11/8/2023 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Big and built up and still young. Showing wood.

8/15/2023 - N.Bonaparte wrote:

After 7 hours in the decanter this was still a block of stone. Extreme dry extract up front. This was my first of 12 bottles and I’m going to hold these for another 5 years before trying again. I thought the 2010 classic cuvee was exponentially better.
My recommendation is to decant this over night at this point. This certainly has potential but is probably 15 years away from prime time. This is a 50 plus year wine. Revisit 2028

2/13/2024 - Eric Becker Likes this wine:

At restaurant Les Avisés in Avize. Disgorgement July 2018 with 4.5 grams of sugar.
Just phenomenal, maybe it is due to the place, but I was immediately reminded of the Jacques Selosse Version Originale, which I had here exactly two years ago (TN 02/2022). While not as exuberant, this Philipponnat with the benefit of the fine 2008 vintage and some years of additional aging after disgorgement is cut from the same cloth, vinous and exotic, masterfully sculpted and full of complexity.
Clear light golden colour with just a shade of rose, moderate perlage with very tiny bubbles, legs in the glass. On the nose the champagne is subtle with no dominant scent but a kaleidoscope of citrus and dried fruits, sweet pastry, honey and leesy, floral and earthy scents. Ever-changing, pure and just a joy to sniff at. In the mouth the wine is medium-bodied, fresh, very beautifully textured and despite its elegance delivers plenty of intensity on its long, chalky and honeyed finish. If there were any rough edges in the past, they are rounded off by now and acidity, bubbles and residual sugar have come into perfect harmony.
IMO the champagne is in its prime with a mouthfeel, that is still youthful and engaging, and the developing complexity of a moderate aging.

12/19/2021 - csimm wrote:

Quite a distinctive Champagne, with a full breadth of enrichments that range from grilled Meyer lemon and saline sherry to autolytic Hefeweizen and chewy raw bread dough. Though this is a zero dosage creature, the barrel program here creates and interesting mélange of big house flavors, but still with a singular precision that is more akin to a grower profile. Finishes with apt spice, acidic cut, and chalk along the circumference of the tail, with the deeper and darker yellow and bronze elements coating the back palate with sumptuous substance.

This is not a zingy go gettum Tanzanian cheetah kind of delivery, but instead more of a risqué and sultry party panther. It has an oxidative quality without being oxidative (again, presumably due to the wood influence). It drinks like a big deal, but it certainly carries an idiosyncratic smart kid in the back of the room kind of composure that might give some folks pause. I personally prefer the 2013 for its additional uptick in energy, but this 2014 is a swanky smoking jacket kind of dealio that's worth considering.

100% Chardonnay BdB. Disgorgement unknown (likely early 2021 - based on the 2013's 02/2020 date). Zero dosage. 12% ABV. 2014 vintage. 40+ year-old vines (0.4 hectares). Montgueux. Aged in used barrels from Burgundy, Cognac, and a Savagnin ouillé barrel from Ganevat (Jura)

4/1/2024 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Opened and drank with a small group for my daughter’s bday celebration. Not as special as most of the 08’s I have had but this was pink and fruity, went well with charcuterie and birthday cake, and made everyone happy at 4am.

4/1/2023 - glorandsno Likes this wine:

Deep garnet. Opened up nicely in about an hour, (decanted). Complex, concentrated and layered, a fabulous wine at its peak. Black current, plum, leather and licorice notes. Long finish. Wish we had more!

3/24/2024 - N.Bonaparte wrote:

5 weeks since my last bottle. These are drinking at peak. This needed 10 min in a large white wine glass to completely open up. Still a good amount of bubbles upon opening. Great balance and a sustained finish. Best consumed within 1-2 years. Revisit 2025

12/18/2022 - TWSA Likes this wine:

Nose: sweet corn, caramel, white flower, lemon peel,
Notes: relatively full bodied and a slightly sweeter palate. Kongsgaard is always thick and complex with excellent nose and a carmel plus yogurt palate. Pretty young and has further potential, I think another 5 years will bring this wine to its ideal drinking window. I always remain my view that this winery is the best US white.
Drink: 2027+
Rating: 91

11/16/2023 - csimm wrote:

This presents as super young and chiseled, but also giving mid-palate electricity with wonderful yellow citrus and stone fruit. Chalk-laced minerality without being powdery or “chalky” necessarily. Acid is super compelling and energizing. I would have never called this out as a 2002. What a great combination of breadth and precision. Lemon and lime zest on the finish with white rock, lichee, and green and yellow pear skin. This is like the 2013 Dom on a rocket ship. This 2002 P2 is the best Dom I’ve had.

3/19/2024 - N.Bonaparte wrote:

This was poured into white wine glasses and really benefitted from 30 min in the glass to allow the decent amount of energy to fade. Then this presents with citrus leading into a somewhat delicate and well balanced wine. The finish lasts a minute plus. This is already outstanding but a solid 5 years out from its prime with at least 15 years of solid drinking. This may not have the depth and breadth of the best vintages but this is still delicious. This paired well with pompano. Revisit 2026

2/11/2024 - Ruby99 Likes this wine:

Decanted 30 min
Just a bit of brick at the rim
Initially closed, but nose develops a lovely blackberry scent with a hint of basement must
The wine still has plenty of black cherry and blackberry fruit. Tannins have largely resolved. As the night wore on a hint of green tomato and tobacco leaf become more apparent on the finish. Not necessarily a bad thing, but for me a bit of a negative and I dropped the score from 94 to 93
Drinking at peak now I would say

11/6/2021 - ricardito Likes this wine:

Dark red with sour Lambert cherry nose. Big Corton spine of Tayberry and Mocha on the lengthy palate, needing another 20 years to dance the Red Burg Fandango and tame this big boy. 4 bottles all similar tasting notes. Possibly the best Hospice Corton of all time…smart buy or what??

1/5/2024 - redders Likes this wine:

From Mag. Decanted 5 hours. Deep colour still some purple. Classic complex cedar tobacco ripe intense fruit. Spectacular on palate. Fanned out with black fruits and minerals all contained by fine grained tannins. Long long finish. Glorious.

1/20/2024 - Ernestas Likes this wine:

A highlight by Casanova di Neri, an explosive BdM erupting with profound aromas, powerfully built body and concentrated muscular structure. Aged in oak 29 months, in bottle 30. Deep garnet, ruby hue. Perfumed rich aroma of cherries, prunes, cold cuts, sweet tobacco, chocolate, liquorice, earth. Full body, extraordinary complexity, power, concentration and most importantly - balance. Dense structure, multilayered lush and seductive flavours, high ripe and grippy tannins, deep and prolonged persistent finish.

1/15/2020 - N.Bonaparte wrote:

20 min in glass. First thoughts were not as good as the 08 Dom Perignon or 08 Veuve grande dame. This has decent balance but finish is underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, this is good juice but for $30 more 08 Dom or Grande dame or even the 164th Krug which has the 08 base are just so much more satisfying. This will age forever and it’s probably a decade away from its prime.

4/28/2021 - Clever Wine Likes this wine:

Great Melka made SB. Had it with lunch. I thought it would need to be decanted but it was approachable and attention getting from first to last sip. If you love French style SB you should try this super pricey SB from Howell Mountain Hershey Vineyard. I thought it was worth the price.

5/19/2023 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Bold, and big, not as sweet as I remember, And right in prime form. Oddly enough.

2/22/2024 - acyso wrote:

(Not a) birthday dinner (Hinsdale, IL): To be sure, not at the level of the ex-domaine bottle at a HDH tasting a few years back. Others felt it thin, and they were right. But that is more a statement relative to great bottles of this wine, but this is nevertheless incredible Bordeaux (though not at the level of Latour). This is everything that you want in a Pauillac -- all that cedar, leather, and dark fruit. It's still intense and brilliant with tons of complexity and still a fair bit of grainy tannin. This is one of the best vintages of this generally overrated estate.

10/28/2017 - canan wrote:

BYO - US wines (Trio): A mature wine but still with lots of young and fresh Cabernet fruit. It still has lots of power but are showing mature notes of sewer and manure.
Beautiful wine!

1/16/2024 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:

An evening of fine wine and food (Black Salt Restaurant, Washington D.C.): A close to 98-pointer, but still a bit too reserved for that high a score. LLC is notorious for opening up (cue the 1986) and this blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc is no exception. But what breeding and class to the palate! I kept thinking "gorgeous finesse" which this wine has in spades. A very polished wine. Am I repeating myself with synonyms? Yes. With the most pristine balance and refinement among the three Bordeaux we enjoyed over dinner, but over time, I could not help but noting an almost fiery single malt power within the wine, not as evidently "wild" as the Cos tasted alongside, but more subtle. This wine has the depth and density and structure to gain in complexity and to get a higher score in about 5 to 10 years, so no rush. I had opened this bottle the morning of the dinner, then double decanted to remove some deposits two hours before the dinner. And, yes, ripe but not overripe fruit, with cool blueberry, tobacco leaf and cassis. Long, long finish. 12.5% alcohol.

2/13/2024 - RAB007 wrote:

Has all the ingredients, but not ready by a decade.

12/16/2023 - N.Bonaparte wrote:

This benefitted from 30 min in the glass and continued to soften and mellow out throughout the night. This continues to improve year after year and although this is in or near its prime, these will drink well for at least a decade plus. A well balanced wine with air that has a long finish. Revisit 2025.

12/31/2023 - dhwesley Likes this wine:

Wow. This was an amazing bottle of wine with power, finesse and depth. Out of the bottle it was concentrated - not so much brioche as sourdough, nutty, some slight reductive notes with a fine mousse and so may layered flavors. About 3h later much of these notes had mellowed and some apple and peach notes were revealed, yet the long and complex finish remains. This feels like it's in no hurry and when I open my next bottle in a few years, I may even try decanting. We'll see.

12/24/2023 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A fitting Christmas Eve wine, paired with mutton curry. We have fond memories of our visit to the estate in 2009 and a sublime bottle of the 1982 for our wedding anniversary (LOTB 97/100). Classic cherry and plush dark fruit. Green pipe tobacco finish. Youthful for 37+ years, best years are ahead. 94+/100 with upside.

4/17/2023 - englishman's claret wrote:

Immediately upon opening, the nose on the 2010 Leoville Las Cases is very reduced. Yet the palate's depth and balance are unmistakable. 14 hours after opening, the nose is still muted but the presence on the palate… a wow wine, seemingly the reincarnation of the 1986. Utterly palate-saturating blueberry, boysenberry, just a touch of wild raspberry with time, fresh coffee, mineral, pencil, and Las Cases lavender potpourri. True to form for the 2010 super seconds, this is a big, structured wine, but it has beautiful cut and acid. I’m not one to time the finish of a wine, but we are talking minutes rather than seconds. How long will it take for this colossus to be approachable for pleasure rather than curiosity? 20-25 years of age seems like a good starting point, with a lifespan that should last it until 2080-2110.

98-100?

NB still so young this weaves in and out - by 24 hours, the splendor at hour 14 had abated.

2/14/2023 - camdawg Likes this wine:

The Too Long, Didn't Read version of this tasting note? WOW. It's worth whatever you need to pay.

I'll admit, I bought this on a sale price from Wine Library. The $200 retail would normally be out of my price range. After drinking this, I'll just say: $200 plus might still be out of my normal price range, but I wouldn't question anyone who did pay the full asking price.

My first encounter with the nose of the wine featured the classic big, dark red fruit, along with a strong oak note that had a slight mushroomy sense.

But if I swirled it around and sniffed again, I got some peppery black fruit , spice, and maybe even a pinch of blue fruit?

The clear oak on the nose suggested I'd get a good amount of structure on the palate, and I did. The tannins are definitely there, but they're powdery and fine grained. Maybe not as dusty as a top notch Rutherford, or lingering on your palate as long.

The fruit? Clean, pure, and insightful.

If you like high quality, big wines with red meat or other hearty dishes? You can enjoy this now. That said, I'm waiting at least another two to three years before thinking of opening my other bottles. I'm sure I'd score this even higher then. This is a terrific expression of Napa Cabernet from Stags Leap.

4/17/2023 - Pinot Peter Likes this wine:

Enjoyable but was expecting more from this wine. This is balanced with good acidity, fruit and moderate tannins but there is no pop from the fruit or a lingering sweetness to this wine. This is somewhat austere. Nothing draws you into wanting to finish the bottle. Considering the price point ,age of the grapes and the heritage of the vineyard I was underwhelmed. At 10yrs + this should be better. I was not Neutral on the rating as it is still a good wine but Not a great wine. The second day there was more dark fruit flavour with prune overtones.

1/28/2024 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:

Champagne and Burgundy evening (Private home in Arlington, Virginia): I have had this wine for several years now, having acquired a case of 12 bottles in a black wooden box shortly after its release, and by Golly, this was rather perfect. Notes from memory, but you have such youth for a wine that seems to resist aging. The color was light straw, and from the get-go, it seems very young. The aromatics of cool citrus, lime and lemon, subtle apple and still youthful brioche without any hazelnut or nutty oxidations aspects proved promising, and the promise is fulfilled on the palate, which reflected sheer balance: between subtle and noble opulence to textural finesse, to liveliness and energy to a caressing and very long finish. Among seven people, this bottle was rather quickly gone. It was the best bottle from my stash so far, and if you have any of this wine, there is no need to rush, especially if stored properly. We continued with the lobster...

12/31/2023 - SpitzNV Likes this wine:

Light ruby with orange rust on the rim.
Absolutely gorgeous nose of potpourri, musk, tonka bean and forest floor.
On the palate it's incredibly fresh. Beautiful red and black fruit! What? At this age?
So polished and refined.
And the finish lasts well over a minute.
Might be the finest bottle of wine I've ever had.

1/21/2024 - N.Bonaparte wrote:

1st of 6. This is a really polished well balanced wine that required a 90 min decant to gain depth and open up. It’s so smooth that I would have guessed it a 2004 or 07. This must be in its prime drinking window with a solid 5 years left of optimal drinking.

1/13/2024 - Warinee Likes this wine:

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12/25/2023 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine:

Having thieved, murdered and pillaged my way to this bottle I have to say that the effort was well and truly worth it. Right now, it feels like my favourite wine of the year, a rather silly thing given many fantastic wines, but there it is.

As another reviewer notes, this opens very accessible with potency but grace and lovely tar and rose and strawberry. Tannic but not beastly and an almost nutty, sweet aspect to the tannins. The wine then does shut down for a few hours, progressively until around hour 5 I was wondering if I was indeed the idiot that most discerning judges consider me to be. However, from around then it proceeded to open up and develop into something truly glorious.

In addition to the characters noted you get some forest floor and pencil shaving. For a while yesterday the tannins also sat back in the pocket and I started to see why some Barolo makers say their model is Burgundy. On day 2 it has changed again and is a little more firm but still verges on voluptuous. However, this is not flabby curves, this is the full Stormy, curves but taut and terrific.

The 2010 DRC Grands Echezeaux that this was paired with was the 'greater wine' but dash it all, not by much and this had similar architecture in the mouth and for me it gave me the sort of stiffy that results in dangerous medical situations and awkward conversations with family and friends and the local magistrate. For this self-opiniated wine whore, I confess, I declare that I bear the brand of Barolo on my privates and my palate. Pinot is wizard but Neb is the thing.

9/11/2020 - garygailkrivan Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 hours, it's aging nicely, Big Bold Full Bodied with plenty of Tannins remaining, Drank over a period of around 4 hours and didn't really change a lot. Green Pepper, Smoked Salami and Leather on the nose, Dark Fruit, Vanilla, and Plum on the Pallet.

10/1/2023 - IvanKrazy Likes this wine:

This wine does not seem to age. This was my last bottle but still felt alive and strong, beautiful aromas and palate follow through.

1/6/2024 - hargy Likes this wine:

reticent nose, this was a little tired on opening and tasting a little lean and hollow after an hour or so, I thought it may have been an 'off' bottle - it filled dramatically after another hour and the last sip was undoubtedly the best - not sure but I'm inclined to leave my last few bottles for at least a couple of years

7/4/2023 - tomoem Likes this wine:

July 4th at the house.

A slightly over the hill cabernet. Nose is muted but with blackberry and plum skin aromatics. In mouth I get refined and aged blackberry fruit. I get background notes of bay leaf and vegetable. Very soft mouthfeel which is amazing for its creamy texture. I would not wait any longer to open these wines. Enjoy aged well made cabernet.

12/31/2023 - Biffrutt Likes this wine:

WE have been drinking the 201 vintage for ten years and it is time to finish whatever bottles remain.

3/25/2023 - ricknat1 Likes this wine:

this is about as good as champagne gets. Totally fresh and delightful. its amazing its 27 years old and completely delicious. just transferred in from Horseridge.

drank this before dinner with smoked salmon and hmmus

3/10/2021 - Derek Darth Taster wrote:

Barolo Lunch at SanShuGong. Drank in Grassl Cru. Tasted semi-blind.
Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of floral garden roses, strawberries, spices. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, high alcohol (15%), smooth high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of strawberries, savoury earth, sweet spices, sour red cherries and mix of black cherries. Long finish.
Very good quality. Lovely clean polished feels. Supposedly aged in French oak barriques for 36 months, but really no traces of any overt oak, except for maybe the sweet spices. Great nose. Power without great weight on the palate. 15% alcohol handled well. Will age well over next 10 years.
From the highest area of the Cerrati cru in the commune of Serralunga d'Alba.

9/2/2023 - WhineEnthusiast wrote:

So weird/ disappointing. 2 bottles, both pristine, great corks. One tasted like great brunello (though with a touch of raisin I probably wouldn’t otherwise note/comment on) the other tasted like raisiny desert wine. Wish i could say the latter had gone bad-but it didn’t seem like a corked bottle. Just bad wine. Take the notes of bottle variation from others here very seriously.

Ive been laying a lot of CdN TN down and this makes me very nervous… hopefully just confined to 07.

One was a 93, one a 70

10/29/2023 - CubFan4Life Likes this wine:

Dark burgundy color, dark cherries, licorice, fig, leather, prune, and ever so slight raisin note. Long finish. I can see where others are saying it tastes like a dessert wine, as i think my bottle was headed in that direction if not consumed in next year or so. Nevertheless, the typical Brunello notes are still at the forefront, a well structured wine that’s at peak. Only negative was the vast amount of sediment, even for a wine of this age.

8/11/2018 - dcwino wrote:

Ken served five wines blind and told us that they are from the same vintage and vineyard. Strong stem note and beautifully perfume makes me to guess as a DRC. Once Ken points out the vineyard, this and the last wine of the flight remind me Rousseau. Beautifully perfume nose displaying subtle red fruit, rose, strong stem, a hint of sous bois, Asian medicine, cinnamon, tree bark and earth. Very refined palate, medium concentration, silky and sensual, medium acidity and mineral, and a long subtle sweet red fruit driven finish with cinnamon and stem at the end. This or the last wine has to be the Rousseau CSJ. I really need to revisit soon.

11/4/2023 - Hanover Likes this wine:

I only had a sip (from my own bottle!), but others were pleased with it.

12/12/2023 - N.Bonaparte wrote:

Just shy of 2 years from my last bottle. This needed about 30 min to open up in the glass. Although the wine is alive and the balance and finish are good, the wine is essentially without fruit. It was still a fun and pleasant drinking experience and it paired well with Japanese A5 filet mignon but these are over the hill and should be consumed near term. The longevity though is still a testament to Cathy’s incredible winemaking.

1/3/2016 - fillingup wrote:

Still tight. Needs 5 years

12/27/2022 - OBXGirl Likes this wine:

good nose soft tanins

11/17/2023 - TWSA Likes this wine:

Nose: honeysuckle, citrus, lemon tart, honey, caramel, butter, banana, cashew
Notes: this Kongsgaard is at a very good spot now. Intense and full of complexity and freshness. It is thick, full bodied and almost custard like (14.3% ABV). I would argue that the kind of sweetness present in most US whites are present in this case but its well integrated. Kongsgaard is certainly my favorite white from Napa and it's dubbed the Batard Montrachet of Napa for a very good reason. A couple more years of cellaring will likely make this an even better wine.
Drink: 2026+
Rating: 92

12/21/2021 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Double decanted and left in the bottle recorked for 1.5 hours. Poured through aerator into glasses shortly before sitting down. The wine was best at the 2 hour mark after opening with serious tension and concentration. White flowers, semi ripe pineapple, steel, pear, elderflower with a very long finish. Hints of alcoholic heat which dissipated. The wine became more minerally as well as fatter over time with classic butterscotch and a finish of crushed rocks and ripe pineapple. Probably one of the best chardonnays I’ve tasted but still young and better to wait some more. This wouldn’t be out of place in Burgundy GC line up and only when the wine warmed too much did it taste more New World. 95-97

11/12/2018 - englishman's claret wrote:

Big, almost bumptious fleshy red cherry, lipstick nose with a little bit of dusty earth. Still quite immature, but texturally very pleasing. If it develops complexity, it should evolve into the whole package. No point in getting at this now; give it 5.

11/19/2023 - englishman's claret wrote:

This bottle supports my June 2021 note on the 1989 Lafite. Tonight we are rewarded with a wine so profoundly shut down and curmudgeonly that it’s hard to say anything else (other than offering an entreaty to wait, wait, and then wait some more before opening another).