Paired with Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2004. Lovely colour, fullish yellow; excellent depth and complexity on the nose, vegetal notes, hint of tropical fruit, lemon, perfectly integrated oak; palate seems mature, good intensity and weight, oakier than the Chevalier but beautifully integrated, good flavour intensity and length, but without the ageing potential of the Chevalier.
Paired with Les Plantiers du Haut-Brion 2007. Very pale colour for age, lemony yellow; amazing Sauvignon freshness on the nose, lemon, very youthful, hardly any oak, lifted, exciting; very energetic palate, steely acidity, balanced and elegant, beautiful oak integration; very good length. Drinking beautifully but will last for decades.
Paired with Haut-Brion 1983. Pristine bottle, level 1 cm below cork, not decanted. Amazing nose, sweet fruit, earth, forest floor, leather, tobacco, smoke and bacon, warm gravel; good weight and concentration, impeccable balance, juicy fruit, tannic of course but perfectly integrated, layered, hint of asphalt; excellent length. Perfection, completely true to type, really first-rate Haut-Brion.
Paired with Haut-Brion 1975. Good level, 2 cm below the cork. Fully mature, sweet fruit and beefstock, very gentle, feminine and generous, really delicious, soft but clean and fresh, starts to dry out after a little while in the glass.
Paired with Mouton 1989. Fully mature appearance; very pleasant and well made but in all reality light and short, a bit simple; was very attractive 20 years ago but now just mature claret - but not over the hill. Elizabeth commented that this wine revealed its soul during the first five minutes in the glass - and then it flew away....
Paired with Mouton 1978. Wonderfully rich and warm style, typically Mouton, attractive, initially the wine feels rather light mid-palate but this fills out nicely in the glass, the tannins stick out a bit initially but they soften with aeration as the wine comes together, good flavour intensity; very good length.
Paired with Latour 1998. Smoky, cedary, quite tannic for age and vintage, energetic, lovely complexity, wonderful minerality, bright and lively, lovely length.
Paired with Latour 1971. Very youthful and tannic, wonderful character of blackcurrants, perfectly integrated oak, bright acidity, playful, very mineral, excellent intensity and length. Drinking this still feels like infanticide, needs a lot of time.
Paired with Haut-Brion Blanc 1984. Light and lemony colour; incredibly fresh and youthful, so intense and elegant, lemon, perfectly harmonious and balanced, a marvel of energy and intensity, very compact and tightly wound, mineral, linear and precise, flavours of wax and lemon; excellent length. Stunning!
Paired with Laville 1978. Good level. Mature appearance, correct colour for age, relatively pale even; attractive nose, more honeyed than the Laville 1978 it was paired with, but perfectly fresh and without any oxidative notes, displays the lanolin of bottle-age, smoke, lemon and flowers; the palate is very energetic and engaging, even if it is slightly on the dry and austere side; very good aromatic persistence. What remained in the bottle survived the night in the fridge effortlessly. For a 30 year old dry white wine from an off vintage this is really most impressive.
Lovely golden colour with a hint of orange; classic Yquem profile on the nose, oak and lanolin, hint of honey; fresh and lively on the palate rather than powerful or honeyed, good weight, not very sweet, noticeable bitters; good but not great flavour persistence. Not a great Yquem but a very attractive style - for me at least. Wonderful surprise from this difficult vintage.
Bottled 2006. Amber gold, verging on very pale tawny; the nose is slightly undemonstrative but remarkably fresh, character of ripe grapes and honey, citrus, dried apricot, just a hint of nuttiness, slightly resinous older wood; sweet and intense palate, mouthfilling and flavoursome, honey, crème pâtisserie, vanilla and spice, fresh figs and raisins; excellent aromatic persistence, really very long. Quite unique and very impressive.
1998 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut La Grande Dame 92 Points
France, Champagne
Perfumed, rich Pinot Noir, weighty, relatively low acidity for 1998, fully mature.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Les Plantiers du Haut-Brion Blanc 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Paired with Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2004. Lovely colour, fullish yellow; excellent depth and complexity on the nose, vegetal notes, hint of tropical fruit, lemon, perfectly integrated oak; palate seems mature, good intensity and weight, oakier than the Chevalier but beautifully integrated, good flavour intensity and length, but without the ageing potential of the Chevalier.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2004 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Paired with Les Plantiers du Haut-Brion 2007. Very pale colour for age, lemony yellow; amazing Sauvignon freshness on the nose, lemon, very youthful, hardly any oak, lifted, exciting; very energetic palate, steely acidity, balanced and elegant, beautiful oak integration; very good length. Drinking beautifully but will last for decades.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1975 Château Haut-Brion 97 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Paired with Haut-Brion 1983. Pristine bottle, level 1 cm below cork, not decanted. Amazing nose, sweet fruit, earth, forest floor, leather, tobacco, smoke and bacon, warm gravel; good weight and concentration, impeccable balance, juicy fruit, tannic of course but perfectly integrated, layered, hint of asphalt; excellent length. Perfection, completely true to type, really first-rate Haut-Brion.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1983 Château Haut-Brion 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Paired with Haut-Brion 1975. Good level, 2 cm below the cork. Fully mature, sweet fruit and beefstock, very gentle, feminine and generous, really delicious, soft but clean and fresh, starts to dry out after a little while in the glass.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1978 Château Mouton Rothschild 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Paired with Mouton 1989. Fully mature appearance; very pleasant and well made but in all reality light and short, a bit simple; was very attractive 20 years ago but now just mature claret - but not over the hill. Elizabeth commented that this wine revealed its soul during the first five minutes in the glass - and then it flew away....
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1989 Château Mouton Rothschild 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Paired with Mouton 1978. Wonderfully rich and warm style, typically Mouton, attractive, initially the wine feels rather light mid-palate but this fills out nicely in the glass, the tannins stick out a bit initially but they soften with aeration as the wine comes together, good flavour intensity; very good length.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1971 Château Latour Grand Vin 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Paired with Latour 1998. Smoky, cedary, quite tannic for age and vintage, energetic, lovely complexity, wonderful minerality, bright and lively, lovely length.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1998 Château Latour Grand Vin 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Paired with Latour 1971. Very youthful and tannic, wonderful character of blackcurrants, perfectly integrated oak, bright acidity, playful, very mineral, excellent intensity and length. Drinking this still feels like infanticide, needs a lot of time.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1978 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Paired with Haut-Brion Blanc 1984. Light and lemony colour; incredibly fresh and youthful, so intense and elegant, lemon, perfectly harmonious and balanced, a marvel of energy and intensity, very compact and tightly wound, mineral, linear and precise, flavours of wax and lemon; excellent length. Stunning!
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1984 Château Haut-Brion Blanc 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Paired with Laville 1978. Good level. Mature appearance, correct colour for age, relatively pale even; attractive nose, more honeyed than the Laville 1978 it was paired with, but perfectly fresh and without any oxidative notes, displays the lanolin of bottle-age, smoke, lemon and flowers; the palate is very energetic and engaging, even if it is slightly on the dry and austere side; very good aromatic persistence. What remained in the bottle survived the night in the fridge effortlessly. For a 30 year old dry white wine from an off vintage this is really most impressive.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1987 Château d'Yquem 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Lovely golden colour with a hint of orange; classic Yquem profile on the nose, oak and lanolin, hint of honey; fresh and lively on the palate rather than powerful or honeyed, good weight, not very sweet, noticeable bitters; good but not great flavour persistence. Not a great Yquem but a very attractive style - for me at least. Wonderful surprise from this difficult vintage.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1964 Krohn Porto Colheita Branco 93 Points
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Bottled 2006. Amber gold, verging on very pale tawny; the nose is slightly undemonstrative but remarkably fresh, character of ripe grapes and honey, citrus, dried apricot, just a hint of nuttiness, slightly resinous older wood; sweet and intense palate, mouthfilling and flavoursome, honey, crème pâtisserie, vanilla and spice, fresh figs and raisins; excellent aromatic persistence, really very long. Quite unique and very impressive.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue