1/18/2024 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Mature Bordeaux. Probably past it's prime, but still drinking very well. Compared nicely with 2007 Tamarack Debrul Vineyard reserve, Bordeaux blend from Washington state.

4/9/2023 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Stellar !

4/5/2023 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Still quite youthful. Medium garnet color. Dark fruit, with ripe plum and cola notes. Softening tannins. Balanced acidity.

2/10/2023 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Drinking very well and should continue to be in a very nice drinking window for several more years. Best of tasting against 5 other mature Bordeaux. Maturing, but still ample, enjoyable dark fruit, soft tannins and smooth finish. Preferred over 1996 Pontet-Canet which was a bit lighter in body and less complex

2/10/2023 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Noticeably more youthful than the 1986 Meyney and Leoville-Barton in a group tasting, with ample dark fruit and softening tannins, smooth finish. Not as full flavored at the 1996 Lynch-Bages, which was best of tasting.

2/10/2023 - winepaw wrote:

Bigger than the 1986 Meyney, with more tannin and mature fruit, but still a little hard in the finish.

2/10/2023 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Very mature fruit, soft tannins, lighter body, smooth finish. Fruit has faded, but very pleasant old Bordeaux. Preferred over 1986 Leoville Barton in group tasting.

2/10/2023 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Favored by wine tasting group over 2000 Moulin Saint-George Saint-Emilion. 2nd to 1996 Lynch-Bages in tasting of 6 older Bordeaux.

1/1/2023 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Still quite youthful, with rich dark fruit, softening tannins. Should continue to age gracefully. Try again 2023-2024.

10/1/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Rich black cherry with cola and licorice notes. Red fruit, soft tannins, and acidity in balance. Still youthful.

9/12/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Stellar.

9/12/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Creamy texture with rich stonefruit and mineral flavors

8/13/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Deep purple. Ripe blackberry aroma. Full bodied, with lush black fruit, followed by earthy notes and some black pepper. Still youthful with ripe tannins and ample acidity. Should drink well for many more years.

8/3/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Deep Purple. Ripe dark fruit aroma. Rich, blackberry, with mineral notes, mild tannins, balanced acidity. Great with grilled, smoked beef sausage.

8/3/2022 - winepaw wrote:

Very ordinary, with some harsh edges. Someone is loading a lot of high scores for this wine that are very undeserved.

7/30/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Rich, Full Bodied Pinot from Pisoni Vyd in Santa Lucia Highlands. Lush, ripe black cherry with hints of licorice and cola. Smooth tannins and balanced acidity. Still youthful. Should drink well for several more years.

7/29/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Bricking at the edges. Subdued aroma of mature plum. Medium body, round and smooth with fading fruit. Stewed plum followed by earthy, mineral notes of pencil lead/graphite. Soft tannins balanced acidity.
Very drinkable, but well beyond its best drinking window in terms of fruit. Definitely better with food such as charcuterie.

7/27/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Deep purple. When first opened and tasted at cellar temp (57 F): Minimal aromas. Very dry with subdued, mature dark fruit, pervasive earthy character and mineral notes up front. Definitely would not be mistaken for a riper, more fruit driven CA Syrah or Aussie Shiraz. Initially came across as closed and a bit hard. Decanted through aerator and allowed wine to warm up to about 68 F. Definitely began to open up. Dark fruit emerging on the nose. Deep, dark fruit with mature plum shows up on the palate. Round and full bodied with soft tannins and balanced acidity. Needs food to bring out the mature fruit and complexity.
Paired well with grilled chicken sausage, bell peppers and onion which worked well with the earthy mineral notes and dark fruit.

7/24/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Light gold color. Faint stone fruit aromas. Sweet, but not overly so. Smooth & round on the palate with apricot, peach and a hint of orange.
Surprisingly fresh and youthful for a 25 year old wine. Lacking the minerality and complexity of an aged German Riesling, but quite pleasant for a $ 7 bottle of wine

7/18/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Some bricking at the edges. Pleasant, mature, ripe plum in the aroma.
Round and smooth up front, with mature fruit, soft tannins and balanced acidity. Mineral/graphite notes follow with hints of smoke and black pepper toward the finish. Much more enjoyable than the 1998 L'Oratoire which we found rather harsh and lacking in fruit. Definitely better with food. A nice accompaniment to mild cured sausage and olive tapenade. Might work well with smoky grilled beef with perhaps an old Bordeaux wine reduction.

6/26/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Inherited this several years ago as a cellar clearing from someone who was downsizing. I assumed it was long past its drinking window and more than likely undrinkable. Surprise ! While the bottom half of the cork was wine soaked and deteriorating, the top half was in tact allowing fairly easy extraction. Color, while trending toward brick, still showed some ruby/garnet hue. Reticent aroma when first opened and still cool from the cellar. Surprised to find rather generous mature dark fruit still present and better preserved than some recent old Bordeaux's I have tasked that were 10 to 15 years younger. I had expected this to be way beyond its prime and probably undrinkable, expecting to take a sip and then discard the wine. Instead found myself enjoying a very old cabernet that while not sumpuous was quite drinkable.

6/25/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Medium garnet with some bricking at the edges. Restrained nose. Medium body, with some dark cherry and hints of chocolate; soft, dusty tannins and lively acidity. Not complex, but decent everyday wine.
Paired quite well with pizza.

6/23/2022 - winepaw wrote:

Opened 2 hours before tasting. Did not decant. Medium garnet color with some bricking on the edges. A touch of "barnyard" in the nose with earthy, mineral aromas and just a hint of dried plum. Earth, mineral, graphite, metallic notes and dry tannins are predominant on the palate, with just a touch of dried fruit emerging before finishing with appreciable acidity. The wine softened a little, with a slight increase in dried fruit flavors after 30 to 40 minutes in the glass, but still came across as a bit hard and well beyond its prime. I've tasted several St Emilions of similar age recently that are showing better preserved fruit than the L'Oratoire, which I prefer. Tasted again one day later with similar impression. Have one bottle remaining which I may decant and give more breathing time to see if it shows better.

6/19/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Opened 2 hours before tasting, but still quite closed and a little hard when first tasted while cool from the cellar and without food. Once it warmed up to room temp and began to open up, it was really enjoyable with medium rare prime NY strip steak with a veal demi-glace wine reduction. Lovely dark fruit with blueberry notes in the aroma. Medium body with mouth filling, round, ripe cabernet/merlot flavors playing against maturing tannins and balanced acidity. This wine really sings when allowed to open up for a few hours and when paired with well prepared red meat. Still quite youthful, I would expect it to remain in a good drinking window for several more years.
Try again in 2023.

6/17/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Pale pink. Peach in the aroma. Lively with ripe peach repeating on the palate. Fruit driven, with nice balance of fruit and acidity. Not bone dry, but hint of sweetness and ripe fruit makes for a simple but pleasant summer rose.

6/15/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Surprised that this 21 yr old Bordeaux Superior is still very much alive. I haven't tasted prior vintages, and I'm sure the wine is somewhat diminished from earlier in it's life. Subdued aromas of mature dark fruit and underlying minerality. Medium to light body. Hints of plum and dried cherry up front with suggestions of espresso and graphite emerging and perhaps some slight chocolate notes. Very soft tannins on the finish. Very enjoyable mature bordeaux to be enjoyed with more restrained cuisine. Thinking pork tenderloin or game birds in a light merlot wine reduction.

6/12/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Opened 2 hours before drinking. Dark fruit aromas with a hint of licorice. Full throttle Sonoma Coast Syrah. Round and smooth up front, loaded with ripe dark fruit. Still youthful tannins emerge mid-palate, with balanced acidity leading to a long finish.
Enjoyed with grilled ground lamb. Big enough to almost overpower the strong flavors of the lamb. Found that small sips of the wine worked best.
Powerful and youthful, this Syrah should continue to evolve for many years.
Try again in 2024.

6/11/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

This was cataloged into my cellar as 2012 vintage, but was actually the 2011. Medium straw color. Pleasant stone fruit aromas. Smooth with creamy texture on the palate and surprisingly fresh stone fruit flavors for a 12 year old pinot blanc. More substantial than I expected and no signs of oxidation or fading fruit. Paired very nicely with lightly smoke fillet of Walleye. A most enjoyable wine that compliments rather than competes with more delicate seafood.

6/10/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Mature Oregon Chardonnay showing the evolution to rich gold color with complex nutty and dried fruit aromas repeated on the palate. Round and smooth without the bitter elements often introduced with too much oak. A dramatically different wine than the fresh, crisp, minerally expression when first released. May not appeal to those who prefer the freshness of younger chardonnays, but appreciably more complex now. Should probably drink up soon before it enters a more oxidized phase.

6/8/2022 - winepaw Does not like this wine:

Bottle has been stored at 57 degrees F since purchase. Cork was in tact, but wine was badly oxidized. Not Drinkable.

2/15/2022 - winepaw Does not like this wine:

Bottle was badly oxidized. Not drinkable.

1/21/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Outstanding California Pinot. Still drinking beautifully at 11 years. Rich dark red fruit with blackcherry and hints of cranberry. Made more complex with spice and earth notes with soft tannins and just right acidity, all in perfect balance. Enjoyed with Roasted Salmon with an orange, soy, balsamic glaze. Once of the best Pinots we've had over the past several years.

1/8/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Very complete, enjoyable Pinot. Holding up very nicely at 9 years. Dark fruit, spice and earth notes in the aroma. Full bodied with rich fruit, soft tannins, balanced acidity, and pleasing finish. Perfect companion for cedar plank salmon.

11/13/2021 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Drinking very nicely. Rich fruit, tannins softening, nice balance. Should drink well for several more years.

6/5/2021 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Very well made pinot with rich dark fruit, earth and spice notes, finishing long and seamless.

4/18/2021 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Still youthful with ample structure for further cellaring.

2/13/2021 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Big, full bodied, full throttle, CA pinot noir. Ripe, highly extracted style. Definitely not a casual sipping wine. Needs to be paired with robust cuisine. In this case achieved nice balance with Roast Whole Duck ala Orange. Not for the faint of heart or to be compared with a fine Burgundy. The bottle has been stored at 57 F since purchase and is surprisingly more youthful than I expected.

2/6/2021 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Rich, full bodied Chianti Classico. Youthful. With deep dark fruit, balance and nice acidity.

1/31/2021 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Decanted for one hour. Aromas of Ripe dark cherry fruit with a hint of anise. Very dark fruit flavors well balanced against robust tannins and nice acidity. Full bodied. Still youthful with ample structure for considerable more development in the cellar. Paired well with veal stuffed ravioli in a brown butter and mushroom sauce. Try again in 2023.

1/3/2021 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Off dry mature Riesling. Great with asian fare.

12/26/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Subdued nose when first opened. Dark and rich on the palate. Much more open 2 days after opening, with added complexity in both aromas and flavors. Still quite youthful. Perfect balance. Rich but supple. Reminiscent of some first growth bordeaux's we have tasted. Try again in 2 -3 years. Consider decanting.

12/17/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Not profound, but well integrated, medium bodied, balanced, aged Rioja pairing well with Paella.

12/17/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Excellent Napa cabernet. Rich, complex, balanced, plenty of structure, but very smooth finish.

11/10/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Outstanding WA Syrah. Rich and full bodied with lots of dark berry fruit and savory spice. Very well balanced. Paired well with savory rack of lamb with sweet potato puree.

11/8/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Outstanding Oregon Pinot. Drinking beautifully now. Pleasurable nose of dark cherry and underlying savory and spice. Rich, complex dark fruit, spice and minerality in perfect balance with soft tannins and acidity. Paired very well with duck and savory sausage Toulouse Cassoulet.

10/24/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully now, with pronounced cherry fruit and softening tannins. Very well balanced.

8/6/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Still youthful with brooding dark fruit, ample tannins and good acidity suggesting the wine will continue to evolve favorably as tannins soften further and integration continues.

7/30/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Rich, full bodied, with bitter cherry and pronounced chocolate notes. A well made, robust wine with unique flavor profile. Enjoyed with seafood spinach linguini with tomatoes, garlic and red chili flakes

7/24/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Drinking very well. Nice balance of dark fruit, soft tannins and acidity. Paired perfectly with veal stuffed ravioli al fungi in brown butter cream sauce

6/28/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Excellent pinot. Rich dark fruit with black cherry, but not jammy. Nice balance of fruit, spice, tannins & acidity. Paired nicely with cedar plank King Salmon with orange, soy, ginger, maple glaze.