1/14/2018 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Tawny edge, ruby core.

Good tannic grip still there. Nose of forest floor and cold coffee. Tasting notes of cassis, herbs, leather and red berries.

Short finish. Nice overall, underrated vintage.

12/26/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Nose of gentle cassis and aged leather. Good weight still, red currants and coffee. Still going strong, tannins still very much there.

12/26/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Copper orange colour, good sweetness, no bitter acidic edges, very integrated. Interesting nose, some champagne notes in the wine somewhere! Good finish, but gentle.

10/29/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Last of my great Phelans, 82, 96 and now 05.

Certainly more closed than the last two, probably needs another 5 years. But even now, fine grained elegant tannins make it drinkable. Lovely long finish with a marzipan note. Solid fruit, wonderful "full body" experience.

9/3/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Can't figure out what all these previous notes about "drink soon" and "over the peak" are all about. A gorgeous wine! Half hour decant, good condition (cork only partially saturated and good ullage levels)

Browned rim, deep purple core. Legs. Very distinct nose of marzipan, sweet leather and mushrooms. No "barnyard" notes, smelt lovely.

Palette has fantastic acidity, really impressive given its age, red currents earth and dark cherries. Good finish, smooth as butter. A very classic and engaging wine, good for another 5 years I would say. A nice introduction to 82.

8/27/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Lovely fresh Coutet, pineapple, mango and orange peel in perfect harmony. Alchohol a bit too present at first, but burnt off. Then lovely creamy and crisp Coutet. Impressive bright gold orange colour.

8/27/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Wow. So bright and alive, a perfect blend of mature cassis, cedar and red berries with the vigour of youth.

Quite a fantastic experience, a heavily saturated cork, heavy with the wine its absorbed over the last 32 years. A colour that does not give much away, dark and serious. The nose was quite spectacular, leather, wood and liquorice. The pallete as stated, red berries, cassis, cedar, smoke and perfect sweetness and drive, balanced and to be honest, cracking aged claret. Bravo.

8/13/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Half bottle, quick decant.

Golden orange colour, very up front nose, orange peel and dried mango.

Acidity gives this some edge, nice notes of pineapple, nuts and some cinnamon in there somewhere, a little corse in its profile, not a stunner but very pleasant none the less.

8/13/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Very approachable, even though young. 1 hour decant. Nose of liquorice all sorts, strawberrys and Blue/black fruit.

Pallete was obviously young, quite modern in style, but all there, fruit driven with tannins putting it in its place.

I liked this, almost ready, but 3 years will put it in peak position, like all L.Poy wines, reliable and sumptuous.

8/7/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Lovely 96, lovely pallete of leather coffee and chocolate. Ideal sweetness, red currants prominent. Colour was deep and dark.

Tannins still keeping this all together, but have mellowed to a perfect point.

A fine example of a 96 Estèphe.

7/30/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

After getting through a case of 03, this wine immediately struck me as far more traditional. Some nice tabacco and leather going on the nose, marzipan in there somewhere. Interesting tastes, good red fruit with liquorice and tannins still about. Some tart, slightly bitter fruit pokes through at the back. Best paired with something "juicy" and soft, like sirloin.

6/18/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Delicious, yet again confirms in my mind that 2000 is a delicious vintage for the moment. Hour decant.

Notes of red berries, tobacco and cedar wood, one to drink now, especially with food. Spot on with the sweetness, pretty wine.

5/1/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Two bottles half hour decant.

This wine seems to demonstrate St Estephe in 03, a serious colour, a defined but classy nose and a taste with hints of the 13.5% there but overall focused and tasty.

That aside, a wine that tastes quite focused, good tannins and perfect sweetness make this superb with lamb, the nose for the first few hours is delightful but after time seemed to bring in other rocky aromas. An impressive wine when you take into account the price. Prefer this now to L.Poyferre's 03 bruiser.

Followed by 1998 Taylor's port with English cheese.

4/12/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Half bottle, hour decant.

Utterly rubbish cork, screw upon pulling just shot back up and through, spend some time boring and poring through cheese cloth.

That aside, a smooth and nicely sweet port. Good long finish and drinking very well now. Only point to make is that it's a little 'hot'.

4/8/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Half bottle 45 min decant.

Lovely, good acidity with soft tannins, pronounced fruit, ripe and engaging. Really good finish for a non classed growth. Just browning at the rim. Really pleasant.

3/13/2017 - Thejaaysog wrote:

A very big wine, a bit to much for my taste. Very tannic and alcoholic. I think it's probably a tad too young still, I did not find the nose hugely impressive but it was still a nice wine.

Nice, but give it 10 years.

2/12/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Superb, apricots, caramel and dried oranges. Really enjoyable and actually (at the time of writing) still affordable!

2/7/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

My first ever 97, a lovely surprise actually. Not as light and 1 dimensional as I expected, quite the opposite. Good finish also, a nice traditional easy drinker.

1/1/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Very good, smooth fruity and classic. Lovely nose. Drink now-2020.

12/26/2016 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Given the reputation of 2004 as being a little wide of the mark, I enjoyed this wine a great deal. Leather and liquorice nose with a simple palate yes, but enjoyable never the less. Agreeable sweetness gave it almost a new world taste. I do think 5 years would be a reasonable time to suggest in terms of how long the wine would go on for in its current condition. Very nice wine.

7/15/2016 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Musty leather nose that blew off, then toasted wood and tobacco smell and dark slightly sweet currants. Surprising weight for a 20 yr old 5th growth, pure elegant smooth red fruit, pleasing acidity, nice and crisp. A very good wine indeed, can see this lasting another 4 years at least. A great example of the 96 vintage.

6/27/2016 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Staggering, wonderfully layered and complex. Perfect, just perfect.

6/11/2016 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Half bottle, 1 hour decant. Good, still drinkable. Nice tannin and acid balance. A little brick dust and a bit of spice on the mid length finish.

6/4/2016 - Thejaaysog wrote:

Half bottle,

Still very enjoyable but the body had somewhat fallen away, a little flat.

6/4/2016 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine:

Very impressive smoothness and a real feeling of melting in the mouth. Good fruit and a really generously layered wine. Very pleasurable.

(Magnum)