3/10/2016 - dougwine wrote:

Not impressed at all! Extremely low acidity and dull. Some dark fruits but not very interesting. The "cocktail wine" that was a mid-teen super Tuscan overshadowed it. I'm thinking if people tried this without the hype or blind their opinions could differ. NYS destroyed this no-backbone silk fruit wine. Shame.

12/26/2013 - dougwine wrote:

Very nice for Christmas Dinner. Elegance with underlying structure. Mature with some bricking on the edges. Hints of mint and herbaceous qualities with deep rose. It was what I was expecting from this vintage in the North. Very good but not great.

8/18/2013 - dougwine wrote:

Fruity-tootie, oaky yokie. Not too sure what people see in this. Not impressed at all. A decent quaf, but not much else except the sweet syrupy fruit.

3/2/2013 - dougwine wrote:

Very nice! Consistent with prior notes.

2/10/2013 - dougwine wrote:

Opened and decanted 2 hrs. Dark fruit, tar, char, herb, plum & coffee touch forest floor. Not as Pauillac as I would have expected. The Merlot shows through on both the palate(plum, herb) and the finish(velvet intergrated tannin). Great length and got better and better as it evolved. Great bottle with plenty of life left to go. I wish I would have opened it 5 hrs earlier. 19/20 rating. 2-5-6-3-3. Nose would probably get a 6 with time.

12/1/2012 - dougwine wrote:

It's a very nice a! Intergrated. Still plenty of dark fruit. Tannins have melted and the secondary flavors are beginning to show some spice, leather and cedar.

10/15/2012 - dougwine wrote:

Good wine once the fruity tooty effect wore off. These things almost taste carbonic when they are young and just opened.

10/15/2012 - dougwine wrote:

One of the more full bodied wines of this level that I have had from Latour. Great elegance with mid palate depth and length. Earthy aromas with cherry on the edges. Good alternative to my normal.

10/6/2012 - dougwine wrote:

WOW! An extreme pleasure. Great length and complexity. Big and bold style.

8/12/2012 - dougwine wrote:

This wine is definitely starting to fill in. The palate has become silky and full. Riper than I remember. Cherry and strawberry hints. Long finish with dark cedar and spice notes coming through. Great balance with enough acidity to clean the mid palate and let the secondary finish/bottle flavors come through. What a treat!

12/26/2011 - dougwine wrote:

Christmas Ham & Turkey. Nice spice, a little gooey on the palate. Could have been the pairing as I have liked this better in the past.

12/26/2011 - dougwine wrote:

Excellent aged wine. Cork was a little tricky because of the size of the bt and age. Sometimes you need an AH-SO. Standing Rib Roast MR, Christmas Eve with Family.

12/26/2011 - dougwine wrote:

Not rated, but very enjoyable. 3rd annual RR Club dinner.

11/28/2011 - dougwine wrote:

consumed from Magnum. Tasting notes consistent from before, maybe better. Opened bottle 3hr early, did not decant. Definitely a treat. A Pinot that was made right!

9/19/2011 - dougwine wrote:

Consistent with previous notes. Last bottle. Definitely plenty of life left.

3/7/2011 - dougwine wrote:

Popped, poured into decanter and starting drinking with dinner less than an hour later. Ripe cherry, tar and woody spice. gained texture through dinner while keeping its grip. Very good. Could have used more time open. Not sure if this is one for the long haul.

2/21/2011 - dougwine wrote:

I agree with below. This wine is built for the ages as far as white Bordeaux goes. Those that have bad bottles should not put a score or rate the wine. Excellent style for what it is. Excellent structure in the acid that should help this last for a very long time. Get some great east coast cold water oysters and go at it.

2/21/2011 - dougwine wrote:

This is drinking great. Popped and pured with chicken parm. Amazed how it gave right off the bat. brimming with fruit, fresh, acidic withe plenty to love. I am dissappointed that the blend has changed dramatically in the most current vintage. Has this become a Bordeaux style wine? I think this may be the last of this from this estate. Disappointing in that regard. Great wine that will drink well over the next decade.

1/30/2011 - dougwine wrote:

Decanted 1hr. Great nose. Earth, rubber band, cocoa, leather just to name a few. Palate was a bit sharp in the beginning, but fanned out over the next couple hours. The backbone of the Sangiovese held its line throughout letting the blackberry and cocoa of the Cab play off of it. Good balance, not too much oak. Would love to find to a good deal on more of these.

1/9/2011 - dougwine wrote:

pretty good!

1/3/2011 - dougwine wrote:

Special bottle for the holiday. Shared with friends that dont drink wine often. Did not take formal evaluation of the wine, but did enjoy at my friends restaurant.

1/3/2011 - dougwine wrote:

Good solid Napa Cab with excellent QPR. Nicely evolved and starting to show a little bricking. Flavors were still highpitched (blackberry, leather, tar like)with underlying barrel (oak & spice)flavors along with a nice integrated line of tannin. I agree that it may be time to drink this one over the next couple yrs. Higher score for QPR. Wish other Napa Producers would take note.

12/27/2010 - dougwine wrote:

This was our warm up wine. Dark rich fruit with elegance. Drinking very well at this age.

12/27/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Drank from Magnum. Decanted a few hours. Very elegant, with good integrated tannin. Nice somewhat exotic nose. Tough to place, but very interesting herb/perfumed qualities. Palate is medium with good viscosity still. Drinking great for its age and paired well with Tenderloin.

12/4/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Magnum. I was pleasantly surprised by this wine. not a very good vintage for Napa Cab, but this didn't have the green notes that I have tasted in many 2000's. It was in a nice place as far as fruit and tannin balance.

10/19/2010 - dougwine wrote:

A little astringent in the beginning. Poured through vinturi, worked well with seasoned steak to cut through it. drank the rest the next day. Lost the biting tannin and still had plenty going on. Dark black fruit with bright undertones. Good graphite and crushed stone quality to keep it interesting. Not great, but very good with time. Decant for 2 hrs or hold for a bit in my opinion.

10/2/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Very enjoyable. Poured through Vinturi and let the rest sit a couple hours. Nice brick color starting to appear. Mid palate is filling in very well and the finish is outsanding. Really good for the money.

9/6/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Opened and poured into decanter. Took a small amout and thought the wine would be more giving to start. Put it back in the bottle and corked it. Next night- poured to see if it what was there. Wow! Didint think I would get the treat after that much time opened. It drank like I thought it would after an hour or two open. Rich, spice, viscous with good cement quality of tannin.

9/6/2010 - dougwine wrote:

great stuff! Last bottle. One of the most Bordeaux like California wines I have ever had. Great fruit once the wine opened. Dusty, spicy earthy quality on the sides. I would think this i s the prime for fruit and structure from this wine.

5/3/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Excellent! Crushed gravely dark fruits. Decanted an hour. Could have used a touch more. Long finish. Who says the 97's arent holding on?

5/3/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Consistent with the last bottles I have had. This fruit is still very fresh and keeps on giving. Very classy but still has that Mt Veeder strength of character. Drink along side a 1997 Cardinale and it helds its own.

4/25/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Drank from magnum. Decanted 1/2 to 2 hr, drank along the way. Very subtle at first but developed a generous mid glyceral palate. Dark fruit muted with leather. Slight browning on the edges. The fruit liven with food. NIce result to a 97 in mag of this caliber. If you have them, especially in 750ml, drink them.

2/28/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Decanted 1-2 hr. I was initially disappointed. It seemed one dimensional and the flavors were ordinary. I think the peppered filet helped it turn the corner. It became very deep and full with food. Dark berry, tar and spice. I don't think the 2003 will need much more time if decanted 2-3 hrs although can last. 89-91 pts

2/7/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Opened, poured a small amount, decanted the rest for 1 1/2 hr. Excellent! Dark rich fruit from the ultra ripe 2003 vintage. Opaque with a reddish rim. Plump Merlot in the nose, front and middle. Dustsy Sangiovese, cleans the mid ad delivers the strength on the finish. Dark berry, leather with a subtle anise quality. I think it will go for many years, but the vintage is just begging to be drank.

1/18/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Much like many of the 2003's that I have had. Warm rich upfront fruit, with a lack of depth. The middle became hollow and the finish somewhat short, but the wine did have good fruit in the front and decent structure. I have found that other vintages have been better for this vineyard.

1/5/2010 - dougwine wrote:

Drank from magnum. The only way I would have kept THIS 97 this long. Developed black fruits, integrated tannin and a bit of a bitter tinge on the finish. Well made for the vintage and quantity produced. Poured in decanter and poured. Could last a little longer from larger formats, but why wait. Great QPR considering.

12/22/2009 - dougwine wrote:

Great fruit! Deep, dark, dusty and spicy. Black fruit with great cement type tannin, fine grained but still resolving. Very good balance and structure. Drinks good now but will probably reward with 10 yrs on the vintage date. 90-92 and the QPR is pretty good.

12/16/2009 - dougwine wrote:

This is starting to show what it has earlier(Pop & Pour), but is still 100% Cabernet. Dark berry fruit that is super concentrated. Still needs 1-2 hrs in the decanter if possible- It will reward you for it. Becoming more layered with time and has at least 3-5 until in peak if not beyond.

11/28/2009 - dougwine wrote:

Sounds like some need to do a little research before casting such harsh opinions of this wine. This is an anti-Aussie Shiraz. You must put your mind in a northern Rhone mindset and realize the wine is aged in large neutral French oak. I have had this wine many times and many different vintages, it is always a stand out for ITS style. Those that enjoy "old world" style will enjoy, while those of the "american oak shiraz guild" will have this wine most likely be lost on them. This is a perfect example of how this site can be very flawed at times, with so many ill-informed non professionals casting such harsh opinions that may influence others. Sorry for the rant, but this stuff kills me.

10/28/2009 - dougwine wrote:

Popped and poured. Great nose from the beginning. The fruit is so good from this vintage that it takes over right from the start. It did have some of the typical Bordeaux nuances but it was hard to deny the fruit coming through. I was amazed how this drank without any air time. Drank it over the course of the next 3-4 hrs. Impressive and great QPR. High score for tasting this way from the start and a great upside for the future.

10/19/2009 - dougwine wrote:

Great wine experience. The nose i s giving as soon as you pour it, which is also a hint of good things to come. Intense burst of dark berry, spice and layered flavors of leather and oak. Decanted 2hrs and consumed over the next 3. It is just starting to show what it has in my opinion and can be cellared and reward for up to another 10 possibly.

10/18/2009 - dougwine wrote:

Outstanding wine! Wet earth, coffee ground and ta. Dark berry, intense. Nice left bank quality makes me hope it will hang on for a few more.

10/18/2009 - dougwine wrote:

Needs a couple hours open to fan out. Dark sour cherry and spice nose. Develops a nice mid-palate and fulness. A very good experience.

9/27/2009 - dougwine wrote:

(91-92) Similar tasting notes from below. Did not decant, poured in glass, drank 45 min. Very nice.

9/21/2009 - dougwine wrote:

Very rich for the vintage. Nice viscosity and mouthfeel through the mid-palate but somewhat lacking on the finish. I did not decant. Always a well made value in most vintages. Coffee, dark sour cherry with subtle earthiness and peat.

8/31/2009 - dougwine wrote:

Very nice blackberry and spice after 1-2 hr in the decanter. Rich, ripe and ready to go. Touch of coffee and earth on the nose.

8/18/2009 - dougwine wrote:

Nice elegant mouth feel. Deep dark and rich. Warm red fruits. Nicely done for the $23. It is drinking well and should hang on for another 5 in my opinion.

8/18/2009 - dougwine wrote:

The fruit was still brimming on this 13 yr old wine. Dark and chewy cassisand tobacco. Tannins are refinedand silky. Tasted incredible right from the beginning and opened up nicely in the decanter over 2 hours. I think it could have lasted a few more years, but glad to have had it in its prime.

8/10/2009 - dougwine wrote:

Have had a few times in the past year. Have been impressed how this wine opens up after time. Popped and poured. Notes below are consistent. Dark velvety fruit right from the beginning now. Hints of coffee and herbal quality. Enough acid and tannin to keep the palate interesting over time. Great QPR for the vintage. Vineyards are across the lane from D'Issan's Margaux property, explains the quality and taste profile.

8/10/2009 - dougwine wrote:

THis wine is starting to fill in the middle. It was a great wine. Did not take formal notes or score it.