4/13/2024 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Powerful smoky nose and palate. More savory, smoky that fruity. Excellent structure and length and balance. Fully mature but should hold 10+ yrs. This is masculine for a Margaux imo.

4/13/2024 - ephorn wrote:

Cork failed, totally saturated with wine. Despite this, aroma was heavenly berries exploding out of the glass. The palate was muted but still sound with a hint of tobacco. I’ve found that if the cork holds, the wine holds for most very old CA first growths.

4/1/2024 - ephorn wrote:

Muted nose right now. Muted palate. Some structural elements though: medium plus tannin, medium plus cleansing acidity. Fruit is lean at the moment. I wouldn’t try this for another 4+ yrs. Oops! Too young.

3/28/2024 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Jam on nose, hint of tamarind. Hint of tobacco pepper and earth. clean, refreshing energetic palate. medium+ acidity. Medium long finish. 92+ just a baby right now.

3/10/2024 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Dark color for bordeaux but light comes thru. Excellent energy on the palate, strong follow thru to a long finish. Berries galore with some vanilla. Very clean and refreshing. Medium tannin and acidity. Well balanced. This drinks well now young, but I suspect the nose will develop more with time. Drink 2024-2040

3/2/2024 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Muted compared to the 2007. Still excellent. I would drink sooner than later.

3/2/2024 - ephorn Likes this wine:

This reminded me of a darker Barolo. Vitamin C nuance on the palate. Ripe, balanced, medium plus tannins.

3/2/2024 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Beauty! Tamarind on the nose. Dark color, nearly opaque, belies its age. Plenty of fruit with balancing acidity on the palate. Substantial wine. Still youthful, could develop over next 5 years and hold for at least another 5 beyond. Exceptional wine!

2/10/2024 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Ripe inky nose and palate. Med + tannin. Chalky texture. Hint of alcoholic heat. I feel this has a long evolution ahead. Cellar for two to twenty years.

2/4/2024 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Very good substance here. More rustic than finesse. Plenty of fruit and maybe a touch of iron. Medium+ tannin. This should age well for a decade but drinks very well right now too.

1/27/2024 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Pinot palate with fruit, herb. Some tannic grip. Very good energy and a long finish. A beauty! Drinks well day two.

1/27/2024 - ephorn wrote:

Boozy. Tastes like it’s been spiked with bourbon.

12/18/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Excellent qpr. Full flavor with depth, medium+ tannin. Savory oak day one, recedes day two. Thinking this will improve over 5-10 yrs. But really nice now if you like tannin.

12/1/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Plenty of structure here. Medium plus tannin. Four square bordeaux that will age without a big price. Overdelivers on value.
Drink now or hold up to 2029.

11/13/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Excellent balance, fruit, spicy mid palate, some garrigue, what else do you need in a cdr? Zero decline day two. Slightly pricey but well worth it! Drinks great now but should develop 5+ yrs. as well.

10/9/2023 - ephorn wrote:

This was corked!

10/9/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Cali cab that ages well! Very good depth of fruit and balance. Still plenty of life with both tannin and acidity bolstering the fruit. Not a fruit bomb but plenty of flavor, just not over the top. Drink now or keep for 5+ yrs. Cork did come apart so beware!

9/23/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Very pure berry nose and palate. Structure and energy is fading now. I doubt this will improve any more. Drink now.

9/23/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Classic, energy, structure, clean. Drink now and over the next 5 yrs.

9/23/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Full of energy and life. Great structure. Some smoke on the nose. This should still develop over the next 5-10 years but has clearly entered its drinking window.

9/23/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Mellow but still quite full and rich. More sweetness than acidity. Brilliant for a 30 yr old white!

8/30/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Still drinking well! Color is still dark, some tannin, very good balance. Super solid for a 20 yr. Old cru bourgeois!

8/30/2023 - ephorn wrote:

Some volatiles on the nose, color bricking. Still very tannic. I’d say this is past its prime but still enjoyable. Drink up!

8/29/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Ripe vintage, drinking beautifully now. Hint of menthol. Excellent mid plate life and lingering tannin.

8/18/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Full flavor contained with fine balance. Rich aussie style balanced by good acidity. I did notice the portiness. Tannins on the lighter side with some heat in the finish. High deliciousness! Drinks great now right out of bottle. This did fade a bit day two.

8/13/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Ruby with some light through. Nose of fruit and spice. Very classy (not in your face), balanced. Medium tannin, less acidity. Drinks well day two. I might hold this a few more years if I had another. Benchmark crozes.

8/1/2023 - ephorn wrote:

Alcoholic heat dominates. Still some acidity, tannin and good mid palate Power. Fruit and complexity are shy however.

8/1/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Lots of energy. Fruit needs some air to come out. Overdelivers for the price.

8/1/2023 - ephorn wrote:

Lighter color, still heavy sediment. Fine balance in terms of alcohol, tannins still very present and I enjoyed this. Berry palate.. Long finish. Always interesting wine from this period for Renaissance. Drink now, day two fruit fades.

6/26/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Ripe nose with a hint of tamarind. Impactful attack with fruit followed by a nice energetic tingle. Medium tannin well integrated. Singing right now, pop n pour!

6/19/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Nicely balanced berry fruit. This needs air to settle down as it is a bit rough when first poured. Day two this is classy and well integrated. Really well done for a 19 yr. Old!

5/16/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Rich fruit pudding nose and palate. This has very good balance in a large scaled wine. Tannins are chewy but well integrated in the wealth of opulent fruit. Long finish. Must be in the top tier for this producer. Well done! Drinks almost as well day 2 and 3.

4/22/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Even at 17 yrs I recommend decanting. Giver air! Warm ripe fruit, dusty tannins, classic!

4/22/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Really singing! Full fruit, nuance (Patchouli, chapstick/radish) long finish. At 25 yrs, this is classic!

4/12/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Solid now. Might develop further in cellar. 90+

4/5/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Meat juices and play-do on the nose, hint of nail polish. Juicy palate, mouthwatering acid, medium tannin, long finish. Very good balance keeps it all in check. Great value! Drinks fine now, will update for day two after it does battle with oxygen.

3/18/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Excellent, fruit and balance. Very good density too. Declines a bit on day two. Drink or hold up to 5 yrs.

3/10/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

A gush of sweet ripe fruit on the attack. Herbal, menthol nuances. Acid medium, tannin medium +. Excellent balance for such a young wine. Excellent cab value. Drinks great now and should hold 5 yrs at least.

2/26/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Rich ripe fruit. Vanilla (from oak) Tannins are surprisingly high for Tempranillo! This declined day 2 so I don’t think it’s an auger. Still this has abundant stuffing!

2/12/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Ripe Napa new world style cab. Warning: bordeaux lovers might find the alcohol too hot. Though it does seem to settle down a bit on day two. Medium tannin, medium acid. This lacks complexity right now imo. This could use some more savory or mineral elements. Drink now for oodles of fruit, hold 3+ for possible development.

2/5/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Full flavor Rioja that drinks maybe better day two. Great value.

1/18/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Juicy, some structure, good flavor depth, drinks great day 2. Should hold in the cellar at least a few years. Nice wine!

1/6/2023 - ephorn Likes this wine:

This has terrific balance and structure to go with generous fruit. Nice secondary oak in a supporting role. Very long finish. Drinks great day two. This has entered its drinking window and should stay there for at least 5 yrs. Great value too.

1/2/2023 - ephorn Does not like this wine:

The balance is off. Harsh palate. Too much astringency. Not sure that it will improve.

12/25/2022 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Ripe creamy nose of fruit and tamarind. Difficult to pinpoint as Pinot imo. Beautiful texture, balance and flavor. Tamarind and hint of chewable vitamin C on palate. A bit warmer than a burgundy in terms of alcohol but very acceptable for new world. Drinking great now, why wait if this vintage is in the cellar?

12/21/2022 - ephorn wrote:

Not showing a lot now. Pleasant, decent fruit. Could use more depth and complexity. I’d let this flesh out another 5+ yrs. The 1970 was still fantastic earlier this year!

12/21/2022 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Drunk several days ago. Generous fruit, very good balance. One of their more budget friendly offerings as I recall. Nice qpr.

10/31/2022 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Substantial fruit and complexity not to mention the ability to age well (drinks great on day 2). There is an oak component to the complexity. Well balanced too in a large for Gamay scale. Drinks great now but should hold for another 5 or more years.

9/30/2022 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Still rich with butterscotch nuance. Still warm with alcohol. Rich golden color. Did not drink like a 27 yr old chardy, maybe half that.

9/30/2022 - ephorn Likes this wine:

Insane that this is still around in a cellar. Glad it was. Faded fruit, varietal Pinot nose still. Did the invert bottle trick to re integrate sediment and it helped, though the wine was still cloudy after 24 hrs. Should’ve done it 48 hrs+ before drinking.