1/2/2024 - MariusA Likes this wine:

I was a bit worried about this wine given all of the Parker references in the other notes, and whereas I'm a big admirer of Robert Parker, I'm quite sure "parkerization" is not meant as a complement to any winemaker or chateau. As it turns out, my concerns were overblown and I was pleasantly surprised by the bottle I pulled out of the case (my first). [The wine was purchased upon release and stored in the owc.]

Big? Yes of course.
Intense black fruit? Yes
Tannic? Yes but not harshly.
Secondary notes? Some
Is it a 100 point wine? Not in my opinion but I'm also not qualified

Overall, my wife and I thought this was a very pleasant bottle of Bordeaux. In my experience, the delicious Pape Clement '05 has not improved with age and I would suspect the '10 will not either. The wine is open for business and will probably mellow for some time before it starts fading. If you own multiple bottles, it might be time to try it out.

11/17/2023 - csimm wrote:

Raspberry seed, leather, earthy funk, and a bit of haunted house closet dust make for a Las Cases that seems a bit older than its vintage would indicate. The initial pull was a bit balled up, but it relaxed after an hour or so…kinda…

I experienced a push-pull of expansion here, with the tertiary flavors seemingly clamping down on the fruit, but then scurrying away to allow some interesting macerated black cherry notes poke through. Finishes somewhat angular, with a tannic element creeping up in the back end. A wine yearning for food pairing.

There’s part of me that feels like this is past its prime, but another part of me wonders if this just needs to smooth out its edges over the next 5+ years and see what becomes if it. For my palate, I’d like a little more fruit intensity to balance out the other elements. Score higher if you are more a friend to the funkafied. I know diehard fans will say I need to revisit this in 2040. I’ll leave that in others’ capable hands. Enjoy!

6/18/2023 - ASCP wrote:

some flavors of leather & cherries in the nose (strange combo), green in the mouth. Not particularly pleasant. Have another bottle that will wait 3-5 years.

6/3/2023 - novocane Likes this wine:

Tasting note.

With DOC Italian pizza on a warm spring evening.

Pulled the bottle from cellar. PNP at restaurant, opened clean by waiter.

Wine has just started bricking. Medium Garnet.

Initially on the nose, blue fruit. Initially taste is a bit sour, agrumes with some blue fruit. But evolves after about 10 mins opened. Becomes less sour, more dry and Smokey.

After 90 mins opened, nose of early cherries, black currants with a little tobacco.

Front of cherries, cranberries, graduating with Smokey notes, tobacco at the mid palate. Hit by that American oak on the back, though a bit more integrated than a young tondonia.

91/100

3/9/2023 - topherwhatever Likes this wine:

Not very pinot-like. It's a big, acidic, tannic wine that is pretty good as a wine but not as a Bourgogne.

1/7/2023 - Zweder wrote:

An easy afternoon with close friends. (@ My place): Beautiful, luxurious bouquet with vanilla, oak and beautiful rustic impressions. On the palate mainly dark berries and good cherries, ripe fruits, also a firm but good dose of oak and vanilla, tobacco, juicy acidity and firm tannin which has a touch of green bell pepper. Good length. Most of the group thought today was a very good drinking moment and that the wine is in its young maturity stage. Personally I think the wine will develop for the better over the next 5 - 10+ years and show even more complexity and refinement. Overall a beautiful wine with great potential. 93 - 95+

3/4/2023 - RiddlingRack Does not like this wine:

This bottle was a little tart, sour, bitter. Weird.

2/9/2023 - gornals wrote:

The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like cranberry, raspberry, red currant, strawberry jam, mineral, forest floor, stoniness, medium toast, oak, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, violet and meaty. The body is medium. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity. Expected a bit more as it tasted a bit harsh, but overall very good, although I prefer white wines from this winery (89). After two days, I took the last glass and it was almost another wine, much better overall, not harshness with the same complexity, balance, intensity and finish.

1/15/2020 - Bertw Likes this wine:

Past prime. I let is set in decanter. After 3 hours still not ok. After 4 hours it opened up to a nice. /not great wine. DEFINATELY drink ASAP

3/2/2022 - wino mc vino Likes this wine:

We opened 3 of our best cellar bottles, two old Barolo and a brand new 2016 Mouton Rothchild. The most sublime tasting experience for all involved. Is there a better claret? We've never experienced it, and this will probably be the height of our red wine life experience.

12/19/2020 - novocane Likes this wine:

Delicious.

From 750mL bottle, 14.5% ABV. Now labeled under Nicole Lamarche, rather than Francois.

PnP
Nose of blueberry and raspberry. Bright and fresh.
A nice pale purple.

Great intense young Pinot, black cherry, blackberry, light cinnamon with some oak on the back. It reminds me of some delightful oregon pinots, though with more oak. Taste lingering on the tongue for 30-45s. Keeps going and drawing you back for another sip.

Looking forward to trying the grand echezeaux and grand rue that came in the same allocation. But likely those will be laying down a while first.

This one may have the best qpr of the 2018 lamarche.

4/4/2019 - spicy1 Likes this wine:

Really solid red blend but not sure it works at $58. At $30, I would buy a case.

10/19/2020 - Tabergman Likes this wine:

Ok QPR @ $85. What you expect for a top line OR PN. A very complex wine to contemplate over hours. Magnificent noise of earth, fruit, size and tobacco. Mouthfeel is big for OR PN, luscious, ripe red fruit, earthines and spice. Very young. Holding my 2nd bottle 10 years.

1/24/2021 - Jurko1 Likes this wine:

Great Pinot at a great price

3/5/2021 - Rabaja Likes this wine:

This may be peaking right now. Pnp into Bordeaux stem and I’m immediately hit by the blackberry fruit. It’s a bit cold from the cellar but as it warms up it shows nice warm Cabernet fruit. Cocoa nibs, Bay leaf, olive tapenade, pimento, a touch of herbaceousness are all enveloped in a blanket of sweet dark berry fruit. Excellent wine. This is the best of this bottling I’ve had to date. It has significantly improved over the last two years.

1/30/2021 - grapenomad wrote:

Deep ruby red in the glass. Waaaaaay too young, I don't even know how one can enjoy this at this point of time. Loads of oak in your face, with the fruit struggling to come to the surface. Has strong juice to support the decades long aging, but you really can't see this opening up for the next decade.

1/8/2021 - The Rads wrote:

Getting a little fruity

12/22/2020 - nfurlong wrote:

This bottle at least, has entered the Hibernation period. PNP through Venturi, very closed. Austere. Some gravel, cigar box and hints of black raspberry, but far more acid than fruit. Capped with Argon, second day still closed. Third day ever so slightly better, some blackberry and black cherry eeking through, but based solely on this bottle, I'm afriad we're in for a long winter (decade). No rating.

12/16/2020 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine:

PnP and then allowed to open for 3 hours. This is soooo locked up it’s hard to believe it’s five years old and the St Emilions are drinking beautifully with a long decant. Great structure built to last with a great future ahead. Guessing this will end up in the 92 - 94 range but what do I know.

With this experience, do not touch until 2024 or later.

I kept half for tomorrow under cork, no gas, in fridge.

6/25/2019 - novocane wrote:

My second bottle. The first I loved, rated it 94, and stocked up on a half case of the wine. The second bottle, no where near as good and perhaps flawed. Fruit tastes not fully ripe, with a bitterness through the wine. Lemon, cranberry with bitterness on front and back. Second day did not improve.

Hopefully the remaining 6 bottles are more like the first one.

7/14/2018 - novocane wrote:

Restaurant had a hard time opening the wine as the cork broke apart for them. On opening, strong smell of petroleum, and initial taste similar. We let it breathe for an hour as we sipped the first glass. As that petroleum smell reduced, the wine got a bit better. But this wine is still thin, tannins are gone, and a slightly sweet wine lacking the normal complexities on the back. Maybe with overnight decanting it could be better. A pity.