12/25/2018 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Two years since the last bottle. Popped and poured. The nose was overwhelmingly peppery and cassis. Earthy, black currants, bacon fat and spices. Very enjoyable and unfurling with more sous bois notes after 5-6 hours. Towards the end of the bottle, I was looking out for any dryness, perhaps a tad on the finish although barely noticeable.

7/10/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Deep robe and garnet rim. A good bottle: alluring and elegant. Enjoyed the dark ripe cherries, coffee, earthiness and tobacco nose. I did expect a bit more oomph and power, but otherwise it was simply lovely to enjoy one of Figeac finest vintages.

4/23/2016 - MEKWINE wrote:

Matter of Taste: 67 Pall Mall event. Black cherries and cassis, graphite, very precise. 2012 is a surprisingly good vintage.

4/23/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Matter of Taste: 67 Pall Mall event. Quite tart, bags of acidity.

3/25/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Served blind. No idea. Exuberant, new oak, lively and forward, modern style. Nice mineral undertones suggestive of Bordeaux heritage.

3/25/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Served blind. Youthful and closed.

3/26/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Served blind by the host. Dinner in Bordeaux. I knew it was Left Bank but unsure of the commune. It's was a-typical for Margaux, opaque maroon deep robe, masculine and gritty. Earthy, with some hints of floras. Powerful, dense and concentrated. Very enjoyable but did the finesse and berries of the Margaux did not show through. Nonetheless, a very good wine.

3/26/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Alex R dinner in Bordeaux. Served blind. Managed to get Left Bank, Pauillac. Thought it had more youth on its side than 98, placed it at 2006/8. Plenty of Lead pencil, earthy and mineral notes. Power and elegance on the palate. A real treat to drink now and to feel it's great potential.

2/13/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

This was a fine bottle with good ullage. The first whiff gave us bonfire, woodsmoke and soil. The earthy notes prevailed over the course of the evening, in addition to a sprinkling of white pepper. I detected some vegetal notes but they were in the background and not intrusive. This is now a medium bodied wine and the focus is completely tertiary. Several hours in the texture is more viscous and aromas 'ashtray', savoury and hints of tar. A real pleasure to drink.

2/12/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Smooth and elegant St Julien. Drinking wonderfully now. Totally resolved.

2/6/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Decanted 1 hour before serving. Evolved nicely over the evening, an elegant and classy wine, that said it needs much more time: primary notes of dark fruits, more forest floor and earthy than gamey, good mid-weight mouthfeel and good backbone on the palette.
I'll look forward to returning to this vintage in a couple of years.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. All wines opened at 4pm and served after 3/4 hours. This was served next to '55 and was much more delicate and subtle, forest floor and late September countryside aromas. A pleasing glasss of LLC.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. In good condition, served with 1964, which fared well. Leather and dried fruits.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. Surprisingly fresh and alive.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. It is beautifully elegant and complex, but lacks the density and concentration of the 1982.

1/17/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. This was my third wine of the night ( 14 vintages of LLC), 1961 and 1934 taking the lead. This was a fine bottle, beautifully resolved, elegant, characterful with a fine backbone, underscored by minerals and notes of hazelnut nuttiness not dissimilar to the 1961.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE wrote:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. It was a-typical for LLC and I found it slightly out of sorts: diffuse and 'fuzzy'.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. Amazingly youthful, with some austerity, power and yet refined.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. Very shy tonight. Although we could detect its power and concentration. Best to revisit this wine in a decade or so.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. It follows on from '88 and the contrast was acutely obvious: dark, mocha and tobacco aromas wafting from the glass of 90 in contrast to the more refined and smooth red fruits of '88. Dense, chewy tannins, and coffee on the palate.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. In keeping with the one I had in mid-December ( Wimps. La Trompette). Dark fruits, leather, textured, concentrated and with a slight peppery and balsamic kick on the finish.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. This was popped and poured and probably would have benefitted from decanting. This is a great vintage and a great example of how excellent Bordeaux need decades to evolve. Notwithstanding LLC 82's demure and shy demeanour Tonight, underneath this is an elegant wine. Cedar, ripe red fruits, and earthy. Harmonious with refined tannins and solid backbone of acidity. This will age superbly and drink well over many more decades.

1/16/2016 - MEKWINE wrote:

LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. This was by far, the WOTN. It was in fine fettle. Truffles, earthy, smokey and with a delicate hazelnut finish. Balanced with a tannic backbone. A magnificent bottle.

1/1/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

For a 25 year old wine to still retain its deep ruby robe and only a flicker of garnet in the narrow rim is amazing to see. Popped and poured. Notes of dark fruits, wood smoke and a savouriness were all prominent the first hour. The mouthfeel was complex - velvety tannins, compact and unctuous, with a sturdy backbone - elegant and textured. Somehow Verset has created a fuller, concentrated and textural wine, which never fails to delight and never feels heavy or plodding. Into the second hour, the nose is persistent, a cornucopia of gamey and beefy notes took hold, with hints of pipe sweet tobacco and feldspar. The palate gilded with velvety and rich tannins and a savouriness and mineral iodine moouthfeel that ambled and glided to a perfect finish.

12/31/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Drank this to celebrate an end of an era and on New Years Eve. It was terrific. Plummy and dark fruit notes, with cedar and leather. Mid weight on the palate, refined tannins and excellent backbone. This is a complex package and great given where 1983s are drinking right now. Long finish.

12/15/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

WIMPS La Trompette Cornucopia 2015. This is a big wine. Dark fruits, cedar and spices, good grip and balanced acidity. All power and density.

12/15/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

WIMPS La Trompette Cornucopia 2015. Dark fruits, leather notes and mineral wet stones. This is a well structured and dense wine that went on for ages.

12/15/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

WIMPS La Trompette Cornucopia 2015. Ripe black fruits and tobacco, with hints of spices. Completely resolved tannins and drinking well.

12/15/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

WIMPS La Trompette Cornucopia 2015. Sitting alongside Latour 83 and Lafite 89, GPL fared extremely well. Love this bottle. Plums, cedar, tobacco and mineral undertones. The nose and palate went on for yards and yards!

12/15/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

WIMPS La Trompette Cornucopia 2015. I had this vintage two years ago and it was fantastic and open for business. Today, it was good but not as good as the previous bottle. Dark fruits, cedar and spices, resolved tannins and a mid-long finish.

12/15/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

WIMPS La Trompette Cornucopia 2015. Served next to the Figeac '76, and fared better. Tertiary notes of saddle leather and scorched earth. Resolved tannins and a mid-length finish.

12/15/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

WIMPS La Trompette Cornucopia 2015. Opened with a slight whiff of corkiness but drinkable. Earthy notes with mineral undertones. A pleasant wine.

12/15/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

WIMPS La Trompette Cornucopia 2015. Shy nose to start, opening up over the course of the lunch to an array of complex notes: damp earth, raspberries, minerals and wet stone. Elegance in a glass. Fine tannins, complex, layered, balanced and harmonious.

12/16/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Concentrated, power and weight, textured. I detected a smokiness, which was a little distracting.

12/16/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Served with venison. Surprisingly shy on the nose and palate. I would lock this away and try again in 5 years.

12/16/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

An array of black and red fruit, elegant and refined tannins, gravel and mineral finish. Very long.

Served with English cheeses, although I initially winced at the concept, it somewhere worked.

12/11/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Sampled at The Sampler. Immaculate condition. Bright, alive in the glass. Cedar, earthy and a medley of spices. A treat to sample.

11/24/2015 - MEKWINE wrote:

RSJ IAN A's Greatest Hits of 1970's: probably the more interesting of the 3 1978s we had tonight (LBarton & Ducru), but still underwhelming. Pity.

11/24/2015 - MEKWINE wrote:

RSJ IAN A's Greatest Hits of 1970's: underwhelming and not as interesting as the bottle we had in March of this year. Pity.

11/24/2015 - MEKWINE wrote:

RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest Hits of 1970's.

11/24/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest hits of the 1970s': Golden and deep robe. exotic and citrus notes, quite profound and textured. mid-heavy weight and a decent mid-finish.

11/24/2015 - MEKWINE wrote:

RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest hits of the 1970s': Fragrant nose, dark fruits and tobacco. Weighty on the palate without being clumsy or austere; fine old Pauillac.

11/24/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest hits of the 1970s': showing perfectly tonight. Steely and mineral, vibrant and a tad menthol. Some red fruits character but more tertiary. Another elegant and fine example of the right bank.

11/24/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest hits of the 1970s': WOTN. Again, another bottle which survived the RedEye and was immaculate. Gravel, rocky, fragrant and totally harmonious and complete. Pure elegance in a glass.

11/24/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest hits of the 1970s': Immaculate bottle. All of the three '79s were perfect on the night (Cheval Blanc and Haut Brion). Intense, gravelly, smoky-filled and tobacco. Sublime.

11/27/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest hits of the 1970s': True to form and its commune. Wonderfully austere, vigorous and intense. Bold and upright. Earthy, tad menthol with hints of liquorice. Extra long and pleasant finish. Lovely!

11/24/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest hits of the 1970s': This bottle was flown over on the RedEye and it was left upright for only about 3-4 hours. It was in fine form. Cedar, gravel and tobacco notes. Cerebral: elegant, complex and multi-layered. Totally harmonious and balanced. A fine specimen of St Julien.

11/24/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest hits of the 1970s': Excellent wine. Sweet, ripe red fruits which remain juicy on the palate. This is not austere in the slightest, a-typical for St Estephe, or as big as the Montrose, which we had at the same sitting. It is remarkably textured and silky, earthy and leather, and the tannins fine resolved.

11/21/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

Dark, deep robe. Big dark fruits, hints of tobacco and Earth. Mature and balanced, mid/full weight on the palate and enough acidity to keep the juices flowing. Very enjoyable alongside a veal roast.

11/13/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine:

La Trompette, Chateau Palmer dinner 12.11.2015. As good as the wine we tasted at the Chateau in May. Margaux berries and sweet ripe blackcurrant fruits on the nose, broad and generous on the palate. Young, of course, but much more approachable now than the 2005.