12/31/2020 - Pknut wrote:

Opened and poured a small glass, aerated but not decanted for about three hours. Rather approachable texturally, the palate showing blue and red fruits, dark plums, suggestions of violets, red currant and some roobois tea notes. There is an acidic spine that keeps the wine fresh. No degradation over night, there is still plenty of stuffing here to keep this energetic and giving on the second night, and the wine also seems to have relaxed over night. This is still primary. New Years Eve in the Berkshires, with duck and mushrooms, and Phish NYE 1995 MSG.

8/3/2019 - Pknut wrote:

I was expecting much more of a toasty and more assertive palate, but this was clear and clean with a nice dose of vanilla on the palate. Not especially complex nor evolved, very transparent and very enjoyable sitting poolside. Brought to the Wallicks in Bridgehampton.

12/24/2018 - Pknut wrote:

Cherry palate and with air, some strawberry notes, hints of balsamic, open and approachable, but some jagged tannin that has to smooth out. This is very enjoyable and should be quite good in five to seven years. First bottle from a case, brought to Boca and opened Xmas eve with H, a porterhouse steak and grilled vegetables.

11/25/2014 - Hodby wrote:

Medium-dark red color. An unusual mineral-laden nose, something I can't quite identify other than olive brine and squid ink,but that's not quite it either. Much wood fire smoke, floral elements (esp violets), raw beef. On arrival, steady medium tannin and lifted acidity (vivacious). Flavors strong of olives and brine, smoked beef, hint of menthol. Finishes long, dry, herbal and floral notes strongest at the end. My wife said this reminds her of winemaker's take on a Talisker Scotch whiskey, as a wine. She may be on to something. It's exciting at any rate. Bottle #7 of twelve.

11/5/2014 - Ibetian wrote:

From a new case, but another poor bottle. I'm very experienced and have a large cellar. I'm usually within 1 standard deviation of CT score. But this wine is just barely acceptable. Nose of stewed prunes and alcohol. Usually the nose is more than half the pleasure, but in this case the wine is better if you hold your nose. Palate is ok, smoothe and drinkable. This might be the worst wine in my cellar and certainly the worst QPR. I'll never buy another bottle from this producer, and dread the task of drinking/dumping the rest of this case.

10/5/2014 - gzim Does not like this wine:

In a word, very spoofilated.
Yes, I find some Northern Rhone like characteristics... but not in balance.
Very ripe fruit, some nice olive tapenade and a touch of white pepper but in a flabby disjointed way. It did not seem to have the framework to carry this very ripe fruit into a balanced finish. Needs much more structure.... Interesting, but not for me.
Does not seem to be worth near the pricetag.

5/12/2014 - doubledoc wrote:

There was just a touch of heat to the day when we left Valencia in our rented fiat. Four of us in the car, Wifey at the wheel, and our friends E and M were in the back seat while I manned the tape deck in front. We started with some pavement, then moved into parliament funkadelic and then finally settled on dead 5/8/77, which neither of the ladies in back had ever heard.

We had just left the city limits on the autoroute when the road switched from a six lane urban artery to a two lane road through the hills mainly used for trucks and goats.

Bright cherry overtones from the schnapps we were passing around the car mixed with the leathery and chocolatey mota that filled the car with its thick and heavy scent as we smoked it. Light and high noted, we developed a routine. We'd speed up to the dieziocho wheeler in front of us, chuck some schnapps, and then gun it in the lane next to the truck around a blind corner yelling and screaming en espanol until we passed the truck and were back in our lane. My wife would yell at us as being immature, and we just drank more.

Spent 3 nights sleeping in a car in pamplona. bulls. running. sangria. M got lost in pamplona in a drunken rage and we found her the next day. somebody took a dump next to the car we were "staying in".

Show: 5/8/77. Finesse. Power. Classic, but not the best you've ever heard. People will talk about this in the future.

Wine: a little heat, bright red fruits with a deep mocha/chocoloatey/leathery/tobacco/zinfandelly tannin, a little acid (like the dead!)

12/20/2013 - Pknut wrote:

This wine continues to please. I love the purity here, and the sheer drinkability. The nose is terrific and enticing from when the cork is first pulled. This may be my QPR champion of 2013.

6/30/2013 - Pknut wrote:

Nice wine. The fruit is pure and ripe, mostly red cherry and red berry notes, fleshy and substantial in terms of palate presence and weight, yet refined, well-defined and contained. Young, primary, forward, juicy, yet also silky in texture. Takes on some darker tones overnight, a bit of a balsamic quality and a bit of a bitter aspect to the fruit. This is a very pleasing wine that straddles well the divide between forward fruit and good definition. A ridiculous bargain at the sale price, I should have bought a case when Levenberg suggested this.

11/17/2013 - MRichman wrote:

Mature, broad, herbal fruit. Not particularly exciting or energetic, but a fine, mellow Bordeaux. Decent but oaky finish. Not falling off a cliff, but certainly not going to get better from here.
B-/C+

11/11/2013 - Pknut wrote:

Decanted for about an hour. Very focused and distinct notes of cinnamon on the nose; I can't recall a clearer expression of cinnamon spice in a wine that I've had. On the palate, this is starting to soften texturally and it's not the tannic and structured wine that I expected. But, as the structure has yielded, it hasn't really developed that much complexities around the black fruit. Enjoyable, but I would hold another couple of years and see what emerges. Jon H brought this to dinner at Tutti's.

4/16/2013 - Pknut wrote:

I recall buying this cheap (~$25) from Zachys around ten years ago, and going through many bottles, including with C. Dodd on Shelter Island. I recall a light bodied, floral, pink strawberry-fruited Barolo, young and tasty and well-received by Chris. I knew back then that this was not a powerhouse Barolo, but I decided to age a bottle to see what would happen.

The result is evidence as to why not all wine should be aged. The first thing I noted was that the formerly light bodied, pink hued, strawberry fruited wine is now considerably darker in color and profile. The palate is now darker, shows earthy tones and some oak, as well as an impression of coffee grounds. It also shows just a hint of heat damage. But more generally, the wine is soupy, muddled and lacks precision. I actually found little reason to drink this wine.

12/13/2012 - Pknut wrote:

Opened this to compare/contrast with the 2008 L.Michel Butteaux (non-VV) that I opened a few nights prior. This VV has an entry of minerals, acidity and a touch of cream. After some air, the nose is totally neutral, with just a hint of apple fruit. Dry palate, more reticent than the Butteaux, with more dry extract on the finish. After four hours, pure, very pure, very smooth and not showing much cut, very smooth, not bracing, rounded sides, not fat, nicely contained, smooth, more like Puligny than Chablis. Overall, a lot like the Butteaux in its smooth sides, and lack of cut, but somewhat more underlying extract. Is there a significant distinction between the VV and non-VV? Not really. This VV maybe shows more depth in addition to the extract, but I believe, once again, the L. Michel wines are early maturing. I'd drink the Butteaux now, and I don't think this VV presents much evidence for substantially longer cellaring.