5/12/2024 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Great: cassis, spices, freshness-based (acidic) structure, ready to drink

5/3/2024 - martin_e wrote:

It has passed the closed phase and drinks OK now. Classic Pomerol with black fruits, subtle secondary notes (licorice-like), and integrated acidity-based structure. Having said that, I wouldn't call it exciting wine.

4/21/2024 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Great, but unusual. My first impression was that it tasted more like Northern Rhône Syrah than a Napa Cab-based blend. With more decanting it changed a bit and the Napa brand became more recognizable.

Beautifully aromatic, very dark fruit with slightly sweet notes of raisin and chocolate at the end of the palate, balanced integrated structure with soft tannins

4/15/2024 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Great! Aromas started immediately when cork popped, black fruit, solid structure. Maybe still slightly tannic.

4/10/2024 - martin_e wrote:

OK, but boring

3/23/2024 - martin_e wrote:

Overly expressive masculine Napa Cab. Fully extracted black fruit, chocolate, and all that. To me the best feature of this wine is its lively beautiful fruit aromas

3/23/2024 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Great - complex multi-layer slightly austere classic Bordeaux, with black fruits, scent of graphite, maybe a subtle note of pickle brine, light fine aromas, fresh structure. It is ready to drink, but will probably further improve with aging

3/2/2024 - martin_e wrote:

It's getting old, unfortunately, which is most evident by the out-of-balance bitter notes.

However, after more than two-hours of decanting it smooths out partially revealing its previous beauty

2/14/2024 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Great Pinot!
Light fragrances; pronounced black-fruit flavors: cassis, plum, and prune; integrated structure, although, tannins are a bit dry. Close to the peak of maturity

1/21/2024 - martin_e wrote:

It is too early to drink, but promising. I'd give it at least 5 more years in the cellar before opening next bottle.

1/6/2024 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Not too complex, but approachable, balanced, enjoyable wine. Fully matured now. The main themes are cassis and plum...

1/8/2024 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Amazing how much it has improved since I had my previous bottle 3-4 years ago. It's an excellent complex multi-layer wine, which makes you go "Wow"! It has everything: mixed red and black fruits with the whole pallet of tones and nuances, beautifully framed by soft acidity and secondary flavors. At the same time, it's smoothed, not too loud.

1/5/2024 - martin_e Does not like this wine:

The second bottle wasn’t corked. Good wine indeed with prominent cherry, hints of cranberry, mostly integrated but pronounced structure, and a rather long finish. It may still be a bit too young. It takes a while to decant for the subtle aromas to finally open: a combination of red fruit and what some call “wet forest floor”

1/4/2024 - martin_e wrote:

It was awful, probably corked. I’ve got another bottle, will try soon

1/1/2024 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Dark ruby. Fully open now (unlike some other 2005s) with a beautiful bouquet of overripe black fruits and smoke. Complex palate: plumb, blackberry, black cherry, and slightly bitter notes of raw cranberry or rowan berry. Long finish, also with element of bitterness that gradually smoothes out with decanting. Integrated, but noticeable tannins, balanced acidy.

It’s a complex noble wine with strong character, standing out from its peers

10/8/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

After an hour of decanting, it first drank like an austere Bordeaux, but gradually opened adding some beautiful fruits to the palate with prominent black cherry, and then secondary flavors of licorice. Freshness in the structure completes the package. Take your time when enjoying this wine

10/8/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Great wine at the peak of maturity, a complete package. Far exceeded my expectations

10/8/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

One of my v2000 favorites. Black fruit bouquet and flavors are mixed with a bit of dry fruits and change in the glass brining different notes over time. It has characteristic spices and tobacco, but unlike in many other classified Bordeaux from this vintage, they don’t overwhelm,.

9/25/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Aging of the 2005 vintage has been a complicated story with so many wines still closed and disappointing… Rauzan-Segla is one of the pleasant exceptions that doesn’t require much more time to reach its potential. It’s very enjoyable already: with aromas of smoke and black cherry; and flavors of cassis, slightly unripe plum, and tons of blackberries. Beautifully balanced with velvety structure.

9/12/2023 - martin_e Does not like this wine:

Even more disappointing now than in previous tastings

8/1/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Pleasant wine with distinct individuality. Nicely aromatic: red and dark berries with light floral notes. Very smooth palate: a mix of raspberry and cassis, with the former more noticeable. The structure and fruit are in balance, nothing is too loud. It exceeded my expectations, for sure

6/25/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Red-fruit aromas with a touch of dried herbs. Flavors: tart cherry mixed with red and black currant with smoky notes. Acidity-based structure. Nice Burgundy with a distinctive character.

6/24/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Greate classic aromatic Bordeaux, which makes you feel happy. Unlike some other second-tier St. Emilions, it's not boring at all. Another example of how good the 1998 vintage was in the right-bank Bordeaux.

6/16/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Fantastic noble Burgundy! Fully matured and still going strong. Complex layers of black fruits, plumb, truffles, smoked bacon… Reminded me Clos de Tart from the same great vintage.

6/11/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

In my experience, you can't go wrong with Clos des Papes. This one is a nice expressive CdP with strong, but not out-of-balance fruit and spice flavors. Although currently it can't compete with their 2003 vintage, which had incredible fig and dry fruit notes. It can potentially benefit from more aging.

5/27/2023 - martin_e wrote:

Very much (red) fruit forward. Of course, it’s next level compared to cheap CA red-currant-dominated sangria-like Pinots, but still a rather simple-minded table wine, IMO, overpriced for what it is, like many Kosta-Browne bottles

5/21/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Surprisingly, this wine was a winner of our tasting, which included bigger Bordeaux names from good and classic ready-to-drink vintages. Beautifully aromatic with fine fruit notes, not overly-dominated by spices and tobacco, which is common for the 2000 vintage. This good balance between mixed fruits and secondary flavors combined with soft integrated structure makes it a vibrant and pleasant wine. Great value too ;-)

5/14/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Gorgeous wine! Beautiful aromas of sweet Indian spices (mostly cloves, maybe cinnamon) and dark fruits. The palate is fruit-forward, but perfectly balanced: black currant, blackberry, and blueberry with subtle notes of dry fruits and very fine anise. Soft velvety structure, mildly fresh. Very long finish. A really great California wine, not too complex, but beautiful in its honesty and balance!

5/2/2023 - martin_e wrote:

Disappointing and definitely, below my expectations. Nothing much to say to describe this mediocre wine, except perhaps, that it wasn’t worth the price… Will stick to their Cabernet bottling, no more “Palengat” for me

4/27/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Great wine with a character. Beautiful black fruits (!) revealing nice notes of prune after a couple hours of decanting, framed with spices and well-defined structure, with a long finish. It is still very young, will continue to integrate and improve with more aging. I am always impressed with Pride, they produce such honest beautiful wines, but most of them (including the Merlot-based) require about 10-year of aging before becoming truly enjoyable

4/16/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

It is still very (borderline too) young but starts to be enjoyable: aromatic and expressive with strong notes of (black) fruits, tobacco, and spices. It promises to develop into a great wine in the next decade or so. One caveat, it is a bit over-oaked to my taste.

3/24/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Surprisingly great wine for the 2006 vintage, very solid effort: opens with beautiful aromas, opulent with dark fruits, balanced structure.

3/18/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Great: aromatic, a blend of red and black berries, but not too fruity, powerful and structured, but at the same time elegant and balanced. AT the peak of maturity

1/18/2023 - martin_e Likes this wine:

It’s an elegant and at the same time powerful wine. The multi-layer dark fruit palate ranges from blackberry to dry sour cherry with a hint of persimmon. It gives an impression of astringent viscous structure that integrates all layers, but depending on your taste it may or may not be desirable. It’s a fully mature wine with a long finish.
Has it met all my expectations? hard to say, perhaps not ;-)

12/24/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Another great vintage for GPL. Feels like it’s just reached its maturity, at the peak now. Well balanced, smooth, with black fruits, prune, sweet spices. The structure is delicate, acidic-based

12/10/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

This is beautiful true-Bordeaux-style Cabernet! It has classic spicy tobacco aromas, black fruit palate with sweet plum notes, and very smooth structure. Still goes strong with no signs of old age. Highly recommend, especially considering rather approachable prices.

11/20/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

A bit too young but shows a complex and expressive full package with grades and shades of black fruits.

Not sure I'd wait for it to fully mature, sometimes this wine loses its most interesting characteristics with aging, becoming too plain

11/12/2022 - martin_e wrote:

Open another bottle, 5 years after the first one. It is now fully matured but has lost its "sparky" personality: a bit boring average Volnay. Although, it preserved the typical black-fruit accent

11/24/2022 - martin_e Does not like this wine:

Mediocre, disappointing, unpleasant wine. A bad vintage for Jadot's Les Suchots or a bottle variation?

10/22/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Exceptional: deep, complex, noble wine, at the peak of maturity; balanced, but at the same time not boring, with a strong character highlighting the main leitmotif of a spicy tart black fruit... Not easy to describe this beauty, but it approaches the 1-st growth category.

9/24/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

It’s near or slightly passed the peak of maturity. Delicious, soft, somewhat feminine-style wine with dark fruits, fine spices, and licorice notes.

9/24/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Rich opulent wine with deep-black fruit, but fully balanced with velvety smooth structure. A joyful example of the powerful Pride style!

9/20/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

The wine is still going strong with no indications of getting old. Beautiful spicy aromas of classic mature Bordeaux, a nice finish… But it’s lacking fully-developed mid-palate, which affects the balance and complexity

9/17/2022 - martin_e wrote:

Very rich wine with almost 16% alcohol! Needs more time in the cellar to smooth the edges. I guess, it will work well with a ribeye steak

9/17/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Great, very expressive with dark fruits, but also complex, structured, and balanced. Will be appreciated by those who love Burgundy

9/15/2022 - martin_e wrote:

Full body, strong in all expressions, but perhaps, too much so, i.e. having extra intensity at the expense of elegance.

9/4/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Classic enjoyable Aubert Pinot, but not one of his bests. It's aromatic, with bright red-ish fruit, balanced structure and freshness. The expression is perhaps lacking some complexity, especially for those, who appreciate Burgundy wines.

9/4/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

Very concentrated with intense mostly black fruits and notes of anise-like spices. I think it would benefit from more aging.

8/21/2022 - martin_e wrote:

I would give it higher scores if it wasn’t in the closed phase right now. In my experience, the 2005 Bordeaux are hit or miss, opening and then closing again, probably need more time (but it’s been 17 years already!)

8/21/2022 - martin_e Likes this wine:

I agree with the recent reviews: great wine with a strong beautiful aroma of mixed berries and floral notes; the flavors tend more towards red fruits. It seems to have reached a full maturity now.