12/31/2011 - NAA2586 wrote:

Very nice balance and depth of flavor

1/4/2012 - NAA2586 wrote:

Oaky and tight.

12/25/2010 - NAA2586 wrote:

Disappointing lack of flavor concentration.

1/9/2010 - NAA2586 wrote:

Very smooth and with good backbone but lacked depth of flavor and complexity.

9/6/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

This Clio was drinking very well yesterday. Well integrated oak with flavors of vanilla, deep dark fruits and toast. Has evolved very nicely over the past year. Drink now.

7/2/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

Still young, this Barolo emits a fragrant nose of spices, and red fruit. This is an interesting wine because the fruit is definitely ripe, but acidity provides balanced structure. Cranberries and tobacco come through on the palette. A solid effort for sure.

6/25/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

Excellent concentration, structure and flavor intensity accurately describe this 1989 Troplong. Robert Parker isn't kidding when he described some of the top 89s as backward and stubborn. Even now, this wine is a tad to young to drink. It's complexities have yet to come through. Cherry by far dominates the flavor profile. Its backbone allows for a variety of food pairings, complimenting dinner very nicely. It started to open up after nearly 2 hours; try decanting or waiting even longer.

6/4/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

True to the character of Paulliac, this 03 Pontet-Canet is loaded with dark fruits and pencil shavings on the nose. The wine feels complex on the palette with plum, dark berries and a finishing wave of vanilla and hazelnut. I believe it's still a bit too young to drink. I'd wait 2-3 years on it. I would say it lacks the freshness and vivacity of a top wine this region.

5/23/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

A delicious bordeaux-like effort from Legacy. Will easily last 7-10 more years.

4/17/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

Ripe, well concentrated classic cabernet. This will last 10-15 more years easily. Nice effort.

4/5/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

Delicious red that exudes pure elegance, balance and concentration. This burgundy goes with a very wide variety of foods. Cherry, pepper and other dark fruits dominate the flavor profile. At this price point it is a true steal.

4/5/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

Versatile wine with solid structure. Not profound, but tasty nonetheless.

3/19/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

Super dark color catches your eye as the 2005 Chateau Barde-Haut sits in the glass. Clearly a very young wine, the nose is quite tight but aromas of black currant and oak come through quite obviously. Some vanilla is also noticeable. Even after over 24 hours of aeration, the acidity is still quite high. The 80% new french oak used seems heavy handed early on in this wine's life. For me, it's difficult to guess whether the wines concentration and fruit will find balance with its acidity and oak in the future.

1/23/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

2005 Haut-Bergey shows toast, cherry, and black current on the nose quite nicely even in its youth. Typical for its vintage, its concentration is excellent; also, there is enough structure here to render a wine that will last 10-15 years easily. It's a superb wine at this price point and another great success for the 2005s.

Day 2: Holding beautifully. This wine has great balance; very nice acidity with plenty of fruit to back it up. This an absolute steal.

1/9/2009 - NAA2586 wrote:

Opened for about 6 or 7 hours, Chateau Valrose has an interesting nose. Once you get passed the ripping alcohol and metallic odors, you get a very earthy nose with pronounced truffle notes. The wine is medium to full bodied with plenty of structure. Finishes long for a wine of this caliber and exhibits good concentration; however it is rather heavy causing it to feel a bit cumbersome. Definitely wait 2-3 years; there is little point in drinking this now.

12/10/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Opened about 10 hours ago...cherries, licorice and spices on the nose. Nice effort from Laforge. It's a big big wine with a great deal of concentration and tannin. I would wait minimum 3 years to open another one of these. It's difficult to predict how this wine will age; right now, it's so powerful and heavy.

11/27/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

What a lovely Anderson Valley Pinot Noir; it is burgundian styled, fresh, clean, well balanced and complex. Creme fresh, white pepper, cranberry and cherry are all discernible flavors. It should easily last 5 years. Save a bottle for Thanksgivings to come.

11/20/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

2001 Chateau Lascombes is a lovely effort. Aromas of pencil shavings and dark fruits are quite obvious. Very well balanced on the palette with notes of coffee and blueberry. Combines power and elegance, and represents Margaux very well. Drink over the next 5 years I'd say.

11/18/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Day 1: Opened almost 12 hours ago, the '04 Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) is a little tight on the nose; aromas of red pepper and currant are detectable. Heavy on the pallette, rich dark fruits are evident with high acidity and bitter tannin. Finishes long with minerality and floral notes. Tough to drink now and I don't see an amazing future for it.

Day 2: Slightly more open nose on day 2: black currant and plum. Really a totally different wine after over 24 hours of aeration. A balanced, concentrated wine, this Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) exhibits ripe dark fruits, plum, cinnamon and toast on the finish. It's long and complex. Seems like some years will allow it to evolve nicely on second thought.

11/9/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Pape Clement is my first experience with serious 2005 Bordeaux. Opened approximately 4 hours before consumption then decanted through dinner, it is a spectacular effort. Even though it drank very well, it's a shame to open this wine right now. The nose is gorgeous with various underlying flavors: pencil shavings, dark fruits and even some sweeter notes like caramel. It showed a combination of elegance and power on the palette, but it refused to really open up. I wouldn't be surprised if this turned into a 96-98 point effort in the years to come.

11/1/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Day 1: Dark smokey nose with some coffee notes; ripe, jammy and thick on the palette with cherry and plum flavors. I've grown tired of this over extracted style and I don't understand why so many points are doled out for it.

Day 2: Some of the smoke notes have dissipated, new notes of vanilla and red fruits. Still thick on the palette but with a bit more elegance. Tannin and fruit is more balanced; the wine is drinking much better.

Drink now; this won't last long.

10/29/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Musty blackcurrant on the nose. Jammy over extracted fruit with a poor mouth feel and balance. 2003 Bordeaux at its worst.

8/23/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Beautiful effort; needs more bottle age. 5 years?

8/16/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Still young, with alcohol coming through, the 2003 Amizetta is a dark lush wine. Mostly comprised of ripe dark fruits, this effort has decent balance and a long finish. Try holding for 3-5 more years.

7/31/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Drank with little aeration, opened before a 2 hour dinner, this 1990 Chateau La Dominique is still a very young wine. Medium to full bodied, it showed bright red fruits with solid balance. It paired very well with a wide variety of foods.

7/25/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

This Gruaud Larose was probably pristinely stored; the cork came out beautifully. I was surprised by the wine's youth; I'd guess that it still has potential to last 20 more years. It is drinking very nicely now with beautiful balance and delicious well integrated dark fruits.

7/20/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Try holding for 3-5 years.

6/24/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Very nice, well balanced wine. Surprisingly a medium body, but with classic bordeaux characteristics.

4/9/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

This wine is going to be great. A classic bordeaux, but still tastes very young. Keep this in the cellar a while longer. 5 more years?

3/23/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

This wine was a very pleasant surprise. Purchased at about 25 dollars, it is a tremendous steal and must try. It boasts a lovely deep ruby red color, and provided enjoyable drinking for 3 days. Definitely in the new world style: dark fruit jam and dark chocolate with beautiful balance. Although it's drinking very well now, I predict the '03 Achaval-Ferrer Quimera will last at least 3-5 more years.

3/3/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

I first tried this '04 Stag's Leap Cab two years ago at a restaurant. I remember it as totally out of balance with big bitter tannins. Today, however, it's showing very well. The color is a dark purple with ruby edges. The wine's strongest asset is the bouquet: nice and earthy with ripe dark fruits. I enjoy the mouth feel even though I find the acidity just a bit high. The tannins have unquestionably settled, but they are still present and surprisingly sweet. This wine is drinking well now and may keep improving in the near future.

3/1/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

This offering from Gruaud Larose is a true classic. Like other 1990s I've had, it is quite young with its best years ahead. On the nose:dark fruits and earthinessl. On the palate: very fine balance with a superb mouth feel. I wouldn't call this wine exotic; however, it does mange to combine bold richness and delicate balance.

2/16/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Medium ruby color, the 2002 Le Desir showed aromatic notes of dark fruits and caramel. Beautiful balance and sweet tannins were evident on the palette; however, an extra 2-3 years of cellaring could help resolve some extra acidity/bitterness on the end of the long finish.

2/10/2008 - NAA2586 wrote:

Tasted over a period of 2 days, the 2001 Larmande is still young with plenty of tannin. Exhibits floral aromas with some dark fruit. I found that the wine had a displeasing mouth feel and seemed a bit off balance; it lacked elegance. By day 2, it was already falling apart. I'd wait 2-3 years to see how it develops; however, I don't anticipate it blossoming into a real winner.

12/21/2007 - NAA2586 wrote:

An excellent 1990 Pomerol, this Chateau Le Bon Pasteur was quite aromatic with notes of dark fruit and earthy soil. Very elegant on the palette with a superb mouth feel; it displayed tasty sweet tannins with an intriguing bacon-like gaminess. This Bordeaux is a great find, and is drinking beautifully right now.

12/20/2007 - NAA2586 wrote:

This Cab from Chateau St. Michelle (pop and pour) catches your eye with deep, dark, purple color. It exhibits a sweet smelling nose of dark fruit, toasted oak and cinnamon. Chewy on the palette with big tannins and good mouth feel. Lucious dark fruit and a nice dry finish define this wine. Despite its youth, this wine is drinking very well now.

11/24/2007 - NAA2586 wrote:

The 2001 Remírez de Ganuza exhibits a super dark, rich, red color. On the nose it gives off tobacco and toasted oak aromas. Dark fruit on the palate with great dryness, and a very long finish. I would highly recommend this wine.

11/20/2007 - NAA2586 wrote:

Overall a very solid riesling: a shot of sugar up front is followed up by balanced acidity; it's a versatile wine that drinks well on its own and pairs well with a wide range of food. Don't expect great complexity however.

8/23/2007 - NAA2586 wrote:

New World, thick, viscous, purple-inked monster. Great fruit up front, finishes long with a nice dryness. Fans of El Nido Clio would enjoy this.

5/4/2007 - NAA2586 wrote:

Medium Red Color. Medium to Full Body with strong vegetal notes combined with dark chocolate undertones. Great dryness, well-integrated acidity. Reminiscent of Loire Valley blends mostly made with Cabernet Franc. This very young wine drank best after 3 days of decanting.