Very fresh deep color with only slight clear rim; first nosing reveals tons of muddy, minerally earth, then nice red cherry fruit with background of plum, herbs and some very savory elements. Firm backbone which bodes well for this aging nicely. I have a case of their '05 Beaune Vignes Franches in the cellar and would expect these to be similar in style and evolution. Will need to try one to confirm. 91+
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One of the more expressive ‘05 red burgs right now; powerful, rich aromas of undergrowth-infused red cherry, currant and raspberry fruit with floral tones and mineral. Big-bodied flavors that shows tannin but do not come across quite as austere as others in this vintage. More aromatically open and savoury right now. Great showing fo9r a such a young wine.
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Popped and slow o'ed for an hour. Gen nose of earth n cherries n plums. Red fruits n herbs on palate. Nice layers add to complexity. Good to go tonight. Went well w halibut dinner.
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I agree with DBP's 2015 note. This was heavier, darker, and more dense than any early taste had me prepared for. I enjoyed the complexity and the layers, though at times I thought it a tad too kirsch-y. I'm glad to have enjoyed it over the past 11 years.
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This has been open for two and a half hours. Aromas are very thick, dark, heavy, stewed, ripe... very surprising. There's also a menthol character I like, but I'm shocked how darkly complected the fruit is here. Very ripe. What is this, a Cabernet? Weird... Palate is similar, medium soft body, with that eucalyptus note. The finish is dark, thick, tannic. Very ripe. Dark cherry, dark plum (but less so now... so reduction?). Nice acid lingering on the finish. Tart and hefty. There's plenty of structure, but it has evolved to a point far beyond where I thought it could, and only 10 years on. It's not like the wine is shut down at all; on the contrary, it's totally open and available, it's just very rich, dark, ripe and heavy... absolutely nothing like what I drank on release (see note from 2007). There is no way I could call this as a Volnay blind... I guess I shouldn't have gone 8 years between bottles!
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Deep red cherry and scents of tiny sweet red currant gain density and richness quickly. Lush, slightly creamy in the midpalate with hints of roses, underwood/ forest wood. Almost liqueur-like but with no heaviness. More minerality and crushed herbs come about with more time. Lots of upside potential. Needs time!
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It smells like Raspberry, Red Currant, and Nutmeg. It tastes like Raspberry, Red Currant, Strawberry, and Nutmeg. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Round texture. The wine finishes Long.
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Poured from a 375ml. Dark ruby/cranberry color. Upon opening, nose was tight, showing black cherry and cranberry with a slight underbrush/brambly character. 14 hours open, nose opened up with white and black pepper and a smoky note. Black cherry on the palate with excellent balance and a long finish. This has much life left in it. 91-92 pts.
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This is just starting to come into it's own right now. Much deeper and more expressive than the last time I checked in on it. Showing deep, ripe red fruit with wonderful mineral and earth tones. Juicy and delicious. Really exhibits the strength of the vintage. Looking forward to tracking my remaining bottle over the next few years.
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Didn't get much on the nose, and the bright red fruit was fairly forward for burgundy, with little funk or earthiness. Medium body and acidity. Quite enjoyable paired with an amazing duck, just missing a little Burgundian character.
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Open 24 hours. Pours a bit dark, well on the darker side for burg. Nose is still shy, with some traces of funk, pepper and perfume. Lots of black cherry, and as opposed to last night, more acidity and some infusion of stawberry. More on the robust side, with a soil note in the finish. Pretty good now, although my guess would be this softens more with time but even in that softening, this is still a robust wine.
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Years later, still delish! Perfect by the half-bottle, and more affordable. A wonderful accompaniment to a surf-n-turf meal of ribeye, Walleye, and slowly-simmered coq-au-vin. Excellent (89.5).
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Garnet color; tinge of orange at the edges. Medium body with a soft, round, silky texture. Nose and palate: berries, berries, berries: strawberries, raspberries, cherries. Red fruit galore. Nice acids and tannins. Well-structured. Plenty of life left. Delightful.
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Liked it. Light in glass, fruit on nose but more in the glass. Light to medium weight. Perfumed but not at all "squeaky". Even. Worked well alone or with food.
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Very clear. Light colour. Red fruits on the nose, more in the glass, a little minerality in evidence. Medium weight. Acidic. Had without food and clearly this has longer to run, but I think it would be better paired with some tucker.
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From a 375. Beautiful crystal ruby color. I think the impressive raw material is more telling of the nature of the vintage than the winemaking here. Sappy and dark red fruit is still pretty primary on the nose with some secondary minerality. Silky mid-weight mouthfeel with more dark red fruits shows its obvious youth. Won't ever be great, but should be very nice in 6-10 years.
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Pleasing to the eye. Light garnet. Nice nose of berries and spice. Very smooth but still a little tight and thin. Predominant taste to me is tart cherries. It needs more time.
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(from memory) Bright ruby, slight cork with red currant, subtle spice on the nose, palate is big and fruit focused with hints of earth, strong tannins but it's young, long but cork tainted finish
Note: hard to judge given its youth and cork taint, has potential to score higher
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Still too young, but I knew that going in. The first night there was not much going. By the second night, it was truly outstanding with a nice velvety texture and long complex finish (though flavors were still difficult to detect because of its youthfulness). I think this will be a good one, right in tune with its WS 92 rating. At this price, I'm happy about the future. Will not open again until 2010.
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Way too young, I know, but for education purposes, popped it and left open on the counter all day.
0 hr: nose is deep, musky yet at the same time bright with fruit (pomegranate and cranberry). The palate is VERY forward in all aspects, especially the acidity. Mouthpuckering and so, so primary.
4 hr: nose is showing more obvious strawberry cranberry and tar flavors, plus a bit of gravel dust. The palate is still strongly acidic, the tannins are a bit smoother, however. Still mouthwateringly acidic, but very concentrated fruit in place.
7.5 hr: the nose has become more earthy than tar-driven, with ripe cherry and strawberry. The palate has smoothened further with a more nuanced integration of fruit and acidity. The wine finishes med-long with sour strawberry and mushroom dust. Certainly drinkable and enjoyable now.
12 hr: nose of cherry and tar. Palate has really smoothened out and sour strawberry still in evidence. Elegant now, though still finding its way.
16 hr: cherry, tar on nose wit smooth strawberry on the palate. h 32 hr: a richer nose, with sweeter and darker fruit that yesterday, and mushroom dust to finish. The attack still hints (not subtly) at the bracing acidity from before, tannins are a bit dry, and slightly over power the sour strawberry finish. Med-long finish again. Not sure if a rating at this stage is fair, but what the heck, for my personal documentation, I give it 88 points.
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100% Pinot Noir, as with many Bourgogne. Got better as it opened, initially too understated, then began to become more interesting. All in all, not worth around $45...could have done better. Difficult to describe, as very little leaps out: not too acid, a fruity light character.
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The wine probably just arrived from France within the last few weeks and to my store just yesterday... so do I believe in bottle shock? Hmm... I still don't know, but I wanted to try it to see if I wanted more before it sold out! Color is absolutely gorgeous and perfect for a Pinot Noir. Pouring it into the decanter was like watching silk flow. Unfortunately the nose is being VERY tight... Was better 30 minutes after opening than it is 2 hours later. Initially showed some spicebox along with strawberries and raspberries, but now I'm even having a hard time pulling out the fruit. But there's also some poundcake drizzled with strawberry sauce on the nose, which is nice, but light. Mouthfeel is absolutely awesome... now the silk is in my mouth, and it tastes like raspberries. There's almost a mouth coating sugariness about this wine which is a bit surprising, but quite lovely. There is tart fruit (tons of sour cherry) on the finish, and considering how soft this feels, there's surprising tannins on the end that will definitely hold this together for a decade. I drank this over 7 hours, and everything about this wine remained a bit too light and not very complex, I think... even for a Volnay. The BurgHound and Spectator both detailed some greater complexity, which makes me think... bottle shock? I dunno...
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5/17/2021 - JR_Boston wrote: flawed
Bottle was corked. Label damaged and probably not well stored
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5/13/2020 - jmoore431 wrote: 91 Points
Very fresh deep color with only slight clear rim; first nosing reveals tons of muddy, minerally earth, then nice red cherry fruit with background of plum, herbs and some very savory elements. Firm backbone which bodes well for this aging nicely. I have a case of their '05 Beaune Vignes Franches in the cellar and would expect these to be similar in style and evolution. Will need to try one to confirm. 91+
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5/11/2020 - Xavier94 Likes this wine: 92 Points
One of the more expressive ‘05 red burgs right now; powerful, rich aromas of undergrowth-infused red cherry, currant and raspberry fruit with floral tones and mineral. Big-bodied flavors that shows tannin but do not come across quite as austere as others in this vintage. More aromatically open and savoury right now. Great showing fo9r a such a young wine.
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4/21/2017 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 89 Points
Popped and slow o'ed for an hour. Gen nose of earth n cherries n plums. Red fruits n herbs on palate. Nice layers add to complexity. Good to go tonight. Went well w halibut dinner.
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2/8/2017 - Roentgen Ray wrote: flawed
corked
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9/12/2016 - tarheel17 Likes this wine:
I agree with DBP's 2015 note. This was heavier, darker, and more dense than any early taste had me prepared for. I enjoyed the complexity and the layers, though at times I thought it a tad too kirsch-y. I'm glad to have enjoyed it over the past 11 years.
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11/17/2015 - tarheel17 wrote: 89 Points
Dark sweet plum, with an acid that took 3 days to integrate. But on day 3 it was silky and plump and cohesive.
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11/5/2015 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 89 Points
This has been open for two and a half hours. Aromas are very thick, dark, heavy, stewed, ripe... very surprising. There's also a menthol character I like, but I'm shocked how darkly complected the fruit is here. Very ripe. What is this, a Cabernet? Weird... Palate is similar, medium soft body, with that eucalyptus note. The finish is dark, thick, tannic. Very ripe. Dark cherry, dark plum (but less so now... so reduction?). Nice acid lingering on the finish. Tart and hefty. There's plenty of structure, but it has evolved to a point far beyond where I thought it could, and only 10 years on. It's not like the wine is shut down at all; on the contrary, it's totally open and available, it's just very rich, dark, ripe and heavy... absolutely nothing like what I drank on release (see note from 2007). There is no way I could call this as a Volnay blind... I guess I shouldn't have gone 8 years between bottles!
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1/19/2015 - Xavier94 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep red cherry and scents of tiny sweet red currant gain density and richness quickly. Lush, slightly creamy in the midpalate with hints of roses, underwood/ forest wood. Almost liqueur-like but with no heaviness. More minerality and crushed herbs come about with more time. Lots of upside potential. Needs time!
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1/8/2015 - mouton45 wrote: 90 Points
Pleasant nose and taste and very ready to drink. Nice but nothing special
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12/20/2012 - redknife Likes this wine: 91 Points
It smells like Raspberry, Red Currant, and Nutmeg. It tastes like Raspberry, Red Currant, Strawberry, and Nutmeg.
The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Round texture. The wine finishes Long.
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12/15/2012 - nmarshall87 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Poured from a 375ml. Dark ruby/cranberry color. Upon opening, nose was tight, showing black cherry and cranberry with a slight underbrush/brambly character. 14 hours open, nose opened up with white and black pepper and a smoky note. Black cherry on the palate with excellent balance and a long finish. This has much life left in it. 91-92 pts.
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11/30/2012 - jahlove Likes this wine:
This is just starting to come into it's own right now. Much deeper and more expressive than the last time I checked in on it. Showing deep, ripe red fruit with wonderful mineral and earth tones. Juicy and delicious. Really exhibits the strength of the vintage. Looking forward to tracking my remaining bottle over the next few years.
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2/4/2012 - vinole wrote: 90 Points
Didn't get much on the nose, and the bright red fruit was fairly forward for burgundy, with little funk or earthiness. Medium body and acidity. Quite enjoyable paired with an amazing duck, just missing a little Burgundian character.
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2/4/2012 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Open 24 hours. Pours a bit dark, well on the darker side for burg. Nose is still shy, with some traces of funk, pepper and perfume. Lots of black cherry, and as opposed to last night, more acidity and some infusion of stawberry. More on the robust side, with a soil note in the finish. Pretty good now, although my guess would be this softens more with time but even in that softening, this is still a robust wine.
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10/30/2011 - Ombibulous wrote: 89 Points
Years later, still delish! Perfect by the half-bottle, and more affordable. A wonderful accompaniment to a surf-n-turf meal of ribeye, Walleye, and slowly-simmered coq-au-vin. Excellent (89.5).
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7/10/2011 - Champagneinhand wrote: 91 Points
This was an elegant and beautiful burgubdy with a beautiful mineral backbone. Pretty decent price line for this type of quality.
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4/28/2011 - Mike Ritner Likes this wine:
Garnet color; tinge of orange at the edges. Medium body with a soft, round, silky texture. Nose and palate: berries, berries, berries: strawberries, raspberries, cherries. Red fruit galore. Nice acids and tannins. Well-structured. Plenty of life left. Delightful.
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1/23/2011 - JJ De St Antoine wrote: 90 Points
What a wonderful wine. I wish I had bought more....Clear. light ruby colour. fruity nose, taste,medium body. Acidic. Had it with cheese.
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1/2/2011 - redknife wrote: 91 Points
Medium body, red fruits with long finish. Consistent with my previous bottles. Has the backbone to hold for 2-3 years.
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11/19/2010 - JJ De St Antoine wrote: 90 Points
Light, fruity, medium body, soft and appealing. With moussaka.
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7/28/2010 - mark_m_owen wrote: 87 Points
As per previous note.
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7/28/2010 - mark_m_owen wrote: 87 Points
Liked it. Light in glass, fruit on nose but more in the glass. Light to medium weight. Perfumed but not at all "squeaky". Even. Worked well alone or with food.
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6/26/2010 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 88 Points
lacked brightness I remember in prior bottles. Is it sleeping?
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4/19/2010 - redknife wrote: 92 Points
No formal TN. Nice medium to full body, red fruits with a long finish and smooth tannins. Needs time 2-3 yrs.
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3/30/2010 - hutch wrote: 91 Points
Beautifully ripe nose. Soft and seductive. Touch of Earth. Really delicious right now. 90-91
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3/21/2010 - redknife wrote: 91 Points
My second bottle. Still young but improving; lots of raspberries, nice acidity long finish. Will get better.
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3/8/2010 - mark_m_owen wrote:
Very clear. Light colour. Red fruits on the nose, more in the glass, a little minerality in evidence. Medium weight. Acidic. Had without food and clearly this has longer to run, but I think it would be better paired with some tucker.
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12/21/2009 - joshbryer wrote:
From a 375. Beautiful crystal ruby color. I think the impressive raw material is more telling of the nature of the vintage than the winemaking here. Sappy and dark red fruit is still pretty primary on the nose with some secondary minerality. Silky mid-weight mouthfeel with more dark red fruits shows its obvious youth. Won't ever be great, but should be very nice in 6-10 years.
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8/12/2009 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 89 Points
improving. Still too much sour cherry on the finish, but also possesses good minerality and fruit forward. Drink with food.
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7/14/2009 - tantotinto wrote: 89 Points
Pleasing to the eye. Light garnet. Nice nose of berries and spice. Very smooth but still a little tight and thin. Predominant taste to me is tart cherries. It needs more time.
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4/3/2009 - duchamp wrote: 88 Points
(from memory) Bright ruby, slight cork with red currant, subtle spice on the nose, palate is big and fruit focused with hints of earth, strong tannins but it's young, long but cork tainted finish
Note: hard to judge given its youth and cork taint, has potential to score higher
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6/18/2008 - wino_tim wrote: 85 Points
Young, and perhaps still needing time, as this really loosened up with some air, but still seemed to lack intensity on the palate.
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5/1/2008 - DesertDogESQ wrote: 88 Points
Still too young, but I knew that going in. The first night there was not much going. By the second night, it was truly outstanding with a nice velvety texture and long complex finish (though flavors were still difficult to detect because of its youthfulness). I think this will be a good one, right in tune with its WS 92 rating. At this price, I'm happy about the future. Will not open again until 2010.
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4/27/2008 - RonB wrote:
Good body, long finish.
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3/30/2008 - tarheel17 wrote: 88 Points
Way too young, I know, but for education purposes, popped it and left open on the counter all day.
0 hr: nose is deep, musky yet at the same time bright with fruit (pomegranate and cranberry). The palate is VERY forward in all aspects, especially the acidity. Mouthpuckering and so, so primary.
4 hr: nose is showing more obvious strawberry cranberry and tar flavors, plus a bit of gravel dust. The palate is still strongly acidic, the tannins are a bit smoother, however. Still mouthwateringly acidic, but very concentrated fruit in place.
7.5 hr: the nose has become more earthy than tar-driven, with ripe cherry and strawberry. The palate has smoothened further with a more nuanced integration of fruit and acidity. The wine finishes med-long with sour strawberry and mushroom dust. Certainly drinkable and enjoyable now.
12 hr: nose of cherry and tar. Palate has really smoothened out and sour strawberry still in evidence. Elegant now, though still finding its way.
16 hr: cherry, tar on nose wit smooth strawberry on the palate.
h
32 hr: a richer nose, with sweeter and darker fruit that yesterday, and mushroom dust to finish. The attack still hints (not subtly) at the bracing acidity from before, tannins are a bit dry, and slightly over power the sour strawberry finish. Med-long finish again. Not sure if a rating at this stage is fair, but what the heck, for my personal documentation, I give it 88 points.
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2/16/2008 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 87 Points
Great fruit, long finish. Not as much minerality as expected. A baby. Way too soon to open
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2/1/2008 - Gargantua wrote: 86 Points
100% Pinot Noir, as with many Bourgogne. Got better as it opened, initially too understated, then began to become more interesting. All in all, not worth around $45...could have done better. Difficult to describe, as very little leaps out: not too acid, a fruity light character.
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1/11/2008 - Ombibulous wrote: 86 Points
Yum! Delish. I'd buy this again in the half bottle.
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11/21/2007 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 89 Points
The wine probably just arrived from France within the last few weeks and to my store just yesterday... so do I believe in bottle shock? Hmm... I still don't know, but I wanted to try it to see if I wanted more before it sold out! Color is absolutely gorgeous and perfect for a Pinot Noir. Pouring it into the decanter was like watching silk flow. Unfortunately the nose is being VERY tight... Was better 30 minutes after opening than it is 2 hours later. Initially showed some spicebox along with strawberries and raspberries, but now I'm even having a hard time pulling out the fruit. But there's also some poundcake drizzled with strawberry sauce on the nose, which is nice, but light. Mouthfeel is absolutely awesome... now the silk is in my mouth, and it tastes like raspberries. There's almost a mouth coating sugariness about this wine which is a bit surprising, but quite lovely. There is tart fruit (tons of sour cherry) on the finish, and considering how soft this feels, there's surprising tannins on the end that will definitely hold this together for a decade. I drank this over 7 hours, and everything about this wine remained a bit too light and not very complex, I think... even for a Volnay. The BurgHound and Spectator both detailed some greater complexity, which makes me think... bottle shock? I dunno...
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