Opened & poured. Pale red with clear orange rim - a little depth. Nose is pungent with wonderful deep farmyard & sous bois - rich truffle, ripe wild strawberries - wears its age so well. Palate is medium bodied with wild strawberry, hedgerow, a light fennel note & a real freshness, notwithstanding an absolute full-on farmyard fragrance. Real class - will open a little more in the glass. Fully mature. Drink now. Excellent.
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Decanted for an hour. Perfumed, complex nose. Secondary notes, spice, graphite, flint. Multi-layered on the palate. Delicate, floral hints but with earthy notes. Some tobacco. Fades a little on the finish.
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"Pulled and poured", (which as it emerged was exactly the right approach with this wine). Very translucent brick appearance (of an old - 20 year - Burgundy), and the bouquet just leapt out of the glass: floral notes, violets, red berries, cherries, provencal herbs, and a hint of the Burgundy pinot "whiff" of barn-yard. The palate is surprisingly robust, structured, multi-layered. Full-bodied, round and silky-textured and a long, long finish. Surprisingly outstanding for the vintage. HOWEVER, did not improve with air-time. This is definitely one to drink straight from the bottle.
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Gevrey Chambertin Dinner (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): A really nice wine in its own right, but this was almost like coming back down to earth after drinking an ethereal bottle of 2001 Rousseau CSJ alongside. On the night, this showed a beautiful nose, with perfumy notes of fresh flowers on their stalks along with red fruit. Not great complexity, but this was a spectacularly attractive nose. The palate showed a bit of thickness to it, somewhat lacking the detail and definition of the 2001, but it still had that same ringing purity of fruit in its red cherry and berry flavours, ringed with bits of mineral and earth and savoury umami tones on the midpalate. and then a dash of bramble and spice on the fiinish. With its juicy acidity and soft tannins, this was a really pretty wine that was really good to drink on the night - just unfortunately overshadowed by the stunning 2001.
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5 vintages tasted, and this was #2 in my book -- surpassing 96, 01, and 04. It's supple and elegant, the other vintages were restrained and/or tannic. I would be happy to drink this again, but frankly I don't see the value at the current market price.
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Two HDH Dinners (Ada St. and Bistronomic): From magnum. Dried roses, red fruit on the nose. Light and airy in the mouth. Very pretty red fruit, very precise and finessed. A bit thin compared to other vintages, but no surprise there. Medium finish.
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Shockingly good. One of the best '97s I've had in ages. Also one of the only '97s I've had in ages. But certainly none of them seemed to have the potential to get this good a few years ago. There are no overripe flavors here nor any hollowness in the palate which used to be the '97 signature. Instead the aromatics are stony and forestal with a just a touch of caramel sweetness. Not quite as fleshy as the '01 Charmes, but not far off, and it keeps getting deeper and richer in the glass to the point where you can almost call it inky.
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Friday Dinner with Friends (St. Betty, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong): Popped and poured and then drank slowly over an hour or more. Semi- transparent cherry red colour. Nose is tons of very fresh farmyard shit, perfumed strawberries, high-toned red cherry notes, high acetone of nail polish remover, plastic high-heeled shoes, red plastic sexy high heeled new shoes. It really is an alluring (and sexy) nose that goes the distance with extended time in the glass. Palate is a lovely pure and sustained high piano note of acidity, really fresh strawberry, great lightness and precision of mouthfeel. Light spice in the background and on the back end. The palate is a bit single-toned compared to the nose - probably a reflection of the vintage - but then it went on to display a lovely perfumed and wafting light resonance inside the head on the finale. I am new to A. Rousseau as a producer but have been really impressed by all his wines so far....uniquely in my previous experience with red Burgundy producers.
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Bobs annual wine weekend (New Haven and Guilford): The three Rousseaus ruled in this flight again . The 99 is early, the 98 is very nice, the 97 is a knockout and best to drink tonight. Over time, it will be 99, 97 and 98. They are all complex, ripe and elegant in a way that sets his wines above everyone else and rousseau is the reference standard for CSJ. the wines are dense, balanced, earthy with a wild mix of dark and red fruits and the finish goes on forever.
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I was expecting a lot of this wine but it just never really shoved much. The wine was thick and dark/brownish and had quite a bit of wine stone! The nose was quite nice with classic red cool berries and earth but it was somewhat asleep! The palet was a bit jammy but still quite nice and had a nice smoothness and structure but it just never gave away much and it shoved somewhat dull! Maybe this was an odd bottle I don’t know?
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La Paulee Gala (San Francisco CA): Ripe black fruit aromas with Gevrey-styled meaty/earthy aromas along with background new oak spice. Palate came across as slightly more ripe with modest spice, supported by just modest acidity. Drinking well now, i don't really see this getting any more nuanced or interesting.
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Consistent with prior notes - very enjoyable wine, and a notable achievement for the vintage. I did notice a touch more of the prune / rot notes in this bottle, but overall a great drink as always.
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The Wines of Gevrey-Chambertin (Brooks Hotel, Dublin): A much more mature garnet/brown colour. Very unusual earthy and sous-bois nose, almost mentolly, little or no primary fruit. Perhaps something stewed, almost a rhubarb note. Intense and delicious on the palate; long; great acidity gives it lovely lift and poise. The texture is silky/velvety. Long, long. Delicious indeed. The WOTN from a "drinking now" perspective.
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With little variation, the bottles from this case have been very consistent. This bottle had a pretty nose of ripe fruits, sous bois, and sauvage, with a touch of prune and tar thrown in. still quite tannic in the mouth but balanced by the still ample fruit and acidity. Not as complex as the best, but such an enjoyable wine.
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Rousseau Clos St Jacques 1986 to 2006 (The Ledbury, London): The last bottle I had of this was weak and unimpressive, so this was a nice surprise. Sweet, smoky, with freshening acidity, light but very pretty. Didn't have the overripeness and alcohol that 97s can have. Very mature, and it faded in the glass.
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Not as good as previous bottles, but still a solid performer for the vintage. This btl was a little lighter, without the same depth of dark fruits and sous bois as previous btls, and with touch more noticeable acidity.
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Dark ruby with just a touch of lightening at the rim. Very pretty nose of bright cherries, spiced earth and sous bois, with a touch of menthol. Over time notes of tar emerge as well. More cherries, spice and menthol in the mouth, where the wine has a lovely soft texture while still having some firm tannic clout and strong, lively acidity. Long finish. Very nice wine, strong performance for the vintage.
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Unbelievable nose of red fruit, mushroom, earth and smoke. So vibrant. Palate is juicy with fresh red fruit, cherry, kirsch, raspberry, mushroom and forest floor. Finish is at least 60 seconds. Has many years ahead of it for sure.
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Rousseau Dinner (Knightsbridge - Northbrook IL): An unusual 1997. Moderate fruit and somewhat imbalanced, with more structure than fruit. I’m not sure if all the new oak helped or distorted the moderate fruit. Some folks enjoyed its sweetness but I found the fruit/acid/tannin/oak balance not particularly Burgundian. My least enjoyable Rousseau tonight.
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Lieu-dits-cru Rousseau Dinner (Knightsbridge): Very pale red. Lovely richcomplex red fruit with some acidity on the nose. Lovely sweet rich red fruit with rose petal notes on the palate.
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Lovely deep ruby red color. Nose of black, red and blue fruit all laced together in a floral matrix, with even mild vegetal, earth and wet stome elements, along with very light coffee and mocha. If you think I loved the nose, you guessed right. The rasberry and blackberry elements coupled with the coffee bean seem to coat the nasal passages. Amazing. Ok, ok, what does it taste like. Initial attack of bright red and black fruit, and fully developed tannins. The delineation begins in the mid-palate and just goes on and on, throughout a super extended finish, with quite good retro-olefaction. Drawbacks: Balance - the acid seems a bit strong going into the finish, and a bit astringent at the very end. Also the mid-palate complexity might have been greater, all told suggesting the fruit might be fading ever so slightly. Still, this wine is amazing, if for nothing else but the nose - wow!
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NobleRottersSydney - France v Aust (Darling Mills, Glebe): This wine fair blew us all away. Pale red, it exhibited light cherry, velvet, berry, light-truffle & faintly earthy aromas. Perfect balance on the palate, wonderful length. Totally enchanting wine. Easy to see how Burgundy becomes the holy grail for some folk. This wine was brought along by the Australian importer, who informs us that it retails for over A$200, which explains a great deal. WOTN.
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7/6/2021 - GNBB wrote: 93 Points
Opened & poured. Pale red with clear orange rim - a little depth. Nose is pungent with wonderful deep farmyard & sous bois - rich truffle, ripe wild strawberries - wears its age so well. Palate is medium bodied with wild strawberry, hedgerow, a light fennel note & a real freshness, notwithstanding an absolute full-on farmyard fragrance. Real class - will open a little more in the glass. Fully mature. Drink now. Excellent.
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11/10/2019 - iobtoel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for an hour. Perfumed, complex nose. Secondary notes, spice, graphite, flint. Multi-layered on the palate. Delicate, floral hints but with earthy notes. Some tobacco. Fades a little on the finish.
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8/3/2017 - RISM Likes this wine: 93 Points
"Pulled and poured", (which as it emerged was exactly the right approach with this wine). Very translucent brick appearance (of an old - 20 year - Burgundy), and the bouquet just leapt out of the glass: floral notes, violets, red berries, cherries, provencal herbs, and a hint of the Burgundy pinot "whiff" of barn-yard. The palate is surprisingly robust, structured, multi-layered. Full-bodied, round and silky-textured and a long, long finish. Surprisingly outstanding for the vintage. HOWEVER, did not improve with air-time. This is definitely one to drink straight from the bottle.
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12/20/2016 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Gevrey Chambertin Dinner (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): A really nice wine in its own right, but this was almost like coming back down to earth after drinking an ethereal bottle of 2001 Rousseau CSJ alongside. On the night, this showed a beautiful nose, with perfumy notes of fresh flowers on their stalks along with red fruit. Not great complexity, but this was a spectacularly attractive nose. The palate showed a bit of thickness to it, somewhat lacking the detail and definition of the 2001, but it still had that same ringing purity of fruit in its red cherry and berry flavours, ringed with bits of mineral and earth and savoury umami tones on the midpalate. and then a dash of bramble and spice on the fiinish. With its juicy acidity and soft tannins, this was a really pretty wine that was really good to drink on the night - just unfortunately overshadowed by the stunning 2001.
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12/17/2016 - robferguson1 wrote: flawed
A fair bit cloudy to start but did improve with a wait , had a bit of metallic on the taste but was very long. Ok but passed it .
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10/15/2015 - reichken wrote: 93 Points
clean crisp straight line of red fruit, sweet but developing a nice earthiness. easy to drink and the bottle goes way to fast
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4/23/2015 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
5 vintages tasted, and this was #2 in my book -- surpassing 96, 01, and 04. It's supple and elegant, the other vintages were restrained and/or tannic. I would be happy to drink this again, but frankly I don't see the value at the current market price.
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9/2/2014 - lestingray Likes this wine: 93 Points
Right on the money, good depth and complexity with lovely vinosity, well into secondary but with good fruit right at the crossover. Delicious
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5/18/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 92 Points
Two HDH Dinners (Ada St. and Bistronomic): From magnum. Dried roses, red fruit on the nose. Light and airy in the mouth. Very pretty red fruit, very precise and finessed. A bit thin compared to other vintages, but no surprise there. Medium finish.
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3/5/2014 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine:
Shockingly good. One of the best '97s I've had in ages. Also one of the only '97s I've had in ages. But certainly none of them seemed to have the potential to get this good a few years ago. There are no overripe flavors here nor any hollowness in the palate which used to be the '97 signature. Instead the aromatics are stony and forestal with a just a touch of caramel sweetness. Not quite as fleshy as the '01 Charmes, but not far off, and it keeps getting deeper and richer in the glass to the point where you can almost call it inky.
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11/13/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
A Few Wines at Wally's Inaugural Wine Auction (Whitney Museum of American Art - New York NY): From magnum. Best performance I can recall for this wine. Ripe but balanced and showing restraint with everything well integrated. Persistent with good fruit and meaty spice.
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8/9/2013 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 91 Points
Friday Dinner with Friends (St. Betty, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong): Popped and poured and then drank slowly over an hour or more. Semi- transparent cherry red colour. Nose is tons of very fresh farmyard shit, perfumed strawberries, high-toned red cherry notes, high acetone of nail polish remover, plastic high-heeled shoes, red plastic sexy high heeled new shoes. It really is an alluring (and sexy) nose that goes the distance with extended time in the glass. Palate is a lovely pure and sustained high piano note of acidity, really fresh strawberry, great lightness and precision of mouthfeel. Light spice in the background and on the back end. The palate is a bit single-toned compared to the nose - probably a reflection of the vintage - but then it went on to display a lovely perfumed and wafting light resonance inside the head on the finale. I am new to A. Rousseau as a producer but have been really impressed by all his wines so far....uniquely in my previous experience with red Burgundy producers.
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3/23/2013 - ricknat1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bobs annual wine weekend (New Haven and Guilford): The three Rousseaus ruled in this flight again . The 99 is early, the 98 is very nice, the 97 is a knockout and best to drink tonight. Over time, it will be 99, 97 and 98.
They are all complex, ripe and elegant in a way that sets his wines above everyone else and rousseau is the reference standard for CSJ. the wines are dense, balanced, earthy with a wild mix of dark and red fruits and the finish goes on forever.
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6/7/2012 - Poggio Al vento wrote: 90 Points
I was expecting a lot of this wine but it just never really shoved much. The wine was thick and dark/brownish and had quite a bit of wine stone! The nose was quite nice with classic red cool berries and earth but it was somewhat asleep!
The palet was a bit jammy but still quite nice and had a nice smoothness and structure but it just never gave away much and it shoved somewhat dull! Maybe this was an odd bottle I don’t know?
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2/25/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
La Paulee Gala (San Francisco CA): Ripe black fruit aromas with Gevrey-styled meaty/earthy aromas along with background new oak spice. Palate came across as slightly more ripe with modest spice, supported by just modest acidity. Drinking well now, i don't really see this getting any more nuanced or interesting.
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2/24/2012 - rnellans wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful nose. Good red fruits, bright, balanced.
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11/25/2011 - jlemerond wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with prior notes - very enjoyable wine, and a notable achievement for the vintage. I did notice a touch more of the prune / rot notes in this bottle, but overall a great drink as always.
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11/4/2011 - rnellans wrote: 92 Points
Closed initially. Opens with air. Cinnamon, spice, red fruit aromas. Excellent structure. Fresh finish. Tannins are smoothing out.
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2/21/2011 - Eating is Cheating wrote:
The Wines of Gevrey-Chambertin (Brooks Hotel, Dublin): A much more mature garnet/brown colour. Very unusual earthy and sous-bois nose, almost mentolly, little or no primary fruit. Perhaps something stewed, almost a rhubarb note. Intense and delicious on the palate; long; great acidity gives it lovely lift and poise. The texture is silky/velvety. Long, long. Delicious indeed. The WOTN from a "drinking now" perspective.
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2/27/2010 - jlemerond wrote: 91 Points
With little variation, the bottles from this case have been very consistent. This bottle had a pretty nose of ripe fruits, sous bois, and sauvage, with a touch of prune and tar thrown in. still quite tannic in the mouth but balanced by the still ample fruit and acidity. Not as complex as the best, but such an enjoyable wine.
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1/21/2010 - jlemerond wrote: 91 Points
This bottle was consistent with the flavor profiles of earlier bottles, but it had greater density and concentration. Really enjoyable wine.
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11/10/2009 - Rupert wrote: 90 Points
Rousseau Clos St Jacques 1986 to 2006 (The Ledbury, London): The last bottle I had of this was weak and unimpressive, so this was a nice surprise. Sweet, smoky, with freshening acidity, light but very pretty. Didn't have the overripeness and alcohol that 97s can have. Very mature, and it faded in the glass.
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10/17/2009 - jsebiri wrote: 90 Points
nice bottle of seasoned pinot , a little cloudy very nice nose well put togather a bit of barnyard on the nose but nice pinot fruit
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9/4/2009 - jlemerond wrote: 89 Points
Not as good as previous bottles, but still a solid performer for the vintage. This btl was a little lighter, without the same depth of dark fruits and sous bois as previous btls, and with touch more noticeable acidity.
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8/13/2009 - Anonymous wrote: 80 Points
Not impressive at all. Too much acid, too little fruit. It wasn't recognizable as a Rousseau wine.
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3/18/2009 - jlemerond wrote:
Dark ruby with just a touch of lightening at the rim. Very pretty nose of bright cherries, spiced earth and sous bois, with a touch of menthol. Over time notes of tar emerge as well. More cherries, spice and menthol in the mouth, where the wine has a lovely soft texture while still having some firm tannic clout and strong, lively acidity. Long finish. Very nice wine, strong performance for the vintage.
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3/15/2009 - ccn wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous. Pale in colour, very faint aromas at first, build and build into gamey/animal smells with great purity. Superb.
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2/9/2008 - Rupert wrote: 88 Points
Very fresh, citrus, quite stalky, dry, light bodied and lacking the usual sweetness I expect on Rousseau CSJ
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6/9/2007 - Rayburn wrote: 95 Points
Unbelievable nose of red fruit, mushroom, earth and smoke. So vibrant. Palate is juicy with fresh red fruit, cherry, kirsch, raspberry, mushroom and forest floor. Finish is at least 60 seconds. Has many years ahead of it for sure.
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6/22/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Rousseau Dinner (Knightsbridge - Northbrook IL): An unusual 1997. Moderate fruit and somewhat imbalanced, with more structure than fruit. I’m not sure if all the new oak helped or distorted the moderate fruit. Some folks enjoyed its sweetness but I found the fruit/acid/tannin/oak balance not particularly Burgundian. My least enjoyable Rousseau tonight.
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6/22/2006 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Lieu-dits-cru Rousseau Dinner (Knightsbridge): Very pale red. Lovely richcomplex red fruit with some acidity on the nose. Lovely sweet rich red fruit with rose petal notes on the palate.
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1/24/2005 - dk_lulu wrote:
Lovely deep ruby red color. Nose of black, red and blue fruit all laced together in a floral matrix, with even mild vegetal, earth and wet stome elements, along with very light coffee and mocha. If you think I loved the nose, you guessed right. The rasberry and blackberry elements coupled with the coffee bean seem to coat the nasal passages. Amazing. Ok, ok, what does it taste like. Initial attack of bright red and black fruit, and fully developed tannins. The delineation begins in the mid-palate and just goes on and on, throughout a super extended finish, with quite good retro-olefaction. Drawbacks: Balance - the acid seems a bit strong going into the finish, and a bit astringent at the very end. Also the mid-palate complexity might have been greater, all told suggesting the fruit might be fading ever so slightly. Still, this wine is amazing, if for nothing else but the nose - wow!
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8/5/2002 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - France v Aust (Darling Mills, Glebe): This wine fair blew us all away. Pale red, it exhibited light cherry, velvet, berry, light-truffle & faintly earthy aromas. Perfect balance on the palate, wonderful length. Totally enchanting wine. Easy to see how Burgundy becomes the holy grail for some folk. This wine was brought along by the Australian importer, who informs us that it retails for over A$200, which explains a great deal. WOTN.
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