9/4/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

decanted for 2.5hrs. much more developed than previous bottle. complex and layered. very similar to the 89 side by side.

9/4/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

decanted for 2.5hrs. plenty of exotic notes. intense but not too heavy. beautiful wine.

9/4/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

decanted for 3hrs. soaring aromas of coffee, tobacco and chocolate. spell-binding stuff. easy 100-pointer.

6/26/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Peter's MNSC (Petrus): double decanted back to bottle 3hrs prior. ripe and sweet with hints of smoke and honey. drinking beautifully. surprise package of the evening.

6/26/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Peter's MNSC (Petrus): double decanted back to bottle 3hrs prior. sweet, smoky and velvety. lovely wine.

6/26/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Peter's MNSC (Petrus): corked.

6/26/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Peter's MNSC (Petrus): opened for 2hrs without decanting. completely overwhelmed by Latour a Pomerol side by side. good but not great. perhaps could have done with some decanting.

6/26/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Peter's MNSC (Petrus): opened for two hours without decanting. by far best bottle in recent years. soaring nose of tobacco and toast. great intensity. superb.

6/26/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Peter's MNSC (Petrus): floral nose with minerals and earth and a touch of coffee. a little sharp on the finish.

6/26/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Peter's MNSC (Petrus): not the best of bottles sadly. too much madeira and funk.

6/23/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

great showing tonight. class.

6/28/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

1-hr decant. some good stuff but what a frustrating wine. so much variation bottle to bottle. nowhere near as good as Gruaud Larose tonight.

6/23/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

at plateau now. perfumed and seductive.

6/23/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

glorious showing. simply stunning.

5/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Kevin's big 50 MNSC (Amuse Bouche): decanted for 30mins. expressive nose with lots of smoke, tar, cigar box and a touch of mint and savoury soy sauce. not as explosive on the palate as one would expect.

5/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Kevin's big 50 MNSC (Amuse Bouche): decanted for 30mins. lovely nose of graphite, smoke, earth and mint. palate not as robust as it should be but still very enjoyable.

5/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Kevin's big 50 MNSC (Amuse Bouche): quite a powerhouse. dense and intense. got better and better in the glass becoming more floral and fruity towards the end.

5/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Kevin's big 50 MNSC (Amuse Bouche): very pretty with floral and leathery notes. drinking beautifully.

5/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Kevin's big 50 MNSC (Amuse Bouche): ex-chateau. opened 1.5hrs before serving. absolute stunner. glorious nose of sweet fruits, coffee and tobacco. hugely impressive.

5/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Kevin's big 50 MNSC (Amuse Bouche): opened 1.5hrs before serving. lacks petrus' usual sweetness and explosion, but still supremely elegant with savoury notes of mineral and soy.

5/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Kevin's big 50 MNSC (Amuse Bouche): opened 1.5hrs before serving. a real surprise it was showing better than the '47. wonderfully expressive nose of smoke, toast and coffee. bravo.

5/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Kevin's big 50 MNSC (Amuse Bouche): opened 1.5hrs prior to serving. smokey, rich, intense, with hint of mint.

5/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Kevin's big 50 MNSC (Amuse Bouche): denser and more weighty than the Beze but wonderful aromas with lots of finesse. bravo.

5/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Kevin's big 50 MNSC (Amuse Bouche): incredibly floral and seductive. almost feminine. very light in colour. beautiful wine.

5/1/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Alex's MNSC (The Pawn): 5hr decant. ridiculously thick, jammy and sweet. is this wine or syrup??
not my style but some might like it. indistinguishable from the 98 and 96 side by side.

5/1/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Alex's MNSC (The Pawn): 5hr decant. ridiculously thick, jammy and sweet. is this wine or syrup??
not my style but some might like it. indistinguishable from the 01 and 98 side by side.

5/1/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Alex's MNSC (The Pawn): 5hr decant. ridiculously thick, jammy and sweet. is this wine or syrup??
not my style but some might like it. indistinguishable from the 01 and 96 side by side.

5/1/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Alex's MNSC (The Pawn): 1hr decant. this is in a good place now in terms of overall balance between finesse and power. lovely aromas of kirsch, leather and dark cherries.

5/1/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Alex's MNSC (The Pawn): 1hr decant. sexy exotic nose of cherries and lychee. surprisingly light colour and light-weight palate. more rayas than bonneau.

5/1/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Alex's MNSC (The Pawn): 2hr decant. great structure and flavour profile. tannins a bit harsh for my liking.

5/1/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Alex's MNSC (The Pawn): 2hr decant. pretty and expressive nose but started to fade a little towards the end. structurally not as good as '99 when paired together.

3/21/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

popped and poured. still with enough fruit and vibrancy to make it interesting. has aged very well.

3/15/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

wonderfully perfumed nose. lovely to drink now, but will be even better if it puts on more weight.

3/15/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

absolute top drawer. glorious aromas with sweet finish and amazing freshness. this is the Musigny magic we all crave for but rarely get nowadays, especially among younger vintages. a wonderful treat.

3/8/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

ripe with lots of fruit and hint of vanilla. simple but enjoyable.

3/8/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

decanted for half an hour. utterly compelling. rich, complex, everything you want in a claret.

3/8/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

perfumed nose. just a tad short on the finish. not as good as previous bottle but still a lot to like about it.

2/18/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

J Law in a bottle. young, sexy, powerful, upfront and fearless. bags of fun.

2/18/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

plenty of complexity, but not my favourite vintage for La Tache in terms of expression.

2/18/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

no idea how to rate this. pure infanticide.

2/18/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

good nose with pleasant notes of asian spices. a bit short on the finish but pretty enjoyable overall.

1/15/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Julian's MNSC (The Chin's): decanted for a couple of hours. more backwards and restrained than other vintages despite some exotic notes on the nose.

1/15/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Julian's MNSC (The Chin's): decanted for a couple of hours. smokey with savoury notes. like last time, well short of its haughty expectations.

1/15/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Julian's MNSC (The Chin's): sweeter and more robust than the 76 but not particularly musigny-like

1/15/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Julian's MNSC (The Chin's): not particularly expressive. a little alcoholic.

1/15/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Julian's MNSC (The Chin's): notes of mint and coconut but not as expressive nor impressive as previous bottle. might have opened for too long (almost 2hrs) before serving.

1/15/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Julian's MNSC (The Chin's): sweet and jammy with hints of madeira. prob didn't need decanting. not as alluring as previous bottle.

1/15/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

Julian's MNSC (The Chin's): notes of toasted brioche and minerals. good intensity. still a few years from its peak.

2/3/2017 - Lord Rayas wrote:

exotic and perfumed. lighter than some blockbuster vintages but really stylish and in a good place now.

12/25/2016 - Lord Rayas wrote:

MNSC - PP: opened 1 hour before decanting and serving. soaring nose of candy and burnt sugar. rich, creamy and exotic. hedonistic stuff.