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Red

1998 Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend

3/25/2023 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine:

95 points

Medium dark red color. Black currant, spice, and chocolate aromatics. Very rich fruit on the palate, it still has a little tannin in the finish. I think it will continue to evolve at least another 3-4 more years. A surprisingly strong showing for a 1998 vintage.

Tasted this at Mark’s yearly Bordeaux tasting. Sampled 12 vintages each of Château Haut Brion and Château Margaux. Great wines and comradeship, what an exceptional event to be part of!
Thanks to our host for his generosity in presenting a once in a lifetime Bordeaux tasting experience.

VinhoVerde commented:

3/29/23, 2:31 PM - I know that 1998 was strong in St. Emilion and Pomerol. I forgot Graves was a very good vintage as well. Thanks for the reminder.
VinhoVerde

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White

2019 Kongsgaard Chardonnay Napa Valley

12/8/2021 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine:

88 points

Complex peach, smoke, and licorice aromatics. Rich supple fruit on the palate. Very ripe. Viscous texture. Low acidity. Off dry finish with a little heat. Drink up.

VinhoVerde commented:

12/18/21, 11:17 AM - I double checked my notes and it was indeed 2019 vintage. So, unless I misread the bottle originally the vintage is correct. The cork was popped about a half hour before tasting. I attended a tasting where it was presented and am not very familiar with this winery.
My analysis on its ability to age was based on two factors:
(1)- Lack of noticeable acidity. Usually Chardonnay that lacks acid does not age well.
(2)- High alcohol. As the fruit fades with time age the alcohol (heat) quickly comes to dominate.
I must confess that I personally prefer cooler climate Chardonnayi.e. Chablis and other white Burgundy, so this could prejudice my judgment. Thanks.
VinhoVerde

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Red

2005 Château Malescot St. Exupéry Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend

7/5/2021 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine:

94 points

Medium red/purple color. Intense berries, smoke bouquet. Rich, ripe fruit extract. Tannins are relatively tame, particularly in the context of this ‘05 Bordeaux tasting. There’s just so much fruit here to counterbalance. Long finish. This needs an additional 3-5 years of age.
Cork pulled 2 hours before tasting.

From Mark’s 2005 Bordeaux Vintage Tasting:
Attended a 36 wine ‘05 Bordeaux tasting recently. The wine above is one of those wines. Served single-blind.
All wines were tasted over a 2 day period, 18 per day. The wines served on the 1st day had their corks pulled two hours prior. The second day’s wines were served “ double-decanted”, 2 hours before the first flight. The overall tasting experience was quite different, as one would expect. Day 2 wines were softer, displaying more ripe fruit, and less harsh tannins.
Kudos to Mark for both a fantastic experience as well as providing an instructive opportunity on how the 2005 Bordeaux vintage is showing at this stage.

VinhoVerde commented:

10/6/21, 11:22 AM - To Occasional_Wine_Guy
A 3 hour decant should be sufficient to allow the wine to show well.
VinhoVerde

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White

2020 Dry Creek Vineyard Fumé Blanc Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc

8/2/2021 - Jobu wrote:

91 points

Nice crisp Sauv Blanc. Lemon-lime, grapefruit, a little bit of apple. Decent acidity for a CA Sauv Blanc. Good QPR.

VinhoVerde commented:

8/2/21, 3:34 PM - Completely agree with your note.Just had this wine with tomato soup. A perfect wine/food combination.
Dry Creek Fume Blanc is consistent year after year. A great value.

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Red

2003 Les Forts de Latour Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend

11/25/2020 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:

93 points

I wasn't sure which vintage of Les Forts to open tonight, but I decided to go with 2003 because I felt it could stand up to the 14oz. A5 Wagyu strip steak that I seared. The sweetness and almost melt in your mouth creaminess of the meat paired with a fully mature Bordeaux from one of the best wine producers in the world was magical. This wine is open for business and at its peak right now. Decanted for 90 minutes and it was good to go! While not as grand as the Grand Vin, it still has the Latour nobility in the glass.

VinhoVerde commented:

11/26/20, 5:38 AM - I had the opportunity to sample both the Forts de Latour and the Grand Vin from cask in the spring of 2004. I thought the Chateau Latour was the wine of the vintage. However, the Forts de Latour was very close at a fraction of the price so I bought several bottles. Sadly, I drank the last bottle 3 years ago. Glad to see it’s still holding up.

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