12/7/2023 - abelicious Likes this wine:

Drink more Sauternes! Carmel. Graham cracker. Perfect with chocolate mousse and bay leaf ice cream.

1/25/2019 - Steve&Carolyn Likes this wine:

Strong flavor of tart green apples with notes of flint and salt. Slight note of strawberries and a hint of lime. Drinks easily.

2/17/2020 - Brent25 Likes this wine:

Clear medium ruby; clean medium plus nose of balsamic, game, barnyard, dried black cherries, soil, black licorice and dried raspberries: high acidity; medium tannins; high alcohol; medium plus body; pronounced flavour intensity; pfn with addition of tar and dark cocoa; long finish; outstanding quality; reminds us of a high acid Brunello with meaty notes

6/29/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

Out of magnum, last night, this bottle was impeccably stored, had a pristine label, great fill level, perfect cork, and a spinning capsule. My lucky night!

The wine was delicious and perfectly mature. Vaulted aromatics of roasted jalapeños, dried red and black fruits, cranberry, cinnamon, currant, sous-bois, and band-aid. It was light and lifted on the palate, and still juicy, reminding me even of an old-school and savory red Burgundy in texture, except for the vegetal notes which screamed old Cabernet. It lacked some concentration in the mid-palate that perhaps a finer wine would have provided, but it filled out nicely after an hour in the decanter.

No doubt this was a better-than-average bottle. If I had any remaining, which, sadly, I do not, I would drink now. It offered lots of pleasure and was a great match with fire-grilled skirt steak with a light shallot and cognac sauce.

5/20/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

I didn't have high hopes for this bottle, for while the fill level was high, the label was in horrible condition and the loose cork slipped out (I used a Durand) as if a knife in hot butter. Plastic rip-cord top instead of a capsule. The cork smelled fine and the wine had no aromas of TCA.

I decanted the bottle, and disappointingly, there was only a hint of sediment. It was clear at the rim, then a light old-Barolo-brown, then a dark carmine/faded ruby in the center. Remarkably, there is still vibrant bright fruit, salty dried strawberries and rich red cherry. And it's light and elegant, yet it has a slightly viscous texture in the mouth. JACKCMAC's comment below about cedar is spot-on. There's also a strong lifted and treble green note, green bell pepper and roasted jalapeños. It's tangy and sweetly rich, and was very stable and slow-opening over 2 days (vacuumed and refrigerated). There are some elegant tannins left, but it's incredibly easy to drink.

I've had more than a dozen 1980 Cali Cabs over the last 3 or 4 years, and surprisingly, considering the humble origins of this wine, this was perhaps the most delicious and lively. I have no doubt that another well-stored bottle could offer a lot of pleasure now or for a few more years.

3/7/2020 - Xavier Auerbach wrote:

Spicy warmth, raisins but not currants, alcohol is remarkably moderate (13% ABV) for such a hot year, smoky oak (38 months, 100% new) is noticeable but well integrated and not resinous, beef stock flavours are starting to develop, there is freshness and (firm but ripe) tannic grip, finishes relatively light but very long. In a way this wine, now 17 years old, is less remarkable for what is than for what it is not. It is not overripe or jammy, it is neither overoaked nor overly alcoholic, and it does not marry green tannins with a lack of acidity (which so many 2003's do) . In other words: Guigal has managed to put together a well balanced wine, which reflects the character of its vintage, but does not suffer from its problems. Kudos.

10/31/2017 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:

From the wine list at Marea (NYC) and priced very reasonably. The wine was decanted and then poured. Similar to a 2012 Allemand Reynard, I had a few months ago, this was open and accessible. The nose had a hint of barnyard and dark fruits. On the palate, the tannins were quite soft and silky, with blackberries, dark cherries and olives, along with an earthy element. Really very nice and enjoyable and a great QPR.

11/3/2017 - clayfu wrote:

Decanted at the restaurant, consumed immediately. Needed that rush of oxygen to really bloom with that wild snappy fruit nose. Palate is far more textured and less silky than the bottle I opened a couple weeks ago (different retailers) and more in line with what I'm used to with Juge with that bright prickly minerality on the palate. Such a great wine, happy to share it with those that haven't tried Juge yet.

7/27/2018 - aagrawal wrote:

Coravin 7/27/18: Light pink color; aromatic but in a subtle way, requires a bit of concentration, but then shows incredibly well integrated and complex aromatics with rose, orange peel, fennel; palate is medium-plus bodied, a nice richness but also with superb medium-plus fresh acidity, clean minerally stone fruit, elegant low 12% alcohol; finish is medium-long especially for a rose. This is a superb rose, just as good as I remember it, and will age for a decade or two easily. A very unique rose with a blend completely different from the southern rhone, and it has a combination of richness and freshness, plus balance and complexity throughout. 94-96+
1-2 hours air: Even more balanced, even more aromatic, fennel spice. Lovely.
7/29: Opened the remainder of the bottle. When chilled, has a lovely watermelon nose. Evolves in the glass with some air and as the temperature changes. A beautifully elegant, characterful wine. Superb, and I'm glad I have more.

7/12/2018 - chablis28 wrote:

Mark's btl tonight and I loved it! This was balanced, energetic and showed an excellent bead of minerality combined with a range of citrus flavors. Blind, I think this would have fooled me and I likely would have guessed white Burg from Puligny.

8/5/2017 - pren wrote:

First Bandol Rose, watermelon, solmon

1/28/2018 - wineamateur Likes this wine:

The last of a case, and drunk with La Migoua of the same vintage, also the last of a case. La Tourtine has a higher percentage of Mourvedre (maybe 80%) and about about 10% each of Cinsault and Grenache, plus a dash of Syrah. This was lighter in colour, red fading to orange with a hint of brown, and initially more reticent on the nose. Like the Migoua, it evolved massively over several hours, and more than once I was questioning whether I'd poured the wrong wine into the wrong glass. (I hadn't.) Ultimately, I preferred the precision in the Tourtine, its fresheness and its subtle blend of black cherry, frangipani, citric peel, and apples maybe just turning to cider. One could very easily have called it as a Barolo. These impressions on the nose translated very nicely onto the palate, and there was just the right amount of acidity to sear the flavours into the memory. Such a great privilege to try these two cuvees side by side in their 20th year.

1/4/2018 - violistus Likes this wine:

Some Petit Chablis from the master on a cold wintry night, out of magnum.

Right away, the nose gave Meyer lemon tart and rocks and shells. The wine is round and persistent with effortless concentration far beyond the other Petit Chablis I've tasted in my life. Dare I say it's even slightly buttery and fat? There’s also a delightful little biscuity note on the finish and it's very full through the mid-palate. She's also incredibly long; the finish went on for minutes and enveloped the mouth. You raise your glass to take another sip, and you feel like you haven’t quite finished with the previous one, which was a whole minute before...

Delightful now, but I'd love to revisit in 3-4 years, too.

7/16/2017 - ablegrape Does not like this wine:

Third bottle I've opened, and third that had undergone some refermentation in bottle. Quite reduced, some petillance, and muted aromas. Strawberry, floral. Much better on the second night after the off aromas had blown off, but still hot (14% on the label but wouldn't be shocked were it really 14.5.) I'm a huge fan of Simone in all its forms but this fell short of what I expect from their usually excellent rosé.

7/1/2017 - violistus wrote:

Corked, sadly!

3/26/2016 - Mimesis Likes this wine:

This is a really fine Musar vintage. Beautiful berry and floral flavors, medium body, long finish. Clear garnet color with some sediment in the bottle. A very "clean" and well-made wine; probably the best of about eight vintages I've tasted over the years. I'd love to get more, but that would mean flying through Heathrow again....