11/15/2023 - Pancreatitis wrote:

Again, opened way too you, very prominent tannin still very prominent at 24 hours open. Otherwise relatively mute and inexpressive.

10/5/2023 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine:

This 2nd growth is better than many grand crus I’ve had over the decades. The Cab dominates, tannins present but softened. Agree with notes rating 92 & 93. Dark fruit, musty cellar, cedar. It is elegant as is the case with Margaux, so definitely Varietally correct. One of the best wines we’ve had this year. Kudos to 2015.
Perfect drinking window now.

8/24/2023 - Eric Wright Likes this wine:

Solid Pinot noir (not Meunier!) forward champagne. Typical profile of brioche with savory notes on the palate.

12/5/2022 - Jd6725 Likes this wine:

Another great 375ml of this. Not all the complexity in the world, but great acidity. Should age well but it's been hard to keep my hands off of these.

11/11/2022 - chefdilletante wrote:

Not expressing any St. Julien terroir. Modern, chunky, and inelegant. Prayers this pulls together at some point but I’m not optimistic.

7/9/2022 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine:

Prior bottle was three and a quarter years ago and this wine has held up well. Apricot, orange, pineapple and lemon notes on a nose that remains quite aromatic. Still between medium and full bodied (has kept its depth, not thinned out) with white peach upfront, moving to orange, pineapple and other tropical notes on the backside. Moderately tart acidity as well as citrus notes of orange and lemon on the backside still provide quite good structure and contrast. Overall, the wine remains in a great drinking window with excellent overall balance between fruit/acidity. The only reason I marked it down slightly was the complexity seemed a bit less than the stellar nature of my first four bottle and the acidity (not surprisingly) not quite as vibrant. That said, this wine clearly has the fruit and structure to remain rewarding for at least another couple of years, if not longer. I'll plan to open my next bottle in June/July 2023.

1/1/2015 - chefdilletante wrote:

Decanted for five hours. I can see why this wine has garnered some negative reviews. It's a touch dowdy, with little in aromatics, followed by some surprising and unpleasant bitterness. Then, the wine gets down to business with some sous bois and earth. But--especially given that this is La Tour Haut Brion's final vintage, and that these vines were deemed good enough to become part of La Mission Haut Brion--tasting this juice was a disappointment.

10/4/2020 - Justinwine wrote:

Classic Pomerol, though very late in life. Drink up!

6/19/2020 - JohnSh wrote:

Hazy notes from last night. A lovely wine just starting to enter a secondary phase, with all the parts starting to integrate and with a great balance of acid and fruit. Some savennieres can be a bit ponderous, but this was light on its feet but yet powerful. Some butterscotch is starting to appear on the medium-bodied palate, and there is a minerality as well. Drinking well now but will definitely last many years (A-).

4/12/2020 - le fouloir wrote:

Wonderful evolution since the last bottle, for which I provided a tasting note on Christmas Day, 2014. Still a classic Bordeaux - the nose outperforms the other aspects of the wine - pencil lead, cassis, tobacco and black currants. A real testament to the 2000 vintage, I think - a non-classified wine that has continued to get better and better. I have one bottle left and probably will wait another few years to finish it up so as to continue the experiment regarding its potential for improvement.

5/9/2019 - garrigue65 Does not like this wine:

Nose of wet dog, and spray paint. metallic finish. A real piece of crap. Again I thank Moore Brothers for peddling bad wine supported by a quaint story. Best news last bottle.

2/13/2018 - winebargainchaser Does not like this wine:

this should have been drank already. hollow Gloria, that is acidy, tannic & without any fruit left. it might be still o.k. with a peppersteak or so - if you have some left. don't decant it, will get worse yet. very disappointing for Gloria, as others (2001, 2003, 2005) are quite good PQR indeed. I hope the 2008's are not all like this . . . . .

6/30/2017 - Rikster67 Likes this wine:

Aged wonderfully. Picked this wine up on a great bargain.. Stupid wholesalers just don't know how to sell very good wines from a great producer. Lemon zest, lemon pith, gravel, wax, tart sour green apples on the nose. Color is light pale straw. Wine very clean and focused on the pallet. Acidity balanced both in the nose and pallet. Flavors Echo the nose, showing the Balance between a rich round mouth feel, tart green apple acidity, mineralality. The waxiness show up more on the back end and in the nose along with a faint hint of bitter green fruit. Which is not a negative or a flaw, but an added naunce. Finish lingers for at least 30 plus seconds. no signs of oxidation or age. Very nice

11/11/2015 - jkoenen wrote:

Cool, low-key minerality, like mossy rocks, sea breeze and November Rain. Lovely balance in charming sweetness and acidic backbone. Voluptuous mid-palate, but finishes nearly dry. Lovely demi-sec.

1/2/2016 - chefdilletante wrote:

From magnum left in cellar. Unknown date disgorgement (though label has inscription "LB03" and bottle bought appx. '05 or '06). Magnificent, well balanced. Refreshing acidity and fine balance facilitated guzzling but contemplation showed good complexity. A good example of why cellaring good NV champagne can be so satisfying.

8/29/2015 - Ken332 Likes this wine:

Double decanted about 2 hours before serving. Wine was initially very closed in with little nose, sharp, somewhat acrid tannins in the finish. Began to open up a bit after 4 hours, but it was my bedtime by then. Decided to freeze the remainder and try again in a couple of days. This is one of the few wines I am reluctant to rate and will post comments after tasting the wine again. That said, the wine has gotten excellent reviews from a number of knowledgeable wine professionals.

Tasted again 2 days later after freezing this wine in its original bottle. It took about 30 minutes to defrost, but was in excellent shape. While not a natural experiment, I think I will try freezing again when I have a good, relatively young wine that I want to save for a few days.

3/13/2015 - Simple palate wrote:

Last bottle (probably).

Mature Bordeaux, competent.
Much the same as previous bottles.

If other 2005 Bordeaux is like this, no big deal on the vintage.

3/15/2015 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine:

At $26 from costco this is one of the best deals in wine . However this vintage didn't do it for me. Thin and lacking in concentration. Not sure why because people won't shut up about 2010 in Italy. besides the aforementioned weaknesses, this is very barbaresco. Cherry. Tart. TanNic.

1/25/2015 - Indran Rajendra wrote:

This wine is a 4th growth left bank wine. It is served in first class on Cathay Pacific. The wine is opaque with a mauve rim. The nose offers up blackcurrant,roses,cherries,gooseberries,charcoal and cafe au lait. There are hints of manure and cedar. There are the aromas of jam. The palate is medium to full bodied. The tannins are moderate and unfortunately bitter unbalancing the wine. There is a certain pallor in the palate. Accessed with Coravin for the first time. Drunk between 16-18 degrees C. In the decanter for one hour. Riedel bordeaux glasses. Nice nose shame about the palate.

12/28/2014 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Lovely golden colour, with strong aromas that fill the room with peaches, honey and lightly toasted brioche. Quite sweet at first, with strong peach flavours on the tongue, then a wave of honey and butterscotch that slides down the throat, before a crisp, dry, citric finish. Delicious with an assortment of goat cheeses from the Loire.

5/5/2014 - favorito Likes this wine:

It was my last bottle. Decanted for two hours. Three would have been better. In total after 4 hours after opening the bottle it was just perfect. Smooth, powerful Cabernet ! Typical St. Julien !

4/26/2014 - JG13 Likes this wine:

Wow! Great bottle from an off-vintage. Still going strong. Decanted for 1.5 hrs prior to drinking. Wonderful dark fruit and chocolate aromas. Full bodied with plum, blackberry, vanilla, and soft oak throughout. Still has many years left in it...

11/26/2013 - wine&roses Does not like this wine:

Curious, unpleasant tinge of cod-liver oil in an otherwise undistinguished wine that bears no trace of French terroir.

3/29/2013 - chefdilletante wrote:

I think the dichotomy among reviews is based on reviewers' expectations of Savennieres. True, it is Chenin Blanc, but it's not Vouvray or Anjou or Montlouis. Savenniere, IMHO, just isn't as friendly when young as the other Loire Chenin Blanc appellations.

This is a very fine Savennieres. It's by no means a monumental one, a fine acid backbone carries some good nuttiness, and a finish of salinity and minerality (like a little version of my comments on Baumard's single vineyard Clos du Papillon).

No, you are not going to get a nice pow of tropical fruit to go with your acidity. This is not a Huet Vouvray and it's not a Chidaine Montlouis. But that's what's so beautiful about Chenin Blanc: There is no hiding between terroir and glass. What nature puts into the vineyard is what you get out.

6/6/2013 - garrigue65 wrote:

Really needs to open in glass. Initially nose was somewhat closed but opens into notes of ripe bananas and pineapple. How strange is that? The tannins balance out with a strawberry finish. Weird Bordeaux.

5/10/2013 - winot Likes this wine:

Definitely better once it warmed up a bit - medium deep gold, almost alarmingly so - nose is shy, showing burnished, medicinal notes, flan - wonderful, aged flavours - complex orange peel, burnt caramel - v good acidity, and v good length - went extraordinarily well with mid-aged Gouda - elegant, complex, contemplative. Likely demi-sec sweetness but with the acidity it does not come across as sweet at all, just a bit on the sides. If I had more, I'd drink them soon, but no panic.