9/8/2023 - Lype Likes this wine:

It's been a while since the previous dive into the Musar land, way too long actually. Surprisingly clean bouquet, tempting but raises concerns - is this Musar enough? The palate reveals that it is. Uniquely lovely and elegant, slightly sweet, lingonberry and cassis flavors, minerals, luxurious exotic spices and more. Clean and pure but hints of funk, nail polish, wet dog and pea pod - all necessary Musar elements. Fresh acidity and mouthwatering longish finish. Super-good bottle and an excellent vintage. Damn the torpedoes, I am moving to Bekaa Valley and live happily ever after.

11/26/2021 - Lype Likes this wine:

Powerful dark toned nose with cassis scents. The palate is rich and full, ripe fruit is at the forefront but no cooked vintage 2003 feel whatsoever. Predominant cassis supplemented by spicy fragrancy, rosy flauvors, pipe tobacco, leather and more. I like the way the palate is rich with fruit but the sour tones are a bit of a let down in the otherwise attractive package, could be a bottle thing, though. Tannins are still there but there is enough fruit and acidity to make this pleasant. Not the most sophisticated presentation but enjoyable in a way which exceeds the vintage by miles.

2/11/2022 - Lype Likes this wine:

Shy nose with cab. sav. features. The palate is a fairly tight package, fruit is not ripe and wide, nothing like recently tasted Robert Craig cab. sav. Mt. Veeder or Etude cab. sav. of the same vintage, instead the expression is focused and firm, dark cassis fruit, graphite, anise, hints of violets, cedar and a bit salty feel. Good fresh acidity and resolved but still present tannins complement the quite harmonious set-up. The finish is long and gum drying. This is very enjoyable and drinking well now, no need to rush though.

1/28/2022 - Lype Likes this wine:

Promisingly open bouquet of clean earth and red fruit, the mouthwatering palate is filled with ripe fruit but no overripe cooked feel, rich round flauvors of cassis, plums, hints of tobacco, green tones you might get in Sociando, clean dark earth. Presence of purple fruit which adds a slight Right Bank feel. Tannins and acidity support the ample fruit component and make this nicely harmonious. An exceptionally good 2003 Left Banker which is now on the top of its game.

8/14/2020 - Lype Likes this wine:

Youthful, floral and fruity nose, the palate is fresh with youthful tropical fruit, citrus flauvors, minerality and hints of smoke, a bit waxy mouthfeel, good crisp acidity. This is still a fairly tight package which is quite good now but more about future promise. Another a strong vintage for this wine.

8/7/2020 - Lype Likes this wine:

Youthful a bit resinous oxidised nose which gives the impression of a young but promising wine, the palate is tightly knit, profound and full of future promise, a dense and complex package of resin, peach, citrus tones, almonds, nuts, apricot and more, oily and savoury, the usual suspects oak, vanilla, fudge and hints of iron are there but deeply buried underneath the bone dry fruit component. Quite enjoyable now but - despite the age of 19 years - the best years are clearly yet to come. Also the firm acidity reveals that this vintage has a long future ahead. The excellent vintages -04 and -05 are really good and drinking well now but the unbelievable -01 is still at the beginning of its drinking curve and in a class of its own, maybe even reminiscent of a good vintage of Blanco Gran Reserva. I will wait several years before opening the next bottle.

12/1/2018 - Lype Likes this wine:

A dense wine, dark berries, dry fruit, a bit restrained, elegant and intense at the same time, nice acidity and balance. A quality wine.

1/11/2012 - Lype Likes this wine:

Ripe fruit, attractive, a bit softer and mo approachable than the tight -00.