3/18/2012 - J.L wrote:

Quite young still. Aggressive and tannic, but well made. I'm waiting three years with the next one.

3/16/2012 - J.L wrote:

Decanted in a narrow decanter for 12h. This is really a treat. Leather and on the nose. Smooth, creamy and silky on the palate. Acids prominent, but not disturbing. Tannins vell integrated. Very long. Not sure how it will develop (get much better or not), but for sure its not yet near the end of it's life.

3/1/2012 - J.L wrote:

This actually was as I remembered the previous bottle from 3 years ago. It really changes character form hour to hour, at one time I cought it at a stellar moment, but that never really came back. Would every glass have been like that it's 91 points.

1/11/2012 - J.L wrote:

Obviously a very young wine, but it is not closed. I followed the merchant's advice and pulled the cork 24h in advance, after that I still decanted while drinking it. At this stage the only fault is that it seems a bit one dimensional. This is bound to change as it matures. Really well crafted.

3/11/2012 - J.L wrote:

I drank the first half of this yesterday and drinking the other half today. It really has opend up to very nice wine. A sweet carmel-like bouquet with a hint of spice, and some heat. The palate is really sweet and lingering. Beautiful Amarone. This wine is mature, but I believe it still can be cellared for some years.

10/21/2011 - J.L wrote:

Gift from a friend. This is probably peaking right now but can certainly be cellared for many years to come. Dark red and dense, almost with a black core. On the nose it's very expressive, showing dark, ripe fruit and a note of cassis and hints of gasoline. The palate is silky smooth and the tannins are almost entierly gone. Instead a sweetness (but not exessively sweet), with some grip on the finish. Nicely balanced with a long aftertaste. Very nice indeed, and right now decanted for extra air, although maybe not even needed.

1/21/2011 - J.L wrote:

For sure a bit young but anyway really enjoyable and well structured. A bit purple still but has a beautiful deep and dense color. On the nose very open and generous, as is the palate. Powerful rather than elegant. And I don't mind the price.

12/25/2010 - J.L wrote:

This is just a very likable wine. Powerfull but with a sertain elegance to it. Wonderful nose of just about anyting from aniseed to wet, crushed rocks. The palate is not owerpowering althogh rich and full. Just the right sweetness and surprisingly moderate tannins. I think this is drinking very well right now, and will do so for quite some time and develop more mature characteristics along the way.

12/25/2010 - J.L wrote:

Disapointing, really. Maybe just a bit shut down and for sure still young and it might not have had the air time it needed, but still. Quite faint on the nose and somewhat thin on the palate. I'm just gonna let the rest of them rest maybe two or three years and revisit. The structure still seems adequate enough for a more promising future.

10/1/2010 - J.L wrote:

90-91pts. From first attack to the very last taste of the lingering finish it is very nicely balanced. Would I not know it is a 2008 I would for sure guess it would have had more time to develop more complex features, at least after 2h+. The smell transformed to from earthy to fresher flowery, but no wimpy flowers but strong peppery ones. The taste is likewise peppery with a touch of lovely iodine, with integrated but still noticeable tannins. Delicious. Went well with the duck and goes well with AC/DC right now.

9/11/2010 - J.L wrote:

Tar on the nose, but not that expressive, probably will open up still in the carafe. On the palate not the kick in the face I was expecting, but a elegant, silky smooth texture. The Rothschild-influence sertainly evident. Any sweeter and it would be too much for me . Virtually no tannins but a nice, slowly fading aftertaste. Where is it going from here? Not sure I'd chance it, I like it now.

4/15/2010 - J.L wrote:

Very nice, but I remember the previous one being nicer one year ago or so. Very dark color, but seems a bit thin on the palate. Quite elegant with a long finish, nothing sticking out.

4/6/2010 - J.L wrote:

Lively, tasty, fleshy. Notisable tannins, but not harsh. With a nose to go, a bit funky though. Nice!

4/6/2010 - J.L wrote:

So thick, so dense, so deep, almost purple mixed with black. I've got three more bottles and I'm not touching another one for at least five years. I can't really rate this, it's like something out of a barrel, but if it's going where I think it's going then it will be good, very good.

3/26/2010 - J.L wrote:

This is my third bottle of this vintage. It's mature now, and very enjoyable. Velvety and smooth with a long aftertaste. Surely evolving in the decanter, true finesse emerging on the nose.

11/22/2009 - J.L wrote:

Third day opend, one glass left. Clear and dark. Nose is a bit funky, some leather and a hint of vanilla. On the palate smooth as silk and very well balanced. Long aftertaste and still a bit tannic. On the first day the wine was decanted for 5h, after which it opend up, but not as much as it has today.

11/8/2009 - J.L wrote:

Very nice bottle. This will obviously be drinking well for a very long time, but doesn't seem to be too young now. Very dark, purple toned color, and a spicy nose. The palate is concetrated and rich, but still refined. Long and lingering aftertaste. I decanted the wine for a number of hours, which smoothed it out.

11/7/2009 - J.L wrote:

90-92pts. Although seriously good now, it has yet to blossom. Keep 2-3 years minimum, depending on your preferences and motives, of course.

10/24/2009 - J.L wrote:

Deep colored with a nose of raspberries. Tastefull but a bit thin on the palate. Quite ready.

10/17/2009 - J.L wrote:

Quite nice, my kind of stuff. In my cellar book I had put a note that it should be drunk by 2010, I don't remember from where I got that information but clearly it would last for a number of years still.

10/17/2009 - J.L wrote:

This wine is trying very hard but never seems to deliver. The palate is strangely watery but still it has some power, and it didn't get any better along the evening.

9/13/2009 - J.L wrote:

93-95pts. Deep color with a very dense core. No bricking. Seems muted on the nose upon opening, the palate is more open for business. Soft and silky with pleasant tannins. Now, let's wait a couple of hours. The palate is getting fuller, more flavours are emerging. Also the tannins are getting more prominent. This is a quite full bodied wine. Delicate and quite faint aromas comes forward. I feel that this wine still is in a early stage, and this bottle needs 5 hours to open up, too bad most of it is gone. However, it's a fantastic wine but I don't think I'm opening the next LP-96 for four to five years from now.

9/12/2009 - J.L wrote:

Earthy and barnyardy in a not so good way with a sloppy structure. Admittedly better the day after but it has a acidity that is too high for me.

9/6/2009 - J.L wrote:

Exellent zin, but it's a beast that won't be easily tamed, it didn't settle down in the decanter. Nice sturcture with a nose to match. The tannins are harsh, but with this wine I don't mind. Decent value.

9/5/2009 - J.L wrote:

Solid and elegant Paulliac. This second wine is enjoyable and quite ready to drink. Needed about 3 hours of air to open up.

9/1/2009 - J.L wrote:

93-94. Simply stunning. Decanted for 3-4 hours. Absolutely wonderful nose of delicate flowers. The palate was quite powerful, with licorice, acids and tannins well defined yet seamlessly integrated with eathother. It had a sweetness that was balanced with a touch of sea salt. It's all worth it, after all.

8/28/2009 - J.L wrote:

A little raw. The nose reminds me of a Bordeaux. Nice grip, the wine races through the mouth. Fruity and refreshing, yet somewhat tannic. Quite long. Not bad. Evolving qiuckly in the decanter, getting more intresting.

8/23/2009 - J.L wrote:

87-88pts. Second day opened. No change to first day really. This is well made and nicely structured, but very uninspiring. The sweetness in the finnish is not quite my thing. Probably right in its window now, no tannins. For this price, I'll not be buying more.

8/21/2009 - J.L wrote:

Bright red in the glass. On the nose some alcohol blended with unripe fruit, plesant but a bit primary, but this is a young wine. The wine coats the mouth with it's sweet fruit and lushous, inky texture. Not bad.

8/20/2009 - J.L wrote:

This was a truly horrid experience. Corked, perhaps? I don't think so, but It tasted like chewing on pungent grass and the smell was only slightly better. This bottle might as well have remained unopend in my cellar, doomed for a life in darkness.

8/20/2009 - J.L wrote:

Didn't really know what to expect but it turned out to be quite plesant. Mid palate seemed a bit hollow, otherwise well made and lively in the mouth.

8/20/2009 - J.L wrote:

Very big and very nice. No suprise it was a bit harsh upon opening, but mellowed out during the evening. Saved some for a coulpe of days and it was only more delicious. Should do well in the cellar.

8/8/2009 - J.L wrote:

89-90pts. I bought this when it came out and put it in the coffin and put a note that it should be in it's window 2009-2018. So I opend one (of 2) and poured half in the decanter. Two hours later not much on the nose but the taste is satisfying enough. The other one will easely last for many years yet. Dark red and quite long, actually. This is a quite enjoyable wine that's not wasting my Saturday night. Let's see where this is going over the next hours. Should open up on the nose a bit.

3/31/2009 - J.L wrote:

I'm a big fan of decanting for air, so I decanted for 6h. (Upon opening there was virtually no aromas coming out of the glass) The wine was clear and had a dark ruby core. A bit brownish to the edges and a bit watery rim. On the nose it showed a lot of smoke, like from burnt grass. I also got graphite, red meat and a touth of cigar box. On the whole a very nice bouquet. The taste, I felt, didn't quite hold up to the smell. The weight was good and tasted of ripe fruit. The tannins were pretty integrated and the aftertaste fairly long. Good balance too. Just not that special. I must say that the wine didn't knock my socks off, but atleast the label is one of the nicest looking I've seen on a bottle.

3/27/2009 - J.L wrote:

Didn't expect much and upon opening I got what I expected, i.e. not much. After a hour or so it was a different story; it got better. The dark colored wine gave me a reminder of who the big brother is. Wet crushed rocks and wonderful ammoniac came forward on the nose. Medium to full bodied, catching speed on mid palate with a fairly long aftertaste. Quite sweet actually but not disturbingly so. Good acidity with teeth coating tannins. This will surely continue aging well, and I'm not in a hurry opening my two remaining bottles.

3/24/2009 - J.L wrote:

89-90p. Had it last weekend. Dark coloured and dense. Nose of ripe red berries and coffee, yummy. Full bodied on the palate and quite vibrant and lively. Drinking well. Also on the palate I got something that I get with most of the Israeli wines i've tasted: I'd describe it as a slightly metallic taste. This is definently good, not bad. I once mentioned this to a friend who's way more an expert on Israeli wine than I am (I'm not at all, compared) , but he didn't agree.

3/24/2009 - J.L wrote:

89-90p. Nice nose of liqourice and red berries. In the glass the wine shows a clear color that's losing it's purpleness. This wine doesn't even need air, really, although the nose keeps developing somewhat after 3h+. I like this wine and it's decent value: I suspect it's the vintage talking here to fair extent. The tannins are hardly noticable, just a bit drying to the finish. A nice wine.

3/24/2009 - J.L wrote:

Drank by the glass at Palace Gourmet for lunch. Mellow yellow with with caramel on the nose. Surprisingly soft on the palate. Biggest problem here, I suspect, was that the bottle was just opend directly from a too cool storage place and not decanted (for air atleast). Probably would have opend up after possibly many hours. None the less a nice wine to finish off the lunch with. Expected more though.

3/7/2009 - J.L wrote:

Pulled the cork and took a look at it's almost black underside and clean sides. Very promising. Initially the nose was pretty subdued and based on previous notes I decanted the wine for three hours. This did the trick. Lead pencil, minerals and a bunch of fruit came through, and with additional swirling the various smells became significantly more intense. The wine was clear and deep red with no apparent bricking, that not to say the wine is too young; it's not, although definently not fully mature. The palate is very nice indeed. Good acidity carrys the almost full-bodied taste through from start to finish. Very fresh and very nicely balanced indeed. Happily I've still got two bottles of this and will wait a couple of years for the next one. Now just looking forward to seeing how this goes with the duck, as it should go well!

Additional Note: as so often with fairly young quality claret, (as the Quinault L'Enclos 2000) they need a lot of air. This one is after 7h+ in the decanter still going like a train. Particularly the nose is still improving and the palate is getting slightly more rounded.