6/21/2023 - kenh Likes this wine:

Stood up a day beforehand. Double decanted back in to bottle about an hour before meal. Wonderful Saint-Julien flowers on open. Robe was a clear purple black with only a hint of color pulling away at the sides of the glass. Excellent sheeting on a vigorous swirl.

Nose from the glass was red flowers, purple fruits, cigar leaf and leather. My wife found it funky at first, but that dissipated over the course of the meal.

The nose carried through to the mouth, smooth, elegant tannins, a hint of menthol, and a touch of white pepper.

The finish was long, easily lasting until the next sip. This was one of those wonderful synchronicities wherein the wine improved the braised short ribs and risotto, and the meal improved the wine.

I have but one more bottle of this, and would have no concerns about holding it 3 years before opening it. (But I know it last 6 months before I revisit this fine Bordeaux).

6/13/2023 - kenh wrote:

I was disappointed with this. I hope I caught an exception. The tannins seemed to have outlived the fruit.

The wine looks brick colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like forest floor, stoniness, espresso, black pepper, tobacco, garrigue, alcohol/hot and brettanomyces. It tastes like prune, cherry, forest floor, mushroom, espresso, black pepper, tobacco, garrigue, alcohol/hot and brettanomyces. The body is medium/full. The wine has coarse texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.

8/8/2015 - kenh Likes this wine:

Big fruit. Lovely nose of blueberry, plums and coffee. Mature and tasty.

4/29/2012 - kenh wrote:

Quite nice. Meaty, full and sweetly ripe.

4/29/2012 - kenh wrote:

Vile

3/10/2012 - kenh wrote:

Excellent!

1/7/2012 - kenh wrote:

Mostly mature, complex nose and mouth.

12/26/2011 - kenh wrote:

My last bottle of this. It has gained weight in the bottle. Wonderful spice cake, raspberry and dark chocolate nose. Sour cherry in the mouth. Mouth-watering dark fruit.

10/31/2011 - kenh wrote:

Corked

10/1/2011 - kenh wrote:

My palate was off tonight. Though the wine smelled lovely it was sour and bitter to my taste. I revisited after champagne and a wonderful escargot with wild mushrooms. With my palate thus recalibrated the wine was good. Black cherry, chocolate and tea, but tannic.

I'll drink my last bottle of this soon, as I don't think the fruit will outlive the tannin.

9/10/2011 - kenh wrote:

This bottle outlived its fruit. Alcohol and hot black cherry. I was disappointed by this wine. Perhaps it was poorly stored before it came into my possession. N/R

5/14/2011 - kenh wrote:

Still vital after 38 years! Nose of oxidized dark fruit, cedar and pencil carried through to the mouth. Pretty wiine, and well matched with grilled tenderloin.

5/3/2010 - kenh wrote:

Ordinary

4/19/2010 - kenh wrote:

Big fruit and alcohol. Some smoke and bacon fat. Not going to improve

4/23/2007 - kenh wrote:

Everything I hope for in a pink. Charcteristic yeasty nose, fruity (stawberry) flavors and a nice bead.

4/23/2007 - kenh wrote:

Probably should have had this 5 years ago. Some traces of Cote-Rotie remain among tired fruit and residual tanin. At a push, red fruit and cnnamon, leather and smoke. This wine was good, but not better than good.

4/5/2007 - kenh wrote:

Interesting, slightly oxidative. Yeasty nose, strawberries in the finish. Not a complex wine, by nonetheless,good.

3/28/2007 - kenh wrote:

Well balanced, sweet and tasty

3/23/2007 - kenh wrote:

Dark ruby red, with brown and brick at the edges. Initially red and black fruit in the nose, followed by a brief period of nothing in the nose at all. The wine was opened as I removed it from 57 degree storage. AS it warmed to drinking temperature it took on aromas of honey, mustard, brown sugar, pepper, red fruit, and catsup. (In short, it smelled, and the smell followed through to the taste, like KC Masterpiece barbeque sauce). Well balanced, gorgeous nose, decent weight, glycerin, and acid. I think this wine would probably last another 5 years, but it's never going to be better than it is right now.

2/23/2007 - kenh wrote:

Decanted off sediment and poured. Clear garnet/ruby robe, a touch of burnt orange, pulling away from the rim. A nose of cloves, apple skins, and pinot funk on opening bloomed into cherry, white flowers and cedar. In the mouth, clove, cinnamon, and raspberries, then with time, stunning sweetly ripe fruit, with bracing acidity and a silky texture. With more time in the glass it is more layered and delicious, not showing a hint of its 14.1% alc. I've only had one other Pinot from the Pisoni vineyard, and that younger and more primary than this, but, this seems to share a commonality with that wine. Only a bit of bitterness in the back palate and aftertaste keep this from being extraordinary.

2/19/2007 - kenh wrote:

Popped and poured. Initially too cold (from the cellar) the wine was muted, with alcohol and heat showing morethan fruit. Twnety minutes after opening, with food, the wine was fruity, textured and tasty. Finishing the bottle after supper, the wine opened into a huge, multicolored beast, with melted licorice, cedar, raspberries, and vannilla. Delicious nose, delicious palate, long delicous finish. Unfortunately, the wine just kept gettng bigger and bigger and bigger - until eventually, it wasn't comfortable to put in my mouth. I don't know if this wine will tone down with time, but at this age, it is so big that it is not comfortable for two to finsih in a night.

2/10/2007 - kenh wrote:

Served at a dinner party to accompany Turducken, grilled green beans, Shepherds Pie, and three cheese quiche. The Sea Smoke was bigger, more tannic and less approachable than the Loring consumed the same evening. The Botella is dark garnet, clear, black and some red fruit in the nose. Balance grip and tannin in the mout, with lush red fruit. I consumed both of my bottles this night: a shame, becasue I don't think this wine is going to show at it's best for 3-4 years.

2/10/2007 - kenh wrote:

2/10/2007
Dinner party

The Loring was very synergistic with the meal (Turducken (a concoction of a Semi-boneless Turkey, stuffed with a boneless duck, stuffed with a boneless chicken, stuffed with a seasoned cornbread dressing), full of cherry, spice and cola notes. Well balanced and ready to drink.

2/10/2007 - kenh wrote:

Welcome wine at a dinner party. Very nice, with a fine mousse, lemon grass and coconut, with hazelnut highlights.

2/10/2007 - kenh wrote:

Excellent aged riesiling from Sonoma. I don't think this had the balance or ethereal quality that some of his wines from Chateau St. Jean did - but it was tasty. Sweet, caramel, lemon icing, and lift.

2/2/2007 - kenh wrote:

With a too sour chicken caccitore, this wine was much better than the food.

Robe: Pure, clean garnet. Very pretty - 5
Nose: Red and black fruits, pomegranete, vanilla, anise, and the slightest hint of bubble gum -13
Mouth: Pretty, rich and ripe fruit. Black cherry, fine grained tannin. A touch bitter in the finish. -16
Overall: A refreshing quaff, better with the high acid tomato sauce than afterwards. -7

50+5+13+16+7 +91

1/20/2007 - kenh wrote:

Robe: Garnet tending towards ruby, crystal clear and pretty: 5
Nose: Muted Strawberry, sour cherry, woodsmoke and pipe tobacco: 11
Mouth: Strawberries, cherries, cranberries, woodsmke and fine grained tanins, with a long, long ripe finish: 14
Overall: I opened this as a mindless quafer, and found an interesting well worth of time and contemplation. I don't think this will improve, bit I think it will last at this level for a while: 8
50+5+11+14+8=88

11/23/2006 - kenh wrote:

Great old Cali pinot. Light pomegranete color ,pulling away from the glass. Deep nose of pinot fruit, no barnyard, but complex red berries. Excellent match with Thanksgiving dinner. Long long aftertaste.

11/23/2006 - kenh wrote:

This wine has become a traditional part of Thanksgiving around here - and as always it fails to disappoint. Clean crisp fruit, delightful nose, and long citrusy finish. The wine is straw colored and slightly sweet. It never fails to be a favorite among neophytes to wine, and a pleasure to those with more tasting experience. Wonderful melon, white grape, and kiwi fruit flavors. Excellent.

9/10/2006 - kenh wrote:

Vigorously decanted for air. Dark black cherry robe with nice thick legs. With supper, Christmas spices and black cherrys on the nose and the mouth. Relaxing after supper with the end of the bottle, the fruits have taken on a pinot typical sour cherry edge.

I'd never confuse this with a syrah, or a burg for that matter. So what.. it's tasty.

8/27/2006 - kenh wrote:

Wonderful old carmelized riesling. Good, lip-smacking acidity. Dark brown...a mixture of motor oil and cognac in color. Nose of figs and napoleon orange. Mouth redolent of fig, prune, raisins, orange pekoe.

Aftertaste lasted just short of forever. The finish did not fade before I wanted another sip, ever. After the last taste the finish lasted until I drank some water.

Superb. (This was solidly very good - verging on excellent)

6/10/2006 - kenh wrote:

Served as warm-up at dinner party. Good match with canapes. Rich, oily, lemon and green apples. Crisp chenin blanc bite.

6/18/2006 - kenh wrote:

Casual supper of veggie burgers and sundry cheeses. Opened this with the cheeses and kept drinking through supper. Complex white fruits, excellent minerally nose, and stainless steel/slate on the nose and back palate. Good!

6/10/2006 - kenh wrote:

Served with crab and crawfish tart with remoulade a la'Ken. Better match than the Chateuneuf blanc. This was complex, fruity, elegant and in aftertaste, minerally.

This continues to be a go to white. Only slightly sweet, it seems to holf up well with most things.

6/10/2006 - kenh wrote:

Served at dinner party. Matched with a whole braised beef tenderloin. marinated in seasoned red red wine, and braised in wine with aromatic vegtables, topped with a port and mustard reduction, red peppers stuffed with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar, and potatoes Anna.

The flight included the 1993 Catena Agrelo vineyard cabernet, and the 2003 A.P Vin Gary's, as well as the 1997 Duxsoup syrah.

The cab had lost most of it's frit but showed older cabernet nuances of leather, truffle, mushroom, tapenade, smoke and cedar. Drink 'em if you have 'em.

6/10/2006 - kenh wrote:

Served at dinner party. Matched with a whole braised beef tenderloin. marinated in seasoned red red wine, and braised in wine with aromatic vegtables, topped with a port and mustard reduction, red peppers stuffed with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar, and potatoes Anna.

The flight inclided the 1993 Catena Agrelo vineyard cabernet, and the 2003 A.P Vin Gary's, as well as the 1997 Duxsoup syrah.

The syrah showed beef blood and leather, but muted fruit. Previous bottles have been better. I let this get too old

6/10/2006 - kenh wrote:

Served with grilled poundcake pannini, stuffed with either nutella or homemade caramel. This wine was drizzeled on the dessert before the panninni was served with a sprinkle of confectioner's sugar. The wine was pretty, sweet, good acid to balance the sugars. Fig, brown sugar, blackstrap mollasses, citrus and slight oxidadtive elements brought everything togather in the glass.

6/10/2006 - kenh wrote:

Served at dinner party with first course of crab and crawfish tart. Wine was slightly over chilled, but showed well, with crisp white rhone viogioner, marsanne, and roussane perfume and flowers in the nose. Distinct oiliness and minerality in the mouth, and strong mineral aftertaste. Though I appreciated this wine for what it was, I think I'm learning that I really don't care for the white grapes of the southern Rhone.

5/26/2006 - kenh wrote:

Served slightly over-chilled. Interesting tawny-like notes. Caramel, charcoal and diesel. (Very) sweet, slight lift of acid.

3/18/2006 - kenh wrote:

Cabernet flavors. Carmel terroir. Mature nose, excellent mouth feel. Soft tannins, plum, pencil shavings and a hint of tapenade. Drinking in its prime now - and I think the fruit will hold for at least 5 more years.

7/5/2004 - kenh wrote:

LWC 2002 sampler
The darkest and most extracted of the 3. Dark, purple black. Nose of plums, earth, forest floor, and the smoke from burning autumnal leaves. Palate of dark fruits, violets, milk and dark chocolates, forest floor.
Delicious, but young. I think this has the most promise of the 3, but needs 3 years to reach its peak.

7/5/2004 - kenh wrote:

LWC 2002 sampler
Riper and darker fruit than the Brousseau. Darker robe. Nose of black cherries and chocolate carried through to the palate. Long red and black fruit finish, as if tasting milk chocolate filled with fruit liqueurs. The most yummy of the three for current drinking.

7/3/2004 - kenh wrote:

The 2002 Loring Sampler
Decanted for air an hour before serving. Lightest of the three, with a dark ruby robe. Nose of Pinot and strawberries. Hints of milk chocolate. Very approachable, clean, pure red fruits.