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Tasting Notes for cgutch

(16 notes on 16 wines)

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Red
1996 Château Lascombes Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
2/12/2022 - cgutch wrote:
89 points
Bought in 2000 and forgot it was in my cellar. Cork was pristine. Poured without decanting expecting something over the top and insipid. However, colour was deep orangy red. On the palate completely resolved. Still plenty of fruit. slight acidity. No tannins left. Some sweetness on mid palate. Very pleasant but little on the nose which is where I look for most of the joy from a fully mature Bordeaux.
Red
1999 Les Forts de Latour Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
1/2/2020 - cgutch wrote:
94 points
Magnificent wine. 94 Points with many years to go. I just wish that I had ignored the drinking window given by Parker in 2002 (2002 to 2017) and by Neil Martin in 2009 (my favourite critic) 2009 to 2012; in fact I suspect that his was a typo, and he meant 2022 as his estimate doesn’t match his tasting notes. Anyway, like most CellarTrackers (only 5 tasting notes since 2014) I had drunk or sold my bottles a few years ago (having originally bought en primeur); I had found the wine too unforgiving and the experts clearly didn’t expect any improvement. Then I found this bottle in my cellar still in its tissue and masquerading as Forts de Latour 2000. Checked on Cellartracker to see if it would be drinkable and saw ToddGordon’s enthusiastic notes of 08/10/2019. I decanted the wine and poured it back into the bottle two hours before drinking. In the glass, with a few swirls, a heavenly floral nose; on the palate a balanced and lovely wine, still with plenty of soft tannins, lots of fruit and balancing acidity. Not a blockbuster, but all the better for that; matching perfectly the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding we were eating. Continued to develop secondary notes on both nose and palate over the next hour, by which time the bottle was empty! The next day, I thought I should share my concern that we take too much notice of the stated ‘drinking window’. Obviously it depends on storage conditions and provenance – but the same applies to the provenance and the tasting date of the wine the expert is drinking!
Red
2001 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
8/25/2016 - cgutch wrote:
95 points
Decanted 2 hours before. This is a delicious wine with superb balance of tannins, fruit and acidity. Captivating bouquet. As others have said, this isn't a blockbuster, but that doesn't mean that it's thin or insipid - just that you need to choose your food accordingly. It went very well with our lamb casserole.
Red
11/9/2014 - cgutch wrote:
90 points
Still drinks like a young wine, though tannins have largely been resolved. Needs decanting, though I simply uncorked an hour before and then let the wine develop in the glass. Intense nose, with a hint of herbs or eucalyptus. Colour is deep and shows no bricking; the wine should have many years before it if properly cellared. The flavour had some initial sweetness and was well balanced and fruity. My only criticism is that there is a slight woodiness. This may disappear by the second day. I've 'vacuumed' it overnight. I bought the wine in 2003 and it has been stored at around 14C in a 'spiral cellar' since then.
Red
1998 Mas de Daumas Gassac Vin de Pays de l'Hérault Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
10/1/2013 - cgutch wrote:
92 points
Opened in place of a clearly over the hill 1990. The 1998 was lovely straight after a double decant to remove the sediment. Complex bouquet, good length and rich burgundian flavour. Still some tannin left with balancing acidity. Probably best to drink up in the next year or two in view of my experiences with Daumad Gassac from the early nineties which are really past it.
Red
1991 Mas de Daumas Gassac Vin de Pays de l'Hérault Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
10/22/2013 - cgutch wrote:
flawed
This was unpleasantly acidic and clearly over the hill. The wine had been stored under temperature controlled conditions for the past 10 years and the bottle and cork were in good condition. The same relatively rapid decline was also shown by the 1990 vintage.
Red
1990 Mas de Daumas Gassac Vin de Pays de l'Hérault Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
10/1/2013 - cgutch wrote:
flawed
Even though the fill level was just below the cork which was in excellent condition, the wine was unpleasantly acidic and thin. It was clearly completely over the hill. As expected there was no improvement the next day. A second bottle was tried on10/22/2013 and was exactly the same.
.
Red
10/7/2013 - cgutch wrote:
85 points
Very pleasant wine. Good fruit and length and with more complexity than found with your average Rhone blend
Red
1/18/2012 - cgutch wrote:
92 points
It's at it's peak. Beautifully balanced. Tannins almost completely resolved. Good length and pleasant acidity on finish. Bouquet difficult to describe but reminds me of stewed plums but with some sweetness and complexity.
Red
11/15/2010 - cgutch wrote:
95 points
Finally this wine is coming into its own. Like some of the others when I first tasted this wine a few years ago it seemed very simple with a synthetic candy taste. It may be that there is wide bottle to bottle variation but this time, from the same case came an excellent wine. Initially oak and spices on the nose which with time also developed a floral component. On the palate lots of fruit, very well balanced with correct acidity and some residual tannins. Hopefully this wine will develop even further.
White
2/8/2010 - cgutch wrote:
89 points
A delicious well balanced wine. Very smooth with a dry finish. Delicate bouquet, slightly floral. Will go well with a variety of foods. None of those pear-drop flavours that accompany so many Chardonnays.
Red
12/28/2008 - cgutch wrote:
92 points
This is a lovely wine with still some way to go. The nose is fragrant plum and oak. The taste very fruity with well integrated tannins and good length. Colour very deep. Jeremy Oliver, the Australian wine expert, having originally said the wine should be drunk by 2004, is now giving a drinking window of 2008-2016.
Red
2000 Hauts de Pontet-Canet Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
6/14/2008 - cgutch wrote:
90 points
This is a fabulous wine that amid all the hype about 2005 shows what an excellent vintage 2000 is. Opened and poured, though I should have decanted. Drank with Beef Stroganoff. This wine is very dark. Taste is fruity and well balanced. Some tannins on the finsh but very much within its drinking wondow. Absolutely no hurry for those who prefer their wine with all the edges taken off. At least another 10 years here when further complexity will no doubt develop. The bouquet was quite floral and delicate. There is a very slight tinge of greeness on the finish which would probably disappear if decanted for a couple of hours. I'll be trying it again this evening.
Red
4/2/2007 - cgutch wrote:
84 points
Fine bouquet but with a noticeable bitter taste that rather spoils the overall effect. I agree with the earlier comment that the wine seems a bit thin initially but it fills out in the glass. I think the bitterness will probably disappear with further ageing, but it will need another 3 years.
Red
12/31/2005 - cgutch wrote:
80 points
I last drank this wine for Chrstmas dinner in December 2004. It hasn't improved. Decanted two hours before drinking. If I'd paid £5.00 for this wine, I would have been disappointed. It lacks any grace and balance and has an unpleasant acid finish. It's not particularly tannic and I can't see it improving with age. I'd love to get an expert opinion as I am constantly disappointed by Burgundy. So many seem to have this unpleasant acidity.
Red
4/10/2005 - cgutch wrote:
Disappointing. A rather pronounced 'synthetic' taste predominates. Lacking in bouquet. Otherwise well balanced and fruity. Robert Parker and Wine Spectator have very different scores. I think it's largely a matter of personal preference.
1 - 16 of 16
  • Tasting Notes: 16 notes on 16 wines
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