Nose: The nose is perfumed and flowing with black cherries, olive tapenade, tobacco, earth tones, violets, incense, raspberries, black pepper and white pepper. There is tons of depth and class with everything having a savory base.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are fine grained and in a supporting role with the feel having a satin-esque quality along with black cherries, black raspberries, white pepper, black pepper, tobacco, violets, herbs, and olive tapenade.
Overall: This is fantastic. It shows off a ton of class and elegance with a style that is classic cote-rotie. It is drinking beautifully right now, but there is more than enough stuffing to last another 10 years easily.
Nose: The nose is nuanced and perfumed with raspberries, red cherries, leather tones, licorice, black olives, rose petals, tobacco, and black pepper. There is excellent depth and elegance to this that really draws one in.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are silky and still quite youthful with raspberries, red cherries, leather tones, black olives, roses, and tobacco notes.
Overall: This is lovely and drinking beautifully. It's well balanced with more of a red-fruit base, but also having an understated elegance as well.
Nose: The nose is wide open and elegant with christmas fruitcake, leather, cedar, cranberries, red cherries, and cigar wrapper notes. There is excellent balance and depth with a refinement that only comes from this kind of aging.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium tannins and medium acidity. The structure is resolved and refined with christmas fruitcake, leather, cranberries, red cherries, balsamico, and cigar wrapper tones.
Overall: This is everything I love about aged Bordeaux. There is poise and class to this with excellent depth.
Nose: The nose is extremely pretty and demure with rose petals, red fruits, cherries, earth notes, licorice, and spice tones. There is good depth with the aromatics favoring the upper register.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are silky and refined with the acidity having a refreshing punch. The feel is balanced and elegant with rose petals, red fruits, red cherries, spice tones, and strawberries.
Overall: This is in a great spot. It's perfumed and feminine with excellent depth and perfume.
Nose: The nose is aromatic with dark red cherries, smoke notes, licorice, coffee, vanilla beans, and strawberries. There is good depth and class here with the nose still favoring a primary side.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium+ tannins and medium+ acidity. The structure is still quite youthful with the tannins having a chewiness to them along with dark red cherries, smoke notes, licorice, and vanilla beans.
Overall: While this is drinking now, it feels like it needs more time to really show itself. There is good depth and balance with a dark red fruited base.
Nose: The nose is well balanced and layered with baked apples, brioche, baked pears, biscuits, honey, and loads of warm breads. There is excellent depth with a roundness to the tones.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity. There is a maturity to the feel with baked apples, brioche, baked pears, honey, and a lot of warm bread.
Overall: This is drinking perfectly right now. It shows off its maturity while still having good quality to the fruit.
Nose: The nose is wide open and aromatic with mint, dark red cherries, dark red berries, cedar, tobacco, red currants, cranberries, and a touch of leather. There is very good depth with this having a seamless quality on the nose.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity and medium tannins. The structure is fully resolved right now with the tannins more acting as the glue that holds everything in its place. The feel is refined with mint, dark red cherries, cedar, tobacco, and cranberries. The feel does thin out a little on the mid-palate and the finish is a little bit clipped.
Overall: This feels like its slowly moving downward. That's not to say that it isn't a thoroughly enjoyable Napa Cab that has nearly 30 years on it. This hearkens to a style of Cabernet that doesn't come out of Napa that often these days.
Nose: Right off the bat the classic Montelena mint is noticeable and leads into eucalyptus, red and black currants, dark red cherries, leather, and some cranberries. While there is good complexity, the nose seems a little tired and the fruit is a little dried out.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity and medium tannins. The feel is balanced and refined with the structure being nearly fully resolved. Still, the tones of mint, eucalyptus, dark red cherries, leather, and cranberries have a slightly dried element to them.
Overall: This bottle feels like it's in the decline. Still, it's quite enjoyable, but should certainly be drunk over the next few years.
1999 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie La Chavaroche / La Péroline 94 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Nose: The nose is perfumed and flowing with black cherries, olive tapenade, tobacco, earth tones, violets, incense, raspberries, black pepper and white pepper. There is tons of depth and class with everything having a savory base.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are fine grained and in a supporting role with the feel having a satin-esque quality along with black cherries, black raspberries, white pepper, black pepper, tobacco, violets, herbs, and olive tapenade.
Overall: This is fantastic. It shows off a ton of class and elegance with a style that is classic cote-rotie. It is drinking beautifully right now, but there is more than enough stuffing to last another 10 years easily.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2004 Domaine Georges Vernay Côte-Rôtie Blonde du Seigneur 92 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Nose: The nose is nuanced and perfumed with raspberries, red cherries, leather tones, licorice, black olives, rose petals, tobacco, and black pepper. There is excellent depth and elegance to this that really draws one in.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are silky and still quite youthful with raspberries, red cherries, leather tones, black olives, roses, and tobacco notes.
Overall: This is lovely and drinking beautifully. It's well balanced with more of a red-fruit base, but also having an understated elegance as well.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1990 Château Calon-Ségur 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Nose: The nose is wide open and elegant with christmas fruitcake, leather, cedar, cranberries, red cherries, and cigar wrapper notes. There is excellent balance and depth with a refinement that only comes from this kind of aging.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium tannins and medium acidity. The structure is resolved and refined with christmas fruitcake, leather, cranberries, red cherries, balsamico, and cigar wrapper tones.
Overall: This is everything I love about aged Bordeaux. There is poise and class to this with excellent depth.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2002 AR.PE.PE. Valtellina Superiore - Sassella Riserva Rocce Rosse 92 Points
Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore - Sassella
Nose: The nose is extremely pretty and demure with rose petals, red fruits, cherries, earth notes, licorice, and spice tones. There is good depth with the aromatics favoring the upper register.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are silky and refined with the acidity having a refreshing punch. The feel is balanced and elegant with rose petals, red fruits, red cherries, spice tones, and strawberries.
Overall: This is in a great spot. It's perfumed and feminine with excellent depth and perfume.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 La Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri Rioja Gran Reserva 91 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
Nose: The nose is aromatic with dark red cherries, smoke notes, licorice, coffee, vanilla beans, and strawberries. There is good depth and class here with the nose still favoring a primary side.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium+ tannins and medium+ acidity. The structure is still quite youthful with the tannins having a chewiness to them along with dark red cherries, smoke notes, licorice, and vanilla beans.
Overall: While this is drinking now, it feels like it needs more time to really show itself. There is good depth and balance with a dark red fruited base.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1995 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 91 Points
France, Champagne
Nose: The nose is well balanced and layered with baked apples, brioche, baked pears, biscuits, honey, and loads of warm breads. There is excellent depth with a roundness to the tones.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity. There is a maturity to the feel with baked apples, brioche, baked pears, honey, and a lot of warm bread.
Overall: This is drinking perfectly right now. It shows off its maturity while still having good quality to the fruit.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1987 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Nose: The nose is wide open and aromatic with mint, dark red cherries, dark red berries, cedar, tobacco, red currants, cranberries, and a touch of leather. There is very good depth with this having a seamless quality on the nose.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity and medium tannins. The structure is fully resolved right now with the tannins more acting as the glue that holds everything in its place. The feel is refined with mint, dark red cherries, cedar, tobacco, and cranberries. The feel does thin out a little on the mid-palate and the finish is a little bit clipped.
Overall: This feels like its slowly moving downward. That's not to say that it isn't a thoroughly enjoyable Napa Cab that has nearly 30 years on it. This hearkens to a style of Cabernet that doesn't come out of Napa that often these days.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1990 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Nose: Right off the bat the classic Montelena mint is noticeable and leads into eucalyptus, red and black currants, dark red cherries, leather, and some cranberries. While there is good complexity, the nose seems a little tired and the fruit is a little dried out.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity and medium tannins. The feel is balanced and refined with the structure being nearly fully resolved. Still, the tones of mint, eucalyptus, dark red cherries, leather, and cranberries have a slightly dried element to them.
Overall: This bottle feels like it's in the decline. Still, it's quite enjoyable, but should certainly be drunk over the next few years.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue