Comments on my notes

Red

1996 Domaine Philippe Charlopin Chambertin Chambertin Grand Cru Pinot Noir

4/11/2015 - Tenuta Stefan Likes this wine:

94 points

Perfect bottle!
Mature colour, brick colour.
Elegant bouquet offering wild raspberries, wild strawberries, roses, sulpher, oak, mineral and a bit of volatile acidity. With some time in the glass (+ 2 h) it evolves some curry powder, coffee and toast as well.
This is a very soft, delicate and feminim Chambertin. But it still has a drive and energy that delivers a long nice finish with lovely flavours of red berries, roses and spices.
Great balance, soft tannins, lovely flavours, nice mineral and good acidity. It all ends up in good balance.
This wine is Rudolf Nurejev ... yet this wine is still alive with many years to go.
Just wonderful!

Tenuta Stefan commented:

5/8/16, 3:15 AM - How did it perform?
Did it live up to the expectation?

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Red

1953 Château Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend

4/24/2015 - Tenuta Stefan Likes this wine:

91 points

Not a perfect bottle. Mid shoulder. Not stored under perfect conditions
Mature, brick colour. Still quite dense for its age.
Quite vital and lively bouquet. Mature earthy notes of meat, mushrooms, truffles, blood, leather, tobacco, stables and chocolate. Yes, there is some brett. But I like that and it gives an extra dimension to this wine that it needs.
Nice mouthfill. Smooth and elegant. Good mature flavours of meat, tobacco and leather. There is a residual sweetness in the back. This wine has a depth. Complex and layered. All parts in harmony, so good balance. Quite long finish. Even if the bottle wasn't in perfect shape it delivers. I want to get my hands on a bottle in good shape
91 - 92 p.

Tenuta Stefan commented:

5/1/15, 12:14 PM - Yes, a little bit. There was mold on top of the cork. Other than that the cork was in pretty good shape.
If your bottle is in top shape, save it. If not, cork it up and enjoy!

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Red

2006 Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue La Grande Rue Grand Cru Pinot Noir

9/20/2014 - Tenuta Stefan Likes this wine:

95 points

Perfect bottle.
Still young colour, carmine red, clear.
Raisins, sultan raisins, spice box, roses, wild strawberries, old cubbard, oak and black cherries.
Great mouthfill. This wine start to get into the drinking window, but my dear friend mean this wine should saved 20 - 50 years from now. He might be right. This is a Grand Vin and La Grande Rue deserves its Grand Cru status.
Great dark fruit, lots of energy here, lovely but dry tannins, good acidity, elegant mineral with a dusty note, great balance, long finish.

I served this wine blind to my dear friend and he guessed Chambertin Clos de Bèze 1999 at first and later a 1999 Musigny. And I can really see why he ends up there. Lots of energy, lots of power, yet in a feminim and elegant way.
This wine reminds me of the lovely Eva Green.

Tenuta Stefan commented:

9/22/14, 5:42 AM - Yes, it is really good!
But be careful with the vintages before 2003/2004. I tried 1996, 2002 and 2004 side by side a couple of years ago in Copenhagen and to my surprise 2004 was the best, without doubt.
Before the girls took over the quality was not on top.
I want to get my hands on 2010!

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Red

2009 Lucien Le Moine Clos St. Denis Clos St. Denis Grand Cru Pinot Noir

7/3/2012 - Tenuta Stefan wrote:

95 points

I was surprised here ... in a good way. Usually Mounir and Rotem use oak in a way I find difficult, i.e. too much new oak that put the fruit in the shadow. But lately I've tried some of their wines from 2007 - 2009 that puts a smile on my face ... and this wine is one of them. In this wine the fruit gets the chance to shine. Nice, lovely dark fruit, strawberries, roses, black tea, spices and ... of course, oak ... but in a good way that supports the spices.
I find this wine in balance and the oak-barrels are in harmony with the fruit and acidity. This wine is dark and powerfull in style ... but still with some elegance and finess. Words I seldom use in the same sentence with Lucien Le Moine. But "the Monk" is on the right track now. Respect to Mounir and Rotem! I will look for this wine again.

Tenuta Stefan commented:

7/20/14, 12:54 AM - I haven't tried the 2010 of this CSD yet. Usually I like 2010 better, but the style of Le Moine and their use of oak needs generous fruit á la 2009 I think. Would be fun to try 2009 and 2010 side by side.

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White - Sparkling

N.V. André Clouet Champagne Grande Réserve Brut Pinot Noir

5/9/2014 - Tenuta Stefan Likes this wine:

90 points

A very good non vintage champagne. Dégorgée 2009
Light yellow. Nice mousse.
Apples, citrus, bread, brioche, a hint of mineral á la oystershells.
Nice texture, fresh acidity, good fruit. Balanced. Quite long finish with good flavours. This Champagne will age beautifully over the next 20 years.
Jean-Francois Clouet (aka. Jean de France) always deliver.
A good tip is to buy his Cuvée 1911 and store for + 10 years. You'll be surprised how good it is. I've tried a Cuvée 1911 wich was stored 15 years and I was amazed and very happy with that glass of Champagne.

Tenuta Stefan commented:

6/1/14, 9:30 AM - The information comes from Jean-Francois Clouet himself.

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Red

2006 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts Pinot Noir

2/6/2012 - Tavastgatan wrote:

92 points

Must be something wrong with his bottle. Is's good but it should be fantastic. The nose is very mute but the palate is full of ripe fruit with lots of licorice and cherries. Somthing is missing.

Tenuta Stefan commented:

4/18/14, 12:14 PM - Hi! The 2006s from Cathiard are now open.
Like you I was a bit puzzled a couple of years ago when it came to the wines from Sylvain Cathiard, but I found out that almost all 2006s from Burgundy was closed 2010 - 2013.

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Red

1997 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque Syrah

4/5/2014 - BradE wrote:

Drank well, but the 97's aren't holding up as well as other vintages. I liked these better when they were younger.

Tenuta Stefan commented:

4/5/14, 6:15 AM - You should try another bottle if you get a good price. I tried La Mouline and La Landonne 1997 in december -13 and I was surprised that Guigal made such good wines in 1997.
I just think these wines need lots of time.
According to Philippe Guigal even weak vintages like 2008 will come around.

Comment

Red

2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche La Tâche Grand Cru Pinot Noir

2/22/2014 - rnellans wrote:

92 points

Very interesting. Much more floral, stem, celery, herbal notes on the nose than previous bottles...almost to a fault imo. Spice. Great fruit, acid and balance. Complex. ? off bottle.

Tenuta Stefan commented:

2/22/14, 12:15 PM - It sounds like 2004 to me, yet DRC made good wines in 2004.
I had 2002 La Tache two years ago and it performed very well. I still have a bottle left and get a bit anxious to hear it is full of stem and celery.
Off bottle? Fake bottle?
Tenuta Stefan commented:

2/22/14, 1:14 PM - Good to know. Then it is probably in a phase, and shut down ... like the 1999s.
Thank you for this information.
This information is important for me. I hate to open these kind of bottles just to find out they are shut down.
I had the DRC Richebourg 2007 two months ago and it was shut down and completely closed. I didn't recognize the wine at all.

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White

2011 Domaine des Chenevières Chablis Les Grandes Vignes Chardonnay

9/28/2013 - Tim and Bonnie wrote:

83 points

This is a decent bottle, but here's a story I've never told before. Opened it and said, in my brain only, "This smells like chicken". I tasted it and it was not bad. I poured Bonnie a glass and about ten minutes later she smells it and says, "This smells like chicken". I couldn't believe it. I've never thought or said that about any wine, although to be honest, I have said, "I think I'm getting some chicken poop in this one", which I actually like but didn't know to say "barnyard", so it stood as said, unfortunately.

Anywho, we both say, "This is going to be great with the chicken!" I was grilling chicken, which is why we bought the Chablis, because we'd had a great one in a cafe by the Eiffel Tower the week before...but I digress. So we take a bite of chicken, and then follow it with some Chablis. Nah. It somehow competed with the chicken in my mouth. The chicken was over here going, "I'm so delicious and succulent, and that herb marinade you put on me was perfetto!" Wait, perfetto was Italy the week before. "Magnifique", the chicken said. But the wine was like the obnoxious American, of which we saw three in Florence. Cowboy hat and boots and Gerber knife on the belt. The father and son were wearing those aprons you can buy in Firenze that have a picture of the chest-to-knees David. You get my drift. So anyway, the wine says, "What the hell, you little pansy! You need to pay attention to ME!" Which I did.

Well, being the afficiandos that we are (I think that's Italian for alcoholic) we ate the chicken and drank the whole bottle of Chablis. I kept my mouth shut, mainly because Bonnie picked this wine, and she has a deft backhand and a big ring. But as we were cleaning up after dinner she says, "You know, I didn't like that bottle as much as I wanted to."

And, as Forrest Gump says, "And that's all I have to say about that."

Tenuta Stefan commented:

9/28/13, 7:03 PM - Love your review :-)

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Red

2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux Echezeaux Grand Cru Pinot Noir

9/15/2013 - Tenuta Stefan Likes this wine:

94 points

Perfect bottle.

Had this 5 AM after a long evening/night with great wines.

Way too young to drink now, but this is one of best Échézeaux I've had from Romanée-Conti. 2010 is a bit better if you ask me, but the 2009 is more voluptious and fat if you know what I mean.
Great fruit, nice acidity and long finish.
Great potential!

Tenuta Stefan commented:

9/21/13, 10:47 AM - Hi! I kept my pen and paper with me all night to take notes ... but I must admit I was hammered ;-)
I was stupid enough to open this wine after the tasting at a "afterparty". I even got home to pick up the bottle.

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Red

1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend

8/22/2013 - Ibetian Likes this wine:

98 points

Slight bricking at the rim. Wonderfully complex nose now dominated by secondary characteristics: cedar, leather, mushrooms and earth. Yet there is also some black cherry and other dark fruit. Smooooth. Palate has more fruit than the nose would suggest.

Great wine, maybe a step ahead of the bottle of this we had last year and a step behind the incredible 100 point experience with this wine 2 years ago. We are so lucky to be able to enjoy this wine.

Tenuta Stefan commented:

8/24/13, 11:36 AM - To follow up this fantastic wine, you should pop one of your Lafite 2003 :-)

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Red

2003 Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend

5/13/2010 - Tenuta Stefan Likes this wine:

100 points

Perfect bottle. Great condition. Top filling.

Great deep colour that starts to show some age.

Dark fruit, oak, coffee, sweet "flowery" fruit, liqourice, some smoke and some graphite (pencil).

Pure class! Fantastic balance! Extremely elegant!
Succulent! Poise! Velvety touch! Lots of energy!
Acidity, tannins, oak, mineral, fruit ... everything coexist here in perfect harmony and creates a wine of divine perfection :-)

Sheer perfection. This is a wine that truly delivers.
This is the best wine I have ever tasted!!

My friends comments are:
"Sex with a woman that are dressed only with jewlery and diamonds"
"You don't have to think about this wine ... just feel it"

100++

Tenuta Stefan commented:

8/24/13, 11:33 AM - You won't regret it. It's a wine that drinks perfectly now and for 50+ years.
Unfortunatly I have only three bottles left. I can't keep my fingers off ;-)

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White

2010 Alban Vineyards Viognier Central Coast

12/29/2012 - drcoop wrote:

64 points

simply awful

Tenuta Stefan commented:

12/29/12, 3:32 PM - Hi Drcoop,
Was it cork? Flawed? Bad bottle or just badly made?

Usually I find Albans wines low on acidity, but they have good fruit.
//Tenuta Stefan

Comment

Red

1952 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend

3/10/2012 - mwanasheria wrote:

86 points

La Mission Haut Brion; 3/9/2012-3/10/2012 (Burg Staufeneck): Sour nose, but better palate with some residual sweetness, leather, musk. Not very compelling.

Tenuta Stefan commented:

12/25/12, 12:16 PM - Hello Mwanasheria,

I wonder about the condition of your La Mission 1952.
It seems I had a better bottle.

My bottle was in great shape. Good cork, with a black, almost "burnt" top.
I wish you get to try a good bottle of this wine.
I was lucky to come across 3 bottles for a total price of 200 USD, and you can find this wine at auction.

Don't give up on it ;-)

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Red

1998 Château Latour Grand Vin Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend

12/23/2012 - taipeileviathan Does not like this wine:

92 points

I was expecting a lot more and ended up really quite disappointed by this wine. The '86 Ducru Beaucaillou we had in the same night was much better. In its peak right now, this wine never really came together over the 5 hrs from decant to last drop that we had it. Nose showed better at first with a muted palate, then palate got better but nose disappeared. Has some power, not terribly much; given the choice I'd drink this wine without food, even, because the only thing I really found intriguing about it were some mid-palate nuances that food might have overwhelmed. What a total waste of money.

Tenuta Stefan commented:

12/23/12, 3:35 PM - I've tried this wine 9 times over the past 7 years, and it is a consistent wine that perform quite well every time, but it is not a great wine. It's quite a light Latour, but it has the elegance.
I think 92 points is a correct score, but you are a bit tough when you say you don't like the wine ... even if you give it 92 points.

I understand you can be disappointed if you pay a lot of money ... it is Latour. I was quite lucky to get this wine for 120 USD a bottle.
If you have time ... give the wine 16 hours before serving it.

By the way, I like your notes :-)

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