I’ve had this in my temperature-controlled cave since I bought it en primeur from the domaine. I opened it not expecting too much, and I didn’t carafe it or even leave the bottle open very long before I sampled it. Colour is lovely a deep ruby, no trace of « tuile ». The nose is difficult to describe, expressive, not really fruity, some forest herbs in there, a bit spicy. Tasting, the wine is superb, Beltane and Dessauve give the drinking window up to 2020, but this bottle, though perfect to drink today will last a few years yet. Round, silky, more dark red fruits in the taste than the nose. Long and quite full-bodied. Way exceeds my expectations. A lovely bottle. A nice surprise!
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I bought 3 bottles of the 1990 vintage of Cos d'Estournel when it was first released onto the market in the early 1990s. I have a temperature controlled cellar, so have looked after the wine since then. This example was absolutely superb. When decanted it was a deep ruby colour, no hints of browning. I will not go into detail about the nose and palate, I opened and decanted the bottle an hour or so before we ate, and then we enjoyed the wine over about an hour. The nose was complex, developing over time, and on the palate all sorts of different flavours could be detected: chocolate, red fruits, and the beginnings of some tertiary flavours. But the most memorable sensation was the silkiness of the wine. The tannins are blended in, the wine has good body, but, oh, that smooth, elegant long finish. Tremendous! I bought this initially for about €35. I see from the sites that I would need to pay over €200 to buy a bottle now, with probably a dodgy provenance. But I have not purchased a bottle of Cos since the mid-1990s because prices are so ridiculous. It's a shame that I cannot continue to enjoy these wines having cellared and looked after them!
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I was given a magnum as a birthday present many years ago. Finally decided to open it tonight because I was afraid I had left it too long. But no, it was a delightful medium to full bodied Barolo with lots of subtlety and finesse. I have a temperature controlled wine cellar, which I am sure has helped the long life of this wine. Still a good colour, hardly any brick colouring. Gentle, pleasant nose. Very smooth, tannins well back, hints of tar, spices, and a long finish. Opened only an hour before we ate, it evolved during the meal, becoming bigger. Lucky me, I say.
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1998 Mas de Daumas Gassac
2/23/2022 - speedj Likes this wine: 93 Points
I’ve had this in my temperature-controlled cave since I bought it en primeur from the domaine. I opened it not expecting too much, and I didn’t carafe it or even leave the bottle open very long before I sampled it. Colour is lovely a deep ruby, no trace of « tuile ». The nose is difficult to describe, expressive, not really fruity, some forest herbs in there, a bit spicy.
Tasting, the wine is superb, Beltane and Dessauve give the drinking window up to 2020, but this bottle, though perfect to drink today will last a few years yet. Round, silky, more dark red fruits in the taste than the nose. Long and quite full-bodied. Way exceeds my expectations. A lovely bottle. A nice surprise!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1990 Château Cos d'Estournel
10/13/2019 - speedj Likes this wine: 95 Points
I bought 3 bottles of the 1990 vintage of Cos d'Estournel when it was first released onto the market in the early 1990s. I have a temperature controlled cellar, so have looked after the wine since then. This example was absolutely superb. When decanted it was a deep ruby colour, no hints of browning. I will not go into detail about the nose and palate, I opened and decanted the bottle an hour or so before we ate, and then we enjoyed the wine over about an hour. The nose was complex, developing over time, and on the palate all sorts of different flavours could be detected: chocolate, red fruits, and the beginnings of some tertiary flavours.
But the most memorable sensation was the silkiness of the wine. The tannins are blended in, the wine has good body, but, oh, that smooth, elegant long finish. Tremendous!
I bought this initially for about €35. I see from the sites that I would need to pay over €200 to buy a bottle now, with probably a dodgy provenance. But I have not purchased a bottle of Cos since the mid-1990s because prices are so ridiculous. It's a shame that I cannot continue to enjoy these wines having cellared and looked after them!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1995 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne
1/19/2019 - speedj Likes this wine: 90 Points
I was given a magnum as a birthday present many years ago. Finally decided to open it tonight because I was afraid I had left it too long. But no, it was a delightful medium to full bodied Barolo with lots of subtlety and finesse. I have a temperature controlled wine cellar, which I am sure has helped the long life of this wine. Still a good colour, hardly any brick colouring. Gentle, pleasant nose. Very smooth, tannins well back, hints of tar, spices, and a long finish. Opened only an hour before we ate, it evolved during the meal, becoming bigger. Lucky me, I say.
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