Sensational. Bottom third of cork crumbled a bit, but the wine was very much alive right from the start. Dark fruit is subtle but clearly still there. Tobacco notes are prominent. Delicious.
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Cork only looked to be a tiny bit saturated but it completely crumbled with a corkscrew.
Despite that fresh strawberries wafted out of the bottle with a hole in the cork still stuck in the bottle.
Had to filter though a cheese cloth to get rid of tiny pieces of cork.
Cinnamon, stewed plums, mint and eucalyptus. I also get a bit of barnyard and cornmeal used to feed the animals on my grandfather's farm in Mexico. Quite leathery on the palate and reminiscent of autumn leaves.
If this is what the 2008 transforms into with time than wow! I do miss that pen ink, liquefied granite that the younger vintages show in much greater stride.
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Fully mature nose with cool cassis fruit, dried cherry, figs and prunes. Decaying leaves, forest floor, worn leather and a bit of cale soup. The oak has really settled in the background and provides with hints of dark chocolate and grounded coffee. With time in the glass even more fruit is coming through.
Full bodied with great concentration to the fruit. The tannins are completely melted down and there's still a freshness to the acidity. Ripe and sappy fruit, dried herbs, decaying leaves, cold coffee and tobacco. Long finish.
I had the '96 a year ago and this wine is way better and more alive. Maybe not a style that I prefer to drink but I can really appreciate the quality here. Really in the zone right now.
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- Garnet color with medium forming legs and aromas of dusty. It's somewhat balanced with a medium/full body. Coarse texture with a medium finish - Being a big fan of J. Daniel Cuvee, we were very interested to see how this 1998 would compare to the 2005 - 2008 vintages we know and love. Decanted for 30 minutes and poured. Strong earth tone aromas were evident and upon drinking it was a bit tight at first but opened up nicely after a while. I believe this wine would still drink well for a couple of more years, but it seemed past its' prime. Candidly, if this wine had been put before me without identifying it I would not have guessed it was a Lail. It tasted much more like a French wine and was not as smooth as the more recent vintages. Not bad, just not spectacular.
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9/19/2023 - grayfont Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sensational. Bottom third of cork crumbled a bit, but the wine was very much alive right from the start. Dark fruit is subtle but clearly still there. Tobacco notes are prominent. Delicious.
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4/25/2019 - Otaku Oenophile Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cork only looked to be a tiny bit saturated but it completely crumbled with a corkscrew.
Despite that fresh strawberries wafted out of the bottle with a hole in the cork still stuck in the bottle.
Had to filter though a cheese cloth to get rid of tiny pieces of cork.
Cinnamon, stewed plums, mint and eucalyptus. I also get a bit of barnyard and cornmeal used to feed the animals on my grandfather's farm in Mexico. Quite leathery on the palate and reminiscent of autumn leaves.
If this is what the 2008 transforms into with time than wow! I do miss that pen ink, liquefied granite that the younger vintages show in much greater stride.
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8/9/2017 - appel54 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tät kärna, rostbrun i kanten
Gammal skinnsoffa, ekfat, choklad, lite eldigt, söta körsbär
Torrt, strävt, en del tanniner är fortfarande kvar.
Gott vin som jag gärna dricker igen.
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8/8/2017 - karl.1480 wrote: 91 Points
Deep garnet color and lots of sediment.
Fully mature nose with cool cassis fruit, dried cherry, figs and prunes. Decaying leaves, forest floor, worn leather and a bit of cale soup. The oak has really settled in the background and provides with hints of dark chocolate and grounded coffee. With time in the glass even more fruit is coming through.
Full bodied with great concentration to the fruit. The tannins are completely melted down and there's still a freshness to the acidity. Ripe and sappy fruit, dried herbs, decaying leaves, cold coffee and tobacco. Long finish.
I had the '96 a year ago and this wine is way better and more alive. Maybe not a style that I prefer to drink but I can really appreciate the quality here. Really in the zone right now.
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10/19/2011 - Marshmallowman wrote: 86 Points
The wine looks Garnet colored.
The body is Light/Medium.
The wine is textured Satin-like.
The wine finishes Short.
Good wine, nothing special, was good with our meal (Chicken in Vinegar) because it allowed us to focus on sauce.
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8/28/2011 - DGR wrote: 88 Points
- Garnet color with medium forming legs and aromas of dusty. It's somewhat balanced with a medium/full body. Coarse texture with a medium finish - Being a big fan of J. Daniel Cuvee, we were very interested to see how this 1998 would compare to the 2005 - 2008 vintages we know and love. Decanted for 30 minutes and poured. Strong earth tone aromas were evident and upon drinking it was a bit tight at first but opened up nicely after a while. I believe this wine would still drink well for a couple of more years, but it seemed past its' prime. Candidly, if this wine had been put before me without identifying it I would not have guessed it was a Lail. It tasted much more like a French wine and was not as smooth as the more recent vintages. Not bad, just not spectacular.
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2/5/2011 - TwoSmoochies wrote: 85 Points
no fruit left
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2/15/2002 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dense, rich. 4-11-16-8: 89/100.
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