11/13/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Rich and round with some sherry and nutty notes. On the riper side which makes it very approachable but perhaps lacking a little in focus and drive.

11/13/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Took an hour or so in the decanter to open up, after which it was characteristically wild and floral. On the palate, juicy and intense. Can keep but providing lots of pleasure now.

10/2/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Very approachable despite its relative youth. Round and rich dark fruit with nicely integrated tannins. A few more years might help this wine to develop more depth and complexity but it is delicious as it is today.

9/12/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. A bit shy on the nose, requiring some vigorous swirling to coax its high toned cherry nose out of the glass. Good freshness and purity with very fine tannins. Could almost be a chambolle but some notes of earth and underbrush betray its NSG origins. Lacking a little in weight but you get the transparency which mugnier is renowned for. Would probably hold on to these for a couple more years before popping the next one.

9/12/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Opened 2hrs before drinking. Aromatic nose filled with bunches of wild flowers. Very open and giving on the palate with its sappy red fruit. Just an easy-going and fun drink which proved to be a crowd pleaser. Drink now or keep for the next several years.

9/1/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. The nose took about an hour to open up but when it did, deep and spicy aromas wafted from the glass. On the palate, the wine was more about elegance than power. Very fine, with its fruit on the darker end of the spectrum, sprinkled with hints of spice. Finished gentle and long. Probably better in a few years but approachable now if desired.

8/14/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP and drank over 3hrs. This wine was probably marked by the vintage more than other factors. Faced with the heatwave in '03, i'm guessing this property picked early, hence resulting in the wine falling short on intensity and opulence as well as having a slight bitter note. On the positive side, the wine was open and expressive. Drink up now.

8/10/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. One of the most enjoyable CNDPs i've had in a long time. Rather distinct rasin-y nose which many CNDPs possess. Very elegant and well balanced on the palate with very minimal funk (which made me 2nd guess whether this was indeed a CNDP). Drinking very well now although it can probably continue to develop positively for another 5yrs or so.

8/10/2016 - dchoo077 Likes this wine:

Opened for 6hrs and decanted for another 2hrs before drinking. Prominent vanilla on the nose mixed with some floral and meaty undertones. On the palate, opulent dark fruit with very well rounded tannins giving the wine a smooth and lush texture. Grippy finish. This should keep getting better over the next 5-10yrs but it is already drinking beautifully.

8/10/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Decanted for 2hrs. A very competent and classic pomerol but frankly it paled in comparison to the '01 Cheval Blanc which was drunk alongside. More reticent on the nose and less finesse on the palate. Loads of dark fruit and power but the oak seemed to stick out. Probably needs more time to integrate better. It did slowly start coming together after about 3-4hrs of decanting as the dinner was coming to a close.

8/10/2016 - dchoo077 Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2hrs. Expressive and powerful with luscious dark fruit but wrapped up beautifully in a neat, well integrated package. Lovely purity of fruit and has a self-assured finesse about it. In the early innings of its drinking window. Will last another 15yrs+ easily.

8/6/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Buttery, fresh citrus, streak of minerality, fat and rich fruit which is likely a product of the warmer vintage. Some nice depth here. Drinking well now but can probably hold for another 5yrs+.

8/3/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Splash decanted and drank over 2hrs. A very classic middle aged pauillac. Made in a slightly more restrained style (only 12.5% alc in a pretty ripe vintage), the wine was well balanced with fully integrated tannins. Maybe somewhat one dimensional but nevertheless a very good accompaniment to our steaks. Can still hold for another 5-10yrs but unlikely to improve much from here.

7/31/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Closed and tight to start but started showing better after 2hrs of air. Apple cider on the nose and a persistent, nutty finish. A vinous and energetic champagne. Very good.

7/31/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Opened 5hrs before drinking but not decanted. Better on the nose than it was on the palate. A beautifully beguilling nose of red fruit but a little one dimensional on the palate. Pretty well integrated though, and not showing any prominent oak and tannins which Clos De Tart can sometimes be known for. Will probably still improve with more cellar time but open enough to consume now.

7/24/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Poured into a decanter and drank over 2hrs+. This wine was too young but definitely has alot of potential. Assertive and expressive on the nose. On the palate, dominated by dark fruited power and tannins right now. Best guess is this needs at least another 5yrs to show well.

6/21/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Still going strong after more than 40yrs, this bottle was in pristine condition. Slightly restrained but classic pauillac nose. Tannins mostly resolved. A beautiful, elegant, mature example of a very well made left bank bordeaux. Probably slightly past its peak but immensely enjoyable tonight. Drink up.

5/26/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Opened in the morning and left to slow ox in bottle before consuming it for dinner. Like the Dunn, this Heitz tasted pretty ripe despite the cool and wet vintage but I preferred this over the Dunn because I thought it had better balance. Soft and approachable already. Some earthiness with a slight green note. Finish on the shorter side and a little simple but an enjoyable drink nonetheless. Not sure this will improve with age.

5/26/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Opened in the morning and left to slow ox in bottle before consuming it at dinner time. Did not guess this was the Dunn as it was very open and approachable. Despite the cool vintage, this tasted pretty ripe. A port-y note on the finish. Not really my preferred style but this was quite a crowd pleaser. I'm not sure this will get better with age.

5/26/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Slow oxed for a couple of hours. Frankly this was disappointing; lacking in fruit with a prominent green note and a short, bitter finish. Doubt this will improve with time.

5/15/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Opened and left to breathe in bottle for a couple of hours. Beautiful wine; expressive and pure like its white sibling from the 2012 vintage which we had alongside. Quite rich and juicy with floral notes and a nice sense of balance. Open for business now but can hold for another decade at least.

5/8/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Bold, intense, citrus-y, focused; good tension; possessing a stony minerality; still young. Nothing subtle about this wine at all. Improved with air.

5/1/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Very young; focused and rather steely with some toasty notes. Acidity a little sharp but I think that should settle down with time.

4/20/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Double decanted and slow ox'ed in bottle from morning to evening. Showing well with its floral perfume and ripe dark fruit. Finished long although perhaps a hint of bitterness at the end. The '09 remains one of my favorite vintages of Tignanello in recent memory.

4/10/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Too young to give much pleasure at the moment. Even after an hour of air, the wine still felt too solid and unyielding, with the oak influence rather pronounced. Alot of material here and definitely has the stuffing to age. My suggestion would be to give it at least 5 more years.

4/10/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Nicely open right from the start with the classic pauillac notes of blackberries, cassis, lead etc all coming through on the nose as well as the palate. A very well balanced wine and in a good place right now although should comfortably cellar well for at least another decade. V good and a great example of a classic left bank bordeaux.

4/10/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Starts off with bright and sweet red fruit which seems quite characteristic of the domaine's style. Over the course of an hour though, a darker and earthy dimension seems to emerge. Finish is on the shorter side but this is very good for a village level wine.

4/6/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Surprisingly advanced for its age. Lots of browning and tertiary character but still well framed by a fine boned structure and finished with a gentle persistence. Likely due to the nature of the vintage, this was a rather more elegant and delicate expression of Malconsorts. Time to drink up as this is probably just passing its peak and onto the downslope.

3/27/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Left to breathe in bottle for 2-3hrs before drinking. Very impressive juice. Very well balanced wine although still framed by considerable structure which is understandable given its youth. Had a weightless sort of intensity. Long finish and definitely has a bright future ahead of it. Very enjoyable now with some air; will probably hit its peak in a few years' time.

3/23/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Significant weight on the palate with its hefty (but a little rustic) dark fruit. Earthy with a prominent woody note which was somewhat distracting. Aromatics opened up and wine softened somewhat over the hour in which we drank this. Will probably do better with more bottle age but frankly I found this a bit hard to love.

3/18/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP and drank over 2hrs. Displaying a fair amount of tertiary character on the nose and palate already. Polished and glossy fruit toward the darker end of the spectrum. Some herbaceousness on the finish. Enjoyable but not a standout by any means. Ready to drink now.

3/6/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP and drank over 2 days. The character of the wine was quite true to its Pauillac roots and it certainly did not feel thin or lacking in intensity (as the vintage might suggest). However, the finish was short and I thought the oak was too aggressive. Drank over the course of 24hrs and the oak only got increasingly prominent. Leads me to think that this wine will likely not improve with time. A good effort for an '07 but there's good reason why it's cheaper vs other vintages.

3/1/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Very expressive aromatics. Sappy and sweet/candied red fruit on the palate. Open and approachable. Medium minus finish. Enjoyable to drink but doesn't quite have much Vosne typicity and character.

2/28/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

From magnum. Double decanted and left to breathe in bottle for an hour before drinking. The wine was showing well albeit a little on the young side. Very expressive and classic aromatics. Great intensity on the palate and well balanced with a long lingering finish. Tannins still a little prominent but what a joy to drink at the moment. The hot 2003 vintage was well suited to Leoville Barton's classic style. I would think regular 750ml bottles will be drinking very well now. On the other hand, has the structure and fruit to age so no rush to drink.

2/28/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Premoxed. What a disappointment.

2/28/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Punching above its value. Matchstick nose with very attractive ripe grapefruit on the palate. Medium finish. Should give this another couple of years but nevertheless drinking well now.

2/23/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Rather stemmy on the nose. Dark, muscular and tight, we probably opened this 10yrs too early. The wine did not budge even with an hour or two in the decanter.

2/14/2016 - dchoo077 Likes this wine:

Decanted for 1.5hrs and drank over the following hour. This wine was simply gorgeous! After about 2hrs of air, the nose was wonderfully expressive and jumped right out of the glass. The proverbial "iron fist in a velvet glove" comes to mind when describing this wine. So powerful but yet so well balanced and so much finesse. Layers of ripe, creamy dark fruit and such a long, clean finish. If this is what Lafleur tastes like in an "off vintage", I can only imagine what the wine tastes like in great vintages! Approachable now with some decanting but in my view this can continue to improve over the next 5 years before settling on a long peak maturity plateau.

2/14/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Slow ox'ed in bottle for 30mins and drank over the following 2hrs. Opening up with some gunpowder on the nose, this was very intense with a beautifully clean and long finish. Salinity and an underlying bolt of energy were quite apparent. Got deeper and more expansive as the hours went by. My advice would be to give this wine 2-3hrs of air before drinking.

2/10/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. The wine took about half an hour to open up and the wait was worth it. Aromatic and very fine, this wine showed good depth and finished with a gentle persistence. More feminine than one would expect from a CdR but presumably that is due to the nature of the '97 vintage. Beautiful stuff and very much at peak now.

2/9/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Decanted for 2hrs and drank over the following hour. Largely consistent with previous notes didn't quite show as well as when I had it 2mths back (the oak seemed to stick out more prominently today). Still enjoyable. Very opulent and dense, this tastes like a wine half its age and will benefit from a decade more in the cellar.

2/9/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Deeper and more concentrated than its older brother from the '11 vintage (as the characteristics of their respective vintages would suggest). Very cool and pure blue fruit. A wine of immediate pleasure but this will likely improve over the next decade.

2/9/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Decanted for 1hr and drank over the following hour. A big and full bodied wine. Classically styled with a potpourri of rustic, provencal flavors. Some heat on the finish though which I thought was distracting. Nothing less than what this wine was meant to be. Very young, primary and powerful. Decant for a couple of hours if drinking in the near term. This will hold well for the next decade easily.

2/9/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. Consistent with previous notes. Pure and elegant, almost like a burgundy. Very fine with some spicy/savoury notes on the back end. Worth seeking out. Approachable now but will improve over the next 5yrs.

2/4/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. After the very good bottle of '13 Duroche Les Jeunes Roi on Monday night, I was keen to try another wine from his range. This wine was less expressive than the Les Jeunes Roi but nonetheless possessed a similar purity and transparency in the wine. Had more depth with some notes of earth and spice. Already very fine but could definitely do with a couple of years more bottle age. This is definitely a producer to watch!

2/1/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Decanted for 30mins and drank over the following 2hrs. Nicely aromatic nose. Good weight on the palate, especially considering the vintage. Polished dark fruit with pretty well integrated tannins. Very well balanced and would not have pegged this for an '07. Approachable now but can hold for the next 5yrs easily.

2/1/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Opened and left to breathe in bottle for 1.5hrs before drinking. Rather serious, solid core of dark fruit with a touch of spice at the end. A masculine and broad shouldered wine which could use a couple more years to find its sweet spot. Good depth here.

2/1/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

PnP. This was very impressive for a village level wine. Soaring floral aromatics, sappy red fruit and crystalline purity, this was so approachable and open but yet has the stuffing to develop further. Revisited it 2hrs after opening and the wine had mellowed and filled out a little. Delicious now but has upside over the next decade.

1/31/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Doubled decanted and left to breathe in bottle for an hour before consuming. From the famed '98 vintage (for right bank bordeaux), the latour a pomerol was packed with glossy, ripe fruit. Tannins very smooth and a touch of sweetness to this wine with just enough structure to keep the wine from feeling flabby. Fully mature now and will probably hold at this level for another 5-10yrs.

1/24/2016 - dchoo077 wrote:

Splash decanted and drank over 2hrs. This wine was what one would expect from a traditional, well made rioja. Medium weight, quite fine, and well composed with a prominent acidic backbone; however, too young at this point with its less than subtle oak influence and vanilla notes. At least 5 more years needed for the wine to integrate better. Probably better off drinking the Vina Ardanza now while waiting for the gran reserva to come around.