6/22/2016 - nba1017 wrote:

Silly to compare this to newer bottles of PM. Having said that, delicious mature bordeaux.

Cedar, small cherries, balsam, firewood, mocha, still some heat. Cloying tannins, black fruit on the finish. Extremely drinkable, more so than recent bottles of 2000 and 2005. Not as complex, but at a very fair price, worth enjoying now.

5/14/2016 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

One of the notes below hits it perfectly. Classy old-school chianti with power and elegance. Excellent QPR. I've had this in fine restaurants and with tuesday night ziti and it excels in both settings.

4/11/2016 - nba1017 wrote:

Have had this a couple times. Very good value. Round. Buttery, decent bit of vanilla and lemon curd. Hints of green apple. Greener and lightly herbal on the finish with enough acidity to keep it fresh, but still a rich wine. Each bottle has had a slight touch of oxidation, which I don't mind, but worth noting. Very good with seafood or fish in cream sauces.

Enjoyable.

3/15/2016 - nba1017 wrote:

Xavier's notes below capture what I was able to finesse out of a single bottle of this. The precision isn't quite there, but it's lush, well-made, and balanced. Tension between a flinty/salty quality and stone fruit on the nose, with baked peach, brown butter, and dark honey mid-palate and a green fruit skin finish tying it up nicely. A bit short. Good puligny. Interesting. Not at the almost grand cru level as I've experienced with other vintages, but very good wine nonetheless.

Paired with foie gras mousse and assorted cheeses.

EDIT: As this opens up, a definite saline/crustacean quality emerges on the finish. I can only describe it as the smell you get from very fresh head-on prawns. I'm not sure I could distinguish this from top-quality grand cru les clos chablis.

2/24/2016 - nba1017 wrote:

Unique if nothing else.

Nose initially is all Piedmont with truffle, leather, mushroom, cranberry before evolving into a sweet cherry, dusty saddle, dried fruit amarone cousin. Finish delves close to vin santo, and given the listed ABV (15% in 1999) it's not an in-apt comparison. Yet, tannins completely resolved and effortlessly light for the heat still present on the nose. Curious to try other vintages.

Very hard to score. On drinkability it's an easy 93 despite a touch of heat and mint on the very back end. However, the complexity is lacking to a point, hence the desire to see if this is bottle/vintage variation.

Paired perfectly with a provencal lamb stew with sweet potatoes and carrots.

2/5/2016 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

I'd disagree with some other posts--while the nose is a bit reticent, the body is dynamic and focused. Assorted spices--cumin, nutmeg, chinese five spice--with a touch of herbes de provence. Cherry and cranberry initially, blowing off to tar and peppercorn. No real bacon fat. Palate similar, but so clean and crisp with a major concentration of red fruit, hence the burgundy comparisons. Tannins totally resolved, yet vibrant on the finish, lingering for a good 30 seconds.

Great, and even better with moroccan lamb meatballs with couscous.

1/17/2016 - nba1017 wrote:

Incredible power and concentration for a 13 year old wine. Big nose of espresso, coffee beans, plum, bacon fat, raspberry liqueur, bittersweet chocolate. Rose petal and lavender coming out with time. Similar on the palate, with some black olive and coulis emerging too. Very fresh and rich finish, tannins well resolved. Would never have guessed older St. Joseph, possibly learner Gigondas or CDP from a good producer. Regardless, an excellent wine if you appreciate it stylistically and keep the vintage in mind.

1/16/2016 - nba1017 wrote:

Hard to score.

On opening, sulphur, clear oxidation. Very bitter and not much flavor. Over 24 hours, honey, peaches & cream, vanilla bean, hazelnut, with a rich finish not unlike a drier Tokaji except for lingering bitterness and relatively low alcohol that keeps this fresh and enjoyable 26 years in.

1/16/2016 - nba1017 wrote:

Not oxidized except for a strange period about an hour in when the nose turned, only to regain itself on the second day. Plenty of lemon curd, touch of mushroom, very herbal. Palate finishes with honey and wood, clean. Hint of heat. Nose pretty reticent the whole time but otherwise a well-structured older burgundy with great balance between fruit, wood, and secondary herbal/earthy characteristics. Paid $50 in 2014, good value.

1/10/2016 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

Stunning on the initial nose. Funk, dirt, dill, earth, mushroom, strawberry, candied fruit, framboise, maraschino, coconut, butterscotch (which may be closer to brown sugar, reading some of the other notes, but I distinctly got butterscotch candy). Mellowed with time to reveal dark raspberries and more mushroom. Palate similar with tangy orange zest and orange liqueur notes. Vibrant and acidic, but tannins nicely integrated, with the oak influence vaguely noticeable and pleasant on the finish. Low in alcohol and no heat to speak of. Wouldn't guess this was 22 years old based on the vibrancy and great intermingling of old-world aromas with a little American oak. Just fantastic wine. For $100 a bottle, can compete with Bordeauxs and Super Tuscans at 4x the price.

1/9/2016 - nba1017 wrote:

Excellent young chablis. All seashells and mineral on the finish, with a nose of lemon zest, oysters, and a touch of peach. Good weight, decently fleshy by chablis standards. Lemon curd midpalate balancing the wine beautifully.

Very excited to see where this goes. Paid $48, good value given the quality.

12/28/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

A very nice, lush daily-drinking syrah. More black fruit and unsmoked tobacco on the nose than anything else. Not much olive/earth. Smokiness/meatiness coming through on finish on day two. Great with a sausage and mushroom pizza on a cold night. I understand comments about thinking this had a touch of grenache--I would have guessed CdR before Crozes-Hermitage. Nonetheless, a good value at $20-25.

12/13/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Much tighter and tannic that I would of thought upon opening. Mellowed after several hours, revealing mushroom, truffle, roses, a touch of oregano. Consistently pure. Better the next day even with some heat on the nose. Not ready yet, but all the parts are there for a brilliant expression of nebbiolo to shine through soon. For now, drink with rich red sauce italian .

A good value too given the quality.

12/6/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

From a bottle that looked like it was stored by the train tracks for 25 years. Purchased at auction for ~$50.

Cedar, saddle leather, a touch of english pipe tobacco on the nose. No fruit--maybe a hint of prune. If you like this style, gorgeous. Tannins totally resolved yet fresh on the palate, finishing long for such a light wine. Hints of raspberry emerge at the end.

Surprised this held up, but ended up being classic bordeaux with an elegant nose and lithe profile. Enjoyed with a cheese plate on a Sunday afternoon.

11/22/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Pretty without being overbearingly sexy. A lighter wine, with definite vanilla/blueberry oak on the nose balanced nicely by fresh spices--allspice, cinnamon--and an herbal component I couldn't quite place. Maybe thyme but spicier. Good acidity on the palate, vanilla, orange peel, and juicy red/black fruit. Finishes long with the orange lingering.

Particularly good with provencal beef stew, and a nice value for the price.

11/6/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Bought for $30 at my local Binny's. Best QPR I've had this year.

Nose of old saddle leather, spicy cedar, herbs--maybe thyme, with blackberry and currant on the palate. Clean finish, tannins perfectly integrated after an hour of air. Not dried out at all, light without being austere. More wood and underbrush than fruit at this point, which I like, hence the favorable score. Just delicious--I'd love to have this with lamb chops with mint jelly and green beans almondine. For $30, there isn't much better.

10/23/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Bizarre.

Upon opening, the nose was a dead ringer for very classy Zinfandel. Upon tasting, it was a dead ringer for very classy Zinfandel. Four people tasted this wine blind and guessed richer Cali Pinot or Zin. Even after two hours of decanting, the most that emerged were some beautiful notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice.

A fantastic Zinfandel, except this was 11 year old Hermitage. Bizarre. There's no way to score this. If a second bottle has a similar profile I'd love to put it up against a bottle of aged Turley and an older Hermitage. I'll chalk this note up to extreme bottle variation though.

10/18/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Old school.

Black fruit and olives/cured meats on the nose. Definite bresaola notes. Little funk and shockingly easy drinking for 15.2% abv, with no obvious heat. Finish goes on for a good 30 seconds. Old world nose with a clean California palate of blackberries, currant, and smoky olives--think gin soaked anchovy olives. Awesome.

Pairing: soy/ginger/garlic/lime/chile marinated flank steak with honey ginger carrots.

10/18/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Very tough to score as it's obviously a 95-98 point wine when compared to other syrah. But at this price point, it's hard to say that it's truly that spectacular. Beautifully made, with incredible purity and structure. Graceful to drink. Yet dominated by red fruit (with some alluring bacon fat on the nose that unfortunately blew off) without any true complexity to it. Ultimately, a bit unilateral, if divine with roast duck breast. For the price, though, I'm torn, as the "experience" of reckoning with a temperamental and evolving wine simply wasn't quite there.

10/18/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

An awesome tropical rich nose. Hints of wool but not at all overpowering. Structured oak and a touch of minerality on the finish, decently tart and lively. Just fantastically interesting wine; I could have mistaken this for older grand cru chablis with just a touch more citrus to it.

10/13/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Almost no fruit left. Immediate nose of cotton candy and iron, vaguely Burgundian. Beef blood, graphite, and Montreal smoked meat on the nose. Tannins totally integrated. Absolutely cool to drink with foie gras and eggs.

10/11/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

A slightly disappointing bottle given my expectations. Upon opening, a concentrated nose of black fruits, pencil shavings, graphite, and a nickel-like minerality with a hint of raw maduro tobacco. On the palate, a little bit of brett-with a somewhat unpleasant barnyard aftertaste that overpowered the fruit. Better with a juicy and fatty burger.

Softened the next day but I still couldn't get past the funk on the palate. Looking forward to the next bottle--this wasn't bad, but it felt as though a great deal was lingering under the funk and unable to get out.

EDIT: Polished the last half glass after 24 hours. Beautiful blue and black fruit finally emerging. At this stage, it's a 95+ point stunner of a Right Bank Bordeaux.

9/24/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

"Pedal to the metal."

First bottle of the case. If this was a car, it'd be a 90s Jag--finicky, frustrating, powerful, and damn beautiful in the distance.

Plum, red berry and liqueur aromas almost shockingly apparent on the very hot nose, with smoke, barnyard, hay/straw, blueberry, and burnt sugar underneath. Totally coating on the palate yet finishing perfectly clean.

A fascinating wine, and I'm curious to see variation between the bottles. Still youthful, but both the stuffing and clarity are there to last for many, many years. Just fun to drink. If I had to rate, 93-94, with the potential to jump to 96 if the heat softens in time.

9/22/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Pleasant bordeaux drinking well now. Chocolate, mocha, and tobacco flavors most apparent, with deeper blue fruit on the nose. Not bad at all, and of a more modern style of St. Emilion. A great cheeseburger wine, so to speak.

Overpriced at retail, though a relative bargain on a restaurant list at $55.

9/20/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Devraj's note below is extremely accurate. For the price, this shows extremely well. Rich nose, almost plummy with dark cherries. Definite morel mushroom and licorice notes. Very earthy, yet light on the finish. Tannins nicely resolved. This sings with rich pasta dishes.

8/4/2015 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

Very impressive. Tannins almost completely resolved after 30m of air, and despite an almost translucent garnet color, a massive nose of truffles, porcinis, and a touch of sour cherry. Provencal herbs too. Not fruity, not leathery. Relatively backward (though we had Pavie beforehand, so maybe skewed by that comparison), with a little umami on the nose and a smooth and sweet but not sexy finish. A touch disjointed, with some sediment too, but otherwise excellent for the $50 price point.

7/23/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Agree with previous notes. A very nice hint of cinnamon and clove on the finish complementing earth, cherry, and cranberry tones coming out on day two. For $40, nice value and worth picking up a few, as I did. A well-built, pure burgundy with some nuance to it.

7/8/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Solid village burgundy. Crisp, excellent woody structure balanced by verve and sharp acidity and minerality. More on the Puligny side. Divine with bistro food and well priced at $25 or so.

7/8/2015 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

Pavel's note below hits this wine very well. Definite coffee and cocoa notes with elegant red fruit on the nose, with the tannins starting to soften and integrate. A svelte yet muscular wine. I've had some bottle variation with my case so far, though, with some bottles having more noticeable oaky vanilla on the nose and others being a bit more austere with just a touch of raw tobacco to go with the coffee/cocoa.

5/17/2015 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

No detailed notes. Extraordinary purity and length. Beef jerky, cured italian salami, and just hours of hedonistic feral qualities that lingered long after the wine itself was gone. The most masculine of any Hermitage I've had from 2000 onwards, with a nonetheless surprisingly soft structure and no heat whatsoever. No sweetness, and I can appreciate the bordeaux-esque qualities noted below, though I almost got a decadent mushroomy/espresso quality that overlapped with some St. Emilion I've had (C. Monbosquet comes to mind).

Worth every penny, and went surprisingly well with grilled king salmon with morels and even better with dark chocolate pecan pie. To be able to drink this on a weekly basis...I can't even imagine where it will be in 10-15 years.

5/11/2015 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

The previous note is right on point. Medium weight, raspberry driven with nuances of espresso, bittersweet chocolate, tar, clove, cured meat, and graphite. Almost St. Emilion-esque in its chocolatey qualities yet snapping back on the finish to true old-school Syrah. Remarkable purity--as complex as this is I could have polished the bottle in 45 minutes too. Just a joy to drink. Can't wait to see where this is in five and ten years. Plenty of depth lurking underneath.

4/28/2015 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

Cork crumbled a bit upon opening. Graphite, sweet tobacco, sour cherry, and plum. Lighter than expected, with a demure elegance, if not quite grace, to it. Could have picked nicely aged high-end Barbaresco before St. Julien. Decent bit of sweetness held up over a few hours, though, as mentioned, rather one-dimensional, at least at hour ~4. Cassis and menthol emerging with time. This would be downright divine with any sort of roast with herbs de provence and a starch based side.

Very nice, but decent QPR. Nothing mind-blowing or fascinating about this, and thinner than I would have liked.

4/23/2015 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

Better on Day 2--needed to shed a bit of extraneous fat that held back the base cranberry and spice characteristics. Fantastic mid-week wine--about a simply broiled steak and carrots as it was with salmon. A touch of Marsannay candied apple/cotton candy aromas balanced nicely by rustic spice--almost a touch of clove. Light yet serious and well-put together. Can't wait to see where this goes in a couple years.

3/14/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

JERWIN's note is right on. Enjoyed with spaghetti and homemade meatballs, yet still big, brusque, and tannic with some wonderful fruits and leather underneath.

I've tasted this over five days and still felt it continue to evolve in the bottle. Give it time and give it air.

2/10/2015 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

Sad to be polishing off my last bottle of the case already. For $14 a bottle, unbeatable.

Tar, licorice, and hints of allspice on the nose. English pipe tobacco, raspberry, blackberry and sour cherry flavors with a tannic and very dry finish. Easy enough to drink on its own, and can stand up to a steak while pairing just fine with italian chicken dishes. Particularly good with linguine with pancetta and peas in cream sauce.

1/24/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Funny, I'd echo the previous couple posts--this bottle is far more restrained than the last couple I've had, and is missing that overwhelming dark cherry/chocolate nose I've enjoyed previously. Having said that, I got a touch of funk, definite black olive, more blackberry, and overall just more earth. In some ways, this seems to be more complex than the other relatively larger bottles.

Again, for the price, Monbousquet remains either fantastically straight-forward or curiously complex.

Served with beef berbere.

1/23/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

I adore this. Rich, focused, unpretentious yet constantly evolving in the glass with more and more deep white fruit wafting around. Light on its feet yet finishing as rich as a wine far above its label. For $50, the best white burgundy I've ever had.

Having said that, I almost prefer Pernot's Bourgogne, which retains many of the same flavors with a lighter body and more woody/lemony nose. The Bourgogne can be enjoyed without food, whereas the Puligny was almost overwhelming without a Julia Child poulet roti to stand up to it.

1/20/2015 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

I echo everything "EMTAME" said below. If I could get this for $25-30, I'd have a few cases instead of a few bottles. Even at $45, it seamlessly balances easy drinking with complexity and nuance.

1/20/2015 - nba1017 wrote:

Very hot finish with the 15.2% alcohol quite present.

All dark-ish fruits with actually not-overwhelming grip, and a touch of smoke on the finish.

Not bad, but too slick and glossy for my tastes--was expecting a more Northern Rhone style syrah. This was very obviously American, and we would have guessed CA before WA.

12/26/2014 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

I'm not sure where to begin.

First off, purchased at a damn steal of $450. About 4cm reduced. Cork was incredibly clean, totally saturated and reduced. Stored and turned beautifully. Surprisingly little sediment.

Initial aromas of concentrated black and deep red fruit, almost plummy with baked blackberries. Definite heat but a freshness and purity keeping the whole thing tied together. The mouthfeel was a cross between old port, lacquer, and a very thick jam. Totally coating, unlike anything I've ever had. 55 years old and completely unrelated yet constantly evolving, even in mouth.

Over two hours the wine definitely mellowed, revealing south asian spice notes, charred root vegetables, cigar smoke, and, of all things, seaweed and hoisin sauce. We opened this at a Christmas buffet and were able to pair it with a wide range of foods. Amazingly, by far the best was grilled freshwater eel sushi. However, it also sung along with deep dark chocolate and was a better complement for roast turkey than any cranberry sauce I've ever had.

Overall, one of the most muscular, precise, svelte, and complex wines I"ve ever had the pleasure to try. As unrelenting as the melange of flavors were, it is an undeniably delicate wine too.

Truly a joy.

9/15/2014 - nba1017 wrote:

A wonderful Monday-night wine. Quaffable yet sophisticated.

Very dense, pungent nose upon unscrewing. Musty tobacco and earth with dark unripe fruit. Rich for the first half-hour or so, with softer red fruit gradually emerging toward the end. Smooths out quickly enough, but too heavy without food on the first day--when paired with a cheese plate it was perfect.

Second day even better, with better balance and a svelte but still dense finish. Classic rhone flavors with more strawberry than I'd otherwise expect. Little to no heat.

A great introduction to southern rhone style wines at a bargain of a price for the quality ($18 in Chicago).

8/30/2014 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

A previous poster refers to this as Grenache grown in Burgundy. It's a good analogy. This is hardly a California fruit bomb, and the alcohol is noticeably cool.

Translucent garnet ruby color. Mild nose upon opening. Strawberry with some green grass and dew. Very, very tight for first hour or so. Cherry and darker, almost blanched fruit flavors and lightly tannic. The finish is pure earth--slate and mushroom and green pepper/fried green tomatoes with tightly wound unripe fruit coming back on the end. Lingered surprisingly long.

Just flat out cool wine to think about. Complex and contrasting yet easy to drink. For the $25 price tag, one of the more interesting yet enjoyable wines I've had.

8/29/2014 - nba1017 wrote:

A very light-bodied CdP. Easily accessible, with chewy fresh fruit and a lingering light chocolately/mocha finish. Not that deep or tannic and missing the rich spice of an older, more complex CdP, but great with bistro food on a rainy night. Paired with escargot and duck breast with chanterelles--fantastic.

For $30 retail/~$70 in a restaurant, a reasonable and easy to drink wine.

8/27/2014 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

Not too much more to add than what's already been said. Very nice $10 wine paired with goat cheese and crackers. Hard to beat for the price.

8/24/2014 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

This review overlaps with my notes on the riserva.

Notably fruit-forward with an addictively quaffable finish. Red fruit with a chewier but less complex dry and dried fruit note (strawberry jam mixed with prune?) on the back end. Light weight. Decidedly not "old-school" chianti, with very little earth or mushroom at all, but damn good wine that we pair with a plate of salami and cheese a couple nights a week. A "go-to" all purpose chianti perfect with tomato-based dishes or just a lighter antipasto.

For $18-20, the classico is a better deal than the riserva. The main difference to me is that the riserva has a bit more complexity on its finish, with that peculiar yet fantastic melon taste I can't place yet really enjoy.

8/24/2014 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

I can't believe no one has rated this. Apparently it's harder to find, at least in Chicago and IL recently. I"ll review the classico separately, but I find it to be nearly as good in almost every respect.

Notably fruit-forward with an addictively quaffable finish. Red fruit with a hint of almost bitter melon (sweet and sour?) on the back end. Surprisingly light for a riserva. Decidedly not "old-school" chianti, with very little earth or mushroom at all, but damn good wine that we pair with a plate of salami and cheese a couple nights a week. A "go-to" all purpose chianti perfect with tomato-based dishes or just a lighter antipasto.

I've seen this retail for around $28. For $18-20, the classico is a better deal.

8/24/2014 - nba1017 wrote:

Solid, fruit forward yet rich and chewy wine crying out for grilled steak and peppers. For the price ($9) it's a no-brainer. Very Italian, very good. I've enjoyed everything I've had from Farina. Apparently the 2009 is a even fruitier and gets rid of some of the tight-wound-ness and chewy meat/mushroom flavors.

Day 2: Softened beautifully, retaining a lot of the fruit but shedding the meat. Much more nicely integrated.

8/22/2014 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

Flat out fun to drink, especially with butter chicken.

8/19/2014 - nba1017 Likes this wine:

Flat out awesome. Paired with chicken francese; about as divine a dinner as one can hope for.

Massive spice nose of cinnamon and anise with some baked fruit (blackberry pie?) and caramel. Friend noted some flavored "snuff," and I found a touch of rich yet light cigar tobacco notes too.

Amazingly dry despite the nose. Not all that tannic, with a very long finish that pulls together the spice and deep fruit perfectly. Not at all restrained, with no burn either. Fantastic, classic wine. Very close to the best readily available wine I've ever had.

8/19/2014 - nba1017 wrote:

A caveat that I rarely drink very high end Brunello; most of the expensive Italian wine I've enjoyed has been Barolo.

Absolutely massive upon opening. Deep smoky notes of melted bitter chocolate and noticeable heat. Unbearably tannic for almost an hour, with a lingering chewiness and burnt tobacco flavor. Began to soften quickly though, with dark fruit balancing the tobacco. Spicy black pepper and salami notes as well.

Day Two: Much more elegant, with unripe dark fruit (sour cherries) intertwined with the now settled tannins and a restrained nose.

Overall, this is a wildly complex, constantly evolving wine that blew my socks off as someone learning more about wine. I don't think I would ever purchase this at normal F&B markups, as I didn't quite "love" it. At a Sunday night night special ($160) though, it's just flat out good. We had it with sausage sandwiches and a meat and cheese spread the next day. Ideally, I'd pair it with a rich stew--possibly even a lamb tagine with some sweetness to balance out the unrelentingly spicy body. San Daniele prosciutto worked very nicely though.