4/15/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Contrary to all the notes I read before deciding to buy a few of these, I think this is ready to go! I tried my first one upon arrival on Friday via a fat coravin milking and revisited with another squeeze last night. Theres something very floral hidden deep inside this wine. Theres also some evident terroir notes. But that cute note that comes off as exotic, familiar, yet forgotten to my palate has me scratching my head. This is on the sweet side, on the dark red side, with glimpses of age along the rim and deep within its turning shade. I will revisit again this week and release the rest of the bottle into a couple of glasses and mull further. I wouldn't seek this out at the retail price, but it sure is fun! TBC

4/14/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Beauty is revealed in progression. Like 2 chords or 2 notes being played alone, or together. If you heard the same 2 notes alone, you would never hear music. You would hear sound. If you change the play order, you would hear/feel a different emotion. Wine is no different. You should choose wisely and everything needs to be considered. The lights, the music, the glasses, the pour amount, the companions and of course, the next bottle should be waiting, in its place and served at the right time. Everything in the right place...This is not a tasting note. Its a rant. Mistakes I will make, until I get them right....See my previous note on this beauty. Last night, I put the notes in the wrong order. Drink...

PS_ A rest note, changes all music. Silence, is also a note.

4/14/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Fleshy Pomerol that has not really aged well, but has aged for sure. You really need to look for the clay notes or something, anything Bordeaux...Its soft, persistent, with good structure, caressing, yet has no layers. Yes,a stiff here, a whiff there....but I was looking and looking and looking, but dint find much. Its a hard sell at today's prices and I had to romance this in my head to keep a smile on while drinking my last glass, considering what I paid for it. DRINK i guess

4/14/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

This has aged well! Fleshy, balanced, perfectly sweet, its just a well rounded lovely wine. Glad to see that this has burned off the heavy oak and char from my first contact with it years ago...Only complaint is that it is a bit plummy and fleshy. I dont think its going to hold much longer. I say Drink!

4/14/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Well....You cant spell Bordeaux better than PAL MER...Not a very French name, but a very classy producer that has made some of the greatest wines ever made. The 1961 is still on my bucket list and I have dreamt about it many a night. Always elegant, snobbish, floral and exotic, yet with that deep night flower, jasmin, twisted into fresh manure and a coffee brew. Ample fruit makes it so cute and yet sexy at the same time. I almost blush as I steal sip after sip, like my first kisses from my lady. I dont think it gets much better than this in quality, so its only more age that's holding this back. drink or HOLD_

4/14/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Deep inky and saturated, the 2009 le Dome was another poster child for all the big scoring wines of the “perfect “ and woozy twin vintages. The wood is integrated and the big wine shows no signs of over treatment as many big saint emilion did, do, and unfortunately will. Really plush with a ton of fruit, and some warm baking spices swimming in the sum of it all. Very well made and delicious, but definitely more napaesque than bordeaux. A lovely wine. I say this at full peak and should be drank in this obvious end of the fresh stage. I dont think that this is a wine that you want to age further. There’s allot to be loved here right now. DRINK

4/13/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Oh my...Losing focus and fruit but the brick house under it is all there, brick by brick. This bottle came across as a bit clumsy. Loud...Belligerent. Said allot, but didn't say much. Shows quality, shows no Bordeaux. Shows cedar and some graphite, but lacks balance. Lets hope its in re-balance mode. Long, coarse, dry finish. My advice to others and a note for myself is: drink this by itself, not in a lineup of supposed peers. Drink

4/13/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Intense raspberry greets you with whiffs of cream floating off the top of the glass. Young, young young...Not like me or the or the old farts that I drink with that happen to love young everything if you know what I mean ;-) I am in the classic camp. I love matching my wrinkles to my love's wrinkles. The good news is that I can probably get there with this wine in about 10 year's time. The question, how will 15% alcohol ruin things or keep the wheels glued on. Time will tell. This is cozy, plush, delicious, and persistently coarse with the warmth of raspberry liquor, hinting at a big Merlot from almost anywhere. This is where California can make French wines (not a typing mistake). For the old men, Drink, for this old'ish man, HOLD_

4/13/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Absolutely at the entrance of its drinking prime, the 2005 has gently stepped into the drinking window with just one foot while the other foot is still anchored solidly on the other side, providing structure and age ability. It was 3 hours after the fun had started when the real LB showed up to make a statement with its clear left bank demeanor and its Pauillac feel, shining in graphite and unsmoked tobacco. Really muscular underneath still, with great tug and pull, this has the ability to age and in my opinion, surpass the 2000. A relative bargain in the Bordeaux/Pauillac/2005 world. Drink or HOLD

4/12/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

I really think that sometimes, we dont allow wine to talk. Last night was one of those nights. A young bottle of wine has so much to say and it needs a long time to say it. Maybe 5 hours...When you put it in a room with 5 other talkers (wines), and ask all of them to tell you their life story at the same time within 90 minutes, you have a bunch of wines talking over each other and the loudest one gets heard and the rest is mostly lost. Last night this wine was muted under the noise of some obnoxiously louder wines with allot of lipstick and gum stuck between their teeth, but she spoke her most beautiful words on the way out. She utterly murmured "Boghdeauxxxx" in the most beautiful French accent and then, she left the room. I still have the image of her beautifully full, plump, puckered lips in my head and I cant get it out. HOLD_

4/11/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

I must admit, this has finally aged. However, it does fizzle out in 3 hours. Which means, this is it. To me, this is at peak. Drink it and enjoy the rich, St. Emilion like vibe via Pauillac. Drink...

4/10/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Took a bottle along on a weekend cabin getaway and shared it with friends by a smoky campfire. Guess what? It blew everybody away. The barnyard and brett notes make the big Calfifornia like wine underneath seem so exotic and interesting. Theres definitely a bit of Pegau in this wine. Long, pulling finish that was in full balance without any display of heat. This big girl handles her liquor quite well! It must be her weight. A gem of a crossover wine. Drink!

4/7/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Referred to by friends raving about how good this was. Got my hands on one, and I drank it over 4 hours. First impression was wow, this is big, muscular, dry, fruit laden and not overly jammy, yet lacking any old world character. Modern, plush, vanilla laden without noticeable oak, just well made and very stately with a long, dry finish. As the night wore, I was expecting more terroir to shine through. One the contrary, the wine turned prune like, high extractions showed its ugly face and the 15% alcohol had the fruit in a boa constrictors grip, bleeding out more prune, sap, and amarone/port like stewed fruit. The second half was all stewed fruit and alcohol. I pinched my nose and woofed down the last few sips for my craving to keep my buzz alive. All in all, this is for the Zin drinker and not for the Rioja or oven Ribera peeps. The score is for them and wine quality, not for me. I cant even rate this... Drink!

4/3/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

So beautifully French. This is a second wine that really comes in strong and makes you wonder if you really need to buy the big brother and wait 10 to 20 years, or just drink this all day long. Smolder of young tobacco floats off the top of a beautifully crafted big soft red, bringing you a well integrated cuve' experience. Reminds me of what first growth wines from sleeper vintages used to drink like in their youth. Something very sexy and appealing. Drink with 2 hours or more open time.

4/1/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Medium bodied St. Emilion that plays in the classic camp as it comes to its sub appellation. I really love what this producer has done over the years by staying true to Bordeaux, made by mostly Merlot. You wouldn't know it here, because this is graphite tinged, dry, elegant, and fully resolved with just a touch of Barnyard. Still fresh, but fully done evolving. In a good place with nowhere to go, this is a Drink if you have it. One left here...

4/1/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

2018 Seems to work for Senejac. Its got the right weight and is very Haut Medoc in its fresh earthy, unpretentious vibe. Totally restrained on the heavy use of wood, these left bank value wines still deliver the classic french wine feel that many in Saint Emilion have abandoned and lost. This has vanilla, graphite, and is very dry in sugar. Long, cleansing finish makes it a charmer with lunch dishes. Drink or Hold because it definitely has headroom for growth.

3/27/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

*Rich, oily bruised apples swimming in yeast. Lovely ripe flavors that make you say, that's all I want to drink. There is some sweetness for sure, but that's just a very observant comment that may be taken negatively by the overly fickle. Theres nothing out of place here if you want to experience the magic of mature, richly textured champagne that makes a statement from the first whiff to the last drop. Thanks to my friend. Drink!

3/27/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

*A pristine bottle, from OWC stored in a serious collector's cellar since release. Perfect fill, perfect cork, weightless perfume of fresh earth, cream and raspberry with a cedar tinged tail. Just as expressive on the palate with firmness and fullness without being heavy, and just the right weight for the age. This is another testament to how great 2004 was in Margaux. All wines from this application from 04 have wow'ed me and given me another reason to stop reading and just drink with my eyes closed. At the beginning of a 10 to 15 year drinking window with definite headroom for more sprouting. drink or Hold_

3/25/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Another great place to park 40 bucks for all the toast and bread notes that you get here. A true up front Champagne character, without the mid palate guts to be anything more. Very satisfying and above many in this price range. Not made to hold

3/25/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Very charming and understated. This is easy to drink and gets better with time in the glass as it warms. Some old world character comes alive over the honey kissed light and bright SB. No exaggerated grapefruit here...

3/25/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Yup...we still good. We gonna get better....Last note on this for me. Read other notes and Enjoy!

3/25/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

After stumbling on the 2010 and again being blown away by the 2015, I was so enamored by this producer that I contacted them, asking for recommendations on a hidden gem. They immediately responded 2016! I tried it in person at UGC, with the owners of the property and was too embarrassed to disagree. I love 2016 and think its the best vintage of Bordeaux for the long haul, above and beyond 2009,2010, and 2015 and 2018. But....Here, you need lots of patience and for me...Another case of the 2015 please. HOLD____Its got lots of power under the hood.

3/25/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Sadly, this was slightly maderized. I want to leave myself a note so that I can try again because I definitely will. The wine under the damage was full, muscular, and very energetic. Im sure there is something special in the good bottles. Try again!

3/25/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

This is absolutely sensational. Again, tight, but less time to release. This one released in about 90 minutes and got better, and better, and better...Dense, thick, double woven dark red fruit swimming in beaming acidity and power. With time, tobacco, smolder of earth and cold brew coffee and lots of drive and punch. Just frigging fabooloso....Drink! I love it and love my gathering decision from years ago on this one. Wife smiled at me and gave me a XXXS...

3/18/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Im down to my last case and 2 mags. Drinking this yesterday almost made me cry after I looked at the remains of my stash. This is undoubtedly, in my top 5 champagnes and maybe even top 3. I can still recall the first time and I have been chasing that same experience like a heroin addict with a glass. Yesterday I got close. Toasted yeast, almonds, rich in oily fruit, dazzling minerality, with crisp acidity and a lively bubble package that feels like kissing a green apple that just fell off the tree. This is my kind of wine man...Drink!

3/18/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Don't be snob, just shut up and drink ;-)

3/18/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Outclassed by the 2016 Ardanza Riserva last night. But there would have been far more appeal on its own. I would say it was not a good matchup even though it was a perfectly logical choice and plan. Here we get far more candy like feel and less sexiness that the Ardanza shows. We are almost childlike in exaggerated aromas of ripe red fruit, a vain of balsamic, and voluptuous oak. All in all it works well, but comes across a bit ripe and empty at at the same time. I couldn't finish my glass, so it sat on the kitchen counter...I am going to hold off for a year at least.

3/18/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

This is absolutely delicious and checks several boxes while still being very Spanish in its vanilla and dill vibes. The nose is clearly vanilla creme, intermingled with sour stone fruit. There is an absolute balance here with ample fruit, sexy wood treatment coming across as vanilla and creme (American and Slovenian oak feel), and then comes the dill and with time some fresh tobacco notes and finally, the gentle caress of a soft intriguing wine that lasts 20+ seconds, begging you to try it again. I love this and to me this is so fun and beautiful to look at (lively vintage garnet) and even more fun to drink. For my taste, READY TO GO! Thank you for holding this to perfection before releasing it. More please! Drink

3/11/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

A lovely Bordeaux and one that has been anchored in the acidity that keeps it moving slow. This is fully mature now and in the third stage of its evolution with nowhere to go. Here you get a surprisingly quiet nose but the wine underneath is Bordeaux through and through. Melted pencil, cedar, some floral elements, and a distinctive cool climate Cabernet herbaceous note that is probably another factor in the longevity of this modest Pauillac. The chocolate notes bring in the third layer, telling you its time to enjoy this and release it into history and capture it in this memory. DRINK

3/10/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

I hate to be a jerk. But..I qualify. I have 3 cases of this in 3 formats. The first time I tried this I said, I dot get it. Its been a long night and I will reserve judgment. This time I popped a 1/2 to check in. Interesting? Yes, If you like reading between lines. Otherwise, a head scratcher. This tells me that I either dont know much about wine, or I am shamelessly calling out my own mistakes. Ok ok....Now you need to know about the wine, instead of reading my whine...

In a grapy stage, this is the hopeful voice and the positive part of this encounter. I hope that what I taste as oak creme, alcohol, and underdeveloped fruit turns into something sensational in 7+ years. Meanwhile, cellar carry for me, and an advenure for you. Please write back....HOLD___

3/6/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

No introduction needed. The only thing that I would add is that this has allot of bottle variation, maybe having to do with transportation and storage issues due to volume. And....A totally different animal out of Mags (+2 or 3 pts)

3/3/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

This is a truely delicious specimen of Bordeaux. While most vintages of this wine thus far have been classic in style, this one is the most modern out of the bunch that I have tried. Lots of blue notes coming off the top of the glass, but the appearance is definitely red fruited. Blueberry, cocoa dust, vanilla, creme, floral attributes and a cashmere like finish that pulls for a long 45 seconds+. This will be a head bender in time and delicious to drink now for the California drinker and the impatient. I suggest a big HOLD_

3/3/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Now we are seeing the wrinkles on this beauty that was so head turning it its prime days. Shows big with excellent retention of fruit and power, but it just lacks freshness now. DRINK

3/3/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

This is a very good Badette and even better than the big 2016. Very modern, plush, tight, punchy, loamy and very very long. A wow of a wine for its modest price tag. Considering the value, this would be a 97+ in its price category. Drink or Hold

3/3/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Alongside the 2019 as a comparison, this comes across as being very Burgundian in flavor profile. Some earth, loam and forest bed, this has a very pinot noir bouquet in comparison to the 2019 that seemed to have that beautiful flower and creme bouquet to it. Dry in sugar in contrast, this is a far more serious wine than the 2019 which shows fruit laden, plush, and cozy in a candy like wrapper. Very elegant and easy to identity as French. I did not have the opportunity to study it too much because we were going throng so many bottles last night. Drink

3/3/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Now that I feel that I need to speed drink my way through the remaining bottles, I opened another and have new words to describe it as me and my drinking partner took it apart last night. This has a very aged Super Tuscan vibe to it. It almost behaves and tastes like a Sangiovese/Merlot/Cabernet blend. The meatyness that we get at the first taste followed by lots of acidity and lift, allowing it to accompany food nicely. Again, it lacks freshness and development. DRINK

2/25/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

A beautiful specimen of fully mature Bordeaux from a great era and an overlooked vintage. Healthy bottle at top shoulder fill in my cellar for more than 2 decades, this is one of the lot of wines that I loved/love and bought when I first fell in love with older Bordeaux. The Bouquet opens with liquid earth and flowers and then it greets the mouth with fine hints of barnyard intermingled with flowery fruit. Really classy and delicate looking in the glass, can be mistaken for a Burgundy. I didn't want to guzzle it too fast so I opened a mystery bottle from 1994 (that shall remain nameless, yes you read right, 1994) to keep us company that unfortunately cast a light on the wrinkles on this mysterious lady and wowed us and took us away into another beautiful candle lit room. I came back to this after dinner and realized the wine was still intact and now fully awake. Still floral and delicious, the last 1/3 of the bottle was definitely as good as the first thrid (showcasing more flower shop notes and snapped mushrooms), even though we skipped a beat on the second. All in all, a beautiful wine that is stuck here and slowly fading. Every day, this wine is better than tomorrow. DRINK

93++

2/22/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Again, good not great. I think it is slightly past peak now. For a 2010 Bordeaux, this was clearly not a long-term hold. Healthy looking with some decay from the merlot, and firm tannins. But the wine feels a bit disjointed and lacking freshness and development. I’m happy to buy a couple of bottles of this producer at release for drinking within 3 years. Removed from my buy to hold list. Lesson learned. DRINK

2/22/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

**Pulled from my offsite storage with colder storage conditions. This one showed tight, restrained and quiet until it warmed up. Once it got going, boy did it get going. At first pour and sip no one made a comment, but as the wine warmed in the glass and started throwing off those pretty floral tobacco notes intermingled with lots of earth and flowers, one comment turned into a wave of praise in the room. Long throbbing finish that is filled with tannins, acidic lift and freshness. This is classy Bordeaux and I think its probably my best Poyferre experience since the wowing 1982 in its glory days (Circa 2005). Its going to take some time for this to thin out and for the bouquet to become even more sensual and head bending, but it sure has the stuffing to allow that to happen. Wait and see...Today, 95-97 and still a double HOLD_

2/22/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Fully mature now with gentle notes of blood starting to make its appearance amid the graphite and remaining fruit. If you miss this in the next 2 years, I think you will need to wait a long time before it comes back around in a more savory way. Restrained and sturdy, this is a great M/T/W wine. DRINK

2/19/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

This has come a long way and is soft, elegant, and defies the extraction that many embraced during 09/10 wine making in Bordeaux. A totally different vibe than their heavy handed 2010. Really starting to get into a nice blend of terroir and soft fruit, accented by faint barnyard. Drink!

2/19/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Dense, dark, chocolate laden and loamy with hints of coffee grounds and some au jus starting to develop. This is a big wine that is aging into a masculine direction. Adequate finish and very acceptable for the price. Drink or Hold

2/18/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Time has given this pomerol soul. So healthy, young, sexy and deliciously backward. This came on the heels of some pomerol from much better vintages of 05/09/10 and this was the surprise of the evening. We were both taken back by the seriousness of this wine. We get fresh clay laden earth with whiffs of night jasmines with a long backward finish that coils back up with tension, leaving impressions of liquid graphite. There’s still some real upsides sleeping in these bottles. Glad to have held this case. Drink or Hold

2/17/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Very refreshing with nice yellow stone fruit with a nice peachy vibe followed with mild mild vanilla. A tad bit richer than the 19, which I preferred for the freshness. Either way, a nice drink in the kitchen while standing wine. Drink

2/16/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

This is now clearly mature and well into the beginning of its drinking window. This bottle was opened, sampled, and served hours later. It showed soft like a 10 year old Margaux with very beautiful allure. But the tell tale aromas of forest decay and black truffles took it away into what could have been a mature and perfuming Bordeaux from any great producer. I would not hold this for magic, because the underlying fruit was just not there. I looked at some other notes and was shocked to see others describe this as Jammy. I would say that this wine has finally fallen into its own balance. The black truffles reverberated all throughout the wine, followed with fresh tilled earth. Drink!

2/15/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

***What a sensational Champagne! I have elevated my expectations so much that I look too forward to it and then try to find things wrong...Then I reel in my inner wine nerd and smile. This is a rich wine compared the 2008 that I had not long ago. Lots of mid palate oomph and less acidic pinch and tension than the 2008. But just as delicious or maybe even more so, in a different direction. As to where the 2008 is elegant and classy, this shows rich and voluptuous, while still remaining anchored in its core of minerallity but in a luxurious style. The 06 would be a Krug to the 08. Drink! No reason to diddle daddle and sit on your saddle.

2/15/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Another bottle of 2000 PC, brought by a friend. I thought that this one showed very mature and while easily identifiable as a Pauillac (reminded me of the 1996 Pichon Baron), the finish still remains clipped and disappointing for the pains of holding it this long. Somewhere I still have most of a case sleeping, but I hardly get the urge to go digging around for a bottle. Most of the ones I have drank have been selected by friends selecting them from the cellar. I find pre 2000 PC to be high reaching and falling short of a true library/collection wine and the post 2003 as high reaching Bordeaux that are more in line with what the masses can better understand at the word go. And to think that Lynch Bages used to be considered the modern Bordeaux....Anyway, I enjoy the smell of the cold bouquet more than the linger. Fully mature and in need of drinking now.

2/14/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

The pastel red had me thinking lipstick. But this is legit champs. Lots of blood orange with admirable power. Later we get toast, almonds, and this beautiful bitterness and dryness, anchored in elegance and finished with flamboyant fruit. This is now in my bubble repertoire! Hallelujah

2/12/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Another beautiful example of the aging abilities of some of the great California wines. This is still very rich in fruit and has lots of melted terroir interlaced within every sip. The fruit compote is cut with bright acidity that keeps the finish going on and on and on. I dont think that this is going to get better, but the barnyarded and wild notes in the bouquet have this hanging right where age marries with lipstick and creates something sexy, exotic, and unreplicably beautiful. All the French chest pounding is actually well deserved here. DRINK

2/12/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote:

Ok, I am officially convinced. SOME California wines age incredibly well. No wonder 1997 was THE year. This chains Bordeaux to California with a ++ component, called rich, living fruit. Whiffs of tobacco bring you into the glass and then, the taste profile transports you away in melted cold steel, tobacco, coffee grounds, and gobs of happy fruit dancing through and through on a platform of sturdy acidity wrapped in cashmere. I could see this as a 1989 Bordeaux. Drink with no hurry, but dont hesitate and deprive yourself and die with this wine in your cellar.