb loin.
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nose - dark cherry, smoke, some tertiary flavors mouth - sappy, dense, to me still not really unfurled though others found it on the cusp of being dead.
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While not reaching the heights of the 1996, it is the best of the rest from the decade. Although wearing the tannic qualities of the 1995 vintage as a whole on its sleeve, it is firmly in its drinking window and has really moved forward in the last 12 months. It is aromatic on the nose still with blackcurrant, blackberry and plum prominent, but with notes of cedar, menthol, and bell pepper now creeping in. The tannin has tamed on the palate and finish but it will always very robust and not necessarily to everybody's taste. It is particularly noticeable on the finish but now seems to be balancing out with it pushing past 30 seconds and really mellowing towards the end.
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Most Splendid Game Dinner: My notes were starting to make even less sense by this stage, and working primarily from memory (although it is indicative that the one word which I can read seems to be "wow").This was super - in no way recalcitrant like some 95s. Even more than the 86, the mouthfeel on this was exquisite. "Silky" seems almost as poor a descriptor of wine as "smooth" but...there was some of that there...
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Gareth's glorious game dinner (Canary Wharf): Double-decanted around three hours before it was drunk. A nice surprise, this - really open and well-integrated, juicy, with woodsy aromatics and plenty of red/black fruit. Felt à point - just so easy (and pleasurable) to drink.
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Double decanted an hour before dinner. Deep garnet with no amber at the rim. Classic bouquet, but a bit restrained compared to previous bottles, with notes of dried plums, black currant, bramble, sautéed mushrooms, roasted herbs and earth. Medium bodied (a bit lighter than the ‘95 Cos consumed the previous night) structured, with silky tannins, good grip and focus, with a long and savory finish. I’ve had better bottles.
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4th Saturday Group: Uptown Brown Bag: Double blind. Garnet color with a touch of bricking. Opens with a subtle weedy/bretty note with dark berry fruit and iron notes underneath. Full-bodied, with soft tannin and flavors of plum, red fruit and earth. Finishes with good length. I guessed Pauillac, and was thinking about vintages when another taster suggested ‘95/‘96, which seemed about right.
Excellent, and drinking very nicely. I was a bit surprised as I typically find an herbaceous quality in PLL that this bottle did nit show. This had been double decanted off its sediment prior to the tasting, though I didn’t catch whether or not this had any extended decanted prior to being rebottled. (MM)
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This is a big bold wine. Dark fruit but with really good balancing acidity. Leather and earthiness in the background. Drink it slow as the evolution over a few hours is wonderful.
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Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): Served next to the ‘96 although with just the one glass and me spending my time enjoying that I drank this quite late and just a smaller pour. Equally enjoyable though. It’s also on the young side but with the multi-hour decant very approachable and tasty.
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Really good after and hour or so, but still a bit sulky. Really exploded at the four hour mark (in bottle not decanted). What a joyous experience. Felt like being sucked up to the heavens - while the window was open. Rich, ripe, pure Pauillac, deep dark and delicious. Needs a decant. (And amazing to see it hasn’t changed much in the 2 years since my last bottle.) one left, I wonder when?
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Nice nose - Pencil lead, black currant, wet earth, pomegranate, tobacco and dust. Slightly drying, present tannins but some nice acid. Long and sturdy finish. 92/93
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1-3 hour decant. Black ruby/purple. Cassis, earth, smoke, exotic fruits on the nose. Very forward, delicious. Initially a bit off in the mouth, but came together during the third hour, very "Pichon Lalande like" flavors. This is likely at peak and is unlikely to improve much further. Drinking better now than the '94 Clinet served alongside it.
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24 Vintages of Pichon Lalande: All wines tasted blind. A few general observations: 1) Most wines showed the typical Pichon Lalande elegance. This is certainly one of the more delicate and elegant Paulliacs. 2) The relatively high Merlot content (often 20-30%) showed in many wines with fine, fresh rhubarb, rosehip and floral aromas I wouldn’t necessarily associate with a Medoc - all adding to the sensuous quality of the wines. 3) A few vintages showed the very sexy burnt sugar/coffee notes you associate with the 1982 Lalande or a Mouton or a Cheval Blanc - unfortunately, not to an extent and with an intensity to truly excite. 4) Following the legendary 1982 and until the most recent vintages (starting with 2014 but especially with 2016) there are three decades of pleasant Pichon Lalandes but hardly any vintage has the depth and length of truly great wines. The best wine tonight was the 2009 (rated 95+ points) with many more in the 92-94 point category.
TN: This 1995 was a bit of a disappointment when revealed. You could sense that there is a bit more complexity than in other 90s vintages and hence that it might be from one of the better vintages but there were slightly drying tannins and some first unwanted oxidation aromas. The nose was medium expressive but had beautiful barnyard aromas along some ripe dark and red fruits. On the palate this was darker fruited, with minerality and earthy notes and some barnyard hints. The tannins had some edges first, became softer with time but were slightly drying. Not a bad wine, but not a winner either and no comparison to the 1996 in the next glass.
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Opened two hours before dinner, no decant. I’ve had better bottles; good color, deep garnet core with a touch of amber at the rim. Bouquet a bit reserved, but offering up classic notes of dried plums, dried cassis, black truffle, bramble, and hints of crushed stones. Medium bodied, a bit austere in nature, without the velvety texture that the best bottles of ‘95 Pichon Lalande tend to exhibit.
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Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; a celebration (@ My place): Enchanting bouquet. Complex and luxurious with black berry fruits and beautiful oak. Same on the palate, just fabulous with some chocolate and pleasant acidity. There is hardly tannin left. Just a bit to give the wine a beautifully soft bite. Ducru Beaucaillou was great with still a lot of power. This Comtesse has less power, but more finesse. What a beauty!
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A evening of 20+ year old Bordeaux (Wilmette Harbor Club, Wilmette IL): The nose is wide open, aromatic, and layered with deep tones of red cherries, cranberries, raspberries, currants, herbs, cedar, mint, roses, cigar wrapper, and violets. The Full bodied feel is silky and refined with medium acidity and refined, medium+ tannins. The structure has peeled back and is showing off something really gorgeous. There are plenty of years ahead of this, but its a real delight right now.
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Wonderfully consistent, this is forward for the year and is starting to drink well, albeit with further evolvement ahead of it. The nose has really started to open up with aromas of plum, blackcurrant, and blackberry prominent. Tobacco leaf combines with the fruit on the palate with excellent depth and balance. As with most of left bank wines from 1995, the tannic profile on the palate is never far away but I find the steeliness compliments the tasting experience. However, it is distracting at this stage on the finish and dominates towards the end. Interestingly, this does not benefit from extended aeration, and an hour in the decanter seems to be optimum.
A truly nice showing, this wine has really hit its stride and drinking great. Everything you want in a middle aged Bordeaux. Dark red fruits with a cool dusty slate element and interesting spices. Smooth texture with just enough tannins well hidden and enough acid to keep this alive and relatively bright. I feel Pichon Laande must have been one of the wines of the vintage. Drink or hold. Shows real breed.
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Dark garnet. Came across younger than I anticipated given its age, showing burning embers, unsmoked pipe tobacco and fresh leather up front followed by subdued blackberry, cassis and mineral notes on the nose. Medium to full-bodied with decent lift, silky tannins and good persistence on the finish. Delish!
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Drank from Magnum. Decanted for 90 minutes and drank over 3 hours. Dark ruby red color. Very dense wine. Masculine nose for a Pichon Lalande with leather, rocks, black berries and currants, cassis and some pepper. Initially started with some saline notes but evolved to a powerful and velvety wine, very strong structure and may need a few more years to reach maturity in magnum. Tannins quite grippy but extremely well integrated. And a decently long finish. Much darker fruit versus its cousin Pichon Baron. Very enjoyable but not the best value.
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Allowed to breathe in glass 1 hour. Clear deep garnet-blood red color. Classic bouquet of red and black currants and their liqueurs; cigar humidor, anise, potpourri, forest floor, walnuts, black truffles and dried porcinis. Similar on the palate, medium-full body, seamless, beautiful balance, smooth polished tannins, lingering finish. Improved with air over 3 hours.
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I rarely rave about left bank Bordeaux, but this is reference standard. Great depth and balance, tannins are well integrated. Better than many first growths I have had over the years.
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In June I wrote this wine was a terrific example of smooth, even and refined Bordeaux. Mature with lots of life ahead. This bottle was a repeat with our finding notes of vanilla, strawberry, light smoke, and mushroom.
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Super Bowl 2021 (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA): Darker core with maroon rim; more darkness to the nose here, black cherry, wet earth, so new and tough coming after the '82 Gruaud, cedar, red currant, more 1-D, powerful and great core and mid palate, boxwood, red currant, almost blue fruit, ashy, fatter and richer on the midpalate, more Merlot on this, good nobility and so much younger than previous wine; '01 Palmer?
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[Blind] Nose is wound up and dark up front. Smoky and a little brooding. Concentrated and dense. Slight scorched earth character to the earth influence over dark red and black fruit. Tough to get a good read on. Palate is delicious, tannic with a little grit but approachable. Reminiscent of '86 but I don't think it is that old. A dark and concentrated core with some ripe elements. Should have known this was 1995. A certain prettiness I find in Lalande still shows. Pleasurable drinking right now but I'd say there is more upside here.
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Rudy color with a rust edge. Saddle leather, big Bordeaux nose that settles as the wine opens up, red currant, tar, tobacco and damp earth. Needs time to open, but the bottle seems a bit off - planning to try another soon and compare.
p.s. golapkis with pierogis and salad
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Lush, deep garnet color, nose of black fruit and licorice. Benefitted greatly from decanting and opened more fully through the evening. Black currant, anise, briar, and dried mint. Long elegant finish.
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Opened for 4 hours slow ox, then had first glass which was closed. Then had about half the bottle over the next two hours. Fairly monolithic. The second half was decanted at the 6th hour which was prior to serving dinner which was dry aged côte de bœuf. Drank from Zalto universal. Overall, outstanding but so young still. I personally think that an extra 5 to 10 years would benefit massively. It had layers of complexity and the tannins have softened but the fruit is still primary. Very long finish.
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Great Wine ! Bought a few bottles in one my trips to Bordeaux and kept it in my wine cellar. It developed amazingly. Definitely needs like min 1-2 hours of decanting before you drink it but what an enjoyment in the glass afterwards. Perfect match for our Xmas dinner tonight and I also think it easily has a min of at least 5 more years of a drinking window.
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Nose a little green but otherwise a tight nose, not giving too much. Palate is dry and still quite tannic, pencil shavings - actually puckering and quite a burn from the alcohol. OK with food, not so enjoyable on its own.
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Decanted 2 hours. Virtually opaque deep garnet-red with only a slight fading at the rim. Nose was a bit reticent at first but soon bloomed into a beautiful, complex, deep mix of cedar, tobacco, flowers, fruit and some spice. On the palate the wine was pure grace and balance. There was ample, soft fruit held up with fine tannin and a silky mouthfeel and a very long, equally complex finish. This wine seems to have finally come out of its shell and is everything I'd expect from this estate. Purchased as futures and stored in my cellar since.
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16th of 24, decanted 20 minutes, perfect cork and level, in line with my better bottles, losing some of the early fresh with tertiary notes of liquorice and ash now in the mix, long and classy, no rush and scope for further development. F+ (18).
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The fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; slow ox for two hours prior to Thanksgiving Dinner. A deep garnet with no bricking. A classic and extroverted bouquet, with scents of dried plums, cedary cassis, bramble, black truffle; hints of violet, cigar box, and roasted herbs. Medium bodied, with a velvety texture, great depth, impeccable balance, and impressive delineation and grip on the long and savory finish. Loved it!
From a pristine bottle bought on release. Very tight even after three hours in the decanter. Showing the typical P-L characteristics of sweet fruit and bell pepper. Great potential (95-96) but needs another five years to bring forth its tertiary elements.
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This is a delight to drink and entering its prime drinking window. This has reached a point where an hour or so in the decanter is sufficient for it to show its best, and indeed, further time could be detrimental. It is a classic top notch left bank Bordeaux, and full of plum, blackcurrant, and blackberry, with hints of violet and underpinned by tobacco leaf. The depth and balance are excellent and the finish is pushing 60 seconds and in total harmony. This still has some evolvement ahead of it, and could end up there with the 1982. I would hope the sharper elements of the finish will mellow as tertiary notes start to develop.
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Visitors from Wellington brave the Queensberry hills (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): Drunk next to the (equally good) Pahlmeyer 1995, this was an example of Bordeaux in its full cry of maturity - totally a point, all elegance, but with an intensity of expression that is rare. This is a poster child for the classic Pichon Lalande style. All cassis, pencil shavings, and cedar, but with a tell-tale streak of herbaceousness that (for me) lifts the wine into a gorgeous expression of its terroir. The finish simply does not quit on this wine - certainly well of a minute in length. Bottles in this condition will last for a couple of decades in a cool cellar.
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Had 2 bottles from same case but one had been kept in a wine fridge at higher temperature than the other for about a year. It was obviously more mature and rounder. The other was slightly more tannic- both very acceptable
Wines were filtered into jars for transport at around 3:00, transferred from jars to glass around 6:30, and tasted starting at around 7:00. The wines featured for this tasting were:
- 2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses (starter wine) - 1985 Grand Puy Lacoste - 1990 Leoville Barton - 1995 Lynch Bages - 1995 Pichon Lalande - 1997 Latour - 2001 Suduiraut Sauternes (dessert)
All wines were excellent, with the exception of the 85 Grand Puy Lacoste, which was slightly corked (unnoticeable to me in the beginning, but quite apparent hours later). My score and ranking are based on initial impressions as I believe that realistically shows the character of the wine (maybe a better bottle would score even higher).
Groups ratings: WOTN - 1997 Latour; 2nd - 1990 Leoville Barton , and 3rd 1995 Pichon Lalande. My ratings: WOTN - 1997 Latour; 2nd - 1995 Pichon Lalande, 3rd - 1990 Leoville Barton and 1985 Grand Puy Lacoste, 5th - 1995 Lynch Bages.
--1995 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande: This wine was the most tannic of the group, but tannins rounded out and there was plenty of fruit. This wine still seemed very youthful. The nose was nice, with bramble, earth, violets and black fruit. The palate was exceptional, with rounded and integrated tannins, black and blue fruit, graphite and some sweet oak. The finish was medium-long, and the wine evolved nicely all night. This was probably my favorite on the palate, but was not nearly as good on the nose as the Latour. (Note: For me, the Barton had the best nose, but the Latour was the complete package).
The tannins and fruit tell me this wine has another 10-20 years in it, and should improve for another 3-5 years before peaking. As with some other wines, I would not be in a hurry to drink it, but you will not be disappointed opening up a bottle now or any time in the future, if the occasion arises. Easily 93+ points, with a chance to go even higher.
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Virtual Bordeaux: See "I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine"s note for treatment. Black and blue fruit, tannins present, the wine becomes better integrated with 1 hour in glass. To me, this would have been singing with a little more air, and it really improved with time. There is definitely a lot going on here.
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Virtual Bordeaux Tasting (Home): Very dark red color with a 3 mm clear edge. Filtered into jars and sealed about 4:30pm, poured into glasses at 6:30pm and drank a glass plus over 3 plus hours. This was the wine that benefited the most from air as the night went on. A pleasant nose at the outset was completely transformed into a beautifully perfume. Love the nose, right there with the '97 Latour. Fantastic perfume of black and blue fruits; cassis, boysenberry, underbrush, dried spice and sandalwood. The palate begins to evolve as well and shows the same black and blue fruits, casis, blackberry, boysenberry, graphite, full bodied, well concentrated, fuller round satiny tannins, and a lengthy finish. Much more open and accessible than the '95 Lynch and certainly one of the more polished '95's. 93+ to 94pts. My #2 WOTN and group #3.
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Fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; popped, poured and consumed over the course of three hours with dinner. Medium garnet with a hint of bricking. Complex and lively bouquet, with notes of blackberry, bramble, dried plums, violets, black truffle, roasted herbs, and forest floor. Medium bodied, with great depth, balance and length; classic structure, ripe tannins, and a long, savory finish. Another great showing for the ‘95 Pichon Lalande!
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Popped the cork 6 hours before (no decant) which was about right. Undoubtedly Bordeaux that had me debating whether this was in its prime. Verdict is probably yes with another 2 decades of prime drinking on this. Overall a complete wine worthy of its name.
Wouldn’t drink before 3 hrs decant Great wine and took a few hours to drink as flsour and mouthfeel was so powerful Just lacked a little complexity and a litgle shut down
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Beautiful old Bordeaux nose of grilled nuts and sweet gravel. This is still a young wine in my opinion but definitely in it's drinking window with delicious flavors of smoky blackcurrants, grilled nuts and warm gravel. The texture is a bit rustic but this is an old-style Bordeaux with plenty of character and structure. The finish turns a touch minty with complex notes of smoked gravel and dark spices. Still somewhat tannic although certainly fully-integrated and 3 hours of air seemed about right. Really good and I think there is more to come here. 94+
Elegant classic nose with black currant dominating and touches of smoke, earth and light flowers. Palate has a nice mid weight with black fruit, light acidity, and slightly austere finish. Drinking quite well; very classic and slight room to improve but a step down from the ‘96 two nights ago.
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Decanted this about 30 minutes before dinner, then allowed to open in the glass. Immediately recognizable nose with blackberries and cassis, some leather, a little earthiness. Structure is strong, but not overpowering. Decent amount of fruit left to keep it balanced. Quite enjoyable,everything in its place. Not terribly expressive and a little austere. A little more air probably would have been good if I could have made it last longer. I wouldn't have opened it sooner, though, as I really liked seeing those early stages.
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This needs some patience, as at least 2-3 hours of air are needed to help it soften and fill out. Roses, tobacco, scorched earth, cassis, cranberry and peppery herbs open the nose. There is weight and depth, a touch of herbs and crisp, crunchy red berries on the palate. The finish comes with a hint of green olives and a bit of dryness. Classic in style, this is firm, stern version of Pichon, but it manages to avoid some of severity found in most wines from the vintage. It is ready to go, although it could improve with more time.
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The fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; double decanted an hour before dinner. Another sublime showing for the ‘95 Pichon Lalande; this bottle sprinted out of the starting blocks, and was absolutely amazing for the first few hours, but seemed to go into a more reserved state for the last glass or two. Notes of dried plums, black truffle, forest floor, and hints of roasted herbs. Medium bodied, with an amazing texture (pure velvet!) but with great grip, focus and depth. An amazing wine that has really blossomed over the last few years.
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This is firing on all cylinders, and is further forward than most of the vintage. I still find the nose a little muted but at the same time exquisitely perfumed with plum, blackcurrant and tobacco. Hints of cedar and violet have crept in on the palate during the last year. The tannin is sweet, but has the steeliness typical of the year. The finish is excellent with good length and balance. This will definitely continue to evolve, but with decent aeration it is ready to be enjoyed now.
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The fill was well into the neck and the cork was pristine; double decanted two hours before dinner. A deep garnet with no bricking. Lovely, intoxicating, and classic bouquet, offering up notes plums, sous bois, black truffle and hints of cedar and leather. Medium bodied, with a velvety texture, incredible depth and delineation, and a long and silky finish. Really great stuff!
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Double decanted for an hour, deep ruby with light rim, no brick, dark fruit with some tobacco, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding mature left bank Bordeaux, better than last bottle, ready to drink, no rush
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Hm, it seems I am drinking the 95 Pichon Comtesse a lot these days but at least it shows consistently. From 750, this is starting to open, but large format bottles still show like the 750s opened years ago - tight, reluctant nose of currant and acacia but with a more promising palate, loaded with blueberry, lavender, and plum. Not for drinking now. This 3L bottle in isolation suggests 93+, though some bottles clearly articulate more promise.
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Casual Dinner with Friends (Ada St.): A very pretty and refined PLL. Medium nose of plum with good bell pepper accents. The palate is smooth with resolved tannin that is well integrated. Fully ready to go.
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Christmas - fantastic wine - still plenty of life but superbly integrated and while bouquet was a hair limited, everything else was firing on all cylinders
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The fill was well into the neck and the cork was pristine; slow ox for two hours prior to dinner. Deep garnet with no amber. An outgoing bouquet, offering up complex notes of cedar, plums, black truffle, with hints of roasted fennel and briar patch. Medium bodied, with great depth, delineation and focus; silky texture and an incredibly long and savory finish. Quite elegant for the vintage; this has improved considerably over the last seven years.
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Tasted this alongside 2005 Pichon Longueville Baron and 1995 Pichon Longueville Lalande blind. It was easy to tell the difference between the 3 as 1988 had already had the tertiary and secondary notes of mushroom, undergrowth, meat, oaky and there's still fruits aroma; cooked black fruits. Slightly decanted for 30 min, allowing it to evolve in the glass which further opens up the wine.
2005 Pichon Longueville Baron although drinkable window but it is still too young to consume it now. It will most likely taste better the 1988 Pichon Longueville Baron when it aged. High tannin, toasty vanilla, cedar, charr, with dense ruby colour. I will keep this for another 15 years. Suggest decanting 4 hours or more if it is going to be consumed today.
1995 Pichon Longueville Lalande is the balance of 1988 and 2005. The wine possesses Spices, liquorice, smoke, black fruits, cedar, mushroom, truffle and it was the WOTN. I truly enjoyed this very much, I had not tried 1982 before, but till then 1995 and 1996 will be the best Pichon Longueville Lalande that I had tasted. Outstanding vintage and it can be kept easily for another 10 years or more.
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Another stellar performance for this wine, first growth quality. Plum, bell pepper, graphite - this is textbook Pauillac. Dark color showing just a hint of bricking, lots of life here and can be enjoyed now or anytime over the next couple of decades. Rebuy all day long.
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I didn't have the chance to taste this when it was very young but can only conclude that it shut down quite hard for quite a long time as I had a difficult time reading this during previous tastings. However, this bottle offers an insight into the great promise of 1995 Pichon Comtesse. Still tight on the nose with a reticent cassis profile, this really explodes on the palate with crystalline fruit, pencil, loam, acacia, chocolate, and cedar. Delicious, and the density and elegance here are impressive.
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14th of 24, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, consistent with previous notes last in Feb 18 though with maybe a hint of brown on rim, proper Pauillac puissance, round and with none of the angularity of the vintage, though without the extra concentration of 96, 86 or 82, mature but no rush. F+ (18).
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One of two bottles opened at a party. Darker garnet with some scarlet at the edges. Arresting, full-scale nose of cassis, dark currant, hyacinth, earth, and leather. Intense, deeply pitched layers of black currant, blackberry, graphite, tobacco, and brambly earth on the palate. Moderate acidity and firm but filed-off tannin, leading to a long finish of echoing dark currant fruit infused with stone and savory earth. Quite delicious.
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Decanted 1 hour...dark red in color, sediment present, nose of black currants, cherry, blackberries, old leather, graphite, tobacco, some vanilla, spices and white pepper. Palate is medium body, cherries, currants, vanilla and spices..Tannis are lots of it but fairly smooth an good acidity. Good QPR. Long finish. Ready to drink or hold 5-10 more years
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This is firing on all cylinders, and is showing secondary characteristics and is in a marvellous place. I am puzzled on why people pop and pour, or give just an hour in the decanter for the top 1995s. You can't fully enjoy this wine with less than 3 hours of aeration. The nose has matured over the last 8 months, with the fruit more muted with the cherry, plum, and blackcurrant still prominent but now combined with old leather. The tannin has softened further, but is still prominent enough to add a steely Paulliac backbone to the wine. The finish has now lost its overly tannic profile, but if I was to nitpick, does not quite match the rest of the wine. There is no problem to start fully enjoying this now with appropriate decanting time, but it should be wonderful for the next 20 to 30 years.
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Lovely aged Bordeaux nose of earthy graphite and roasted nuts. Quite thickly-textured and a bit rustic for this classy estate with delicious flavors of black fruits and graphite minerals. Voluminous and full-bodied with a long, luxurious charcoal-infused, earthy finish and a nice red spice crunchiness. Feels still a bit youthful but it's definitely in its drinking window.
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Champagne, Riesling, and Bordeaux with Skippy (Chicago, IL): I've had multiple bottles of this and the scores are all over the place. This bottle had a little bit of dirtiness on the nose, but plenty of the expected black fruit, leather, and graphite. The sweeter elements here haven't even started picking up secondary characteristics, and if it weren't for the fruit, this would have just been a monumental scaffold.
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One hour decant. Tons of cherry on the nose complemented by hints of vanilla, and green pepper to remind you that this is Pauillac. Medium richness, more red fruit, cherry, pepper, very long. Score perhaps low, could improve as the secondary emerges. Nicely balanced, great with Italian sausage, but tannins mostly gone on this bottle. I don’t see any chocolate/oak notes.
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Day of the Goat: A Pichon Lalande Fractured Vertical (Leo & Cheryl's Place, Mpls, MN): Still a veritable baby, the '95 is a great wine that like many of the 95's is in want of more time. This too has a bigger frame, a more austere, dense dark fruits, more tannins and more intense wood still needing to fully resolve, lots of graphite and there is some floral character lurking in the background. This was a little medicinial at first, but that blew of pretty quickly. I'm a fan of this wine and I have had some bottles that were really great. Still can use some time or give it a a couple hours of air. 92(+)pts.
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Double decanted for an hour, med. ruby with brick rim, nose of tobacco & dark fruit, taste of dark cherry with med/firm tannins, long finish; delicious, ready to drink, but still more tannic than expected (will the fruit last?)
After a couple hrs, it remained the same, not opening up any further & maintaining the tannic structure that was a little dry on the finish (subtracted a point)
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Pencil-driven, mineral nose but a bit sparse and lean. The palate offers some promise with a core of potent cassis but it's still reticent. Perhaps this will blossom further, as some 1995s have truly surprised me by doing. However, there's no irrefutable promise in the 1995 PCL as there are in some other 95 Medocs or other vintages of PCL.
Brick red maroon colour, quite concentrated. Very aromatic wine from the start of vanilla, nuts, chocolate with creme de cassis sweet blueberry aromas. On palate touch of sweetness, rich red fruits. Tannins were still palpable, suggesting it might still have room for cellaring. After about 40 mins of decanting, wine became silky smooth. Quite long, with some tea leaves towards the end. Very elegant and refined.
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Initially when cork was popped, the nose was very pleasant with cassis and cigar box. This bouquet then became muted. It revived itself with about an hour in the decanter but did not recover to its former glory when popped. Bell peppers dominated the nose with hints of cassis, chocolate, leather, cigar box, and earth/soil. On the palate there was insufficient fruit and the wine felt lacking in concentration and therefore not enough opulence. Medium bodied, with good finish (but I was expecting more). Left me with more to be desired from this address.
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On 1995 Bordeaux bottles: 1995 Haut Brion Was my WOTN out of the 10 bottles that night. On the nose, violet, gravel, dark cherries and plum, mineral, smoke, and modest cigar, on the plate, it showed great strength yet balanced with nice and long acidity, strong minerals and modest spices. Very long finish with great layers, very complex, offered firm tannin and round texture. A great bottle. It was a Cabernet/merlot blend, partially explained why the wine was balanced with power and elegance.
1995 Mouton Certainly a much more powerful and richer version of mouton vs 83. Can still age 5-10 more years to enjoy it at better maturity level I think. Dark purple colour, crushed dark currants and black berries on the nose, on the palate, strong character with great minerals, some spices, smoke, liquorice and slightly higher tannin, not at my preferred drinking window yet but can see its ageing potential. In 1995 vintage, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes seemed having tougher tannin to resolve, so they also blended the wine with slightly more merlot (same reason for haut Brion 95 I guess).
1995 Cheval Blanc Seductive and classic style of Cheval Blanc in my view, bouquet of purple flowers, light lady cigarette, plummy and modest toffee sensation, on the palate, it was silky and smooth on texture with slightly higher tone of acidity vs 83, body was richer and fuller too. Beautiful wine and can still age 5-10 more years to enjoy it at even better drinking window. The 1995 had higher percentage of Merlot in the final blend - 50% Merlot/50% Cabernet Franc.
1995 latour Opened 4 hours in advance and was still tight when we started dinner. Decanted for another 1.5 hours before serving, and the wine showed a lot better. This wine was still quite young to enjoy now and I would wait for the next bottle to be consumed 5-10 years after at least, or it really needs proper decanting before serving it. It showed the best ageing potential for all the bottles we had that night (also the vega sicilia we had on the same night). On the nose, cigar, smoke, freshly rubbed herbs, basil, cassis, liquorice, on the palate, lots of dark berries yet also very mineral and offered freshly cut herbs. Still young but can see its potential to evolve more layers and even more complexity.
1995 pichon lalande Not because I drank this along with 95 Mouton/Haut Brion/Latour that I don't like this wine, I really think the wine was lack of balance on the palate, too rich in structure with strong vanilla toffee and jammy berries fruits on the palate. Nose was quite perfuming and nice but I didn't really enjoy the palate, but could be due to personal style.
Wines we had: 1983 latour, 1983 mouton, 1983 chavel blanc; 1995 mouton, 1995 chavel blanc, 1995 haut Brion, 1995 latour , 1995 vega sicilia, 1995 ridge monte bello, 1995 Pichon lalande
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Blind verkostet. dicht, erdig, würzig, Frucht mit hoher Dichte, klassische Bordeaux Noten; Sattelleder; Cassis; Tabak am Gaumen guter Druck; mittlere Länge; gut gealtert mit noch Potential, etwas rustikal
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A dark horse in a flight flooded with first growth. Tobacco, earth, truffle, cassis and black currant on the nose. The mid palate had lots of stuffing. Very nice especially when you consider the price.
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Sheldon's 60th Birthday (The Bristol - Chicago IL): Small glass, brief note. Lots of black fruit with savory spice. Still firm, but with so much robust and layered fruit that this already comes together very nicely for the vintage.
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I’ve had this wine many times over 20 years. Immaculate bottle bought en primeur and stored in a wine fridge since delivery. Two or three years ago I thought it had reached its plateau. I was wrong. This bottle is glorious. Lovely nose of red fruit, flavours are complex and change over time including coffee and cedar. On the palate the wine is wonderfully soft, reflecting the higher percentage of merlot in the blend, and balanced, and the finish lasts minutes. This era of Lalande at its best.
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In a great place. Dark color, looking very young. Brilliant nose. All the dark berry fruit plus the emerging secondaries of cedar and earthy notes. Has come into its own over the last few years. Top of its game now but will be great for 10-15.
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Special International tasting group. (@ Zarzo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands): Beautiful and expressive, fully mature and luxurious bouquet. Dark berries, coffee and some graphite. On the palate the same impressions. Soft bell pepper and fresh acidity. A wine with great finesse and in its perfect drinking stage. 95 – 96
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A vintage more for the lovers of old school Bordeaux. Opened and decanted for 30 minutes, develops further in the glass. Plenty of fresh berry fruit and spices on the nose, but it seems that the tertiary notes are creeping in way too early. The tannins and acidity aren't in the best harmony, but the wine has plenty of complexity on the other hand. Long finish, ending with tones of caramel, tea leaves and dried red fruit. Not a very memorable bottle.
Typical of the vintage, this is an old style left bank Bordeaux, and for myself a wonderful wine. It is well into secondary stage, and is up there with the 1982 and 1996. The nose is surprisingly aromatic with deep flavours of red cherry, plum, blackcurrent, and blackberry. The fruit is on the palate with old leather and tobacco, with a steely backbone of tannin. At this point the finish is lengthy, but still a little unbalanced with the tannin over prominent. I am sure this will resolve in the near future, and this will be even better. Don't hesitate to start enjoying this now with decent aeration.
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As it was for Christmas Eve dinner I knew I wouldn't have time for notes. I do think Jeff Leve expressed my sentiments accurately. The austerity for me was that it was somewhat angular, earthy and not as soft as Jeff suggests. Great wine, Yes but agree with Jeff that I don't think age will soften the wine. Extremely terroir driven. One note I must state is that it was decanted for 2 hours and drank over 3. By the fifth hour it did show some movement in becoming more silky and smooth but remained austere in its profile. Still good fruit and complexity. I will revisit in a couple of years.
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N: Slightly closed, some forest floor/earth, poss some Brett? (though blew off); Continued to evolve in the tasting glass
P: LM body; NICE frt met by some puckerish astringency which does pretty much resolve by the very LONG, ULT *quite* pleasant finish. In its window, but should go on a # of yrs more. 13% ABV; My EXC+/Exceptional-. RJonWine 91-94 pts (4x), Jancis Robinson 17.5 & 18/20, + numerous other solid reviews listed on wine-searcher's "Tasting Notes" pg.
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Tasted blind. Decanted for 30 minutes but needed a lot more. Herbal and a bit alcoholic on the nose. Massive and dense, lots of fruit and acidity and a slight bitterness on the finish. Needs five more years.
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Fantastic showing. This still has years to go (or needs a LONG decant), but this more than made up for the disappointing '86 PLL. The fruit here still feels very primary and rich, but it's already showing a lot of savoury development with intense tobacco, cedar wood, graphite, and more savoury black truffle-like notes that emerge with more air. There's a ton of tannin here that gradually softens with more time in the decanter, and I imagine this is going to be something really special in several more years.
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Lovely nose of dark berries and graphite minerals. A rather rustic and masculine style of Pichon with firm tannins and lovely flavors of tobacco, lead pencil and black fruits. The finish is full and lush with tons of minerals. This is drinking younger than the magnificent ‘96 which is clearly the better wine at this point but there is a ways to go here. 93+
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This is a really good wine. I think it would better to have decanted it. It opened up after half an hour or so. Deep colour, good nose and black/red fruit, long taste
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Guys Night Out Again (Jason's House): Elegant. Decanted for at least an hour. This went down so easily. It is a classy and refined Bordeaux, but not as outstanding as the previous bottle 1.5 years ago.
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Blind tasting with 1995 leoville Barton. One member found vanilla a turn off. Another member found it with sweet cherry, perfume, and cigar box. Another member found the wine with green olives and cedar. It was unusual that the descriptors were so different. One member gave it 19+ out of 20; another 16+. The Leoville Barton was better.
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Guy's Night Out (Jason's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. Decanted for 3.5 hours, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Lots of earth here and a touch of funk, cassis and violets on the nose. The palate starts a bit austere, tart, black cherry, but it develops more depth and intensity and the cassis comes forth too. A bit of heat late. 92+pts.
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With 1 hour in the decanter, the wine offers a full-bodied, concentrated experience filled with tobacco leaf, blackberry, herbs, cigar box and red fruits. The wine is less strict than many 95 wines, but there is some austerity to the wine that you definitely feel. Time is not going to add much more softness.
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Nice upon decanting but after 90 minutes became full and silky. Classic Pauillac with slightly tart, palate-filling fruit, light on earthiness, good balance.
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3rd of 12. A very pleasant classic claret. Medium bodied, well balanced with black berry fruits and some tobacco. Dry finish. Not as complex as the 1996 but would probably have benefited from a longer decant. Good with steak. 4/5
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1995 Bordeaux (Piccolino, Exchange Square, London): Deep ruby/garnet. Spicy red and black berry fruit, herbal edge. Medium/full bodied, cool black fruit, herbal notes again, with richness to which turns savoury on the very good length finish. Excellent/outstanding.
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1995 Bordeaux: Blackcurrant leaf, slightly herbal. A slightly dry edge to the finish. Quite a bit here. Savoury, but cool fruit and some depth. Lovely. ****
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What a nose. if you are craving quintessential Pauillac perfume, pull this one out. As a drink, it lacks the power of 96 but it also costs 30% less. Definitely pair with with lighter fair, the fruit and tertiary elements are delicate. Not sure about saving this much longer unless you are looking for it to really start to change into a different animal. If thats the case, and the nose is any clue, this could be a very interesting wine 15-20 years down the line for extremely well stored bottles.
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Decanted for 90 mins and off to Amara with Joe and friends from NYC Wine is in a very nice spot and think will be for many more years. No formal TNs as its been a month but everyone loved this wine
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This wine has come around nicely and is quite full-bodied with delicious dark berry fruits and lots of mid-palate depth. Finishes rich and complex with note of herbs, dark spices and purple flowers. Coming into full bloom now and while not the most refined PL ever made, it’s a seductive drink.
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Medium ruby red core with bricking at the rim. Complex aromas of dark berries, flowers, tobacco, truffles, and earth. Round and elegant in the mouth with soft tannins and good persistence. Has definitely entered its mature phase but with plenty of pleasurable drinking ahead. A second wine from one of Bordeaux’s “super seconds”. 13% ABV.
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A truly beautiful wine; at its best, this is an elegant yin/yang showstopper; soft, silky tannins, long complex finish. A bargain, really, approachable and delightful to drink with duck, or salmon.
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This has certainly moved forward in the last year, and is starting to drink beautifully. The nose is surprisingly aromatic given the vintage, and is bursting with red cherry, plum, and blackcurrent. On the palate the wine is showing signs of real maturity with old leather and tobacco underpinning the fruit, but still displaying the tannic characteristics of 1995. The tannin is in totally harmony and stays on the palate without any residual sourness. The finish is 30 seconds plus. This had 4 hours of decanting, and did benefit, and really started to develop in the glass after 30 minutes, (and I did actually up the rating by a point in consequence,). Surprisingly advanced for the vintage, I think that this now may have the edge on the 1996. 96+
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Ahhh Pichon Comtesse... always a memorable experience! The bouquet is almost perfect, great perfume. On the palate it's perfectly round, medium/full body, very complex, mature but still quite live. The finish is very long and delicious.
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13th of 24, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, still purple rimmed and very backward, a pleasure to drink again (after last June's dumb bottle), if not firing on all cylinders, weight of fruit and underlying complexity to produce at least a very fine bottle in a few years time given the lovely ripe fruit, generosity and balance, one of the best 95s! Currently F+ (18) with scope for much more. NB the drink dates above are a joke 25-40 for peak drinking if from a decent cellar!
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Decanted and served with Chateaubriand. Cigarbox nose. Supple leather and youthful tannins on the palate, transitioning into a very long finish of apricot and sweet tobacco. Just lovely. At peak but many years to go.
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1995 Bordeaux / Cali Cabernet Tasting (Casa de la Mata): Served blind in a 95 Cali/Bdx tasting. Okay, a serious step up here. Gorgeous, beaming and layered nose of plum, cedar, tobacco and cigar ash. The palate has more density and richness with still-gritty tannin. Everything is in proportion here. I was fooled and thought this was a Cali, like Togni. So darn good. My #1, Group #1 in the flight. Most thought BDX.
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Litigators' Wine Dinner (Summer Pavilion, Ritz Carlton, Singapore): Absolutely lovely, this had a classic Lalande nose of fragrant tobacco, tea leaves, cedar and sweet cassis. Lovely. The palate was just about coming into its own, with a velvety cloak of really fine tannins and really fresh acidity draped over pure flavours of cassis, cedar and smoky tobacco drifting into a long, exotically spiced finish. Beautifully integrated and drinking beguilingly well - this will be drinking wonderfully over the next decade.
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This was disappointing as I loved the 1989 I had just a month ago. Perhaps it is just a case of individual bottle variation, but this bottle was clearly not corked and was simply devoid of fruit. It displayed other components such as leather, earth, tobacco, etc...but left one longing for any hint of fruit of any kind.
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(Decanter Fine Wine 2017) :: N: delicate, balanced, notes of saddle leather, burnt orange, dried flowers. Quite discrete. P: super balance and elegance. Feminine, soft and rounded. Long finish.
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The 1995 Château Pichon Lalande is clearly one of the best left bank wines of the vintage. It is accessible, open, and wonderfully fragrant. The Pauilliac stamp is there, with its black currant, pencil shavings, cedar, and tobacco. A couple of years ago, it was a little shy on the palate, but it now shows a lot of elegance and generosity. It's still not quite the 1996, but it's getting close.
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1995 CHATEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE de LALANDE PAUILLAC- the 2nd of 2 with different notes; decanted about 2 hours prior to serving, this had more evolved black currant fruit with help from leather, earth, tobacco and spice in the nose and taste; some surprising distinct black pepper came in past mid palate; there seems to be a mild touch of Brett like notes in each which was more apparent in this bottle, but in no was distracting from the joy of drinking it.
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1995 CHATEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE de LALANDE PAUILLAC- the first of 2, this bottle I brought was distinguished by the gold foil still in place; it was decanted 4 hours prior to serving and exuded a pure dark purple colour; I got cedar, leather, spice, smoke and mint chocolate laden black cherry and black currant fruit; it was big and richer and more balanced than the next one for whatever reason as confirmed by table talk.
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Drank last night alongside an 89 lalande and 95 baron. This bottle just rocked. Pulled this straight from owc of 750ml. Classic pichon structure. Pkenty of acidity and earthy undertones with currant very forward. Wine is perfect and peaking right now.
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Decanted and served. Mature, stately Lalande with nose of pipe tobacco, sweet tobacco and sour cherry on the palate and a long, satisfying finish. I would think this is at its mature peak so enjoy!
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Pnp. Best of the lot amongst a group with a 96 Haut Brion and a 95 Mouton. Maybe it's current drinking window is the best - the Mouton got better and better over the dinner. This wine was precise and well balanced - it had a wonderful elegance and good finish.
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Ex-negociant bottle. perfect fill and cork. Cranky and clipped upon opening. Needed 3-4hrs to show well and then it was quite apparent how youthful this was. Flint and exotic spice, tannic palate. Despite the chateau being a favorite of mine, I and the group totally missed this one. I'll try and save my last bottle for at least 5yrs.
On night 2 this was a little sullen. Darker fruit profile, brooding and a little lethargic. Pichon Baron was prefered given the brighter palate and red fruits.
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Starke Noten von Unterholz, Pilz, Waldboden, aber auch Cassis, Kirsch, Pflaume. Noch schwere Tannine. Super Wein, kann sicherlich noch 10+ Jahre reifen.
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Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Vertical Tasting with Nicolas Glumineau (Taberna del Alabardero): I love 1995 Bordeaux in general, but I've had these wines together a couple times now and each time seem to prefer the 1996. The aroma was more diffuse than the '96. On the palate, it feels broader and markedly more tannic -- drier and dare I say somewhat closed. It lacks the piercing fruit intensity of the '96 but has a strong mineral element that initially seems like a mouthful of concrete (and about as monolithic) but eventually bloomed into that familiar mix of metal shavings and black fruit. This vintage in particular really needed the food to show itself and will need some more cellar time to feel as comfortable in its own skin as the '96. Nicolas mentioned that this is an atypically merlot-heavy blend for the chateau, 45% cab sauv, 40% merlot, and 15% cab franc.
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Pichon Lalande dinner with Nicolas Glumineau (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): It is always fascinating to compare the 95 and 96 left bank wines. The 96 is the epitome of a classic claret, so sophisticated and precise where the 95 is opulent and hedonistic, always with a hint of roasted fruit, This is no exception. Expressive nose displaying sweet black fruit, cassis, blackberry, a hint of black cherry, coffee, mocha, cedar and mineral. Excellent concentration, good density, slightly rustic and chunk mocha/roasted fruit driven palate impression, bright acidity, good earthy mineral and a medium to long opulent sweet black fruit and mocha driven finish. Still quite youthful but ready to go. Really nice wine but I prefer the 96 for the purity, precision and polished palate.
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Clearly, one of the top wines from this often austere vintage. Here, you find softness to the tannins, sensuality to the textures, vibrancy and just a bit of austerity in the finish. At 22, this is perfect to open today, and for the next 15-20 years.
From mag. My first experience with this wine - I really enjoyed it, and for my palate it is showing better than the 96 at the moment. This is rich, dark and the style of PLL and I love. Notes of tobacco and plenty of scope for further improvement. Now joins the 89 PLL as my favovite vintages of this wine for buying/drinking now. Drink to 2030.
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This a Pretty big wine. Still has many years to go. Lots of red and black fruit. Elegant but intense flavors. Quite jammy, stewed fruit. Joyfull experience.
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12th of 24, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, youthful colour, seemed pretty closed, tannins obtrusive and fruit faded relative to previous bottles, better with food bringing out underlying quality of fruit, quality of components undeniable, but hard work. Nevertheless F (17.5), usually a couple of notches higher.
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During a Cab Sav Dinner. During a tasting dinner. Medium garnet/brick. Nose of cedar, tobacco, lots of roasted aromas too, coffe. Soft and sily palate, elegant. Good but 1996 is better.
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Bordeaux Second Growths Lunch (Capital Grille NY): Cola initally turning to figs and eucalyptus. Lifted freshness with a long persistent finish. Well into the early phase of its prime drinking window
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40th Anniversary Magnum Party; 6/3/2017-6/4/2017 (R&D's): From magnum, leftover from the prior night. Wow, this has really fallen off from last night. I would have expected some deterioration, but not to this extent. Red fruit and herbal qualities on the nose and palate with a distinct vegetal overtone.
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40th Anniversary Magnum Party; 6/3/2017-6/4/2017 (R&D's): From magnum. Gorgeous right from the start with those wonderful herbal green Pichon Lalande overtones. Red currants and plum along with underbrush and sage. Tannins are integrating nicely on the palate,which is dominated by red fruit flavors. Herb notes with a slight cigar tobacco flavor in the finish. Balanced, with a long finish. My favorite of the big-time Bordeaux on the table as it was clearly, for myself and a few others, the most accessible.
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Pichon-Lalande 1995 has developed beautifully and is drinking very well now.Great classical Pauillac nose, shows cassis,blackberry,cedar,graphite,blonde tobacco,lead pencil.Velvety texture with excellent depth and balance,elegant and refined with a long racy finish.Still painfully young,this seems like one for the long haul.
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I'm starting to like this vintage of Pichon Lalande more and more as time progresses. On previous occasions, I have felt it to be clearly inferior to the 1996; it's now starting to catch up. While the 1996 is deeper, darker, and infused with more earthiness, the 1995 has more brighter red fruits and spiciness. While it benefits from some aeration, it can be enjoyed PnP. There are plentiful aromas of red fruits, tobacco, Asian spices, green pepper, dark chocolate, and cigar box. On the palate, there is a nice elegance and mouthfeel. Medium weight. Tannins are seamlessly blended into the overall complexion. Delicious mouth-watering acidity on the medium-plus length finish. Hopefully, this wine keeps on its trajectory. It's certainly one of the more accessible wines (presently) from this sometimes austere vintage.
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Blind 1995 Bordeaux at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL): Served blind in flights of 1995 Bordeaux. How strange it is to have two of the same wine, blind, side-by-side, when the lineup was randomly determined? It was later concluded that this bottle was decanted four hours later than the previous, which we used as an excuse to justify the very different showings. Especially after the tasting, retasting the two side-by-side, the differences seemed much less stark. There's probably some trick of psychology going on here as well. In any case, I found this bottle darker, with a more brown spice tone. The palate was much thinner than the previous bottle, and the acid and tannin didn't feel very much in balance with each other. However, it was still fairly clear to me that this was a cabernet-heavy left bank wine.
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Blind 1995 Bordeaux at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL): Served blind in flights of 1995 Bordeaux. Clearly left bank of high caliber. The nose on this was perfumed, complex, and full of those classic aromas you're looking for in Bordeaux: black fruit, a bit of cedar, some leather, some dirt. The palate is a bit surprising given the nose, though, it's a bit less perfumed and explosive, and lies more on the red side of the spectrum. The acidic lift here is incredible, too. The sweeter red fruit here did give me some pause as to whether this could have been a classic Californian cabernet, but in the end, I settled with my gut instinct. As an addendum, this bottle was decanted four hours before the next one.
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Wow, what a wine. Very similar in quality and character to the more famous 1996 vintage. The 1995 gets a slight edge in palate (less acidic, more fat - personal preference), slightly less tannic and mature, but loses to the 1996 in freshness and nose. Deep, brooding nose with plenty of secondary characteristics of cedar, tobacco, some port-like notes, but nose feels a bit smothered compared to the 1996. I think the 1996 will be better in the long run, but right now these are neck and neck, but enjoyable in different ways.
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This has really developed in the last year and is ready to drink after a couple of hours in the decanter. A deep nose of blackcurrent and cassis gives way to good depth on the palate where the fruit is held in check by robust tannin. Completed with a lengthy finish the wine should hold at this level for a good few years and should continue to evolve.
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Only my second Comtesse, after the 2006. A very good and very traditional Paulliac, wich the typical, dark, Paulliac berries. Needs 2-3 hours or so in the decanter to really open up. Quite light, elegant and mellow. This is how I like my wines from Pauillac.
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Luis Turns 60 (St. Genevieve): Decanted 1.5 hours, drank a glass over 1.5 hours. This wine changed significantly in the glass. To me, it really did taste like Pichon Lalande. Secondary and tertiary Bordeaux flavors are evident, and it has rich red fruit that made it hard to stop drinking. A rich smooth finish with silky tannins. In fact, thinking about this wine right now, I'm raising my score 1 point. Wine #2 of the night for me and the group.
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Stood up for an hour. Decanted for a little over an hour.
Cork was in great shape with minimal stain - appears it could have gone for several more years. Dark red in color and not too much bricking going on. Dark cherry and sandalwood. Some forest floor. Some black tea.
Very smooth finish, but not big or long; a little lacking.
This seems like it could go for many more years. That said, I'm not sure what type of additional development it will show. Pop any time and it should be rewarding. Great experience.
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Delicious!!! Two hours in the decant, and it was alive and kicking ... Classic Bordeaux circa 1990s... excellent structure, long silly finish tanins resolved nothing to complain about here and it's time to drink !! Can't see anyting else developing here but could last for more years based on the time needed in decanter... I like it better than the 1990, 1994 vintages ... sadly my last bottle
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Opened this alongside a 1987 Dunn HM, which was unfair. The Dunn stole the show with incredible depth, breadth and freshness, and while the Comtesse was an excellent wine, it couldn't compete. It seemed almost simple - which it is not - with pure raspberry and blueberry compote. Not what I would have expected, but the gravitas of the Dunn likely affected my perception of anything that followed.
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This is in a really nice spot. Very Classic lalande, just beginning to drink in the same zone the 80's lalandes are fully in now. Very true to old school Cabernet. The nose is of charred green pepper, gravel, lead pencil, cedar, mushroom, red currant, and smoke. Palate has a fair whack of tannin and nice fresh bright acid. Long finish. Beautiful!
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Shorty decant. Still youthful. A little lacking in the middle but very good at the font of the palette. Spicy. Almost lunch bagrs like in that respect.
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Coravined twice, this note is from the second time round after another 2 weeks. On pouring, it shows dark fruit, cassis, cedar but not very open, rather shy nose. A bit acidic taste and flat. After abt 1h some tobacco notes were much more apparent and after abt 2 1/2 h it really starts showing its pedigree and the wine becomes more harmonious and elegant with the acidity played down and the tannin more silky and smooth. Nice tobacco and earth flavors with leather and good fruit. Finish is a bit short though. 92-93p Opened up the bottle on new year's eve, double decanted and after 3 hours it really came to life showing fantastic complexity and development over the evening. Best after 3-4 h. 94p
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At a holiday lunch someone brought this wine and it sat all by itself, lonely and unopened. I opened it and found another wino or two and we really enjoyed a young mature bordeaux. Lousy glasses, lighting etc but very fine wine.
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Still not at peak maturity. Big, deep Pauilliac with rich cassis and cedar nose and flavour but also just a bit of unintegrated oak that gives it a leather edge. Needs another few years.
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With Helen and Chris. Lovely if slightly muted, cassis and cedar nose. Very soft fruit, typical of Pichon Comtesse, yet also with plenty of tannic backbone. Ideal ladies claret. In 2010 I noted it would still improve, was perfect in 2012. Now on its plateau of maturity. If you want to know what Comtesse was like from the mid 70s to mid 90s this is typical in style.
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Enjoyed with my family at my daugters wedding along with a 1995 Calon-Segur. Both bottles decanted for 3 hours and both singing this night. No notes taken. The preferance this night was the Calon-Segur by a slight margin- both bottles very much enjoyed by all.
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Rich and regal in its royal purple color and sooth velvet finish. Cassis, blue and blackberry merge with cedar forest, toast and lead pencil. This elegant palate pleasing, full-bodied wine is at full maturity.
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Fully mature and at its peak. Classic Bordeaux nose. Not thrilling or exciting but solid, well made, and now silky. But, based on my bottle, drink up. 96 is a meaningful step up, IMO.
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Inky cassis colour. Expansive masculine bouquet of pencil shavings and leather. Big legs. Rich palate of Victoria plums and cocoa. Super silky tannins. Long, long finish. Massive and superb.
[Drunk after dinner in Singapore. From 18 degree wine fridge. Decanted 15 minutes.]
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Gordon's 60th Birthday Fine-Wine Dinner for Robyn and Gordon (Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand): Tasted next to the Pahlmeyer 1995, this was clearly Bordeaux in its leaner and more cigar box personality. Slight green pepper aspect dos interest . Very intense and still quite young - the wine is aging extremely well and shows no sign of slowing down. More focused that the Napa wine and certainly more aromatic, in the end the the Pichon felt less ripe, layered and complex. Stylistically the Pichon was true to type, while the Pahlmyer was more difficult to place - being very mid-Atlantic in style and nothing like the current high octane cult Napa style. In the end, the Pichon was an outstanding wine and I could see great bottles of this proving great pleasure for two more decades. 94-95.
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Opened 3 hours before and decanted. Much improved from previous test the night before using sample extracted with Coravin. Colour good no sign of age, bright. Nose cedar, dark fruit. Taste was good, multi layered and quite long
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Decanted and consumed 4 hours later - was drinking beautifully this night and enjoyed by all at our family holiday diner. A medium / full body wine with blackberry, raspberry and black currant flavors abounding. I think I will be enjoying more of this in the near future.
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An awkward showing, lots of fruit, but stolid and a bit chunky. It needed more air to show well, but this frog could still metamorphose into a prince some day. NOTE: I had this again a week later and it was terrific.
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Still good but might be going into a dumb phase. Plenty of power there, not over the top, colour good, nose dark fruit and pepper. Taste fair but not inspiring
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celebrating my 60th and Yoram's 50th birthday with Wine-Nona (MeatBar restaurant, Herzlia): uncorked 2-3 hours in advance dark opaque red-purple color classic quality Pauillac nose with fine tertiary aromas of damp soil, leather, dry ripe blackberry, blueberry, and black currant with cedar and tobacco notes. medium-full bodied, dried woody cranberry flavours, blackberry and currant, dry tannins, medium structured and complexity, seducing harmony that makes you enjoy this wine even though 1995 wasn't as great as 1996, surely not as 1990; medium length finish, memorable good aftertaste.
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Another nice '95 that's drinking nicely. (Tasted in companion with the Clerc Milon, which outshined this a bit on this night.) Great color. Nose a bit reticent, but some violet and black cherry comes through. Flavors of blackberry and other dark fruits on the palate. Nice finish. A bit of a dullness to it, wonder if it opens up further in time. 93+
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- Ruby color with slow forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, raspberry and black currant with a medium/full body. Silky texture with a medium finish - Very much an old world wine with great fruit and nose.
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[Magnum] Big Pauillac nose of damp soil and damp leathers atop juicy blackberry, blueberry, and black currant. Red cedar and tobacco spices as well. Dried cranberry comes out after more air time. Not a Mouton nose but certainly brooding and certainly what you'd hope for in Pauillac. Big on the palate delivering a wallop of blackberry and currant. Almost syrupy, but less raw. Somewht dry tannins already easing up. None of the undesirable astringent characteristics of '95 red Bordeaux present. Had been beginning to take Lalande for granted but this was a reminder that the wine is still beautiful. Also, Mags make a big difference. Very pleased.
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Excellent fill and cork. Double decanted; light-to-medium sediment. Six hours later: Garnet color with orange bricking. Nose is more developed than on my Dec 3, 2015 tasting (which was only two hours after decanting). Otherwise, my notes of three weeks ago still apply.
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11th of 24, decanted 45 minutes, perfect cork and fill, as December 2014 note, a fine but not spectacular Comtesse, as ever the enhanced merlot content for Medoc (cf Palmer) made it work well with rare steak, may yet improve slightly. Just fine plus (18/20).
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Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind (Chicago, IL): Tasted double blind alongside PLL 82. Dense black fruit with background spice. Firm and still backward (could have used decanter time), but overall excellent balance and potential. Will benefit from more cellar time.
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A Margaux & Pauillac tasting (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): More powerful than the '95 Margaux, with a more open nose. Black currant, cedar, and mint. Lacks the earthiness of typical Pichon Lalandes. Sampled the ’96 Pichon Lalande last night, and I prefer the more complex ’96 (which is more praise for the '96 than a knock on the '95). Better on the nose than palate right now. A little tart on the finish. Tonight, this wine outpaced the '95 Margaux served next to it.
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During a tasting, served semi blind. Expressive nose of horse saddle, pencil, cedar. elegant palate with very fine tannins, softer, Merlot coming through. Very elegant, long finish.
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Excellent fill and cork. Double decanted; relatively light sediment for a 20-year-old Bordeaux. Two hours later: Garnet color. Subdued nose of black cherries and spice. One the palate, medium body with great balance between fruit, acids and tannins. Medium-long finish of smoky fruit. Would not have guessed this wine to be so old; and it still has probably a decade or more of good drinking ahead.
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1st of our 2nd-flight of wines. Nose was floral, with ash, spice & sandalwood. Fresh, red-fruited with some leather on the palate. Nose turned a bit "sweaty" towards the end. Had thought this was the Baron...
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Initially lots of candied cherries and licorice on the nose. After decanting, the nose becomes one of a basket of ripe black fruit and toasted nuts with hints of earth. Beautifully smooth attack, full mouth, very fruity but also fat and silky chewiness, slightly jammy, nuts and some tobacco and chocolate notes. Good length but not as long as expected. Enjoyable!
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°°° Bordeaux 1995 °°°: Deep garnet in color. Nose of truffles, leather and red fruit. A lot of power, multilayered, complex and very balanced. A nice interplay from sweetness and acidity. Superb wine and a clear 96+/100. Drink now - 2045
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Opened the bottle an hour before service, and decanted 30 minutes before service. In the glass, surprisingly youthful, dark red with only modest hints of auburn at the rim. On the nose, crushed currants and cedar in perfect balance. On the palate, smooth, classic Pauillac, cedar, cassis, tobacco, currants, all competing for attention. Yes, it's not as profound as the 1982, but what is? Enjoy this for what it delivers today.
The tannins started to assert themselves after a couple of hours, so there may still be many years ahead, but this is eminently pleasurable drinking right now.
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Nice Margaux-like nose, which does not change much through the night. Palate becomes quite harmonious after 2 hour decant. Soft but with good structure. Finish is a bit lacking?
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One of the best wines of the vintage as it shows none of the often, harshness to the tannins. The wine is soft, round and silky, with complex aromatics and ripe, sweet, dark fruits, finishing with a voluptuous mouth feel.
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Decanted for two hours. Nose of cedar and tobacco. Seriously stained bottle, must be unfiltered. This wine has finally come around. Round, everything in balance, long finish, young mature and will hold for years.
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Landmark Hotel Decanter Masterclass with Nicolas Glumineau. An interesting contrast to 1996, and is a tad more angular, perfumed, black tobacco, cedar and capsicum. Graphite and mineral finish.
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Cedary notes on the nose, green bell peppers, tobacco - not as ripe and expressive on the nose compared to the 1996. On the palate similar observations - less ripe and harder, a bit lean and drying towards the finish. Nice length. 91-93
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Initially I was not overly impressed, the wine was still youthful with primary fruit but a strange vegetal undertone. However after a couple of hours it had opened out into something quite splendid with a range of complex flavours. Drunk with plain steak, potatoes and peas and was a perfect match. (4+/5)
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A great vintage of Pichon Lalande should delight - the poorer vintages give you a lithe, leathery, cedar sort of wine that's competent enough on its own - but the great ones deliver that perfect integration, elegance, and violet floral burst that keeps you coming back. And in that regard, this is just another wine in a long parade of disappointing 1995s. Somehow a year that still manages to garner high prices, it produced wines that were really backward and charmless. I don't think they'll ever really come around but if there's one that will, it's Pichon Lalande. So there's always hope. Give it another 5 years and see if you've got it, but don't go out of your way to get them if you haven't any... Decanted and followed for 4 hours.
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Tom's Bday at H-club. WOTN next to other 95s: Insignia, Leoville Barton and the Pichon Baron. Very good wine, young dark red color, nose of lots of action, pure soft balanced everything. On palate very good, young, but well developed, so I guess this is getting to the top but it will undoubtedly stay there. Very Very Good!
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The Pichon Lalande 1995 is drinking well. It still has some rough edges which will smooth out over time. It is more rumbustious than svelte. The nose is complex classic Pichon Lalande. There's coffee, mocha and gravel, minerals, lead pencil and burnt raspberry. It is fresh, grippy and vibrant. The mid palate may have be a tad lacking but the finish is good. There is still some unresolved spikey tannins on the back end. This wine performs well amongst its left bank peers in this vintage because of its relatively high merlot content and relatively low Cabernet Sauvignon content. The Cabernet tannins are still pretty spikey in the 1995 vintage, but these other wines like Ducru may eventually overhaul it. An outstanding Pichon Lalande, it is still not on the same level as the extraordinary1996.
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Clos de Vougeot 2002 and Pichon 1995, a wonderfully, suitable pair of wines to complement roast chicken.
The Pichon was for me the highlight of the evening. Deep robe with a narrow rim, exuding youthfulness and expression. Gravelly, wet stone and mineral notes. On the palate, mocha, gravel and pepper and a balance of fine tannins and acidity; the only disappointment was that it was lacking a little on the mid-palate, but ends with a long mineral finish. A lovely wine.
Vougeot went through a couple of phases during the course of supper, and over a few hours: firstly, high tone, candied fruits and quite tight then mellowing out and expressing black cherries, earth and sous-bois with a touch of gaminess. An intriguing and youthful wine.
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From double magnum. Spice nose. Balanced tannins that still require more time, some spice and dark fruit but otherwise lacking in exceptional depth. A very good but not great Pichon Lalande.
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Consumed @ Macheroni Republic with HJ. Very tight and clean Bordeaux, but nothing memorable, seemed very shut down. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by this. Not as great as a previous Pichon Lalande, or even Réserve de la Comtesse that I tasted. Maybe needed much more time to decant.
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Open almost 2 hours before serving with one hour in decanter. Lots of black cherry, plum and currant with some liqueur and vanilla hints. Good power and excellent balance. Very pleasurable now.
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Tight and oaky upon first pour, this opened nicely in the glass even if it remained rather oak driven. Black fruits, fresh herbs, ivy, green peppercorn and gravel notes added some attractive complexity. Smooth and polished in the mouth with fine grained tannins and integrated acidity creating a rather elegant feel, this showed leathery and nutty nuances on the palate that was moderately well endowed with slightly jammy black cherry and black currant fruit all leading to a modest finish. Balanced, pleasant and easy, this seemed to be Bordeaux to me so I though it was the Pichon.
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1995s Blind -- Torture: Served single-blind in a flight of four. Ripe and sweet, with lots of of chocolately oak and black fruit. This is quite expressive, but mainly of oak-derived flavors, this is woodier than a pirate's peg leg. The oak is mostly integrated texturally, and the tannins are refined and relaxed, and there's good acidity, but this is simple and boring and even less interesting than discussing wine for two hours. What happened here?
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What a Scheisse and Bajsse! Biological experiment gone awry. Nasty business, this.
But decided I'd be damned to let all those hard earned British Pounds be poured in to the sink. After forcing some glasses down my throat, it came around nicely. Entering almost the domains of 70 points! Wow!
How I hate bad corks... Why is it that the Australians are so much more clever with their screw-caps than the bordelais? Cork showed a streak of brown all the way to the crown, broke upon extraction, the bottom half crumbled and the cork was generally soaked almost to the top...
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Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015 (Jade Palace): This appeared to be the freshest of the lot. Amidst a nose of earth, cedar, graphite, the palate was perhaps the most impressive of the trio. This had depth, structure, and length, very balanced, silky and fresh. Will definitely be great in time to come. On hindsight (fearing that the '60s wines might crumble), we should have done this flight first. It kinda suffered coming after the '60s...
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3 hour decant then sipped over 2 more. Very nice wine. I believe it has hit its maturity plateau. Supple with lovely mid palate. Finish was a bit choppy for my liking but overall a fine example of PL and Bordeaux. A softer and longer finish would have garnered this a 95 easily.
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classic pauillac. tobacco, earth, dark red fruit, acidity in the backbone. not as smooth as the 2000 Haut Brion and 83 Margaux I had next to it, but also better than the 2001 Lafite IMHO.
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9th of 24, all notes fine or better, decanted 90 minutes, perfect fill - deepish garnet, some lightening on rim, dusty/mat; attractive black fruit, plum just ahead of currant, earth, iron, tobacco trace, classy; fullish, quality fruit, decent length and grip, some unresolved tannins and at the burly end for PL, just a sense of pushing extraction a la RP....so needs watching. No better than fine plus (18/20).
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Chateau Pichon Lalande Dinner with Nicolas Glumineau (Commanderie de Bordeaux, Singapore): Medium garnet with brick rim. Intense nose of earth, red fruits, smoke, barnyard, very Medoc and very complex. On the palate this is soft and elegant with extraordinary balance, elegance and drinkability, wow! On the peak now but can still age. This was the benchmark wine of the night.
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Incredibly tannic and backward at first, but with a lot of air and patience this really transformed. Initially it came across quite monolithic, with lots of black fruit and oak and faint cedary and graphite savoury notes in the background, and a wall of grippy tannin, but with more time the oak integrated and the tannin eased up as the savoury graphite and earthy elements, as well as that signature PLL herbal/green accent started to emerge around the fruit. Still painfully young, and this seems like one for the long haul.
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Dark aromas with a slight hint of bretty shoe polish, but primarily rich and dark. Ripe dense black fruit flavors dominate although a nice distinct green pepper adds interest. Smooth long and rich. Impressive quality and see good upside ahead. Chewy big finish. Brighter quality than the 1996, but not as decadent.
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mature Bordeaux tasting (Osteria da Fiorella, Tel Aviv): opened 2 hours prior to consumption dark red-black color nose of graphite, musk, red currant, cassis. full bodied, med acidity, med dusty tannins, smooth, layers of sweet currant, cherry, blackberry, tobacco, leather, and earth, well balanced, excellent harmony, red berry fruit finish. can be further aged - still many years to go.
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Enjoyed this bottle with friends at Le Rivage. It was a wonderful complement to the lamb shank and Chicken Forestiere. It was lighter than I remembered (probably been drinking too much of the heavy duty Cali Cab) but a perfect food wine. Tertiary flavors have developed and slightly greater vegetal notes than previously. All in all the star of the table for the evening.
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From a 6L, this showed gorgeously. Felt very young, would not have guessed a '95. Inviting aromas of blackberries and anise. On the palate, this wine showcased magnificent grace and balance. The wine's texture stole the show for me, extremely silky, soft, and smooth on the palate. In a great place now but will still improve with some more time, I wouldn't hesitate to open a bottle now though.
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Colour is quite evolved garnet, gentle rather than vibrant but very inviting nonetheless. The nose has wonderful texture, generous, expressive wine, almost mulberry fruit. Palate also has the most lovely texture, the soft plump texture of Merlot is gorgeous, everything seems to sit neatly in place. A wine of beautiful harmony, drinking perfectly now but surely has the balance to age gracefully for a further 10 or more years.
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From a bottle generously provided by M.C., this deep-to-opaque garnet wine was tasted in double-blind fashion. The nose flaunts intense aromas of blackberries, truffles, coriander, dark chocolate and anise. The wine is full-bodied, has medium acidity, seamless alcohol (listed as 13%) and medium-weight, ripe tannins. The flavors are black fruit and mineral laden, with good persistence in the middle. The finish is very long and shows some residual tannic grip. Still youthful by virtue of its fruit and structure, this vintage of Pichon-Lalande (assuming well-cellared) will drink nicely for at least another decade. Drink now-2025.
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seriously good. opened magnum 4 hrs prior and double decanted. served w chops. incredible perfectly resolved pauillac; optimal now - deep dark and delicious
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A bit closed and clumsy at first but it kept improving in the glass. More fruit-driven than the '96 with a deeper middle palate but perhaps lacking that wine's refined elegance. Lovely flavors of black currants, violets and thick tobacco; this is a full-bodied PL that is just delicious to drink if given enough air. The finish is full and complex with wonderful notes of exotic spices and graphite minerals. Really delicious with lots of upside as the notable tannins begin to soften. 94+
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Double-decanted then returned to the cellar the morning before the dinner. Opaque ruby red. Nose is deep, rich, succulent ripe red fruits, beautifully integrated oak and vanilla. Palate is super precision-ground espresso coffee , mouthwateringly fresh redcurrant fruits. Great weight and purity. Impressively resonant and reverberant. Really a treat and just starting to enter its drinking window. It can only improve. Rich, opulent and fantastic. Stonkingly fantastic. Mesmeric.
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Marvelous marvelous wine. Remarkably almost young yet with almost no signs of change at the edges. We PNP but should have opened earlier. Took some time to really blossom but then just spectacular wine.
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Miniinferno #1 in Umeå (Hemmavid, Umeå): Had a very shakey start in the glass, but came around as this evening's most refined knakelibrak wine. Finally mature, but many more years of plessure remain. A much better representation than previous btl.
Jöwlar så bra den var! Sumi ink extravaganza! Very fine oak, Bordeaux earth and a light caresse of brett. Me love!
Only two btls to go. Next one in or around 2017.
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To my palate, this is about as good as it gets in Pauillac. I've had very few wines from this region I've enjoyed this much, including the First Growths. It's in a great place now, with enough age to be approachable, yet still with plenty of fruit and life and a long finish. Very highly recommended...
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2014 New Year's Day Tasting $100+ (Marietta, GA): Dark red to rim; sandy, red fruit, currant, obviously Left Bank, leaner, perfumed, cherry; a bit of alcohol, kirsch, on finish, a leaner more feminine frame which I preferred though it may have been a touch more hollow than what I expect from PL; good now.
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Klar, dyp, mørk rød. Nydelig, floral, mørk,dyp og forførende nese med solbær, innslag av røde bær, sedertre og vanilje. Dyp og intens frukt med flott fruktsødme og konsentrasjon. Kraftfull og mektig samtidig som den er elegant og forførende. Frisk syre. Silkemyke tanniner . Nydelig lengde med dype frukttoner.
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My wine of the night; what a wonderful nose, very rich and elegant, with waves and waves of black cherries, honey, fragrant roses, and black truffles; the palate, very creamy, juicy, and textured yet still rather tight albeit a few hours of decanting; the finish, very fruity and long but also tannic; overall, 95-96 points at this stage; very enjoyable to taste this wine at the end of tonight's tasting banquet; judging from its rock solid structure, this wine still has a very long life ahead, say, 2-3 decades?
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Marin County Wine Group - Aged Cabernets 15 year min.; 10/24/2013-10/25/2013 (Mill Valley, Ca.): a beautiful wine and tasted very nicely given this was 11 of 11 tastings this was #3 WOTN for me. Most everyone was getting a very perfumy aromatics and I also had this almost skunkiness, not the funky, bad wine skunkiness, but the actual skunk smell...which I actually like. the aromatics came back around to the typical graphite, cigarbox notes. I wish i would have had more time, as I would have loved to revisit this an hour later.
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Decanted in a very wide decanter for 90 minutes, enjoyed over next 90. Wonderful tapestry including waves of red and dark fruit, lead pencil, tobacco, forest floor, lavender and mint. Kept improving to the final sips. I can still taste it. Give this lots of air.
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5 Decades of Chateau Pichon Lalande, with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Among the very few 1995 left bank wine we actually are fans of. Side by side with the 96 and this actually , to us, is now a better wine. Rounder, fleshier with a lovely silky core of tannin. The fruit is very much there, the high merlot content (more like the fact that they avoided but Cab Sauv) removes the problematic sides of 95s and create a great wine. Very enjoyable now but still with the stuffing to go another 20years albeit it will probably be at peak in 5years(?). 94-95 from us. We are not delivery our 95s any time soon.
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Quite shy on the nose, less expressive than the 96 in comparison. Also very well balanced, quite powerful, lots of grip, slightly drying tannins, fresh, maybe a bit lean and less elegant, long.
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Second Sunday Group: 1995 Pauillac vs. Pessac (Rich's & Dana's): Garnet color. Aromas of forest floor, plum and black currants. Flavors of spice, red fruit and black currants. Soft on the finish. Develops notes of tobacco, perfume and iron, with green qualities underneath. Structure becomes more evident, developing flavors of red fruit and violets. Long finish.
Jeroboam Club 1995 Bordeaux (Bordeaux Quay): classic mature colour. Nose soared from the glass. Classic PL. Seductive rich balanced. Impeccable balance long perfectly mature but loads of life and drive. Just beautiful lingering sweet fruit finish. voted WOTN by a distance
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this was wonderful. from magnum, decanted 1+hour. consumed over several hours thereafter. delightfully balanced and wonderful mouthfeel. classic pichon on the nose and palate.
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The wines of the 1995 vintage were initially touted as fruit-forward and approachable, but as they age doubts are beginning to emerge about the balance of the wines, which seem to display excesses of dry tannins. The 1995 Pichon Lalande has developed more successfully than many of the Médoc classed growths, showing a ruby colour very similar to the 1996. The aromatics are somewhat more exotic, with scents of liquorice, Asian spices, cedar and cassis, and on the palate the wine displays lower acidity. But despite its good concentration and body, it doesn't possess the impressive layered palate impression and overall balance of the 1996.
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This baby was singing after an hour of slow ox. Dark berries, earth, spice, Pencil lead and touch of smoked cedar. Big, broody and incredibly long smooth finish. Tannins still there and fine but oak not as prevalent as 2 years ago.
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Dégustation d'un Pétrus: Un nez typé, tabac, cerises, tomates sèches. Très belle bouche large et ample, avec une certaine droiture qui fait très Pauillac, dans un style raffiné qui m'évoque Pichon Lalande. Des tanins fins, une belle longueur, superbe équilibre. C'est suave et délicieux.
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I really am beginning to like this vintage which needs a good, long decant. Dark and brooding color with a fine nose of sweet violets along with Asian spice and tobacco. This is a big, dense wine for PL with ripe dark fruits and hints of violets. Very concentrated and full throughout with a solid mid-palate. The finish is already showing good complexity and while this doesn't have the refinement of say the '96 vintage, I find it voluptuous and delicious. Should only improve from here.
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Alliance dinner. Drank over 3 hours. Really excellent showing. Nose of dark fruit, green herbs, olives, pepper, old wood and leather. The palate was full and right with wonderful balance and a silky creamy texture. Medium++ finish. In a great spot now.
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Much better than the previous bottle almost 3 years ago... More refined, tannins sharp edge smoothed out, green olive tapenade, sage, more dominant than the black and kirsch fruit... Finally hitting its stride and one of the better 95s although Margaux is up next Saturday...
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Delicious, dense, dark nose with black fruit and smoky tarry notes. Very classy Pauillac with the plush cassis layers on the palate intermingled with mineral and lead pencil. Quite heavy bodied, but by no means heavy. Nicely balanced, this is very enjoyable now but has a long life ahead.
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This was part of a vertical. Similar to the 86 but colour a little younger looking. The aroma was interesting. At first strong berry, then it faded and then it came back after half an hour. The taste was typical Lalande, red fruit and strong. Reasonably long taste
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Rheingau Gourmet Festival "Weinraritätenlunch Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande" (12 PLC vintages), late Feb 2013: classic Pauillac at the start with intense cassis and pencil flavors; unluckily then closed down and didn't open up again over the course of this lunch tasting; plenty of tannins.
Sometimes limited time at tastings can be a pity. At home I just would have given the wine a longer in-between rest. I'm sure she had opened up and started to sing again after some additional hours.
2nd flight: 1995 - 1998 - 2000 - 2003
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Sommelier 1995 Bordeaux Tasting - "Smoke, gravel and tart blackberries with a savory herbal undertone; plenty of baking spice and pepper spice integrate very well with the black and red fruit tones; the texture crescendos back across the palate for a very long finish; Pauillac at its best! Drink or hold, but is drinking very well now." - Scott Ota. All wines were opened and poured.
Other Note: Initially tight, but after some time in the glass, it was the wine of the tasting. Very sexy
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3h dekantiert. Herrlich fleischiger Pauillac mit verschidenen Geschmackslayern. Das Gerüst für lange Lagerung ist vorhanden. Der spannendste Bordeaux welcher ich bis jetzt getrunken habe und es waren schon viele. Geschmack nach gedörrten Zwetschgen, Zedern und langem Abgang.
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Nose - on opening: there, but needs decanting. Some complexities, reasonably delicate. Opened a tad over 1/2 hour decant. Palette- on opening: abit tannic. Abit acidic, as if it was too oxidized. This acidic note faded with the decant, so maybe this was just tannin. Also detected abit of heat. Improved from a 92 initially to a 93.
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Decanted for 2.5 hours. Dark garnet hue. Fulsome nose of graphite, musk, red currant, cassis. Velvet-textured on the palate with layers of sweet currant, cherry, blackberry, tobacco, leather, and earth. Moderate to low acid and slightly dusty tannins leading to a echoing finish of briary red berry fruit and sweet grip. Balanced and nuanced wine with lots of life and many years to go.
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Showing beautifully. Wonderful nose of spice, tobacco, licorace and earth. very nice dark fruit. Great balance with soft tannins. wonderful lingering finnish. A great wine
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Un nez classique de mine de crayon, de cèdre et de cassis. La bouche est une merveille de finesse, des tanins soyeux, une élégance de dandy, c'est la classe faite vin! De corps moyen, il offre une magnifique texture aérienne et une très belle finale, qui s'étire longuement sur des arômes de cigare, avec une délicate touche de caramel au sel. Voilà un grand vin. Il exprime magnifiquement la classe singulière de ce cru qui a toujours su me charmer. Wow!! 96 pts
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A nearly perfect Pichon- which has been our favorite Bordeaux since gifted a case of 1983 decades ago- smooth start, subtle structure front to back, a minute of finish
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This is just beginning to drink although the finish is still hidden behind a wall of supple tannins. Full-bodied for a PL with density and depth of flavors that include a wonderful blue/violet fruit note to go along with the black currant, tobacco and spice notes. This big, precocious Bordeaux is on the upswing and I really like where it seems to be going. 93+
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Decanted about 4 hours and consumed over 2 hours. Opaque red-garnet color with virtually no signs of age. Rather reticent nose of cassis, earth, cedar, and some flowers. Dense and powerful on the palate with silky tannins and rich fruit that coats the palate. Very long finish. To my taste this wine has tremendous potential but has hardly budged in its evolution. It was really too closed to evaluate tonight.
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A far cry from the '82 which preceded it, but a very fine wine in its own right. Notes of black cherry, tapenade, lilly and vanilla. Medium bodied, with slightly astringent tannins, good acidity, and a long finish. A bit too austere to be truly sublime, and suffered greatly in the shadow of the 82.
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I would say more cellaring would probably make sense based on how young and powerful this felt.
Part of a 6 bottle vertical: 76, 82, 89, 90, 95, 98. The 82 was no doubt a class above the other 5 bottles although 90 put on quite a show as well. Liked both these 2 vintages best. 89 had great aromatics but not as pleasing when drank. 76 was still enjoyable with some aromatics and very smooth palate. 95 still too young and powerful, need a long decant. 98 good aromatics but otherwise did not gave much.
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Blind Tasting @ Baur au Lac (Zurich/Switzerland) after 2009 Bordeaux Tasting.
The nose is opened up nicely, after 20 mins, Mmmm...reminds me of my Imperial bottle few years ago. Fragrant, mineral, fruits, fresh acidity, delicious and powerful finished. This is one of a promising and ready to drink at the moment.
Drink now - 2028 ................95-96/100...................
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excellent, mature Bordeaux. Everything worked in concert. Totally balanced, not sure how much this will improve though. Appears ready to go, so why wait, fully mature and had that forest floor descriptor going on. Just loved it.
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This wine is in a fabulous place. Young, vibrant with cherries, tobacco, loam and nice chewy tannins. Well integrated, great backbone, Very well balanced. Everyone's favorite of the night.
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From magnum and decanted for 1.5 hrs. Lots of fine sediment so be careful with disturbing it. Structured, elegant. Big wine. Lots of dark fruit notes, still primary light oaky notes. Quite young and could benefit from more time. This is a very good wine in the making and patience will be rewarded. 93 for noe but with lots of future.
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Crème de cassis, flowers, black cherry, tobacco leaf, olive, cocoa and fresh herbs create the perfume. Soft tannins, with only a hint of rusticity, the wine is starting to show well. This is one of the few wines that transcends the high tannic, structured style of the vintage.
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This is one of the great vintages for Pichon Lalande. The wine takes time to open up and has lots of reserve and back bone compared to e.g. 1990 or 1999 vintage. More structured and elegant. Thumbs up. I won't be opening another one of these until 2017.
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Deep black cherry color. Graphite, tobacco leaf, and cassis on the nose. Also a hint of spearmint and green pepper after 2 hours of air. Very fine, sweet tannins along with dark minerality in this balanced and well structured wine. Pichon Lalande lays right on St. julien border and in some vintages is less Pauillac in nature...not this one! Outstanding!
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Wine drunk between 2 people, decanted for 1 hour (+/-) There is bit of complexity on the nose with typical aromas of red fruits and tobacco/black pepper interwoven. However, the aromatics are remarkably suffocated by a final note of alcohol which with aeration becomes evident and makes the nose off balanced.
On the palate it lacks finesse and intensity, it is no pure but powerful and big; imagine a body builder with masses of muscles and no elegance in his movements.
Therefore it is fairly rustic and earthy with spicy after notes at the back. Slightly bitter at the end. Hopefully the tannic structure and still present acidity will give some definition with age as at present, the wine is fairly static. I have had better Pichons...
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Non-Blind. Decanted 2 hrs. Cork bled through. Beautiful red color and very fragrant, pure, classy Bordeaux nose (sulphur funk gone after ~90 min) noticeable from some distance. On the palate it started out as a hard tannic wine, but mellowed over dinner. Very pure, linear experience. Made us think of an engineer's work. Superbly balanced and extremely delicious. Expected some more 3d, complexity and surprise elements. Not yet mature. Next bottle in ~2015.
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15+ years 95+ RP Bordeaux dinner at Ruth’s Chris, Tysons (Ruth’s Chris, Tysons Corner, VA): Showing extremely youthful. Ample primary red fruits with a hint of blackberries, earth and noticeable bell pepper. The palate starts soft and ends with a hint of tannins. Medium concentration with bright acidity. Since 1980 Pichon Lalandes seem to emphasize the freshness and in this case definitely a note of green. This bottle still needs another five to ten years.
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Some 2009 Burgundies.... (Artisan Cellar): Alcohol :: 13% Popped and poured. This is almost immediately engaging right after the first sniffed and sipped. A little bit tight but the aromas here is so complex, deep and fragrance with sweet plum and blackcurrant fruits in the core accompany by layer of pencil leads, capsicum, dried flower, tobacco and soft mineral at the background for the freshness. Structured but polished with seductive soft, lush mouth feel that offered wave after wave of sweet dark fruits, herbs, tobacco, leather that firmly supported by the firm but silky tannin that giving amazing grip and tension flow all the way to the highly intense, complex detail finished with dark chocolate and mineral aftertaste. Fresh, pure and focus with razor sharp precision. This is a gorgeous Lalande that can be drunk now but will only get better with age.
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1995 is a difficult year in Bordeaux. Many of the wines are hard, tannic and lack charm. That is not the case with Pichon Lalande. Floral, cassis, tobacco, truffle, smoke, earth, olive and spicy blackberry aromas crop up with little effort. Silk and velvet in texture, this supple Pauillac ends with a delicious, chocolate, black cherry, herb and plum finish. This is drinking great today. It should continue to improve for at least another 15-20 years.
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This is simply great wine in early maturity. Quintessential Paulliac - all pencil shavings and cedar with a textbook bouquet and great class. This will go for decades in a good cellar. Drunk next to the Phelps Insignia 1995 - a wonderful experience where both wines complemented the other. With Jake, B and L, Jean C and Di. With Lamb Loin sauteed in hazelnut oil. next in 4 years.
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Spectacular. Drank along side the '86--both 750ml. Splash decanted the 95. Amazingly young, bright fruit that's still a bit firm but succulent. Could have nosed it all night long. This easily has another 10 years of life and undoubtedly will improve. The 86 was more earthy and subdued.
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Wine tasting. Opulent aromas of black cherry, plum, chocolate, cigar box and fresh herbs. Palate still entirely primary and almost perfectly balanced with silky tannins. Really excellent at this young point in its evolution.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Dark colour. Slightly herbaceous and a very concentrated nose. Slightly medicinal nose, with black cherry aromas. On the palate, this is classic Pauillac, with the graphite and dark red fruit. Some stemmy notes as well. Somewhat softened tannins, but this has miles to go still. Slightly medicinal finish, but pretty damn good Pauillac.
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The Big Bordeaux Redux: 1986, 1990, 1995 and 1998 (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 6.5 to 7 hours and drank over 2+ hours. Nose is somewhat tight still, opened over 30+ moinutes. This is a massive wine, very young still. The nose shows lots of grapite, blackberry and cassis, spice, pepper, wood, cigar box, and some earth. The palate is immense, chewy and deeply concentrated, rich black fruits, layers of wood, pepper, chocolate, tobacco, minerals. Plenty of tannin that is round and well integrated. I would love to taste this with five more years of age to and compare it where the '90 is at now, it may be even better. My and group #2 WOTN with 2 of 7 1st and 5 of 7 2nd place votes.
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Much denser than the '96 drank alongside but not as fine or elegant. More ready today although still needs time. I like the thickness and power of this wine along with a lovely complex tobacco flavor.
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I wil give this wine a 92 for where it will be not where it is now. I think this wine is in a dumb stage and needs at least five years rest if not ten years. The nose started out somewhat muted with sweet cherry, cassis and some earth/mushrooms. It was slow ox'd for 6 hours with the owner tasting it along the way. It started out extremely tight and closed. I would call it an incremental budge from that spot. Color was deep red and the wine looks very young. It has potential for greatness but not right now. I have 2 bottle left which I will ignore for a decade.
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Served 3 Napa Cabs from '94 (Insignia, La Jota, Montelena) and a '95 Pichon Lalande with grilled lamb. Decanted in cellar 2 hours before dinner and took decanters to table 1 hour before drinking. All were sensational, an OMG experience. One serious cab guy, with Insignia in hand, said, "This is exactly what an aged cabernet should taste like." And it did. The wines were all mature, well integrated with tannins fully resolved. The La Jota was the most youthful, the Montelena was latest in its cycle. The Pichon Lalande was the most "spicy" as 1 person put it. Wines were tasted blind. Consensus ranking: 1. Insignia, 2. La Jota, and then a tie between Pichon Lalande and Montelena for 3rd.
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1995 Bordeaux Retrospect: Alcohol :: 13% This is even tighter on the nose but equally focus and deep with aromas of menthol and barnyard notes surrounded the highly intense core of blackberry fruits. Full bodied. This is even more structured, bigger in scale and depth than the 1st wine, hence I thought this was a Mouton. Despite the big structured, this wine is perfectly balance and delineated. So fresh and juicy, complex flavors of green herbs, blackberry, blackcurrant sweetness which buffer well with the high level of fine grained tannin, fabulous drive and energy towards the very powerful, expansive, tremendous finish with dark chocolate and pencil leads nuanced that lingered. Very impressive, very complete. This is a top-class Lalande that built to age. 92-94
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Beautiful wine - classic dark color with a little red at the edge. Nose opened with decanting to complex and beguiling mix of blackcurrant, licorice,white chocolate and cedar : beautiful. Palate classic balanced Medoc character with density and lightness of touch. Fine long tannic background balanced the rich fruit and cedar character. Delicious and classic Pichon Lalande.
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Classic Pauillac with cedar and cigar box nose; layered blackberry, textured, smooth sweet tanins, lingering sweet cassis, long finish, still a baby. 4 hr decant.
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Pichon Dinner - Lalande vs. Baron (Palena - Washington, DC): Really nice to drink this alongside the fantastic 1996 Lalande. While unmistakingly cut from the same cloth, you can really sense the variances in the vintage here. Compared to the 1996, this was a bit more mysterious and dark. The lovely floral components that I closely allign with Lalande's feminine character were there, but they were situated around dark black fruit, charcoal, smokey minerals and some spices. In general, I think '95 Bordeaux is in need of more time compared to the more plush '96 vintage. Thought this showed a lot of character, but will soften up a bit with some more bottle time. Very nice bottle of wine.
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Pichon Baron vs. Pichon Lalande @ Palena (Washington DC): Started with a hint of ash and scorched earth but quickly blew off then some spearmint, black pepper, a slight hint of bell pepper and jammy black fruit, The palate displays medium body, silky texture and tannins is well integrated. This is a very enjoyable young claret that starts to show the secondary and tertiary characters.
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This PL had quite a youthful disposition. Deep dark red in color, the wine had only slight signs of bricking at the rim. The first smell of the wine revealed chocolate and sweet fruit. The palate had ripe black cherry and berries, shades of chocolate and leather. I felt the wine was still somewhat walled up behind muscular tannins, though this was certainly fine to drink. I wonder what this will be like 5 or 10 and more years down the road. It should have a long life and to follow its evolution would be a pleasure. Compared to the ’96, this PL was much more concentrated in flavor and seemingly aging on a slower pace.
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Winter's Weakening Death Grip: Added to the Bordeaux flight due to the bad bottles. When first popped and poured this was incredible. Big, effusive nose dominated by blackberry fruit, herbs and a nuanced bell pepper. Maybe a little tighter/sterner in the mouth, but still impressive with a tannic/drying finish. Unfortunately, after about 30 minutes this closed down hard. Hard enough that all joy was gone and it became joyless/pointless to drink. My advice to Brad B was to pour this at a party for 15-20 people so it didn't sit around long. There could be some academic interest in tasting this after another 5-10 years but I'd be a bit worried about its long-term viability.
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Deep and vibrant ruby color reflecting some purple hue, dark, inky and opaque at the center. Black currant, blackberry, ripe cherry and black licorice aromas on the nose with dark chocolate, vanilla extract, coffee and Asian spice. Nutty bouquet with an interesting mix of pecan, walnut and almond. I detect some ginseng character as well, nicely integrated into the bouquet. Ginseng goes a little strong at first then everything is in perfect harmony with some air. Extremely complex nose follows through a full-bodied wine and an attack of blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry and plum wrapped in a firm structure of tannin and acidity. Well-balanced mid-palate leads to a long and tannic finish. Tannin is almost bitter up front, which goes on and on with some dark fruit, licorice and cigar box finally openning up at the 60 second mark. Total finish lasted almost 2 minutes. This wine appears surprisingly young for its age and needs plenty of time to soften its sharp edges. I'd give it at least another 5 years. If you must drink, decant for at least 3 hours.
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Goedhuis Pichon Lalande Tasting & Dinner (Hibiscus Restaurant, London): Dark in colour, even inky. Persistently dumb nose. Lead pencils on the palate; still a lot of tannin. Not disappointing, but not really very expressive. Elderberry on back of palate, but not as long as expected. On the second tasting, again better with food, like the 1996. Opened up, but (unlike the '96) did not revert to dumbness afterwards. [Thomas Do Chi Nam: 15% Cabernet Franc, which is exceptional for Pichon Lalande. "White flower flavour, velvety."]
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Wow. What a tour de force. Had with squab at Volt. After roughly two hours in a decanter, the nose on this had a little for everyone. Cassis, black currant, pepper and bordeaux sweaty leather. Incredibly seductive, it was corduroy smooth on the palate, going to silky smooth by the end of the drinking period, and with a loooong finish. It is such a privilege to be able to drink bdx in its prime. This was a stunner.
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Taste at Elysian from a 6L bottle. Dark ruby color. A little age in the glass. Slight bricking but still quite purple. Stinky, funky, forest floor, woody. Dark cherry, some black olive. Enjoyable must. Great palate. More nice riper fruit. Rich. Still really young.
sophisticated and typical pl nose and flavour. this wine has good weight with the expected cigar box notes. seems to be coming round at last. tasted with the 95 baron and clearly superior
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Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Vertical Dinner (The Marine Room, La Jolla, California): Deep ruby/red robe with red rim. Clean, moderately intense nose, showing aromas of plums, black pepper, coriander, anise and cocoa. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and big (but quite well-integrated) tannins. The flavors are black fruit and mineral-dominated and the middle palate is solid. The smooth finish goes on and on. This is outstanding-quality Pichon-Lalande which is likely just entering its drinking phase. Drink now-12/25.
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Drinking decent. Tasted with a 96. The 96 was more forward, the 95 more sophisticated. The 95 bdx finally are coming into a drinking window (about time).
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Dark crimson. Noble tears. Cherry, leather, tobacco, cassis, earth. Silky mouthfeel--like high count satin. Tannins absorbed. Nothing angular or sinewy. A very successful 1995. No need to wait. Feminine sovereignty. I have had WAY too many over-tannined, under-fruited 1995s and this is not one of those.
Disappointing... A bottle from the same case 2 years ago was great. Thin on the palate, did not come around during a 2 hr dinner. I cannot imagine it being over the hill yet.
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classic PL. lovely cedar wood nose followed by a fine brambly flavour. it is a little under powered for this chateau and, although the tannins are soft enough, there does not seem to be enough fruit to really age well. certainly can be drunk now
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beautiful but needs alot of decanting time - purple/garnet with no bricking; telltale bell pepper/green streak that stands out a bit more than in the 1996- tannins sill unresolved and may outlast the fruit (i find this to be the case in many 95's)- sort of a stemmy quality... i like it but give me the 96 any day over this.
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Had at a restaurant with grilled entrecote. It was an excellent pairing. The wine was nicely mature and had a beautiful Pauillac nose. The palate was powerful, but very elegant with fine aromatics. Long and classy aftertaste. I would have hoped for a little more flesh and expansiveness in the mid-palate and this wine strengthens my view of the 1995 vintage as somewhat lacking in body. This was easily outstanding, but not even near the level of the 1996 Pichon Lalande.
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Fruit driven nose, anise, blackberries, dirt road. Beautiful dark red fruit palate, nice transitions, some herbal notes, very smooth. Nice finish although this doesn't hang around to long. Nice dusty tannins. Overall a smooth, elegant wine with nice round fruit and nice progression. Still tastes very young.
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Mature Bordeaux at David's (David Paris's place): Very green, unripe even, on the nose with aromas of sour cherries, grass, spices and licorice. I swore throughout the evening that this must be a 1994. Full and complete on the palate with a richness contrary to the nose, though still somewhat harsh and lean. Long finish filed with dusty tannins. I was stunned when the label was revealed because this represented neither expectations for this estate nor my expectations for the vintage. Where was that inimitable Pichon-Lalande perfume? Perhaps this wine is just in an odd place right now.
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Blind Mature Bordeaux, 1966-1995 (My house): A bit brighter fruit here, almost candied on the nose, and very pretty with some floral aspects. Very soft and pleasing aromas that seem to dance lightly in my nose. Big on the palate showing some apple skins, with very pretty and pleasing blueberry and dirty strawberries. Delicious! Transitions very nicely to the finish which shows some briar, dirty strawberry, and is very pleasing and integrated. A delicious, tasty wine drinking very juicy right now.
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Regular dinner group (@ EM): Luxurious bouquet with toasted oak, cassis and sweetness. In the taste cassis, licorice and sweetness as well. The tannin is soft and smooth. The wine is surprisingly mature and pleasant, but will stay on this level for several years.
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Very balanced and typical old world. Nose started like old socks and slowly improved. Good finish, not as much depth as I would like. Not worth the money at $170. Carissa scored it 91.
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Fresh aromas of cassis, blackberry, spice, olives, herbs, truffle, coco and cigar box fill the air. This concentrated wine is still tannic. But unlike most 95's, the tannins feel ripe and round. The wine offers ample freshness and structure, as well as silk and elegant textures, ending in a wave ripe, spicy dark fruits and hints of olives. This is one of my favorite wines from this ever increasing, difficult year.
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Pichon vs Pichon NYC (New York, United States): Here we have a very seductive nose, rather fresh. Not ready to drink, tight on the palate. Red fruits with an orange rind aspect. Tannin is not strict, but tight.
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Dinner at home with J and M, Still find this wine too young to drink, had this almost chemical acidity to it when opening the bottle. Still lots of primary fruit and it is a well balanced wine, but requires hours of decanting time and I felt that it never really opened up.
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I found the fruit lacking a bit. Obviously, there was plenty of tobacco, leather and earth but you get that with EVERY bordeaux. Clearly well made but re-inforced my burgundian bias. Drinks well now - no point in keeping much longer unless you like your wines very mature. If you really like Bordeaux, you'll like this.
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From 375ml bottle. As soon as the bottle was opened across the room and poured into the decanter, I could begin to smell the fruit. Very powerful aromatics of red currant and cassis with tobacco leaf, leather, and cedar. Beautiful palate as well. The same red fruits with great acidity throughout. A very lengthy finish with some mild tannin remaining. Absolutely delicious.
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Bordeaux 95 vs 96 with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Side by side 95vs96 @ Handfors's Tasting with Richard Brazier. our favorite wine of the tasting. The high(er) merlot content makes it def more approachable now than the Cos,Ducru,Palmer,GPL that we had side by side this wine. Nice sweetness and mouthfwwl very elegant and soft tannins. Almost with new world flavours. As with the 96 it needs lots of decanting still and would definitely benefit with time (5yrs?) and will easily last another 15 but even now its a joy to have.
For the Record it was difficult to pick a favorite between 95 and 96 but the 95 feels better at the moment.
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Good bordeaux. Not great bordeaux. The fruit is heading south but the nose is heading more toward earth and bell pepper tones that are not particularly wholesome. Still has beautiful color and lovely structure and grip. Something's just slightly off. It's not so much what's missing but what is there that detracts from the experience. Blown out of the water by the 96 Ducru tasted at the same time.
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When I had this 5 years ago the nose was just like putting your head in an cigarbox, but the palate was very closed. Today it is much better. Great nose with blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco and a nice nuance of almost boiled fruit. Large-scaled, sweet, complex with plenty of structure and dryness but the fruit can handle that. Great energy and a finish that goes on forever.
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Beautiful nose, strikes you immediately - graphite, cedar, tobacco, hints of dark fruit. Palate demonstrates elegant complexity with a mineral preponderance. Tannins nice and soft, supporting the fading fruit. Excellent balance and poise. Good long finish. More sophisticated than brute force! Lovely.
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Wow! This is super sexy wine. Dark red in color with classic red fruit aromas of cherries, currants, spice, mushroom and tobacco. Extremely balanced in an approachable style. This was opened for 4 hours prior to drinking and not decanted. Amazing wine.
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Purple core lightening to dark red at the rim. The nose is forward but simple at first, then blossoms over an hour into a beautifully complex rich nose of cassis, dark berries, forest floor and wet leaves, cedar, and tobacco. Full-bodied, ripe layers of fruit with complexity following from the nose and the classic sweet aged notes so typical of Bordeaux, great balance, well-tamed tannins in the background, long finish, should go easily for another decade or two, this is outstanding.
There was about 1/4 bottle left. The next evening when I went looking for it I saw that my wife put it out in the recycling bin in the garage without realizing there was some left. I rescued the thing, fortunately the wine hadn't spilled out, and damn if it still wasn't drinking pretty decently after a hot day in the garage at about 80 degrees. If it can handle that, it can handle another couple of decades in the cellar.
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I have stopped entries into cellar tracker for some time because it was just too difficult keeping track of the numerous wines which have been drunk. Particularly so for the clarets. However having drunk this powerhouse recently, I feel compelled to write about it because it was so so good. I say this even after having drunk a fair number of good first growths. This truly special wine was certainly punching in the class of a good vintage Latour. It was sheer quality, quintessential Pauillac. I bought it from Tony at Vinum. The best recommendation I must say considering the price I got it at. When the bottle was first uncorked, the bouquet and palate was fruity, nothing more to add besides that. I brought it to the Shang Palace and it was drunk alongside a DRC premier cru. Needless to say, the DRC was supposedly the star of the night. The wine was left in a decanter and after one and a half hours, it started opening up and my word, the wine was showing pure class. The nose had the typically rustic bouquet of an aged Bordeaux but yet there was still a very young core to the aroma. Complex scents of fruit, spices and flowery fragrance were mixed in together with the sweetness of wet earth. The soil of Pauillac. This was what the expression of terroir meant to me. On the palate, the wine tasted deep, full, young, fruity and had a long long finish. As the night went on, the taste evolved to include fresh wood chippings and cigarette smoke. I thought the DRC was blown away by the might and exuberance of this claret (sorry Mike!).
I have drunk the 100 pointer 1986 Mouton. I only remembered it as a very good very classy wine. But it did not stir my primordial most basic emotions the way the Lalande did.
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Elegant nose of tabacco leaf, hints a bit of cedar wood, clean terroir, deep and nice fruits. Balance is superb, texture is silky at the beginning, minerality. A beautiful sweetness gets along at level 2, then Cabernet's character shows up firmly after 3.30 hours. Deep and expansive...linger long finihsed.
Same felling of drinkin' 1995 Latour and much better than my Imperial bottle of Mouton 1994, testing last few months as well.
Oh ! What a night....
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2hrs decant. This has opened up quite a bit since my last bottle two years ago. All the classic Pauillac flavors, with a richness and depth that is close to first growth quality.
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Commanderie de Bordeaux (Rittenhouse Hotel (Lacroix)): A dark ruby color with no amber at the edge. Open for business on the nose, offering up notes of dark fruits, vanilla, smoke, licorice and smoke. Medium to full bodied on the palate, with a lush texture, velvety mid-palate, powerful concentration and a heady and complex finish. Clearly this is a hedonistic style of wine, and I enjoyed it immensely!
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Good dark ruby color with slight fading on the edges. Potent nose of sweet tobacco, charcoal and black fruits. A really pungent, large-scaled PL with deep flavors of tobacco, charcoal, dark rasberry fruit and a vegetal notes. Still needs more time to develop as the tannins are firm but the silky, sexy texture of the vineyard is quite apparent. 91+
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Deep ruby with some purple remaining. Complex bouquet of barnyard, sweet blue fruit, autumn leaves and herbs, smoke and a touch of green bell pepper. This has a lovely roundness in the front palate with a soft mouth feel that fans out to show sweet blueberry, dark tobacco and chocolate. Leads to a nice long finish. Very well balanced. A pleasure to drink.
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Dense and concentrated on the nose this bursts with aromas of earth, tar, grilled herbs and cedar. Smoky and medium-full on the palate and texturally still quite young, this is an impressive effort.
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Pichon-Lalande Vertical (Harry's Steak): Classic cedary nose. This is still tannic, especially next to the more fruit-forward '96, but it has the balance and classic restraint I love about the '95 vintage. Except for science, I would keep cellaring this.
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South Florida does Pichon-Lalande: I find the '95s to be especially tough in texture and difficult to taste at this adolescent stage and the P-L was no different. Obviously a young healthy color still, but the absence of a bouquet and the coarseness of the tannins keep the enjoyment down. I'd wait at least 5 more years before trying it again if I owned any.
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Popped and poured at an OL. Delicious with tannin almost totally resolved, but still lacking focus Dark inky purple with no noticble bricking. Nose of dark fruit, casis, but did not notice any terciary flavors or aromas yet.Try the next on in five years.JP
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Wineflock - Montelena Vertical (My House): Group #6, My #6 - Full coffee red color. Medium bright red fruit nose with some spice and a hint of coffee. Black fruit, coffee, and dusty tannins on the palate. Structured and still young.
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Exceptional condition and all it was promoted to be. Opened it on the fly at a dinner party for 14 when a guest requested it. Didn't have to decant it for it to be great and it was from the first sip to the last.
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DUO, Miami Medoc BYO Wine Dinner (DUO, S Miami Avenue, Miami, FL): Flight 4 #2. My Pichon. I would rank it = to the 89 Cos d'Estournel, and outclassed in aromatics and finish by its 86 sibling.Still one of the four best wines of the evening.More than fulfilled my expectations. A maturing Pauillac, that will only get better. I'll save my last bottle(s) for at least five years. When we had to empty our glasses for the next flight I blended the remaing 86 with the 95, and it drank beautifully.
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Immediate notes not taken as power went out here (heavy winds) as we were finishing wine with dessert around 9:00. Made for a long night as we didn't get power back until 2:30 p.m. the next day. Dinner party with John and Tracy Mac, Rich and Roseanne, Reed and Michelle. Very nice company and the wine here was good as well. Decanted four hours prior to drinking. Looking back, there was a lack of that lead pencil thing so present in other Pichons. Not sure where it was, but two different bottles were opened (from the same case as well as same case of my previous tastings) and notes were consistent. I've gone through six bottles now during two parties. I'll save the final six bottles for later in life and start cracking open my case of '96es.
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Had at Christmas dinner. Did not show well as was faded and uninteresting. I'm beginning to realize I like younger wines much better. I'm being generous with a 90pt score.
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Wine Society "Stars of Pauillac" Tasting (The Wine Society, Stevenage): Still shows a very young appearance with dark ruby core and narrow rim. Nose shows cassis fruit, some tobacco, seems slightly closed/mute. Noticeably less developed than the Baron. Cassis fruit also dominates the palate which again is slightly tight with firm, but fine tannins and a good length savoury finish. Very good/excellent but, at least on this showing, this needs a few more years to begin to express itself more fully.
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Bordeaux 94/95 @ Peter V. (Netherlands): Liquorice, the root as well as the candy! Austere, rigid, tannic, tight and clenched. Not very aromaitc at the moment. Needs more time in the decanter or the cellar. Not a lot to love right now, besides structure and potential. For now, 16/20
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Chicago's Best Bordeaux Tasting Ever? (Ken's Home): Nice nose of dense oaky chocolate with red berries. Young cassis-like flavor with aggressive acid structure and toasty edge. Others like this a lot more than me.
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Toronto Offline at Reds with Ian Darshan Cauble: Open for business, and my ROTN, the smoky sweet red fruit boomed out of the glass. Classic PLL. The palatte did not fail either, showing that long dry cherry chocolate elegance, balance and charm I so love. Wow, what a wine, it had more concentration on the finish than the other 1995's did tonight. I say just entering the window of drinkability. Gave a lot of love!
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Open for business...suprised by how available this wine is. Not decanted but opened a couple hours before consuming over 2-3 hours. This had more forward fruit than I expected but also contained classic Bordeaux secondary flavors. Tannins were evident but did not impair the enjoyment of this wine. Solid wine from 95 vintage.
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Opened 5 hours ahead of tasting. Nice nose but shy. Small amount poured to taste. Bit closed. A bit more poured out to mid-shoulder level, and cork left out of bottle.
Dark red to rim. Young but complex nose of cassis, cherry, berry, coffee and choc
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BLIND 1995 Bordeaux etc...: Tasted BLIND. My favorite wine of the flight. Similar aromatic components as #6 ('90 Pichon Lalande, also served blind), but denser, with more fruit. Seems younger than #6. Lush, but good structure. Chocolatey. Excellent.
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Lynch Bages v. Pichon Lalande Shootout - Group #1, My #3 - Opaque black red. Tight blackcurrant tannic with some pencil lead. Nice rich blackcurrant fruit with puckering tannins and a long finish. Needs time. 93 pts. 4/05 Black. Nice and rich. Tight. 93 pts. 5/05
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Lynch Bage vs Pichon Lalande 1986, 1988, 1989, 1995 plus 3 Ringers: Groups 1st place wine and my 1st place wine WOTN out of 11 aged Bordeaux served blind. Nose: Young scorched earth with barnyard characters and espresso covered dark cherries Palate: Rich dense coffee flavors wrapped by big sweet tannic structure. Loads of ripe black fruits and nice underyling acidity. The concentrated fruit components and long complex finish made me guess this was a 1995 First growth. combined with coffee note I thought a Mouton for sure.
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Purple/red appearance. Burnt rubber notes. Lacks a bit of fruit on the mid palate. Doesn't seem to "fill out" properly. Gets a bit green on the aftertaste. Almost a bit watery on the finish.
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4/9/2024 - platpeeps Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderfully mature and integrated this had ripe sweet cassis fruit offset by a subtle savoury element. Complex, age has softened and rounded the tannins, which simply melt away in the mouth. It still retained freshness and lift, and yet had time for a lingering farewell as the flavours persisted. Superb. CHP 95 pts
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3/19/2024 - djhammond wrote: 95 Points
At present, this is my favourite Paulliac from 1995, and outdrinking the first growths. It is forward for the vintage, and is mature, and seductive, but with the tannic restraint typical of the year in general. The nose is aromatic with cherry and blackcurrant, with cedar and menthol. The palate is exquisitely balanced between a silky smoothness and a tannic punch; a real iron fist in a velvet glove. The finish is a little light initially but eventually kicks in and it pushes past 30 seconds. Absolutely tremendous, and the first decent premillenial vintage after the legendary 1982 and excellent 1986, but for myself pipped by the 1996. 95+
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3/12/2024 - Tao wrote: 96 Points
Can't fault it! Once you uncork it, the distinctive charm and aristocratic aroma arise from the bottle! Deep ruby colour, nose of sweet, ripe berry fruits, the jewellery fruits dancing on your palate and a very lengthy, rewarding finish! A class of its own. Wish I had a case!
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2/20/2024 - jmoon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still beautiful and delicous but feels a bit past peak now - this bottle anyway, more cedar / basement than previous bottles, fruit softer. Still a lovely wine but may be start of a slow decline.
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2/5/2024 - Marc wrote: 96 Points
Stunning. Peak of maturity, elegance, balance, equilibrium. Graphite, pencil shavings. Goes down like water. This has hit its peak of perfection but will continue to develop over time, although perhaps not improve from this particular peak. First rate Bordeaux.
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1/30/2024 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
This seems fully mature now but will definitely last. It’s a beautifully elegant and seamless wine with great balance and silky-smooth tannins. Interestingly, the Cab Sauv in this vintage is 45% with 40%+ Merlot and it really shows in the roundness and suppleness of the wine. Many people’s favorite wine of the night but I slightly preferred the '96 drunk alongside. Commanderie Dinner, The Modern
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12/25/2023 - JohnLI Likes this wine: 94 Points
Paired with roast beef lots of veg and roast potatoes for lunch. Cork came out intact. Notes of black fruit, pencil and earthy forest floor integrated tannins in the background. It was in beautiful balance and a lovely enjoyable wine. My last bottle, but as when I tried the remains later in the evening, it was fading and not so enjoyable, I wonder how much longer it’s drinking window is.
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12/24/2023 - snsharma Likes this wine: 93 Points
Agree with the notes below of elegance and finesse, tannins receded into the background. Drinking beautifully after 2hrs of slow ox.
Started going downhill after about 6hrs which leads me to believe it’s in a nice spot right now and will stay here for the next 3-5 years.
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12/14/2023 - doug374 Likes this wine: 93 Points
An attractive wine, not seeking to overwhelm but to bring finesse. Fruits were cassis, fig, and dark berries alongside light minerals and meadow grass. The tannin was present to hold it together but stayed in the background.
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12/6/2023 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 91 Points
A vintage with a larger percentage of Merlot in the blend - 45% Cab, 40% Merlot and 15% CF.
Very nice level of freshness, and the deep dark core appearance makes this seem a little younger then it actually is. Coming up to 30 years.. wow!
I found this to have an energetic ripe feel, with plum-like plushness and rich mouthfeel. Thus, I thought.. this is a Right Bank. Perhaps this was contributed by the higher levels of Merlot.
There was a nice complex level of sticky and concentration, which gives the impression of being rather muscular. Some remaining tannic grip. But this is a Pauillac in such nice balance, that it also comes across as elegant.
I did a studious deep-dive into this excellent vintage some 4 months ago, so will spare you reading more copious notes at this point!
Thanks LMC for sharing this with us. Memorable evening celebrating TC's holiday return to KL, joined by ET, DQ, SKT and LMC too over the amazing dishes at La Sense, Farm to Plate KL.
6th Dec 2023
La Sense at Farm to Plate, Damansara Kim, Malaysia
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11/26/2023 - doug374 Likes this wine: 92 Points
A good wine with fulsome notes of fruit. Served tonight with a mushroom, tomato and polenta dish with spice. The wine felt light against that spice.
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10/14/2023 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 95 Points
Similar notes as earlier this year:
Double decant, filtered, and rebottled. Drank at hour 5 at dinner party hosted by Dennis & Nora: Pencil lead, leather, dried herbs, muted brambleberry, light tannins integrated nicely with nice acidity and red berry.
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8/2/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Elegant with soft tannins that surprised me considering the vintage. An hour of air brought out the dark cherry fruit. Not a blockbuster, but a beautifully mature Bordeaux.
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8/1/2023 - Juliansi wrote: 92 Points
Blend:
Interestingly for this 1995 vintage, with a larger percentage of Merlot in the blend. 45% Cab, 40% Merlot and 15% Cab Franc. Such a close proportion of Cab and Merlot, which deceived some to think ... "Is this a right bank?"
Colour: Only marginal sign of age, with dark garnet and transparent edge border on the rim is developing. Dark purple saturation of the cork.
Decanted: 2 hours bottle breathe, no full decant and I believe that was a good plan (Thanks DQ and WMK!).
Nose: Somewhat less aromatic then expected, initially lovely floral notes, but then gradually became more muted. Dark red fruit, with secondary notes of pencil lead as well as light cedar and leather. Tobacco and hints of mint too.
Palate: Attack is fresh and lively, and concentrated fruit is backed by firm tannins with sufficient grip here and perhaps even a little punch. Quite surprising considering this is a near-30 year vintage!
Love the beautiful ripe fruits of blackcurrant and plums, which are so lively especially over the first hour of enjoyment. Cedar and tobacco evolves on the mid-palate too.
Body: Medium bodied.
Mouthfeel: There is definitely some of that signature Comtesse charm and elegance, but lacked the full velvety feel I would expect from this stunning producer.
Tannins: Moderately tannic, some grippiness that slowly softened. LMC was one of those who described the tannins in this way, and he went on to say.. "Is this a 1995!" Voila!
I did enjoy and find that the tannins are not intrusive, but in fact well integrated into the overall experience.
Acidity: Medium-
Finish: Only medium length, wish it was longer!
Drinking window: I think this is some way into its drinking window now, can't quite tell if it is at the start or towards the tail-end though. Only way to tell is to try this again in 3-5 years.
Back in 1995, 50% of the crop was cut off the vine in a vendange verte (the culling of fruit in order to lower production and increase the concentration of the remaining grapes). This allowed this Pichon Lalande to be voted one of the top dozen wines of the 1995 vintage!
Some critics even rated this Pichon-Lalande higher than both the outstanding 1989 and what is sometimes called the uninspiring, light-weight 1990. I do think that to describe this as a "knock-out" 1995 is a little over-exuberant.
Some reviewers went as far as to describe that "Everything pulls together seamlessly on the finish, with a well-embedded graphite spine."
Jancis Robinson, just some years ago, described how much she appreciated the good bouquet of mature claret, with all its elements nicely integrated and developed.
The flavours are described as "fully evolved" and nicely spread across the palate, together with the lift and flirtatiousness of this property! Wonder how a wine is flirty...
She goes on to say that this wine has now reached such maturity that it provides solid pleasure. I agree!
Overall, may be lacking in the full typicity of Pichon Lalande, but it does demonstrate more elegance and softness for a vintage which some describe as sometimes harsh.
Note that for this 1995 classic vintage - Some have described about the robust tannic spine and structure, this is only marginally here.
Whilst LMC and AK were pretty accurate in their deduction that this is a 1995 and a Pauillac, most of the other Bordeaux si-fus thought this may have been a Pessac-Leognan. Not a truly typical Pauillac!
1 Aug 2023
Dinner at Taman Tun's Hakurin and Enoteca
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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7/16/2023 - toppcats@aol.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
My problem is that I always seem to be comparing every PLL I open to a fantastic 1982 PLL I had at a tasting that lit up the room with its scent when opened. This was a beautiful mature bordeaux - but not a 1982. Noted that the wine level and cork were perfect. Cork was firm and removed intact. Dark purple saturation at the tip of the cork without any noted wicking or seepage. Color dark garnet to red with nice translucent edge border. Nose initially muted which improved over time. Wine decanted approx an hour. Core of dark red fruit noted on nose in balance with secondary /tertiary notes of pencil, leather, cedar, tobacco, herbs, and menthol. Enjoyed repeatedly taking in the nose to see what other nuances I could flesh out (often the best part of these mature bordeaux wines!). Velvety mouthfeel, medium to full bodied with fruit leading into moderately tannic finish (slight edge of harshness noted with the tannins on the finish). In its drinking window at present with a good number of years to go given the still-present tannins.
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7/2/2023 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent. Decant for several hours … opens up to gorgeous fruit (still), hints of leather, deep rich complex finish. Still youthful, a long great life ahead.
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6/9/2023 - sleepyhaus wrote:
Consumed at a wine dinner amongst an excellent lineup, this had, in my opinion, perhaps the best nose of any wine tasted this evening. Jumps out of the glass at you. The palate is fairly resolved and tannins are smooth. A lovely BDX aging gracefully and showing some of the softer character sometimes associated with Pichon Comtesse. Lovely.
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6/9/2023 - Rbhan12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Part of a dinner with phenomenal wines.
Generally agree with prior notes. This is striking a beautiful balance between BDX character and plush dark purple fruits which are still quite youthful. Nice tannic structure that sort of overlays everything.
Drinking beautifully now and should cruise for another 5-10 years easily.
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6/8/2023 - tomandlu wrote:
No detailed notes. Decanted about 2 hours and consumed over the following 2 hours. The wine was moderately fragrant and complex but did not reach the heights I expect from this estate in this vintage. There were no obvious flaws through. The cork was sound. Perhaps just a muted bottle. Purchased on release and stored in my cellar since.
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5/20/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 95 Points
Dinner at Caroline's: Stunning textbook claret - my first instinct was Montrose from the mid-nineties, but on reveal it made sense that it was a PLL. So textured and elegant with seductive dark red fruit, plush but reined in by the hint of greenness. It is rare that you get Bordeaux that are so velvety but PLL is definitely one of them. Beautiful finish that is layered and long. Drinking wonderfully now.
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5/19/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
18th of 24, 90 minute decant, perfect cork and level, black cherry as well, otherwise as Jan bottle, consistently one of the best and generous for a 95, little upside, but 20+ years. F+ (18).
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5/13/2023 - jkoenen wrote: 92 Points
Top-Bordeaux 1995 (Restaurant Central Park, Voorburg): Drying finish.
Slightly disappointing.
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4/18/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
A classic Paulliac, blackcurrant and plum are prominent, with additional menthol and cedar notes. I initially thought this was tainted, but a a few hours in the decanter and 30 minutes in the glass tamed the wine. It shows great depth and balance on the palate and finish, with the latter lengthy and deep, and is probably the wine's best feature. That said, it does have a classic 1995 profile with a robust tannic spine and might not suit all tastes. However, the tannin is not intrusive and enhances the wine in the same way heavy seasoning is sometimes appropriate in certain dishes. This is a wine that will keep going for the next 30 years, but do give it lots of air at this stage in its life.
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3/1/2023 - jmoon Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautiful deep dark delicious. Classic old school pauillac. Came alive after an hour. In a great place now, no rush.
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2/17/2023 - LT98 wrote: 93 Points
This was great, but not outstanding. Even at 27 years old, this tasted a little young - we didn't decant, and I think that was a mistake. Great flavors of graphite, eucalyptus, dark fruit, dried herbs and tobacco - the classic stuff - but the tannins were a bit harsh still.
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2/12/2023 - Marc S wrote: 96 Points
- Garnet color with medium forming legs. It's in total harmony and has flavours of raspberry and strawberry with a medium/full body. Smooth texture with a medium finish - Wonderful bottle of wine.
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1/21/2023 - Elkcims wrote: 94 Points
Double decant, drank over a couple days. Pencil lead, old leather, dried herbs, muted brambleberry, a bit tart initially, resolved after 3 hours. Medium bodied. Lucky for me, my wife didn’t care for it!
I wouldn’t bet on this improving but it’s probably got another 5 years.
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1/12/2023 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 94 Points
This may have been my favorite wine at the table although it was close. Drinking fantastically well and not dissimilar to the bottle I had in November. Neither were mine or from the same source so that bodes well for the consistency of this wine. Leather, tobacco, pencil lead on the nose, cassis and plums on the palate and a long finish. Such a classic and in a perfect window right now.
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1/7/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
17th of 24, decanted 90 minutes, perfect cork and level, consistent with last bottle in December 20, lovely, tertiary flavours developing nicely, generous as ever for a 95, indeed one of the wines of the vintage, plateau 20+ years. F+ (18).
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1/2/2023 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Spectacular bottle in a peak window. Loads of tobacco and bell pepper infused plum fruit that is perfectly plush and rich. Suave tannins fully integrated and offering a nice backbone. Wine of the vintage?
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1/1/2023 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
2023 New Year's Day Blind Tasting (Marietta, GA): Deeper garnet with maroon rim; sexy nose, truffle, exotic spice, this seems like the L'Evangile I brought, red currant but a fleshier feel to it, cedar and luxurious wood, sandalwood, a bit abrupt on the finish and a bit of tannin suggest a little more aging would be best, also a little bit of sweat; maybe Left Bank but lots of Merlot if so; delicious, 94+, maybe it is still on the upswing because this was a magnum.
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1/1/2023 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:
2023 New Year's Day Double Blind Tasting: Served double blind. Incredible nose with classic Pauillac aromas of cedar, black fruit, anise, and Asian spices. Well integrated tannin with a very long balanced finish. Later found out this was served out of a 1.5L bottle. This producer and this vintage of PLC is what converted me into a Bordeaux lover back in 2004 when I had it for the first time. My WOTN #1.
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12/25/2022 - tbabes wrote: 95 Points
Decanted an hour before service; the fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine. Deep garnet, turning to blood red at the rim. Classic bouquet, eventually opening up to reveal scents of dried plums, briar patch, cigar box, scorched earth; hints of black truffle. Medium bodied, made in a classic style, with a velvety texture, excellent grip and delineation, with a long and savory finish.
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11/27/2022 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 94 Points
Medium+ nose with notes of toast, spices, cooked black fruits, black currant. Medium acidity and medium tannin.
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11/12/2022 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine is still big and structured. For me it could have used more time in the decanter. This was a Commanderie dinner so I assume it was double decanted a few hours before we drank it.
Even so it was delicious and classic with initially subdued dark fruit (debate will it open up and come out, or will it never surpass the structure—personally I think it needs patience ), tertiary notes of tobacco and a hint of leather. Opened a bit in the glass and the fruit became fuller, long finish. Beautiful with our Waygu tenderloin and a favorite of everyone at my table except me!
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11/11/2022 - Luvwine1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking at peak. Ready for action on opening. Lovely nose of cedar, tobacco, bakanced with rich fuit and a moderately long ginish. Not a blockbuster, but elegant, complex and complete. Sadly, our last bottle. Drink up and enjoy tho I suspect will be good for years yet.
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11/4/2022 - S1 Likes this wine:
Charleston Offlineorama VII; 11/2/2022-11/6/2022 (Various locations): Totally Lalande perfume with power. Sweet tobacco. Still showing great fruit. Rich mouthfeel. Beautifully sexy wine.
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11/4/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Charleston VII; 11/2/2022-11/6/2022 (Charleston, SC (various locations)): From a magnum. Excellent. Has the 'pretty' character which I think just means there's some floral in there. Dark fruits. Still needs more time - this was getting better and better throughout the night. A group favorite - the bottle went fast.
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9/14/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted regularly, this is consistent in its delivery and is one of the left bank highlights from 1995. Blackcurrant, blackberry, and plum are prominent with menthol and cedar notes. The nose is rich and rounded, and deeply aromatic. The palate is excellent with complexity and exceptional depth. Likewise the finish is first rate with incredible depth and pushing past 40 seconds. The last 12 months has seen it shrug off the previous harsh tannic notes on the finish. Whilst never going to come near the legendary 1982, and not quite up to the 1996, it is the best of the rest pre millennial.
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9/7/2022 - hprphf wrote: 93 Points
Magnum. This was delicious. Pencilbox, violet fruit, sweet, light but resolved. 93-94
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9/2/2022 - Fftjr Likes this wine: 96 Points
Near perfect. Decanted for about 30 minutes. Should have gone hour and half to two. Beautiful, fantastic Pauillac nose. Very well balanced. Plenty of mature fruit, well blended tannins. This wine can go another 5 years minimum , likely 10.
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7/1/2022 - mchern02 wrote: 94 Points
3 hour decant and benefited from it
Dark and pungent with black fruit, smoke, forest floor, coffee and mocha. Rich and bright, with great verve and resolved young tannins. A noticeable backbone with just great length on palate. Quite a long finish; the best bottle of 95 PLL I’ve had. Excellent Paulliac
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6/28/2022 - Stefan75 Likes this wine: 93 Points
From Mag. Beautiful classic claret, „light“ compared to everything from 2000 onwards but in perfect valance. A classic!
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6/10/2022 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
A big, powerful wine with great depth. Yes, it’s rustic and there’s a bit of “sloppy whore” to this vintage but I just really like drinking it and it should continue to age well. 93+
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3/19/2022 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 2 hours and followed through the evening. Garnet purple. Nose of cassis, black currant, underbrush, plum blossom, hints of bell pepper. Quite elegant on the palate with smoothly integrated layers of currant, blackberry, leather, graphite and trace green notes. Unobtrusive tannin and lower acidity. Medium-length whispering finish of plum, blackberry, and resolved structure. A study in harmony.
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2/28/2022 - aagrawal wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with the wine group (Spruce, SF): Aromatic, exceptional black fruits and plenty of bell pepper vegetal component, integrated, a bit of tobacco; palate is medium bodied, exceptional balance, medium alcohol, fully integrated tannins; medium-plus finish. Really nice. 93-94
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2/27/2022 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 92 Points
also started off buzzy[see casanova di neri 2004]
this one completely resolved to yield french clay dark fruit and long length
also went well with food at Vie
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2/27/2022 - LDA ZH CH Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose of forest floor and truffle. Smooth palate with aromas of blackcurrent and blackberry. The image coming up to my mind is one of a graceful old lady.
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2/21/2022 - Moonie Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for about two hours. The tannins and a few green notes dissipated, leaving beautiful fruit and a fine structure. There's real depth to the wine. I would say it has longer to go, but it is in an absolutely perfect phase now, so there is no reason to wait. It represents what a fine Bordeaux should be. Paired with a lovely lamb loin.
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2/11/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
1989-2000 Top Bordeaux with Pizza (Schur House - Riverwoods IL): Sadly slightly corked.
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1/15/2022 - Hawkeye1942 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classy stuff but I am afraid there is not much life left. Drink soon.
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1/8/2022 - Moja piwniczka wrote: 96 Points
Just great all around !
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1/7/2022 - soyhead wrote:
nose - dark cherry, smoke, some tertiary flavors
mouth - sappy, dense, to me still not really unfurled though others found it on the cusp of being dead.
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12/26/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
While not reaching the heights of the 1996, it is the best of the rest from the decade. Although wearing the tannic qualities of the 1995 vintage as a whole on its sleeve, it is firmly in its drinking window and has really moved forward in the last 12 months. It is aromatic on the nose still with blackcurrant, blackberry and plum prominent, but with notes of cedar, menthol, and bell pepper now creeping in. The tannin has tamed on the palate and finish but it will always very robust and not necessarily to everybody's taste. It is particularly noticeable on the finish but now seems to be balancing out with it pushing past 30 seconds and really mellowing towards the end.
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12/26/2021 - hargy Likes this wine: 92 Points
from a magnum, this was distinctly Pichon Lalande - quite delicious but without the stuffing of the 1996 - I would be inclined to drink this soon
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12/10/2021 - lozatron Likes this wine:
Most Splendid Game Dinner: My notes were starting to make even less sense by this stage, and working primarily from memory (although it is indicative that the one word which I can read seems to be "wow").This was super - in no way recalcitrant like some 95s. Even more than the 86, the mouthfeel on this was exquisite. "Silky" seems almost as poor a descriptor of wine as "smooth" but...there was some of that there...
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12/9/2021 - NickA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Gareth's glorious game dinner (Canary Wharf): Double-decanted around three hours before it was drunk. A nice surprise, this - really open and well-integrated, juicy, with woodsy aromatics and plenty of red/black fruit. Felt à point - just so easy (and pleasurable) to drink.
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12/5/2021 - tbabes wrote: 93 Points
Double decanted an hour before dinner. Deep garnet with no amber at the rim. Classic bouquet, but a bit restrained compared to previous bottles, with notes of dried plums, black currant, bramble, sautéed mushrooms, roasted herbs and earth. Medium bodied (a bit lighter than the ‘95 Cos consumed the previous night) structured, with silky tannins, good grip and focus, with a long and savory finish. I’ve had better bottles.
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11/27/2021 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
4th Saturday Group: Uptown Brown Bag: Double blind. Garnet color with a touch of bricking. Opens with a subtle weedy/bretty note with dark berry fruit and iron notes underneath. Full-bodied, with soft tannin and flavors of plum, red fruit and earth. Finishes with good length. I guessed Pauillac, and was thinking about vintages when another taster suggested ‘95/‘96, which seemed about right.
Excellent, and drinking very nicely. I was a bit surprised as I typically find an herbaceous quality in PLL that this bottle did nit show. This had been double decanted off its sediment prior to the tasting, though I didn’t catch whether or not this had any extended decanted prior to being rebottled. (MM)
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11/13/2021 - Sonoma Duck Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light ruby, nose opened up right away. Drinking really well right now. Served alongside a 1995 Leoville las Cases. Both wines superb.
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10/16/2021 - lovanc@outlook.com wrote:
This is a big bold wine. Dark fruit but with really good balancing acidity. Leather and earthiness in the background. Drink it slow as the evolution over a few hours is wonderful.
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9/18/2021 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
Excellent now - great evolution but still freshness.
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9/10/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): Served next to the ‘96 although with just the one glass and me spending my time enjoying that I drank this quite late and just a smaller pour. Equally enjoyable though. It’s also on the young side but with the multi-hour decant very approachable and tasty.
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9/4/2021 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark fruit, earth, tobacco and cinnamon. Palate is quite structured. It could have been benefitted from a hour or two of decanting though.
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8/27/2021 - jmoon Likes this wine: 95 Points
Really good after and hour or so, but still a bit sulky. Really exploded at the four hour mark (in bottle not decanted). What a joyous experience. Felt like being sucked up to the heavens - while the window was open. Rich, ripe, pure Pauillac, deep dark and delicious. Needs a decant. (And amazing to see it hasn’t changed much in the 2 years since my last bottle.) one left, I wonder when?
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7/29/2021 - mchern02 wrote: 92 Points
3 hour decant
Nice nose - Pencil lead, black currant, wet earth, pomegranate, tobacco and dust. Slightly drying, present tannins but some nice acid. Long and sturdy finish. 92/93
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7/24/2021 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Needs about 2 hour decant
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7/7/2021 - Pitkin_CT Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was fantastic. Drinking beautifully. No hard edges
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7/3/2021 - D_RICH wrote: 93 Points
1-3 hour decant. Black ruby/purple. Cassis, earth, smoke, exotic fruits on the nose. Very forward, delicious. Initially a bit off in the mouth, but came together during the third hour, very "Pichon Lalande like" flavors. This is likely at peak and is unlikely to improve much further. Drinking better now than the '94 Clinet served alongside it.
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6/23/2021 - Cailles wrote: 90 Points
24 Vintages of Pichon Lalande: All wines tasted blind. A few general observations: 1) Most wines showed the typical Pichon Lalande elegance. This is certainly one of the more delicate and elegant Paulliacs. 2) The relatively high Merlot content (often 20-30%) showed in many wines with fine, fresh rhubarb, rosehip and floral aromas I wouldn’t necessarily associate with a Medoc - all adding to the sensuous quality of the wines. 3) A few vintages showed the very sexy burnt sugar/coffee notes you associate with the 1982 Lalande or a Mouton or a Cheval Blanc - unfortunately, not to an extent and with an intensity to truly excite. 4) Following the legendary 1982 and until the most recent vintages (starting with 2014 but especially with 2016) there are three decades of pleasant Pichon Lalandes but hardly any vintage has the depth and length of truly great wines. The best wine tonight was the 2009 (rated 95+ points) with many more in the 92-94 point category.
TN: This 1995 was a bit of a disappointment when revealed. You could sense that there is a bit more complexity than in other 90s vintages and hence that it might be from one of the better vintages but there were slightly drying tannins and some first unwanted oxidation aromas. The nose was medium expressive but had beautiful barnyard aromas along some ripe dark and red fruits. On the palate this was darker fruited, with minerality and earthy notes and some barnyard hints. The tannins had some edges first, became softer with time but were slightly drying. Not a bad wine, but not a winner either and no comparison to the 1996 in the next glass.
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6/21/2021 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Smooth and luxurious. Classic
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6/20/2021 - tbabes wrote: 92 Points
Opened two hours before dinner, no decant. I’ve had better bottles; good color, deep garnet core with a touch of amber at the rim. Bouquet a bit reserved, but offering up classic notes of dried plums, dried cassis, black truffle, bramble, and hints of crushed stones. Medium bodied, a bit austere in nature, without the velvety texture that the best bottles of ‘95 Pichon Lalande tend to exhibit.
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5/28/2021 - Zweder wrote: 97 Points
Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; a celebration (@ My place): Enchanting bouquet. Complex and luxurious with black berry fruits and beautiful oak. Same on the palate, just fabulous with some chocolate and pleasant acidity. There is hardly tannin left. Just a bit to give the wine a beautifully soft bite. Ducru Beaucaillou was great with still a lot of power. This Comtesse has less power, but more finesse. What a beauty!
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5/18/2021 - Hammer56 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delicious black current tones & complex but medium bodied and great to drink.
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4/27/2021 - plitton wrote:
Chaine Dinner, Brass Heart: Chaîne
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4/24/2021 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
A evening of 20+ year old Bordeaux (Wilmette Harbor Club, Wilmette IL): The nose is wide open, aromatic, and layered with deep tones of red cherries, cranberries, raspberries, currants, herbs, cedar, mint, roses, cigar wrapper, and violets. The Full bodied feel is silky and refined with medium acidity and refined, medium+ tannins. The structure has peeled back and is showing off something really gorgeous. There are plenty of years ahead of this, but its a real delight right now.
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4/7/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderfully consistent, this is forward for the year and is starting to drink well, albeit with further evolvement ahead of it. The nose has really started to open up with aromas of plum, blackcurrant, and blackberry prominent. Tobacco leaf combines with the fruit on the palate with excellent depth and balance. As with most of left bank wines from 1995, the tannic profile on the palate is never far away but I find the steeliness compliments the tasting experience. However, it is distracting at this stage on the finish and dominates towards the end. Interestingly, this does not benefit from extended aeration, and an hour in the decanter seems to be optimum.
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4/5/2021 - KenK Likes this wine: 94 Points
A truly nice showing, this wine has really hit its stride and drinking great. Everything you want in a middle aged Bordeaux. Dark red fruits with a cool dusty slate element and interesting spices. Smooth texture with just enough tannins well hidden and enough acid to keep this alive and relatively bright. I feel Pichon Laande must have been one of the wines of the vintage. Drink or hold. Shows real breed.
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3/25/2021 - hkbob Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark garnet. Came across younger than I anticipated given its age, showing burning embers, unsmoked pipe tobacco and fresh leather up front followed by subdued blackberry, cassis and mineral notes on the nose. Medium to full-bodied with decent lift, silky tannins and good persistence on the finish. Delish!
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3/23/2021 - the player Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank from Magnum. Decanted for 90 minutes and drank over 3 hours. Dark ruby red color. Very dense wine. Masculine nose for a Pichon Lalande with leather, rocks, black berries and currants, cassis and some pepper. Initially started with some saline notes but evolved to a powerful and velvety wine, very strong structure and may need a few more years to reach maturity in magnum. Tannins quite grippy but extremely well integrated. And a decently long finish. Much darker fruit versus its cousin Pichon Baron. Very enjoyable but not the best value.
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3/21/2021 - Javachip Likes this wine: 94 Points
Allowed to breathe in glass 1 hour. Clear deep garnet-blood red color. Classic bouquet of red and black currants and their liqueurs; cigar humidor, anise, potpourri, forest floor, walnuts, black truffles and dried porcinis. Similar on the palate, medium-full body, seamless, beautiful balance, smooth polished tannins, lingering finish. Improved with air over 3 hours.
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3/6/2021 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
I rarely rave about left bank Bordeaux, but this is reference standard. Great depth and balance, tannins are well integrated. Better than many first growths I have had over the years.
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2/22/2021 - doug374 Likes this wine: 93 Points
In June I wrote this wine was a terrific example of smooth, even and refined Bordeaux. Mature with lots of life ahead. This bottle was a repeat with our finding notes of vanilla, strawberry, light smoke, and mushroom.
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2/7/2021 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Super Bowl 2021 (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA): Darker core with maroon rim; more darkness to the nose here, black cherry, wet earth, so new and tough coming after the '82 Gruaud, cedar, red currant, more 1-D, powerful and great core and mid palate, boxwood, red currant, almost blue fruit, ashy, fatter and richer on the midpalate, more Merlot on this, good nobility and so much younger than previous wine; '01 Palmer?
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1/27/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 93 Points
[Blind] Nose is wound up and dark up front. Smoky and a little brooding. Concentrated and dense. Slight scorched earth character to the earth influence over dark red and black fruit. Tough to get a good read on. Palate is delicious, tannic with a little grit but approachable. Reminiscent of '86 but I don't think it is that old. A dark and concentrated core with some ripe elements. Should have known this was 1995. A certain prettiness I find in Lalande still shows. Pleasurable drinking right now but I'd say there is more upside here.
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12/31/2020 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rudy color with a rust edge. Saddle leather, big Bordeaux nose that settles as the wine opens up, red currant, tar, tobacco and damp earth. Needs time to open, but the bottle seems a bit off - planning to try another soon and compare.
p.s. golapkis with pierogis and salad
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12/26/2020 - Val D'Orcia Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lush, deep garnet color, nose of black fruit and licorice. Benefitted greatly from decanting and opened more fully through the evening. Black currant, anise, briar, and dried mint. Long elegant finish.
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12/25/2020 - Yassine23 Likes this wine:
Opened for 4 hours slow ox, then had first glass which was closed. Then had about half the bottle over the next two hours. Fairly monolithic. The second half was decanted at the 6th hour which was prior to serving dinner which was dry aged côte de bœuf. Drank from Zalto universal. Overall, outstanding but so young still. I personally think that an extra 5 to 10 years would benefit massively. It had layers of complexity and the tannins have softened but the fruit is still primary. Very long finish.
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12/25/2020 - Moja piwniczka wrote: 96 Points
Great Wine ! Bought a few bottles in one my trips to Bordeaux and kept it in my wine cellar. It developed amazingly. Definitely needs like min 1-2 hours of decanting before you drink it but what an enjoyment in the glass afterwards.
Perfect match for our Xmas dinner tonight and I also think it easily has a min of at least 5 more years of a drinking window.
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12/25/2020 - Wrighty wrote: 89 Points
Nose a little green but otherwise a tight nose, not giving too much. Palate is dry and still quite tannic, pencil shavings - actually puckering and quite a burn from the alcohol. OK with food, not so enjoyable on its own.
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12/13/2020 - tomandlu wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Virtually opaque deep garnet-red with only a slight fading at the rim. Nose was a bit reticent at first but soon bloomed into a beautiful, complex, deep mix of cedar, tobacco, flowers, fruit and some spice. On the palate the wine was pure grace and balance. There was ample, soft fruit held up with fine tannin and a silky mouthfeel and a very long, equally complex finish. This wine seems to have finally come out of its shell and is everything I'd expect from this estate. Purchased as futures and stored in my cellar since.
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12/10/2020 - Vinterest Angus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful. Comparable to the sublime 1996 though I think the 96 just pips it. A great effort.
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12/5/2020 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
16th of 24, decanted 20 minutes, perfect cork and level, in line with my better bottles, losing some of the early fresh with tertiary notes of liquorice and ash now in the mix, long and classy, no rush and scope for further development. F+ (18).
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11/26/2020 - tbabes wrote: 96 Points
The fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; slow ox for two hours prior to Thanksgiving Dinner. A deep garnet with no bricking. A classic and extroverted bouquet, with scents of dried plums, cedary cassis, bramble, black truffle; hints of violet, cigar box, and roasted herbs. Medium bodied, with a velvety texture, great depth, impeccable balance, and impressive delineation and grip on the long and savory finish. Loved it!
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11/20/2020 - liber wrote: flawed
15th of 24, opened 90 minutes, apparently perfect cork and level.......CORKED....grrrrh!
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11/7/2020 - Moonie Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a pristine bottle bought on release. Very tight even after three hours in the decanter. Showing the typical P-L characteristics of sweet fruit and bell pepper. Great potential (95-96) but needs another five years to bring forth its tertiary elements.
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10/21/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is a delight to drink and entering its prime drinking window. This has reached a point where an hour or so in the decanter is sufficient for it to show its best, and indeed, further time could be detrimental. It is a classic top notch left bank Bordeaux, and full of plum, blackcurrant, and blackberry, with hints of violet and underpinned by tobacco leaf. The depth and balance are excellent and the finish is pushing 60 seconds and in total harmony. This still has some evolvement ahead of it, and could end up there with the 1982. I would hope the sharper elements of the finish will mellow as tertiary notes start to develop.
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10/8/2020 - Marc wrote: 96 Points
Visitors from Wellington brave the Queensberry hills (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): Drunk next to the (equally good) Pahlmeyer 1995, this was an example of Bordeaux in its full cry of maturity - totally a point, all elegance, but with an intensity of expression that is rare. This is a poster child for the classic Pichon Lalande style. All cassis, pencil shavings, and cedar, but with a tell-tale streak of herbaceousness that (for me) lifts the wine into a gorgeous expression of its terroir. The finish simply does not quit on this wine - certainly well of a minute in length. Bottles in this condition will last for a couple of decades in a cool cellar.
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9/28/2020 - redders wrote: flawed
Initially fine but after 2 hours in decanter clearly corked.
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8/16/2020 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
Nose: B++/A- Palate: A-
My #8, Group's #4 (63 pts). Tasted blind. Fruity nose. Smooth palate.
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8/5/2020 - Rogershkg Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had 2 bottles from same case but one had been kept in a wine fridge at higher temperature than the other for about a year. It was obviously more mature and rounder. The other was slightly more tannic- both very acceptable
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7/17/2020 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Zooming through Some Aged Bordeaux...and loving every minute of it!: Zooming through Bordeaux
Wines were filtered into jars for transport at around 3:00, transferred from jars to glass around 6:30, and tasted starting at around 7:00. The wines featured for this tasting were:
- 2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses (starter wine)
- 1985 Grand Puy Lacoste
- 1990 Leoville Barton
- 1995 Lynch Bages
- 1995 Pichon Lalande
- 1997 Latour
- 2001 Suduiraut Sauternes (dessert)
All wines were excellent, with the exception of the 85 Grand Puy Lacoste, which was slightly corked (unnoticeable to me in the beginning, but quite apparent hours later). My score and ranking are based on initial impressions as I believe that realistically shows the character of the wine (maybe a better bottle would score even higher).
Groups ratings: WOTN - 1997 Latour; 2nd - 1990 Leoville Barton , and 3rd 1995 Pichon Lalande.
My ratings: WOTN - 1997 Latour; 2nd - 1995 Pichon Lalande, 3rd - 1990 Leoville Barton and 1985 Grand Puy Lacoste, 5th - 1995 Lynch Bages.
--1995 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande: This wine was the most tannic of the group, but tannins rounded out and there was plenty of fruit. This wine still seemed very youthful. The nose was nice, with bramble, earth, violets and black fruit. The palate was exceptional, with rounded and integrated tannins, black and blue fruit, graphite and some sweet oak. The finish was medium-long, and the wine evolved nicely all night. This was probably my favorite on the palate, but was not nearly as good on the nose as the Latour. (Note: For me, the Barton had the best nose, but the Latour was the complete package).
The tannins and fruit tell me this wine has another 10-20 years in it, and should improve for another 3-5 years before peaking. As with some other wines, I would not be in a hurry to drink it, but you will not be disappointed opening up a bottle now or any time in the future, if the occasion arises. Easily 93+ points, with a chance to go even higher.
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7/16/2020 - galewskj wrote: 94 Points
Virtual Bordeaux: See "I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine"s note for treatment.
Black and blue fruit, tannins present, the wine becomes better integrated with 1 hour in glass. To me, this would have been singing with a little more air, and it really improved with time. There is definitely a lot going on here.
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7/16/2020 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Virtual Bordeaux Tasting (Home): Very dark red color with a 3 mm clear edge. Filtered into jars and sealed about 4:30pm, poured into glasses at 6:30pm and drank a glass plus over 3 plus hours. This was the wine that benefited the most from air as the night went on. A pleasant nose at the outset was completely transformed into a beautifully perfume. Love the nose, right there with the '97 Latour. Fantastic perfume of black and blue fruits; cassis, boysenberry, underbrush, dried spice and sandalwood. The palate begins to evolve as well and shows the same black and blue fruits, casis, blackberry, boysenberry, graphite, full bodied, well concentrated, fuller round satiny tannins, and a lengthy finish. Much more open and accessible than the '95 Lynch and certainly one of the more polished '95's. 93+ to 94pts. My #2 WOTN and group #3.
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7/9/2020 - tbabes wrote: 96 Points
Fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; popped, poured and consumed over the course of three hours with dinner. Medium garnet with a hint of bricking. Complex and lively bouquet, with notes of blackberry, bramble, dried plums, violets, black truffle, roasted herbs, and forest floor. Medium bodied, with great depth, balance and length; classic structure, ripe tannins, and a long, savory finish. Another great showing for the ‘95 Pichon Lalande!
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6/23/2020 - doug374 Likes this wine: 93 Points
A terrific example of smooth, even and refined Bordeaux. Mature with lots of life ahead.
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6/9/2020 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
Popped the cork 6 hours before (no decant) which was about right. Undoubtedly Bordeaux that had me debating whether this was in its prime. Verdict is probably yes with another 2 decades of prime drinking on this. Overall a complete wine worthy of its name.
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5/30/2020 - mjdixon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wouldn’t drink before 3 hrs decant
Great wine and took a few hours to drink as flsour and mouthfeel was so powerful
Just lacked a little complexity and a litgle shut down
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5/26/2020 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful old Bordeaux nose of grilled nuts and sweet gravel. This is still a young wine in my opinion but definitely in it's drinking window with delicious flavors of smoky blackcurrants, grilled nuts and warm gravel. The texture is a bit rustic but this is an old-style Bordeaux with plenty of character and structure. The finish turns a touch minty with complex notes of smoked gravel and dark spices. Still somewhat tannic although certainly fully-integrated and 3 hours of air seemed about right. Really good and I think there is more to come here. 94+
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5/25/2020 - mchern02 wrote: 93 Points
2.5 hour decant
Elegant classic nose with black currant dominating and touches of smoke, earth and light flowers. Palate has a nice mid weight with black fruit, light acidity, and slightly austere finish. Drinking quite well; very classic and slight room to improve but a step down from the ‘96 two nights ago.
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5/2/2020 - NYC_Maenad Likes this wine:
Decanted this about 30 minutes before dinner, then allowed to open in the glass. Immediately recognizable nose with blackberries and cassis, some leather, a little earthiness. Structure is strong, but not overpowering. Decent amount of fruit left to keep it balanced. Quite enjoyable,everything in its place. Not terribly expressive and a little austere. A little more air probably would have been good if I could have made it last longer. I wouldn't have opened it sooner, though, as I really liked seeing those early stages.
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4/17/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
This needs some patience, as at least 2-3 hours of air are needed to help it soften and fill out. Roses, tobacco, scorched earth, cassis, cranberry and peppery herbs open the nose. There is weight and depth, a touch of herbs and crisp, crunchy red berries on the palate. The finish comes with a hint of green olives and a bit of dryness. Classic in style, this is firm, stern version of Pichon, but it manages to avoid some of severity found in most wines from the vintage. It is ready to go, although it could improve with more time.
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3/28/2020 - tbabes wrote: 95 Points
The fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; double decanted an hour before dinner. Another sublime showing for the ‘95 Pichon Lalande; this bottle sprinted out of the starting blocks, and was absolutely amazing for the first few hours, but seemed to go into a more reserved state for the last glass or two. Notes of dried plums, black truffle, forest floor, and hints of roasted herbs. Medium bodied, with an amazing texture (pure velvet!) but with great grip, focus and depth. An amazing wine that has really blossomed over the last few years.
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3/18/2020 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Earthy and smooth. Plenty of life left
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3/12/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is firing on all cylinders, and is further forward than most of the vintage. I still find the nose a little muted but at the same time exquisitely perfumed with plum, blackcurrant and tobacco. Hints of cedar and violet have crept in on the palate during the last year. The tannin is sweet, but has the steeliness typical of the year. The finish is excellent with good length and balance. This will definitely continue to evolve, but with decent aeration it is ready to be enjoyed now.
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2/26/2020 - tbabes wrote: 98 Points
The fill was well into the neck and the cork was pristine; double decanted two hours before dinner. A deep garnet with no bricking. Lovely, intoxicating, and classic bouquet, offering up notes plums, sous bois, black truffle and hints of cedar and leather. Medium bodied, with a velvety texture, incredible depth and delineation, and a long and silky finish. Really great stuff!
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2/15/2020 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Double decanted for an hour, deep ruby with light rim, no brick, dark fruit with some tobacco, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding mature left bank Bordeaux, better than last bottle, ready to drink, no rush
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1/11/2020 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful wine. Fully mature and a melange of smoke, mushroom, touch of herbs and black currants. Everything you would want in a well aged Bordeaux.
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1/10/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
Hm, it seems I am drinking the 95 Pichon Comtesse a lot these days but at least it shows consistently. From 750, this is starting to open, but large format bottles still show like the 750s opened years ago - tight, reluctant nose of currant and acacia but with a more promising palate, loaded with blueberry, lavender, and plum. Not for drinking now. This 3L bottle in isolation suggests 93+, though some bottles clearly articulate more promise.
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1/7/2020 - Nanda wrote:
Casual Dinner with Friends (Ada St.): A very pretty and refined PLL. Medium nose of plum with good bell pepper accents. The palate is smooth with resolved tannin that is well integrated. Fully ready to go.
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1/1/2020 - Honeyburst Likes this wine: 93 Points
At it’s prime I believe, and a great pleasure. Rounded and balanced and at age 24-25 just the Way you want a great Bordeaux Wine to be.
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12/25/2019 - PJHaveron Likes this wine: 95 Points
Christmas - fantastic wine - still plenty of life but superbly integrated and while bouquet was a hair limited, everything else was firing on all cylinders
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12/24/2019 - tbabes wrote: 97 Points
The fill was well into the neck and the cork was pristine; slow ox for two hours prior to dinner. Deep garnet with no amber. An outgoing bouquet, offering up complex notes of cedar, plums, black truffle, with hints of roasted fennel and briar patch. Medium bodied, with great depth, delineation and focus; silky texture and an incredibly long and savory finish. Quite elegant for the vintage; this has improved considerably over the last seven years.
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12/19/2019 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted this alongside 2005 Pichon Longueville Baron and 1995 Pichon Longueville Lalande blind. It was easy to tell the difference between the 3 as 1988 had already had the tertiary and secondary notes of mushroom, undergrowth, meat, oaky and there's still fruits aroma; cooked black fruits. Slightly decanted for 30 min, allowing it to evolve in the glass which further opens up the wine.
2005 Pichon Longueville Baron although drinkable window but it is still too young to consume it now. It will most likely taste better the 1988 Pichon Longueville Baron when it aged. High tannin, toasty vanilla, cedar, charr, with dense ruby colour. I will keep this for another 15 years. Suggest decanting 4 hours or more if it is going to be consumed today.
1995 Pichon Longueville Lalande is the balance of 1988 and 2005. The wine possesses Spices, liquorice, smoke, black fruits, cedar, mushroom, truffle and it was the WOTN. I truly enjoyed this very much, I had not tried 1982 before, but till then 1995 and 1996 will be the best Pichon Longueville Lalande that I had tasted. Outstanding vintage and it can be kept easily for another 10 years or more.
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11/22/2019 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Another stellar performance for this wine, first growth quality. Plum, bell pepper, graphite - this is textbook Pauillac. Dark color showing just a hint of bricking, lots of life here and can be enjoyed now or anytime over the next couple of decades. Rebuy all day long.
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11/15/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
I didn't have the chance to taste this when it was very young but can only conclude that it shut down quite hard for quite a long time as I had a difficult time reading this during previous tastings. However, this bottle offers an insight into the great promise of 1995 Pichon Comtesse. Still tight on the nose with a reticent cassis profile, this really explodes on the palate with crystalline fruit, pencil, loam, acacia, chocolate, and cedar. Delicious, and the density and elegance here are impressive.
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11/10/2019 - MM29 wrote: 93 Points
Was für ein schöner gereifter Wein. Einzig eine leicht korkige Note - zum Glück nur in der Nase - verhinderte eine noch bessere Wertung.
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10/27/2019 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
14th of 24, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, consistent with previous notes last in Feb 18 though with maybe a hint of brown on rim, proper Pauillac puissance, round and with none of the angularity of the vintage, though without the extra concentration of 96, 86 or 82, mature but no rush. F+ (18).
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10/7/2019 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
One of two bottles opened at a party. Darker garnet with some scarlet at the edges. Arresting, full-scale nose of cassis, dark currant, hyacinth, earth, and leather. Intense, deeply pitched layers of black currant, blackberry, graphite, tobacco, and brambly earth on the palate. Moderate acidity and firm but filed-off tannin, leading to a long finish of echoing dark currant fruit infused with stone and savory earth. Quite delicious.
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9/14/2019 - advinm41 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 1 hour...dark red in color, sediment present, nose of black currants, cherry, blackberries, old leather, graphite, tobacco, some vanilla, spices and white pepper. Palate is medium body, cherries, currants, vanilla and spices..Tannis are lots of it but fairly smooth an good acidity. Good QPR. Long finish. Ready to drink or hold 5-10 more years
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8/24/2019 - jmoon Likes this wine: 95 Points
Just a wonderful, beautifully aged pauillac. Lovely purity and depth, sprang to life after an hour decant.
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8/8/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is firing on all cylinders, and is showing secondary characteristics and is in a marvellous place. I am puzzled on why people pop and pour, or give just an hour in the decanter for the top 1995s. You can't fully enjoy this wine with less than 3 hours of aeration. The nose has matured over the last 8 months, with the fruit more muted with the cherry, plum, and blackcurrant still prominent but now combined with old leather. The tannin has softened further, but is still prominent enough to add a steely Paulliac backbone to the wine. The finish has now lost its overly tannic profile, but if I was to nitpick, does not quite match the rest of the wine. There is no problem to start fully enjoying this now with appropriate decanting time, but it should be wonderful for the next 20 to 30 years.
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7/26/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely aged Bordeaux nose of earthy graphite and roasted nuts. Quite thickly-textured and a bit rustic for this classy estate with delicious flavors of black fruits and graphite minerals. Voluminous and full-bodied with a long, luxurious charcoal-infused, earthy finish and a nice red spice crunchiness. Feels still a bit youthful but it's definitely in its drinking window.
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6/24/2019 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Champagne, Riesling, and Bordeaux with Skippy (Chicago, IL): I've had multiple bottles of this and the scores are all over the place. This bottle had a little bit of dirtiness on the nose, but plenty of the expected black fruit, leather, and graphite. The sweeter elements here haven't even started picking up secondary characteristics, and if it weren't for the fruit, this would have just been a monumental scaffold.
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6/13/2019 - dbenglis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking well. Opened and double decanted. Plum, earth, still has tannin. I will drink more.
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6/2/2019 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 92 Points
One hour decant. Tons of cherry on the nose complemented by hints of vanilla, and green pepper to remind you that this is Pauillac. Medium richness, more red fruit, cherry, pepper, very long. Score perhaps low, could improve as the secondary emerges. Nicely balanced, great with Italian sausage, but tannins mostly gone on this bottle. I don’t see any chocolate/oak notes.
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5/14/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Day of the Goat: A Pichon Lalande Fractured Vertical (Leo & Cheryl's Place, Mpls, MN): Still a veritable baby, the '95 is a great wine that like many of the 95's is in want of more time. This too has a bigger frame, a more austere, dense dark fruits, more tannins and more intense wood still needing to fully resolve, lots of graphite and there is some floral character lurking in the background. This was a little medicinial at first, but that blew of pretty quickly. I'm a fan of this wine and I have had some bottles that were really great. Still can use some time or give it a a couple hours of air. 92(+)pts.
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5/11/2019 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Double decanted for an hour, med. ruby with brick rim, nose of tobacco & dark fruit, taste of dark cherry with med/firm tannins, long finish; delicious, ready to drink, but still more tannic than expected (will the fruit last?)
After a couple hrs, it remained the same, not opening up any further & maintaining the tannic structure that was a little dry on the finish (subtracted a point)
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5/2/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Pencil-driven, mineral nose but a bit sparse and lean. The palate offers some promise with a core of potent cassis but it's still reticent. Perhaps this will blossom further, as some 1995s have truly surprised me by doing. However, there's no irrefutable promise in the 1995 PCL as there are in some other 95 Medocs or other vintages of PCL.
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4/23/2019 - Saint B Likes this wine:
Brick red maroon colour, quite concentrated. Very aromatic wine from the start of vanilla, nuts, chocolate with creme de cassis sweet blueberry aromas. On palate touch of sweetness, rich red fruits. Tannins were still palpable, suggesting it might still have room for cellaring. After about 40 mins of decanting, wine became silky smooth. Quite long, with some tea leaves towards the end. Very elegant and refined.
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4/22/2019 - M.Y. Chong wrote:
Initially when cork was popped, the nose was very pleasant with cassis and cigar box. This bouquet then became muted. It revived itself with about an hour in the decanter but did not recover to its former glory when popped. Bell peppers dominated the nose with hints of cassis, chocolate, leather, cigar box, and earth/soil. On the palate there was insufficient fruit and the wine felt lacking in concentration and therefore not enough opulence. Medium bodied, with good finish (but I was expecting more). Left me with more to be desired from this address.
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3/30/2019 - Ms. Bubblehead Does not like this wine:
Year of the pig dinner:
On 1995 Bordeaux bottles:
1995 Haut Brion
Was my WOTN out of the 10 bottles that night. On the nose, violet, gravel, dark cherries and plum, mineral, smoke, and modest cigar, on the plate, it showed great strength yet balanced with nice and long acidity, strong minerals and modest spices. Very long finish with great layers, very complex, offered firm tannin and round texture. A great bottle. It was a Cabernet/merlot blend, partially explained why the wine was balanced with power and elegance.
1995 Mouton
Certainly a much more powerful and richer version of mouton vs 83. Can still age 5-10 more years to enjoy it at better maturity level I think. Dark purple colour, crushed dark currants and black berries on the nose, on the palate, strong character with great minerals, some spices, smoke, liquorice and slightly higher tannin, not at my preferred drinking window yet but can see its ageing potential. In 1995 vintage, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes seemed having tougher tannin to resolve, so they also blended the wine with slightly more merlot (same reason for haut Brion 95 I guess).
1995 Cheval Blanc
Seductive and classic style of Cheval Blanc in my view, bouquet of purple flowers, light lady cigarette, plummy and modest toffee sensation, on the palate, it was silky and smooth on texture with slightly higher tone of acidity vs 83, body was richer and fuller too. Beautiful wine and can still age 5-10 more years to enjoy it at even better drinking window. The 1995 had higher percentage of Merlot in the final blend - 50% Merlot/50% Cabernet Franc.
1995 latour
Opened 4 hours in advance and was still tight when we started dinner. Decanted for another 1.5 hours before serving, and the wine showed a lot better. This wine was still quite young to enjoy now and I would wait for the next bottle to be consumed 5-10 years after at least, or it really needs proper decanting before serving it. It showed the best ageing potential for all the bottles we had that night (also the vega sicilia we had on the same night). On the nose, cigar, smoke, freshly rubbed herbs, basil, cassis, liquorice, on the palate, lots of dark berries yet also very mineral and offered freshly cut herbs. Still young but can see its potential to evolve more layers and even more complexity.
1995 pichon lalande
Not because I drank this along with 95 Mouton/Haut Brion/Latour that I don't like this wine, I really think the wine was lack of balance on the palate, too rich in structure with strong vanilla toffee and jammy berries fruits on the palate. Nose was quite perfuming and nice but I didn't really enjoy the palate, but could be due to personal style.
Wines we had:
1983 latour, 1983 mouton, 1983 chavel blanc; 1995 mouton, 1995 chavel blanc, 1995 haut Brion, 1995 latour , 1995 vega sicilia, 1995 ridge monte bello, 1995 Pichon lalande
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3/22/2019 - Lindlb wrote: 92 Points
Blind verkostet. dicht, erdig, würzig, Frucht mit hoher Dichte, klassische Bordeaux Noten; Sattelleder; Cassis; Tabak
am Gaumen guter Druck; mittlere Länge; gut gealtert mit noch Potential, etwas rustikal
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3/18/2019 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
A dark horse in a flight flooded with first growth. Tobacco, earth, truffle, cassis and black currant on the nose. The mid palate had lots of stuffing. Very nice especially when you consider the price.
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3/16/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Sheldon's 60th Birthday (The Bristol - Chicago IL): Small glass, brief note. Lots of black fruit with savory spice. Still firm, but with so much robust and layered fruit that this already comes together very nicely for the vintage.
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3/14/2019 - wineforth Likes this wine: 96 Points
I’ve had this wine many times over 20 years. Immaculate bottle bought en primeur and stored in a wine fridge since delivery. Two or three years ago I thought it had reached its plateau. I was wrong. This bottle is glorious. Lovely nose of red fruit, flavours are complex and change over time including coffee and cedar. On the palate the wine is wonderfully soft, reflecting the higher percentage of merlot in the blend, and balanced, and the finish lasts minutes. This era of Lalande at its best.
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3/1/2019 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 94 Points
In a great place. Dark color, looking very young. Brilliant nose. All the dark berry fruit plus the emerging secondaries of cedar and earthy notes. Has come into its own over the last few years. Top of its game now but will be great for 10-15.
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2/17/2019 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Special International tasting group. (@ Zarzo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands): Beautiful and expressive, fully mature and luxurious bouquet. Dark berries, coffee and some graphite. On the palate the same impressions. Soft bell pepper and fresh acidity. A wine with great finesse and in its perfect drinking stage. 95 – 96
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12/30/2018 - grapenomad wrote: 89 Points
A vintage more for the lovers of old school Bordeaux. Opened and decanted for 30 minutes, develops further in the glass. Plenty of fresh berry fruit and spices on the nose, but it seems that the tertiary notes are creeping in way too early. The tannins and acidity aren't in the best harmony, but the wine has plenty of complexity on the other hand. Long finish, ending with tones of caramel, tea leaves and dried red fruit. Not a very memorable bottle.
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12/29/2018 - Sonoma Duck Likes this wine: 95 Points
Austere for some but not for me. Decanted for one hour. Great rich cedar nose, medium ruby. Complex and elegant with a long finish. Superior wine
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12/28/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
Typical of the vintage, this is an old style left bank Bordeaux, and for myself a wonderful wine. It is well into secondary stage, and is up there with the 1982 and 1996. The nose is surprisingly aromatic with deep flavours of red cherry, plum, blackcurrent, and blackberry. The fruit is on the palate with old leather and tobacco, with a steely backbone of tannin. At this point the finish is lengthy, but still a little unbalanced with the tannin over prominent. I am sure this will resolve in the near future, and this will be even better. Don't hesitate to start enjoying this now with decent aeration.
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12/25/2018 - BillyT wrote: 92 Points
As it was for Christmas Eve dinner I knew I wouldn't have time for notes. I do think Jeff Leve expressed my sentiments accurately. The austerity for me was that it was somewhat angular, earthy and not as soft as Jeff suggests. Great wine, Yes but agree with Jeff that I don't think age will soften the wine. Extremely terroir driven. One note I must state is that it was decanted for 2 hours and drank over 3. By the fifth hour it did show some movement in becoming more silky and smooth but remained austere in its profile. Still good fruit and complexity. I will revisit in a couple of years.
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12/21/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Friday Tasting Group: My 1st "Killer Bar" (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 45% C.S., 40% Merlot, & 15% C.F.
N: Slightly closed, some forest floor/earth, poss some Brett? (though blew off); Continued to evolve in the tasting glass
P: LM body; NICE frt met by some puckerish astringency which does pretty much resolve by the very LONG, ULT *quite* pleasant finish. In its window, but should go on a # of yrs more. 13% ABV; My EXC+/Exceptional-. RJonWine 91-94 pts (4x), Jancis Robinson 17.5 & 18/20, + numerous other solid reviews listed on wine-searcher's "Tasting Notes" pg.
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12/1/2018 - Rani wrote: 91 Points
Tasted blind. Decanted for 30 minutes but needed a lot more. Herbal and a bit alcoholic on the nose. Massive and dense, lots of fruit and acidity and a slight bitterness on the finish. Needs five more years.
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11/21/2018 - Mjladha Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good not not great. Still fairly tanic. Medium bodied. Nice nose
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11/21/2018 - salil wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic showing. This still has years to go (or needs a LONG decant), but this more than made up for the disappointing '86 PLL. The fruit here still feels very primary and rich, but it's already showing a lot of savoury development with intense tobacco, cedar wood, graphite, and more savoury black truffle-like notes that emerge with more air. There's a ton of tannin here that gradually softens with more time in the decanter, and I imagine this is going to be something really special in several more years.
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11/17/2018 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely nose of dark berries and graphite minerals. A rather rustic and masculine style of Pichon with firm tannins and lovely flavors of tobacco, lead pencil and black fruits. The finish is full and lush with tons of minerals. This is drinking younger than the magnificent ‘96 which is clearly the better wine at this point but there is a ways to go here. 93+
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11/4/2018 - onboisduvin Likes this wine: 90 Points
A bit weak at the impact and length of the taste. lack of the strength expected.
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11/1/2018 - Rogershkg Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a really good wine. I think it would better to have decanted it. It opened up after half an hour or so. Deep colour, good nose and black/red fruit, long taste
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10/20/2018 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Guys Night Out Again (Jason's House): Elegant. Decanted for at least an hour. This went down so easily. It is a classy and refined Bordeaux, but not as outstanding as the previous bottle 1.5 years ago.
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10/18/2018 - Jimaronson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Blind tasting with 1995 leoville Barton. One member found vanilla a turn off. Another member found it with sweet cherry, perfume, and cigar box. Another member found the wine with green olives and cedar. It was unusual that the descriptors were so different. One member gave it 19+ out of 20; another 16+. The Leoville Barton was better.
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10/17/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Guy's Night Out (Jason's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. Decanted for 3.5 hours, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Lots of earth here and a touch of funk, cassis and violets on the nose. The palate starts a bit austere, tart, black cherry, but it develops more depth and intensity and the cassis comes forth too. A bit of heat late. 92+pts.
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8/11/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
With 1 hour in the decanter, the wine offers a full-bodied, concentrated experience filled with tobacco leaf, blackberry, herbs, cigar box and red fruits. The wine is less strict than many 95 wines, but there is some austerity to the wine that you definitely feel. Time is not going to add much more softness.
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8/2/2018 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nice upon decanting but after 90 minutes became full and silky. Classic Pauillac with slightly tart, palate-filling fruit, light on earthiness, good balance.
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7/30/2018 - nstow wrote: 90 Points
3rd of 12. A very pleasant classic claret. Medium bodied, well balanced with black berry fruits and some tobacco. Dry finish. Not as complex as the 1996 but would probably have benefited from a longer decant. Good with steak. 4/5
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7/12/2018 - Paul D wrote: 93 Points
1995 Bordeaux (Piccolino, Exchange Square, London): Deep ruby/garnet. Spicy red and black berry fruit, herbal edge. Medium/full bodied, cool black fruit, herbal notes again, with richness to which turns savoury on the very good length finish. Excellent/outstanding.
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7/12/2018 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
1995 Bordeaux: Blackcurrant leaf, slightly herbal. A slightly dry edge to the finish. Quite a bit here. Savoury, but cool fruit and some depth. Lovely. ****
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7/3/2018 - Purple Grillz wrote: 94 Points
What a nose. if you are craving quintessential Pauillac perfume, pull this one out. As a drink, it lacks the power of 96 but it also costs 30% less. Definitely pair with with lighter fair, the fruit and tertiary elements are delicate. Not sure about saving this much longer unless you are looking for it to really start to change into a different animal. If thats the case, and the nose is any clue, this could be a very interesting wine 15-20 years down the line for extremely well stored bottles.
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6/22/2018 - redknife Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for 90 mins and off to Amara with Joe and friends from NYC
Wine is in a very nice spot and think will be for many more years.
No formal TNs as its been a month but everyone loved this wine
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6/10/2018 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine has come around nicely and is quite full-bodied with delicious dark berry fruits and lots of mid-palate depth. Finishes rich and complex with note of herbs, dark spices and purple flowers. Coming into full bloom now and while not the most refined PL ever made, it’s a seductive drink.
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6/9/2018 - ashikoh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Medium ruby red core with bricking at the rim. Complex aromas of dark berries, flowers, tobacco, truffles, and earth. Round and elegant in the mouth with soft tannins and good persistence. Has definitely entered its mature phase but with plenty of pleasurable drinking ahead. A second wine from one of Bordeaux’s “super seconds”. 13% ABV.
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6/6/2018 - OenoEd Likes this wine: 95 Points
A truly beautiful wine; at its best, this is an elegant yin/yang showstopper; soft, silky tannins, long complex finish. A bargain, really, approachable and delightful to drink with duck, or salmon.
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6/2/2018 - Prinsen wrote: 92 Points
Seems to be a wine with lot of potential, but it never woke up during the evening (8 hours). Keep in cellar another 10 years
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5/19/2018 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
I have really come to appreciate this vintage of this wine!
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5/14/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This has certainly moved forward in the last year, and is starting to drink beautifully. The nose is surprisingly aromatic given the vintage, and is bursting with red cherry, plum, and blackcurrent. On the palate the wine is showing signs of real maturity with old leather and tobacco underpinning the fruit, but still displaying the tannic characteristics of 1995. The tannin is in totally harmony and stays on the palate without any residual sourness. The finish is 30 seconds plus. This had 4 hours of decanting, and did benefit, and really started to develop in the glass after 30 minutes, (and I did actually up the rating by a point in consequence,). Surprisingly advanced for the vintage, I think that this now may have the edge on the 1996. 96+
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4/2/2018 - dbenglis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent representation of Pauillac. Drinking well now and has potential for age.
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2/22/2018 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
To borrow from The Most Interesting Man in the World: I don't always drink Cabernet, but when I do, it's '95 Pichon Lalande.
Seriously, I'm a Burgundy guy rarely drink Cabernet. But this is as good as any left bank I've had, surpassing numerous first growths.
It's in a great place now, with ample fruit, tannins in the background, and a yummy nose. Pichon Lalande did a fabulous job in this vintage.
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2/19/2018 - ThalesGaspar Likes this wine: 96 Points
Ahhh Pichon Comtesse... always a memorable experience! The bouquet is almost perfect, great perfume. On the palate it's perfectly round, medium/full body, very complex, mature but still quite live. The finish is very long and delicious.
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2/9/2018 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
13th of 24, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, still purple rimmed and very backward, a pleasure to drink again (after last June's dumb bottle), if not firing on all cylinders, weight of fruit and underlying complexity to produce at least a very fine bottle in a few years time given the lovely ripe fruit, generosity and balance, one of the best 95s! Currently F+ (18) with scope for much more. NB the drink dates above are a joke 25-40 for peak drinking if from a decent cellar!
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2/2/2018 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted and served with Chateaubriand. Cigarbox nose. Supple leather and youthful tannins on the palate, transitioning into a very long finish of apricot and sweet tobacco. Just lovely. At peak but many years to go.
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1/28/2018 - Nanda wrote: 94 Points
1995 Bordeaux / Cali Cabernet Tasting (Casa de la Mata): Served blind in a 95 Cali/Bdx tasting. Okay, a serious step up here. Gorgeous, beaming and layered nose of plum, cedar, tobacco and cigar ash. The palate has more density and richness with still-gritty tannin. Everything is in proportion here. I was fooled and thought this was a Cali, like Togni. So darn good. My #1, Group #1 in the flight. Most thought BDX.
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1/12/2018 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
Litigators' Wine Dinner (Summer Pavilion, Ritz Carlton, Singapore): Absolutely lovely, this had a classic Lalande nose of fragrant tobacco, tea leaves, cedar and sweet cassis. Lovely. The palate was just about coming into its own, with a velvety cloak of really fine tannins and really fresh acidity draped over pure flavours of cassis, cedar and smoky tobacco drifting into a long, exotically spiced finish. Beautifully integrated and drinking beguilingly well - this will be drinking wonderfully over the next decade.
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1/7/2018 - Tannic Monster wrote:
This was disappointing as I loved the 1989 I had just a month ago.
Perhaps it is just a case of individual bottle variation, but this bottle was clearly not corked and was simply devoid of fruit. It displayed other components such as leather, earth, tobacco, etc...but left one longing for any hint of fruit of any kind.
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12/11/2017 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 94 Points
(Decanter Fine Wine 2017) :: N: delicate, balanced, notes of saddle leather, burnt orange, dried flowers. Quite discrete. P: super balance and elegance. Feminine, soft and rounded. Long finish.
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12/5/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 95 Points
The 1995 Château Pichon Lalande is clearly one of the best left bank wines of the vintage. It is accessible, open, and wonderfully fragrant. The Pauilliac stamp is there, with its black currant, pencil shavings, cedar, and tobacco. A couple of years ago, it was a little shy on the palate, but it now shows a lot of elegance and generosity. It's still not quite the 1996, but it's getting close.
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12/3/2017 - Blake Brown Likes this wine:
1995 CHATEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE de LALANDE PAUILLAC- the 2nd of 2 with different notes; decanted about 2 hours prior to serving, this had more evolved black currant fruit with help from leather, earth, tobacco and spice in the nose and taste; some surprising distinct black pepper came in past mid palate; there seems to be a mild touch of Brett like notes in each which was more apparent in this bottle, but in no was distracting from the joy of drinking it.
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12/3/2017 - Blake Brown Likes this wine:
1995 CHATEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE de LALANDE PAUILLAC- the first of 2, this bottle I brought was distinguished by the gold foil still in place; it was decanted 4 hours prior to serving and exuded a pure dark purple colour; I got cedar, leather, spice, smoke and mint chocolate laden black cherry and black currant fruit; it was big and richer and more balanced than the next one for whatever reason as confirmed by table talk.
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11/24/2017 - AJCowen wrote: 96 Points
Drank last night alongside an 89 lalande and 95 baron. This bottle just rocked. Pulled this straight from owc of 750ml. Classic pichon structure. Pkenty of acidity and earthy undertones with currant very forward. Wine is perfect and peaking right now.
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11/18/2017 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted and served. Mature, stately Lalande with nose of pipe tobacco, sweet tobacco and sour cherry on the palate and a long, satisfying finish. I would think this is at its mature peak so enjoy!
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11/5/2017 - Charogers Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pnp. Best of the lot amongst a group with a 96 Haut Brion and a 95 Mouton. Maybe it's current drinking window is the best - the Mouton got better and better over the dinner. This wine was precise and well balanced - it had a wonderful elegance and good finish.
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11/5/2017 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ex-negociant bottle. perfect fill and cork. Cranky and clipped upon opening. Needed 3-4hrs to show well and then it was quite apparent how youthful this was. Flint and exotic spice, tannic palate. Despite the chateau being a favorite of mine, I and the group totally missed this one. I'll try and save my last bottle for at least 5yrs.
On night 2 this was a little sullen. Darker fruit profile, brooding and a little lethargic. Pichon Baron was prefered given the brighter palate and red fruits.
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11/4/2017 - mr_rancho Likes this wine: 94 Points
Starke Noten von Unterholz, Pilz, Waldboden, aber auch Cassis, Kirsch, Pflaume. Noch schwere Tannine.
Super Wein, kann sicherlich noch 10+ Jahre reifen.
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10/18/2017 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 92 Points
Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Vertical Tasting with Nicolas Glumineau (Taberna del Alabardero): I love 1995 Bordeaux in general, but I've had these wines together a couple times now and each time seem to prefer the 1996. The aroma was more diffuse than the '96. On the palate, it feels broader and markedly more tannic -- drier and dare I say somewhat closed. It lacks the piercing fruit intensity of the '96 but has a strong mineral element that initially seems like a mouthful of concrete (and about as monolithic) but eventually bloomed into that familiar mix of metal shavings and black fruit. This vintage in particular really needed the food to show itself and will need some more cellar time to feel as comfortable in its own skin as the '96. Nicolas mentioned that this is an atypically merlot-heavy blend for the chateau, 45% cab sauv, 40% merlot, and 15% cab franc.
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10/18/2017 - dcwino wrote: 93 Points
Pichon Lalande dinner with Nicolas Glumineau (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): It is always fascinating to compare the 95 and 96 left bank wines. The 96 is the epitome of a classic claret, so sophisticated and precise where the 95 is opulent and hedonistic, always with a hint of roasted fruit, This is no exception. Expressive nose displaying sweet black fruit, cassis, blackberry, a hint of black cherry, coffee, mocha, cedar and mineral. Excellent concentration, good density, slightly rustic and chunk mocha/roasted fruit driven palate impression, bright acidity, good earthy mineral and a medium to long opulent sweet black fruit and mocha driven finish. Still quite youthful but ready to go. Really nice wine but I prefer the 96 for the purity, precision and polished palate.
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9/30/2017 - Sonoma Duck Likes this wine: 96 Points
Young mature. Rich cedar nose, mouth coating with a long, long finish. Best Bordeaux I have had in a while. Unfortunately, ,my last bottle.
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9/25/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Clearly, one of the top wines from this often austere vintage. Here, you find softness to the tannins, sensuality to the textures, vibrancy and just a bit of austerity in the finish. At 22, this is perfect to open today, and for the next 15-20 years.
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8/2/2017 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 94 Points
From mag. My first experience with this wine - I really enjoyed it, and for my palate it is showing better than the 96 at the moment. This is rich, dark and the style of PLL and I love. Notes of tobacco and plenty of scope for further improvement. Now joins the 89 PLL as my favovite vintages of this wine for buying/drinking now. Drink to 2030.
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7/18/2017 - danckie wrote: 94 Points
This a Pretty big wine. Still has many years to go.
Lots of red and black fruit. Elegant but intense flavors. Quite jammy, stewed fruit.
Joyfull experience.
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7/15/2017 - DAN BAILEY Likes this wine:
From magnum. Dark, rich, young and very promising. Lovely balance and a bright future ahead.
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6/30/2017 - liber Likes this wine: 91 Points
12th of 24, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, youthful colour, seemed pretty closed, tannins obtrusive and fruit faded relative to previous bottles, better with food bringing out underlying quality of fruit, quality of components undeniable, but hard work. Nevertheless F (17.5), usually a couple of notches higher.
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6/21/2017 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
in such a great place right now!
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6/14/2017 - Charogers Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still young - really it will last for ages. It's in a great spot though, particularly if you like a bit of the fruit up front.
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6/14/2017 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
During a Cab Sav Dinner. During a tasting dinner. Medium garnet/brick. Nose of cedar, tobacco, lots of roasted aromas too, coffe. Soft and sily palate, elegant. Good but 1996 is better.
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6/9/2017 - overhill wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux Second Growths Lunch (Capital Grille NY): Cola initally turning to figs and eucalyptus. Lifted freshness with a long persistent finish. Well into the early phase of its prime drinking window
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6/4/2017 - AllRed wrote: 87 Points
40th Anniversary Magnum Party; 6/3/2017-6/4/2017 (R&D's): From magnum, leftover from the prior night. Wow, this has really fallen off from last night. I would have expected some deterioration, but not to this extent. Red fruit and herbal qualities on the nose and palate with a distinct vegetal overtone.
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6/3/2017 - AllRed wrote: 97 Points
40th Anniversary Magnum Party; 6/3/2017-6/4/2017 (R&D's): From magnum. Gorgeous right from the start with those wonderful herbal green Pichon Lalande overtones. Red currants and plum along with underbrush and sage. Tannins are integrating nicely on the palate,which is dominated by red fruit flavors. Herb notes with a slight cigar tobacco flavor in the finish. Balanced, with a long finish. My favorite of the big-time Bordeaux on the table as it was clearly, for myself and a few others, the most accessible.
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5/21/2017 - seattlecook wrote: 95 Points
Drinking great
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5/15/2017 - valedeniro wrote: 94 Points
Pichon-Lalande 1995 has developed beautifully and is drinking very well now.Great classical Pauillac nose, shows cassis,blackberry,cedar,graphite,blonde tobacco,lead pencil.Velvety texture with excellent depth and balance,elegant and refined with a long racy finish.Still painfully young,this seems like one for the long haul.
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4/27/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
I'm starting to like this vintage of Pichon Lalande more and more as time progresses. On previous occasions, I have felt it to be clearly inferior to the 1996; it's now starting to catch up. While the 1996 is deeper, darker, and infused with more earthiness, the 1995 has more brighter red fruits and spiciness. While it benefits from some aeration, it can be enjoyed PnP. There are plentiful aromas of red fruits, tobacco, Asian spices, green pepper, dark chocolate, and cigar box. On the palate, there is a nice elegance and mouthfeel. Medium weight. Tannins are seamlessly blended into the overall complexion. Delicious mouth-watering acidity on the medium-plus length finish. Hopefully, this wine keeps on its trajectory. It's certainly one of the more accessible wines (presently) from this sometimes austere vintage.
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4/26/2017 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
Blind 1995 Bordeaux at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL): Served blind in flights of 1995 Bordeaux. How strange it is to have two of the same wine, blind, side-by-side, when the lineup was randomly determined? It was later concluded that this bottle was decanted four hours later than the previous, which we used as an excuse to justify the very different showings. Especially after the tasting, retasting the two side-by-side, the differences seemed much less stark. There's probably some trick of psychology going on here as well. In any case, I found this bottle darker, with a more brown spice tone. The palate was much thinner than the previous bottle, and the acid and tannin didn't feel very much in balance with each other. However, it was still fairly clear to me that this was a cabernet-heavy left bank wine.
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4/26/2017 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Blind 1995 Bordeaux at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL): Served blind in flights of 1995 Bordeaux. Clearly left bank of high caliber. The nose on this was perfumed, complex, and full of those classic aromas you're looking for in Bordeaux: black fruit, a bit of cedar, some leather, some dirt. The palate is a bit surprising given the nose, though, it's a bit less perfumed and explosive, and lies more on the red side of the spectrum. The acidic lift here is incredible, too. The sweeter red fruit here did give me some pause as to whether this could have been a classic Californian cabernet, but in the end, I settled with my gut instinct. As an addendum, this bottle was decanted four hours before the next one.
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4/18/2017 - shutto1992@gmail.com Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Vegetal green bell pepper taste and it does not blow off after several hours and after a day under cork.
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4/5/2017 - bordeaux_bro Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow, what a wine. Very similar in quality and character to the more famous 1996 vintage. The 1995 gets a slight edge in palate (less acidic, more fat - personal preference), slightly less tannic and mature, but loses to the 1996 in freshness and nose. Deep, brooding nose with plenty of secondary characteristics of cedar, tobacco, some port-like notes, but nose feels a bit smothered compared to the 1996. I think the 1996 will be better in the long run, but right now these are neck and neck, but enjoyable in different ways.
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4/5/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
This has really developed in the last year and is ready to drink after a couple of hours in the decanter. A deep nose of blackcurrent and cassis gives way to good depth on the palate where the fruit is held in check by robust tannin. Completed with a lengthy finish the wine should hold at this level for a good few years and should continue to evolve.
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3/31/2017 - Sundbyberg wrote: 97 Points
Only my second Comtesse, after the 2006.
A very good and very traditional Paulliac, wich the typical, dark, Paulliac berries.
Needs 2-3 hours or so in the decanter to really open up. Quite light, elegant and mellow. This is how I like my wines from Pauillac.
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3/26/2017 - galewskj wrote: 95 Points
Luis Turns 60 (St. Genevieve): Decanted 1.5 hours, drank a glass over 1.5 hours. This wine changed significantly in the glass. To me, it really did taste like Pichon Lalande. Secondary and tertiary Bordeaux flavors are evident, and it has rich red fruit that made it hard to stop drinking. A rich smooth finish with silky tannins. In fact, thinking about this wine right now, I'm raising my score 1 point. Wine #2 of the night for me and the group.
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3/25/2017 - ageverett Likes this wine: 95 Points
Stood up for an hour. Decanted for a little over an hour.
Cork was in great shape with minimal stain - appears it could have gone for several more years. Dark red in color and not too much bricking going on. Dark cherry and sandalwood. Some forest floor. Some black tea.
Very smooth finish, but not big or long; a little lacking.
This seems like it could go for many more years. That said, I'm not sure what type of additional development it will show. Pop any time and it should be rewarding. Great experience.
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3/7/2017 - Marquis du Vin wrote: 95 Points
Delicious!!! Two hours in the decant, and it was alive and kicking ... Classic Bordeaux circa 1990s... excellent structure, long silly finish tanins resolved nothing to complain about here and it's time to drink !! Can't see anyting else developing here but could last for more years based on the time needed in decanter... I like it better than the 1990, 1994 vintages ... sadly my last bottle
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3/4/2017 - sunnylea57 wrote: 93 Points
Opened this alongside a 1987 Dunn HM, which was unfair. The Dunn stole the show with incredible depth, breadth and freshness, and while the Comtesse was an excellent wine, it couldn't compete. It seemed almost simple - which it is not - with pure raspberry and blueberry compote. Not what I would have expected, but the gravitas of the Dunn likely affected my perception of anything that followed.
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1/25/2017 - Wine Canuck wrote: 94 Points
This is in a really nice spot. Very Classic lalande, just beginning to drink in the same zone the 80's lalandes are fully in now. Very true to old school Cabernet. The nose is of charred green pepper, gravel, lead pencil, cedar, mushroom, red currant, and smoke. Palate has a fair whack of tannin and nice fresh bright acid. Long finish. Beautiful!
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1/22/2017 - sanjayjha Likes this wine: 94 Points
Shorty decant. Still youthful. A little lacking in the middle but very good at the font of the palette. Spicy. Almost lunch bagrs like in that respect.
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12/31/2016 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Coravined twice, this note is from the second time round after another 2 weeks.
On pouring, it shows dark fruit, cassis, cedar but not very open, rather shy nose. A bit acidic taste and flat. After abt 1h some tobacco notes were much more apparent and after abt 2 1/2 h it really starts showing its pedigree and the wine becomes more harmonious and elegant with the acidity played down and the tannin more silky and smooth. Nice tobacco and earth flavors with leather and good fruit. Finish is a bit short though. 92-93p
Opened up the bottle on new year's eve, double decanted and after 3 hours it really came to life showing fantastic complexity and development over the evening. Best after 3-4 h. 94p
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12/14/2016 - Sonoma Duck Likes this wine: 94 Points
At a holiday lunch someone brought this wine and it sat all by itself, lonely and unopened. I opened it and found another wino or two and we really enjoyed a young mature bordeaux. Lousy glasses, lighting etc but very fine wine.
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12/7/2016 - wineordeath Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still not at peak maturity. Big, deep Pauilliac with rich cassis and cedar nose and flavour but also just a bit of unintegrated oak that gives it a leather edge. Needs another few years.
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9/11/2016 - wineforth Likes this wine: 94 Points
With Helen and Chris. Lovely if slightly muted, cassis and cedar nose. Very soft fruit, typical of Pichon Comtesse, yet also with plenty of tannic backbone. Ideal ladies claret. In 2010 I noted it would still improve, was perfect in 2012. Now on its plateau of maturity. If you want to know what Comtesse was like from the mid 70s to mid 90s this is typical in style.
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7/15/2016 - Lazerlar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyed with my family at my daugters wedding along with a 1995
Calon-Segur. Both bottles decanted for 3 hours and both singing this night. No notes taken. The preferance this night was the Calon-Segur by a slight margin- both bottles very much enjoyed by all.
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7/8/2016 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich and regal in its royal purple color and sooth velvet finish. Cassis, blue and blackberry merge with cedar forest, toast and lead pencil. This elegant palate pleasing, full-bodied wine is at full maturity.
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7/6/2016 - wineordeath Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fully mature and at its peak. Classic Bordeaux nose. Not thrilling or exciting but solid, well made, and now silky. But, based on my bottle, drink up. 96 is a meaningful step up, IMO.
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7/4/2016 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Simply terrific!
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7/1/2016 - Mr Barsac Likes this wine: 98 Points
Inky cassis colour. Expansive masculine bouquet of pencil shavings and leather. Big legs. Rich palate of Victoria plums and cocoa. Super silky tannins. Long, long finish. Massive and superb.
[Drunk after dinner in Singapore. From 18 degree wine fridge. Decanted 15 minutes.]
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6/4/2016 - bankermd wrote: 95 Points
2 bottles for special birthday. Both Superb. 1.5 hour decant. At peak drinking, but will remain at this level for 3-5 years.
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5/27/2016 - Marc wrote: 94 Points
Gordon's 60th Birthday Fine-Wine Dinner for Robyn and Gordon (Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand): Tasted next to the Pahlmeyer 1995, this was clearly Bordeaux in its leaner and more cigar box personality. Slight green pepper aspect dos interest . Very intense and still quite young - the wine is aging extremely well and shows no sign of slowing down. More focused that the Napa wine and certainly more aromatic, in the end the the Pichon felt less ripe, layered and complex. Stylistically the Pichon was true to type, while the Pahlmyer was more difficult to place - being very mid-Atlantic in style and nothing like the current high octane cult Napa style. In the end, the Pichon was an outstanding wine and I could see great bottles of this proving great pleasure for two more decades. 94-95.
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5/26/2016 - Rogershkg wrote: 94 Points
Colour deep red. Nose cigar box black fruit. Beautiful black current and long taste
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5/8/2016 - Plabella Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great bottle to share for my BD at CC of Hbg with good friends
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5/1/2016 - Rogershkg wrote: 93 Points
Opened 3 hours before and decanted. Much improved from previous test the night before using sample extracted with Coravin. Colour good no sign of age, bright. Nose cedar, dark fruit. Taste was good, multi layered and quite long
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4/26/2016 - MarceloIdeses Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic Pichon Lalande. Ready to drink.
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4/25/2016 - Lazerlar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted and consumed 4 hours later - was drinking beautifully this night and enjoyed by all at our family holiday diner. A medium / full body wine with blackberry, raspberry and black currant flavors abounding. I think I will be enjoying more of this in the near future.
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4/19/2016 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
Pichon Lalande Tasting: Menthol and bell peppers; medium bodied, slightly drying tannins, not that long – but lovely what there is of it.
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4/2/2016 - blanquito wrote:
An awkward showing, lots of fruit, but stolid and a bit chunky. It needed more air to show well, but this frog could still metamorphose into a prince some day. NOTE: I had this again a week later and it was terrific.
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3/22/2016 - Rogershkg wrote: 90 Points
Still good but might be going into a dumb phase. Plenty of power there, not over the top, colour good, nose dark fruit and pepper. Taste fair but not inspiring
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2/25/2016 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
celebrating my 60th and Yoram's 50th birthday with Wine-Nona (MeatBar restaurant, Herzlia): uncorked 2-3 hours in advance
dark opaque red-purple color
classic quality Pauillac nose with fine tertiary aromas of damp soil, leather, dry ripe blackberry, blueberry, and black currant with cedar and tobacco notes.
medium-full bodied, dried woody cranberry flavours, blackberry and currant, dry tannins, medium structured and complexity, seducing harmony that makes you enjoy this wine even though 1995 wasn't as great as 1996, surely not as 1990; medium length finish, memorable good aftertaste.
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2/14/2016 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another nice '95 that's drinking nicely. (Tasted in companion with the Clerc Milon, which outshined this a bit on this night.) Great color. Nose a bit reticent, but some violet and black cherry comes through. Flavors of blackberry and other dark fruits on the palate. Nice finish. A bit of a dullness to it, wonder if it opens up further in time. 93+
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2/13/2016 - Marc S wrote: 93 Points
- Ruby color with slow forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, raspberry and black currant with a medium/full body. Silky texture with a medium finish - Very much an old world wine with great fruit and nose.
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1/17/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 92 Points
[Magnum] Big Pauillac nose of damp soil and damp leathers atop juicy blackberry, blueberry, and black currant. Red cedar and tobacco spices as well. Dried cranberry comes out after more air time. Not a Mouton nose but certainly brooding and certainly what you'd hope for in Pauillac. Big on the palate delivering a wallop of blackberry and currant. Almost syrupy, but less raw. Somewht dry tannins already easing up. None of the undesirable astringent characteristics of '95 red Bordeaux present. Had been beginning to take Lalande for granted but this was a reminder that the wine is still beautiful. Also, Mags make a big difference. Very pleased.
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12/28/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote:
Une finesse exceptionnelle, des tanins soyeux, un magnifique vin à maturité, si facile à boire.
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12/25/2015 - winelover1808 wrote: 93 Points
tobacco, herb, red fruit, delicious
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12/24/2015 - wculpepper Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent fill and cork. Double decanted; light-to-medium sediment. Six hours later: Garnet color with orange bricking. Nose is more developed than on my Dec 3, 2015 tasting (which was only two hours after decanting). Otherwise, my notes of three weeks ago still apply.
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12/22/2015 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
11th of 24, decanted 45 minutes, perfect cork and fill, as December 2014 note, a fine but not spectacular Comtesse, as ever the enhanced merlot content for Medoc (cf Palmer) made it work well with rare steak, may yet improve slightly. Just fine plus (18/20).
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12/19/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind (Chicago, IL): Tasted double blind alongside PLL 82. Dense black fruit with background spice. Firm and still backward (could have used decanter time), but overall excellent balance and potential. Will benefit from more cellar time.
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12/18/2015 - Rogershkg Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep taste long finish, black fruit, blackcurrant
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12/12/2015 - Frank Schneider wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous mature red !! Smooth and silky with the right body and structure ! At its peak !!! Ready now ! Drink now !!! Wont improve
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11/4/2015 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
A Margaux & Pauillac tasting (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): More powerful than the '95 Margaux, with a more open nose. Black currant, cedar, and mint. Lacks the earthiness of typical Pichon Lalandes. Sampled the ’96 Pichon Lalande last night, and I prefer the more complex ’96 (which is more praise for the '96 than a knock on the '95). Better on the nose than palate right now. A little tart on the finish. Tonight, this wine outpaced the '95 Margaux served next to it.
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10/14/2015 - redders Likes this wine: 93 Points
still young. Great depth and elegance. in tasting with 96 which was even better
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10/8/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
During a tasting, served semi blind. Expressive nose of horse saddle, pencil, cedar. elegant palate with very fine tannins, softer, Merlot coming through. Very elegant, long finish.
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10/3/2015 - wculpepper Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent fill and cork. Double decanted; relatively light sediment for a 20-year-old Bordeaux. Two hours later: Garnet color. Subdued nose of black cherries and spice. One the palate, medium body with great balance between fruit, acids and tannins. Medium-long finish of smoky fruit. Would not have guessed this wine to be so old; and it still has probably a decade or more of good drinking ahead.
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9/9/2015 - etyc Likes this wine:
1st of our 2nd-flight of wines. Nose was floral, with ash, spice & sandalwood. Fresh, red-fruited with some leather on the palate. Nose turned a bit "sweaty" towards the end. Had thought this was the Baron...
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9/6/2015 - Fantomas Likes this wine: 92 Points
Initially lots of candied cherries and licorice on the nose. After decanting, the nose becomes one of a basket of ripe black fruit and toasted nuts with hints of earth. Beautifully smooth attack, full mouth, very fruity but also fat and silky chewiness, slightly jammy, nuts and some tobacco and chocolate notes. Good length but not as long as expected. Enjoyable!
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8/23/2015 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 96 Points
°°° Bordeaux 1995 °°°: Deep garnet in color. Nose of truffles, leather and red fruit. A lot of power, multilayered, complex and very balanced. A nice interplay from sweetness and acidity. Superb wine and a clear 96+/100. Drink now - 2045
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8/15/2015 - jshufelt wrote: 95 Points
Opened the bottle an hour before service, and decanted 30 minutes before service. In the glass, surprisingly youthful, dark red with only modest hints of auburn at the rim. On the nose, crushed currants and cedar in perfect balance. On the palate, smooth, classic Pauillac, cedar, cassis, tobacco, currants, all competing for attention. Yes, it's not as profound as the 1982, but what is? Enjoy this for what it delivers today.
The tannins started to assert themselves after a couple of hours, so there may still be many years ahead, but this is eminently pleasurable drinking right now.
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8/9/2015 - batas wrote: 93 Points
Nice Margaux-like nose, which does not change much through the night. Palate becomes quite harmonious after 2 hour decant. Soft but with good structure. Finish is a bit lacking?
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7/27/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
One of the best wines of the vintage as it shows none of the often, harshness to the tannins. The wine is soft, round and silky, with complex aromatics and ripe, sweet, dark fruits, finishing with a voluptuous mouth feel.
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6/26/2015 - firstgrowth Likes this wine: 95 Points
Awesome wine, perfectly balanced, so much better than my 89s that seemed to have died.
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5/23/2015 - Sonoma Duck wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for two hours. Nose of cedar and tobacco. Seriously stained bottle, must be unfiltered. This wine has finally come around. Round, everything in balance, long finish, young mature and will hold for years.
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5/17/2015 - Charlie Carnes Does not like this wine: 80 Points
This is just not good. Dry, acidic, and green!
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5/9/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine: 94 Points
Landmark Hotel Decanter Masterclass with Nicolas Glumineau. An interesting contrast to 1996, and is a tad more angular, perfumed, black tobacco, cedar and capsicum. Graphite and mineral finish.
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5/9/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Cedary notes on the nose, green bell peppers, tobacco - not as ripe and expressive on the nose compared to the 1996. On the palate similar observations - less ripe and harder, a bit lean and drying towards the finish. Nice length. 91-93
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4/21/2015 - nstow Likes this wine: 93 Points
Initially I was not overly impressed, the wine was still youthful with primary fruit but a strange vegetal undertone. However after a couple of hours it had opened out into something quite splendid with a range of complex flavours. Drunk with plain steak, potatoes and peas and was a perfect match. (4+/5)
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4/18/2015 - englishman's claret wrote: 90 Points
A great vintage of Pichon Lalande should delight - the poorer vintages give you a lithe, leathery, cedar sort of wine that's competent enough on its own - but the great ones deliver that perfect integration, elegance, and violet floral burst that keeps you coming back. And in that regard, this is just another wine in a long parade of disappointing 1995s. Somehow a year that still manages to garner high prices, it produced wines that were really backward and charmless. I don't think they'll ever really come around but if there's one that will, it's Pichon Lalande. So there's always hope. Give it another 5 years and see if you've got it, but don't go out of your way to get them if you haven't any... Decanted and followed for 4 hours.
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4/13/2015 - StefanAkiko wrote: flawed
As an Avenger for Wife's corked B-day btl, we decided to open our final btl of this amazing juice for my B-day.
And... Our 8th cork damaged wine of 2015 was a fact...
It was SEVERELY corked. Undrinkably nasty.
Terrible.
Death on Earth.
Pestilence in a bottle.
The legacy of the naturemuppy corks has been so tainted there should be a ban issued by none other than Pope Francis. Let's make him useful!
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3/28/2015 - MichielV wrote: 93 Points
Tom's Bday at H-club. WOTN next to other 95s: Insignia, Leoville Barton and the Pichon Baron. Very good wine, young dark red color, nose of lots of action, pure soft balanced everything. On palate very good, young, but well developed, so I guess this is getting to the top but it will undoubtedly stay there. Very Very Good!
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3/23/2015 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 92 Points
The Pichon Lalande 1995 is drinking well. It still has some rough edges which will smooth out over time. It is more rumbustious than svelte. The nose is complex classic Pichon Lalande. There's coffee, mocha and gravel, minerals, lead pencil and burnt raspberry. It is fresh, grippy and vibrant. The mid palate may have be a tad lacking but the finish is good. There is still some unresolved spikey tannins on the back end. This wine performs well amongst its left bank peers in this vintage because of its relatively high merlot content and relatively low Cabernet Sauvignon content. The Cabernet tannins are still pretty spikey in the 1995 vintage, but these other wines like Ducru may eventually overhaul it. An outstanding Pichon Lalande, it is still not on the same level as the extraordinary1996.
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3/21/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine: 92 Points
Clos de Vougeot 2002 and Pichon 1995, a wonderfully, suitable pair of wines to complement roast chicken.
The Pichon was for me the highlight of the evening. Deep robe with a narrow rim, exuding youthfulness and expression. Gravelly, wet stone and mineral notes. On the palate, mocha, gravel and pepper and a balance of fine tannins and acidity; the only disappointment was that it was lacking a little on the mid-palate, but ends with a long mineral finish. A lovely wine.
Vougeot went through a couple of phases during the course of supper, and over a few hours: firstly, high tone, candied fruits and quite tight then mellowing out and expressing black cherries, earth and sous-bois with a touch of gaminess. An intriguing and youthful wine.
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3/13/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
From double magnum. Spice nose. Balanced tannins that still require more time, some spice and dark fruit but otherwise lacking in exceptional depth. A very good but not great Pichon Lalande.
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3/11/2015 - winelover1808 wrote: 92 Points
delicious but had it after the 83 margaux and the 2000 Haut Brion
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2/15/2015 - premiercruclasse wrote: 91 Points
Consumed @ Macheroni Republic with HJ. Very tight and clean Bordeaux, but nothing memorable, seemed very shut down. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by this. Not as great as a previous Pichon Lalande, or even Réserve de la Comtesse that I tasted. Maybe needed much more time to decant.
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2/14/2015 - gpz Likes this wine: 96 Points
Great flavor, fruity, well fused tannins, very CHB like, 9/10
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2/11/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Open almost 2 hours before serving with one hour in decanter. Lots of black cherry, plum and currant with some liqueur and vanilla hints. Good power and excellent balance. Very pleasurable now.
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1/15/2015 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 87 Points
Tight and oaky upon first pour, this opened nicely in the glass even if it remained rather oak driven. Black fruits, fresh herbs, ivy, green peppercorn and gravel notes added some attractive complexity. Smooth and polished in the mouth with fine grained tannins and integrated acidity creating a rather elegant feel, this showed leathery and nutty nuances on the palate that was moderately well endowed with slightly jammy black cherry and black currant fruit all leading to a modest finish. Balanced, pleasant and easy, this seemed to be Bordeaux to me so I though it was the Pichon.
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1/15/2015 - coremill wrote: 87 Points
1995s Blind -- Torture: Served single-blind in a flight of four. Ripe and sweet, with lots of of chocolately oak and black fruit. This is quite expressive, but mainly of oak-derived flavors, this is woodier than a pirate's peg leg. The oak is mostly integrated texturally, and the tannins are refined and relaxed, and there's good acidity, but this is simple and boring and even less interesting than discussing wine for two hours. What happened here?
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1/13/2015 - StefanAkiko wrote: flawed
What a Scheisse and Bajsse!
Biological experiment gone awry. Nasty business, this.
But decided I'd be damned to let all those hard earned British Pounds be poured in to the sink. After forcing some glasses down my throat, it came around nicely. Entering almost the domains of 70 points! Wow!
How I hate bad corks... Why is it that the Australians are so much more clever with their screw-caps than the bordelais?
Cork showed a streak of brown all the way to the crown, broke upon extraction, the bottom half crumbled and the cork was generally soaked almost to the top...
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1/10/2015 - Rogershkg Likes this wine: 92 Points
this wine is drinking perfectly. Good balance, dark fruit,longish taste
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12/30/2014 - astroman wrote:
Nose was outstanding. Primary fruits mainly not much secondary fruits. Very youthful nothing like 20 years old.
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12/30/2014 - etyc Likes this wine:
Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015 (Jade Palace): This appeared to be the freshest of the lot. Amidst a nose of earth, cedar, graphite, the palate was perhaps the most impressive of the trio. This had depth, structure, and length, very balanced, silky and fresh. Will definitely be great in time to come. On hindsight (fearing that the '60s wines might crumble), we should have done this flight first. It kinda suffered coming after the '60s...
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12/24/2014 - Pcrage wrote: 92 Points
3 hour decant then sipped over 2 more. Very nice wine. I believe it has hit its maturity plateau. Supple with lovely mid palate. Finish was a bit choppy for my liking but overall a fine example of PL and Bordeaux. A softer and longer finish would have garnered this a 95 easily.
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12/21/2014 - winelover1808 wrote: 93 Points
classic pauillac. tobacco, earth, dark red fruit, acidity in the backbone. not as smooth as the 2000 Haut Brion and 83 Margaux I had next to it, but also better than the 2001 Lafite IMHO.
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12/6/2014 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
9th of 24, all notes fine or better, decanted 90 minutes, perfect fill - deepish garnet, some lightening on rim, dusty/mat; attractive black fruit, plum just ahead of currant, earth, iron, tobacco trace, classy; fullish, quality fruit, decent length and grip, some unresolved tannins and at the burly end for PL, just a sense of pushing extraction a la RP....so needs watching. No better than fine plus (18/20).
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11/26/2014 - Collector1855 wrote: 97 Points
Chateau Pichon Lalande Dinner with Nicolas Glumineau (Commanderie de Bordeaux, Singapore): Medium garnet with brick rim. Intense nose of earth, red fruits, smoke, barnyard, very Medoc and very complex. On the palate this is soft and elegant with extraordinary balance, elegance and drinkability, wow! On the peak now but can still age. This was the benchmark wine of the night.
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10/19/2014 - Bill Bucklew wrote: flawed
Corked! Ugh
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10/18/2014 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Incredibly tannic and backward at first, but with a lot of air and patience this really transformed. Initially it came across quite monolithic, with lots of black fruit and oak and faint cedary and graphite savoury notes in the background, and a wall of grippy tannin, but with more time the oak integrated and the tannin eased up as the savoury graphite and earthy elements, as well as that signature PLL herbal/green accent started to emerge around the fruit. Still painfully young, and this seems like one for the long haul.
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9/28/2014 - bibendumrrb Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gentle tannins. Fresh aromatic fruit aromas. Silky body.
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9/4/2014 - KenK Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark aromas with a slight hint of bretty shoe polish, but primarily rich and dark. Ripe dense black fruit flavors dominate although a nice distinct green pepper adds interest. Smooth long and rich. Impressive quality and see good upside ahead. Chewy big finish. Brighter quality than the 1996, but not as decadent.
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9/4/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande / Pichon-Longueville Baron Dinner (RPM Steak - Chicago IL): Lots of black fruit, cassis hints, still youthful and vibrant. At a very good place now, and while this will most likely evolve and develop more nuance, i don't see it necessarily getting better from here (vs its 1996 counterpart with lots of upside).
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8/21/2014 - Yagil wrote: 94 Points
mature Bordeaux tasting (Osteria da Fiorella, Tel Aviv): opened 2 hours prior to consumption
dark red-black color
nose of graphite, musk, red currant, cassis.
full bodied, med acidity, med dusty tannins, smooth, layers of sweet currant, cherry, blackberry, tobacco, leather, and earth, well balanced, excellent harmony, red berry fruit finish.
can be further aged - still many years to go.
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8/16/2014 - nbrue Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyed this bottle with friends at Le Rivage. It was a wonderful complement to the lamb shank and Chicken Forestiere. It was lighter than I remembered (probably been drinking too much of the heavy duty Cali Cab) but a perfect food wine. Tertiary flavors have developed and slightly greater vegetal notes than previously. All in all the star of the table for the evening.
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8/13/2014 - sbeeks wrote: 93 Points
Frankly, drank like it was a bit young. Took a long time to open up, but stayed a bit "thin" on the palate.
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8/13/2014 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
From a 6L, this showed gorgeously. Felt very young, would not have guessed a '95. Inviting aromas of blackberries and anise. On the palate, this wine showcased magnificent grace and balance. The wine's texture stole the show for me, extremely silky, soft, and smooth on the palate. In a great place now but will still improve with some more time, I wouldn't hesitate to open a bottle now though.
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8/9/2014 - Luvwine1 wrote:
Jim Phillips
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7/28/2014 - Chimer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Colour is quite evolved garnet, gentle rather than vibrant but very inviting nonetheless. The nose has wonderful texture, generous, expressive wine, almost mulberry fruit. Palate also has the most lovely texture, the soft plump texture of Merlot is gorgeous, everything seems to sit neatly in place. A wine of beautiful harmony, drinking perfectly now but surely has the balance to age gracefully for a further 10 or more years.
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6/27/2014 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a bottle generously provided by M.C., this deep-to-opaque garnet wine was tasted in double-blind fashion. The nose flaunts intense aromas of blackberries, truffles, coriander, dark chocolate and anise. The wine is full-bodied, has medium acidity, seamless alcohol (listed as 13%) and medium-weight, ripe tannins. The flavors are black fruit and mineral laden, with good persistence in the middle. The finish is very long and shows some residual tannic grip. Still youthful by virtue of its fruit and structure, this vintage of Pichon-Lalande (assuming well-cellared) will drink nicely for at least another decade. Drink now-2025.
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6/18/2014 - jmoon Likes this wine: 96 Points
seriously good.
opened magnum 4 hrs prior and double decanted.
served w chops.
incredible perfectly resolved pauillac; optimal now - deep dark and delicious
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5/13/2014 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Solid bottle, but seemed slightly oxidized. Others were better previously. No specific notes due to this.
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5/12/2014 - dream wrote: 94 Points
A bit closed and clumsy at first but it kept improving in the glass. More fruit-driven than the '96 with a deeper middle palate but perhaps lacking that wine's refined elegance. Lovely flavors of black currants, violets and thick tobacco; this is a full-bodied PL that is just delicious to drink if given enough air. The finish is full and complex with wonderful notes of exotic spices and graphite minerals. Really delicious with lots of upside as the notable tannins begin to soften. 94+
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4/25/2014 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 96 Points
Double-decanted then returned to the cellar the morning before the dinner. Opaque ruby red. Nose is deep, rich, succulent ripe red fruits, beautifully integrated oak and vanilla. Palate is super precision-ground espresso coffee , mouthwateringly fresh redcurrant fruits. Great weight and purity. Impressively resonant and reverberant. Really a treat and just starting to enter its drinking window. It can only improve. Rich, opulent and fantastic. Stonkingly fantastic. Mesmeric.
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3/24/2014 - capacious Likes this wine: 95 Points
Marvelous marvelous wine. Remarkably almost young yet with almost no signs of change at the edges. We PNP but should have opened earlier. Took some time to really blossom but then just spectacular wine.
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3/9/2014 - meqoubal36 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent vin, long en bouche, voluptueux et précis. On y trouve tout ce qui fait un grand bordeaux, nez impressionnant, opulence, rien à redire...
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3/7/2014 - CellarBord Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still evolving. However, drinking better than the 2001 Mouton Rothschild tonight. More intense than velvety at this stage. Try again in 2019.
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3/2/2014 - Zorg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Took some time to open up but a fabulous wine when it did.
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3/2/2014 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 96 Points
Miniinferno #1 in Umeå (Hemmavid, Umeå): Had a very shakey start in the glass, but came around as this evening's most refined knakelibrak wine. Finally mature, but many more years of plessure remain. A much better representation than previous btl.
Jöwlar så bra den var! Sumi ink extravaganza! Very fine oak, Bordeaux earth and a light caresse of brett. Me love!
Only two btls to go. Next one in or around 2017.
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2/28/2014 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
To my palate, this is about as good as it gets in Pauillac. I've had very few wines from this region I've enjoyed this much, including the First Growths. It's in a great place now, with enough age to be approachable, yet still with plenty of fruit and life and a long finish. Very highly recommended...
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1/1/2014 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
2014 New Year's Day Tasting $100+ (Marietta, GA): Dark red to rim; sandy, red fruit, currant, obviously Left Bank, leaner, perfumed, cherry; a bit of alcohol, kirsch, on finish, a leaner more feminine frame which I preferred though it may have been a touch more hollow than what I expect from PL; good now.
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11/30/2013 - -E- wrote: 95 Points
Klar, dyp, mørk rød. Nydelig, floral, mørk,dyp og forførende nese med solbær, innslag av røde bær, sedertre og vanilje.
Dyp og intens frukt med flott fruktsødme og konsentrasjon. Kraftfull og mektig samtidig som den er elegant og forførende. Frisk syre. Silkemyke tanniner . Nydelig lengde med dype frukttoner.
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11/29/2013 - CWang wrote: 96 Points
My wine of the night; what a wonderful nose, very rich and elegant, with waves and waves of black cherries, honey, fragrant roses, and black truffles; the palate, very creamy, juicy, and textured yet still rather tight albeit a few hours of decanting; the finish, very fruity and long but also tannic; overall, 95-96 points at this stage; very enjoyable to taste this wine at the end of tonight's tasting banquet; judging from its rock solid structure, this wine still has a very long life ahead, say, 2-3 decades?
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10/25/2013 - dave smigielski Likes this wine:
Marin County Wine Group - Aged Cabernets 15 year min.; 10/24/2013-10/25/2013 (Mill Valley, Ca.): a beautiful wine and tasted very nicely given this was 11 of 11 tastings this was #3 WOTN for me. Most everyone was getting a very perfumy aromatics and I also had this almost skunkiness, not the funky, bad wine skunkiness, but the actual skunk smell...which I actually like. the aromatics came back around to the typical graphite, cigarbox notes. I wish i would have had more time, as I would have loved to revisit this an hour later.
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10/25/2013 - rsbeck wrote: 95 Points
Decanted in a very wide decanter for 90 minutes, enjoyed over next 90. Wonderful tapestry including waves of red and dark fruit, lead pencil, tobacco, forest floor, lavender and mint. Kept improving to the final sips. I can still taste it. Give this lots of air.
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10/17/2013 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
5 Decades of Chateau Pichon Lalande, with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Among the very few 1995 left bank wine we actually are fans of. Side by side with the 96 and this actually , to us, is now a better wine. Rounder, fleshier with a lovely silky core of tannin. The fruit is very much there, the high merlot content (more like the fact that they avoided but Cab Sauv) removes the problematic sides of 95s and create a great wine. Very enjoyable now but still with the stuffing to go another 20years albeit it will probably be at peak in 5years(?). 94-95 from us. We are not delivery our 95s any time soon.
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10/17/2013 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Quite shy on the nose, less expressive than the 96 in comparison. Also very well balanced, quite powerful, lots of grip, slightly drying tannins, fresh, maybe a bit lean and less elegant, long.
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10/13/2013 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
Second Sunday Group: 1995 Pauillac vs. Pessac (Rich's & Dana's): Garnet color. Aromas of forest floor, plum and black currants. Flavors of spice, red fruit and black currants. Soft on the finish. Develops notes of tobacco, perfume and iron, with green qualities underneath. Structure becomes more evident, developing flavors of red fruit and violets. Long finish.
My #3, Domino #3
Group #2, 32 pts
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10/9/2013 - redders Likes this wine: 95 Points
Jeroboam Club 1995 Bordeaux (Bordeaux Quay): classic mature colour. Nose soared from the glass. Classic PL. Seductive rich balanced. Impeccable balance long perfectly mature but loads of life and drive. Just beautiful lingering sweet fruit finish. voted WOTN by a distance
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9/2/2013 - mwellington wrote: 95 Points
this was wonderful. from magnum, decanted 1+hour. consumed over several hours thereafter. delightfully balanced and wonderful mouthfeel. classic pichon on the nose and palate.
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8/7/2013 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wines of the 1995 vintage were initially touted as fruit-forward and approachable, but as they age doubts are beginning to emerge about the balance of the wines, which seem to display excesses of dry tannins. The 1995 Pichon Lalande has developed more successfully than many of the Médoc classed growths, showing a ruby colour very similar to the 1996. The aromatics are somewhat more exotic, with scents of liquorice, Asian spices, cedar and cassis, and on the palate the wine displays lower acidity. But despite its good concentration and body, it doesn't possess the impressive layered palate impression and overall balance of the 1996.
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8/7/2013 - Chains1966 wrote: 97 Points
This baby was singing after an hour of slow ox. Dark berries, earth, spice, Pencil lead and touch of smoked cedar. Big, broody and incredibly long smooth finish. Tannins still there and fine but oak not as prevalent as 2 years ago.
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7/8/2013 - d'Artagnan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dégustation d'un Pétrus: Un nez typé, tabac, cerises, tomates sèches.
Très belle bouche large et ample, avec une certaine droiture qui fait très Pauillac, dans un style raffiné qui m'évoque Pichon Lalande. Des tanins fins, une belle longueur, superbe équilibre. C'est suave et délicieux.
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6/18/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
I really am beginning to like this vintage which needs a good, long decant. Dark and brooding color with a fine nose of sweet violets along with Asian spice and tobacco. This is a big, dense wine for PL with ripe dark fruits and hints of violets. Very concentrated and full throughout with a solid mid-palate. The finish is already showing good complexity and while this doesn't have the refinement of say the '96 vintage, I find it voluptuous and delicious. Should only improve from here.
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6/17/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Alliance dinner. Drank over 3 hours. Really excellent showing. Nose of dark fruit, green herbs, olives, pepper, old wood and leather. The palate was full and right with wonderful balance and a silky creamy texture. Medium++ finish. In a great spot now.
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5/23/2013 - jonnyoro wrote: 95 Points
Much better than the previous bottle almost 3 years ago... More refined, tannins sharp edge smoothed out, green olive tapenade, sage, more dominant than the black and kirsch fruit... Finally hitting its stride and one of the better 95s although Margaux is up next Saturday...
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4/30/2013 - ilee wrote: 94 Points
Delicious, dense, dark nose with black fruit and smoky tarry notes. Very classy Pauillac with the plush cassis layers on the palate intermingled with mineral and lead pencil. Quite heavy bodied, but by no means heavy. Nicely balanced, this is very enjoyable now but has a long life ahead.
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4/13/2013 - Rogershkg wrote: 92 Points
This was part of a vertical. Similar to the 86 but colour a little younger looking. The aroma was interesting. At first strong berry, then it faded and then it came back after half an hour. The taste was typical Lalande, red fruit and strong. Reasonably long taste
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3/24/2013 - Fatty Cat wrote: 91 Points
Rheingau Gourmet Festival "Weinraritätenlunch Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande" (12 PLC vintages), late Feb 2013: classic Pauillac at the start with intense cassis and pencil flavors; unluckily then closed down and didn't open up again over the course of this lunch tasting; plenty of tannins.
Sometimes limited time at tastings can be a pity. At home I just would have given the wine a longer in-between rest. I'm sure she had opened up and started to sing again after some additional hours.
2nd flight: 1995 - 1998 - 2000 - 2003
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2/24/2013 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 96 Points
Sommelier 1995 Bordeaux Tasting - "Smoke, gravel and tart blackberries with a savory herbal undertone; plenty of baking spice and pepper spice integrate very well with the black and red fruit tones; the texture crescendos back across the palate for a very long finish; Pauillac at its best! Drink or hold, but is drinking very well now." - Scott Ota. All wines were opened and poured.
Other Note: Initially tight, but after some time in the glass, it was the wine of the tasting. Very sexy
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2/15/2013 - md20 Likes this wine: 95 Points
3h dekantiert. Herrlich fleischiger Pauillac mit verschidenen Geschmackslayern. Das Gerüst für lange Lagerung ist vorhanden. Der spannendste Bordeaux welcher ich bis jetzt getrunken habe und es waren schon viele. Geschmack nach gedörrten Zwetschgen, Zedern und langem Abgang.
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2/7/2013 - Jhcwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose - on opening: there, but needs decanting. Some complexities, reasonably delicate. Opened a tad over 1/2 hour decant.
Palette- on opening: abit tannic. Abit acidic, as if it was too oxidized. This acidic note faded with the decant, so maybe this was just tannin. Also detected abit of heat. Improved from a 92 initially to a 93.
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2/2/2013 - DougLee wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 2.5 hours. Dark garnet hue. Fulsome nose of graphite, musk, red currant, cassis. Velvet-textured on the palate with layers of sweet currant, cherry, blackberry, tobacco, leather, and earth. Moderate to low acid and slightly dusty tannins leading to a echoing finish of briary red berry fruit and sweet grip. Balanced and nuanced wine with lots of life and many years to go.
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1/13/2013 - SteveHoch Likes this wine: 95 Points
Showing beautifully. Wonderful nose of spice, tobacco, licorace and earth. very nice dark fruit. Great balance with soft tannins. wonderful lingering finnish. A great wine
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12/27/2012 - d'Artagnan wrote: 96 Points
Un nez classique de mine de crayon, de cèdre et de cassis.
La bouche est une merveille de finesse, des tanins soyeux, une élégance de dandy, c'est la classe faite vin! De corps moyen, il offre une magnifique texture aérienne et une très belle finale, qui s'étire longuement sur des arômes de cigare, avec une délicate touche de caramel au sel. Voilà un grand vin. Il exprime magnifiquement la classe singulière de ce cru qui a toujours su me charmer. Wow!! 96 pts
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12/14/2012 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Battle between Pichon Baron, Pichon Comtesse and Lynch Bages. 11 TOP Vintages from 1982 - 2009 (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Luxurious and creamy bouquet with beautifully toasted oak and dark forest fruits. Same on the palate. Beautiful fruits and a good balance between acidity and sweetness. The tannin still has a good bite. Possibly the wine will even improve a bit over the next few years. 93+ for tonight.
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12/8/2012 - sbeeks Likes this wine: 96 Points
Pichon Lalande seems to always deliver. Very supple, soft tannins, deep cherry.
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11/20/2012 - capacious Likes this wine: 94 Points
A nearly perfect Pichon- which has been our favorite Bordeaux since gifted a case of 1983 decades ago- smooth start, subtle structure front to back, a minute of finish
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11/14/2012 - ricknat1 wrote: 91 Points
Did not wow me, but may be too early to tell. Other Pichon lovers were very confident
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11/8/2012 - dream wrote: 93 Points
This is just beginning to drink although the finish is still hidden behind a wall of supple tannins. Full-bodied for a PL with density and depth of flavors that include a wonderful blue/violet fruit note to go along with the black currant, tobacco and spice notes. This big, precocious Bordeaux is on the upswing and I really like where it seems to be going. 93+
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10/23/2012 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Trip’s visit to DC - Ristorante Tosca (Ristorante Tosca, Washington DC): Beautifully perfumed, lead pencil, classic left bank. Excellent concentration.
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9/14/2012 - jcoleman wrote: 91 Points
as before
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9/7/2012 - tomandlu wrote:
Decanted about 4 hours and consumed over 2 hours. Opaque red-garnet color with virtually no signs of age. Rather reticent nose of cassis, earth, cedar, and some flowers. Dense and powerful on the palate with silky tannins and rich fruit that coats the palate. Very long finish. To my taste this wine has tremendous potential but has hardly budged in its evolution. It was really too closed to evaluate tonight.
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8/25/2012 - Henman wrote: 93 Points
Nice mocha and earthy aromas on the nose. On the palate very smooth,silky and funky with discreet beatuiful fruit. Very elegant.
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8/13/2012 - Tad GW wrote: 95 Points
50+5+13+18+9=95
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8/10/2012 - tbabes wrote: 93 Points
A far cry from the '82 which preceded it, but a very fine wine in its own right. Notes of black cherry, tapenade, lilly and vanilla. Medium bodied, with slightly astringent tannins, good acidity, and a long finish. A bit too austere to be truly sublime, and suffered greatly in the shadow of the 82.
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8/2/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Birthday Celebration (Perennial Virant - Chicago IL): Very impressive fresh black fruit with great spice. Very powerful, yet also very elegant.
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6/7/2012 - danielk168 wrote: 91 Points
I would say more cellaring would probably make sense based on how young and powerful this felt.
Part of a 6 bottle vertical: 76, 82, 89, 90, 95, 98. The 82 was no doubt a class above the other 5 bottles although 90 put on quite a show as well. Liked both these 2 vintages best. 89 had great aromatics but not as pleasing when drank. 76 was still enjoyable with some aromatics and very smooth palate. 95 still too young and powerful, need a long decant. 98 good aromatics but otherwise did not gave much.
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6/2/2012 - noppakit s. wrote: 95 Points
Blind Tasting @ Baur au Lac (Zurich/Switzerland) after 2009 Bordeaux Tasting.
The nose is opened up nicely, after 20 mins, Mmmm...reminds me of my Imperial bottle few years ago. Fragrant, mineral, fruits, fresh acidity, delicious and powerful finished. This is one of a promising and ready to drink at the moment.
Drink now - 2028 ................95-96/100...................
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5/31/2012 - wallstreet wrote: 94 Points
excellent, mature Bordeaux. Everything worked in concert. Totally balanced, not sure how much this will improve though. Appears ready to go, so why wait, fully mature and had that forest floor descriptor going on. Just loved it.
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5/19/2012 - rdsboca wrote: 96 Points
This wine is in a fabulous place. Young, vibrant with cherries, tobacco, loam and nice chewy tannins. Well integrated, great backbone, Very well balanced. Everyone's favorite of the night.
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5/19/2012 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
From magnum and decanted for 1.5 hrs. Lots of fine sediment so be careful with disturbing it.
Structured, elegant. Big wine. Lots of dark fruit notes, still primary light oaky notes. Quite young and could benefit from more time. This is a very good wine in the making and patience will be rewarded. 93 for noe but with lots of future.
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5/7/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Crème de cassis, flowers, black cherry, tobacco leaf, olive, cocoa and fresh herbs create the perfume. Soft tannins, with only a hint of rusticity, the wine is starting to show well. This is one of the few wines that transcends the high tannic, structured style of the vintage.
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4/11/2012 - Chrisw97 wrote: 96 Points
This is one of the great vintages for Pichon Lalande. The wine takes time to open up and has lots of reserve and back bone compared to e.g. 1990 or 1999 vintage. More structured and elegant. Thumbs up. I won't be opening another one of these until 2017.
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4/7/2012 - unionst wrote: 96 Points
Deep black cherry color. Graphite, tobacco leaf, and cassis on the nose. Also a hint of spearmint and green pepper after 2 hours of air. Very fine, sweet tannins along with dark minerality in this balanced and well structured wine. Pichon Lalande lays right on St. julien border and in some vintages is less Pauillac in nature...not this one! Outstanding!
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4/7/2012 - LWI wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful, classic, perhaps a bit more evolved than expected.
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3/10/2012 - ChiefNose Likes this wine: 94 Points
Blindtasted and guessing Montrose 1990 - not my finest hour!. So typical Bordeaux, cassis and cigarbox. Long nice taste
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3/9/2012 - Vincenzo Tagliavia wrote: 85 Points
Wine drunk between 2 people, decanted for 1 hour (+/-)
There is bit of complexity on the nose with typical aromas of red fruits and tobacco/black pepper interwoven.
However, the aromatics are remarkably suffocated by a final note of alcohol which with aeration becomes evident and makes the nose off balanced.
On the palate it lacks finesse and intensity, it is no pure but powerful and big; imagine a body builder with masses of muscles and no elegance in his movements.
Therefore it is fairly rustic and earthy with spicy after notes at the back. Slightly bitter at the end.
Hopefully the tannic structure and still present acidity will give some definition with age as at present, the wine is fairly static.
I have had better Pichons...
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3/8/2012 - StefanAkiko wrote: 92 Points
Non-Blind. Decanted 2 hrs. Cork bled through.
Beautiful red color and very fragrant, pure, classy Bordeaux nose (sulphur funk gone after ~90 min) noticeable from some distance.
On the palate it started out as a hard tannic wine, but mellowed over dinner. Very pure, linear experience. Made us think of an engineer's work. Superbly balanced and extremely delicious.
Expected some more 3d, complexity and surprise elements. Not yet mature. Next bottle in ~2015.
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2/26/2012 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
15+ years 95+ RP Bordeaux dinner at Ruth’s Chris, Tysons (Ruth’s Chris, Tysons Corner, VA): Showing extremely youthful. Ample primary red fruits with a hint of blackberries, earth and noticeable bell pepper. The palate starts soft and ends with a hint of tannins. Medium concentration with bright acidity. Since 1980 Pichon Lalandes seem to emphasize the freshness and in this case definitely a note of green. This bottle still needs another five to ten years.
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1/18/2012 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 93 Points
Some 2009 Burgundies.... (Artisan Cellar): Alcohol :: 13%
Popped and poured. This is almost immediately engaging right after the first sniffed and sipped. A little bit tight but the aromas here is so complex, deep and fragrance with sweet plum and blackcurrant fruits in the core accompany by layer of pencil leads, capsicum, dried flower, tobacco and soft mineral at the background for the freshness. Structured but polished with seductive soft, lush mouth feel that offered wave after wave of sweet dark fruits, herbs, tobacco, leather that firmly supported by the firm but silky tannin that giving amazing grip and tension flow all the way to the highly intense, complex detail finished with dark chocolate and mineral aftertaste. Fresh, pure and focus with razor sharp precision. This is a gorgeous Lalande that can be drunk now but will only get better with age.
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12/17/2011 - steinersing wrote: 92 Points
with Andreas at Domani in HK - like last bottle nice but wow still quite tannic. These really need time to open.
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11/27/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
1995 is a difficult year in Bordeaux. Many of the wines are hard, tannic and lack charm. That is not the case with Pichon Lalande. Floral, cassis, tobacco, truffle, smoke, earth, olive and spicy blackberry aromas crop up with little effort. Silk and velvet in texture, this supple Pauillac ends with a delicious, chocolate, black cherry, herb and plum finish. This is drinking great today. It should continue to improve for at least another 15-20 years.
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11/27/2011 - rherman wrote: 92 Points
youthful... yet not harsh.
in a flight with 95' Ducru Beaucaillou and 98' Leoville Barton
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11/20/2011 - Marc wrote: 95 Points
This is simply great wine in early maturity. Quintessential Paulliac - all pencil shavings and cedar with a textbook bouquet and great class. This will go for decades in a good cellar. Drunk next to the Phelps Insignia 1995 - a wonderful experience where both wines complemented the other. With Jake, B and L, Jean C and Di. With Lamb Loin sauteed in hazelnut oil. next in 4 years.
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11/19/2011 - Stefanos T. wrote: 96 Points
Decanter Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Masterclass (Landmark Hotel London): Medium garnet fading to a tawny rim. Beautiful mature nose, what one drinks Bordeaux for! Cedar, cigar box, pencil shavings and mint. Palate is inky, with jammy cassis, juicy tannins and a long sweet aftertaste. Lovely structure. An almost perfect wine.
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11/19/2011 - plitton wrote: 96 Points
Spectacular. Drank along side the '86--both 750ml. Splash decanted the 95. Amazingly young, bright fruit that's still a bit firm but succulent. Could have nosed it all night long. This easily has another 10 years of life and undoubtedly will improve. The 86 was more earthy and subdued.
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11/4/2011 - Burgundy Al wrote: 96 Points
Wine tasting. Opulent aromas of black cherry, plum, chocolate, cigar box and fresh herbs. Palate still entirely primary and almost perfectly balanced with silky tannins. Really excellent at this young point in its evolution.
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10/29/2011 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Dark colour. Slightly herbaceous and a very concentrated nose. Slightly medicinal nose, with black cherry aromas. On the palate, this is classic Pauillac, with the graphite and dark red fruit. Some stemmy notes as well. Somewhat softened tannins, but this has miles to go still. Slightly medicinal finish, but pretty damn good Pauillac.
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10/15/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
The Big Bordeaux Redux: 1986, 1990, 1995 and 1998 (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 6.5 to 7 hours and drank over 2+ hours. Nose is somewhat tight still, opened over 30+ moinutes. This is a massive wine, very young still. The nose shows lots of grapite, blackberry and cassis, spice, pepper, wood, cigar box, and some earth. The palate is immense, chewy and deeply concentrated, rich black fruits, layers of wood, pepper, chocolate, tobacco, minerals. Plenty of tannin that is round and well integrated. I would love to taste this with five more years of age to and compare it where the '90 is at now, it may be even better. My and group #2 WOTN with 2 of 7 1st and 5 of 7 2nd place votes.
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10/14/2011 - dream wrote: 93 Points
Much denser than the '96 drank alongside but not as fine or elegant. More ready today although still needs time. I like the thickness and power of this wine along with a lovely complex tobacco flavor.
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9/29/2011 - rsbeck wrote: flawed
Hard as nails, despite hours and hours of air. This wine just refused to open.
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9/29/2011 - rdsboca wrote: 92 Points
I wil give this wine a 92 for where it will be not where it is now. I think this wine is in a dumb stage and needs at least five years rest if not ten years. The nose started out somewhat muted with sweet cherry, cassis and some earth/mushrooms. It was slow ox'd for 6 hours with the owner tasting it along the way. It started out extremely tight and closed. I would call it an incremental budge from that spot. Color was deep red and the wine looks very young. It has potential for greatness but not right now. I have 2 bottle left which I will ignore for a decade.
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9/26/2011 - jcoleman wrote: 91 Points
a delightful PL with alovely cedary bouquet. this bottle is much less tannic than previous bottles
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9/3/2011 - steinersing wrote: 94 Points
Great wine and ready. Lovely notes of fruits and cedar notes in nose. Perfect balance and Merlot comes through well. Good length.
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7/28/2011 - northbridge wrote: 96 Points
Served 3 Napa Cabs from '94 (Insignia, La Jota, Montelena) and a '95 Pichon Lalande with grilled lamb. Decanted in cellar 2 hours before dinner and took decanters to table 1 hour before drinking. All were sensational, an OMG experience. One serious cab guy, with Insignia in hand, said, "This is exactly what an aged cabernet should taste like." And it did. The wines were all mature, well integrated with tannins fully resolved. The La Jota was the most youthful, the Montelena was latest in its cycle. The Pichon Lalande was the most "spicy" as 1 person put it. Wines were tasted blind. Consensus ranking: 1. Insignia, 2. La Jota, and then a tie between Pichon Lalande and Montelena for 3rd.
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7/23/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 92 Points
1995 Bordeaux Retrospect: Alcohol :: 13%
This is even tighter on the nose but equally focus and deep with aromas of menthol and barnyard notes surrounded the highly intense core of blackberry fruits. Full bodied. This is even more structured, bigger in scale and depth than the 1st wine, hence I thought this was a Mouton. Despite the big structured, this wine is perfectly balance and delineated. So fresh and juicy, complex flavors of green herbs, blackberry, blackcurrant sweetness which buffer well with the high level of fine grained tannin, fabulous drive and energy towards the very powerful, expansive, tremendous finish with dark chocolate and pencil leads nuanced that lingered. Very impressive, very complete. This is a top-class Lalande that built to age. 92-94
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7/11/2011 - jcoleman wrote: 90 Points
plenty of the expected comtesse flavours. lovely fruit development, cedary bouquet etc. but it is still very tannic! will it ever ameliorate?
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5/26/2011 - drjb wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful wine - classic dark color with a little red at the edge. Nose opened with decanting to complex and beguiling mix of blackcurrant, licorice,white chocolate and cedar : beautiful. Palate classic balanced Medoc character with density and lightness of touch. Fine long tannic background balanced the rich fruit and cedar character. Delicious and classic Pichon Lalande.
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5/21/2011 - paulst wrote: 97 Points
Classic Pauillac with cedar and cigar box nose; layered blackberry, textured, smooth sweet tanins, lingering sweet cassis, long finish, still a baby. 4 hr decant.
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5/17/2011 - tooch wrote: 92 Points
Pichon Dinner - Lalande vs. Baron (Palena - Washington, DC): Really nice to drink this alongside the fantastic 1996 Lalande. While unmistakingly cut from the same cloth, you can really sense the variances in the vintage here. Compared to the 1996, this was a bit more mysterious and dark. The lovely floral components that I closely allign with Lalande's feminine character were there, but they were situated around dark black fruit, charcoal, smokey minerals and some spices. In general, I think '95 Bordeaux is in need of more time compared to the more plush '96 vintage. Thought this showed a lot of character, but will soften up a bit with some more bottle time. Very nice bottle of wine.
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5/17/2011 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
Pichon Baron vs. Pichon Lalande @ Palena (Washington DC): Started with a hint of ash and scorched earth but quickly blew off then some spearmint, black pepper, a slight hint of bell pepper and jammy black fruit, The palate displays medium body, silky texture and tannins is well integrated. This is a very enjoyable young claret that starts to show the secondary and tertiary characters.
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4/3/2011 - wineaux2 wrote: 92 Points
This PL had quite a youthful disposition. Deep dark red in color, the wine had only slight signs of bricking at the rim. The first smell of the wine revealed chocolate and sweet fruit. The palate had ripe black cherry and berries, shades of chocolate and leather. I felt the wine was still somewhat walled up behind muscular tannins, though this was certainly fine to drink. I wonder what this will be like 5 or 10 and more years down the road. It should have a long life and to follow its evolution would be a pleasure. Compared to the ’96, this PL was much more concentrated in flavor and seemingly aging on a slower pace.
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3/10/2011 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Winter's Weakening Death Grip: Added to the Bordeaux flight due to the bad bottles. When first popped and poured this was incredible. Big, effusive nose dominated by blackberry fruit, herbs and a nuanced bell pepper. Maybe a little tighter/sterner in the mouth, but still impressive with a tannic/drying finish. Unfortunately, after about 30 minutes this closed down hard. Hard enough that all joy was gone and it became joyless/pointless to drink. My advice to Brad B was to pour this at a party for 15-20 people so it didn't sit around long. There could be some academic interest in tasting this after another 5-10 years but I'd be a bit worried about its long-term viability.
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3/6/2011 - jcoleman wrote: 91 Points
delightful cedar wood nose. as expected the tannin still slightly dominates the fruit. i would be surprised if this improves
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2/6/2011 - dxpian wrote: 93 Points
Deep and vibrant ruby color reflecting some purple hue, dark, inky and opaque at the center. Black currant, blackberry, ripe cherry and black licorice aromas on the nose with dark chocolate, vanilla extract, coffee and Asian spice. Nutty bouquet with an interesting mix of pecan, walnut and almond. I detect some ginseng character as well, nicely integrated into the bouquet. Ginseng goes a little strong at first then everything is in perfect harmony with some air. Extremely complex nose follows through a full-bodied wine and an attack of blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry and plum wrapped in a firm structure of tannin and acidity. Well-balanced mid-palate leads to a long and tannic finish. Tannin is almost bitter up front, which goes on and on with some dark fruit, licorice and cigar box finally openning up at the 60 second mark. Total finish lasted almost 2 minutes. This wine appears surprisingly young for its age and needs plenty of time to soften its sharp edges. I'd give it at least another 5 years. If you must drink, decant for at least 3 hours.
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2/4/2011 - meinweinkeller wrote: 91 Points
Mmmmmh, decant min. 2 hours, deep parfume nose, leather, tabac, elegant, still not ready, some acidity and biterness, later black deep fruits
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1/26/2011 - Remony wrote: 91 Points
Goedhuis Pichon Lalande Tasting & Dinner (Hibiscus Restaurant, London): Dark in colour, even inky. Persistently dumb nose. Lead pencils on the palate; still a lot of tannin. Not disappointing, but not really very expressive. Elderberry on back of palate, but not as long as expected. On the second tasting, again better with food, like the 1996. Opened up, but (unlike the '96) did not revert to dumbness afterwards. [Thomas Do Chi Nam: 15% Cabernet Franc, which is exceptional for Pichon Lalande. "White flower flavour, velvety."]
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1/15/2011 - mwanasheria wrote: 95 Points
Dark fruits, leather, herbs, tobacco. Outstanding.
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1/8/2011 - Lessthanzero wrote: 95 Points
Wow. What a tour de force. Had with squab at Volt. After roughly two hours in a decanter, the nose on this had a little for everyone. Cassis, black currant, pepper and bordeaux sweaty leather. Incredibly seductive, it was corduroy smooth on the palate, going to silky smooth by the end of the drinking period, and with a loooong finish. It is such a privilege to be able to drink bdx in its prime. This was a stunner.
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12/17/2010 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
18-bottle Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Vertical (1976-2007) (Jeff & Chuck's, Mountain View, California): Clean, moderately intense nose, showing aromas of plums, cassis, pepper. This is outstanding-quality Pichon-Lalande which is likely just entering its drinking phase. 92 pts now, with potential for a 93-94 pts.
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11/14/2010 - mwanasheria wrote: 95 Points
0.375. A very nice Pauillac nose. Very good fruit of cassis and blueberry. Herbs and tobacco. Long finish.
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10/24/2010 - mwanasheria wrote: flawed
TCA
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10/19/2010 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Taste at Elysian from a 6L bottle.
Dark ruby color. A little age in the glass. Slight bricking but still quite purple.
Stinky, funky, forest floor, woody. Dark cherry, some black olive. Enjoyable must. Great palate. More nice riper fruit.
Rich. Still really young.
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10/19/2010 - jcoleman wrote: 92 Points
sophisticated and typical pl nose and flavour. this wine has good weight with the expected cigar box notes. seems to be coming round at last. tasted with the 95 baron and clearly superior
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10/12/2010 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 94 Points
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Vertical Dinner (The Marine Room, La Jolla, California): Deep ruby/red robe with red rim. Clean, moderately intense nose, showing aromas of plums, black pepper, coriander, anise and cocoa. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and big (but quite well-integrated) tannins. The flavors are black fruit and mineral-dominated and the middle palate is solid. The smooth finish goes on and on. This is outstanding-quality Pichon-Lalande which is likely just entering its drinking phase. Drink now-12/25.
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9/21/2010 - BradE wrote:
Drinking decent. Tasted with a 96. The 96 was more forward, the 95 more sophisticated. The 95 bdx finally are coming into a drinking window (about time).
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8/22/2010 - mwanasheria wrote: 95 Points
Nose of cassis. Blueberry, cassis, herbs on the palate. Long and classy finish. Truly outstanding.
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8/4/2010 - gondrik wrote: 93 Points
Great body and pallete presence but has not developed the greatness it should have in another 5 years
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7/24/2010 - slaughterer wrote: 94 Points
Dark crimson. Noble tears. Cherry, leather, tobacco, cassis, earth. Silky mouthfeel--like high count satin. Tannins absorbed. Nothing angular or sinewy. A very successful 1995. No need to wait. Feminine sovereignty. I have had WAY too many over-tannined, under-fruited 1995s and this is not one of those.
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5/28/2010 - matro wrote: 82 Points
Disappointing... A bottle from the same case 2 years ago was great. Thin on the palate, did not come around during a 2 hr dinner. I cannot imagine it being over the hill yet.
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5/28/2010 - jcoleman wrote: 89 Points
classic PL. lovely cedar wood nose followed by a fine brambly flavour. it is a little under powered for this chateau and, although the tannins are soft enough, there does not seem to be enough fruit to really age well. certainly can be drunk now
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5/26/2010 - jonnyoro wrote: 92 Points
beautiful but needs alot of decanting time - purple/garnet with no bricking; telltale bell pepper/green streak that stands out a bit more than in the 1996- tannins sill unresolved and may outlast the fruit (i find this to be the case in many 95's)- sort of a stemmy quality... i like it but give me the 96 any day over this.
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5/15/2010 - VHJV wrote: 93 Points
Had at a restaurant with grilled entrecote. It was an excellent pairing. The wine was nicely mature and had a beautiful Pauillac nose. The palate was powerful, but very elegant with fine aromatics. Long and classy aftertaste. I would have hoped for a little more flesh and expansiveness in the mid-palate and this wine strengthens my view of the 1995 vintage as somewhat lacking in body. This was easily outstanding, but not even near the level of the 1996 Pichon Lalande.
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3/27/2010 - gripNsip wrote: 91 Points
Fruit driven nose, anise, blackberries, dirt road. Beautiful dark red fruit palate, nice transitions, some herbal notes, very smooth. Nice finish although this doesn't hang around to long. Nice dusty tannins. Overall a smooth, elegant wine with nice round fruit and nice progression. Still tastes very young.
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3/27/2010 - tomandlu wrote: 84 Points
Mature Bordeaux at David's (David Paris's place): Very green, unripe even, on the nose with aromas of sour cherries, grass, spices and licorice. I swore throughout the evening that this must be a 1994. Full and complete on the palate with a richness contrary to the nose, though still somewhat harsh and lean. Long finish filed with dusty tannins. I was stunned when the label was revealed because this represented neither expectations for this estate nor my expectations for the vintage. Where was that inimitable Pichon-Lalande perfume? Perhaps this wine is just in an odd place right now.
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3/27/2010 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 93 Points
Blind Mature Bordeaux, 1966-1995 (My house): A bit brighter fruit here, almost candied on the nose, and very pretty with some floral aspects. Very soft and pleasing aromas that seem to dance lightly in my nose. Big on the palate showing some apple skins, with very pretty and pleasing blueberry and dirty strawberries. Delicious! Transitions very nicely to the finish which shows some briar, dirty strawberry, and is very pleasing and integrated. A delicious, tasty wine drinking very juicy right now.
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3/10/2010 - BigRed1000 wrote: 88 Points
Typical slight greenness for this producer and a little thin on the palete. Not bad but nothing to write home about.
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3/6/2010 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Regular dinner group (@ EM): Luxurious bouquet with toasted oak, cassis and sweetness. In the taste cassis, licorice and sweetness as well. The tannin is soft and smooth. The wine is surprisingly mature and pleasant, but will stay on this level for several years.
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2/6/2010 - Clarkmeister wrote: 93 Points
Very balanced and typical old world. Nose started like old socks and slowly improved. Good finish, not as much depth as I would like. Not worth the money at $170. Carissa scored it 91.
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2/4/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Fresh aromas of cassis, blackberry, spice, olives, herbs, truffle, coco and cigar box fill the air. This concentrated wine is still tannic. But unlike most 95's, the tannins feel ripe and round. The wine offers ample freshness and structure, as well as silk and elegant textures, ending in a wave ripe, spicy dark fruits and hints of olives. This is one of my favorite wines from this ever increasing, difficult year.
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1/22/2010 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:
Pichon vs Pichon NYC (New York, United States): Here we have a very seductive nose, rather fresh. Not ready to drink, tight on the palate. Red fruits with an orange rind aspect. Tannin is not strict, but tight.
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1/11/2010 - PatrikO wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at home with J and M, Still find this wine too young to drink, had this almost chemical acidity to it when opening the bottle. Still lots of primary fruit and it is a well balanced wine, but requires hours of decanting time and I felt that it never really opened up.
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1/2/2010 - paulst wrote: 98 Points
After 7 hr decant - deep smooth soft perfectly balanced; rich sweet blackberry; smooth velvety cocoa finish.
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12/25/2009 - don_quichotte wrote: 90 Points
I found the fruit lacking a bit. Obviously, there was plenty of tobacco, leather and earth but you get that with EVERY bordeaux. Clearly well made but re-inforced my burgundian bias. Drinks well now - no point in keeping much longer unless you like your wines very mature. If you really like Bordeaux, you'll like this.
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11/29/2009 - MatthewF wrote:
From 375ml bottle. As soon as the bottle was opened across the room and poured into the decanter, I could begin to smell the fruit. Very powerful aromatics of red currant and cassis with tobacco leaf, leather, and cedar. Beautiful palate as well. The same red fruits with great acidity throughout. A very lengthy finish with some mild tannin remaining. Absolutely delicious.
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11/22/2009 - rwstorer wrote: 98 Points
Same note as before. This really needs at least 4 hours before it really sings.
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11/19/2009 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux 95 vs 96 with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Side by side 95vs96 @ Handfors's Tasting with Richard Brazier.
our favorite wine of the tasting.
The high(er) merlot content makes it def more approachable now than the Cos,Ducru,Palmer,GPL that we had side by side this wine.
Nice sweetness and mouthfwwl very elegant and soft tannins. Almost with new world flavours.
As with the 96 it needs lots of decanting still and would definitely benefit with time (5yrs?) and will easily last another 15 but even now its a joy to have.
For the Record it was difficult to pick a favorite between 95 and 96 but the 95 feels better at the moment.
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11/16/2009 - Topper wrote: 91 Points
Good bordeaux. Not great bordeaux. The fruit is heading south but the nose is heading more toward earth and bell pepper tones that are not particularly wholesome. Still has beautiful color and lovely structure and grip. Something's just slightly off. It's not so much what's missing but what is there that detracts from the experience. Blown out of the water by the 96 Ducru tasted at the same time.
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11/7/2009 - Whitman wrote: 95 Points
When I had this 5 years ago the nose was just like putting your head in an cigarbox, but the palate was very closed. Today it is much better. Great nose with blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco and a nice nuance of almost boiled fruit. Large-scaled, sweet, complex with plenty of structure and dryness but the fruit can handle that. Great energy and a finish that goes on forever.
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11/6/2009 - iobtoel wrote:
Beautiful nose, strikes you immediately - graphite, cedar, tobacco, hints of dark fruit. Palate demonstrates elegant complexity with a mineral preponderance. Tannins nice and soft, supporting the fading fruit. Excellent balance and poise. Good long finish. More sophisticated than brute force! Lovely.
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10/28/2009 - rwstorer wrote: 98 Points
Wow! This is super sexy wine. Dark red in color with classic red fruit aromas of cherries, currants, spice, mushroom and tobacco. Extremely balanced in an approachable style. This was opened for 4 hours prior to drinking and not decanted. Amazing wine.
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9/9/2009 - dbg wrote:
Purple core lightening to dark red at the rim. The nose is forward but simple at first, then blossoms over an hour into a beautifully complex rich nose of cassis, dark berries, forest floor and wet leaves, cedar, and tobacco. Full-bodied, ripe layers of fruit with complexity following from the nose and the classic sweet aged notes so typical of Bordeaux, great balance, well-tamed tannins in the background, long finish, should go easily for another decade or two, this is outstanding.
There was about 1/4 bottle left. The next evening when I went looking for it I saw that my wife put it out in the recycling bin in the garage without realizing there was some left. I rescued the thing, fortunately the wine hadn't spilled out, and damn if it still wasn't drinking pretty decently after a hot day in the garage at about 80 degrees. If it can handle that, it can handle another couple of decades in the cellar.
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7/17/2009 - m_yang wrote: 95 Points
I have stopped entries into cellar tracker for some time because it was just too difficult keeping track of the numerous wines which have been drunk. Particularly so for the clarets. However having drunk this powerhouse recently, I feel compelled to write about it because it was so so good. I say this even after having drunk a fair number of good first growths. This truly special wine was certainly punching in the class of a good vintage Latour. It was sheer quality, quintessential Pauillac. I bought it from Tony at Vinum. The best recommendation I must say considering the price I got it at. When the bottle was first uncorked, the bouquet and palate was fruity, nothing more to add besides that. I brought it to the Shang Palace and it was drunk alongside a DRC premier cru. Needless to say, the DRC was supposedly the star of the night. The wine was left in a decanter and after one and a half hours, it started opening up and my word, the wine was showing pure class. The nose had the typically rustic bouquet of an aged Bordeaux but yet there was still a very young core to the aroma. Complex scents of fruit, spices and flowery fragrance were mixed in together with the sweetness of wet earth. The soil of Pauillac. This was what the expression of terroir meant to me. On the palate, the wine tasted deep, full, young, fruity and had a long long finish. As the night went on, the taste evolved to include fresh wood chippings and cigarette smoke. I thought the DRC was blown away by the might and exuberance of this claret (sorry Mike!).
I have drunk the 100 pointer 1986 Mouton. I only remembered it as a very good very classy wine. But it did not stir my primordial most basic emotions the way the Lalande did.
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6/13/2009 - noppakit s. wrote: 94 Points
From Imperial bottle !!!
Genie in a bottle...very beautiful indeed !!!
Elegant nose of tabacco leaf, hints a bit of cedar wood, clean terroir, deep and nice fruits. Balance is superb, texture is silky at the beginning, minerality. A beautiful sweetness gets along at level 2, then Cabernet's character shows up firmly after 3.30 hours. Deep and expansive...linger long finihsed.
Same felling of drinkin' 1995 Latour and much better than my Imperial bottle of Mouton 1994, testing last few months as well.
Oh ! What a night....
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5/21/2009 - Niagara wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful depth of dark fruit, tannins fully integrated, and a 30 second finish. A work of art!
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5/11/2009 - kieffer wrote: 95 Points
2hrs decant. This has opened up quite a bit since my last bottle two years ago. All the classic Pauillac flavors, with a richness and depth that is close to first growth quality.
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12/16/2008 - Rupert wrote: 87 Points
31 Vintages of Pichon Lalande 1928-2005; 12/16/2008-12/17/2008 (IOD, London): Plush, old smelling, thick and chewy on the palate, tannic, lacking charm
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12/14/2008 - tbabes wrote: 96 Points
Commanderie de Bordeaux (Rittenhouse Hotel (Lacroix)): A dark ruby color with no amber at the edge. Open for business on the nose, offering up notes of dark fruits, vanilla, smoke, licorice and smoke. Medium to full bodied on the palate, with a lush texture, velvety mid-palate, powerful concentration and a heady and complex finish. Clearly this is a hedonistic style of wine, and I enjoyed it immensely!
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11/13/2008 - paulst wrote: 89 Points
Light with some blackberry earth; elegant; more like a margaux; moderate finish.
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11/4/2008 - Surfer714 wrote:
dark color..opened up after a hour... needs time
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9/28/2008 - Number51 wrote: 96 Points
Had a floral component. This tasting note is retrospective, so I can't list all the flavor components, but I remember I loved it so much.
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9/7/2008 - dream wrote: 91 Points
Good dark ruby color with slight fading on the edges. Potent nose of sweet tobacco, charcoal and black fruits. A really pungent, large-scaled PL with deep flavors of tobacco, charcoal, dark rasberry fruit and a vegetal notes. Still needs more time to develop as the tannins are firm but the silky, sexy texture of the vineyard is quite apparent. 91+
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8/20/2008 - Kevin_C wrote: 95 Points
Deep ruby with some purple remaining. Complex bouquet of barnyard, sweet blue fruit, autumn leaves and herbs, smoke and a touch of green bell pepper. This has a lovely roundness in the front palate with a soft mouth feel that fans out to show sweet blueberry, dark tobacco and chocolate. Leads to a nice long finish. Very well balanced. A pleasure to drink.
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5/31/2008 - winecat9 wrote: 94 Points
G10 - 1995 Bordeaux (Ale (@ Spengler)): Classic Paulliac nose. Nicely balanced. Expansive fruit and body.
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4/23/2008 - wino_tim wrote: 92 Points
Dense and concentrated on the nose this bursts with aromas of earth, tar, grilled herbs and cedar. Smoky and medium-full on the palate and texturally still quite young, this is an impressive effort.
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3/16/2008 - jivey wrote: 94 Points
Cedar, anise, pencil lead, bright blueberry with a good amount of oak and some nice complexity.
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2/21/2008 - GA wrote: 92 Points
2/08 Good fruit - lasting structured finish - still young - concentrated with layers and complexity. 92 pts.
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2/20/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 89 Points
Pichon-Lalande Vertical (Harry's Steak): Classic cedary nose. This is still tannic, especially next to the more fruit-forward '96, but it has the balance and classic restraint I love about the '95 vintage. Except for science, I would keep cellaring this.
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2/1/2008 - Claudio161 wrote: 93 Points
Hart Davis Hart Wine Co Comparative Bordeaux Tasting Vintages 1995 & 1996 (Newberry Library, Chicago IL): First impression: Nail polish or paint thinner on the nose. The 1996 is better. Overall, this style is not too much to my liking. I think this wine needs at least 5+ years to integrate and settle down a bit. Definitely full bodied and powerful.
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2/1/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
HDH 95/96 Comparative Tasting (Newberry Library, Chicago IL): nose: nice soft and feminine nose that is stereo typical of Lalande. It's filled with floral notes, red licorice, and cedar planks
taste: georgeous mouth. nice and soft with floral notes and some tobbacco
overall: very elegant wine that one would expect of this estate. Lots of polish and the finish is nice and lasting
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1/30/2008 - Ericpe wrote: 94 Points
Great bottle - drinking well now, but without any secondarys. Wait a few more years to open again
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1/7/2008 - CamWheeler wrote: flawed
Chlorine on the nose. Metallic palate. Undrinkable. A shame.
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7/20/2007 - sdr wrote: 87 Points
South Florida does Pichon-Lalande: I find the '95s to be especially tough in texture and difficult to taste at this adolescent stage and the P-L was no different. Obviously a young healthy color still, but the absence of a bouquet and the coarseness of the tannins keep the enjoyment down. I'd wait at least 5 more years before trying it again if I owned any.
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6/14/2007 - JeffW wrote: 95 Points
Great Bordeaux. Could benefit from a bit more aging but is ready to drink now. Deep color, barnyard scents. Good balance of fruit and tannins.
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5/16/2007 - vintage61 wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured at an OL. Delicious with tannin almost totally resolved, but still lacking focus Dark inky purple with no noticble bricking. Nose of dark fruit, casis, but did not notice any terciary flavors or aromas yet.Try the next on in five years.JP
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5/1/2007 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Wineflock - Montelena Vertical (My House): Group #6, My #6 - Full coffee red color. Medium bright red fruit nose with some spice and a hint of coffee. Black fruit, coffee, and dusty tannins on the palate. Structured and still young.
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2/4/2007 - marino wrote: 97 Points
Exceptional condition and all it was promoted to be. Opened it on the fly at a dinner party for 14 when a guest requested it. Didn't have to decant it for it to be great and it was from the first sip to the last.
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1/16/2007 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
DUO, Miami Medoc BYO Wine Dinner (DUO, S Miami Avenue, Miami, FL): Flight 4 #2. My Pichon. I would rank it = to the 89 Cos d'Estournel, and outclassed in aromatics and finish by its 86 sibling.Still one of the four best wines of the evening.More than fulfilled my expectations. A maturing Pauillac, that will only get better. I'll save my last bottle(s) for at least five years. When we had to empty our glasses for the next flight I blended the remaing 86 with the 95, and it drank beautifully.
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12/27/2006 - mfkidd wrote: 94 Points
Immediate notes not taken as power went out here (heavy winds) as we were finishing wine with dessert around 9:00. Made for a long night as we didn't get power back until 2:30 p.m. the next day. Dinner party with John and Tracy Mac, Rich and Roseanne, Reed and Michelle. Very nice company and the wine here was good as well. Decanted four hours prior to drinking. Looking back, there was a lack of that lead pencil thing so present in other Pichons. Not sure where it was, but two different bottles were opened (from the same case as well as same case of my previous tastings) and notes were consistent. I've gone through six bottles now during two parties. I'll save the final six bottles for later in life and start cracking open my case of '96es.
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12/25/2006 - beachnic wrote: 90 Points
Had at Christmas dinner. Did not show well as was faded and uninteresting. I'm beginning to realize I like younger wines much better. I'm being generous with a 90pt score.
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10/14/2006 - Paul D wrote: 90 Points
Wine Society "Stars of Pauillac" Tasting (The Wine Society, Stevenage): Still shows a very young appearance with dark ruby core and narrow rim.
Nose shows cassis fruit, some tobacco, seems slightly closed/mute. Noticeably less developed than the Baron. Cassis fruit also dominates the palate which again is slightly tight with firm, but fine tannins and a good length savoury finish.
Very good/excellent but, at least on this showing, this needs a few more years to begin to express itself more fully.
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9/2/2006 - jkoenen wrote: 87 Points
Bordeaux 94/95 @ Peter V. (Netherlands): Liquorice, the root as well as the candy! Austere, rigid, tannic, tight and clenched. Not very aromaitc at the moment. Needs more time in the decanter or the cellar. Not a lot to love right now, besides structure and potential. For now, 16/20
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9/2/2006 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Occasional tasting group: Top Bordeaux 1994 & 1995 plus a few extra's. (@ PVa): Wonderful elegant but firm wine. Complex, filled with fruit. Forgot to write much down while I was enjoying this wine ;-)
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8/27/2006 - KenK wrote: 92 Points
Chicago's Best Bordeaux Tasting Ever? (Ken's Home): Nice nose of dense oaky chocolate with red berries.
Young cassis-like flavor with aggressive acid structure and toasty edge.
Others like this a lot more than me.
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6/29/2006 - MRichman wrote:
Pauillac Fest (Les Sans Coulettes, NYC): Rich tar. Nice fruit. Powerful.
B++
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6/18/2006 - kyork777 wrote: 94 Points
This wine is drinking well now. Decanted two hours before drinking. Well balanced with a nose dominated by fruit with some fresh earth and smoke.
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6/14/2006 - jmd60611 wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous nose that burst out of the bottle upon opening...Smooth and silky with big berry, and a strong, long finish
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4/17/2006 - norsktorsk wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful nose, and great balance. Integrated tannins, long finish.
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3/28/2006 - beachbum wrote: 95 Points
Toronto Offline at Reds with Ian Darshan Cauble: Open for business, and my ROTN, the smoky sweet red fruit boomed out of the glass. Classic PLL. The palatte did not fail either, showing that long dry cherry chocolate elegance, balance and charm I so love. Wow, what a wine, it had more concentration on the finish than the other 1995's did tonight. I say just entering the window of drinkability. Gave a lot of love!
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2/18/2006 - JBVino wrote: 93 Points
Open for business...suprised by how available this wine is. Not decanted but opened a couple hours before consuming over 2-3 hours. This had more forward fruit than I expected but also contained classic Bordeaux secondary flavors. Tannins were evident but did not impair the enjoyment of this wine. Solid wine from 95 vintage.
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1/21/2006 - dbg wrote:
Opened 5 hours ahead of tasting. Nice nose but shy. Small amount
poured to taste. Bit closed. A bit more poured out to mid-shoulder
level, and cork left out of bottle.
Dark red to rim. Young but complex nose of cassis, cherry, berry,
coffee and choc
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12/26/2005 - Rupert wrote: 90 Points
Hints of farmyard, tobacco, coffee, full and rich on the palate, but not quite singing yet. One to wait for, probably
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11/20/2005 - Ben Andersen wrote:
BLIND 1995 Bordeaux etc...: Tasted BLIND. My favorite wine of the flight. Similar aromatic components as #6 ('90 Pichon Lalande, also served blind), but denser, with more fruit. Seems younger than #6. Lush, but good structure. Chocolatey. Excellent.
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5/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Lynch Bages v. Pichon Lalande Shootout - Group #1, My #3 - Opaque black red. Tight blackcurrant tannic with some pencil lead. Nice rich blackcurrant fruit with puckering tannins and a long finish. Needs time. 93 pts. 4/05
Black. Nice and rich. Tight. 93 pts. 5/05
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4/28/2005 - KenK wrote: 98 Points
Lynch Bage vs Pichon Lalande 1986, 1988, 1989, 1995 plus 3 Ringers: Groups 1st place wine and my 1st place wine WOTN out of 11 aged Bordeaux served blind.
Nose: Young scorched earth with barnyard characters and espresso covered dark cherries
Palate: Rich dense coffee flavors wrapped by big sweet tannic structure. Loads of ripe black fruits and nice underyling acidity. The concentrated fruit components and long complex finish made me guess this was a 1995 First growth.
combined with coffee note I thought a Mouton for sure.
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4/21/2005 - MRichman wrote:
Pichon Baron vs Pichon Lalande (Triomphe Restaurant in NYC): Wide and herbal. Very rich.
A-
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4/21/2005 - jamiekutch wrote: 93 Points
TN: OFFline: Pichon Baron VS. Pichon Lalande 1982, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000 (NYC): A bit reminiscent of a California Cabernet. Toasted oak and a chocolate profile makes this wine a bit different than the other vintages. Minerals, smoke and extract all are apparent and some saddle leather.
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10/23/2004 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 87 Points
To judge by the colour, this is just starting to mature. Very nice, attractive nose. Quite rich and elegant, but seems far too young. Good.
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5/31/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 89 Points
Purple/red appearance. Burnt rubber notes. Lacks a bit of fruit on the mid palate. Doesn't seem to "fill out" properly. Gets a bit green on the aftertaste. Almost a bit watery on the finish.
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11/18/2002 - dbg wrote:
great stuff but needs 3-5 years
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7/9/2002 - peternelson wrote: 98 Points
Wine House: Clearer dark purple, beautiful cassis, licorice, cedar, earthy; very smooth, nice supple t’s, great in mouth.
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3/24/2002 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Weiner: Great woodsy burnt leaves smell; Chewier, heavier. Greatest 2nd?
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