From 6L. Decanted into magnums bottles to reduce airing. Even so, wine seemed a little over aired after a few hours - the quickest we could get round to drinking the bottle this large (!) So suggested it has reached end of life. Far preferred this from smaller bottles, with very short airing.
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Figeac 88 is an example of why mature bordeaux is an all-time classic. Fantastic nose!! A bit light at first, but it gains weight with some time In the glass. Didnt dare to decant, but it was very much alive and actually improved over several hours. A hedonistic wine. GREAT.
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It is a good, solid, straightforward, (solid = for any wine drinker) wine. There is a mix of oak, crumbling rocks, and grape almost turning cherry. An old man yawning in a rocking chair.
Leave it to decant for two hours before drinking.
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Upon opening, the colour in the glass looks rustic brownish red. It is really very light on the palate and the nose is faint. Could not feel any tannins and after 30 mins, the wine just faded. Slight tinch of sour on the tongue and that grew more intense on the hour. I could not finish it
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Superb. Sometimes it's good to overlook the notes saying a wine is over the hill or should've been drunk 5 years ago - this wine is in a beautiful place. Soft, mellow, Cab Franc (at least this grape appears to lead at the stage it is now), velvety and long. Delightful - but maybe for only another two or year or two.
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Excellent vintage of Figeac that's structured and precise with delicious earthy flavors of blackberries, bitter chocolate and graphite minerals. A leaner-styled wine but showing great terroir notes of the vineyard. Finishes crisp with nice grip and complexity.
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Bouteille provenant d'une caisse de 6, conservation optimale, niveau dans le goulot. Robe grenat, sans signe d'évolution, limpide et brillante. Très beau nez de sous-bois, humus, champignon frais, cèdre. Bouche sur les arômes tertiaires, plus trop de fruit, finale un peu acide. Un vin à boire, sur le déclin.
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Decanted for two hours and drank over two hours. It was indescribable! No tasting notes for this one because it was somehow constantly developing over the two hours of drinking and I tasted something different every few minutes. Absolutely amazing. Brings back memories of when I was in Saint Emilion a couple of weeks ago. Not exactly sure how long more this bottle would be good for but now is the perfect time to drink it. Definitely worth every dollar spent!
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One of the better Figeacs I can recall, which is really saying something. Great fill level on this bottle. Some mold on the cork, but the cork was dry and in good shape. The wine had a beautiful ruby and slightly rusted color with the edges lightening a bit. A clean nose with impressive purity and ripeness of the fruit. Red currant, cherry, crushed rock, truffle, black tea, and rose petals are on the nose. Lots of floral notes are easy to find. Medium-bodied and full of finesse. The tannins are soft and are in the background. Very fresh finish with lots of well-balanced acidity. I would say this is still at its peak and is drinking beautifully. There is so much fruit left here that I wouldn't hesitate to save this for five more years. A beautiful and very successful effort from Figeac.
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Nose is plum, fig, meat, earth, leather, smoke, tobacco, spice Palate is showing good tertiary notes, tobacco, leather, char, ash, woody, plum, cherry, leafy, bit warming. Nice, ok complexity, good typicity.
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Nicely evolved in colour, still quite dark core. Expressive nose, wonderful notes of tobacco, spices, ripe fruit. Open and ready on the palate, still good texture, powerful and relatively generous, good fruit, great length. Excellent, drinking very well. 92-94
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An outstanding, elegant wine: after 26 years of aging, it offered a broad aromatic palette underscoring tertiary aromas, but still presenting fruity, secondary aromas to complement them (cherry, raspberry, tobacco, underbrush, wet soil, dried leaves, potpourri, sage, rosemary, cocoa, vanilla and a touch of black pepper). It still had enough acidity to keep it alive (although I would not wait much longer to drink it) and gentle tannins, along with great smoothness – overall attaining a nice balance. Long finish.
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Very expressive complex nose springs from the bottle upon opening. Could be happy just sniffing this stuff. Palate falls a little short of the promise given by the aroma. Still some tannins to resolve. Will the fruit last long enough? Time will tell.Tobacco and cedar notes. Slight greenness (Cab Franc ? ) detracts a little. Good acidity and long finish.
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Perfect bottle from the Chateau. Wonderfully mature nose of dark fruit, herbs, slight green pepper, some mint and tobacco. More of the same on the palate. Great freshness and medium depth with superb balance. A great Figeac.
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Velvet crimson with brown reflexes. Light and transparent edges. Still vibrant and fresh! aromas of Cedar and other pinewood. Earthy and Leathery characters. Some Berries paired with Eucalypt in a cloud of sweet Floral traces. Complex, multi-layered aromas, perfectly integrated to one beautiful nose! Round and soft, but intense and lively. Flavors of fresh Acidity comes with a combination of Herbs and Spices. Earth and Stone with little nuances of fruit – mostly ripe Black Currant, Jam. Languorous, long finish with decent Acidity, Warmth, Spices and Licorice. Beautiful balanced and simply delicious!
A flawless bottle and a wine, which is probably peaking now! I can´t imagine this getting any better: Fully and perfectly integrated with fruit, secondary characteristics and vital acidity walking hand in hand melting to one great experience. See more details at cellartv.wordpress.com
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Dinner at The Bristol (The Bristol - Chicago, IL): Beautiful nose of raw tobacco, some green pepper, sour cherry and rose petals. With air (we're talking 2 hours) this became really green with its cabernet franc nature taking over. Until that point, the wine was elegant, floral and deep. Beautiful claret.
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This wine acquitted itself quite well in a nice Figeac vertical. Lovely pure nose. Very nice balance. A touch of bell pepper offers complexity. This wine has an excellent mouthfeel and is drinkng very well righ now. No complaints.
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Classical developed and elegant Bordeaux nose. Blackcurrants, plum, a splash of red berry liqueur, a hint of violets and tar, obvioys barnyard aromas, some earth, herbs and a hint of malt and green notes. Some well integrated oak barrel notes hover in the background. Medium bodied, the fruit component on the palate is dominated by dark berries, with a hint of ripe red berries, rather spicy, very good acidity, some earthiness and a distinctly minerally and slightly salty impression which lingers in the aftertaste. The palate has less fruit concentration than the nose, which I rate higher than the palate. Some mid-palate tannins, but a little more adstringent in the aftertaste. Elegant, but I would judge this as fully developed, and it is slightly lighter in style than expected. Given its tannins and acidity it will probably keep at approximately this level for a number of years. However, those who prefer a lot of fruit on the palate would probably judge this as already past its peak. From a good bottle: very good fill level (into neck) and cork in excellent shape (stained 1/3 through).
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Cedary, rich, concentrated and a beautiful elegance. Married the wine with a glorious lamb dish, recipe borrowed from Richard Neat: fillet of lamb with ballotine of lamb sweetbreads (sweetbread sandwich of ox tongue, chicken mousse and sweetbread on top - sublime).
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Decanted two hours before drinking. Color shows only minor signs of aging. Lots of fruit in the nose, as well as herbs. In the mouth red and dark fruit, spicy, leather. Nice acids. Lacks body in the back of the palate, and is followed by a acceptable length. All together a beautiful wine, with probably many more years to survive, not to improve, although the finish might reach more balance. Or will it fall into more pieces?
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Leichte orangene Aufhellungen, in der Nase viel Holz und Unreifearomen, erinnert an 1994. Am Gaumen wiederum ein 94er de ja vue, aber zumindest nun voll ausgereift. Dürfte aber nur aus diesem Format wirklich erfreuen, denn das ist ein durch und durch klassischer Bordeaux, mit viel Möbelpolitur, Ecken und Kanten und sehr reduzierter Frucht. Langer aber nicht unbedingt genussvoller Abgang. Wo ist das Lamm?
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Un grand plaisir au nez, en bouche, très droit, l'acidité est encore présente ("vieille école"). Je le place en dessous de Cheval Blanc 95 tout de même mais c'est un vin parfaitement accompli.
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Tasted at Chateau, after tour. From half bottle. Medium garnet, wide oranging rim. Mellow, caramelly red fruit. Sweet, spicy, hints of tobacco emerging. Fine, elegant, long and very much alive on the palate with fresh acidity and a long, slightly spicy caramelly finish. Delicious 91-93.
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($150) The Mann's '88 Blowout: Pencil lead along with new shoes…complete with leather, and rubber. Menthol-Irish Spring soap. Ripe palate, medium-bodied. Falls out of balance on the finish.
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4/6/2020 - Vinterest Angus Likes this wine: 92 Points
From 6L. Decanted into magnums bottles to reduce airing. Even so, wine seemed a little over aired after a few hours - the quickest we could get round to drinking the bottle this large (!) So suggested it has reached end of life. Far preferred this from smaller bottles, with very short airing.
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9/9/2019 - melzar wrote: 89 Points
From 750: Vegetal notes and a little tired. Suffered from the company it kept. Would have been enjoyable by itself.
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2/24/2019 - brihprivat Likes this wine: 94 Points
Figeac 88 is an example of why mature bordeaux is an all-time classic. Fantastic nose!!
A bit light at first, but it gains weight with some time In the glass. Didnt dare to decant, but it was very much alive and actually improved over several hours. A hedonistic wine. GREAT.
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10/13/2018 - fcxj wrote: 86 Points
Aged aromatics, thin palate.
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10/13/2018 - Rimbe wrote: 94 Points
(Dinner at the China Club, Hong Kong)
It is a good, solid, straightforward, (solid = for any wine drinker) wine. There is a mix of oak, crumbling rocks, and grape almost turning cherry.
An old man yawning in a rocking chair.
Leave it to decant for two hours before drinking.
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5/2/2018 - Solidgold Does not like this wine:
Gone flat.
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5/2/2018 - Solidgold Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Upon opening, the colour in the glass looks rustic brownish red. It is really very light on the palate and the nose is faint. Could not feel any tannins and after 30 mins, the wine just faded. Slight tinch of sour on the tongue and that grew more intense on the hour. I could not finish it
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4/7/2018 - Vinterest Angus Likes this wine: 94 Points
Superb. Sometimes it's good to overlook the notes saying a wine is over the hill or should've been drunk 5 years ago - this wine is in a beautiful place. Soft, mellow, Cab Franc (at least this grape appears to lead at the stage it is now), velvety and long. Delightful - but maybe for only another two or year or two.
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9/6/2017 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent vintage of Figeac that's structured and precise with delicious earthy flavors of blackberries, bitter chocolate and graphite minerals. A leaner-styled wine but showing great terroir notes of the vineyard. Finishes crisp with nice grip and complexity.
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6/25/2017 - ProfesseurDubis Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bouteille provenant d'une caisse de 6, conservation optimale, niveau dans le goulot.
Robe grenat, sans signe d'évolution, limpide et brillante.
Très beau nez de sous-bois, humus, champignon frais, cèdre.
Bouche sur les arômes tertiaires, plus trop de fruit, finale un peu acide.
Un vin à boire, sur le déclin.
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10/13/2016 - kevinliewkm wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for two hours and drank over two hours. It was indescribable! No tasting notes for this one because it was somehow constantly developing over the two hours of drinking and I tasted something different every few minutes. Absolutely amazing. Brings back memories of when I was in Saint Emilion a couple of weeks ago. Not exactly sure how long more this bottle would be good for but now is the perfect time to drink it. Definitely worth every dollar spent!
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9/4/2016 - thunberg wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding and still very vibrant and young. Great length and firm tannins.
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3/21/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
One of the better Figeacs I can recall, which is really saying something. Great fill level on this bottle. Some mold on the cork, but the cork was dry and in good shape. The wine had a beautiful ruby and slightly rusted color with the edges lightening a bit. A clean nose with impressive purity and ripeness of the fruit. Red currant, cherry, crushed rock, truffle, black tea, and rose petals are on the nose. Lots of floral notes are easy to find. Medium-bodied and full of finesse. The tannins are soft and are in the background. Very fresh finish with lots of well-balanced acidity. I would say this is still at its peak and is drinking beautifully. There is so much fruit left here that I wouldn't hesitate to save this for five more years. A beautiful and very successful effort from Figeac.
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4/20/2015 - PT insurgent wrote:
Nose is plum, fig, meat, earth, leather, smoke, tobacco, spice
Palate is showing good tertiary notes, tobacco, leather, char, ash, woody, plum, cherry, leafy, bit warming.
Nice, ok complexity, good typicity.
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1/29/2015 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Love the nose. Did not have the class of the Cheval but great to compare.
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1/10/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Nicely evolved in colour, still quite dark core. Expressive nose, wonderful notes of tobacco, spices, ripe fruit. Open and ready on the palate, still good texture, powerful and relatively generous, good fruit, great length. Excellent, drinking very well. 92-94
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11/25/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
another great bottle. Interestingly this one showed very little herbal notes and much more red fruit. Smelled like a burgundy.
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11/9/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
Another great bottle. The nose on this wine is superb.
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11/8/2014 - Stefano FsT Likes this wine: 94 Points
An outstanding, elegant wine: after 26 years of aging, it offered a broad aromatic palette underscoring tertiary aromas, but still presenting fruity, secondary aromas to complement them (cherry, raspberry, tobacco, underbrush, wet soil, dried leaves, potpourri, sage, rosemary, cocoa, vanilla and a touch of black pepper). It still had enough acidity to keep it alive (although I would not wait much longer to drink it) and gentle tannins, along with great smoothness – overall attaining a nice balance. Long finish.
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11/1/2014 - melzar wrote: 92 Points
Very expressive complex nose springs from the bottle upon opening. Could be happy just sniffing this stuff. Palate falls a little short of the promise given by the aroma. Still some tannins to resolve. Will the fruit last long enough? Time will tell.Tobacco and cedar notes. Slight greenness (Cab Franc ? ) detracts a little. Good acidity and long finish.
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10/24/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
Another sublime bottle from the same case.
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10/14/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Perfect bottle from the Chateau. Wonderfully mature nose of dark fruit, herbs, slight green pepper, some mint and tobacco. More of the same on the palate. Great freshness and medium depth with superb balance. A great Figeac.
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4/27/2013 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine: 96 Points
Velvet crimson with brown reflexes.
Light and transparent edges. Still vibrant and fresh!
aromas of Cedar and other pinewood. Earthy and Leathery characters.
Some Berries paired with Eucalypt in a cloud of sweet Floral traces.
Complex, multi-layered aromas, perfectly integrated to one beautiful nose! Round and soft, but intense and lively.
Flavors of fresh Acidity comes with a combination of Herbs and Spices.
Earth and Stone with little nuances of fruit – mostly ripe Black Currant, Jam.
Languorous, long finish with decent Acidity, Warmth, Spices and Licorice.
Beautiful balanced and simply delicious!
A flawless bottle and a wine, which is probably peaking now!
I can´t imagine this getting any better:
Fully and perfectly integrated with fruit, secondary characteristics and vital acidity walking hand in hand melting to one great experience.
See more details at cellartv.wordpress.com
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2/3/2013 - Terre Likes this wine:
Absolute great wine. Still young, can age for a lot years extra! Finesse, complex, fruity.. Everything was there in the glass.
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5/10/2012 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Dinner at The Bristol (The Bristol - Chicago, IL): Beautiful nose of raw tobacco, some green pepper, sour cherry and rose petals. With air (we're talking 2 hours) this became really green with its cabernet franc nature taking over. Until that point, the wine was elegant, floral and deep. Beautiful claret.
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4/7/2012 - tooch wrote: flawed
corked.
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3/25/2012 - Blair Curtis wrote: 91 Points
This wine acquitted itself quite well in a nice Figeac vertical. Lovely pure nose. Very nice balance. A touch of bell pepper offers complexity. This wine has an excellent mouthfeel and is drinkng very well righ now. No complaints.
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12/16/2011 - Vintomas wrote: 90 Points
Classical developed and elegant Bordeaux nose. Blackcurrants, plum, a splash of red berry liqueur, a hint of violets and tar, obvioys barnyard aromas, some earth, herbs and a hint of malt and green notes. Some well integrated oak barrel notes hover in the background. Medium bodied, the fruit component on the palate is dominated by dark berries, with a hint of ripe red berries, rather spicy, very good acidity, some earthiness and a distinctly minerally and slightly salty impression which lingers in the aftertaste. The palate has less fruit concentration than the nose, which I rate higher than the palate. Some mid-palate tannins, but a little more adstringent in the aftertaste. Elegant, but I would judge this as fully developed, and it is slightly lighter in style than expected. Given its tannins and acidity it will probably keep at approximately this level for a number of years. However, those who prefer a lot of fruit on the palate would probably judge this as already past its peak.
From a good bottle: very good fill level (into neck) and cork in excellent shape (stained 1/3 through).
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12/31/2010 - MEKWINE wrote:
Cedary, rich, concentrated and a beautiful elegance. Married the wine with a glorious lamb dish, recipe borrowed from Richard Neat: fillet of lamb with ballotine of lamb sweetbreads (sweetbread sandwich of ox tongue, chicken mousse and sweetbread on top - sublime).
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8/23/2010 - Doortje wrote: 91 Points
Decanted two hours before drinking. Color shows only minor signs of aging. Lots of fruit in the nose, as well as herbs. In the mouth red and dark fruit, spicy, leather. Nice acids. Lacks body in the back of the palate, and is followed by a acceptable length. All together a beautiful wine, with probably many more years to survive, not to improve, although the finish might reach more balance. Or will it fall into more pieces?
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3/14/2010 - innauen wrote: 89 Points
Leichte orangene Aufhellungen, in der Nase viel Holz und Unreifearomen, erinnert an 1994. Am Gaumen wiederum ein 94er de ja vue, aber zumindest nun voll ausgereift. Dürfte aber nur aus diesem Format wirklich erfreuen, denn das ist ein durch und durch klassischer Bordeaux, mit viel Möbelpolitur, Ecken und Kanten und sehr reduzierter Frucht. Langer aber nicht unbedingt genussvoller Abgang. Wo ist das Lamm?
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2/13/2010 - stadler wrote: 95 Points
Un grand plaisir au nez, en bouche, très droit, l'acidité est encore présente ("vieille école"). Je le place en dessous de Cheval Blanc 95 tout de même mais c'est un vin parfaitement accompli.
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8/7/2008 - Paul D wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at Chateau, after tour. From half bottle. Medium garnet, wide oranging rim. Mellow, caramelly red fruit. Sweet, spicy, hints of tobacco emerging. Fine, elegant, long and very much alive on the palate with fresh acidity and a long, slightly spicy caramelly finish. Delicious 91-93.
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4/12/2003 - chbeaumont wrote:
Garnet, brick rim; herbaceous nose, lacks zip; stalky at first, opens out into a clean cut claret, ending up rather charmless. 14
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12/1/2001 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($150) The Mann's '88 Blowout: Pencil lead along with new shoes…complete with leather, and rubber. Menthol-Irish Spring soap. Ripe palate, medium-bodied. Falls out of balance on the finish.
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2/23/1997 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
After tasting the heavily oaked 1989 and 1990, the 1988 is a relief; the fruit is back! Also a good dose of oak. A wonderful wine!
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