5/12/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Red fruits to me (red cherry) with early tertiary notes of tobacco leaf and forest floor. Excellent balance. Outperforms the vintage. Early drinking window. Would definitely buy more.

4/14/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Open and drinking exceptionally. Black fruits, berry and cherry. Floral notes emerge with air. Primary but well worth drinking now if you have a few bottles. Silky smooth and precise. Perhaps noted a little heat on opening but didn’t seem to notice after 2 hours of air. One of the best 18s I’ve had.

3/14/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Generous dark fruited nose and palate that is ripe, but not overdone, and concentrated with a refreshing acidic backbone to complement the generous fine tannins that unsurprisingly have a bit of grip. Well balanced. Tasted over a week with the last day being the best. Definitely will get better with bottle age.

3/9/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Wow. Dark black and blue fruit shows promise. Palate smacks of overextraction and unbalance. Definitely a fair bit of alcohol that is noticeable and off putting. More of an unrefined Cali style. Not a fan and the contrast with the 16 would make you think the wines were made by different Chateau.

3/3/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Closed but opens up with air. 60 minute decant. Red fruit, balanced. Still a hint of oak on the palate. Leaner than other 16s. Followed for 24 hours. Firm tannins. Room for improvement as it softens with 5-10 years of bottle age.

2/29/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Really a superb young Bordeaux. Balanced fruit, acidity and tannins. Unusually approachable and desirable for young Bordeaux. Unwraps with air but still maintains the youthful kick. Will enjoy following this over the years. The best I’ve had from this chateau at this stage, with room to improve.

2/23/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Lovely dark fruited nose. Cherry and cassis. Well balanced for the vintage. Ample acidity and silky tannins with some air. Still quite enjoyable after a week of slow ox.

2/10/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Red cherry nose…very aromatic on opening. Palate is still wound quite tight. Will follow over the day.

2/9/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

No decant but followed for 24 hours. Opulent nose, effusive of black and blue fruit, violets and sandalwood. Palate is more modern on day 1 but evolves to a more classic bent on day 2. Elegant dark fruit, a tertiary note of chocolate. Velvety tannins on day 1, not as appreciable by day 2 (though still present). Never really noticed the oak either day. Both days really good but in different ways. Prefer the early maturity palate/structure after opening.

2/1/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Very aromatic on opening. No decant but no change over 2 days. The nose is very open and classic Margaux. The palate is a bit underwhelming relative to the nose. Lacks some depth and persistence relative to the aromatics. Nice balance of dark fruit, acidity and tannin. Early drinking window, depending on how much tertiary you want (not much now but has shed its baby fat). Wine 91. Nose 96…settle somewhere in between.

1/30/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Nice bottle. Oak integrated. Dark fruits. High ABV but carries it well; balanced by acidity, fruit. Lots of life left.

1/27/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Mature bottle. Mixed berries.

1/27/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Quite phenomenal in its youth, though perhaps more Napa than Bordeaux, surprisingly. Primordial fruit. With 24 hours of air, delivered nicely. Balanced alcohol with the ample fruit and acidity. Solid future.

1/26/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Phenomenal bottle. Cork was a bit dried out but bottled stuffed full of goodness. Black and blue fruit. Oak fully integrated. Velvety tannins. Profound throughout. Popped and poured.

1/20/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Mixed berry fruit, leaning more to the red spectrum with currant and cherry. Surprisingly still quite young, full of fruit. Velvety tannins and quite persistent. Splash decant at a restaurant. Lovely spot but no hurry.

1/8/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Bret

1/1/2024 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Superb effort.
Dark fruited nose and palate. Tertiary notes emerging on the nose…tobacco leaf, coffee grounds, licorice…suggesting early drinking window. Supple tannins and impressive length. Really love this workhorse wine from this estate. One of my favorites with a little bottle age.

12/30/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Bright red fruit. A bit thin through the mid palate but enjoyable.

12/30/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Much better than last bottle. Dark fruited. Ready to roll.

12/27/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Nice nose. Limited fruit left. Not the best bottle.

12/18/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Lovely blackberry, dark currant nose. Medium bodied, silky tannins and impressive persistence. A noble effort for the vintage, the wine has a liveliness and freshness to it. Very enjoyable on opening but will surely round into form with a few more years in the bottle. Hard to resist now given the deft oak management. One of my favorite producers, sorry that I did not buy this in quantity.

12/9/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Really in a good spot after 24 hours of air. Dark fruit, coffee on the nose and palate. Silky tannins. Early maturity. Persistent, well defined and balanced.

12/2/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

More precious and forward than the 12 Lokoya DM had side by side. More depth and concentration of dark fruits on the nose and palate. Tannins are still a bit grippy. Zero tertiary development yet. Still quite approachable and pairs well with eggplant parm. A few years away from early drinking window on its own though.

12/2/2023 - Shugs_Claret Likes this wine:

On the elegant side of Napa and for Lokoya. Dark fruit, crushed rock and graphite nose. Oak is fully integrated. Black and blue fruits on the palate. Velvety tannins which have softened quite a bit. Definitely my preferred rendition of the Lokoya portfolio.

11/23/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Closed nose. Dark fruit. Grippy tannins. Good stuffings for a decade+ from now.

11/11/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Black and blue fruited aromas and palate. Balanced and deep. Best in a decade plus.

11/5/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

A little restrained on opening. No time to decant. Dark fruit > red fruit on the nose with some coaxing. Fairly giving in its youth. Cassis, dark cherries, a little hint of residual new oak. Less polished and not as much breadth as the 16 but nonetheless enjoyable with room for improvement with bottle age.

11/4/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Persistent oak on the nose. Underwhelming mid palate and finish.

11/4/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Violets, red fruit. Lacking a bit of depth through the mid palate. Tannins still a bit grippy.

11/1/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Aromatic on opening. Mixed berries and coffee. Early drinking window, with fruit still quite noticeable on the palate (red fruit initially but mixed berries with air), which is long and persistent. Tertiary notes of chocolate, coffee and pencil shavings offer the complexity to make this an interesting wine. Silky tannins still persistent and provide a little bite. Low (relative) ABV at 12.5% Everything holds together nicely. No rush but ready to go if you like wines in early maturity (which is my preference).

10/28/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Dark cherry and a bit of oak on the nose. Dark black and blue fruit on the palate. Still a bit of oak left to integrate. Hints of coffee. Velvety tannins that have a bit of bite. Nice mid palate for this estate, which is unusual. Good effort and QPR. Best wine I’ve had from this chateau.

10/25/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Dark fruits effusive with a little air. Medium bodied and thin through the mid palate. Slightly bitter/astringent tannins.

10/18/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Black and blue fruit aromas on opening. Red currant and coffee notes emerge with time in the glass. Elegant palate with medium persistence. Solid acidity. Very nice and enjoyable right now, but my palate preference is early maturity. This is not quite there but still lovely.

10/14/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Black fruits with violet aromas. Deeply concentrated with a long, persistent finish. Characteristic silky Harlan tannins. Quite nice and enjoyable in its youth.

9/29/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Oak less perceptible than a year ago (but not from same case) and definitely still open. Well put together, enjoyable now with a healthy decant.

9/22/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Quite forgiving on the nose on opening. Red currant and cherry. Palate is dominated by black and blue fruit…hints of graphite emerge, perhaps portending where this will evolve. Good typicity for this stage.

9/22/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Among the best 2019s currently in terms of approachability. Impeccably balanced, lucious red fruits with a saline finish. Much room for growth but easy to drink now.

9/14/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Black and blue fruit. Mouth watering acidity and velvety tannins. Balanced. Modest ABV. Taste 3 times for science.

9/3/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Tasted along side the 2011 Harlan. Unfair comparison. Perhaps more mixed berry fruit here. Definitely in the early drinking window.

9/3/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Impeccably balanced and perfectly rounded. Dark fruits, persistent and a bright finish.

9/2/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Very open initially but shuts down a bit after 20 minutes of air

8/23/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Very giving on opening with black currant and blue fruits. With air, gives to some subtle tertiary notes. Ripe dark fruit on the palate with a bright finish notable from the generous acidity. Medium length persistence relative to others from the vintage. Enjoyable.

8/20/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Aromatic on opening. Dark fruit, menthol and herbs. Evolves toward more savory notes, game and umami, with air. No particularly generous with fruit. Somewhat lacking in terms of persistence and concentration. Evolved but underwhelming.

8/18/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Blue and black fruit with floral and spicecake notes. Persistence and big tannins. A bit riper than those of the 2010. Saline finish.

Followed for 2 days. Tannin structure remains big and chewy, which are more apparent by days 2 and 3. Not sure if I will be around to enjoy at its peak. Closer in style to the 2010 (which is approachable in the 375 format) than the 15 or 16.

8/14/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

On the downward slope, bottle from the winery. Tannins completely integrated. Fruit still present but overpowered by the acidity a bit. Drink up.

8/4/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Still very primary but open. Dark cherry, violets and mint. Fairly seductive and deep palate with fine tannins. Certainly will improve with time but very enjoyable now with minimal air.

7/30/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Reasonable second wine effort here. Moderate length but characteristic red berry and pencil lead. Nothing bedazzling but decent wine though it lacks decent apr.

7/30/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Perhaps starting to shut down? Moderately expressive mixed berry nose that was open on popping. Palate was dominated by acidity; little appreciable fruit relative to others from this vintage. Tasted after 24 hours of slow ox, with similar notes. En premier mistake, at least for my palate.

7/28/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Red currant and strawberry nose. A bit of mint emerges with a bit of air. Mixed berry palate with a hefty mid section that carries the wine's length, which offsets the grippy but ripe tannins and mouthwatering acidity.

7/27/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:

Impressively open on opening. Dark fruits and spices. Well put together and bold but not over done. No jammy-oak infused flavors on the decades past. The saline finish lingers on and on with crisp acidity. Subtle but bold tannins that hit you late.