9/16/2017 - BFG wrote:

With Michael and Ty.

3/13/2017 - BFG wrote:

Corked.

6/28/2016 - BFG Likes this wine:

Lots of potential, but very tight. I will revisit this wine around 2021.

6/6/2016 - BFG wrote:

Astringent, acidic, barely drinkable.

8/23/2015 - BFG wrote:

Dead. Poor seal between cork and bottle.

5/14/2015 - BFG wrote:

Beautiful mature Barolo, showing exactly how it is supposed to. Bricking at the rim, slightly pale in color. Soft, fully resolved tannins and classic notes of tar and roses. Wonderful.

2/20/2015 - BFG wrote:

Corked.

2/6/2015 - BFG wrote:

Corked.

1/7/2015 - BFG wrote:

A beautiful wine. Elegant, with great purity, and still a little restrained. I would put it at 5 years short of maturity.

1/7/2015 - BFG wrote:

Amazing. One of the very best wines I've ever had. Chocolate on the nose, yet clearly Nebbiolo. The palate is sweet, balanced, and the finish goes on and on. Plenty of life yet - there are tannins, but they're frankly overwhelmed by the fruit. This bottle was double-decanted at 10am and poured around 8:30pm.

10/18/2014 - BFG wrote:

This wine was shut down, hard. Lean on palate, not showing much on the nose. Will this improve over time? I hope so...

8/25/2014 - BFG Likes this wine:

This wine continues to be one of my all-time favorite Bordeaux, particularly with respect to its potential. It has been parked for quite a few years in a state where it is eminently drinkable, but still sufficiently primary, with tremendous structure, that it is clearly going to be a devastatingly good wine in the future - maybe in 10 years. I have plenty of this wine, and will be tempted to open some bottles sooner, but I must resist that temptation!

2/16/2014 - BFG Likes this wine:

This was out of a 375ml. Double decanted 2 hours before serving, it initially had some mustiness on the nose that slowly dissipated, revealing a classic Bordeaux aroma -- although a bit subdued. The palate was lovely, the tannins fully resolved but the fruit still present. This particular bottle may have been perhaps slightly past its peak, but still providing lots of enjoyment.

2/15/2014 - BFG Likes this wine:

This is classic, old-school Barolo that's in a wonderful place. The bottle was placed upright at 10am or so, double-decanted at 4pm, served at 7:30 pm. Initially cloudy (clearly needed more time upright), after being passed through a coffee filter it showed a beautiful light brick color with only little touch of brown at the rim. Typical nose of tar and some red fruit, with a nice bitter-sweetness on the palate. The bottle, though sourced only a year ago, was in perfect shape (thanks to Jamie and his team at Chambers). Delicious!

1/26/2014 - BFG Likes this wine:

A truly lovely bottle of mature Cabernet. The tannins are resolved but structure remains. The fruit is still present and the balance is, well, perfect. At this point in the wine's life, there's a compelling softness to it.

For someone like me with a old-world palate, who rarely drinks Cali Cab, this is a reminder of how good those wines from the late 80s and early 90s can be. Wonderful now, but still plenty of life ahead. I'm glad to have a bunch more of these.

1/4/2014 - BFG wrote:

Lovely mature claret, showing the softness of the '85 vintage. A little smokiness in the nose. Really wonderful.

7/7/2012 - BFG wrote:

- Brick color with medium forming legs and aromas of blackberry and has flavours of smokey - I liked it.
- Evan Benjamin

4/5/2012 - BFG wrote:

Oxidized and dead. Down the drain.

2/15/2012 - BFG wrote:

Unfortunately, well over the hill. Recent bottles that I've had have been very good, but not this one. Probably wasn't properly stored during its lifetime.

12/8/2011 - BFG wrote:

Totally shot, madeirized.

12/8/2011 - BFG wrote:

Over the hill, with substantial bricking. A barnyard nose that lessened over time. The palate wasn't bad, certainly drinkable. Disappointing, of course, but drinking a 45 year old wine is often a craps shoot.

11/27/2011 - BFG wrote:

Wonderfully soft, with fully resolved tannins and yet plenty of fruit. Lacks the complexity of a good Bordeaux of its age, but still is a great pleasure to drink.

11/19/2011 - BFG wrote:

Lovely, soft wine with fully resolved tannins and just enough acidity to give it structure. The mid-80's Cali Cabs (assuming a good bottle) are drinking so well right now -- and this is a very nice example.

4/2/2010 - BFG wrote:

Just awesome. Incredible nose of classic Bdx notes of tobacco, stone, and black fruit. Extremely balanced on the palate, with good fruit, fairly resolved tannins, and a long finish. This was from a half-bottle, so may have shown a touch more age (in a very good way) than a 750 would.

4/1/2010 - BFG wrote:

Over-ripe, candied, New World-ish. Like lots of 2000 Bdx, it is made in a "modern style" that doesn't appeal to me.

12/10/2009 - BFG wrote:

Oxidized notes on the nose. Better on the palate, but clearly past its prime.

10/4/2009 - BFG wrote:

Lovely classic aged Bordeaux nose, reminiscent of its sibling, '82 Gruaud Larose. The color is deep red with just a hint of bricking on the edges. The palate doesn't quite follow through, with a lighter mouth feel than expected, less powerful, and a somewhat short finish. Delicious, wonderful nose, but not overwhelming in the mouth. No hint of the renowned Cordier funk.

10/1/2009 - BFG wrote:

Another wonderful bottle. A lovely, lovely wine

8/14/2009 - BFG wrote:

Yet another great bottle of this amazing wine. No brett to speak of, just perfect mouthfeel and complex nose.

7/6/2009 - BFG wrote:

Clearly a young wine, but is starting to show some lovely notes of smoke and other tertiary aromas on the nose. On the palate, the wine has a nice balance of fruit, acid, and very present -but gentle - tannins. Really nice wine now, will be great in the future.

6/24/2009 - BFG wrote:

Always a lovely wine. Good acidic structure, but with the richness of semillon in the finish. The nose also shows a touch of honey from the semillon.

6/11/2009 - BFG wrote:

A delicious bottle of wine, although not at the level that you see professional reviews. This wine is known to be low in acid, and in the two bottles I've had, it's perhaps missing a little structure. The ripe black fruit is very present in the nose and on the palate, velvety mouth feel, with a good length.

6/11/2009 - BFG wrote:

This was WOTN at a mature Cali Cab v. mature Bordeaux tasting. Just a fantastic bottle of wine, with all the classic Bordeaux aromas (tobacco, black fruit, earth) and flavors. Not a hint of brett or "funkiness".

4/16/2009 - BFG wrote:

Very, very nice. Ugly cork, but great bottle. Nose and palate dominated by sweet caramel. The attendees guessed a younger white Bordeaux.

4/11/2009 - BFG wrote:

Another wonderful bottle of this great wine. This wine is in perfect balance, with fully resolved tannins and good fruit remaining after 20 years. So glad I have more of these. Note: Decanted for an hour, the wine faded a bit after a hour or so in the glass. This particular bottle was at peak maturity, and showed best upon opening.

4/4/2009 - BFG wrote:

My first bottle of this wine since my first taste of it in 1995. I had heard that many bottles were over hill, many were overly bretty and dominated by the "Cordier funk". I started out optimistic about this bottle, a 375, because it had a perfect cork and no sign of significant brett or TCA at first sniff. And, indeed, the bottle was in perfect shape. In the glass, the color was a deep crimson with only a slight bricking on the rim. A very rich nose of black fruit and a touch of caramel. On the palate, the tannins were still present (!), but beautifully balanced by the fruit and acid. Good length, just a great package. This wine seemed much younger than its 27 years. Plenty of life yet, even in the half-bottle format.

3/28/2009 - BFG wrote:

My best bottle yet of this wine, which is surprising because although the level was into the neck, the top of the cork was moldy and the capsule was stuck the bottle. Anyway, wonderful classic bordeaux nose that just screams 1982. What is it about that year that makes it so distinguishable? I happen to think its a bit of burnt rubber (in a very good way) on both the nose and the palate, mixed in with the usual tobacco and earth one finds in good, mature Bordeaux. This bottle had barely any bricking on the rim, and the tannins weren't even fully resolved yet. Wonderful now, plenty of life left.

2/24/2009 - BFG wrote:

Nose of black and stewed fruit (but not overly stewed). The tannins are overpowering and drying, although there is clearly plenty of fruit underneath. In 15 years, great. Now, OUCH!

2/28/2009 - BFG wrote:

Lovely, if a bit reticent, nose of tobacco and earth, with hints of black fruit. Silky palate showing more tobacco and a bit of burnt rubber. Yum!

2/24/2009 - BFG wrote:

A sweet nose, with a hint of stewed fruit. The palate is more reticent, with tannins very present. Needs at least 5 years. A nice wine at this point, but not more than that.

1/15/2009 - BFG wrote:

A very subtle nose, from which some fruit can be coaxed. The real value of this wine lies in the palate. For an '86, the wine is surprisingly sweet and balanced. The tannins are present but not intrusive. Best '86 Bordeaux I've had yet.

1/15/2009 - BFG wrote:

Lovely mature nose of red and black fruits, with a hint of smoked meat. Medium weight on the palate, but (pleasurably) soft, with fully resolved tannins. Excellent!

1/15/2009 - BFG wrote:

This wine exceeded my expectations. The best 1994 Bordeaux I've had so far. A very nice nose, with hints of underbrush and rocks. The palate has a nice sweetness to it, with surprisingly good length.

1/15/2009 - BFG wrote:

While not wildly aromatic, the nose has hints of rich black fruit. The palate achieves a nice balance of fruit, acid, and resolved tannins, although the finish is quite short. A very pleasurable, classic claret.

1/15/2009 - BFG wrote:

Some barnyard in the nose (which I like), but with insufficient fruit. Some bright red fruit on the palate, with a fair amount of acidic structure. The wine is eminently drinkable, but on the austere side.

1/15/2009 - BFG wrote:

Typical '03 left-bank nose of rich, stewed black fruits. On the palate, the fruit is very present and forward ... and then the tannins kick in. This baby is a monster -- not as monstrous as the '03 montrose -- but a monster nonetheless.

1/15/2009 - BFG wrote:

Very aromatic nose, with surprising citrus notes (served blind, some of the attendees guessed Sauvignon Blanc). Rich and creamy on the palate, lacking a bit of acidic structure. Very pleasurable, if perhaps lacking typicity for a Chablis.

1/15/2009 - BFG wrote:

Lovely rich and sweet nose, featuring black fruits. The palate is pleasurable, although doesn't quite match the nose. The wine has a medium weight, but with a rich mouth feel. The finish is a bit short. Very, very nice.

1/15/2009 - BFG wrote:

While not yet fully mature, this wine is starting to show wonderfully. The leather and tobacco in the nose are beginning to emerge and the palate is well balanced. Tannins are present, but gentle and starting to resolve. Excellent!

1/15/2009 - BFG wrote:

Wonderful aromatic nose of classic Bordeaux scents: leather, earth, red and black fruits. Despite its youth, the nose is starting to hint at how great this wine will be when mature. However, the palate reminds you that this is an infant. The wine is tannic. The fruit is clearly there, but waiting for the tannins to resolve. Tremendous potential, but should be left to sleep for now.