Pop and pour. Drinking at or near its peak. Highly aromatic nose of sweet, dark berries, smoke, cherry, and sandalwood. Excellent length and juiciness on the palate with sweet fruit flavors. The nose suggested a very heavy, high alcohol wine but it showed restraint on the palate instead. A pleasant surprise!
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What a treat it was to try what most be one of the rarest bottles of wines. My first impression was -- "It's Sauvignon Blanc." Initially the nose was not distinctive in any way (though perhaps it was my high expectations that dampened my enthusiasm). However, from the first taste this wine was special. So incredibly complex -- a panoply of tropical fruit exploded on the palate then slowly spread out across the palate leaving a pleasant cool tingling sensation on the back of the palate as it went down. The finish on this was impossibly long. It clung to the palate like a Chambers sticky and could not be dislodged with water or food, yet it was light, and refreshing; It didn't feel heavy in any way and I was absolutely stunned by its length. After 10-15 minutes in the glass and as the evening wore on, the nose caught up with the palate. Stunning complexity with plenty of tropical fruit, apricot, a distinct herbal quality (the sommelier and my wife thought basil and mint, but to me it was more floral like Hendrick's Gin) and some minerality. Stunning wine.
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Consistent with my previous note -- among the top 2 or 3 Bdx I've ever had. This wine has so much going for it -- intellectual complexity, hedonistic pleasure -- and shows no sign of fading. From the structure still there I wouldn't be surprised to see this wine last another 10-20 years. Ok, so I didn't give it 100 points like last time. As amazing as it was, it perhaps lacked the density that the last bottle I tried. This is seriously nit-picking, but I can't give it 100 because I know it can be just a tiny bit better.
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2001 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Éloge
1/17/2011 - rsepulve wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour. Drinking at or near its peak. Highly aromatic nose of sweet, dark berries, smoke, cherry, and sandalwood. Excellent length and juiciness on the palate with sweet fruit flavors. The nose suggested a very heavy, high alcohol wine but it showed restraint on the palate instead. A pleasant surprise!
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2006 Didier Dagueneau Asteroide
7/1/2010 - rsepulve wrote: 98 Points
What a treat it was to try what most be one of the rarest bottles of wines. My first impression was -- "It's Sauvignon Blanc." Initially the nose was not distinctive in any way (though perhaps it was my high expectations that dampened my enthusiasm). However, from the first taste this wine was special. So incredibly complex -- a panoply of tropical fruit exploded on the palate then slowly spread out across the palate leaving a pleasant cool tingling sensation on the back of the palate as it went down. The finish on this was impossibly long. It clung to the palate like a Chambers sticky and could not be dislodged with water or food, yet it was light, and refreshing; It didn't feel heavy in any way and I was absolutely stunned by its length. After 10-15 minutes in the glass and as the evening wore on, the nose caught up with the palate. Stunning complexity with plenty of tropical fruit, apricot, a distinct herbal quality (the sommelier and my wife thought basil and mint, but to me it was more floral like Hendrick's Gin) and some minerality. Stunning wine.
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1975 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
7/1/2010 - rsepulve wrote: 99 Points
Consistent with my previous note -- among the top 2 or 3 Bdx I've ever had. This wine has so much going for it -- intellectual complexity, hedonistic pleasure -- and shows no sign of fading. From the structure still there I wouldn't be surprised to see this wine last another 10-20 years. Ok, so I didn't give it 100 points like last time. As amazing as it was, it perhaps lacked the density that the last bottle I tried. This is seriously nit-picking, but I can't give it 100 because I know it can be just a tiny bit better.
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