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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

1996 Martinelli Zinfandel Jackass Hill

 Russian River Valley more
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4/11/2016 - austinbeeman- austinbeeman.com Does not like this wine: 83 points

Finest Provence Possible - Tasted at Winery.

Over the hill at this point, into the funky tomato-paste thing.
Red

2011 Lagier Meredith Syrah

 Mt. Veeder more
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3/1/2015 - austinbeeman- austinbeeman.com Likes this wine: 94 points

When I put this to my nose, I was greeted by perhaps the most beautiful wine aromas that I've had in a long time. And it wasn't just me. Everyone at the wine tasting was commenting on the nose.

IT IS WORTH THE RETAIL PRICE FOR JUST THE NOSE ALONE!

This is a medium+ bodied classic Syrah with very nice acidity and subtle hints of meat, smoke, and black stone.

But Wow for that nose!

$55 OH Retail
www.austinbeeman.com

  • Comment posted by austinbeeman- austinbeeman.com:

    3/4/2015 12:51:00 PM - I've tasted all of the above. The Syrah is a return to form for LM - a true expression of Mt. Veeder. All of them are pretty tight, but you can tell that quality is there. Give them at least 12 months or a vigorous - long term decanting.

    Cheers,
    Austin

  • Comment posted by austinbeeman- austinbeeman.com:

    3/7/2015 5:19:00 PM - The 2009 is more powerful and the 2008 and little more mature. 2009 for cellar. 2008 for the table.
Red

2011 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau

 Red Rhone Blend more
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11/20/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote: NR

Wow, that's allot barnyardy. Maybe this is flawed in some way? Smells like white pepper too.

  • Comment posted by austinbeeman- austinbeeman.com:

    1/7/2015 12:41:00 PM - It probably was. I've tasted this wine a few times and it never had those characteristics.
Red

1978 Château Figeac

 St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more
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12/2/2013 - alanh13 Likes this wine: 97 points

Right... where do I start with this? I should probably begin with some background:
It's two days later but I took extensive notes at the time.
And to add some context here:
* This is my first time ever drinking Figeac '78.
* Figeac is a wine I only drink on my birthday, or at least during the month of December, so is one of my favourite wines and I can be biased towards it
* 1978 is my birth year.
* Therefore this would seem to be one of the most special wines in my collection.... however there were problems.
* It was bought on the secondary market a couple of years ago, with unknown provence. The label was almost non-existent due to dampness when stored by a previous owner (I didn't know this prior to purchase), and it came apart even more in my hands. Then one day I ended up taking the capsule off during an attempt to drink it with someone very close on a special occasion, but I aborted opening it as I feared it would be such a disappointment. I ended up replacing the capsule with tinfoil as the top of the cork was so mouldy and horrible.
* So I've had this 35-year-old bottle of wine where I had no idea of the provence or condition, a totally damaged label to the point it wasn't even clear it was actually 1978 and with tinfoil wrapped around the top. I also had a run of old Bordeaux that disappointed, so I despaired somewhat. There was no way I could serve this to someone. I had therefore come to the conclusion that there was just no point holding onto it any longer, it was probably past it and and I should just drink it in on my own over dinner some day soon
* On this particular day I attended an excellent Burgundy tasting, finishing in a 2001 Rousseau Chambertin and an exceptional 1995 Roumier Bonnes Mares. For some strange reason when I got home, I decided I would finally dip into this '78 Figeac. In view of the exceptional wines my palate had just been exposed to, I expected this would be an epic failure..... How wrong I was.
Trying to balance out the combination of the specialness of this bottle, the condition, the expected disappointment, the wines drunk earlier in the day etc., I really do think this was the best wine I had ever had the pleasure of.
The following are the notes I took over the two hours or so that I drank it, albeit they me be be a little mixed up and have been paraphrased a little. And the cork confirmed it really was a 1978 by the way.

The nose is obviously mature but in a very pleasurable way. It reminds me a little of the 1995 Roumier Bonnes Mares. Slightly mushroomy but with some lovely sweet cherry and structure underneath. Complex. Excellent structure. Mature, sweet creamy nose.
It makes simple roast chicken taste so much better, making it seem truffled even though no truffles were in it.
I became increasingly surprised by how this developed over the course of the bottle. Whilst initially it seemed to be all maturity, it almost became younger and more robust with air: "sturdy, oaky, tannic! Great acidity. Unbelievable."
"Tobacco... tobacco!!! Chocolate. This is the most complex wine I have ever had. Incredible. The complexity is phenomenal"
With cheese: it made a Sainsburys gouda taste somewhat simple, overly creamy and more basic than I had known before but for a double gloucester I wrote: "Excellent pairing, it makes the cheese more farmyardy". When I tried a Westcombe cheddar, I wrote "OMFG!!!!"
"Now it's changing again. There is an Earl grey nose but it becomes tea leaves and coffee on the palate. This seems dark now. For some reason I'm reminded of staring into the still water of a lake at nighttime. Dark in the centre, but with faint light reflecting around it and it hazily projecting the surrounding trees...." I was clearly getting drunk!
"Wow this is complex. I'm over the mature Bordeaux nose now. It's now stoney, flinty!! Mineral. OMG. Stone, gravel. I now see why people fall in love with top cru fine wine. I am in love with this."
It's now drying. Tobacco.
I'm now getting cassis!!! WTF.
I also noted it how it reintroduced me to fine wine all over again, much like a Meursault did 8 years ago or how a 1990 Leoville Barton introduced me to fine Bordeaux two years ago... This beats them all.
Finally I wrote: I {heart} 1978 and circled 97 points!
So that's it. The best wine I've had to date!

  • Comment posted by austinbeeman- austinbeeman.com:

    10/27/2014 5:47:00 PM - Thank you for this note. 1978 is also my birth year. I picked up a bottle at l'intendance in Bordeaux and am going to drink this Friday. Hope it shows as well for me. I've never had a birth year Bordeaux.

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