DRC Montrachet Vertical: We knew this one was darker because the other 2 bottles from the OWC were the same. Some said it was oxidized, but it didn't taste oxidized to me, just had this heavy botrytis influence. Almost tasted like a dry version of d'Yquem. I think it's just the result of late picking in a hot vintage.
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Texturally in a category of its own. Oily and dense. Extremely rich. Loads of acid mid palate and a super long finish. Good but there is something wrong here. It seems like something a little different from oxidization because the back palate and finish are so long and the acid is there, but to me this is overly ripe and incorrect. The last example of this in 2018 was absolutely perfect and this bottle disappointed me tremendously. Hard to point to the flaw but there was zero freshness and no reduction. Smoke, beeswax, honey, sort of like Hermitage Blanc, which for this wine has to be wrong. Still lots of detail and complexity, it’s just showing far more advanced and developed and without any freshness. 93 as is but should be 97+
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From magnum. From the better looking of two magnums. Rich, even by DRC Montrachet standards, with just enough fine acid to hold the mid-palate together. In good overall shape, but a bit more advanced than I expected or would have wanted in this format. Regardless, displayed positive evolution and good persistence in the glass with even more depth after 1.5 hours of air time. 96-
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Opulence. Texture. Classic DRC. Silk and velvet. This is rich and open for business. Lemon, lees, hazelnut, peach, ripeness, minerality. Reference DRC Monty. Interesting to drink next to the 05 Leflaive Monty as that was far more cerebral and made you sit and think. This just gave it to you in spades. Loved them both.
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Massive, booming nose right off the pour, reductive and slightly botrytized golden fruit. Overwhelming richness and intensity. Concentrated. Unctuous but fresh. White flowers and smoke. Absolutely giving it up all up front. The palate is massive but texturally light. This is crushing the Ramonet Montrachet and for better or worse edging out the Leflaive. A towering masterpiece.
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At our Wine Group Xmas Lunch with a Montrachet theme ! Sadly severely premoxed. We had hoped for an interesting comparison with the 2005 Lafon Montrachet but not today !
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though I thought this was the best of the bunch, tasted 99,97, 03 and 05 thru out, I wasn't very impressed. Good bottle of wine that is starting to show its age. The color is fairly advanced. Not as good as the bottles I drank over 5 years ago. A big wine that doesn't show any finesse or class one would expect for the site and cost.
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Just showing some early signs of oxidation with aromas and flavours that were just a tad mute. It still had big smoky lift, was sweet, intense and lush but lacked the dimension of the three other DRC Montys.
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Just kidding. OK, where to begin analyzing this monumental labyrinth of a wine? To start, it's MASSIVE. There's just so much happening simultaneously, it's almost overwhelming, and it requires an enormous amount of concentration. The finish is so long that it makes a person giddy, you just can't believe how long you continue to taste this wine. There is the signature honey notes of Montrachet, every fruit and flower imaginable in at least some measure, and an occasional and almost imperceptible hint of mint.
The thing that really distinguishes this wine is the massive power is so precise. It's like a laser powerful enough to beam millions of miles into space. Most wines with this much material, with this much strength, are clunky or overwhelming -- especially in their youth. To have this power and precision together, and in youth, is such a rare animal.
Balance is wonderful thing in a wine, but this takes it to another level. By analogy, imagine that most wines are balancing two eggs on a scale -- this wine is balancing two elephants on a scale.
An extraordinary wine I was extremely privileged to taste.
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Drinking DRC with Bipin; 5/8/2009-5/9/2009 (Las Vegas, NV): This was paired in a flight with the '06, which was great in its own right, but the '05 was ethereal. It was a big wine with oak, viscosity, creaminess and some brown notes from the botrytis. Bipin told me that they pick the wines late so that they get a little touch of botrytis which really kicks the flavor up a notch.
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3/8/2024 - shifter wrote:
DRC Montrachet Vertical: We knew this one was darker because the other 2 bottles from the OWC were the same. Some said it was oxidized, but it didn't taste oxidized to me, just had this heavy botrytis influence. Almost tasted like a dry version of d'Yquem. I think it's just the result of late picking in a hot vintage.
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3/8/2024 - BradE wrote:
Somewhat oxidized. Poor showing.
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11/26/2021 - suttonri Likes this wine: 97 Points
Oxidizing but still very enjoyable. Almonds and this incredibly dense apple concentrate. like an apple marmalade. Drink sooner rather than later.
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4/25/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote:
Texturally in a category of its own. Oily and dense. Extremely rich. Loads of acid mid palate and a super long finish. Good but there is something wrong here. It seems like something a little different from oxidization because the back palate and finish are so long and the acid is there, but to me this is overly ripe and incorrect. The last example of this in 2018 was absolutely perfect and this bottle disappointed me tremendously. Hard to point to the flaw but there was zero freshness and no reduction. Smoke, beeswax, honey, sort of like Hermitage Blanc, which for this wine has to be wrong. Still lots of detail and complexity, it’s just showing far more advanced and developed and without any freshness. 93 as is but should be 97+
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11/11/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
From magnum. From the better looking of two magnums. Rich, even by DRC Montrachet standards, with just enough fine acid to hold the mid-palate together. In good overall shape, but a bit more advanced than I expected or would have wanted in this format. Regardless, displayed positive evolution and good persistence in the glass with even more depth after 1.5 hours of air time. 96-
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10/17/2020 - WIBA wrote: flawed
George's bottle DQ
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2/4/2019 - BradE wrote:
DRC Montrachet. February 2019.: A perfect ex-domaine bottle. I thought it very impressive, and liked it a lot.
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8/4/2018 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 96 Points
Opulence. Texture. Classic DRC. Silk and velvet. This is rich and open for business. Lemon, lees, hazelnut, peach, ripeness, minerality. Reference DRC Monty. Interesting to drink next to the 05 Leflaive Monty as that was far more cerebral and made you sit and think. This just gave it to you in spades. Loved them both.
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8/2/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 97 Points
Massive, booming nose right off the pour, reductive and slightly botrytized golden fruit. Overwhelming richness and intensity. Concentrated. Unctuous but fresh. White flowers and smoke. Absolutely giving it up all up front. The palate is massive but texturally light. This is crushing the Ramonet Montrachet and for better or worse edging out the Leflaive. A towering masterpiece.
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12/4/2017 - drjb wrote: flawed
At our Wine Group Xmas Lunch with a Montrachet theme ! Sadly severely premoxed. We had hoped for an interesting comparison with the 2005 Lafon Montrachet but not today !
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10/21/2016 - fatboi wrote:
though I thought this was the best of the bunch, tasted 99,97, 03 and 05 thru out, I wasn't very impressed. Good bottle of wine that is starting to show its age. The color is fairly advanced. Not as good as the bottles I drank over 5 years ago. A big wine that doesn't show any finesse or class one would expect for the site and cost.
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10/9/2012 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Just showing some early signs of oxidation with aromas and flavours that were just a tad mute. It still had big smoky lift, was sweet, intense and lush but lacked the dimension of the three other DRC Montys.
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12/18/2009 - Alex G. wrote:
DRC Holiday Lunch - '99, '02, '05 (Scottsdale, AZ): This was total swill, so overrated, don't buy it.
Just kidding. OK, where to begin analyzing this monumental labyrinth of a wine? To start, it's MASSIVE. There's just so much happening simultaneously, it's almost overwhelming, and it requires an enormous amount of concentration. The finish is so long that it makes a person giddy, you just can't believe how long you continue to taste this wine. There is the signature honey notes of Montrachet, every fruit and flower imaginable in at least some measure, and an occasional and almost imperceptible hint of mint.
The thing that really distinguishes this wine is the massive power is so precise. It's like a laser powerful enough to beam millions of miles into space. Most wines with this much material, with this much strength, are clunky or overwhelming -- especially in their youth. To have this power and precision together, and in youth, is such a rare animal.
Balance is wonderful thing in a wine, but this takes it to another level. By analogy, imagine that most wines are balancing two eggs on a scale -- this wine is balancing two elephants on a scale.
An extraordinary wine I was extremely privileged to taste.
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5/9/2009 - JJL wrote: 97 Points
Drinking DRC with Bipin; 5/8/2009-5/9/2009 (Las Vegas, NV): This was paired in a flight with the '06, which was great in its own right, but the '05 was ethereal. It was a big wine with oak, viscosity, creaminess and some brown notes from the botrytis. Bipin told me that they pick the wines late so that they get a little touch of botrytis which really kicks the flavor up a notch.
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