7/24/2019 - UTPK wrote:

Needed one hour to open up. Not a very elegant nose but fully open and mature now. A blt heat and VA, also oak and wet iron. Not the elegant rose and tar of some more traditional producers. When I first blindtasted this among other modernists 10-12 years ago, this was one of the better ones. In the meantime, we have all rediscovered the traditional producers and unfortunately Scavino was very modern at this time. He has changed a few times. In 1990 this wine was amazing and I bet it will be good again in recent vintages, the terroir should warrant this.

6/27/2019 - UTPK wrote:

Wow I love Mugnier. So elegant and mineral. No forced fruit, just long, refined and cherry on top. Beginning to close down a bit so hurry up if you want to taste this while still in its primary phase.

6/27/2019 - UTPK wrote:

7 years since last taste. This has finally turned around and is now ready. Very complex and deep nose of dark fruit, leaves and some interesting soy, clove, etc. Masculine and brooding. Tannins still present but they play very well together with the fruit and acidity. This is sooo long and fresh. Sorry this winemaker died so young. I remember we visited him 2 months before he died. A truly majestic wine and a lasting testament to Domaine Lignier.

1/6/2019 - UTPK wrote:

Had the 1990, 2000 and 2010 side by side. All three showed very well. The 2010 was quite open and had a gorgeous freshness and balance. Perfect vintage? The 2000 was almost perfectly mature now. Tertiary aromas just starting to show and tannins have softened. Great fruit and great joy to drink. The 1990 is fully mature and has been on its plateau now for at least 8-10 years. It has tasted like this forever but surely it must be at the end of its drinking window?!? Anyway, tonight the 2000 was the wine to gulp down if you had to choose.

1/6/2019 - UTPK Likes this wine:

8th bottle since released (last taste 6 years ago). The best so far, but needs to decant 3-4 hours in open caraffe. Great nose of green herbs, bacon, white pepper and some tertiary aromas perking through, ie forest floor, wet fur. Medium bodied. Rather elegant and not as forward as 2003 and not as good as the 1999, albeit the 1999 needs 10 more years. The 2001 is ready now if you decant long.

5/23/2018 - UTPK wrote:

This came together with Calon Segur 2008 and Vieux Chateau Certan 2008 and obviously blew them away. Very detailed nose of tobacco, gravel, some mint and lote of primary fruit. This is way too early but it is drinking nicely and is not shut down at all. The nose is still primary though. On the palate, again what strikes me is the finely grained texture of the wine and the length. Amazing 1 cru quality!

4/19/2018 - UTPK wrote:

The nose reminded me of 1967, but not as multifacetted. The colour is a bit lighter than the 1967. This is a wonderful Yquem, which is still fresh and full of vigour. It still oozes of primary botrytis and glue with some tertiary aromas underneath of chantarelles, shoe polish and grilled corncobs. Full bodied (heavier than the 1967) and great length. Bravo!

6/16/2017 - UTPK wrote:

The broadest nose of the three (Leflaive and Lafon village 2014) but with the purest and most mineral driven acidity. The Leflaive was more restrained and "clean". Lafon was the best drinker at the moment, nose and palate in combination.

5/9/2017 - UTPK wrote:

Darker in colour than I would have expected, but all the bottles are like this, so just a product of the warm year I suppose. Anyway, the nose is amazing. Pure candied apricots (more than in any sauternes I've had) and just a bit of the ordinary glue/botrytis. It is if the fruit really penetrates the sheer sweetness on the nose. The attack is FULL bodied with high extract and a sugar level which must approach 350 g residual sugar/liter. Great acidity to match the sweetness, and half a bottle was drained for lunch (2 pers) in 20 min. It is that good! Totally ready to drink now.

3/13/2017 - UTPK wrote:

Quite elegant and restrained nose, not with the same underlying sweetness as in the smaller cuvees, but this will most likely come with further ageing. This is nice to drink now, but is still a bit one dimensional. Lovely purity of fruit though.

2/8/2017 - Rob-Rah Likes this wine:

Rather young. Driven by rich fruit at the moment. No fig and caramel yet. Lots of plush jam and fresh fruit. Not a great deal of complexity at present, but at over 22 years old I wonder whether there ever really will be. Delicious but perhaps less than expected.

10/26/2016 - UTPK wrote:

Same as last year. Light colour, no premox. Fresh and complex nose, deep and dark, noticeable wood. Nose keeps changing the first hour in the glass. Full bodied. Lots of everything, fruit, acidity, wood. But everything is in balance. I like this, and I will drink my last two bottles now. No need to wait, on the contrary, they may grow tired.

8/21/2015 - UTPK wrote:

The typical Coche perfume folded out after 20 min in the glass. Crisp and clean, typical 2011, which is very classy and better than first expected. Great acidity, ripe (but not too much) fruit, and a medium finish. Great with turbot! Coche always delivers big time!

2/13/2016 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:

Incredible wine that still has amazing life to it. So much going on with this wine... Rich voluptuous black fruit and cassis laced with earth, mineral, olive tapenade, black licorice, green pepper, cigar box, etc. It screams from the glass "I am a left bank Bordeaux", but then once you drink it the creme de cassis comes out and it suggests otherwise giving away that this is powerful Spring Mtn. fruit from Napa Valley. Great juice in this bottle! Purchased straight from the vineyard, so the provenance is clear.

2/20/2016 - BordeauxBuff Likes this wine:

One of my favorite vintages of Bartolo Mascarello from the 21st century. Open and much more expressive than the 04 and 06 (tasted side by side).

Highly recommended. Drink 2018-2040+

2/21/2016 - Edclr Likes this wine:

Cant believe the fruit is still this bright 8 years after the vintage. I have never let these wines go beyond 8 years or so, but maybe I should try it. I was hoping for some secondary flavors to appear, but its still like a baby. Cant tell if thats good or bad.

2/22/2016 - grapist wrote:

Decanted for 6 hours. Nose so inviting that I would have been happy just sniffing and not drinking. 2nd bottle from the case, with the first consumed almost 4 years ago. This is ready to go and singing in 6 part harmony. Lush, rich dark fruit; earth, meat, cedar, and just a tiny, tiny bit of the Pegau funk. I think I liked this better than the '07 Da Capo I had recently!

2/23/2016 - La Grappe Likes this wine:

A very deep, bronze colour. Rich, sweet, with marmalade and burnt sugar notes. Concentrated and long. This is fully mature and may even be starting to maderise slightly, but it is none the worse for that. This was from a half bottle, so larger formats may have further to go.

12/12/2015 - Paul S wrote:

Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Tasting (St Regis, Singapore): A different animal from the tremendous 2013 Reignots, but this was a lovely drop in its own right. It had such an attractive nose; I could barely stop smelling it. There was a kaleidescope of shifting scents - earthy, mushroomy tones, some wonderful toasty spice, then fresh red fruit shading into slightly darker notes, a lovely floral undertone, and a haunting spicy linger at the edge of the bouquet. There was still some energy bottled up in that nose, almost hinting that there was more to come, but boy did the wine ever smell great even now. The palate had a cool, almost reserved feel to it at first, showing of the cut and precision that the very best 2008 reds all share, but also coming across a little light, especially when compared to the Grand Cru-like depth of the 2013. In time though, this wine really creeps up on you, with the elegant shape of its dark cherry and berry flavours underpinned by the serious, minerally structure and fresh balance of the terroir, all combining to fill the mouth with lovely juicy goodness. Lovely backapalate too, very juicy, with a nice sense of nervous energy driving the wine to a lovely long finish were a blush of spice and flowers and a flush of Oolong tea wed to just a little chew of tannins. This seems to have shut down just a bit since I last tried it some 4 years back. It is beautiful stuff that will probably drink decently well throughout its life though, perhaps entering its peak drinking window over the next 6-8 years or so.

2/12/2016 - rmalloy Likes this wine:

A great wine. Weighty but elegant. Nose of honey, orange blossom, apricot, saffron, and wax. It has great weight, but it doesn't taste cloying or viscous. It is intensely flavorful and powerful on the finish. I agree with other reviewers in that I would prefer more acidity. The acidity in this wine is good and balanced, but it lacks high-register fireworks. I would guess, giving my tastes, that I would prefer this wine 20 years from now.

11/9/2014 - chablis28 wrote:

The classic Rhone nose really had it all going with early floral notes and then, lots of bacon, smoky mesquite and granite. The palate was silky and layered with; ripe red fruit, more bacon, granite, olives, licorice and tar. The color was still quite youthfully dark at age 13. A companion blt of '04 Jean Michel Stephan Cote Rotie VV at the table made my Jamet seem almost modern and had a paler more mature color than my 01 Jamet. The JM Stephan CR was much more rustic in style. My last btl and while this seems like it could go another 3-5yrs it was drinking very well tonight. Double decanted 90 minutes before dinner and re-corked till dinner. Had a bit of sediment but the cork was like brand new. I sourced a couple years after original release for $70.

11/20/2013 - UTPK wrote:

Had the 1999 Clape, Jamet, Burgeau, Clusel Roch, Rostaing and Gallet together. 6 fairly traditional producers. All decanted 4 hours. Jamet was clearly best of the bunch. Gallet was however the big surprise, because we hadn't heard much from this producer. It was a clean fresh wine with an interesting and complex nose. Nose is more herbs driven (thyme, bay leaf) than the Jamet and Rostaing (blood and meat). Medum body with a sweet and clean attack. Good balance, very easy to drink. A truly traditional producer with no small barriques or new wood.

12/4/2013 - Charlie Carnes Does not like this wine:

OK. This was the last bottle of spoof that I ever bought. I was caught up by the score and hadn't yet realized where my palate was heading. With that said, this is archetypical modern homogenized red Bordeaux type wine that can be had on five continents, and gets really high scores from numerous myriad "professional" wine critics. My wife asked for a red wine tonight, something like a 2008 Jordan would have been perfect. Well I was boxing these for the barter holler and took a chance and thought Julie would like it. Her description:

-a little red wine
-a little cigar ash tray
-a little saltwater
-a little flour/roux to hold it together

I told her she has made the perfect description for my mind's eye Modern spoofy wine.

10/9/2013 - UTPK wrote:

Very classic left bank nose bursting from the glass with herbs, pencil shavings, some wet leaves. Sweeter than I remember from last bottle. Very good this time. Long and clean finish.

5/30/2013 - Thirsty1 Likes this wine:

Does it get any better? That's not possible. Deep intense straw color with yesty baked bread aromas. Hints of chalk, yellow fruit and minerality wash thru with precise effervence and layers and layers of complexity. Brilliant balance and acidity hormoniously enhance this experience. Everything is there. Even if you don't like it (really?), it is perfection in a glass.

12/12/2012 - thomaskeil wrote:

PnP (drank over 3 nights). Still inky violet. Nose features almost brooding tarry dark fruit, with licorice and smoky meat. Palate feels more balanced than the bottle in May with plush fruit, but a mineral driven acidity (graphite and ash) and firm tannins add a great balance, which becomes more evident on nights 2 and 3. Decent length, some complexity of texture and flavor. Definitely should be decanted (my bad) and has a decade or more ahead. I can see the points raised by markjanes as the Rioja-ness is not evident, but I was swayed by the balance and nature of the mineral acidity (not New Worldy).