Delightful, if not completely stunning / memorable. Paired with rack of lamb and fennel/white bean/dijon casserole.
Understated. Not overly tannic, feels like the right time to be drinking it! Something savory comes through on the nose and the palate. Mom said shoe polish…
Otherwise earthy and red fruit notes.
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Holiday Champagne Gala (Wilmette Harbor Club): Opened at gala dinner. Very good balance, still nicely rich with good combo of fresh and mature black fruit, moderate complexity. Good now.
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Allowed to breathe in glass 1 hour. Clear deep garnet - blood red color. Lovely subdued bouquet of mixed black fruits and their liqueurs; violets, fennel, bay leaf, some savory notes, forest floor. Full body, seamless, balanced, lingering finish. Improved with air; held up fine under vacuum stopper in refrigerator for four nights.
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Indistinguishable from a First Growth Left Bank claret on the nose. Youthful (despite its age) and indulgent. Deeply warming and comforting. So appealing and seductive. Treacle, plum cake, sandalwood, leather, prunes, cherries, damson jam. Soft, velvety tannins. Long and satisfying. In fact, delicious. So here's the thing: what about this wine is Napa Valley? It is not about terroir at all, but Christian Moueix's hugely successful attempt to prove that "it can be done" somewhere other than Bordeaux. So it is a fundamentally dishonest and therefore supremely irritating wine. An unnecessary distraction. An immensely successful, but pointless, exercise in theatrical verisimilitude. Pure vinous histrionics. Not for me - this is a spectacularly inauthentic charade.
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12/22/2023 - bishopblock Likes this wine: 91 Points
Delightful, if not completely stunning / memorable. Paired with rack of lamb and fennel/white bean/dijon casserole.
Understated. Not overly tannic, feels like the right time to be drinking it! Something savory comes through on the nose and the palate. Mom said shoe polish…
Otherwise earthy and red fruit notes.
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12/21/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Holiday Champagne Gala (Wilmette Harbor Club): Opened at gala dinner. Very good balance, still nicely rich with good combo of fresh and mature black fruit, moderate complexity. Good now.
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11/22/2022 - M.Batard wrote: 92 Points
Luscious and complete, but not stunning. Paired with steak off the grill, sautéed mushrooms, and polenta.
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11/8/2022 - Javachip Likes this wine: 91 Points
Allowed to breathe in glass 1 hour. Clear deep garnet - blood red color. Lovely subdued bouquet of mixed black fruits and their liqueurs; violets, fennel, bay leaf, some savory notes, forest floor. Full body, seamless, balanced, lingering finish. Improved with air; held up fine under vacuum stopper in refrigerator for four nights.
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3/2/2022 - ricard Likes this wine: 94 Points
Indistinguishable from a First Growth Left Bank claret on the nose. Youthful (despite its age) and indulgent. Deeply warming and comforting. So appealing and seductive. Treacle, plum cake, sandalwood, leather, prunes, cherries, damson jam. Soft, velvety tannins. Long and satisfying. In fact, delicious. So here's the thing: what about this wine is Napa Valley? It is not about terroir at all, but Christian Moueix's hugely successful attempt to prove that "it can be done" somewhere other than Bordeaux. So it is a fundamentally dishonest and therefore supremely irritating wine. An unnecessary distraction. An immensely successful, but pointless, exercise in theatrical verisimilitude. Pure vinous histrionics. Not for me - this is a spectacularly inauthentic charade.
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