10/2/2009 - winegal001 wrote:

Deep golden color for a wine this young; luscious with lots of complexity that opens up in layers as time goes on, acidity to keep a nice structure and finish that lasts forever...after one bottle, had to buy a case...

6/7/2009 - winegal001 wrote:

Light yellow color. Beautiful complex aroma with good balance of acidity and fruit. Nose includes classic granny apple, citrus, and slight green grass but also richer notes of lychee. Taste had the mineral freshness and acidity of the sauvignon blanc but also the rich, velvety texture of a chardonnay. IT also has a finish that goes on forever. Despite the high alcohol content, this does not overpower the complexity. This wine really evolves in the glass and becomes more dense and bold with time, i.e. 30min-1hr. It shows that a sauvignon blanc can be bold and powerful yet have subtlety and elegance. I had the opportunity to spend this wine season at Ch. Margaux and be witness to its creation. As we sampled the barrels during the fermentation and aging process, one could taste the tropical fruits from one lot, the acidity of another, the hints of lychees from yet another. When it was assembled and first tasted in its final form during the Spring of 2007 at Ch. Margaux, P. Pontallier was clearly happy with the result and felt it was a significant change from other vintages of Pavillon Blanc. 2 years later, I am happy to see that it is evolving along the high expectations of its first year.

8/18/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

Beautiful body and golden color. Initially strong candied red apples and licorice/anise on the nose. Evolved into spicy tones then to butterscotch and caramel flavors as it decanted over 1-2 hrs. Moderately full in the mouth and very well-balanced. Incredibly long finish.

Very interesting experiment of different wine glasses brought out the power, strength and structure of the wine in the Reidel Cabernet glasses while the Burgundy glass brought out the softness and elegance of the wine.

Phenomenal wine!

5/16/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

Mediocre nose & not much structure left in this bottle. Quite a difference from the bouquet of fruit in January. This needs to be drunk ASAP.

5/20/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

dark maroon-gold color w/ materization showing age and sediment; initial nose with significant alcohol & structure im this 12 yr old burgundy. Wine was served in a decanter and over the next several hours the nose evolved to include hints of red fruit such as cranberries and raspberries. This evolved into floral notes of blue bonnet. The final nuance was about 2 hours later where one experienced caramel, tobacco and hints of burnt wood. The taste was medium bodied with a long finish. This was an incredibly complex and delicious wine but one that should be drunk soon as I think it is at its peak or already on a downward trend.

This was in stark contrast to the same wine I had a week ago, also purchased from the same store at the same time. That bottle was flat, a ghost of what I drank last night. This bottle variation is to be expected in pinots of this age but also makes me more inclined to want to drink this wine while its essence lasts.

The wine last night was paired with a roasted red snapper with pineapple chutney. It went very well and I think the caramel notes paired well with the sweetness of the chutney.

4/16/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

Beautiful nose with dense wood and moderately strong tannins on initial taste; after about 30 minutes opens up with deep dark fruit, jammy (the way Parker likes it) but not too much (the way I like it); dark chocolate and dark cherries come out later. Deep luscious finish that goes on forever...went incredibly well with the mushroom risotto and osso bucco we had with it.

A gorgeous, well-balanced wine that will last...I got another case as soon as I could!

3/14/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

beautiful color with well-balanced nose; apples and gooseberries in a nicely structured wine with good acidity and beautiful finish; tasted the wine the next day, after vacutainer and it still drank beautifully...less fruit but still elegant with long finish. wonderful.

3/13/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

After closing down about 1-2 yrs ago, this wine has opened up again. Nice rounde, open nose with dark fruit after short decanting. Dark cherries followed by hints of chocolate & cedar; moderately long finish & tannins which make me question how long it will last. Drinking very well.

3/6/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

Clear, light yellow color. Moderate residual sugar. Apples and pear with moderate acidity. After letting sit in in recorked but non-gased bottle the sugar and fruitiness simmered down and a more elegant, finesse wine with nice structure was present. Went well with a Mediterranean orzo and blackened chicken salad that it was paired with.

3/4/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

Deep purple, plum color; lots of alcohol on the nose; very young and tight. Later opens up with deep dark fruit, long finish. Has a long life to go with beautiful structure.

3/4/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

deep garnet color; green, vine on the nose with black olives; very long finish; nice structure

1/30/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

Initial residual sugar softens after having been opened the night before & left w/ cork on bottle but not gased or vacutained.

Riper apple notes with mineral finish. More balance and structure noted with this "pseudodecanting".

11/14/2004 - winegal001 wrote:

had with dinner at Gregoire & Agathe's. Moderate fruit and finish; well balanced...drink now.

1/16/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

Nothing like watching the NFL divisional playoffs between Philadelphia & Minnesota with this wine and a plate of country pate, fruit & cheese...who needs beer & pizza!

Deep maroon color w/ brownish hints & some decreased clarity.

Initial nose if typical beautiful pinot...blueberry & blackberry fruits beautifully blended with lavender, moderate tannic structure at onset; moderately long finish with significant alcohol for a burgundy of this age. An hour later, the fruit is just a hint on the nose and none on the palate. Cedar and leather with a moderate finish predominate. This wine seems to be peaked and would not cellar much longer.

12/27/2003 - winegal001 wrote:

This was part of my birthday dinner where we opened up a horizontal tasting of the five 1st growth Bordeaux appellations from the 1989 vintage. In this line up, the Latour ranked a close 3rd behind the beautifully perfect Haut-Brion followed by the more feminine Margaux. Mouton & Lafite came in 4th & 5th, respectively. All the wines were decanted for 1-2 hours before drinking with the paired entree.

The Latour demonstrated a very dark chocolate red color. The bouquet was full of masculine tannins like leather, chocolate, cedar & currants; yet there was an earthiness in the nose as well. Huge tannins fill your mouth with hints of cedar, currant; velvety texture balanced with lots of tannin to keep it for several more years. Long, long finish.
Excellent pairing w/ venison in a juniper sauce to soften tannins; fruitiness complements earthiness of wine.

Of note was that the cork was about 70% soaked, suggesting excellent position for the storage.

1/15/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

clear pale yellow color with a bit of effervescence when initially poured. clean mineral and pear on the nose; moderate acidity and lots more residual sugar than expected from a spatlese. however, over time this decreased and the clean acidity and minerally flavors came forward. excellently paired with a baked chicken I prepared with butter, cranberries and grapefruit spiced with provencal spices.

wonderfully long finish.

1/15/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

tasted this after a Gunderloch 2003 spatlese and 1996 Niellon chassagne-montrachet.

Very pale yellow, clear; Lots of mineral, granny apples and apricots on the nose; nice acidity to balance residual sugar. powerful wine with long finish. pleasant, balanced, and good with the cheese, prosciutto platter we had it with.

1/15/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

clear, very pale yellow color; hint of ripe granny smith apple and flint; moderate acidity; much more residual sugar than I expected in a Kabinett; long finish whose cleanliness is overpowered with residual sugar; however, when paired with food, even something as simple as a cheese/prosciutto plate, the residual sugar was balanced and you were left with a long clean finish.

1/14/2005 - winegal001 wrote:

decanted with deep golden color noted in decanter. blue cheese, terroir nose up front w/c leads to hints of apricot; thick rich, oily and luscious; a power-packed wine with long finish; 45 min later there is still a lot of mineral oil and less terroir on nose, very balanced with increasing acidity & finish noted on palate; 2 hrs later it is a totally different wine...no more blue cheese terroir, much more acidity, hint of oak/cedar, gooseberry.

a phenomenal wine of complexity and long, long silky finish!

12/27/2000 - winegal001 wrote:

Opened the magnum as one of the wines for my birthday dinner at Napa in the Rio in LV. Wine was decanted by sommelier 2 hrs prior. Deep dark purple; luscious, powerful and very balanced with long, long finish. Again, surprisingly approachable for such a relatively young but powerful wine.

3/17/1997 - winegal001 wrote:

Had this on a beautiful Sunday afternoon during our college class reunion & Theo's last weekend in Baltimore. Dark purple color; big, rich tannins that slowly opened; long finish; much more approachable than I would have expected at this stage from this blockbuster wine.

10/6/2004 - winegal001 wrote:

2nd label of Cos d'Estournel; dark ruby/purple color, softer tannin, medium body, and medium dark fruit; needed to be decanted or left to breath but approachable now.

5/22/2004 - winegal001 wrote:

Guigal make this wine very interesting in the limestone/mineral tones and tropical fruits overlaid with a full-bodied, silky texture and long finish. This silkiness is well-balanced with acidity to give it structure. I was introduced to the viognier grape with the 1996 vintage of La Dorianne and have loved it every year since. There is some mild variation in the structure and amount of fruit but overall a very consistently balanced, interesting and lovely wine.

Pairs well with poultry and rich sauces (probably due to the acidity).

12/5/2004 - winegal001 wrote:

I had the pleasure of trying my first Montrachet from DRC during a DRC 2001 dinner. I must say that this was the BEST white wine I have ever had!!! wines were double-decanted 2 hours prior to the dinner. The color was a deep, rich gold; the nose was phenomenal...dense with noisettess. The taste was luscious, thick and layered. There was an incredible amount of power and acidity, yet this wine is so well-balanced and the finish goes on FOREVER!!!

This wine did incredibly well with food pairing from a spinach and portebella bisque to a black truffle brie to even a beef wellington.

In fact, compared to the reds in the same vintage, this wine had the most power and balance...the best of the bunch, with the La Tache in second place and the DRC showing weakly in this grouping.

The Montrachet is expensive but for a special occasion, well worth the experience! I loved it!!!

9/27/2004 - winegal001 wrote:

golden yellow with smooth fusion of pears and apples; nice balance and finish; elegant

12/24/2004 - winegal001 wrote:

2nd time I had this wine. The first time was at a winemaker's tasting in Jan 2003. Prior to the tasting the wine had been double decanted about 2 hrs before we tasted it. I remembered a rich, opulent wine with a lot of POWER!

During this second tasting, the wine was decanted for 30 min before we tasted it. The cork seemed moist to the top and I was concerned about this. The nose was tight and seemed slightly off...no fruit or power noted. It took about 2 hours for the wine to open up with apple and hint of almond at the back end; later developed some hints of carmel. Moderately long finish; these layers of flavor were subtle. The power that impressed me the first time was not as evident. We had the wine with a plate of duck mousse foie gros, ripe pear and brie. The acidity of the wine complimented the creaminess of the food.

The wine came directly from the winemaker to the retailer and to me, where I stored it in my cellar until we drank it. Despite this history, I still wonder if the wine was corked or whether it has not aged as well as anticipated.

The company of my longtime friends, Linda and Tim, at their place on Christmas Eve was wonderful!