1998 Château Larmande

Community Tasting Notes (33) Avg Score: 88.4 points

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  7/19/2023 - Doctor Vyd Likes this wine: 88 Points

  Slightly brown faint fruit pleasant smooth finish

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  7/30/2022 - forceberry wrote: 93 Points

  Typically a blend of Merlot (2/3), Cabernet Franc (1/3) and a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon. 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Somewhat translucent and slightly evolved dark dried-blood color. Savory, dark-toned nose with aromas of licorice root and wizened dark plums, some autumnal notes of damp leaves, a little bit of cigar box, light ferrous notes of blood, a crunchy hint of fresh redcurrants, a touch of earth and a whiff of pouch tobacco. The wine feels dry, quite dense and enjoyably textural on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and flavors of gamey meat and savory umami, some wizened black cherry tones, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light earthy notes, a hint of tobacco and a touch of autumnal leaves. The wine still retains quite a bit of firmness and structure with its rather high acidity and still quite grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is savory and quite grippy with a long, dry aftertaste of game and autumnal leaves, some tobacco, a little bit of ripe redcurrant, light earthy notes, a sweeter hint of dark plummy fruit and a touch of leather.
  
  An evolved but still wonderfully vibrant and expressive St. Ém. that feels like it is slowly approaching its plateau of maturity. The fruit has developed some tertiary characteristics, but there is still quite a bit of vibrant fruit left and the tannins come across as quite assertive and grippy, even after all these years, making me think it will take more than a few years to resolve them fully. Virtually everybody was in Bordeaux with this one, but most of us thought 1990's Left Bank - only one went (correctly) to Right Bank right with the first guess. All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable, still impressively structured and enjoyably dry and savory Right Bank Bordeaux with still a little bit of upside to it - seeing how many have commented how the wine has no tannins left and the fruit seems over the hill, I'm starting to wonder if there has been a bigger batch with storage issues? At least this wine didn't seem to fit those kinds of descriptions at all. If anything, this calls for food if opened now. Priced according to its quality at 38,50€

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  12/27/2021 - Invest wrote: 90 Points

  Bought on release. Opened bottle 1h before consumption. High quality cork, only just about 5% soaked. 13% Alc., red plum color.
  
  Nose: Promising, truffles, forest floor, diffuse fruit.
  
  Palate: Basically the characteristics also experienced with the Angelus from the same vintage we had yesterday. Red and black fruit, quite young, freshness, milk chocolate, truffles, silkiness, harmony and drinking flow. The difference, all flavors are much more diffuse, much less precise and defined, overall less harmonious, less delicate and complex and with a short finish. One can almost taste the poorer selection and care in comparison.
  
  Nevertheless, pleasant to drink!

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  5/22/2021 - melzar wrote: 91 Points

  Bought upon release and cellared well.This will never be a great wine, but it's damned good juice. Drinking at peak, but unlikely to improve. Unhelraled wine in an unheralded vintage comes through. Respect the advice of your local wine merchant. Great acidity, and well balanced palate, with a nice finish.

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  7/1/2018 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Surprisingly good, much more persistent than expected, with deep notes of wild strawberry and blackberry.

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