12/3/2023 - SimonG wrote:

1/12. First look at 2000 HBL, and despite lots of suggestions on CT that its’s open and giving, this was pretty monolithic. Dense, almost impenetrable full ruby, really dense and inky in the decanter and glass. Tight nose of blackcurrant and maybe something a little more mineral. Still some tannin, but resolved enough for drinking comfortably, but the fruit dense and unyielding, profile more St Estephe than Pauillac currently. If you told me this was only five or six years old I’d believe it. Over the course of five hours in decanter and glass it opens slightly, but remains a brooding presence, if not sulking then certainly far from garrulous. That said, it does go well with a roasted rib of beef, but grudgingly so. A third poured back into the bottle and popped in the fridge to see what tomorrow brings. **(*)

9/15/2023 - Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine:

This wine surprised me, as for a Chambertin, I expected a powerful and bold wine. Instead, Tortochot has made an extremely elegant and ethereal Pinot, which blind I would have said to be a Chambolle. Lot's of red cherry and cranberry, this is easy to drink and as per past reviews, I'd say ready now rather than holding for the long term. A very nice wine but I deduct some points for this not being the character of a proper Chambertin.

3/30/2022 - AValdes wrote:

Drank next to the 2010 (with the 86, 95, 01, and 06 on the table). Double decanted about 2 hours prior to serving.

In general, drinking young Bdx, especially those of Lafite, is just not that enjoyable for me. Of the 10 and the 05, I found the 10 much more enjoyable at this stage than the 05. To be fair, I feel the same way about Burgs - neither is ready and I have high expectations for both in the future. At this moment, I think the wine is growing up and hints at wine that will impress in the future, but I hope it does not fall apart along the way.

I wouldn't open this again for at least 20 years. That would be a good time to check in. It is not a closed wine (like some colder wines) but a wine that needs time to figure itself out.

6/24/2023 - Willi Vinotti Likes this wine:

Ok, nice. Super closed. Used aveine aerator, nice results opening this beast a bit more. Did not see any immediate pleasure without it and saw some light at the end of the tunnel after using it. I need to say that there is absolutely no pint buying these wines for the current price point (250eur). Strictly speaking a cerebral wine, interesting maybe, but not worth the effort. 2005 anyhow not a target for auction buy, this echezeau is in the category of other burgundies that have potential, but also a potential to never show up.

As i think by now that life is too short for this type of efforts, i will discard this from future buys, though will report back on the remaining bottle if it changes in the future!

7/16/2022 - WST Likes this wine:

This was the perfect salve following my last Allemand, a lackluster 2011 Chaillots. The 2007 thrilled despite guarded expectations. Generous, spicy and energetic, with blackberries, violets, bacon and pipe tobacco. Great cut with prominent yet fine tannins. I Andouzed, opening about 5 hours before serving. Perfection with seared Australian lamb chops with za’atar.

6/9/2023 - anstruletz Likes this wine:

This was my second experience tasting a first growth and I'm honestly pretty underwhelmed. Yes, it's very good wine. Yes, it evolved in the glass over 3 hours with leather, cedar, black fruit, graphite - all the things it's supposed to taste and smell like. But the sum of those tastes and smells were nowhere near magical or etherial, such that they would justify the $600 I threw down on the bottle. I'm guessing there's some upside with age, but I just don't know if it'll ever get to the level. Bottom line: enjoyable but lacking the wow factor.

3/13/2023 - Nrtrimble wrote:

Complex Chassagne with an accessible, smooth, and crisp shape to the wine. Beautiful limestone minerals ring strong throughout the glass.

6/9/2023 - Papies wrote:

A pre-50 pre Birthday Celebration; 6/9/2023-6/11/2023 (Around Zurich Area): Sourced pristine from the impeccable cellar of Sonne Seuzach , Switzerland . In neck level and solid cork albeit fully wet.
Impressively young and would have guessed 1990 Pauillac if we did not know. Firm wine , soft austerity that draws you in and this is not a wine that advertises and screams but a wine one need to search beauty as if behind a veil. Soft dark fruit, light liquorice kiss, very little earthy touch . Impressive and an experience to say the least . 95-96

11/28/2021 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

12% ABV. 540 bottles and 26 magnums made. PNP into Spiegelau Burgundy glass (“Fruit” day): Pale garnet to the eyes.

Bramble berries, red and black cherry fruits here. Dried florals. A little savory white spice, chocolate and hints of for the pencil shavings for the first glass.

Detectably more textured tannins for this bottle which again reinforced the image of bottle variations due to bottling by barrel practice here.

95-96 points of this showing. Will one ever grow tired of this wine?

Second pour, 15 mins in, 3/4 left: more vibrancy and also slight petillance on palate here. Richer fruit profile to support the ample stuffing here.

Third pour, 30 mins in, 3/5 left: even some eggwhite like reduction here. Still more about red, cherry fruits here in my view compared to the other two bottles tasted just a day or two before. Very good intellectual study of his bottles indeed. Interesting to note that the after taste / finish for this wine really reminds me of fresh eaten cherries!

Fourth pour, 40 mins in, 1/2 left: largely consistent with previous pour.

Fifth pour, 1 hour in, 1/5 left: getting better in terms of integration! More of the signature organic luxurious blackberry fruits that is so authentic, and clearly defined signature of this producer now. Think this is more 96 points now! A bottle of opulence for me now.

Last pours: shared with the rest of the great team behind this! Well deserved.

8/23/2023 - RhoneWho wrote:

We had high expectation drinking this wine after all it tasted so well in 2019 which reminded us a baby LaLa's. We were stunned by how well it drank in 2019 with lots of concentrated fruits to balance out its strong tannins and with lots of aromatics plus dark (purple) color

Unfortunately, this wine recently tasted diagonally opposite as its acidity (tartiness and sourness) dominated the palate rendering fruitless flavor nor any typical Cote Rotie notes (such as herbal and pepper) even though we pair it with Italian cuisine. This acidity profile is typically associated Italian wines and thought the flavor as in Italian wines would emerge when pairing with Italian food (with acidity in its sauces or tomatoes). The color has also turned lighter (ruby red) than its original dark purple even though it's sitting in the same stable cool cellar.

This was a strange tasting experience for me on this wine from great 2010 vintage (JD 99). Back in 2019, i rated it 96-98. Maybe this is what wine critic like RP used to say in "dumb phase" or "sleep mode"

Let's hope the wine will wake up in 3-5 years from now. This is my first review to use "NR" .. sigh...

5/9/2022 - beatles wrote:

First time tasting this, a positive surprise. Rustic character, 2014 speaks, but this is far from open for business. Closed, a wee bit herbal with a healthy fruit underneath. I guessed as much as Gevrey-Chambertin here, there is a true sense of place.
#Sonne

6/6/2019 - SmokeTaint Likes this wine:

Tasted 2012 BONDs (horizontal) at Angler then Harlan: '14 '04 '13 '03 and '96 Harlan with dinner at Saison

The 2013 is in a closed down phase, needs time to come out of it.

5/24/2023 - Richard P Howden wrote:

Oh my. Beautiful floral nose cram jam with strawberries cherries & violets. Medium weight, good intensity, youthful but showing a bit of herbal complexity. Balanced, energetic. So Chambolle. Off vintage? Hmm no. A beauty.

8/9/2022 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine:

Kiawah 2022; 8/6/2022-8/13/2022: I'm liking these less with age. The fruit bomb factor fades and you're left with just kind of flabby fruit. It's still nice, but just kinda "meh" for the price

1/27/2018 - Collector1855 wrote:

Domaine Francois Lamarche Masterclass: Clean red fruit in the nose some spices. Fine palate, elegant mouth feel. Lovely wine but is it as good as l'Arlot?

7/22/2023 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Taken to a BBQ. My last bottle. Classic soft merlot berries with hints of green tobacco and camphor. Some Lafleur-like mulberry. Drink now with air or feels this would be even better in a few years. Lovely texture already though. 93-94

5/28/2019 - KenPlace wrote:

Wow wine, but too young to open by 10 years! I mistakenly took it out of my cellar thinking it would be a 1998. Oops. This was smooth, concentrated, with the right structure to turn into a beauty.

5/24/2023 - thesternowl wrote:

Judgement of Paris Tasting and Dinner (V. Mertz - Omaha, NE): Served double-blind as a sort of epilogue to an already epic night. This was served alongside another red wine that was also presented double-blind. Immediately, I called this Southern Rhone and the other wine, Sangiovese from Toscano (it ended up being a 2012 Biondi Santi Riserva). This presented a bright ruby color in the glass with a transparent core. This wine…had an OMG nose. The kind of aromatics that could end all wars and bring a century of peace to all mankind. It’s both powerful and elegant. Both ripe and fresh. An androgynous wine that represents both masculine and feminine with a grace that would make Prince or David Bowie envious. Gorgeously layered red and dark fruits, exotic spices, licorice and garrigue wrapped in the most beautifully textured package imaginable. It reminded me of something similar to a previous experience; like Fonsalette…but this was different, there was more here. When you taste this, everything becomes clear. You look at everyone at the table differently; for what you have more in common instead of what makes us different. An experience akin to an Odesza show on MDMA. It’s that profound and then you are forever changed. You wake up the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that and weeks go by and your worldview is different. You see love in everything. And then it was revealed to be a 2010 Chateau Rayas. *Insert expletive*. A magnificent wine. An epiphany and, as far as I’m concerned, perfect. This is not merely a great Chateauneuf du Pape. This transcends the appellation. It should be its own AOC. Drink now or whenever you’re reading this note.

2/2/2018 - BenBlu wrote:

I like this producer a lot in general, but unfortunately I found this bottle to be nothing special. Decanted for half an hour and consumed over an hour thereafter, the nose was shy but correct, on the palate again correct with sour cherries coming through but felt light and a tad tart, really not much in terms of any sweet core fruit. Overall a bit disappointed and dare I say clearly my weakest 2014 red Burgundy - and the others so far have been village level or Bourgogne. Maybe a weak bottle? Certainly no signs of an off bottle either. Hmmmm.

6/3/2021 - soyhead wrote:

rich, custard-y, butterscotch and honeyed, only medium acidity

7/22/2023 - nmmnori wrote:

Fuees Dinner (DJCV as host) (Brooklyn, NY): Backwards / closed. Not giving much. Almost new world in terms of the style of oak here. Dominating aromatics were of vanilla. I wonder what the cooperage here is... Maybe will be good with another 20 years in the bottle?

12/31/2021 - Gilles Dupont Likes this wine:

Decant 1 hour. Very elegant and concentrated in glass (Zalto Bordeaux). Classic year, but simply Lafite class. Such an aristocratic wine. Always a pleasure. Kept improving till the last glass. Has clearly still many years ahead, but very charming right now. Follow-up with Mouton 2008, but clearly a level above.

12/24/2022 - Rote Kappelle wrote:

I depress myself. There could be many reasons advanced but one of them is that try as I may, I just don't get much stiffy from Champagne. Objectively, I can appreciate it but there is no emotional engagement.

This is good stuff. I think it has positive development ahead over the next decade. It is vibrant, intense, with a long finish and some complexity. If that doesn't sell it, I don't know what will.

If you like Champagne, I think you will love this. I see it as great value and there is a nice mix of complexity and passion. Sadly, for me, for whatever reason there is just no zing. it is not about the maker it is just something idiosyncratic that extends to all sparkling wine. Not Calvinist enough?

11/12/2020 - Collector1855 wrote:

Double blind. Deep ruby. Rich, ripe, southern nose, extracted, tanninc palate with drying finish, outch! Not much positive things I can say, an Australian GSM bruiser from the Parker era was my guess. Not surprised to see the name when this was revealed as I had it before with the same underwhelming experience. I have two issues with this wine. Why? First and foremost because the Bordeaux Character completely disappears after adding only 15% Syrah. This learning was a big surprise when I had the 2004 version of this wine ca. 10 years ago. How can it be that 15% Syrah does not add to the blend but changes it completely? I am a fan of Northern Rhone, but why would you produce a Bordeaux bottled wine that tastes like an off the mill Rote du Rhone? If you could manage to produce a half-half experience, it would be interesting but not if it is just another GSM rendition. There is plenty of that at a much lower prices, no need for a Palmer premium. Second, I don't think it is even a good Rhone, too hot, too extracted, drying tannins. This wine is not adding to the prestige of the Palmer estate, rather the opposite.

6/26/2022 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:

Summer Mondo Event $200+ (Roswell, GA): Pretty crimson, tons of sediment, orange rim; cellar stink, roses, sexy nose, balsamic, leather, liqueured fruit, great fruit, mouth filling, noble wood, mahogany, spicy; delicious just not very attractive looking; '11 Pie Franco?

11/23/2022 - Cailles wrote:

Ten Vintages Haut Bailly vs Mission HB: Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.

Some findings:
1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).

TN: Medium+ expressive nose, ripe dark fruit, some blue fruit. On the palate this is very inviting, very round and velvety but with lots of tension and luxurious tannins. The whole spectrum blue, black and some dark red fruit, quite ripe but not too ripe. This is lots of fun to drink with some sweet layers of sugar powder, and then coffee and toffee. Some herbs and a nice minerality backbone shining through. Very complex and highly precise But overall this is so round and easy to drink from start to the long finish. One of the starts of the tasting and compared to the 09/10 no alcohol showing.

Decanting: Showed quite well from the go. Maybe no extensive decanting is needed.

6/19/2023 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Hamilton Blind Group: [Tasted Double Blind] This pours medium purple in the glass. The nose is of candied cherry, purple licorice, charcoal, violets, punchy blackberry, blueberry, and mulberry. The palate also feels very youthful, showing a vaguely tangy profile with medium tannin, medium acid, and some bitterness. Some alcohol pokes through on the finish, but not obtrusive. Overall I was quite stumped by this. Clearly Bordeaux varieties, and felt young. My best guess was a 2008 Chinon as I occasionally get that very bright and punchy fruit character form some producers. I was quite surprised on reveal. I have always loved this producer, so I'm really hoping this needs more age. Just so incredibly young right now and centred on the fruit.

12/14/2020 - englishman's claret wrote:

At its best, the 2010 Pavillon blanc offers a nice tropical nose with creamy accents but it's not quite as articulate as the 2008. Notably, this might be the least successful case of wine I have ever opened - of the dozen from OWC 2 were corked, 4 undrinkably oxidized, and 4 with drinkable but variable premox. Only 2 bottles of 12 showed what one would hope to see.

2/3/2023 - Nutty08 wrote:

Rather roasted with a coffee element to the fruit. There’s some maturity with cedar spice and tobacco elements trying to come out but I found this heavy and lacking freshness. Tannins still well behind the concentrated fruit, with some astringency, but does has a nice velvety texture.
I’ll likely hold my remaining bottles but don’t care for the flavor profile at this stage and hope for the best.

12/31/2022 - El Tino wrote:

Alas, I kept this too long! The cork had more or less crumbled, but vestiges of its greatness nonetheless remained. I am now wondering how long to leave the únicos of the same vintage I have in my cellar

12/8/2018 - MikeATL Likes this wine:

Not a bad Saturday afternoon: A little tar and flowers, modestly ripe but good intensity, still loaded with fine tannin, in its adolescence with a lot of life left.

3/18/2023 - Bordeaux_Jon wrote:

From a half bottle, coravvined. Tried to do a mini-horizontal with Fonseca 2000 and both were corked. A fun evening for sure. What's up with corked Ports? The last three half bottles all had some degree of TCA.

10/18/2019 - hanasowner wrote:

Either past its prime or an off bottle...fruit was non-existent.

10/3/2022 - sirpat00 wrote:

2002 Bordeaux 20 years on tasting (Fribourg): 2002 Bordeaux 20 years on tasting. Key takeaways: 1/ 31 out of 32 wines were in flawless condition which indicates either luck or less bottle variation in the vintage, 2/ On average still early days with the fruit predominantly primary, 3/ solid hedonistic quality with only few laggards, but also no blow-outs, 4/ structures built on both tannin and acidity, but common mid-palate weakness, 5/ best wines were Valandrau, Palmer and a surprise underdog Lagrange (all 95), 6/ biggest disappointment was a cooked Figeac (87). More comments and full list of wines included in the tasting story.

Tasting note:
The aroma profile showed a greenish, herbal character with hay and mint but also a medicinal touch. Fruit of mixed berries. Palate a bit thin and scaled towards tannin. The fruit leaves you with a cooked impression after a while in the glass. At first interesting, but in the end overripe fruit and unripe tannins. A disappointing Figeac.

6/25/2020 - KeithAkers wrote:

A 2014/2016 survey of Gerard Mugneret (Ken's, northbrook IL): Nose: Here is a noticeable step up from the premier crus as there is just so much depth and personality with earth tones, red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, tobacco, smoke notes, licorice, violets, and bits of freshly cracked pepper.

Taste: The feel is Medium/full bodied with tart, medium+ acidity and silky, but still quite youthful medium+ tannins. The feel is refined and deep with earth tones, red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, smoke, licorice, violets, and freshly cracked pepper.

Overall: This is gorgeous and it will certainly improve with age. This is a real refined Echezeaux and is a real treat to smell and taste.

11/14/2022 - clayfu wrote:

the mighty 2007 Rayas, 100 points Parker. 50 points Fu. I legitimately do not understand what people are tasting when I read the CT notes on this wine. I’ve had this multiple times in its life and each time I come to the same conclusion. The wine is a candied, ripe, alcoholic. When people say “oh it’s new world” but in that type of tone where saying New World is the equivalent of telling someone they are in the lower 10% of the class, this is that level of New World Grenache. Most of us came in with similar experiences with the 07 and no one left with something different. Maybe it just needed to be in Magnum format and eaten with sushi to really appreciate it.

12/10/2021 - SineQuaNon wrote:

Oooh Nooo!! Corked!! Goddangit! Even brought it to show the qualities of SQN to people, who had never had SQN before. Super sadface

8/12/2016 - fc1910 Likes this wine:

bought a case of six for the family so I like to know how this is showing as a youngster......., a surprise, very tasty right now, missing some depth and concentration according to be labeled as a GC......, yes I do know a Charmes is not an example for a very concentrated Bourgogne GC, but still I miss a little in the midpalate, a lot of black fruit, balanced with integrated tannin, in the background some acidity, quite long, very elegant though, very delicate, but will this wine evolve for more than a decade++? I really do not know, **(*?), 87- 89+?

4/2/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine:

Light yellow with penetrating crushed granite nose. Still very
tight with intense lemon peach pit palate slapped with a whiff of vanilla following a long limestone grippy finish. These Lafon Perrières are very close to the class of your better Chevalier Montrachets in most years-How do you spell Bargain! Best now 2036

2/15/2022 - kostaslonis wrote:

Alain Voge 2012 tasting *failed* - Tasting Ground (oinoscent): Horribly corked
damn

4/2/2022 - Dough Boy Does not like this wine:

I’ve tasted this wine several times and was hoping it might improve - but it hasn’t. It has declined. Way overrated. Disappointing. Harsh. I agree w fellow CT, Asparagus!

And Suckling’s review of this wine blows my mind. It’s one thing to rate wines 3-4 points higher than other reviewers, but this wine doesn’t even scratch the 90 threshold. Not close.

Suckling literally loses his mind over this dud, “Absolutely stunning aromas of nectarine, orange peel, sweet black cherry, plum, flower, licorice and mushroom. Full body with layers of ultra-fine tannins and hints of tangy acidity. Such beautiful length and beauty to this wine. It's powerful and structured but shows a gorgeous finesse and length. Truly wondrous. So long and refined. The texture is phenomenal. 99 points”

It’s as if he didn’t taste THIS wine. I’ve come to ignore JS’s reviews. Now I do so with contempt.

3/12/2022 - englishman's claret wrote:

Of 6 opened, 5 were premoxed. Ouch. The sole survivor was arguably too young (or not decanted near long enough) with an assertive grapefruit character.

10/10/2022 - Bordeaux_Jon wrote:

96.4 average on CT. Holy Moly! From a half bottle this is very very austere. I’m surprised from my 2009 Right Bank retro that the 2009s still seem in their shells even from halves. Either they are very oaky or very opaque. This was the latter. Dark fruit, embers, and oak can be coaxed from the glass with hours of effort. The palate is smooth but not very giving. I’d wait 5-10 years.

6/4/2022 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:

I was still looking for more trouble after the ‘00 Latour, and having not had a Pavie, this was the next most interesting wine by the glass for me (and after the 80E, what was another 40)? On the nose and palate, blackberries, red and black currants, raspberries, tobacco, ground spice, dark chocolate and cedar. Dark magenta-maroon, very full bodied and thick legs. Powerfully tannic and electric acidity, no heat. VG+ complexity with insane intensity and persistence. This was a bit of the id to the Latour superego, with lots more angularity in the way the better French and Italian merlot-based blends often have that CA doesn’t. There is big fruit to go with the big structure, but not quite in balance, certainly not in the way the Latour was (as an aside, with this, like the Verite Muse, another merlot-based blend, I significantly overestimated the CS component). I’ve often pled relative ignorance on BDX on these digital pages, but even within that, Right Bank tends to fall well behind Left. While I’d be far less likely to pop this now than the ‘00 Latour (and would likewise hold it longer), I’m certain it will be the best Right Banker I’ve had, edging the far readier ‘09 LaViolette (that said, I have high hopes for my ‘16 Figeac at home, and the hope of a generous, tipsy friend cracking some uber vintage Cheval Blanc springs eternal, and of course, moving across this land mass, bestill my heart, a Masseto). Coravined 3 days earlier. Same caveats as the Latour as not being able to observe over time or with food, but hey, you take your great pours where you find them, right? 96-97+

12/31/2021 - honest bob wrote:

A memorable New Year's Eve dinner: Three 75cl bottles with optically perfect corks and highest fill level with just a tiny bubble of air, opened 3 hours before serving, tested for premox, and immediately resealed. Consumed over 90 minutes, during which all three wines deteriorated, going noticeably duller. Bottle 1: notably darker than the others, slightly stale scent, gentle hints of volatile premox nastiness on the palate. Short, oxidised finish. Despite this, and my warning, the guests consumed every last drop. There’s no accounting for taste. Bottle 2: the lightest colour and the freshest scent of all, even some citric action, buoying up the prominent oyster-shell and saline breeze aromatics; rewardingly complex entry with some orange/lemon blossom and peel, gentle oak and a nicely limpid texture. Very long finish, and a joy with oysters and langoustines, perhaps a bit thin for the lobster. Bottle 3: slightly darker than bottle 2, smelled and tasted similar, but distinctly more muted and veiled.

Hard to score given the dramatic bottle variation here, indeed my previous THREE bottles of this were ruined by premox. Bottle 1: 83(?)—the entire bottle was eventually consumed at the table this evening, so I don't see why I shouldn't give a realistic score, rather than hide the bottle variation behind the fig-leaf of “flawed”. Bottle 2: 90-91P. Bottle 3: 88-89P. Let’s say 87P as a friendly composite score and a contribution to CT statistics. Caveat emptor!

6/14/2018 - Brett wrote:

Great wine!!

2/28/2018 - socalwinenerd wrote:

375ml bottle. Golden yellow color. Needed lots of time. Tasting upon initial pour was overpowered by the alcohol. Mellowed over next 2 hours to reveal some lemon rind mixed with a butter-rum quality. Still focused and with some life.

12/1/2017 - Francophile1 wrote:

Tragic! Purchased this bottle on release from Costco for $500. Totally flawed bottle. Stewed prune juice, acetone, cooked. Not tainted with TCA, just flat out cooked. So disappointing.

9/8/2021 - Cailles wrote:

20 Vintages of Ausone (1986 - 2015): All wines tasted single blind. Ausone is a rare bird and hence, the term „once in a lifetime“ certainly applies to this tasting. A few oberservations: 1) Huge quality improvement in recent years: Only after 2005 I can see Ausone up there with the best Bordeauxs thanks to less oak, more depth and precision and a hightened elegance. 2) The high Cabernet Franc share in the blend (ever increasing) makes these wines quite unique, lighter and with more airiness and a darker fruit expression than most right banks. 3) The wines need a lot of time: Ausone is rather a late bloomer and does not provide as much early drinking fun as many of its right bank peers - especially the great vintages (05, 09, 10, 15). 4) The best wines with the highest scores were almost all off-vintages (a first for me). The highest scores went to 08, 06, 07, 14. These wines are weightless and show how great the big vintages will be once mature. Only the 05 was up there with the off-vintages. 5) Wine of the night and my best off-vintage Bordeaux ever was the 2008 (rated 98 pts).

TN: This had quite a beautiful, expressive nose with lots of ripe fruit and minerality. The attack and mid palate are strong with a potpourri of red and dark berries, minerality, herbs and coffee. The problem is only, there is a bit too much extraction and the wines is clearly on a downward path with an already drying out finish. 90 pts at best, this will likely be dead in a few years. Drink up.

Decanting: Not decanted. No extensive decanting needed.

4/3/2021 - Miceri Likes this wine:

Tasted with Clos Reas same year; both medium red, difficult to spot any difference; VR very fruity nose, raspberry, open, CR more dense more dark fruit somewhat more closed; VR fresh fruity raspberry, good acidity, nice taste, ready, CR more rounded and dense, less expressive; VR clearly ready now, CR more closed, wait some more years to unfold potential; both very well tasting, VR best now, but believe CR has quite good potential