Tasted double blind. At first a bit muted, this opened up and got better by the minute. At first this had not enough fruit to make it a balanced experience (90/91 pts only) but with time the fruit came forward and the nose got more layered and expressive and my score kept climbing higher. 93 to 94 pts.

TN: Medium expressive bouquet with nice sweet red and dark red fruit, some leathery aromas, some smoke. Not super precise but quite fine and inviting. With time the nose gets more expressive with more layers with truffles and some barnyard aromas. On the palate this shows fine dark fruit, but at first not much sweetness but with more air there is more sweetness, some green notes which disappear over time, minerality and with time more tertiary aromas. Not super precise but overall very clean. Fine, molten tannins, well-integrated medium+ acidity. Medium length with a minerality driven finish. This is quite complete but certainly not one of the great vintages for Figeac.

Decanting: Decanted for one or the other hour (I don’t know exactly how long) which seemed right.

Group rank (9 ppl.): 3rd out of 10 wines

Tasted double blind. This was my first encounter with this wine (or first time ever from hearing this winery). I first thought this to be a new world Cab or a right bank Bordeaux from a rather hot vintage due to the very ripe and sweet bouquet but the palate showed more restraint which is a plus. Overall a solid wine which will require further ageing to come together. 91/92 pts.

TN: Expressive nose displaying ripe dark and dark red fruits, a bit of sugar and baking spices and a touch of heat. Feels luxurious and round and is quite precise. On the palate this shows quite fresh with a good acidic backbone, fine velvety tannins. Contrary to what the nose shows, this is more reticent, less overtly sweet with fine dark fruit, lots of herbal notes, some slight green notes, oaky notes which will need further time to integrate and lots of minerality. Medium+ length. The balance is not yet fully there but overall this is promising. No alcohol heat on the palate.

Decanting: If I remember correctly this was pnp which worked quite well. I guess a bit of air (1h in the decanter?) would have been more ideal.

Group rank (9 ppl.): 7th out of 10 wines

Tasted double blind. I’m usually a fan of Dominus but this bottle did not perform. First and foremost the balance was off with not enough acidity balancing all the substance and sweetness. The wine seemed quite flabby. Second, the wine was not yet fully open on the nose. After the reveal and towards the end of the evening I went back to taste it again with consistent results. Maybe it’s in an awkward phase and will need time to better integrate and get harmonious or the wine was decanted too long. I’ve had the 2015 (rated 97 pts) recently and it showed more layered and much more balanced with a higher acidity (which one wouldn’t expect in a 2014 vs 2015 comparison).

TN: Medium- expressive with ripe dark fruit, minerality, a touch of heat, herbs. Seems to have quite a lo of substance but is quite closed. With time opened up. On the palate this shows quite nice with ripe but not too ripe dark fruit, a beautiful sweetness, herbs and minerality. Despite being young the tannins are luxurious, very fine, slightly velvety. The acidity is medium- only and well-integrated which is not high enough. Medium+ complexity and medium+ precision. This is quite quaffable with a medium length, sweet finish. Overall missing a touch of complexity/precision but especially the acidity to truly excite.

Decanting: Decanted for roughly 4 hours (J_H mentioned that the wine was in shut down mode in the beginning). Not sure if the 4 hours did the wine a favor, though.

Group rank (9 ppl.): 9th out of 10 wines

Tasted double blind. The first two glasses showed incredibly well: nice intensity, good complexity, high precision, impeccable structure and balance. A textbook left bank Cabernet, already full of seductive teritary notes, fresh and luxurious with that touch of masculinity that can be found in Pauillacs or St. Juliens. This bottle showed much better, more open and mature than a bottle in a large horizontal tasting 6 months ago were it got an average rating of the group of 91.6 pts (and an even 89 pts from me, also tasted blind). Another glass at the end of the evening showed less impressive and precise than the first glasses and was closer to that first experience. Anyway, this wine as it showed in the beginning was very much on the heels of the legendary 1982.

TN: Almost perfect nose full of truffles, fresh dark fruit, so precise and inviting, super clean. Wow. Dark and sexy. On the palate this continues with ripe dark fruit, truffles, forest floor, minerality,herbs. Complex, superbly precise, super clean. The wine is very light, almost weightless, with ultra fine tannins, a perfectly integrated medium+ acidity, the prefect amount of creaminess and medium- long, fine finish. Prtobably a touch too short to get to the 97 pts. The balance is impeccable. You could drink liters of that.

Decanting: I don’t believe this has been decanted. Good from the go and better than after some hours of air.

Group rank (9 ppl.): 1st out of 10 wines

Tasted double blind. This is a solid wine but even Haut Brion can’t work a miracle in such weak vintage. The wine had still a nice fruit component but overall had a subpar precision and medium complexity. My guess was either a big name in a weak vintage or a small name in a weak vintage. Still the group voted it as number two out of ten wines (but I suspect the reveal of the label might have influenced the scores a bit).

TN: Expressive nose, not hyper clean with tertiary aromas, dark and dark red fruit shining through. Much better on the palate. Expressive, intense with dark red fruits, red fruits, and some more blue fruits on the attack, ripe but not too ripe, medium sweetness, herbs and minerality. The structure is without fault with fine tannins, a good freshness, a slightly creamy texture and a medium long finish with herbs, red fruits and minerality. This lacks a bit of depth but mostly the definition and the nose are subpar.

Decanting: I don’t think that this has been decanted (but I don’t know it). It didn’t change a lot in the glass and my guess is a short decant is sufficient for this vintage.

Group rank (9 ppl.): 2nd out of 10 wines

Tasted double blind. There was little doubt in my mind that this is a nicely aged Napa Valley wine. Lots of menthol notes, lots of fruit sweetness and a slightly lower-than-Bordeaux-average acidity all fit the typical description in my book. Unsurprisingly, we were all quite floored when we saw the Bordeaux label. But taking a closer look it is probably less surprising as La Mondotte is fairly known (especially around that time) to have produced fairly ripe, extracted, concentrated and sweet wines. Anyway, this wine showed quite good today, easily drinking on a 94/95 pts level but it was not really a classic Bordeaux.

TN: Medium expressive nose with some menthol notes and a bit of fruit sweetness shining through. On the palate this is very expressive with menthol/eucylptus notes, ripe dark berries, good amount of sweetness, herbs, minerality, some tertiary aromas. Very fine tannin structure but a touch of acidity missing but thanks to the menthol component, it is still fresh and overall superbly balanced. Very long finish with dark berries and menthol.

Decanting: Short 30 mins decant only which seemed perfect.

Group rank (9 ppl.): 4th out of 10 wines

Tasted double blind. For a long time, the legendary Musar was on my bucket list but somehow we never crossed paths. It was instantly clear, that this is a something special, something different as I couldn’t really get a grasp on what this could be. It had the structure and absolute Burgundian weightlessness of a great wine but an aroma profile and feel I’ve never had before. This is quite special and I liked it a lot. If this would have been more complex and with a touch higher precision, it could be even a world class wine. The group didn’t like it that much (ranked last) but my interest in tasting more of these wines has only grown.

TN: Intoxicating nose with reduction, dark and dark red fruit underneath. On the palate the same reductiveness, fine red fruit, quite beautiful sweetness, nice fresh and candied berries, some herbs, some slight leathery aromas. Medium complexity and precision. Very light, molten tannins, high but very-well integrated freshness. This is weightless, absolutely weightless. Wird immer schöner.

Group rank (9 ppl): 10th out of 10 wines

Tasted double blind. This is the second time I crossed path with this beauty and it again delivered. Compared to the first bottle two years ago (rated 95 pts) this showed much more open with more fruit coming forward (maybe it’s the two years, maybe this one has been decanted, because the first one was not). There are many highlights: the complexity, a superb precision, a luxurious structure. The acidity was not where it should be but my guess is that this is more because the wine was served too warm than a specific problem of the vintage for Ducru. In a big 2010 horizontal this was one of the best right banks and clearly the best St. Julien. 95+ pts.

TN: Intense, dark brooding nose with ripe dark berries, herbs, a bit of sugar, some tobacco. Super luxurious and despite being a touch slutty, it‘s at the same time a bit backward. On the palate this so creamy and round, so luxurious. Lots of fine dark fruit, lots of sugary and caramel/nougat notes, some minerality, herbs. The precision is off the charts. Feels hyper luxurious with the finest tannins, and a medium+, perfectly integrated acidity, with a light feel despite the density and a long, sweet finish. Despite all the sweet fruit, this is still elegant and well balanced.

Group rank (9 ppl.): shared 5th out of 10 wines

This was a rather disappointing showing of this legendary Lynch. At first it showed very sweet, not structured enough and with very little tertiary aromas. Rather difficult to digest and certainly not at a 94 pts level. Only after a long time in the glass this opened up beautifully and got closer to a bottle some time ago (rated 97 pts). This wine is not close to its peak but in a beautiful first mature stage. Pristine, well-stored bottles like this still need a lot of time in the decanter (4 hours at least). For consumption today, the 1990 Lynch is the better choice as it is more open and ready and especially more mature and at its peak.

TN: Expressive nose of medium-well defined dark berries, sweet sugary notes, tobacco. At first a bit muted the wine gets more expressive by the minute. On the palate this shows very sweet at first which is a downer, but then with time it got more balanced with more tobacco, truffles, wet earth, bright dark fruit taking the centre stage. The last glasses showed more classic mature Pauillac. Balanced, almost weightless, with ultra fine tannins and a good acidity and medium length.

Decanting: Decanted for 90 minutes, consumed 3 hours later. This was not enough. This still needs a lot of air (4-6 hours).

This is wine shows nicely complex and good precision but at the same time, this is clearly over the top with too much extraction and too much oak. While nice to drink today (on a new world night), I’m not sure how gracefully such a wine can age. Not my favorite producer and style.

TN: Not very expressive nose but on the palate this explodes with lots of dark and blue fruit, loads of spices, herbs and minerality. Quite round and balanced with fine, velvety tannins, only an ok freshness, creamy texture. A medium long finish with lots of fruit. The wine is quite extracted and the question is, how long and how long the life will be.

Group rank (9 ppl.): shared 8th out of 10 wines

This wine was served outside of the competition at the end of the tasting and it crushed the competition. Most bottles of the 1994 drink at peak and this bottle was one of them: Very complex, superbly precise, wonderful fruit core balanced by the most wonderful Bordeaux like tertiary aromas. Like a great Pauillac from a great year.

TN: Medium+ expressive nose full of sweet dark fruit, minerality, dark and dense. Quite precise. On the palate this is a perfectly aged Napa Valley Cab blend with wonderful dark fruit, ripe but not too ripe, just the perfect ripeness, some wonderful nutty notes, some coffee notes, truffles and leather. This is just very complex and the precision is off the charts. The structure is impeccable with molten tannins, good tension, medium+ perfectly integrated acidity, a weightless structure but still enough mid palate weight and a long finish. Very balanced and complete.

Decanting: Not decanted. It got better and better by the minute, more intense and more complex. This needs a good hour or two in the decanter to fully shine.