11/13/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Fairly tight at first but it started to open up after 3 hours in the bottle. Dark ruby/purple in colour. On the nose, there were dark and red cherries, french oak, roasted coffee and a hint of earthiness. On the palate, it was medium to full bodied, fairly rich with some good acidity and fine tannins. The finish was long.

10/24/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Brick-red in colour.....On the nose, there were aromas of red and dark fruits, animal, toffee, vanilla oak and spice. On the palate, it was medium-bodied, very well balanced with good acidity and firm tannins. The finish was long. Drink now-2015.

9/2/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Dark ruby/purple in colour. Intense aromas of mango when it was first opened. After 1 hour in the bottle, it revealed aromas of mango, dark fruits, coffee, new oak and spice, I couldn't definately smell the high alcohol content. The wine was medium to full bodied, rich and well rounded on the palate. The finish was medium. The high alcohol content definately impaired the enjoyment. Drink now to 2014.

8/30/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Dark ruby in colour. On the nose, cherry, tea and cedar oak. Medium-bodied and creamy on the palate with nice acidity. The tannins were firm. The finish was long. Drink now to 2015

8/26/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Dark purple in colour. On the nose, there were aromas of dark fruits, dried herbs, meat and peppery spice. The wine was medium to full bodied, meaty on the palate with chewy tannins. The finish was long, chocalatety and spicey.

8/22/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Ruby core with slight amber rim. This wine was extremely fragranted. On the nose, there were aromas of sweet red fruits, dried rose pedal, truffles, cedar wood, wild mushrooms, games and spice. On the palate, it was light to medium palate with silky smooth tannins. The finish was long and sweet. Drink now.

Very nice but a little too sweet for my taste and that prevented it from scoring higher.

8/21/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Dark garnet with slight brick red rim. At first, it tasted like a Bordeaux but back to sangiovese after some breathing time. On the nose, there were aromas of red and dark fruits, mocha, vanilla and spice. On the palate, it was medium bodied, elegant with good acidity and silky tannins. Unfortunately, the finish was only medium and rather subtle. Drink now.

8/20/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Light crimson coloured. Aromas of sweet red fruits, tobacco, vanilla and spice. On the palate, it was elegant, light to medium bodied and very well balanced with decent acidity. The tannins were firm. One thing that prevented it from being a 90 pointer was it being too delicate. The finish was medium. Drink now.

8/14/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Should decant for about an hour. I thought the 2008 Jester was a well-made and typical Australian Cab. At 10.50 pounds, it was value for money.

Purple coloured. It was extremely complex, creme de cassis, ripe blackcurrant, cherry, tobacco, coffee, vanilla and peppery spicy. On the palate, it was medium to full-bodied with decent acidity and it had firm yet resovled tannins. The finish was long. Drink now - 2020.

8/13/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

In the first hour, the wine's mid-palate was very diluted and tasted like water. However, it inproved as it was left in the bottle for another hour.

The 2009 was light purple (where you can see your fingers) coloured. On the nose, there was berries, tea, floral notes and spice. On the palate, it was light to medium bodied with refreshing acidity and some grip. The thing that concerns me is that the mid/end palate was too diluted, almost disappeared.....Although it got better with time in the bottle, it is still too diluted for my taste. The finish was medium. Drink now - 2013.

8/12/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Dark ruby coloured. On the nose, there was dark cherries, cocoa, vanilla and spice. On the palate, it was medium to full bodied and balanced with refreshing acidity. The tannis was firm but grainy. The finish was long. Drink now - 2015.

Unfortunately, after 2 hours in the bottle. The oak became too prominent and the nose became less complex....dropped from 90 -87

8/9/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

My second bottle. Pretty much the same as the first bottle..added with a hint of poached cod fish aromas (maybe I was too hungry?) and the chalky flavour was much more apparent.

8/2/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

This is my second bottle and it was much better than the first bottle that I consumed. Brick-red coloured. On the nose, it revealed itself as a mature wine. It was perfumy with aromas of figs, dried red fruits, carmel, animal characters and spice. On the palate, it was light to medium bodied with refreshing acidity with mature tannins. The finish was medium to long. Drink up.

7/31/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Dark ruby/purple coloured. On the nose, there were aromas of black and red fruits, vanilla, herbs and earth. On the palate, it was medium-full bodied, elegant with refreshing acidity and nicely structured with firm grainy tannins. The finish was long. Drink now - 2020.

7/28/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Dark garnet coloured. On the nose, figs, red fruits, tobacco, cedar wood and spice. On the palate, it was medium-full bodied, rich, nicely balanced with some acidity and had some firm grainy tannins. The finish was long. Drink now-2020

7/26/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

The 2006 Wynn's cab had a blackish/purple core with a dark ruby rim. On the nose, there was black and red fruits, tobacco, mint, cigar box and an underlying hint of mushroom. On the palate, it was medium to full bodied, rich and balanced nicely with decent acidity. It was nicely structured with firm, grainy tannis. The finish was medium to long. Drink now with at least 2 hours of decanting - 2020.

7/24/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

The 2002 Ste Michelle had a blackish colour to rim. On the nose, there was blackcurrant, licorice, herbs, mint nd spice. On the palate, it was full-bodied, concentrated and rich. The wine had sweet tannins and was nicely balanced with refreshing acidity. The finish was medium. Drink now - 2015.

7/16/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

The 2004 Haut-Brisson had a dark ruby/purple core with a ruby rim. On the nose, there were aromas of earth, mineral, raspberry, cherry, tobacco and leather. On the palate, it was medium/light bodied with refreshing acidity and it was silky with refined tannin. The finish was medium. Drink now.

7/5/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Left in the bottle for 9 hours before drinking. The 2003 Lynch Bages had a dark ruby core with no lighting at the rim. On the nose, there were black fruits, plums, tobacco, cigar box, minerals and it was smoky. On the palate, it was medium bodied with sweet tannins...A medium finish.....Drink now - 2020....

7/4/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Opened the bottle 5 hours before drinking....The 2004 Carruades de Lafite had a dark ruby core and a ruby rim. Having taken previous tasters' tasting notes into account, I was pleasantly surprised.....On the nose, there were aromas of black cherry, cedar wood, vanilla and some earthy characters.....On the palate, it was medium bodied balanced with refreshing acidity...It had a medium length finish.....Drinking nicely now after 5 hours of breathing time - 2015.....

4/5/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Garnet coloured. Baked fruit, kirsch, dried herbs and french oak. Medium bodied and a medium finish. Overall, it is a fruit driven wine, it can use a little bit more complexity.

4/3/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Garnet coloured.Plum, white peppers and toasty new oak. Medium bodied with a short finish.Very dry. Over-rated and over over oaked for my taste.

3/17/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Straw coloured. Floral, lime, citrus, golden apple and a hint of minerality. Refreshing acidity. Medium finish.

3/15/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Started drinking right away. The wine was crimson coloured. Vanilla, spice, mint and black currant. It was medium bodied, supple with silky tannins and fresh acidity. A long finish. Unfortunately, it was way over oasked for my taste. Drink now-2013.

3/12/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Drank straight away from the bottle. In the first hour, it was all cabernet sauvignon. However, in the 2 hour, it showed itself as an australian shiraz....very interesting.....The wine was garnet/purple in colour.Medium, almost full bodied. Blueberries, blackcurrant, plum,tobacco, wet stone, french oak, white pepper and hint of coffee and herbal characters. Sweet tannin and a long finish. Very nice. Drink now -2015...

3/11/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

The wine started to open up after 3 hours in the bottle. The wine was ruby coloured, medium bodied. Red fruits, cherry, mineral, and spice. Sweet tannins. A medium-long finish, with a hint of delicious herbal character. Drink now - 2015

3/11/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

The wine started to open up after 3 hours in the bottle. The wine was ruby coloured, medium bodied. Red fruits, cherry, mineral, and spice. Sweet tannins. A medium-long finish, with a hint of delicious herbal character. Drink now - 2015

3/6/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Opened one hour before drinking. It was purple coloured. Black fruits, vanilla, black pepper and a hint of dried herbs......definately over-oaked to me.....very bitter.....A long finish though....Drink now-2015

2/25/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Started drinking straight away, it was originally very simple with lots of berry fruits. 2 hrs later, the wine started to open up and showed some class. Purple
coloured, medium bodied. Cherry, vanilla, cigar box and a hint of tobacco. T
medium finish.

2/24/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Dark purple in colour. Summer fruits, vanilla, spice and rasin. Medium finish. Value for money

2/3/2010 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Mushroom, red fruits, coffee and spice

8/24/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Decanted for 3 hours. The 2005 Lanessan had a dark ruby/purple core and a ruby rim. On the nose, there was subtle aromas of leather, cassis, tobacco and spice. On the palate, it was medium bodied and rich. It had some acidity and ripe tannins. The finish was medium.

Drink now with at least 3 hours of decanting and it should drink well for 10 years.

8/10/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Decanted for 3 hours. The 1997 Pavie Macquin had a dark ruby core and a garnet rim. On the nose, it revealed aromas of red fruits, cedar wood, spice and hints of mineral and rustic nails. On the palate, it was medium bodied (vert elegant but can do with a little bit more weight), silky and nicely balanced with very good acidity. The finish was medium, which prevented the wine from being a 93 pointer or even 94.

Drink now or up to 3 years.

8/7/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Dcanted for 3 hours. The 2001 Figeac had a dark ruby core and a light ruby rim. On the nose, it revealed aromas of dark red fruits, charcoal cedar wood, spice and hints of tobacco, roasted coffee and mint. On the palate, it was medium bodied, rich, nicely balanced and with some sweet tannin. The finish was long.

It can be drunk now with 3 hours of decanting and it would drink well for at least 10 years.

8/5/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Decanted for 1 hour. It was definately a fusion of modern and traditional bordeaux. The 2001 Clos de l'oratoire had a purple core with a brick red rim which suggested maturity. On the nose, it revealed aromas of sweet dark fruits, caramel, roasted coffee, earth, blood, new oak and spice. On the palate, it was very elegant, less powerful than Chateau Canon la Gaffeliere which is under the same ownership of Neipperg. It was medium bodied and well balanced with good acidity. The finish was long.

Drink now or up to 5 years.

8/4/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Decanted for 3 hours. The 2004 Cannon la Gaffeliere had a dark ruby core with a garnish rim. On the nose, it revealed aromas of ripe black and red fruits, tobacco, caramel, roasted coffee, cedar wood and a slight hint of earth and spice. The nose was really complex and sexy. On the palate, it was medium bodied, very well balanced with refreshing acidity and sweet tannin. The finish was long. Drinking nicely now with decanting and should last for 10 years.

A note of caution, the wine tasted really weird between 1 to 3 hours of decanting. So I strongly recommend that you decant it for 3 hours before drinking.

8/2/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

The 2005 Liversan had a dark ruby/purple core with a garnet rim. The colour suggested that it had already reached maturity. On the nose, it revealed red fruits, new oak and spice. On the palate, it was rather disappointing, it was medium bodied, a little too acidic and rather diluted. In my opinion, the wine was overoaked as there was not enough fruit to support it. The finish was short. Drink now or up to 2 years.

In Bordeaux, the 2005 vintage is suppose to be very good. Even cru bourgeois chateau should make good wine. Totally disappointed with Liversan.

7/29/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Less chuncky than the R.W.T. but more elegant. The 2004 Magill estate had a purple core with slight lightening at the rim. On the nose, there was some black fruits, earth and spice. On the palate, it was medium to full bodied, smooth and had a long finish.

Drink now or up to 5 years.

7/28/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Was at its prime after about 2 hours in the bottle. The 2006 Zuccardi Q had a purple/ dark ruby coloured core with a garnet rim. On the nose, it smells like an Australian shiraz at the beginning but after 2 hours in the bottle, it started to reveal typical aromas of Cabernet wine, really dark fruits, a hint of tobacco, cedar wood, green pepper and spice. On the palate, it is medium to full bodied, with concentrated dark fruits, a hint of dark chocolate and fresh acidity. There were still some sweet tannins. The finish was medium. Drink now or up to 5 years.

7/27/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Didn't take any formal notes. However, as I recalled, the 1995 calon segur had a dark ruby colour with slight lightening at the rim. On the nose, it revealed aromas of red fruits, tea leafs, earth/mushroom. On the palate, it was smooth (tannins almost totally resolved), nicely balanced with good acidity. However, the finish was only medium, could have been better.

Compared with the Penfolds R.W.T. 1997 I had at the same evening, the R.W.T. was better and cheaper.

7/27/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

The 1997 R.W.T. had a dark garnet core with a brick red rim. On the nose, it revealed aromas of plum, blackberries, mineral, liquorice, new oak and spice.On the palate, the wine was full bodied, rich and concentrated. It was smooth, nicely balanced with refreshing acidity. The finish was extremely long. Drink now or up to 5 years.

7/13/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

The 2004 reserve had a dark purple core with no noticeable lightening at the rim. After 3 hours of decanting, the wine showed aromas of plum, blackcurrant, cedar wood and slight spiciness. On the palate, the wine was full-bodied, nicely balanced with fresh acidity and sweet tannin. Unfortunately, the finish was rather short. I think that the wine is now ready and would drink well for 5 years.

7/10/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Opened up in the bottle after 1 hour. The 2005 Mauperey has a dark ruby core with slight lightening at the rim. On the nose, there was dark fruits, tobacco and cedar wood. On the palate, it is medium bodied, spicy with sweet tannin. However, it is a little off balance on the alcohol side and too much oak. The finish was medium. Good at this price point but certainly not great. I do not think that it would improve anymore with age.

After 4 hours in the bottle, the alcohol that i mentioned earlier was gone, i have increased the score from 86 to 88.

7/6/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Dark purple core almost all the way to the rim. On the nose, there was aromas of blueberries, plum, floral notes and spice. On the palate, it is medium to full bodied, rich but not thick, well balanced, ripe fruits, complexity and sweet tannins. The finish was medium. After 2 to 3 hours of breathing time, there came some meaty notes as well.

Drinking very nicely now. Why wait.

6/25/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Decanted for 2 hours. Garnet core with brownish colour at the rim. On the nose, there was spice, earth/mushroom and a hint of red berries. It was medium bodied and somehow too acidic. Contrary to some critics, the tannin was totally resolved. However, the fruit was pretty much gone already. The finish was ok.

6/5/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

This ruby/purple coloured pontet canet 1995 revealed aromas of cassis, herbs, spice and new oak. It is medium to full bodied. On the palate, the fruit was concentrated. It was nicely balanced with low acidity and well integrated tannins. The finish was long.

The wine still tasted really youthful, I would give it at least 5 more years of cellaring (should gain another 2-3 points) and it should drink well for 15 to 20 years.

5/10/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

The 1989 Chateau Grand-Puy-Ducasse has a dark ruby colour with slight amber at the rim. On the nose, hint of black fruits, smoky, vanilla, cedar wood, smoky. On the palate, ripe fruits, meaty, oak and spice. It is medium bodied with some tannin remaining. The finish was somehow short and diluted.

5/8/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Opened up after 1 hour of decanting. The 1988 Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse has a ruby colour with slight lighting at the rim. On the nose, the wine has aromas of cassis, mushroom/earth, pepper, spice and toasty new oak. On the palate, sweet fruits, herbaceous, meat, oaky and spicy. It is medium bodied, low in acidity and still tannic. The finish was long.

3/24/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

The straw coloured Andrew Peace Chardonnay had aromas of honey, tropical fruit and 馬蹄(a type of chinese vegetable). In the mouth, there was honey and 馬蹄. The wine was rather light, watery and somehow disappear in the mouth. In addition, the alcohol level was a little off balance. The finish was short to medium.

Again, the wine is not rated due to the limited experience with white wine. However, I am sure that I would not recommend it.

3/26/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote:

Decanted for 1 hour before serving. This dark ruby/garnet coloured 1975 Latour showed only slight amber at the rim. The colour was still very youthful, looked like 15 year old rather than 34. At first, the wine was rather closely packed, showed only sweet red and dark fruits and leather. After another 2 hours (3 hours in total), the complexity of the wine started to reveal itself, in addtion to the inital red, dark fruits and leathery components, there was tobacco, earth, roasted coffee, cedar wood and spice. In the mouth, the wine is concentrated, rich, however, it also possessed astringent tannin.It had a tannin and a medium length finish. In my opinion, the wine still has at least a decade ahead of it. It would be interesting to see wether the tannin would dissolve in time into the wine while the fruits last.

The 1975 Latour is a food wine so I would strongly recommend to serve the wine with some fatty red meat like a rack of lamb which I had together with the wine. The fat would help to coat your palate and thereby soften the tannin.