4/17/2024 - grossie wrote:

The fruit is getting a bit tired, in my view it's a bit early for that. Also there is a bite to this wine that I think is some form of acidity that is very displeasing. I suspect this bottle is spoiled in some way, but I don't fully understand it. NR because I think there's a flaw, though I'm not sure which one. I'll drink my last one soon.

4/11/2024 - grossie Likes this wine:

This seems like a typical O7 CdP to me. Dark ruby color, medium opacity (not clear, not opaque). It has a very rich sweet kirsch liqueur nose. Some forest floor, though the fruit is the dominant smell. A bit hot on the nose, and also somewhat stony. Black licorice, sweet fruit, medium body, pleasing long finish with no bite. Tannins are fine and sweet.
Overall a very nice wine. Drink now or within a few years I think. It might be interesting to save one for another 10 years.

4/4/2024 - grossie Likes this wine:

Big brunello. Fine tannins, lots of body, long finish. Overall wonderful wine.

3/22/2024 - grossie Likes this wine:

Similar to last bottle. A refined older Aussie. Nice bottle overall. Drink now or let it sit another 5 years.

2/25/2024 - grossie Likes this wine:

Great fruit. This one was a bit soft, starting to slide down the back side of the hill.

2/22/2024 - grossie Likes this wine:

Unmistakably syrah, but it has developed a nice minty side and a bit of attitude. A very good bottle, ready to go now.

2/14/2024 - grossie Likes this wine:

Drinking great right now. Unmistakably Rhone with Garrigue, earth, lots of grenache fun. Not much serious side, but it's lively and fun. Probably as good as it'll get. Drink now, I think.

2/12/2024 - grossie Likes this wine:

Similar to the last bottle. Really good, but lacks the depth I expect to give it a higher score.

1/28/2024 - grossie Likes this wine:

Gorgeous bottle of wine meant for either a wine lover or someone who only drinks sweet wines. Definitely sweet but great balancing acidity. Many many layers. Amazing apertif wine, also went well with cookies for dessert.

1/28/2024 - grossie Likes this wine:

Similar thoughts as my prior bottle. It was complex and gorgeous, but it's not a wine meant for a rookie. This immediately turned off Lillie, but she's a heathen. The rest of us really enjoyed this. I need to drink more aged white Rhone wines.

1/28/2024 - grossie Likes this wine:

Note is from a week later. From magnum.
This was a classy and classic bottle of bordeaux. Drank amazingly well- good fruit, tannins are softening, long finish.
Red WOTN was an 06 Opus one, but this was really close.
From the magnum I would say it's ready to go but still has years left, there's no rush.

12/6/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

This particular bottle is really good. Fairly dark. A lot of sediment. Nose of sweet cassis, good cabernet fruit with oak that compliments everything. Fantastic mouth feel, dark rich fruit. The tannins are faded, the acidity feels low. Nice finish without any hard edges. The more 01s I drink the more I think the vintage was under-rated. Fantastic wine to enjoy now or soon.

11/27/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Amazing nose. Great fruit. Acidity is a bit high, giving this a bit of a bite towards the end. Ready to drink now

11/11/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

I finally got around to opening this wine. It was a fun yet serious wine. Dark, rich earthy and minty notes, full of fruit. A ton of sediment. Nice finish, tannins were soft but present, good acidity. A joy to drink. A nice mimic of a good quality southern Rhone wine.

11/2/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Great nose with dark cab fruit but also great high tones of eucalyptus and maybe a touch of pepper. The initial attack seems to have some volatile acidity in a way that I find pleasant. Good mouthfeel. Relatively high acidity for a cab from here, tannins are softening. Overall this is a really nice and alluring bottle of wine. No reason to wait, I get the sense it's starting to slide off the back end a bit.

10/30/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Nice bottle of cab. Powerful, has some good complexity. Not sensing much age on this. Can go another decade I'm sure but it's lovely to drink now.

10/27/2023 - grossie wrote:

Dark color. Sweet plum and blackberry nose, but also some high-toned great herbal qualities. Oaked, but not obvious or overdone. Sily smooth in the mouth. Not particularly tannic and relatively low acidity though there's enough structure to keep this lively. Really nice finish. Big but not heavy. I hate the descriptor "smooth" in a wine, but this one is really smooth! Delicious!

10/27/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Finally drank this bottle with OD and Katzie. It was still quite alive (from magnum) though after a while I could sense the fruit tiring. It is a bit stern, a reflection of a lean vintage I believe, but overall a pleasurable really nice food wine.

10/25/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Drinking great. Power, but not over the top. Could use a bit more complexity to really push the score up. No hard edges. Really good wine

10/8/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

A nice wine but strikes me as lacking seriousness. Very light, to me it's too light for BdM. Drinks great, fun, no hard edges. Not flawed, I just think that's what was done that year. No regrets but I definitely would not seek this out.

10/2/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

I've had this wine at least 10 times since release. Every time its smoky nature is what strikes me. Quite opaque, dark red. Moderate sediment. Smoky nose, but sweet rich fruit with a floral quality. Age detected on the nose. Big body, though I wouldn't mistake this for a napa cab or the like. High acidity. Tannins are relatively soft. Long finish.
This drinks really well. I think it would please winos and non-winos alike. A bit atypical for Lascombes, but 2003 wasn't a typical year.

9/22/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

This was pure pleasure tonight! It has aged so well yet I would never guess the vintage just by the taste. Big and luscious but also round with no hard edges and a strong finish. Not long, but not short. Tannins are relatively soft. Acid is moderate. I couldn't sense the 16% alcohol, though after 2 glasses I'm a little more buzzed than I should be.
All in all I find this a very impressive wine for what it is from when it is. Naysayers said this would never hold up and would fall apart after a few years. They were wrong.

9/15/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Really delicious deep cab. Could probably age a few more years with some improvement but it's not wrong to drink this now.

9/12/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Took time to open, but really rich, luscious, and ripe with balancing acidity. Long finish. Better than I remember from the last bottle. The first glass had bite, but with time it really softened. drink now but it'll last!

9/5/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Seems fairly mature. Nice smoky quality. Good fruit. Long finish.
Very nice overall. Drink now or within 5 years (could last longer)

9/2/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Drank with Terry. Such refined syrah! Supple and gorgeous and not at all over the top or obvious. Long finish. Seems ready, might benefit yet from a couple more years.

8/29/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Great dense wine. Ready to drink, but I get the sense if might still improve. Definitely will last several more years.

8/28/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Still going strong, barely any real age showing. No hard edges, nice wine, though it's a bit simple.

8/20/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

A bit smoky with great cedar. The fruit suffers a bit from the mediocre vintage but it is a high class wine. No regrets drinking now, or within 5 years.

8/17/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

I keep hoping for more out of this. I'm not sure if it's too young or it just isn't there. A very decent wine but a bit stern and ungiving. Maybe it will improve with a few more years but I keep just drinking them because I forget not to drink them!

8/6/2023 - grossie wrote:

Drinking great right now. Youthful and fresh, but definitely gives a sense of age with some sweet kirsh notes. Also give a sense of place, garrigue, earth. Lots of body, good acidity, medium tannins. Long finish. No hard edges. Nice wine. Drink now or in the next few years. Might also last another decade or more.

8/3/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

First half from Coravin, second half open bottle. This is an amazing wine. Very dark, quite opaque. Nose has smoky cedar, rich fruit, and a bit of asian spice. No bell pepper, which I often find in Sociando. Big fuit in the mouth with good acid and still a tannic backbone. Nothing hard or unpleasant. Long finish. A real joy to drink, I feel like this is drinking at peak right now.

7/31/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Delicious right now! A bit oaky on the nose, but great fruit & acidity on the palate. Terrific balance. Drink now I think?

7/20/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Jammy jam jam. Easy to drink.

7/15/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Easy drinking and pleasurable. A very nice relatively soft merlot. OK to drink now, might improve with a few more years.

7/9/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Another found bottle, but maybe I logged the 06 as 07? I guess I'll find out. Ruby red color, moderately translucent. A bit of funk and earth on the nose, also dark fruit, some flowers, and maybe a hint of black licorice. Not quite full-bodied, pleasant on the tongue. Tannins are soft. Acidity is moderate for a BdM. Good finish. Great nose, but could use a bit more fruit in the mouth to garner a better score. Still, a nice wine at this price point. (Guessing it was about $35)

6/28/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Big wine. Great aromatics. The color is bright red but very opaque. Nice attack, big and spicy. Somewhat simple in the mouth- lots of fruit but not much complexity. A bit of bitter on the finish, which is quite short. Very nice wine though the finish detracts from my overall score.

6/25/2023 - grossie wrote:

Checking my notes- this is quite different from my last bottle (but that was 7 years ago). This has aged so so well. Rich nose with a bit of that high toned pinot zing (not quite road tar, but something a bit volatile in a good way). Very big in the mouth, super pleasing with big new world pinot written all over it but without being over-oaked. Long long finish. No bitterness. Really great right now. This review was based on a coravin pour for half the bottle then the rest a week later.

6/20/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Gorgeous bottle of BdM. Deep floral nose with some leather, something stony, and ripe rich fruit. Gorgeous on the tongue with richness to spare, a huge burst of dark purple fruit, high acidity and fine tannins. The finish is super long, super dense and just f-ing amazing. I need to buy more wine like this!

6/12/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Open for business! Dark wine, pretty opaque. Nose of charred dark fruit, graphite/stones, maybe a bit of chinese spice. Great mouthfeel, it's very luscious. Long pleasant finish with little grip, but the tannin and acids hold this up very well. This might be better than the 03 version of the same wine! A classic modern bordeaux (maybe that's a bit of an oxymoron, but it makes sense to me)

6/11/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Tons of fruit, a very rich wine. The oak is slightly heavy, consistent with my last note. Really nice herbal edge. Overall a good drink of cab, but on the heavy side.

6/9/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Drinking very well. A bit of funk upon first opening, but that blew off very quickly. Rich and ripe in the mouth, no hard edges. Could be a napa cab by it's profile, though it definitely has some old world funk (in a good way). Drink now or in the next 5-10 years.

6/9/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Amazing bottle of Napa Cab. Pure sweet fruit, luscious in the mouth, fantastic long ending with nothing impure in any way. The tannic structure remains but seems mature. A real gem and a serious treat. Ready to drink now or in the next 10-15 years!

6/1/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Dark ruby color. Graphite and cassis on the nose, definitely some char. Really great mouthfeel- medium body, good density, good fruit. Acidity is high, tannins are fine but very present. Long finish. This is really really nice. I'm not sure how many more years it has, but could be 15 or 20. There's no sign of fading and there is no sense of anything harsh. Yum.

5/31/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Very southern Rhone. Tobacco, garrigue, a bit of sour cherry fruit. A bit short on the finish and the acidity is a bit hard/biting. I think this wine is on the fade, a bit more vibrancy would have helped that bite. Still nice, but drink up

5/24/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Great bottle here. Drink at will.

5/23/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

This one was delicious! Deep and rich. Matched really well with a dry-aged NY strip with Lucas in town. The steak was the highlight, but the wine kept up. Goes down easy. Probably has a few years left on it but nothing wrong with drinking it now.

5/10/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Easy drinking, really good fruit. Juicy, dense, and delicious. Not a ton of tannin, though it'll probably age well and get more complex. It could probably go 10-15 years, but I will just drink these at my leisure. Well made.

5/6/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Coravin pour to accompany salmon. There's definitely some funk on the nose, but also cherry fruit, some char, and a bit of forest floor. Medium bodied, this took time to open up. Solid core, it tastes darker than it smells. Little tannin, moderate acidity. It finishes nicely without any bite. It's the kind of wine that doesn't wow me yet leaves me with a great impression. I think it's ready, but my aged burgundy experience is limited.

5/6/2023 - grossie Likes this wine:

Drank nearly half a bottle from Coravin last night with a dry-aged ribeye. Ruby red color. Expressive nose of cassis, pencil shavings, exotic spices. Medium to full-bodied, fantastic pure fruit. The finish is long. Fine tannins, good acidity. This seems to be in its drinking window though I'm guessing it will continue to improve over the next several years. A really excellent elegant wine.