3/25/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine:

The 1995s are finally shrugging off the tannic edge which has typified the vintage for the last couple of decades, and this is no exception. It has really moved forward in the last year, and is a delight to drink. The nose is deep and perfumed, with blackcurrant, graphite, and flora dominant. Although sweetened, the tannin is still very robust but well balanced with the fruit. Likewise the finish is harmonious with decent length. All in all it is an excellent wine, but a lightness on the palate is a barrier to a higher rating.

3/28/2020 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Reading modern and dry. Nose has robust black and blue fruit with a lot of wood spice, not crazy oak polish as there is plenty of fruit which has stood up nicely, but definitely wood spice. Glycerin, blackberry, cassis. Some smoky and meaty flavors. Chewy. A roasty and smoked character seems to take over. Not as lush and a little more tired than I remember. A little blown out. Good not great.

6/24/2019 - dbenglis Likes this wine:

My original post is edited to Washington. Still agree with other comments on age potential and QPR. Appreciate user who corrected me. Very good bottle.

"Fruit forward California cab with age potential but enjoyable now. Good QPR from LA Wine Co."

3/25/2017 - Tom Myers Likes this wine:

Slightly past its prime

6/3/2019 - Grand Amateur Likes this wine:

Refined nose. Lots of blackcurrant. Slight cedar. No barnyard. Broad and fairly long. Perfect to drink now. Will not improve (Decanter test easily passed but no improvement of the smell)

4/19/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Dark, inky with deep purple accents, the wine is dense, concentrated, full bodied, fleshy and powerful. The fruit shows lift, sweetness and purity. Even though the wine is quite high in alcohol, you never sense it. There is no heat or jammy aromatics. Instead your palate is ensconced in waves of ripe, intensely pure, spicy, red pit fruits. The wine was produced from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, reaching 14.9% alcohol with a pH of 3.75. The harvest took place September 19-October 8. The Grand Vin was made from 40% of the harvest. 97-99 Pts

2/21/2018 - dbenglis Likes this wine:

This wine takes patience. I asked my friends at drinkbordeauxwine.com how to prepare it. They recommended filter and decant for a few hours unlike the 99 in my opinion. The nose initially was blunted in my decanter, the taste was tannic and unapproachable. Over time 2-3 hours, pouring back into the bottle and repouring in a decanter at the restaurant it had evolved into something divine. It was dynamic, raisin, plum, light forest floor with mushroom, sometimes more acid, sometimes more tannin each taste was different in a wonderful way. I wouldn't necessarily call it evolution. I can't describe it. It was more than balanced. I savored it. My only regret was the spinalis (or ribeye cap) that I ordered. The marbling didn't pair well with this wine. I actually stopped at half the steak and just focused on the wine. My bottle was special. It had the Mahler-Besse label. I have met Frederick before and he was such a pleasant down to earth person. Cheers.

8/10/2016 - dbenglis Does not like this wine:

Not a fan of the taste. Light, tangy, red fruit, red currant, not pleasant. Not sure there is a problem with the wine or storage, my palate just doesn't favor this particular beaujolais wine taste. I need to try more however before making a broad judgement across the region.

7/20/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine:

Last tasted two years ago, there has not been any further evolvement, and I think the wine has hit its plateau, and there really is no upside in not consuming it now. The nose is full of blackcurrent, plum, and cedar, and is mature in its aroma and very attractive. The palate is pleasantly tannic and has great balance with the fruit. However, it is simplistic in the mouth and clipped on the finish, and falls short of the good and great vintages of the estate. All in all it is a very enjoyable and approachable wine, but not one for be laying down for the long haul.

7/20/2018 - ralstenm Likes this wine:

Great blue berries on nose. Velvety mild tannins with some earthy notes on palate. Enjoyed with NY strip steak and fresh veggies on grill.

6/7/2018 - Pknut wrote:

This begins more Graves than Pomerol, with a gravely, dusty palate. With air, the plummy notes emerge on the palate, which softens into a velvety-textured, satisfying palate. Really enjoyable. Nice Matin with James M, Tom G and Fernando.

12/28/2017 - PT insurgent wrote:

Nutty, roasted nut, baked apple, mushroom, dried flowers, deep brioche notes, chalky, mineral. Amazing wine, tastes like mushrooms and butterscotch, but not strange. Fantastic.

11/13/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Life is too short not to experience wines like this, at least once. Incredibly flamboyant, this is pure, bottled decadence. The tannins are silky, the fruit is a blend of ripe, perfectly ripe and hint of overripe berries. There is a great sense of purity here. With power and sensuality, coupled with freshness and fruit for days, the wine is seamless from start to finish, which must last at least 60 seconds or longer more on your palate!

3/2/2018 - BradE wrote:

Corked.

2/22/2013 - Goldstone Likes this wine:

Chú Xī (除夕) Dinner at Home for Chinese New Year (Our House, Hong Kong): Briefly decanted and then immediately served as a final wine of the evening over post-dinner conversation.....so perhaps not done full justice. Deep cherry-red semi-translucent colour. Nose is a big whoosh of Durian and bicycle inner tube with the french chalk. Palate is surprisingly open for business but still quite tart: classic tart strawberries, black cherry and red cherry of a young Grand Cru CDB..... but more approachable than would be normal at this age. Almost petillant on the back end of the palate. Young but enjoyable. This will develop a lot of heft over the next 10-15 years and will become a much better wine but it's still quite fun to drink now. 91 with a lot of upward potential.

9/4/2017 - joshabramson Likes this wine:

A bit too simple and sweet to be a 'great' wine in my opinion, but very approachable now despite its young age, and quite enjoyable to drink.

7/2/2017 - mjdixon wrote:

Very attractive nose promises much immediately
Resisting taking a tsste for two hours, this is a medium bodied wine with very soft tanins.
Flavors are very pronounced thought with lots of berry fruit.
It prevents you from drinking it too quickly.

8/12/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote:

Château Palmer vertical tasting dinner (3030 Ocean, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): In the past, I’ve always enjoyed this vintage of Palmer, but I’ve sometimes felt this a wine you really have to work for. It just takes so long to really express itself. That said, the wine was more generous on this evening, though it’s still showing its youth. It did have a nice open nose of blackberry, black cherry, barnyard, wet stone, fresh flowers, coffee, and leather. It was full-bodied and showed off its solid structure. Still a bit of ripe tannins to resolve. Excellent length on the finish. Very complex and on a nice trajectory to evolve into a superb wine.

12/12/2017 - mye Likes this wine:

Typical left bank. easy to identify here.
Medium toasted oak, dark fruit, great depth of flavors. perfect balance..

I can drink this all day. called early 2000s, but turns out it's 1989. wow.

after 5 hours or so, the fruit started to fade. I would give it a quick decant and watch it evolve in the glass..
DELISH.

12/12/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

Acker BYO 2017 (Tribeca Grille): Hello lovely! Came across this towards the end of the night when the organizer noted that all bottles were open bottles so brought it back to the table to share. This was great. Very mature and in a good spot. Nice balance between the fruit and more secondary and tertiary. Nice weight. Despite it's third growth designation (which was clearly pointed out to us at an event where we brought some Palmer), I've always been a fan.

1/14/2018 - englishman's claret wrote:

The Boston Palmerathon: I love the 89 Palmer and this was a great example of a great wine. Big nose that really has it all; the fruit is elegant but fat showing loads of juicy plum and blackcurrant. Very floral, violet and lavender focused as befits a Palmer. Cedar, loam, leathery accents add a delicious savory touch. Sumptuous palate, well-balanced. Long finish. I like where this is going

2/14/2018 - Jamul Wino Likes this wine:

Good color, nose fairly big when first opened but faded as it aired, berries, black currant, tobacco.
Palate - Blackberry, leather, cedar, earthy, slightly flat, ample body, still tannic long into finish with a touch of bitterness very late in the finish. As it opened up tannins began to soften. Something in the finish left me thinking, was not right, not sure what. Hopefully age will improve. Revisited 24 hours later tannins are softening and the off finish is dissipating.

11/16/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote:

Vintage Bordeaux out of OWC tasting (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): Next to the more earthy and darker 82 l'Evangile sitting in the next glass, this was perhaps more clean, precise, but less sexy. A very dark and young color. Completely giving on the nose, with cassis, Asian spices, leather, violets, pencil shavings, and cigar box. Sumptuous and rich on the palate. A core of acidity that balanced extremely well with the fruit. Never lost steam in the glass.

11/24/2017 - rjlud Likes this wine:

So this was my second '93 Pomerol in about a month. First popped and poured a VCC which was amazing. This was nearly but not quite so, popped and poured also, but then decanted and enjoyed over 2 hours. Lots of fruit, complexity and power, (cloudy) and a bit more austere than VCC. Still, it's been kicking around me cellar for nigh on 6 years or so and it was time to drink. Definitely tells me 93 Pomerols are underrated and worth drinking - now....

6/17/2017 - andrewstevenson.com wrote:

Wine-Pages Glasgow Festival of Wine Post Offline (The Western Club, Glasgow): Compared to the 1982 drank alongside this, this has a much more closed, muted nose. Sweet blackcurrant fruit is eventually released, and it's clear there's some class here.
Lighter and fresher than the 1982 (which is hardly surprising, though the degree to which it is, is greater than I'd probably have expected). This feels almost too young, with relatively fresh fruit and a firm tannic structure. Almost feels a bit separate on the palate.

6/23/2017 - Collector1855 wrote:

Bought this wine en primeur and had it many times. Have not had it recently, this is my last bottle. I was never a fan of this. It was probably not picked ripe enough and then also extracted too much. Still reductive today, no aromas, little length. No one liked it at the table. Had I not had many performances like this I would say an off bottle but now I say: consistent under performance. Better buy the impressive 2010. Leo Barton's wine making improved in these 10 years visibly.

4/9/2016 - J @ y H @ c k Likes this wine:

Friends of ours invited us for dinner and said they were going to open a 1970 Beychevelle but when we arrived, they had decided to go with a 1976 Montrose. Fill was bottom neck or maybe a millimeter higher. I had brought my Durand in expectation of needing it for the Beychevelle. The cork cane out quite well, was soaked only about half way through, and did not crumble. Decanted into a narrow mouth decanter with very little sediment, but it was probably shaken up quite a bit when being carried from wine rack to counter etc. that day.

The color was perfect. NO BRICKING AT ALL and not even a hint of brownish red color. Sat in the decanter for about 20 minutes before drinking. The palate was exactly what I would have expected of a Montrose without the horsiness. Earthy with a bot of smooth saddle leather and even a bit of soft tobacco. Rebecca described it as a freshly plowed field and our hosts thought that was a perfect descriptor. There was no apparent fruit at the start, but as the wine took on air in the glass and the decanter over the next 30 minutes, some dark cherry fruit because to emerge. Excellent balance. Very smooth with no rough edges and no degradation from age.

This bottle was supposedly purchased as part of a mixed lot at a Christie's auction. I can't speak to storage or provenance, but it is difficult to believe that a bottle could have come out better after 40 years without having been stored at 42 degrees.

The 1976 vintage was nothing to write home about when it was first released, having been far overshadowed by everyone going crazy over the tannic 1975s that never really panned out and the 1976 Burgs that everyone was extolling at the time. I bought no 1976 Bordeaux at the time but have had a few over the years and the vintage always seems to play well above its initial expectations. Not quite the Mike Piazza of Bordeaux, but you get my drift.

7/23/2016 - dbenglis Likes this wine:

I opened, filtered and decanted. Earth early, later more black fruit on the nose. Well balanced, supple, mid palate has a nice acidity. I thoroughly enjoyed. The Barton Family can be proud of this particular year.

5/21/2016 - Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine:

Tasted blind along side the 1998 Leoville Poyferre and 1998 Leoville Las Cases from half bottles. I've had this wine a couple times before many years back and a few years ago. The wine has been very austere for ages but is finally coming out of its shell. Still, it was the least expressive of the three Leovilles. The tannins were fully resolved and there was a lot of intensity and flavour to the palate. However, there was a slight rotten component, or perhaps an underripeness which meant the wine lacked richness and made it less enjoyable to drink. No doubt, the 1998 weather is to blame. On the nose, there was wonderful black fruit wrapped in toasty oak. Some nuttiness, cigar, and pencil lead came out over time, like a Pauillac. While the palate had some flaws, the nose really compensated. I think the wine is ready to drink, but maybe some of the issues will resolve with age. I can't say.

1/14/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote:

A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, 13.5% ABV. Rich and complete nose, black forest fruits, lead pencil, cool earth, warm spices, perfectly integrated oak, lovely depth; the palate delivers good 2009-ripeness, but in a firm and energetic context, with lovely mineral freshness and drive, a savoury character, finely ground and ripe tannins, excellent balance; complete finish, very good length. Nothing opulent or overripe here, beautifully judged extraction. This is developing quite quickly but seemingly very well and it should have at least two decades in it. Good value for a 2009.

5/16/2016 - Trorer Likes this wine:

too young

3/19/2016 - Collector1855 wrote:

Cos d'Estournel vertical - Check in on some recent vintages; 8/1/2016-9/3/2016: Dark purple, Nose of dark fruit, chocolate, earth and a touch of barnyard, good typicity. Enters the palate with good mid mouth presence and soft tannins. Nothing rustic here in this St.Estephe, nicely polished. There is freshness, there is cool blue fruit, drinkability. Very nice. This to me is with the 2012 the best Cos in the market. Both quality and QPR are great. Of course the 2010 is in a different league but also price wise. And just in case you were asking, no, I don't like the 2003 and the 2009. They suffer from over-ripeness and in most bottles I have tasted display unpleasant heat and cooked fruit.

3/31/2012 - CTuttle wrote:

This wine is decent now. However, it still has serious tannic structure for the amount of fruit present. Hopefully, it can balance out a bit while the fruit persists. Nice acidity.