My second bottle in the past couple weeks, this certainly showed better than its humble pedigree. Still has a lot of structure and tannin to go with the cassis and blackberry fruit, with pretty savory cedar notes on the nose.
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Pleasant surprise again for those who appreciate mature claret. Though certainly approaching the end of its maturity platform, this wine is still standing upright and well stored bottles will continue do so for at least 5 more years. Classical mature Bordeaux with secondary and tertiary notes of iron, iodine, wet forest, meat, leather and the likes. Soft tannins, licorice, laurel and dark fruits. Unexpectedly complex and layered for its pedigree, though finish is shortish. Excellent QPR. No reason whatsoever not to drink now!
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complex, gentle and refined Margaux nose, violets, palate with lovely laid-back fruit, the smoothness of age, still with restrained power and sufficient tannin for balance, excellent wine still at its peak / plateau
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level uppermost shoulder to neck, still very good colour with only slight brown in rim, wine really comes up after 1-1.5 hours in decanter, lovely classic Margaux nose, still with lots of restrained, fine, complex fruit, vanilla and licorice hints, palate rich, classy, excellent balance, covers whole palate, good depth and fine persistence and aftertaste, lovely aged Bordeaux at its peak and showing no sign of decline any time soon - but then why wait?
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lovely complex Margaux nose, still with remarkably lively fruit, hints of violets, palate now beautifully smooth but with depth and fine concentration of complex fruit, at its peak and has been for some time but will hold at this plateau for many years because the balance is near perfect, very fine, great QPR
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colour with only slight brown tinge, remarkable for age, complex, laid-back nose, very smooth and quite soft on the palate, excellent balance and clean persistent finish, still very much alive, no point in keeping longer though
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Concentrated with massive structure. Dense red fruit with raspberry and gooseberry. Lead pencil, rose bush, leather and cedar. Rich long robust finish that just fills the pallet with fine grained grippe tannin Incredible wine showing its age and youthful exuberance at the same time. No rush. Drink now-2020.
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lovely warm rich complex fruit nose, still very fresh, smooth well balanced palate that coats from front to back, complete, warm rich fruit still with good acidity and refined subdued tannin at the finish, long persistent aftertaste, excellent warm wine at its peak, with the smoothness and complexity of age
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marked brown tinge to colour reflecting age, lovely, classy, elegant and fine nose, real intensity of complex warm fruit, palate has great depth, clearly from Margaux rather than further north, warm fruit but markedly dry at the finish, perfect food wine, thoroughly enjoyed as were the previous bottles
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smooth, refined, elegant, delicious. the best margaux i have had. I normally do not care for margaux, but this was a special experience. the cork crumbled and fell into the bottle, and we had to strain the wine through a filter but no harm was done. this is available at $40 online and that is a bargain indeed, if in this condition. I expected it to be an exorbitantly priced wine. Of course a few places are asking over $175, which is too much. I agree it is completely time to drink this wine, and would not wait any longer at all. We drank it with pasta and meat loaf, and it paired excellently.
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long perfect cork, good level; lovely intense nose; elegant, classic Margaux palate, with enveloping sweet tannins at the end to give a fine, persistent finish; quite amazing quality for a Cru Bougeois, chapeau to the winemaking team, perfect drinking now so why wait longer, looking forward to the rest of the case
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level uppermost shoulder, cork broke, good colour for age, nose rich, meaty, warm, fine but not really typical Margaux, palate more typical though, fine, elegant, but still rich and with the warmth and rich fruit of the year, good persistent finish to savour, drinking very well now, nothing to be gained from holding but not in any risk of falling apart either
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A big note of Cassis invades the nostrils upon first sniff. There is some green bean and sweet cedar as well. It is a mid-weight, fruity Claret with good charm and elegance. There is a touch of leathery development but the wine is still very fresh and vibrant.
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Bordeaux 1989 Horizontal Tasting (Zurich): Nose of leather, tobacco. Still some fruit left, but all a bit short with a noticable acidity. At its peak, would drink now.
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Still not passed its peak but might be at the peak. Decanted for 30 minutes. Typical Bordeaux nose of leather and plums. Very smooth with soft tannins, rich dark fruits all in balance. A long lingering finish. Great value (originally) that shows the benefit of a cellar and patience.
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Wow, this has no business performing like this. Procured for $15 a few years ago, these wines arrived leaking and the first bottle was clearly off. I have no idea why, but after a few years in my 55-degree cellar, this 2nd bottle was a claret of a different color... This roars to life with a terrific bouquet of smoke, cinder, and ash on the austere side, married to secondary sweeter scents of cigarbox, black tea and dried cherries. This can be sniffed all night! There's good fruit and richness still and a fleshy, glyercin-filled mid-palate of spiced orange, bing cherries, and caramel. This is further evidence that all but the biggest 1989s are drinking fabulously right now. This wines is totally resolved and suave, with a fresh spicy profile and big, puckering tannins that build and lingering on and on in the finish. This amazingly fires on all cylinders, avoiding any major shortcoming: it is complex yet rich, old-school yet hedonistic, subtle yet long and bold. To be sure, it lacks the layered depth of truly ethereal wines, and while complex, it can't really fool the taster that it's more than a mature, petit chateau from a classic vintage performing at a top level and providing immense satisfaction. It creates a nostalgia in me I am not sure I have the right to feel, and leaves me hoping that modern vintages age like this. A-
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See my note of 4/6/2009. What a pleasant surprise to find that my last bottle was back to the same peak, after the disappointments of 3/5/2010. The small amount left in the decanter was still exceptional when drunk the next day. The wonderful meaty aroma was still powerful and the fruit and tannins still there.
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Surprise of the evening!!!! Same level as Latour'89. Nose in the beginning powerfull with some oak, meaty and even bit smoky. At the end vegital but still a lot of fruit on the background. Palate was dark and later got even some cola. Finish was good. Terrific QPR but definitly at or past its peak now.
Labegorce Zede never disappointes in the '80s (85, 86, 89)
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See 4/6/2009. Now past its peak, but still meaty on the nose, though delicate on the palate. I will drink my last bottle very soon, especially since one of the two we opened was corked.
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Same notes as my post on same wine last month. Still have four bottles left which I do not think we should keep too much longer.....probably at or near its peak.
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Decanted for about 30 minutes at the BYO restaurant. Rich nose of dried fruits, raisins, plums and leather. Tannins all smoothed out to deliver a long finish. Great value wine worth the time it spent in the cellar.
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Decanted (modest sediment) 1hr. Drunk with a meal and compared with 1998 and 2001. Expected that it might be past its best, but it was amazing; better, in fact, than a1989 Mouton Rothschild we had last year. Pleasant blackcurrant and meaty aroma spread widely while being decanted. Brownish, russet. Characteristically delicate but definite flavours of blackcurrant and leather and mature tannins produced good length. A lovely wine. (Altogether much better than the 1998, though this may improve with time, and the 2001, which was disappointing: I've had better from the same year from ordinary Haut Medocs.)
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12/30/2022 - GrapeScott wrote: 90 Points
My second bottle in the past couple weeks, this certainly showed better than its humble pedigree. Still has a lot of structure and tannin to go with the cassis and blackberry fruit, with pretty savory cedar notes on the nose.
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1/4/2021 - svdheijden wrote: 92 Points
Pleasant surprise again for those who appreciate mature claret. Though certainly approaching the end of its maturity platform, this wine is still standing upright and well stored bottles will continue do so for at least 5 more years. Classical mature Bordeaux with secondary and tertiary notes of iron, iodine, wet forest, meat, leather and the likes. Soft tannins, licorice, laurel and dark fruits. Unexpectedly complex and layered for its pedigree, though finish is shortish. Excellent QPR. No reason whatsoever not to drink now!
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6/15/2019 - red_man Likes this wine: 92 Points
complex, gentle and refined Margaux nose, violets, palate with lovely laid-back fruit, the smoothness of age, still with restrained power and sufficient tannin for balance, excellent wine still at its peak / plateau
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2/2/2019 - red_man Likes this wine: 92 Points
level uppermost shoulder to neck, still very good colour with only slight brown in rim, wine really comes up after 1-1.5 hours in decanter, lovely classic Margaux nose, still with lots of restrained, fine, complex fruit, vanilla and licorice hints, palate rich, classy, excellent balance, covers whole palate, good depth and fine persistence and aftertaste, lovely aged Bordeaux at its peak and showing no sign of decline any time soon - but then why wait?
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12/9/2018 - red_man Likes this wine: 91 Points
lovely complex Margaux nose, still with remarkably lively fruit, hints of violets, palate now beautifully smooth but with depth and fine concentration of complex fruit, at its peak and has been for some time but will hold at this plateau for many years because the balance is near perfect, very fine, great QPR
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12/17/2017 - red_man wrote: 91 Points
colour with only slight brown tinge, remarkable for age, complex, laid-back nose, very smooth and quite soft on the palate, excellent balance and clean persistent finish, still very much alive, no point in keeping longer though
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6/30/2017 - Poisey wrote: 96 Points
Concentrated with massive structure. Dense red fruit with raspberry and gooseberry. Lead pencil, rose bush, leather and cedar. Rich long robust finish that just fills the pallet with fine grained grippe tannin Incredible wine showing its age and youthful exuberance at the same time. No rush. Drink now-2020.
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6/17/2017 - red_man Likes this wine: 92 Points
lovely warm rich complex fruit nose, still very fresh, smooth well balanced palate that coats from front to back, complete, warm rich fruit still with good acidity and refined subdued tannin at the finish, long persistent aftertaste, excellent warm wine at its peak, with the smoothness and complexity of age
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11/26/2015 - firstgrowth Likes this wine: 94 Points
With Thanksgiving dinner in Mammoth. Drinking exceptionally well now, need to finish off my last 6
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7/28/2015 - red_man wrote: 91 Points
marked brown tinge to colour reflecting age, lovely, classy, elegant and fine nose, real intensity of complex warm fruit, palate has great depth, clearly from Margaux rather than further north, warm fruit but markedly dry at the finish, perfect food wine, thoroughly enjoyed as were the previous bottles
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5/24/2015 - mathwonk wrote:
smooth, refined, elegant, delicious. the best margaux i have had. I normally do not care for margaux, but this was a special experience. the cork crumbled and fell into the bottle, and we had to strain the wine through a filter but no harm was done. this is available at $40 online and that is a bargain indeed, if in this condition. I expected it to be an exorbitantly priced wine. Of course a few places are asking over $175, which is too much. I agree it is completely time to drink this wine, and would not wait any longer at all. We drank it with pasta and meat loaf, and it paired excellently.
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2/7/2015 - red_man Likes this wine: 91 Points
long perfect cork, good level; lovely intense nose; elegant, classic Margaux palate, with enveloping sweet tannins at the end to give a fine, persistent finish; quite amazing quality for a Cru Bougeois, chapeau to the winemaking team, perfect drinking now so why wait longer, looking forward to the rest of the case
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10/11/2014 - red_man wrote: 90 Points
level uppermost shoulder, cork broke, good colour for age, nose rich, meaty, warm, fine but not really typical Margaux, palate more typical though, fine, elegant, but still rich and with the warmth and rich fruit of the year, good persistent finish to savour, drinking very well now, nothing to be gained from holding but not in any risk of falling apart either
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2/15/2014 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
A big note of Cassis invades the nostrils upon first sniff. There is some green bean and sweet cedar as well. It is a mid-weight, fruity Claret with good charm and elegance. There is a touch of leathery development but the wine is still very fresh and vibrant.
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4/19/2013 - Wine_lvr wrote: 89 Points
Bordeaux 1989 Horizontal Tasting (Zurich): Nose of leather, tobacco. Still some fruit left, but all a bit short with a noticable acidity. At its peak, would drink now.
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4/25/2011 - admid wrote: 93 Points
App: brownish red w/ sediment
Aroma: cassis and integrated oak notes
Full bodied good balance. Complex and smooth palate.
Very good length
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4/22/2011 - formula1 wrote: 94 Points
Still not passed its peak but might be at the peak. Decanted for 30 minutes. Typical Bordeaux nose of leather and plums. Very smooth with soft tannins, rich dark fruits all in balance. A long lingering finish. Great value (originally) that shows the benefit of a cellar and patience.
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6/2/2010 - blanquito wrote:
Wow, this has no business performing like this. Procured for $15 a few years ago, these wines arrived leaking and the first bottle was clearly off. I have no idea why, but after a few years in my 55-degree cellar, this 2nd bottle was a claret of a different color... This roars to life with a terrific bouquet of smoke, cinder, and ash on the austere side, married to secondary sweeter scents of cigarbox, black tea and dried cherries. This can be sniffed all night! There's good fruit and richness still and a fleshy, glyercin-filled mid-palate of spiced orange, bing cherries, and caramel. This is further evidence that all but the biggest 1989s are drinking fabulously right now. This wines is totally resolved and suave, with a fresh spicy profile and big, puckering tannins that build and lingering on and on in the finish. This amazingly fires on all cylinders, avoiding any major shortcoming: it is complex yet rich, old-school yet hedonistic, subtle yet long and bold. To be sure, it lacks the layered depth of truly ethereal wines, and while complex, it can't really fool the taster that it's more than a mature, petit chateau from a classic vintage performing at a top level and providing immense satisfaction. It creates a nostalgia in me I am not sure I have the right to feel, and leaves me hoping that modern vintages age like this. A-
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4/8/2010 - richard thorne wrote: 96 Points
See my note of 4/6/2009. What a pleasant surprise to find that my last bottle was back to the same peak, after the disappointments of 3/5/2010. The small amount left in the decanter was still exceptional when drunk the next day. The wonderful meaty aroma was still powerful and the fruit and tannins still there.
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3/17/2010 - wir wrote: 91 Points
Surprise of the evening!!!! Same level as Latour'89.
Nose in the beginning powerfull with some oak, meaty and even bit smoky. At the end vegital but still a lot of fruit on the background. Palate was dark and later got even some cola. Finish was good. Terrific QPR but definitly at or past its peak now.
Labegorce Zede never disappointes in the '80s (85, 86, 89)
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3/5/2010 - richard thorne wrote: 93 Points
See 4/6/2009. Now past its peak, but still meaty on the nose, though delicate on the palate. I will drink my last bottle very soon, especially since one of the two we opened was corked.
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11/26/2009 - winelovr2001 wrote: 90 Points
Great length and mouthfeel...though a little short on the finish. A tad over its prime.
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11/7/2009 - formula1 wrote: 94 Points
Same notes as my post on same wine last month. Still have four bottles left which I do not think we should keep too much longer.....probably at or near its peak.
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10/10/2009 - formula1 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for about 30 minutes at the BYO restaurant. Rich nose of dried fruits, raisins, plums and leather. Tannins all smoothed out to deliver a long finish. Great value wine worth the time it spent in the cellar.
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4/6/2009 - richard thorne wrote: 96 Points
Decanted (modest sediment) 1hr. Drunk with a meal and compared with 1998 and 2001. Expected that it might be past its best, but it was amazing; better, in fact, than a1989 Mouton Rothschild we had last year. Pleasant blackcurrant and meaty aroma spread widely while being decanted. Brownish, russet. Characteristically delicate but definite flavours of blackcurrant and leather and mature tannins produced good length. A lovely wine. (Altogether much better than the 1998, though this may improve with time, and the 2001, which was disappointing: I've had better from the same year from ordinary Haut Medocs.)
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