Early Mar 2024, Rheingau Gourmet Festival, rarity diner “25 vintages of Chateau Montrose”: according to the sommelier double decanted for up to 3 hours; deep crimson color; opulent bouquet of cassis and cherries; round, polished texture with a well integrated acidity.
Nez assez austère sur la fumée, le tabac, bois précieux et quelques notes de fruits noirs. C'est froid mais pas désagréable.
Bouche assez impressionnante pour un 75. Dense, avec un très joli toucher et une austérité versant du bon côté donnant de la classe et de la retenue à l'ensemble sans verser dans la schlague.
Très belle finale, très légèrement accrocheuse, avec des notes animales du plus bel effet !
Un des plus beaux 75 bus à ce jour, je dois avouer !
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Bottle in perfect condition. The vintage is still strong and will last for several years to come. Evolved and layered black current fruit, cigar box, wet forest floor, plum, still firm but silky smooth tannins.
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It really hasn't changed that much over the last 6 years, which is quite remarkable. Decanted for about 3 hours prior to serving. top shoulder fill. Cork came out in one piece but no longer inspires confidence. The hue was that of a 10-15 year old Medoc wine with little to no amber. This wine, not surprisingly, needed several hours to open up. Between the character of the 75 vintage and the traditions of Montrose anything else would have been a surprise. This will never be a truly round, inviting wine. It has softened enough to make for an excellent dinner wine, but it will probably always remain on the restrained side. That is not a problem in a World of wine where this almost never happens anymore.
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Stood up for two weeks. Mid shoulder. Cork broke upon opening. Double decanted for sediment, which was very fine indeed. Drank three hours after opening. A medium ruby core fading to a medium garnet outer edge. Layered and nuanced aromas of dried, cracked vintage leather, shoe polish, a touch of wood smoke, dried lilacs, and a combination of both red and black currents adding some richness. Much of what went before on the nose can also be found on the palate only with the addition of a lightly charred element akin to burnt embers on the finish. A classic, harmonious, mature St Estèphe in an excellent place in its evolution with more than sufficient ability to age for years to come.
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On the nose, old leather, boot polish, dark flowers, fresh black currant, fresh blackberry, both at perfect levels of ripeness. Faint woodsmoke too with swirling. Big tannin on the palette, but swarmed by beautiful fresh, juicy black berries. A bit of creme de cassis as well, and also perhaps red currant as was suggested to me. Unbelievable how mouth-wateringly juicy and fresh it is.
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medium red, orange rim - subdued nose of red plumbs - some subtle leather/graphite aromas but not a lot of complexity - mouthfilling young cabernet fruit - tannins resolved, high acidity - 10-15 sec finish - to me this is a typical old Montrose: not much complexity in the nose, but great fruit in the mouth and wonderful longevity - nicely complemented grilled lamb loin chops - can easily last another decade, or more - another example of a 75 that has outlasted the tannins and matured beautifully
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An Epic Summer Wine Weekend; 7/1/2022-7/3/2022 (Muskoka, Ontario, Canada): This pours medium ruby in the glass with medium bricking. Impressive color considering the age. The nose features heavy mint/eupalyptus that really remains present over the course of drinking. Besides that, the profile I find to be fairly classical Bordeaux; blackberry, cassis, light tobacco, sweet cedar, graphite, red currants, and old leather. The palate enters on the red currants, showing medium acid and medium tannin, again a hallmark of the vintage, and on the finish turns to old leather and pencil shavings. I quite enjoyed this and was impressed by the freshness at this stage. Consumed blind, some tasters had this pegged as an old Australian Cabernet with its prominent mint/eucalyptus. Not all tasters enjoyed this as much as I did, having trouble finding much Bordeaux character here.
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This bottle was reconditioned at the Château then sold about five years ago. This is my second bottle to try from the light and it seemed to show better than the previous example.
Brick red to the center of the glass, the nose exhibited red cranberry fruit, red currant and cedar shading. Quite a rustic wine with significantly more structure than the 82 PLL we tasted alongside. I do not see much upside for improvement but the wine is drinking very well today.
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1966 – 2010 Château Montrose vertical (Regional Wines, Wellington, NZ): Served single blind, one pour. Varieties: CS 70% | M 15% | CF 10% | PV 5%. Garnet colour at the rim suggested the age of this wine. An attractive but subdued bouquet of red berries and cherries, cigar, dry earth, autumn leaves, old cedar and mushrooms. On palate, a leaner, evolved wine, showing classic secondary and tertiary Bordeaux nuances. Warm, tilled soil, tobacco leaf and old leather. The tannins now well integrated and resolved. The 1975 now though a little pinched and austere, with some tasters (not me) picking threshold TCA. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable old claret.
After the higher quality 1996 and before the weaker 1966, before the reveal, I wrote that the three wines in between – the 1986, 1976 and 1975 – were very much of a piece, at a similar quality level. Although the margins were small, I rated the 1975 the lowest of the first four wines tasted.
Rankings: Me 11/12 | GK 10/12 | CT 10/12.
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Getting the gang together @ Wus (plus birthdays!) (Wu's Wonton King): The old man of the group and this is a wine that I think you have to really like old wine to get. It's prob a bit on the tired side but all secondary and tertiary and as I am one of those ppl who does like the really old ones I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Really fresh, concentrated and vibrant. If I had to guess blind, I would have called this an early 90s wine. Pnped immaculate bottle with top fill. I had too many other wines to formulate proper notes, but this was in an excellent spot.
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Aged Napa versus Aged Bordeaux at Cork Vault (Charlotte, NC): Slow-ox 30 minutes before drinking. Quite similar to the prior tasting 45 days ago but with slightly more vibrancy likely due to shorter wait prior to consumption. Beautifully fragrant nose with really delicious classic Bordeaux notes in every way (woodsy brown leaves burning in the distance with soft notes of cedar and forest floor). On the palate, there is a wonderful initial taste of earthy, red cherries that sadly disappears quickly. Thin but holding together better than the prior tasting the remnants of a great wine lurk beneath. We had cured meats with this and it enhanced the experience. We filtered a few pours into glasses which provided a cleaner taste of the fruits which still provided plenty of enjoyment despite its better days having passed likely 5+ years prior. An exceptional wine in its day, tonight it again spoke mainly of its once great past yet still garnered praise from all for the embers that remain.
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Slow-ox for one hour before drinking. Fragrant nose with really delicious classic Bordeaux notes in every way (woodsy brown leaves burning in the distance with soft notes of cedar and forest floor). On the palate, sadly, this wine is well passed its prime. Thin and watery the remnants of a great wine lurk beneath. There is enough going on you could nurse a fine experience out of the bottle if paired with cured or smoked meats. We brought out some prosciutto which drew flavor out of the wine providing a fuller experience. An exceptional wine in its day, tonight it spoke mainly of its once great past yet still garnered praise from all for the embers that remain.
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Drinking very well. This is a go-to for me in the old Bordeauxs since it has a nice robustness to it and seems to keep a bit more of the red fruit side longer than some others. It's moving into the tertiary side, but very well balanced and good vigor. Enjoyed.
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-- decanted immediately before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over one hour --
NOSE: mineral; slightly musty (TCA); little bit of smoky black licorice
BODY: light bodied; pretty good color for a 45 yo wine; mid-high shoulder fill; cork was soaked, and wanted to push in (last 1/2" cork broke off, but was successfully extracted)
TASTE: gentle purple fruits; some fine tannin; gentle Montrose smokiness; little something musty --- TCA or bottle funk; on its downslope; ... ultimately sold on this being slightly TCA-infected, which, apparently, has been a problem for others with this bottling, as well.
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Fine Wines SG - Grand Cru Discovery Pack (Delivered to Home): Medium garnet, with significant fading edges. Aromas of dried herbs, mushrooms, rolled cigar, red cherry, brambles, twigs. Some acids and mineral feel gives a good bright feel, and tannins rounded, with flavours of sour cherry, cloves, savoury charcuterie, and red flowers. Lengthy, complex lightly-smoked finish
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Thin, with acid and tannins now overshadowing the dissipated fruit. The bottle was not cellared for much of its life, and I think had seen a lot of heat. Still, it was better than '75 Haut Brion that had been similarly kept.
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But this bottle was bought at the Norwegian wine monopoly, which has a five-year guarantee. And since the bottle was bought four and a half year ago, it was easily returned with a full refund. Even without a receipt. Brilliant!
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The nose is impressive. Very slightly animal. Very fresh. Like a pine tree. Very nice in the mouth. Tannin's have subsided (at last). Not very long. But very elegant. Not too old at all.
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intensiv nach Minze im Bouquet, Zedernholz, unverkennbar reifer Médoc. Am Gaumen überrascht er, da sind die typischen 75er Tannine, gepaart mit der Festigkeit eines Saint-Estephe, aber eben auch viel Extrakt und eine attraktive Reifesüße. Vor 20 Jahren hatte ich mal eine ähnlich gute Flasche 75 Montrose, alle dazwischen waren deutlich schwächer. Hält auch an der Luft gut durch, mach viel Spaß. Ach wären doch nur alle Flaschen dieses Weines so schön.
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I could not be happier, and credit to those tasters who 15-20 years ago felt this had a future. I am fortunate enough to have recently had Latour, Haut Brion and Mouton 75s, and this outclassed them all! Still an incredible dark purple/Ruby that had most guessing 90s bordeaux. The nose is classic mature bordeaux and right from pouring it was just wonderful. Lots of fruit remains and this is in no way hard or dry like many other 75s. What a wine. Shared by myself to celebrate E's birthday at Kingyu.
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Michael Broadbent was right to predit in 2002 that this wine 'has a future'. After 44 years it still has all the power, the fruit and the spice of before. The tannins are totally silky. A perfect day for my guests and myself
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WTDS at Spoon (Spoon & Stable, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color, no bricking. PNP, drank a glass over 90 minutes. This is a very structured Montrose. Leather, cigar, and earth with dark fruits on the nose. The palate has a more austere character at first, dark fruits, tart blackcherry, cassis, crushed rocks, iron, and cigar with firm tannins. This softened noticeably after about an hour in glass. Probably will never be a wine of finesse but I think decanting will make a significant difference here. 91 to start, 91+ to 92pts after an hour plus.
At a restaurant in Paris, no decant. The bottle looked pristine, as did the cork. Sure enough, the wine was amazingly energetic and compact after nearly 45 years. More mineral than fruit driven. Dominant notes of iron, iodine and dried black cherry. Some VA. Fine grained tannins. A touch astringent on the finish.
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Well cellared for most of its life, this my first one consumed and it did not disappoint. Deep ruby color with fruit remaining. Decanted the wine and it continued to improve over the one and a half hours. By the end I thought this 40 year old still has plenty of time.
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Still ruby with pale orange edge, nice but not strong note of red fruits, earth. Good attack, red berries, hint of tobacco. Medium and mellow tannins. Nice acidic which can fool you the real age of this 1975. Medium finish. Did not decant but it develops very well over an hour. Amazing and enjoyable!
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dark red with brick/orange rim - beautiful mature Montrose nose with red cherries, gravel and tobacco - tight lean mouth, but enough sweet fruit to provide a full mouth - tannins mostly resolved, but relatively high acidity - medium long finish - a great mature Bordeaux that shows how good the 75s can be with enough time to drop out the heavy tannins - tasted alongside the 96 Montrose to compare a mature Montrose with an adolescent Montrose - the similarities were obvious, but the 75 showed how much more complexity the 96 is capable of - would drink the 75 now and 96 in 5-10 years
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Lovely red and powerful black fruit, cassis, black olive, gravel, cigar box, leather, and a very dry finish. No bricking on this high fill bottle. Showing better now than before?
Beautiful leather and tobacco notes in the nose, ripe dark and red berries on the palate. Still some power and nice fruit left. Very smooth tannins and a medium long finish. Nice one.
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Colour is magenta. Nose is very nice with aged tobacco notes and some pencil shavings. The palate needed about an hour in the decanter before showing some black currant and Ceylon spice and some cloves. Finish is short. Nose more prominent than the palate. Drink up.
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dark red with brick/orange rim - beautiful mature Montrose nose with red cherries, gravel and tobacco - tight lean mouth, but enough sweet fruit to provide a full mouth - tannins resolved, but relatively high acidity - medium long finish - a great mature Bordeaux that shows how good the 75s can be with enough time to drop out the heavy tannins
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Pizza Night with Aged Classic Reds Ten Plus Years Old (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Very dark red color, good fill, good cork with 1/4 saturation. Splash decant. Drank 1 glass over 2 hours. This was rather brooding and very much mineral driven from the start with iron, iodine and a gravelly character. It took a good 15 minutes to really offer much else and gradually showed dried dark fruits, tobacco leaf, gravelly, soil and dense minerals with some fairly fine to medium grained tannins. This was more of an aged, rustic wine that I still found a great deal of pleasure in. 90+ to 91pts.
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Lowest fill of the 6 bottle lot won at auction and I'm hoping the better fills are as good or better than this pleasant surprise. Cork extracted with the Durand, the perfume on this wine is stunning for a 42 year old wine. Cigar box, sandalwood, savory meats and almost a floral component are present. Medium bodied palate, and the first small pour is still youthful with some tannin unresolved. Will revisit after it gets a little air in the bottle.
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Bottle in pristine condition. Mid-neck fill level.
The flavours are rather nice and mature when PnP. Blackcurrant, minerality, leather, cedar, pencil lead etc. Quite focussed and has considerable depth. Good acidity level.
But flavours deteriorate in the next hour. It's pretty dead in the 2nd and 3rd hour in the decanter.
Perhaps no decanting is required for this lovely wine.
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The nose was just delicious, savoring flirtatious.
Great notes of damp forest floor in Autumn. Hints of salted meat, raspberry and black currant. Not so much green as you usually get in Montrose but none-the-less very delicious wine. Reach full maturity and should be enjoyed over the next couple of years.
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Fresh, beautiful, dynamic nose. Very Montrosian - the typical wall of blackberry with leather, cedar, mineral, and beef blood top notes. Lean on the palate, but what else did you expect from a 75? Nice finish. A nice classic. From a bottle that still had a fill half way up the neck, so I'd suspect that less pristinely kept bottles are in decline. 93-4
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Difficult wine to evaluate... Picked worst fill level of remaining 10 bottles, which was mid-shoulder with signs of seepage. The cork came out, not without a challenge, in two pieces fully saturated. After a quick evaluation, to eliminate cork taint and assess tannins, the wine was decanted. The color is extremely impressive for a 42 year old Medoc wine; displaying a color more typical of a 10-15 year old wine with mostly ruby and hardly any amber around the edge. Early on, the fairly closed nose confirmed the need for early decanting. This was later confirmed by the impressive tannin structure. While this is an unsettling statement to make after 42 years, I'm still not sure whether the tannins will eventually soften to reveal a sufficient level of ripeness and aromatic intensity. A strongly Cabernet Sauvignon dominated profile from the controversial 1975 vintage is evident: inky, graphite, early hint of cigar box, cassis, no significant herbaceousness. On palate, the acidity is present but not out of balance. The tannins still dominate the palate to the point of leaving significant doubt as to the final status of this wine. I hope to evaluate this wine for another 20-30 years.... Tasted again after about 70 hours after decanting. Remarkably, the tannins had softened and the aromas had persisted. Might there be light at the end of the tunnel?
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Tasted after the 1982. Another bottle in great condition. Impressively dark core still. On the nose quite evolved - a little tired, but there is still some fruit, herbal notes, lovage, earth, spices, mushrooms. On the palate still decent fruit, good and well integrated acidity, soft, mellow, good length. A real treat! Drink up. 93-95
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Mixed WTDS at The Kenwood (The Kenwood, Mpls, MN): Corked. Opened this an hour beforehand to filter off the very heavy sediment. This bottle had a saturated cork and low to mid shoulder fill. On opening and after filtering I did not detect any cork taint, and in fact it had a very promising mature Bordeaux nose and palate. I placed a different cork back in the bottle not wanting this to get any more air than it had. It sat open on the table at dinner for about an hour before being poured. With the additional air exposure the cork taint was immediately obvious upon pouring. Very, very disappointing and equally frustrating that it was not apparent at the outset.
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Second Sunday Group: 1975 Bordeaux (Augie's): opens with aromas of cherries and red berry fruit, with a pretty floral quality too. plum and herbal qualities on the palate with a nice herbal undertone. Develops distracting bouillon qualities on the nose and palate as it sits.
My #6, Domino's #2 Group #2, 41 points
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Fresh and elegant with its earthy, savoury personality. Only mid-weight but complex and possessing a lively, crunchy fruit profile. Quite delicious and youthful.
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Double decanted 3 hours prior to serving. This was very good, but was outclassed by the 75 Pichon Lalande. It is a sold '75, with a bit more structure than most, but was paired with a more elegant and complete wine in my view. Would have been given better press if not for the competition. A-
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& samhoud|places (Amsterdam): A replacement for the RSV. This is a mature, complex and balanced wine with black fruit, leather and tobacco flavors. Rich, with outstanding concentration, capable of lasting at least another decade or more.
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Bottle from the chateau and was recorded in 2014. Wow this is still so young. Looks like a wine from the 80s. Nose of old vine and grapes gives it away as an older wine but it is still a beautiful ruby with a faint clear rim on the edge. Lovely old Bordeaux wine flavours and a real treat from Herve. Many thanks to the chateau for coming to see us I. HK!
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The 1975 Montrose is a lovely vintage for this estate, not far off the level of the 1970. A bright, red-fruity bouquet is still youthful, complemented by some lovely gravelly soil tones and cigar box notes. On the palate, the wine leads with bright acids and noticeable tannic structure, but there is also a great deal of flavor here, and the wine's acidity gives it a focus and detail that can be smudged off in vintages which display more sur maturité. I'm looking forward to revisiting this after a few hours in a decanter.
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31 Vintages of Château Montrose: 1928-2010; 5/2/2015-5/3/2015: Tobacco, leather, cigar box, good complexity; in the mouth it has a sweet core of fruit beneath trying tannins, actually enough fruit to be optimistic about the future. God knows for how long.
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Matured light garnet, lovely nose of dried leaves, tea leaves. Good acidity and more cassis in mouth, popped and poured, no need for decanting as other wine lovers suggested.
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1st Vivino Int'l chapter in Singapore (Sat. evening/night), Part-2 (Park Regis restaurant): This was so well-kept, with very good fill level. Another pristine bottle! After the GL which was to me flamboyant, this came across as being (too) serious and broody. Nosed mainly of ink, pencil-lead/graphite, the palate was a tad backwards and somewhat rustic (but loosened up a bit after a while and some swirling in the glass) with some meat notes. This is a wine that will probably hold, but I'm not sure if it still had sufficient fruit to improve/evolve furthur. Again, a very nice drink for what it was!
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Joel's Birthday Party (The Palace, Mission, SF): Decanted 24 hours. Red fruit nose with cherries, strawberry; palate is full bodied, slightly drying, integrated tannins, but overall still has a lot of fruit present; medium juicy finish. Very nice. 92
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40th Birthday Party (Home (Singapore)): Medium, ruby appearance. Much bigger and broodier nose than the 82 Branaire Ducru tasted side by side. Nose of herbs, tar, dark fruit – quite funky. Strong fruit up front with dark flavour profile. There are enough hints of magic in here to make it thoroughly enjoyable but no doubting they are concealed by a wall of tannin. I don’t think that will resolve. Medium, leathery finish. Decanted for 2 hours.
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Charolais steak dinner late Nov 2014: 1 h decanted; clear rubin color; nose with red currant and cherry smells; fresh strawberries in the mouth; light/medium body; short finish.
Reminded me of a 1975 Latour. Not a great bottle, but a decent one and a piece of contemporary wine history.
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En riktigt bra klassisk Bordeaux som upplevs som väldigt frisk och fräsch. Skulle aldrig gissat att den hade denna ålder. Har allt det klassiska i form av fin frukt, läder, stall, cigarrlåda och en väldigt fin balans med fräsch ren syra och tanniner som fortfarande är närvarande.
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Slow-ox'd for 8 hours; the body gained presence at around 6 hours, before that a bit thin. Deep crimson with a trace of orange around the rim. Big nose of black and red fruit, rose petals, earth and a distinguishing spiciness that I notice in Montrose. Initially there were some bretty features that quickly blew off. The palate shows concentrated brambly red fruits, roses, earth, hints of tobacco and cedar and spice. This was still very fresh and had a nice acidity to remain taught. There is still a mild trace of grippy tannins and the finish has a touch of astringency to it, but otherwise resembles the nose and palate. Likely will not improve but certainly has plenty of life left.
Excellent - Drink or hold
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Just above base neck, and so the best fill level of my bottles (and the last from this lot). There has been bottle variation - usually associated with the fill levels - and this one was very good. Dark color for its age, tannin still showing, and never going to have the fruit you wish for. But, solid and good with food - and improved a bit with air. A-
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Boxing Day Aged Bordeaux Dinner at Mi Casa (Seattle, WA): Still full of life. Remarkable as this was even a bit backwards with the first few sips. Took it's time to come around after about 2 hours in bottle. Fairly taut and lean with dried cherries and wet cedar bouquet. Lean to mid-weight - gained a bit of weight with air. Love the acidity in this - flavorful and long. A treat but I would say no rush.
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Tanins bien fondus, cèdre, fruits noirs, chocolat, tabac, cuir, rubis prononcé, gras, jeunesse, soyeux, corsé, d'une impressionnante présence en bouche une fois aéré longuement, d'une tonalité qui lui est propre et reflète son terroir. Excellent.
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WOAH! Mature colors, brick brim with first step taken towards browning. Cork completely soaked with deposits on top. On the nose, this is grande with red fruits, brett, sumi ink and dill-hints. Per os happy acids, M- tannin in a fantastic structure loaded with red berries, sumi ink and a plethora of mature and refined aromas. Substantially complex wine. Would be a DREAM to have this wine accompany a great French 7 course dinner. It is still walking up the hill and should be expected to deliver its goods for many more years. Tasted at Riedel Bar, Sogo Enoteca (Yokohama). Wife: 91
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ungdommelig nese, skogsbær, sutikk og jordlig, i munnen et strålende munngrep, ekstremt flott og intens syre som er helt gripende, fortsatt en flott og overaskende primær mørk frukt som holder balansen, medium + tanniner som er svært delikate selv om gripende. Strålende vin. Rustikk og kraftig. 95p. Mørk ristet kaffe, trevirke, strålende elegant nese, strukturert, tight, 94p. Ikke fruktdreven, men frukten som er her er svært sunn og bra 94p.
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bottom neck fill. the cork was soaked about half way up and crumbled during removal. the wine itself opened up over two hours as others have stated. i recall earth, tobacco, tar, and a faint aroma of mint.
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I've had this wine twice now. My first experience was good, this time not great. Bottle was in excellent condition from an OWC parcel, fill in the neck. Bottle was opened by a sommelier and decanted for about 30 minutes. Lean and weak, strong iodine flavor and more acid than fruit. Leveled out after about and hour and became a wine that drank easy, but not flattering. Whatever might have been interesting about this wine is mostly dead.
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This bottle showed very well. Served blind to a table who own 75's. Consensus was a much younger wine, perhaps mid to late 90's. Took 20 min to really open up.
Cheese course wine to replace a corked rhone. Pleasant surprise.
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Well stored bottle. Upper shoulder. Decanted just before drinking. Served in the Riedel Bordeaux Sommelier glass (75cl). At first, lots of cedar in the nose but not much fruit on the palate. Then the nose gets less impressive but the -nice- fruit appears in the mouth. When pouring a new glass from the -not large- decanter, the cedar is back and after a while, the fruit is back, while the cedar recesses. A unique behaviour! I will wait a few years before opening the last one, but I am not sure it will improve. Quite nice with lamb anyway.
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It had the classic bordeaux vintage aroma and taste, with moderate amounts of black and red fruit, lots of oak, a hint of raisins, orange, and a bit of game/meaty taste, and very slight tannins. Medium bodied, and colour was brick red. I had this wine with seafood, and my family enjoyed it. I decanted it for about an hour before consuming it, but concluded that it tasted best after 2 hours of decanting.
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Iron, earth, austere on the palate, but not thin, with some attractive red-toned fruit, firm medium length finish. Interesting, classic, better with food. Good/very good.
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This wine was real nice!, dark color with a smal orange rim. the nose is open but not modest in intensity. there are notes of ripened fruit (mainly dark) some pencil shavings some oak and the smell of a fully ripened wine i cannot define in another way. the tasting of this wine was sweet (it had some sweetness) lots of tannins still there, good structure full, asrtingend and still quite a lot of fruit there. the fruit can just barely cope the tannins but overall it is a good wine that still can age a few years.
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Last of the six bought from the cellar at Lake Placid Lodge via Christies Auction in 2011. Robust medium minus purple color with garnet rim, strawberry, leather and earth on the nose. Very pleasing sweetness on the palate with good acidity and tannins that are still not quite resolved, however not particularly pronounced in length or in finish. This is elegant rather than powerful, as my other bottles have been, and is very rewarding in a subtle kind of way.
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I have been working through 2 cases of this wine bought at auction 18 months ago and not a single bottle has disappointed. Most, if not all, of the bottles have ts fills. Not a blockbuster by any stretch of the imagination, but a solid performer. Nose of cedar and forest floor. Tannins are completely integrated and there is a vibrant, and refreshing sweetness on the front of the palate. If you can find it under $100 go for it.
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Extremely well stored since 1986, and well stored before that. Near perfect fill. After 37 years has come fully good. Not a hint of tannin - cassis, bit of cedar box, excellent length. Perfect match for a filet mignon, and that is what we had it with. Infinite patience rewarded is the story of this bottle.
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Pretty hard and austere. Restrained mature red fruits, developed cedary and leathery notes, but there's not much richness to the fruit, powerful acidity and while it's a solid old Bordeaux and works nicely with the beef short ribs, it's not particularly pleasurable. EDIT: Surprisingly leftovers don't just hold up, but get a little better the next day, coming across less austere and better balanced. Nice.
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Top shoulder fill. This was nice right out of the bottle. Classic nose, with maybe a bit more ripe fruit than I expected. A bit missing in the mid-palate, but very good. Still some tannin on the finish. The fruit faded after about 30 minutes, and the tannin a bit more pronounced on the finish. It stored well and a solid bottle - this can be very good right now. A-
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Faster out of the traps than the bottle I had in April, this was approachable right away. Pencil and some mild spice and plums on the nose. Tannic as ever on the palate, the fruit was reasonably up-front right away, surprisingly so. It does fade a bit quicker than I'd prefer though and as with April's bottle, there's nothing particularly profound here, but its eminently likable.
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A bite with Barquin (28-50, London): very smooth, mellow, sweet fruited nose. A touch of fat and lots of complexity. A little more austere and classical on the palate. Nicely mineral. A touch of graphite and something slightly earthy. Fragrant, a touch lactic, a sense of the fireside at Christmas. Complex, long, lovely. ****1/2
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Top shoulder fill. Dark color for its age. Solid start out of the bottle, showing a very good nose of classic Bordeaux but on the rustic side. But with time the nose faded a bit, and although the wine was good on the palate - never great. But not bad at all vs/ expectations, and good with food. B+
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Opened 90 minutes before drinking, and decanted after an hour. Fantastic garnet colour, light ruby at the edge, with very little sediment, to my surprise. Great lower neck fill, but some worrying vegetal notes on first tasting. The decant worked wonders, though and as we drank it with pork chops it had settled down into comfortable middle age, showing graceful notes of plums, cedar and leather on the nose. Not a blockbuster on the palate but nice hints of molasses and red fruit offset by the slight sharpness of the vintage. I liked this very much, as much for its defying of my initial poor expectations as anything else, but its a very decent wine in its own right.
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Ruby tea colored with an earthy, Asian spice, smoke, tobacco and cassis filled nose. Old school in style, this foursquare wine is on the firm and austere side of the style meter. It ends in a cassis and cranberry finish. This wine was better in the nose than than on the palate.
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picked up at wine house in SF was about 150$ US after shipping and tax. wasnt really expecting much just thought it'd be fun to taste such an old bottle. as i was drinking my last sip i had selfishly wished we hadnt had to divide it up with 7 other diners. (we enjoyed this at providence in LA, full notes on http://www.wineweirdos.com). anyway i loved the balance, the amazing fact this wine still seemed young in the glass (seemed like it could go another 20+ years), there was tons of bright ripe fruit amongst the mud and leather and pencil lead, in fact the fruit was still the dominant thing. thinking about getting another bottle.
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Ruby and violet with medium/lite viscosity in the glass. Dark fruit, mushroom, game, earth, currant and hints of graphite on the nose. Round red fruit, game, earth and cedar on the palate with secondary tobacco. A balanced mouthful with a tight, sturdy structure, but lacking power in body. Medium/long finish brought in more svelte spice. First impression was that this wine was showing young, though after it opened up it became more apparent it wouldn't have much more to offer. Very grateful to have enjoyed this old world treat.
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Tasted with the Montrose '94. Dark ruby - a tone lighter than the younger wine, but still profoundly coloured, with minimal clearing at the rim. A more advanced maturity on the nose with eucalyptus and black fruits. (Blind, I would have guessed this was an '86 - and that I was drinking it in the early 90s.) Enormously dense in the mouth with a scaffolding of rich tannin surrounded by an old-style, masculine, earth-and-leather architecture. A virtually immortal antidote to modern claret.
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Well, it´s true, the 1975 Montrose has an almost frightening level of tannins. Apart from that, the wine is so unbelievably closed, it doesn´t let out anything! I decanted it for 24(!) hours and then some very fragile aromas of casis and dark chocolate emerged. This is a traditionally made, uncompromising wine, that represents the character of the vintage. Power and depth, it´s all there, but the massive tannins make this wine nearly undrinkable. Will it stay like this forever? Personally, I will try a bottle in 2030, because a miracle is possible, but of course, that´s no sure thing. 88+ points, drink 2030-2075???
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For a period -- about 30 minutes after opening to about 2 hours -- this was really nice. Quite intact, balanced, structured and with good fruit yet. Very dark in color and aroma and flavor. By about 2.5 hours after opening, this was beginning to dry out and become slightly harsh.
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"You always get what you pay for" doesn't apply to this bottle. $83 delivered from Chambers. I didn't have much trust in 1975 at under $100, but having two different wines from the vintage which came from the same source, I have to re-evaluate my skepticism and load the truck the next time those bottles come available. Fully mature, dark no see through color, mid-palate solid as a rock, long finish. Outstanding!
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From memory... Definitely fading. Fruit was there but obviously on the downslide, tannins are resolved. Some classic old bordeaux aromatics, but muted. Air only helped a little, then this started to fade in the glass. Maybe this was not the best example but if I had to base my decision on this one, I'd drink up.
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with a little dust on top of the cork when unfoiled. I think the wine has passed its prime at the beginning with showing almost nothing except clean mineral. The wine starts catch up with air and gets better and better during the 3 hours we're drinking. Mint, creme de cassis, leather, herbs and light red fruits. Nice wine that need to be drink now.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Garnet core with brownish colour at the rim. On the nose, there was spice, earth/mushroom and a hint of red berries. It was medium bodied and somehow too acidic. Contrary to some critics, the tannin was totally resolved. However, the fruit was pretty much gone already. The finish was ok.
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Pre-Chinese New Year gathering with friends (Extra Space, Singapore): Strangely young coloured. Shades of garnet, but still rather healthily red on the rim. This wine had a really heady nose - a dense, thick concoction of damp leaf, wet earth, mushroom, leather, cedar, tobacco and rich, dark cassis tones - all weaved together with a slightly funky thread. Very integrated,very layered, almost pungent in its intensity. Not quite as power-packed on the palate though. Nice attack, which carried on from the nose, sappy and dense, with sweet cassis tones. It sort of peters out at the mid-palate unfortunately, fresh acid notwithstanding, the flavours ease off towards the dry, slightly shortish finish, leaving a sense of dry, woody tannins. Still, an enjoyable wine - quite a treat.
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Popped and poured. Cork was in great shape--nicely saturated and no signs of seepage. Color is ruby red tinged with a little brown that shows at the edge. A serious nose of tobacco, earth and sweet b.o. (sorry)--great combination. A cellar temp, tannins are still noticeable (which is a nice surprise). Some tongue grip and notes of pomegranate, cranberry, cedar and tobacco. Would pair nicely with a mild meat and roasted chicken. This is my first taste of this vintage and I don't think it was ever spectacular but it's drinking great now and should continue 2011.
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Soft and mellow,some tobacco,tar,oak,pencil lead and sous-bois on the nose and palate.Overall quite light bodied but elegant and drinking still well.Would not keep this for very long any more.Passing its peak.
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Level approx 15mm into the shoulder. Label stained with a couple of streaks of red. Cork soaked all the way through. Mid ruby to garnet at the rim. Nose initially a little musty, cellar-like/bottle stink rather than TCA. Decanted. Sample tasted quite thin and acidic. Started an hour or so later. Opened up beautifully. Slightly spicy blackcurrant nose with hints of cedar and tobacco. Has taken on weight and rounded out nicely. Lovely freshness, purity of fruit and a cool, mineral structure to it. Finished with fresh acidity in balance with the fruit and a slight sense of dry tannin. Very mineral. This is proper claret behaving as it should do. Really lovely. Improves over a couple of hours in the decanter. Hope the remaining bottles with higher levels are as good as this. ****
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Somewhat high toned on the nose and quite meaty. Quite precise and proper on the palate. There are lots of nicely integrated tannins but with decent fruit still. It has a nice elegance on attack, but is a touch hollow towards finish. Very firm blackberry fruit flavours accompany tannins on the finish.
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Amazing depth and longevity. This wine was still packing a punch and could have been held on to for a few more years. Just a tiny hint of "old" must to it. Lots of fruit on the finish, which was quite lengthy too. The nose was a little soft. WOTN. Number 2 was '90 Angelus.
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This is a wine I first drank in 1987 and was accused of infanticide. True, the tannins had not fully resolved then and in all honesty were still not in 2006. However it is a wonderful wine with power, richness, black fruits. subtle and complex. *****
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Opened and decanted one and a half hours before dinner. An explosion of spices earth and red fruits, meaty and muscular as always yet incredibly well integrated and elegant.
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3/2/2024 - Fatty Cat wrote: 91 Points
Early Mar 2024, Rheingau Gourmet Festival, rarity diner “25 vintages of Chateau Montrose”: according to the sommelier double decanted for up to 3 hours; deep crimson color; opulent bouquet of cassis and cherries; round, polished texture with a well integrated acidity.
Vintages of flight II:
1975 - 1986 - 1989 - 1990 - 1991 - 1994 - 1996
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1/14/2024 - paulst Likes this wine: 96 Points
Light blackberry; balanced; structured; long elegant finish.
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12/10/2023 - Marc C Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nez assez austère sur la fumée, le tabac, bois précieux et quelques notes de fruits noirs. C'est froid mais pas désagréable.
Bouche assez impressionnante pour un 75. Dense, avec un très joli toucher et une austérité versant du bon côté donnant de la classe et de la retenue à l'ensemble sans verser dans la schlague.
Très belle finale, très légèrement accrocheuse, avec des notes animales du plus bel effet !
Un des plus beaux 75 bus à ce jour, je dois avouer !
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12/8/2023 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cedar, tobacco and light blackberry; mature and elegant; earthy light fruit and cedar smooth finish.
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8/3/2023 - Stags Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bottle in perfect condition. The vintage is still strong and will last for several years to come. Evolved and layered black current fruit, cigar box, wet forest floor, plum, still firm but silky smooth tannins.
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1/23/2023 - vagrantone Likes this wine: 92 Points
It really hasn't changed that much over the last 6 years, which is quite remarkable.
Decanted for about 3 hours prior to serving.
top shoulder fill. Cork came out in one piece but no longer inspires confidence.
The hue was that of a 10-15 year old Medoc wine with little to no amber.
This wine, not surprisingly, needed several hours to open up. Between the character of the 75 vintage and the traditions of Montrose anything else would have been a surprise.
This will never be a truly round, inviting wine. It has softened enough to make for an excellent dinner wine, but it will probably always remain on the restrained side. That is not a problem in a World of wine where this almost never happens anymore.
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1/22/2023 - paintinginacave Likes this wine: 92 Points
Stood up for two weeks. Mid shoulder. Cork broke upon opening. Double decanted for sediment, which was very fine indeed. Drank three hours after opening. A medium ruby core fading to a medium garnet outer edge. Layered and nuanced aromas of dried, cracked vintage leather, shoe polish, a touch of wood smoke, dried lilacs, and a combination of both red and black currents adding some richness. Much of what went before on the nose can also be found on the palate only with the addition of a lightly charred element akin to burnt embers on the finish. A classic, harmonious, mature St Estèphe in an excellent place in its evolution with more than sufficient ability to age for years to come.
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1/22/2023 - Amberissey Likes this wine: 93 Points
On the nose, old leather, boot polish, dark flowers, fresh black currant, fresh blackberry, both at perfect levels of ripeness. Faint woodsmoke too with swirling. Big tannin on the palette, but swarmed by beautiful fresh, juicy black berries. A bit of creme de cassis as well, and also perhaps red currant as was suggested to me. Unbelievable how mouth-wateringly juicy and fresh it is.
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1/15/2023 - Verb wrote: 93 Points
medium red, orange rim - subdued nose of red plumbs - some subtle leather/graphite aromas but not a lot of complexity - mouthfilling young cabernet fruit - tannins resolved, high acidity - 10-15 sec finish - to me this is a typical old Montrose: not much complexity in the nose, but great fruit in the mouth and wonderful longevity - nicely complemented grilled lamb loin chops - can easily last another decade, or more - another example of a 75 that has outlasted the tannins and matured beautifully
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7/2/2022 - Wine Canuck wrote: 91 Points
An Epic Summer Wine Weekend; 7/1/2022-7/3/2022 (Muskoka, Ontario, Canada): This pours medium ruby in the glass with medium bricking. Impressive color considering the age. The nose features heavy mint/eupalyptus that really remains present over the course of drinking. Besides that, the profile I find to be fairly classical Bordeaux; blackberry, cassis, light tobacco, sweet cedar, graphite, red currants, and old leather. The palate enters on the red currants, showing medium acid and medium tannin, again a hallmark of the vintage, and on the finish turns to old leather and pencil shavings. I quite enjoyed this and was impressed by the freshness at this stage. Consumed blind, some tasters had this pegged as an old Australian Cabernet with its prominent mint/eucalyptus. Not all tasters enjoyed this as much as I did, having trouble finding much Bordeaux character here.
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5/28/2022 - mdahar wrote: 90 Points
A thin wine that never gained weight with air. Would have given a higher score if had been drinking with dinner. This wine is past but not dead
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4/14/2022 - sem106 wrote: flawed
Heavily corked
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3/7/2022 - jviz wrote: 93 Points
This bottle was reconditioned at the Château then sold about five years ago. This is my second bottle to try from the light and it seemed to show better than the previous example.
Brick red to the center of the glass, the nose exhibited red cranberry fruit, red currant and cedar shading. Quite a rustic wine with significantly more structure than the 82 PLL we tasted alongside. I do not see much upside for improvement but the wine is drinking very well today.
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1/22/2022 - HowardNZ Likes this wine: 91 Points
1966 – 2010 Château Montrose vertical (Regional Wines, Wellington, NZ): Served single blind, one pour. Varieties: CS 70% | M 15% | CF 10% | PV 5%. Garnet colour at the rim suggested the age of this wine. An attractive but subdued bouquet of red berries and cherries, cigar, dry earth, autumn leaves, old cedar and mushrooms. On palate, a leaner, evolved wine, showing classic secondary and tertiary Bordeaux nuances. Warm, tilled soil, tobacco leaf and old leather. The tannins now well integrated and resolved. The 1975 now though a little pinched and austere, with some tasters (not me) picking threshold TCA. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable old claret.
After the higher quality 1996 and before the weaker 1966, before the reveal, I wrote that the three wines in between – the 1986, 1976 and 1975 – were very much of a piece, at a similar quality level. Although the margins were small, I rated the 1975 the lowest of the first four wines tasted.
Rankings: Me 11/12 | GK 10/12 | CT 10/12.
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11/12/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Getting the gang together @ Wus (plus birthdays!) (Wu's Wonton King): The old man of the group and this is a wine that I think you have to really like old wine to get. It's prob a bit on the tired side but all secondary and tertiary and as I am one of those ppl who does like the really old ones I enjoyed it quite a bit.
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8/7/2021 - Gunakadeit Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really fresh, concentrated and vibrant. If I had to guess blind, I would have called this an early 90s wine. Pnped immaculate bottle with top fill. I had too many other wines to formulate proper notes, but this was in an excellent spot.
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6/16/2021 - vetty wrote: 91 Points
almost no primary aroma, all secondary and tertiary aroma. Intense flavor, but not that complex and deep.
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4/10/2021 - kevinpatrick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Aged Napa versus Aged Bordeaux at Cork Vault (Charlotte, NC): Slow-ox 30 minutes before drinking. Quite similar to the prior tasting 45 days ago but with slightly more vibrancy likely due to shorter wait prior to consumption. Beautifully fragrant nose with really delicious classic Bordeaux notes in every way (woodsy brown leaves burning in the distance with soft notes of cedar and forest floor). On the palate, there is a wonderful initial taste of earthy, red cherries that sadly disappears quickly. Thin but holding together better than the prior tasting the remnants of a great wine lurk beneath. We had cured meats with this and it enhanced the experience. We filtered a few pours into glasses which provided a cleaner taste of the fruits which still provided plenty of enjoyment despite its better days having passed likely 5+ years prior. An exceptional wine in its day, tonight it again spoke mainly of its once great past yet still garnered praise from all for the embers that remain.
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2/20/2021 - kevinpatrick Likes this wine: 90 Points
Slow-ox for one hour before drinking. Fragrant nose with really delicious classic Bordeaux notes in every way (woodsy brown leaves burning in the distance with soft notes of cedar and forest floor). On the palate, sadly, this wine is well passed its prime. Thin and watery the remnants of a great wine lurk beneath. There is enough going on you could nurse a fine experience out of the bottle if paired with cured or smoked meats. We brought out some prosciutto which drew flavor out of the wine providing a fuller experience. An exceptional wine in its day, tonight it spoke mainly of its once great past yet still garnered praise from all for the embers that remain.
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2/19/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Drinking very well. This is a go-to for me in the old Bordeauxs since it has a nice robustness to it and seems to keep a bit more of the red fruit side longer than some others. It's moving into the tertiary side, but very well balanced and good vigor. Enjoyed.
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12/15/2020 - grafstrb wrote: flawed
-- decanted immediately before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over one hour --
NOSE: mineral; slightly musty (TCA); little bit of smoky black licorice
BODY: light bodied; pretty good color for a 45 yo wine; mid-high shoulder fill; cork was soaked, and wanted to push in (last 1/2" cork broke off, but was successfully extracted)
TASTE: gentle purple fruits; some fine tannin; gentle Montrose smokiness; little something musty --- TCA or bottle funk; on its downslope; ... ultimately sold on this being slightly TCA-infected, which, apparently, has been a problem for others with this bottling, as well.
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10/14/2020 - rocknroller wrote: flawed
Blowing in the Wind (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): corked
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9/19/2020 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fine Wines SG - Grand Cru Discovery Pack (Delivered to Home): Medium garnet, with significant fading edges. Aromas of dried herbs, mushrooms, rolled cigar, red cherry, brambles, twigs. Some acids and mineral feel gives a good bright feel, and tannins rounded, with flavours of sour cherry, cloves, savoury charcuterie, and red flowers. Lengthy, complex lightly-smoked finish
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7/8/2020 - SWHighlander wrote: 88 Points
Thin, with acid and tannins now overshadowing the dissipated fruit. The bottle was not cellared for much of its life, and I think had seen a lot of heat. Still, it was better than '75 Haut Brion that had been similarly kept.
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5/30/2020 - Sundbyberg wrote: 93 Points
This is still very fresh. Needs an hour or so to really show its fruit, initially a bit dry.
My sixth vintage of this wine: 1975, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2013.
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4/18/2020 - guitarkim wrote: flawed
Corked. Big time. Pity.
But this bottle was bought at the Norwegian wine monopoly, which has a five-year guarantee. And since the bottle was bought four and a half year ago, it was easily returned with a full refund. Even without a receipt. Brilliant!
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1/19/2020 - LWI wrote: flawed
Some brett. Youngish looking, lots of fruit, some something was not right here -- beyond the brett.
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12/17/2019 - Grand Amateur Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose is impressive. Very slightly animal. Very fresh. Like a pine tree. Very nice in the mouth. Tannin's have subsided (at last). Not very long. But very elegant. Not too old at all.
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8/15/2019 - ducrufan wrote: 92 Points
intensiv nach Minze im Bouquet, Zedernholz, unverkennbar reifer Médoc. Am Gaumen überrascht er, da sind die typischen 75er Tannine, gepaart mit der Festigkeit eines Saint-Estephe, aber eben auch viel Extrakt und eine attraktive Reifesüße. Vor 20 Jahren hatte ich mal eine ähnlich gute Flasche 75 Montrose, alle dazwischen waren deutlich schwächer. Hält auch an der Luft gut durch, mach viel Spaß. Ach wären doch nur alle Flaschen dieses Weines so schön.
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8/3/2019 - Tom Myers Likes this wine: 92 Points
Thought it might be over the hill but amazingly still enjoyable but only after after a couple of hours of breathing in a decanter
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7/28/2019 - LB88 wrote: 92 Points
From magnum, smooth and well resolved balance. Just no fireworks and pipped by the 78 mouton tonight.
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7/7/2019 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 96 Points
I could not be happier, and credit to those tasters who 15-20 years ago felt this had a future. I am fortunate enough to have recently had Latour, Haut Brion and Mouton 75s, and this outclassed them all! Still an incredible dark purple/Ruby that had most guessing 90s bordeaux. The nose is classic mature bordeaux and right from pouring it was just wonderful. Lots of fruit remains and this is in no way hard or dry like many other 75s. What a wine. Shared by myself to celebrate E's birthday at Kingyu.
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5/14/2019 - DaleW wrote:
Pretty good showing, red plums with leather and distinct ferric notes, some leather. Structured but not hard like some ‘75 Medocs. B
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5/8/2019 - wprev Likes this wine: 95 Points
Michael Broadbent was right to predit in 2002 that this wine 'has a future'. After 44 years it still has all the power, the fruit and the spice of before. The tannins are totally silky. A perfect day for my guests and myself
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3/28/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
WTDS at Spoon (Spoon & Stable, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color, no bricking. PNP, drank a glass over 90 minutes. This is a very structured Montrose. Leather, cigar, and earth with dark fruits on the nose. The palate has a more austere character at first, dark fruits, tart blackcherry, cassis, crushed rocks, iron, and cigar with firm tannins. This softened noticeably after about an hour in glass. Probably will never be a wine of finesse but I think decanting will make a significant difference here. 91 to start, 91+ to 92pts after an hour plus.
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1/22/2019 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 93 Points
At a restaurant in Paris, no decant. The bottle looked pristine, as did the cork. Sure enough, the wine was amazingly energetic and compact after nearly 45 years. More mineral than fruit driven. Dominant notes of iron, iodine and dried black cherry. Some VA. Fine grained tannins. A touch astringent on the finish.
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1/5/2019 - sfinestone Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well cellared for most of its life, this my first one consumed and it did not disappoint. Deep ruby color with fruit remaining. Decanted the wine and it continued to improve over the one and a half hours. By the end I thought this 40 year old still has plenty of time.
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10/24/2018 - Alex Choi Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still ruby with pale orange edge, nice but not strong note of red fruits, earth. Good attack, red berries, hint of tobacco. Medium and mellow tannins. Nice acidic which can fool you the real age of this 1975. Medium finish. Did not decant but it develops very well over an hour. Amazing and enjoyable!
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9/2/2018 - Verb Likes this wine:
dark red with brick/orange rim - beautiful mature Montrose nose with red cherries, gravel and tobacco - tight lean mouth, but enough sweet fruit to provide a full mouth - tannins mostly resolved, but relatively high acidity - medium long finish - a great mature Bordeaux that shows how good the 75s can be with enough time to drop out the heavy tannins - tasted alongside the 96 Montrose to compare a mature Montrose with an adolescent Montrose - the similarities were obvious, but the 75 showed how much more complexity the 96 is capable of - would drink the 75 now and 96 in 5-10 years
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6/5/2018 - Dvogt wrote: 95 Points
Lovely red and powerful black fruit, cassis, black olive, gravel, cigar box, leather, and a very dry finish. No bricking on this high fill bottle. Showing better now than before?
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4/20/2018 - DrZett wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful leather and tobacco notes in the nose, ripe dark and red berries on the palate. Still some power and nice fruit left. Very smooth tannins and a medium long finish. Nice one.
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4/8/2018 - mimik Likes this wine: 90 Points
Colour is magenta. Nose is very nice with aged tobacco notes and some pencil shavings. The palate needed about an hour in the decanter before showing some black currant and Ceylon spice and some cloves. Finish is short. Nose more prominent than the palate. Drink up.
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2/12/2018 - Verb Likes this wine: 93 Points
dark red with brick/orange rim - beautiful mature Montrose nose with red cherries, gravel and tobacco - tight lean mouth, but enough sweet fruit to provide a full mouth - tannins resolved, but relatively high acidity - medium long finish - a great mature Bordeaux that shows how good the 75s can be with enough time to drop out the heavy tannins
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1/25/2018 - chablis28 wrote: 90 Points
Pizza night at R&Rler / Kevin's and Same Btl I think R&Rler sums this one up quite well.
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1/25/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Pizza Night with Aged Classic Reds Ten Plus Years Old (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Very dark red color, good fill, good cork with 1/4 saturation. Splash decant. Drank 1 glass over 2 hours. This was rather brooding and very much mineral driven from the start with iron, iodine and a gravelly character. It took a good 15 minutes to really offer much else and gradually showed dried dark fruits, tobacco leaf, gravelly, soil and dense minerals with some fairly fine to medium grained tannins. This was more of an aged, rustic wine that I still found a great deal of pleasure in. 90+ to 91pts.
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1/1/2018 - Fred_Bo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great wine with almost Burgundy like finesse.
A whole lot of eucalyptus/menthol and creme de cassis in this bottle. Not so heavy on the meat but great tertiary notes.
Should be enjoyed over the next 5 years.
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11/15/2017 - spacewrangler wrote: 92 Points
Lowest fill of the 6 bottle lot won at auction and I'm hoping the better fills are as good or better than this pleasant surprise. Cork extracted with the Durand, the perfume on this wine is stunning for a 42 year old wine. Cigar box, sandalwood, savory meats and almost a floral component are present. Medium bodied palate, and the first small pour is still youthful with some tannin unresolved. Will revisit after it gets a little air in the bottle.
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11/10/2017 - vinhslee wrote: 92 Points
Bottle in pristine condition. Mid-neck fill level.
The flavours are rather nice and mature when PnP. Blackcurrant, minerality, leather, cedar, pencil lead etc. Quite focussed and has considerable depth. Good acidity level.
But flavours deteriorate in the next hour. It's pretty dead in the 2nd and 3rd hour in the decanter.
Perhaps no decanting is required for this lovely wine.
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11/5/2017 - Fred_Bo Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose was just delicious, savoring flirtatious.
Great notes of damp forest floor in Autumn. Hints of salted meat, raspberry and black currant. Not so much green as you usually get in Montrose but none-the-less very delicious wine. Reach full maturity and should be enjoyed over the next couple of years.
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10/14/2017 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
Fresh, beautiful, dynamic nose. Very Montrosian - the typical wall of blackberry with leather, cedar, mineral, and beef blood top notes. Lean on the palate, but what else did you expect from a 75? Nice finish. A nice classic. From a bottle that still had a fill half way up the neck, so I'd suspect that less pristinely kept bottles are in decline. 93-4
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5/14/2017 - vagrantone Likes this wine: 92 Points
Difficult wine to evaluate...
Picked worst fill level of remaining 10 bottles, which was mid-shoulder with signs of seepage. The cork came out, not without a challenge, in two pieces fully saturated.
After a quick evaluation, to eliminate cork taint and assess tannins, the wine was decanted.
The color is extremely impressive for a 42 year old Medoc wine; displaying a color more typical of a 10-15 year old wine with mostly ruby and hardly any amber around the edge.
Early on, the fairly closed nose confirmed the need for early decanting. This was later confirmed by the impressive tannin structure. While this is an unsettling statement to make after 42 years, I'm still not sure whether the tannins will eventually soften to reveal a sufficient level of ripeness and aromatic intensity. A strongly Cabernet Sauvignon dominated profile from the controversial 1975 vintage is evident: inky, graphite, early hint of cigar box, cassis, no significant herbaceousness.
On palate, the acidity is present but not out of balance. The tannins still dominate the palate to the point of leaving significant doubt as to the final status of this wine. I hope to evaluate this wine for another 20-30 years....
Tasted again after about 70 hours after decanting. Remarkably, the tannins had softened and the aromas had persisted. Might there be light at the end of the tunnel?
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3/26/2017 - assofisso wrote:
Last wine at the Decanter Masterclass. Didn't really write down notes, just enjoyed a very nice, well developed glass of wine!
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3/25/2017 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Tasted after the 1982. Another bottle in great condition. Impressively dark core still. On the nose quite evolved - a little tired, but there is still some fruit, herbal notes, lovage, earth, spices, mushrooms. On the palate still decent fruit, good and well integrated acidity, soft, mellow, good length. A real treat! Drink up. 93-95
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3/25/2017 - Livonietisr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Much better than I expected.
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3/16/2017 - wineordeath wrote: 87 Points
This bottle was ex-chateau and had been recorded by the chateau. Over the hill. Very soft but with little fruit or interesting secondary flavors.
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12/6/2016 - rocknroller wrote: flawed
Mixed WTDS at The Kenwood (The Kenwood, Mpls, MN): Corked. Opened this an hour beforehand to filter off the very heavy sediment. This bottle had a saturated cork and low to mid shoulder fill. On opening and after filtering I did not detect any cork taint, and in fact it had a very promising mature Bordeaux nose and palate. I placed a different cork back in the bottle not wanting this to get any more air than it had. It sat open on the table at dinner for about an hour before being poured. With the additional air exposure the cork taint was immediately obvious upon pouring. Very, very disappointing and equally frustrating that it was not apparent at the outset.
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9/13/2015 - AllRed wrote: 87 Points
Second Sunday Group: 1975 Bordeaux (Augie's): opens with aromas of cherries and red berry fruit, with a pretty floral quality too. plum and herbal qualities on the palate with a nice herbal undertone. Develops distracting bouillon qualities on the nose and palate as it sits.
My #6, Domino's #2
Group #2, 41 points
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8/31/2015 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Fresh and elegant with its earthy, savoury personality. Only mid-weight but complex and possessing a lively, crunchy fruit profile. Quite delicious and youthful.
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8/1/2015 - chabth wrote:
Incredible wine....
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7/12/2015 - MC wrote:
Double decanted 3 hours prior to serving. This was very good, but was outclassed by the 75 Pichon Lalande. It is a sold '75, with a bit more structure than most, but was paired with a more elegant and complete wine in my view. Would have been given better press if not for the competition. A-
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7/12/2015 - Barry Rothof wrote: 92 Points
& samhoud|places (Amsterdam): A replacement for the RSV. This is a mature, complex and balanced wine with black fruit, leather and tobacco flavors. Rich, with outstanding concentration, capable of lasting at least another decade or more.
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7/3/2015 - Burgaddict wrote:
Leiden visits Amsterdam Burgundy lunch: Lovely mature Bordeaux with beautiful secondary flavours. Great balance.
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5/23/2015 - wprev Likes this wine: 91 Points
perfectly well kept, with all the Original power, can still wait for ten years
with Marc and Thérèse
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5/14/2015 - dchain Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bottle from the chateau and was recorded in 2014. Wow this is still so young. Looks like a wine from the 80s. Nose of old vine and grapes gives it away as an older wine but it is still a beautiful ruby with a faint clear rim on the edge. Lovely old Bordeaux wine flavours and a real treat from Herve. Many thanks to the chateau for coming to see us I. HK!
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5/10/2015 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 93 Points
The 1975 Montrose is a lovely vintage for this estate, not far off the level of the 1970. A bright, red-fruity bouquet is still youthful, complemented by some lovely gravelly soil tones and cigar box notes. On the palate, the wine leads with bright acids and noticeable tannic structure, but there is also a great deal of flavor here, and the wine's acidity gives it a focus and detail that can be smudged off in vintages which display more sur maturité. I'm looking forward to revisiting this after a few hours in a decanter.
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5/3/2015 - LWI wrote: 92 Points
31 Vintages of Château Montrose: 1928-2010; 5/2/2015-5/3/2015: Tobacco, leather, cigar box, good complexity; in the mouth it has a sweet core of fruit beneath trying tannins, actually enough fruit to be optimistic about the future. God knows for how long.
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3/14/2015 - conviction buy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Matured light garnet, lovely nose of dried leaves, tea leaves. Good acidity and more cassis in mouth, popped and poured, no need for decanting as other wine lovers suggested.
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3/7/2015 - etyc wrote:
1st Vivino Int'l chapter in Singapore (Sat. evening/night), Part-2 (Park Regis restaurant): This was so well-kept, with very good fill level. Another pristine bottle! After the GL which was to me flamboyant, this came across as being (too) serious and broody. Nosed mainly of ink, pencil-lead/graphite, the palate was a tad backwards and somewhat rustic (but loosened up a bit after a while and some swirling in the glass) with some meat notes. This is a wine that will probably hold, but I'm not sure if it still had sufficient fruit to improve/evolve furthur. Again, a very nice drink for what it was!
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2/28/2015 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Enjoyable
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1/29/2015 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
Joel's Birthday Party (The Palace, Mission, SF): Decanted 24 hours. Red fruit nose with cherries, strawberry; palate is full bodied, slightly drying, integrated tannins, but overall still has a lot of fruit present; medium juicy finish. Very nice. 92
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1/17/2015 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 92 Points
40th Birthday Party (Home (Singapore)): Medium, ruby appearance. Much bigger and broodier nose than the 82 Branaire Ducru tasted side by side. Nose of herbs, tar, dark fruit – quite funky. Strong fruit up front with dark flavour profile. There are enough hints of magic in here to make it thoroughly enjoyable but no doubting they are concealed by a wall of tannin. I don’t think that will resolve. Medium, leathery finish. Decanted for 2 hours.
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12/20/2014 - Parnakuti wrote:
Fabulous for a so so year in bordeaux . A lot of life, smooth tannins, spice and cassis, leather. Long finish
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11/28/2014 - Fatty Cat wrote: 92 Points
Charolais steak dinner late Nov 2014: 1 h decanted; clear rubin color; nose with red currant and cherry smells; fresh strawberries in the mouth; light/medium body; short finish.
Reminded me of a 1975 Latour. Not a great bottle, but a decent one and a piece of contemporary wine history.
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11/1/2014 - acyso wrote: flawed
HDH Bordeaux Auction; 10/31/2014-11/1/2014 (Chicago, IL): Dead.
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11/1/2014 - tooch wrote: flawed
HDH Auction (Tru - Chicago, IL): all stewed fruit.
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10/17/2014 - SimonG wrote: flawed
A Ledbury lunch: Corked
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10/12/2014 - meqoubal36 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Même avis. Excellent vin pleinement mûr et opulent. A boire.
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10/9/2014 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 93 Points
En riktigt bra klassisk Bordeaux som upplevs som väldigt frisk och fräsch. Skulle aldrig gissat att den hade denna ålder.
Har allt det klassiska i form av fin frukt, läder, stall, cigarrlåda och en väldigt fin balans med fräsch ren syra och tanniner som fortfarande är närvarande.
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7/4/2014 - WMWG Likes this wine:
Slow-ox'd for 8 hours; the body gained presence at around 6 hours, before that a bit thin. Deep crimson with a trace of orange around the rim. Big nose of black and red fruit, rose petals, earth and a distinguishing spiciness that I notice in Montrose. Initially there were some bretty features that quickly blew off. The palate shows concentrated brambly red fruits, roses, earth, hints of tobacco and cedar and spice. This was still very fresh and had a nice acidity to remain taught. There is still a mild trace of grippy tannins and the finish has a touch of astringency to it, but otherwise resembles the nose and palate. Likely will not improve but certainly has plenty of life left.
Excellent - Drink or hold
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6/21/2014 - Lord Rayas wrote: 90 Points
Dinner with Julian/Ada, Spencer/Sabrina, Bryant/Noelle, Simon/Sandy (Aberdeen Street Social): from magnum. needs drinking up. fades rather quickly in glass so need to drink fast too!
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1/18/2014 - MC wrote:
Just above base neck, and so the best fill level of my bottles (and the last from this lot). There has been bottle variation - usually associated with the fill levels - and this one was very good. Dark color for its age, tannin still showing, and never going to have the fruit you wish for. But, solid and good with food - and improved a bit with air. A-
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1/11/2014 - Philippe_C wrote: 92 Points
Nice nose of cigar box, leather, lead pencil and black fruit... still lots of black fruit and loads of ripe tannins... nice aged clared!
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12/26/2013 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine: 91 Points
Boxing Day Aged Bordeaux Dinner at Mi Casa (Seattle, WA): Still full of life. Remarkable as this was even a bit backwards with the first few sips. Took it's time to come around after about 2 hours in bottle. Fairly taut and lean with dried cherries and wet cedar bouquet. Lean to mid-weight - gained a bit of weight with air. Love the acidity in this - flavorful and long. A treat but I would say no rush.
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12/25/2013 - MissHighwater Likes this wine: 92 Points
A wine still very much in its prime. Red fruit cedar tannin all in harmony as a classic claret should be.
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12/21/2013 - meqoubal36 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tanins bien fondus, cèdre, fruits noirs, chocolat, tabac, cuir, rubis prononcé, gras, jeunesse, soyeux, corsé, d'une impressionnante présence en bouche une fois aéré longuement, d'une tonalité qui lui est propre et reflète son terroir. Excellent.
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10/17/2013 - wprev Likes this wine: 93 Points
perfect age, still in full shape and power,soft tanins, can still wait
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5/26/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 92 Points
龍哥 dinner (潮庭): popped and poured from magnum. healthy colour with vibrant notes of earth, smoke and tar. good structure.
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5/20/2013 - StefanAkiko wrote: 93 Points
WOAH! Mature colors, brick brim with first step taken towards browning. Cork completely soaked with deposits on top. On the nose, this is grande with red fruits, brett, sumi ink and dill-hints. Per os happy acids, M- tannin in a fantastic structure loaded with red berries, sumi ink and a plethora of mature and refined aromas. Substantially complex wine. Would be a DREAM to have this wine accompany a great French 7 course dinner. It is still walking up the hill and should be expected to deliver its goods for many more years.
Tasted at Riedel Bar, Sogo Enoteca (Yokohama). Wife: 91
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5/17/2013 - Cinsault86 wrote: 94 Points
ungdommelig nese, skogsbær, sutikk og jordlig, i munnen et strålende munngrep, ekstremt flott og intens syre som er helt gripende, fortsatt en flott og overaskende primær mørk frukt som holder balansen, medium + tanniner som er svært delikate selv om gripende. Strålende vin. Rustikk og kraftig. 95p. Mørk ristet kaffe, trevirke, strålende elegant nese, strukturert, tight, 94p. Ikke fruktdreven, men frukten som er her er svært sunn og bra 94p.
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4/21/2013 - prof b wrote: 92 Points
bottom neck fill. the cork was soaked about half way up and crumbled during removal. the wine itself opened up over two hours as others have stated. i recall earth, tobacco, tar, and a faint aroma of mint.
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4/18/2013 - Wine Trader wrote: 85 Points
I've had this wine twice now. My first experience was good, this time not great. Bottle was in excellent condition from an OWC parcel, fill in the neck. Bottle was opened by a sommelier and decanted for about 30 minutes. Lean and weak, strong iodine flavor and more acid than fruit. Leveled out after about and hour and became a wine that drank easy, but not flattering. Whatever might have been interesting about this wine is mostly dead.
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4/14/2013 - wprev Likes this wine: 93 Points
a survivor ; adorable tast; soft tanine, power
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4/13/2013 - wprev Likes this wine: 92 Points
still perfect after 38 years, a survivor, power and tasteful in all ways
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4/7/2013 - stinkycook Likes this wine:
This bottle showed very well. Served blind to a table who own 75's. Consensus was a much younger wine, perhaps mid to late 90's. Took 20 min to really open up.
Cheese course wine to replace a corked rhone. Pleasant surprise.
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3/22/2013 - Grand Amateur Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well stored bottle. Upper shoulder. Decanted just before drinking.
Served in the Riedel Bordeaux Sommelier glass (75cl). At first, lots of cedar in the nose but not much fruit on the palate. Then the nose gets less impressive but the -nice- fruit appears in the mouth. When pouring a new glass from the -not large- decanter, the cedar is back and after a while, the fruit is back, while the cedar recesses. A unique behaviour! I will wait a few years before opening the last one, but I am not sure it will improve. Quite nice with lamb anyway.
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2/10/2013 - Davyd Chong Likes this wine: 94 Points
It had the classic bordeaux vintage aroma and taste, with moderate amounts of black and red fruit, lots of oak, a hint of raisins, orange, and a bit of game/meaty taste, and very slight tannins. Medium bodied, and colour was brick red. I had this wine with seafood, and my family enjoyed it. I decanted it for about an hour before consuming it, but concluded that it tasted best after 2 hours of decanting.
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12/29/2012 - MC wrote:
Pleasant, and good with food, but didn't show as well as our last bottle. Fading. B+
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12/10/2012 - Paul D wrote:
Iron, earth, austere on the palate, but not thin, with some attractive red-toned fruit, firm medium length finish. Interesting, classic, better with food. Good/very good.
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11/18/2012 - Bhuygen wrote: 94 Points
This wine was real nice!, dark color with a smal orange rim. the nose is open but not modest in intensity. there are notes of ripened fruit (mainly dark) some pencil shavings some oak and the smell of a fully ripened wine i cannot define in another way. the tasting of this wine was sweet (it had some sweetness) lots of tannins still there, good structure full, asrtingend and still quite a lot of fruit there. the fruit can just barely cope the tannins but overall it is a good wine that still can age a few years.
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10/28/2012 - PJRONeill wrote: 89 Points
Last of the six bought from the cellar at Lake Placid Lodge via Christies Auction in 2011. Robust medium minus purple color with garnet rim, strawberry, leather and earth on the nose. Very pleasing sweetness on the palate with good acidity and tannins that are still not quite resolved, however not particularly pronounced in length or in finish. This is elegant rather than powerful, as my other bottles have been, and is very rewarding in a subtle kind of way.
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7/2/2012 - mbwineguy wrote: 90 Points
I have been working through 2 cases of this wine bought at auction 18 months ago and not a single bottle has disappointed. Most, if not all, of the bottles have ts fills. Not a blockbuster by any stretch of the imagination, but a solid performer. Nose of cedar and forest floor. Tannins are completely integrated and there is a vibrant, and refreshing sweetness on the front of the palate. If you can find it under $100 go for it.
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2/11/2012 - theusualsuspect wrote: 93 Points
Extremely well stored since 1986, and well stored before that. Near perfect fill. After 37 years has come fully good. Not a hint of tannin - cassis, bit of cedar box, excellent length. Perfect match for a filet mignon, and that is what we had it with. Infinite patience rewarded is the story of this bottle.
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2/3/2012 - ginfizz wrote: 86 Points
Dry, hard, leaves, bit of fruit. Not the best of condition.
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12/8/2011 - salil wrote: 88 Points
Pretty hard and austere. Restrained mature red fruits, developed cedary and leathery notes, but there's not much richness to the fruit, powerful acidity and while it's a solid old Bordeaux and works nicely with the beef short ribs, it's not particularly pleasurable.
EDIT: Surprisingly leftovers don't just hold up, but get a little better the next day, coming across less austere and better balanced. Nice.
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10/30/2011 - MC wrote:
Top shoulder fill. This was nice right out of the bottle. Classic nose, with maybe a bit more ripe fruit than I expected. A bit missing in the mid-palate, but very good. Still some tannin on the finish. The fruit faded after about 30 minutes, and the tannin a bit more pronounced on the finish. It stored well and a solid bottle - this can be very good right now. A-
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10/23/2011 - PJRONeill wrote: 89 Points
Faster out of the traps than the bottle I had in April, this was approachable right away. Pencil and some mild spice and plums on the nose. Tannic as ever on the palate, the fruit was reasonably up-front right away, surprisingly so. It does fade a bit quicker than I'd prefer though and as with April's bottle, there's nothing particularly profound here, but its eminently likable.
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10/18/2011 - SimonG wrote:
A bite with Barquin (28-50, London): very smooth, mellow, sweet fruited nose. A touch of fat and lots of complexity. A little more austere and classical on the palate. Nicely mineral. A touch of graphite and something slightly earthy. Fragrant, a touch lactic, a sense of the fireside at Christmas. Complex, long, lovely. ****1/2
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10/6/2011 - Aenie wrote: 92 Points
still ok colour is purple ,nose is cassis, wood, stone, berry ,little strawberry ,leather , in mouth is little tannin high acid little fruit
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10/3/2011 - Gavin Hastin Likes this wine: 89 Points
The color was what I like from old Bordeaux. A bit "orangé" as french say. I really appreciated it while it is not the best year I've tasted.
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7/7/2011 - MC wrote:
Top shoulder fill. Dark color for its age. Solid start out of the bottle, showing a very good nose of classic Bordeaux but on the rustic side. But with time the nose faded a bit, and although the wine was good on the palate - never great. But not bad at all vs/ expectations, and good with food. B+
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4/25/2011 - Atreyu wrote: 80 Points
lacking fruit
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4/24/2011 - PJRONeill wrote: 90 Points
Opened 90 minutes before drinking, and decanted after an hour. Fantastic garnet colour, light ruby at the edge, with very little sediment, to my surprise. Great lower neck fill, but some worrying vegetal notes on first tasting. The decant worked wonders, though and as we drank it with pork chops it had settled down into comfortable middle age, showing graceful notes of plums, cedar and leather on the nose. Not a blockbuster on the palate but nice hints of molasses and red fruit offset by the slight sharpness of the vintage. I liked this very much, as much for its defying of my initial poor expectations as anything else, but its a very decent wine in its own right.
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3/11/2011 - Corgi wrote:
Masculine nose of wet bamboo and earth along with a strong elements of minerality. Enjoyed.
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1/20/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Ruby tea colored with an earthy, Asian spice, smoke, tobacco and cassis filled nose. Old school in style, this foursquare wine is on the firm and austere side of the style meter. It ends in a cassis and cranberry finish. This wine was better in the nose than than on the palate.
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1/13/2011 - mike l. wrote: 94 Points
picked up at wine house in SF was about 150$ US after shipping and tax. wasnt really expecting much just thought it'd be fun to taste such an old bottle. as i was drinking my last sip i had selfishly wished we hadnt had to divide it up with 7 other diners. (we enjoyed this at providence in LA, full notes on http://www.wineweirdos.com). anyway i loved the balance, the amazing fact this wine still seemed young in the glass (seemed like it could go another 20+ years), there was tons of bright ripe fruit amongst the mud and leather and pencil lead, in fact the fruit was still the dominant thing. thinking about getting another bottle.
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1/8/2011 - christophee wrote: 92 Points
Ruby and violet with medium/lite viscosity in the glass. Dark fruit, mushroom, game, earth, currant and hints of graphite on the nose. Round red fruit, game, earth and cedar on the palate with secondary tobacco. A balanced mouthful with a tight, sturdy structure, but lacking power in body. Medium/long finish brought in more svelte spice. First impression was that this wine was showing young, though after it opened up it became more apparent it wouldn't have much more to offer. Very grateful to have enjoyed this old world treat.
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10/13/2010 - Regina wrote: 90 Points
Tasted with the Montrose '94. Dark ruby - a tone lighter than the younger wine, but still profoundly coloured, with minimal clearing at the rim. A more advanced maturity on the nose with eucalyptus and black fruits. (Blind, I would have guessed this was an '86 - and that I was drinking it in the early 90s.)
Enormously dense in the mouth with a scaffolding of rich tannin surrounded by an old-style, masculine, earth-and-leather architecture. A virtually immortal antidote to modern claret.
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9/3/2010 - onaip01 wrote: 88 Points
Well, it´s true, the 1975 Montrose has an almost frightening level of tannins. Apart from that, the wine is so unbelievably closed, it doesn´t let out anything! I decanted it for 24(!) hours and then some very fragile aromas of casis and dark chocolate emerged. This is a traditionally made, uncompromising wine, that represents the character of the vintage. Power and depth, it´s all there, but the massive tannins make this wine nearly undrinkable. Will it stay like this forever? Personally, I will try a bottle in 2030, because a miracle is possible, but of course, that´s no sure thing. 88+ points, drink 2030-2075???
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2/14/2010 - BailliSacks wrote:
For a period -- about 30 minutes after opening to about 2 hours -- this was really nice. Quite intact, balanced, structured and with good fruit yet. Very dark in color and aroma and flavor. By about 2.5 hours after opening, this was beginning to dry out and become slightly harsh.
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1/11/2010 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
"You always get what you pay for" doesn't apply to this bottle. $83 delivered from Chambers. I didn't have much trust in 1975 at under $100, but having two different wines from the vintage which came from the same source, I have to re-evaluate my skepticism and load the truck the next time those bottles come available. Fully mature, dark no see through color, mid-palate solid as a rock, long finish. Outstanding!
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10/15/2009 - joshbryer wrote:
From memory... Definitely fading. Fruit was there but obviously on the downslide, tannins are resolved. Some classic old bordeaux aromatics, but muted. Air only helped a little, then this started to fade in the glass. Maybe this was not the best example but if I had to base my decision on this one, I'd drink up.
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6/27/2009 - loverboy wrote: 88 Points
with a little dust on top of the cork when unfoiled. I think the wine has passed its prime at the beginning with showing almost nothing except clean mineral. The wine starts catch up with air and gets better and better during the 3 hours we're drinking. Mint, creme de cassis, leather, herbs and light red fruits. Nice wine that need to be drink now.
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6/25/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Garnet core with brownish colour at the rim. On the nose, there was spice, earth/mushroom and a hint of red berries. It was medium bodied and somehow too acidic. Contrary to some critics, the tannin was totally resolved. However, the fruit was pretty much gone already. The finish was ok.
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4/13/2009 - Michaels wrote:
It took a while for the wine to open up but had strong deep coplor and heavy fruity flavor- dark cherry mostly.
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1/24/2009 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Pre-Chinese New Year gathering with friends (Extra Space, Singapore): Strangely young coloured. Shades of garnet, but still rather healthily red on the rim. This wine had a really heady nose - a dense, thick concoction of damp leaf, wet earth, mushroom, leather, cedar, tobacco and rich, dark cassis tones - all weaved together with a slightly funky thread. Very integrated,very layered, almost pungent in its intensity. Not quite as power-packed on the palate though. Nice attack, which carried on from the nose, sappy and dense, with sweet cassis tones. It sort of peters out at the mid-palate unfortunately, fresh acid notwithstanding, the flavours ease off towards the dry, slightly shortish finish, leaving a sense of dry, woody tannins. Still, an enjoyable wine - quite a treat.
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1/16/2009 - plitton wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Cork was in great shape--nicely saturated and no signs of seepage. Color is ruby red tinged with a little brown that shows at the edge. A serious nose of tobacco, earth and sweet b.o. (sorry)--great combination. A cellar temp, tannins are still noticeable (which is a nice surprise). Some tongue grip and notes of pomegranate, cranberry, cedar and tobacco. Would pair nicely with a mild meat and roasted chicken. This is my first taste of this vintage and I don't think it was ever spectacular but it's drinking great now and should continue 2011.
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11/1/2008 - Henman wrote: 91 Points
Soft and mellow,some tobacco,tar,oak,pencil lead and sous-bois on the nose and palate.Overall quite light bodied but elegant and drinking still well.Would not keep this for very long any more.Passing its peak.
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9/12/2008 - Paul D wrote:
UK Wine Pages - Chateau Montrose Vertical (Le Colombier, Kensington, London.): Nice nose, earthy, slightly tobacoey, spicy and slight hint of stalk but also some underlying sweet red fruit. Fresh on the palate, with fine tannins and some sweet fruit on the good length finish. Like this. ***1/2
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7/3/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Level approx 15mm into the shoulder. Label stained with a couple of streaks of red. Cork soaked all the way through. Mid ruby to garnet at the rim. Nose initially a little musty, cellar-like/bottle stink rather than TCA. Decanted. Sample tasted quite thin and acidic. Started an hour or so later. Opened up beautifully. Slightly spicy blackcurrant nose with hints of cedar and tobacco. Has taken on weight and rounded out nicely. Lovely freshness, purity of fruit and a cool, mineral structure to it. Finished with fresh acidity in balance with the fruit and a slight sense of dry tannin. Very mineral. This is proper claret behaving as it should do. Really lovely. Improves over a couple of hours in the decanter. Hope the remaining bottles with higher levels are as good as this. ****
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10/21/2006 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 92 Points
Somewhat high toned on the nose and quite meaty. Quite precise and proper on the palate. There are lots of nicely integrated tannins but with decent fruit still. It has a nice elegance on attack, but is a touch hollow towards finish. Very firm blackberry fruit flavours accompany tannins on the finish.
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9/2/2006 - jarvisdrinker wrote: 94 Points
Amazing depth and longevity. This wine was still packing a punch and could have been held on to for a few more years. Just a tiny hint of "old" must to it. Lots of fruit on the finish, which was quite lengthy too. The nose was a little soft. WOTN. Number 2 was '90 Angelus.
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7/15/2006 - baxter67 Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is a wine I first drank in 1987 and was accused of infanticide. True, the tannins had not fully resolved then and in all honesty were still not in 2006. However it is a wonderful wine with power, richness, black fruits. subtle and complex. *****
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5/28/2001 - chevalblanc1959 wrote: 93 Points
Opened and decanted one and a half hours before dinner. An explosion of spices earth and red fruits, meaty and muscular as always yet incredibly well integrated and elegant.
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7/25/1999 - chevalblanc1959 wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful deep ruby red, huge nose, tobacco and cassis, a mouthful, very very long, a classic long distance runner, an old style claret which I adore.
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12/13/1997 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Aged top Bordeaux with my local tasting club (@ My place): Still holding back. Firm tannin and acidity. Also juicy cassis and paprika. Not really elegant and friendly, but certainly complex.
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