From an excellent looking bottle with a 2.5 cm fill and a firm cork, this wine had a light red center and light puce rims. The medium+ intensity nose emanated roses, cherries, rhubarb, and some soil. It was a 97 point nose.
In the mouth, this wine was refined but gorgeous. It was pretty but mellow at first. As it aired, it picked up power and presence. It was big flavor without weight.
This wine is certainly at, or slightly past its peak. However, it was awesome! Drink now.
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From a good looking bottle with 2 cm fill, this bottle was Reserve Nicholas. It had an appropriately branded cork and the sediment was so heavy I needed to rinse the bottle 8 times. The wine had a deep red center and orange/tan rims. The high intensity nose showed sour cherries, raspberries, rhubarb, brown spices, and some Cuban cigar. It was ripe and rich yet quite sour and firm at the same time.
In the mouth, this wine was gorgeously balanced with light, rounded tannin and outstanding length. It had great acidity and excellent length. After 5 hours of air it was blasting roses and smoked meat. The flavor persistence was outstanding. This bottle was close to 97 point territory.
This was a wonderful bottle that delivered pretty much all you could ask for in a red Burg. As a side note, I would not decant off the sediment for this wine. It added a little something.
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A wine of stunning beauty, drank after a 1978 DRC Grand Ech. Popped and poured, beautiful right off, round, luscious, mouth coating and long perfectly balanced and integrated with lovely floral notes, strawberrys, touch of rose petals spice, some earth and some very appealing lean minerality. Unbelievable, gained weight and heft, and got better as the night went on
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Evolving with oxidation, this wine went from a thin pale strawberry color to a garnet --- what a magical transformation to experience ! A lot of alcohol spice Ceres always aware of legs and viscosity notes the beautifully thin yet defined medium fast moving legs Bacchus a panoply of spices & fruits. High alcohol nose strangely evocative yet ethereal presence of green pepper and peppery finish now moving into prune aromas (Ceres) ; sous bois with mushrooms on nose , a hour in...cheers to the DRC, full of stars.
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Lovely faded floral notes on the nose along with soy, mushroom, dried red fruit and subtle spice. This carried to through to the palate which took on more red fruit and rose petal notes before starting to faded after about 2 hours. This was very pretty, bright and lively although not terribly deep. Love the detail and complexity.
At first it shows some smoke, soy, animal fur and just a touch of caramel oxidation. It breathes up nicely and becomes quite floral both on the nose and in the mouth. The sweet vinous things are countered by savoury umami things and the finish is quite meaty. The slight oxidative notes marred this particular bottle but it was pleasant none the less.
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This does not have a perfect nose as it has more age on it than ideal, and that follows through to the palate. The quality of this, however, comes through and conquers this issue, and with time in the glass it really shines. Yum
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Cold War Nuclear Escalation Wine Club Dinner (Hong Kong Wine Vaults, Aberdeen, Hong Kong): Bright, fresh, transparent ruby core opening to orange-red at the rim. Nose is OMG, refined and intense concentrated strawberries, wood, sous-bois, fresh-grated white truffle, diaphanous....impossible not to keep your nose in...dry rose petals....damp fernlands...a totally silence-creating nose. Palate is just drop-dead gorgeous elegant, seductive, mouth-watering....earth, very floral, light.....ethereal. Very subtle resonance....persistent....close to to transcendential. Very persistent.....flattened out with very extended time in the glass but still remained captivating throughout. Thanks to Benoit.....who went for an early Total Nuclear Annailhation before we had started on any other red wine .... and succeeded with most people's WOTN.
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very fresh and vibrant confit cherries laced with meaty flavors, autumn leaves and stem. The minerality of graphite gives depth and . In the mouth the wine is incredibly complex, the fruit is fresh and pure, the texturee is rich ad silky with perfectly mature tannins. The fruit leads to a whole range of flavor complexity. It's like a game banquet after a walk in the forest in autumn. Te finale is incredibly long. Thanks to Benoit for this great bottle.
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Dinner with JP and friends: For old wines I find that provenance mattered more than reputation and this bottle was in excellent condition and absolutely singing. Soaring nose of red fruit and flowers followed by a complex palate that unfolded like a peacock's tail. The stemmy undertone added a fine counterpoint to the lovely fruit. Held over 1.5 hours. A DRC not in its drinking window could be a complete waste, but then you encounter a bottle like this with that special magic. What a treat and thank you Benoit. WOTN.
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This bottle was opened prior to any dinner and shared with a long time family friend from NYC who now lives in HK. The wine is a favorite of my husbands and he was anxious to drink it. The bottle was in decent shape and the cork had some leakage but it was removed without too much prying and in one piece. The wine was let to open for many hours according to our friend. The each got a about on ounce to sample the nose. The nose was very floral and powerful. I wrote about violets roses and freshly cut carnations with hints of newly cut grass. Very herbaceous but pleasant. The smell came out of the glass and followed us it seemed. The color was light brown to pale marroon. The edge had a yellowish tint. The wine had a nice backbone and proportion and the acidity was balanced. The midplate again showed some grassy sips but it had some citrus component now with fig and sugary fruit. The finish was extremely silky smooth and quite long. The finish encompessed many flavors of candied fruit and flowers. Almost took on a port like quality. I do not fancy burgundy but i found this bottle quite nice. I think the wine is clearly in its drinking window or possible this bottle maybe have gotten slighty oxidized from leakage but the fil was top shoulder. All in all a nice DRC. Rating 94. Drinking smooth and creamy. Drink now.
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Ray's note: Had soaring aromatics. Fantastic perfumed fruits, some confectioner's sugar, a touch of coffee and violets. Probably the best nose of the night. The palate wasn't bad either, but it didn't quite live up to the almost impossible task of matching the aromatics. Best bottle of this that I've ever had. Killer minus.
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3/23/2019 - fcxj wrote: 98 Points
FWE Gala. Stupendous aged Burg. Floral, resolved. (2774 of 10973)
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9/8/2018 - fclarity wrote: 96 Points
From an excellent looking bottle with a 2.5 cm fill and a firm cork, this wine had a light red center and light puce rims. The medium+ intensity nose emanated roses, cherries, rhubarb, and some soil. It was a 97 point nose.
In the mouth, this wine was refined but gorgeous. It was pretty but mellow at first. As it aired, it picked up power and presence. It was big flavor without weight.
This wine is certainly at, or slightly past its peak. However, it was awesome! Drink now.
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12/9/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bottle number two was worth opening. Surprisingly clear and precise fruit. Soft spice across the palate. Great bottle.
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12/9/2016 - tinybubbles wrote: flawed
Slightly corked
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3/5/2016 - fclarity wrote: 96 Points
From a good looking bottle with 2 cm fill, this bottle was Reserve Nicholas. It had an appropriately branded cork and the sediment was so heavy I needed to rinse the bottle 8 times. The wine had a deep red center and orange/tan rims. The high intensity nose showed sour cherries, raspberries, rhubarb, brown spices, and some Cuban cigar. It was ripe and rich yet quite sour and firm at the same time.
In the mouth, this wine was gorgeously balanced with light, rounded tannin and outstanding length. It had great acidity and excellent length. After 5 hours of air it was blasting roses and smoked meat. The flavor persistence was outstanding. This bottle was close to 97 point territory.
This was a wonderful bottle that delivered pretty much all you could ask for in a red Burg. As a side note, I would not decant off the sediment for this wine. It added a little something.
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12/27/2015 - Margauxguy wrote: 98 Points
A wine of stunning beauty, drank after a 1978 DRC Grand Ech. Popped and poured, beautiful right off, round, luscious, mouth coating and long perfectly balanced and integrated with lovely floral notes, strawberrys, touch of rose petals spice, some earth and some very appealing lean minerality. Unbelievable, gained weight and heft, and got better as the night went on
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11/21/2015 - Bacchus&Ceres Likes this wine: 93 Points
Evolving with oxidation, this wine went from a thin pale strawberry color to a garnet --- what a magical transformation to experience ! A lot of alcohol spice Ceres always aware of legs and viscosity notes the beautifully thin yet defined medium fast moving legs Bacchus a panoply of spices & fruits. High alcohol nose strangely evocative yet ethereal presence of green pepper and peppery finish now moving into prune aromas (Ceres) ; sous bois with mushrooms on nose , a hour in...cheers to the DRC, full of stars.
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4/24/2015 - johnh1001 wrote: 95 Points
Lovely faded floral notes on the nose along with soy, mushroom, dried red fruit and subtle spice. This carried to through to the palate which took on more red fruit and rose petal notes before starting to faded after about 2 hours. This was very pretty, bright and lively although not terribly deep. Love the detail and complexity.
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3/3/2015 - BradE wrote:
My final bottle of this, and it was good, but did not match the literal perfection of every bottle in the case thus far.
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3/1/2015 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
A bit tired at first, but improved as the night progressed. Nice perfume and finish.
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8/2/2013 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
At first it shows some smoke, soy, animal fur and just a touch of caramel oxidation. It breathes up nicely and becomes quite floral both on the nose and in the mouth. The sweet vinous things are countered by savoury umami things and the finish is quite meaty. The slight oxidative notes marred this particular bottle but it was pleasant none the less.
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1/24/2012 - lepetitchateau wrote: 94 Points
This does not have a perfect nose as it has more age on it than ideal, and that follows through to the palate. The quality of this, however, comes through and conquers this issue, and with time in the glass it really shines. Yum
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6/29/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 96 Points
Cold War Nuclear Escalation Wine Club Dinner (Hong Kong Wine Vaults, Aberdeen, Hong Kong): Bright, fresh, transparent ruby core opening to orange-red at the rim. Nose is OMG, refined and intense concentrated strawberries, wood, sous-bois, fresh-grated white truffle, diaphanous....impossible not to keep your nose in...dry rose petals....damp fernlands...a totally silence-creating nose. Palate is just drop-dead gorgeous elegant, seductive, mouth-watering....earth, very floral, light.....ethereal. Very subtle resonance....persistent....close to to transcendential. Very persistent.....flattened out with very extended time in the glass but still remained captivating throughout. Thanks to Benoit.....who went for an early Total Nuclear Annailhation before we had started on any other red wine .... and succeeded with most people's WOTN.
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6/29/2011 - jpijg wrote: 98 Points
very fresh and vibrant confit cherries laced with meaty flavors, autumn leaves and stem. The minerality of graphite gives depth and . In the mouth the wine is incredibly complex, the fruit is fresh and pure, the texturee is rich ad silky with perfectly mature tannins. The fruit leads to a whole range of flavor complexity. It's like a game banquet after a walk in the forest in autumn.
Te finale is incredibly long.
Thanks to Benoit for this great bottle.
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6/29/2011 - cortoncharlie wrote: 96 Points
Dinner with JP and friends: For old wines I find that provenance mattered more than reputation and this bottle was in excellent condition and absolutely singing. Soaring nose of red fruit and flowers followed by a complex palate that unfolded like a peacock's tail. The stemmy undertone added a fine counterpoint to the lovely fruit. Held over 1.5 hours. A DRC not in its drinking window could be a complete waste, but then you encounter a bottle like this with that special magic. What a treat and thank you Benoit. WOTN.
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12/8/2010 - BradE wrote:
Superb nose, superb wine. Gorgeous and beautiful.
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5/2/2009 - BradE wrote:
Light Lumber in the High Country - Part 2: A stunningly good bottle of wine. Soaring nose, lots of smoke, earth and hickory. Beautiful.
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3/8/2009 - BradE wrote:
Likely the nose of the night. Simply intoxicating, almost cloying, but not quite.
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9/6/2008 - BradE wrote:
Another great bottle. Wonderful, and my red WOTN.
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5/29/2008 - Pavie Princess wrote: 94 Points
This bottle was opened prior to any dinner and shared with a long time family friend from NYC who now lives in HK. The wine is a favorite of my husbands and he was anxious to drink it. The bottle was in decent shape and the cork had some leakage but it was removed without too much prying and in one piece. The wine was let to open for many hours according to our friend. The each got a about on ounce to sample the nose. The nose was very floral and powerful. I wrote about violets roses and freshly cut carnations with hints of newly cut grass. Very herbaceous but pleasant. The smell came out of the glass and followed us it seemed. The color was light brown to pale marroon. The edge had a yellowish tint. The wine had a nice backbone and proportion and the acidity was balanced. The midplate again showed some grassy sips but it had some citrus component now with fig and sugary fruit. The finish was extremely silky smooth and quite long. The finish encompessed many flavors of candied fruit and flowers. Almost took on a port like quality. I do not fancy burgundy but i found this bottle quite nice. I think the wine is clearly in its drinking window or possible this bottle maybe have gotten slighty oxidized from leakage but the fil was top shoulder. All in all a nice DRC. Rating 94. Drinking smooth and creamy. Drink now.
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5/7/2008 - BradE wrote:
Ray's note: Had soaring aromatics. Fantastic perfumed fruits, some confectioner's sugar, a touch of coffee and violets. Probably the best nose of the night. The palate wasn't bad either, but it didn't quite live up to the almost impossible task of matching the aromatics. Best bottle of this that I've ever had. Killer minus.
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