1/30/2023 - Vinum_04 wrote:

Destined for a long life, was concerned about alcohol percentage - though this wine is extremely well balanced (like many other ‘19s), everything in its place. To me GPL reached super second level this vintage. Just a hair under Pichon Baron at this point (which I would consider my wine of the vintage).

3/18/2020 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Mid garnet colour with marked undergrowth notes, baked fruits, dry clay; has a warmth to it. The palate offers plenty of fruit, fair concentration with a hint of liquorice and lead pencil (some old Bordeaux qualities) although the warm baked fruit pushes back to SAfrica. Despite the warmth, there was a cooler menthol blackcurrant softness. The wine was less tired than I expected at 21 years old. Perhaps the odd whiff of dust and roasted capsicum but showed nicely.

5/15/2022 - John McCabe wrote:

My 2nd last one of these. Amazing on the nose right out of the bottle, this oozes right bank class from start to finish. I perhaps even prefer this to the supposed 100pt 2009. This feels more robust, perhaps firmer tannins but with such a sweet core of black fruit, creamy creme-de-cassis and some licorice and cedar, and some nice acidity too. Feels like an over-achiever for the vintage. Will improve further, but feels open for business.

6/27/2022 - repoper wrote:

Tasted at the UGC event in NYC. This opens up with a full assault of flowers, creme de cassis and just packed with layers of fruit. One of the best mid pallets that help the finish linger for what seems forever. Epic vintage for this wine.

5/15/2022 - csimm wrote:

Very similar to the 2018, this year-younger brother is full of pithy and limey vigor, with notable persistence and a zingy-tart delivery that offers pogo stick flavor punching on through the vibrant finish. Fresh and lip-smacking yellow and green citrus go toe-to-toe with limestone and pear skin notes, hitting all the Five Ds of flavor-dodgeball - Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and... Dodge.

Sealed with DIAM; so, no problem holding for a few years, though this is a fun (if but primary) showing already. Air is a friend here if deciding to open early. (Too bad they are going back to natural cork with 2020). 94-95+ points. Try again in 2025+.

4/27/2022 - englishman's claret wrote:

I love tasting wines young after they have arrived in bottle, and the 2018 Duhart Milon is a good reminder of why it’s beneficial to do that at home over a protracted period. 24 hours of air helps this wine develop greatly, allowing the fruit to unfurl and additional nuances to reveal themselves. Furthermore, as the fruit volume expands, it puts the ABV in better balance and surpasses some of the oaky notes which are age-appropriate at this stage of the wine’s life.

The fruit really is beautiful here, mostly on the blacker end of the spectrum, and with a fine natural sweetness that doesn’t feel overdone. There’s a pretty potpourri note that builds with air and some tapenade present on night one fades by night two. The alcohol, initially present on the palate if not the nose (which is interesting as it’s actually quite high, marked at 14.5%) seems better integrated as the fruit expands.

That said, does this offer the appeal of the cool, classically sculpted 2016? Will it keep its balance as long (the ABV poked out before the fruit expanded, so why shouldn’t it again as the fruit fades 20-30 years down the line)?

Drinking 2030-

65% CS / 35% M
14.5% ABV

6/28/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Rich, plush, silky-textured wine with layers of ripe, sweet, fresh, juicy, dark red fruits, licorice, earth, smoke and espresso notes. Full-bodied, concentrated and with a round, luscious, fruit-filled finish with ripe, fresh, plums, cherries, thyme, cocoa and crushed rocks in the endnote. The wine is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. 94-96Pts

1/15/2021 - JimHow wrote:

The thing about this wine is how representative it is of St. Estephe, at a $24 price level. This is one of the best Bordeaux QPRs out there. Classically "pure" St. Estephe ruby color, like a combination of Lafon Rochet, Lafite, and Cos d'Estournel. Great spicy finish. When you combine 2016 + St. Estephe you can't go wrong. I bought a case at like $23 per bottle.

1/16/2021 - cugel_saga Likes this wine:

Decanted for 4 hours although this was in a good place after an hour or two.

Ridiculously smooth with a wonderful soft, red fruit feel and a pleasant, plush depth behind the fruit.

On the nose it suggests tobacco, leather, cigar box, which I am a big fan of. This is deceptive because on the palate it’s a little bit of this but subtler and more complex.

Did I mention how smooth it is? So well balanced.

3/12/2021 - tobyc Likes this wine:

From the lesser-known Gattinara appellation in the northern part of Piedmont. Made from 100 % Nebbiolo, this wine not only appears like a true Barolo, it also tastes like it. There's richness to it which is both refined and elegant. The Nebbiolo's "roses and tar" w. dark cherries, some liquorice and vanilla prevail while rounded tannins and retained acidity give a stout and earthy mouthfeel.

Keep or drink.

Finished over two days. Day 2 better. Thus, give plenty of air.

9/21/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Smoky black cherry, licorice, espresso and earth work perfectly with the fresh, ripe, sweet, plums and cherries. Medium-bodied and finesse driven, this is quite the charmer.

12/7/2019 - Musigny1955 Likes this wine:

{Tasted from an open bottle at Ansonia, probably 50-55F temp} Wow wine. Shockingly good and a standout. Nutty, acacia flowers and pit fruits, excellent depth and length. The oak was impeccable, not intrusive. Does not taste at all like the Jasper Morris note from 2018. Textbook and much better than I expect a villages level wine to be.

6/11/2020 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Too early. Gave it a three hour decant and drank it slowly over the evening, with appropriate food. All the ingredients are there but it remains reticent. Tannins aren't excessive, but character is muted- both on nose and palate. Mouthfeel is pure velvet, and this has all the ingredients for 92+ in another two years. Will wait at least a year until trying next bottle.

11/7/2019 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine:

The 2016 vintage of Clos des Brusquières is quite impressive. A deep ruby blend of 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Cinsault, it is packed with raspberry and boysenberry fruit that is beautifully complemented by Provençal herbs, anise, black tea, allspice and white flowers. Medium-bodied, fresh, lightly oaked and somehow hiding its lofty 15.5% alcohol, it is layered on the mid-palate and closes with magnificent length and a bit of tannic grip. Owner and winemaker Claude Courtil is the godson of Henri Bonneau...their time together is reflected in the wines of this domaine, which has only 20 acres, produces no luxury cuvée (nor specialty blend) yet delivers a superb Châteauneuf that performs well above its pay grade. Drink 2021-2035.

12/4/2019 - Screameagle Likes this wine:

This wine is really signing. I would suggest an at least an hour in the decanter. A tremendous value at the bargain price I paid for it at $8.00. Wish I could buy some more.