3/31/2023 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Quite delightful; subtle, mature, ripe, red-fruited; whiff of fresh strawberry punnet and pomegranate on the nose, with an overlay of morello richness and lurking decay. On the palate it is resolved, laid back; quietly classy, nuanced, gentle, low key, light touch, old school. It is not especially complex but you do not always want the distraction of a magical mystery tour. This and the 2004 are in the sweet spot.

2/23/2023 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Compared to my previous note depicting a surly wine, this has been transformed into a beautiful wine with Margaux berries in full bloom, revelatory.

12/24/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Popped and poured, cork soaked through and sheared off. I took a sample and let it stand in a cool place for a couple of hours. It started out slowly and awkwardly. My initial fear was that this may be drying out. But no, after a while it began to show its class. Some would argue that, like the 1990, this is a Mouton without ambition, against some epic 1989s made at Haut Brion /LMHB, Lafite of course, Palmer, Petrus, etc. Suckling famously rated it 99 (I think) and Parker 89 (I think). Both turned out to be wrong. Parker was more wrong than Suckling, imo. It is in interesting that in such a warm vintage this is barely more than medium-bodied, commendably 12.5% abv. As if, in the transition from the Baron’s passing, his now also late daughter, Philippine, deliberately went for a more elegant style, at the risk of being condemned with a low Parker score. But with the passage of time this has evolved into a glorious wine. It does not have the power of the Moutons from the legendary 82, 86 and 96 vintages, but has so much class and finesse. It has a glorious, pure, red-fruited compote and (appropriately for this time of year) a Christmassy spicy entry, with classic Pauillac cedar and lead pencil, allied to a smoky late autumn bonfire note, which combined is such a turn on. One distinguished wine pages forumite famously dismissed this as a luncheon claret. On this showing that is just so far off base. It is definitely on the lean side but arguably no worse for that; but, at the same time, it is effortlessly seamless, classy and harmonious; clearly first growth pedigree, and easily 95 pts.

12/17/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

White pepper, cured meat, hung game, some shoe polish, a bit of smoky charcoal, evocative, animale, not at all heavy, rich or concentrated on the palate but quite relaxed, resolved and refined, it is fully mature; not a great vintage or rendition of HLC, but this fully mature example exhibits the full array of tertiary development, with the classic old school hermitage leitmotif, from arguably the smartest address in the northern Rhone; this arguably should be better, but is still really enjoyable. If you have any though drink up, over the next 2-3 years.

12/5/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Bottle 559/737, this unique wine from the UNESCO heritage site in the Citadelle de Blaye opens up well over the evening and is a good accompaniment to lamb rack. It is good to see the alcohol by volume of this 100% merlot wine contained to 13.5% (compared to the 14.5% that seems to be more common place these days from the merlot-dominated lesser regions of Bordeaux) and this is reflected in the wine’s good balance. It has some attractive red fruits, with some residual tannic grip and is in a good place to drink right now. It is better with food but can be drunk and enjoyed on its own. It is not particularly complex, however, and if you were being unkind you might say it is a bit dull.

11/25/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Rustic, with searing acidity and resolutely old school and high toned, there is still some red fruit, but it is mainly in its tertiary phase now with lashings of white pepper, iron, wolframite, mineral, raw and cured meat, blood, embers/light grey ash and bacon fat, with sour plums and prunes emerging on day two. Quite a treat if old fashioned Northern Rhone is your thing. Or if you are a Luddite. It is rough round the edges but a lot of fun and not really a million miles from a Noel Verset Cornas for a small fraction of the price.

10/1/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Another - my second - quite recently acquired pristine bottle, this eclipsed the one I drank two years earlier and opened up magnificently well. It is of course dominated by mature tertiary nuances, woodsy sous bois among many, but this wine show cased how magnificently Gruaud Larose can age, and how well the 1978 vintage can still drink when you stumble across good bottles like this.

9/28/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

This was an extraordinarily good bottle of 75 Yquem to end an extraordinary dinner. It had a beautiful copper-toned hue, fabulous grip and gusto, probably my favourite vintage of Yquem in the last 50 years

9/28/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

This a pristine bottle, ever so youthful and brooding, it had difficulty expressing itself in the glass which was too small for this wine, even though that did not seem to be a problem for the burgs. For this reason only my #4 wine - it might have muscled its way onto the podium in a bigger stem. But it is all there and some. This is a bottle that would last several more decades. We are revisiting this in mid-November along with the other FG 82s at the same venue. We must ensure bigger glasses.

9/28/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

This bottle was in good condition. Tertiary, it started out earthy and gritty, and slowly improved as it came out if it’s shell; not showy, but nicely resolved and nuanced, elegant and classy mature claret.

9/28/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

It skated majestically away from its Grand Cru red burgundy flight mates so effortlessly, a wine so good that it is difficult to put into words - just breath-taking, intense red fruits, nuanced with scintillating grip and poise, thrilling and kaleidoscopic. To catch a DRC in the perfect place is a rare thrill.

9/28/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

A bit old fashioned - somewhat rustic perhaps - old style grand cru red burgundy in the perfect place, animale; it may not be pristine but what a joy and a delight to drink now

9/28/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Ever so youthful and vibrant, notably in colour; timeless; spectacular; perfect ripeness, poise and precision; beguiling, this wine just kept giving and giving - a smorgasbord of subtle but luxe spicey and mineral nuances; a privilege to drink and as good as white burgundy gets.

9/28/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Some wet wool and lanolin on the entry, slightly more rounded, richer and luxurious than the JM Boillot 2006 Batard, also in a very good place, refined and glorious.

9/28/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Fresh as a daisy, grippy, focused, youthful, more steely Puligny than Chassagne, drinking well with excellent light colour, magnificent

10/20/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

While most of the table thought the 1989 and 1990 were the clear stars of the show and clearly they are spectacular wines, I found the less exuberant 1995 ultimately more satisfying for similar reasons as to why I was so enthralled by the 1988. This is nevertheless quite a weighty, chewy and rumbustious wine - a bigger wine than the 1988 - but already delivering great pleasure with a terrific future ahead of it. It was the star of our Nov 2019 1995 dinner along with Haut-Brion and last night reminded me why.

10/20/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

More flattering and hedonistic than the 1989, the 1990 La Mission has a gorgeous scorched earth entry into a lux palate; the most sybaritic La Mission but I would not list decadence and hedonism as La Mission’s most endearing traits.

10/20/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Big, brooding, dense, mouth-filling with richness and power. Clearly a superstar with a glorious future ahead. My guess it will be at its peak in one to three decades from now. I think the genuine 1961-like thrills are some way ahead for the 1989, but you can’t help but admire this titan of a wine. But for current drinking give me the 1978 or 1988 over this any day. I am going to put my last three bottles away for several years.

10/20/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Surprisingly the 1988 was by far the the most impressive wine in its flight which contained the much less expressive 1983 and 1985 vintages. This is a wine which was cloaked in austere tannins a decade or two ago. While it lacked the full-bodied rock star flamboyance of the 1989 and 1990 in the following flight, in an important way it was a more satisfying experience because it was unadulterated classical La Mission, beautifully poised and nuanced, with nothing hanging out, with compelling cool notes of tar with a enthralling tension and nervosity - just brilliant.

10/20/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Super soil nose overlaid with a refreshing green note; it conspicuously lacked the intensity and the high-wired drama of it 1961 flight mate; by contrast it had a much more laid back persona but this is a beautifully resolved La Mission with really complex smoky and earthy volcanic mineral overtones

10/20/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Opened but not decanted by Howard in the afternoon this opened up extraordinarily well in the glass for a glorious 45 or so minutes. It was so good that it towered over everything else we drank that night, including the 1989. Perfumed complex nose, with tertiary notes of old leather and dusty library; vibrant, taut, rich red and black fruits; it had such energy, fantastic structure, intensity and drive like other great 1961s, overlaid with kaleidoscopic complexity with earth and tobacco, and after half an hour sweet red fruits and molasses - a tour de force. After an hour it retreated somewhat then waxed and waned - at its pinnacle for those glorious 45 minutes it was a 100 point wine - I wrote down 99

10/20/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

This had a timeless light colour, lighter than its flight mate 22 years it’s junior; a brilliantly complex multi-faceted wine with lime citrus cocooned in lanolin constantly changing and evolving with grapefruit, stone fruits, floral, herb and mineral notes. Thrillingly good.

10/20/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

This was a delightful sharpener for our La Mission vertical dinner. Quite light and quaffable for a Winston, but beautifully balanced, rich, and light in its feet. In a really good place now

11/1/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

I made the mistake of not decanting this Mouton before hand. After it was opened and decanted it clenched up, and took a while to settle down. What you have here is a classical Mouton attack of saddle leather, soy, leaf, berries, woodsmoke, and various other delights, which leads on to a wine with quite a lean mid palate and only an average length on the finish. But there is a lot going on here and it evolves and improves as the tannins meld in, lending the wine a regal quality and a sense of gravitas after an hour or two. The 1998 vintage was difficult on the left bank with a biblical deluge towards the end of the growing season and in that context this wine is a good effort. However, it is not on a par with Lafite, the only wine in the Medoc which competes with the best of the right bank and Graves in 1998. At the same time, the vintage shortcomings attenuate the ‘classical’ nature of this Mouton, which you would not see to the same extent yet in denser vintages like 1995 or 1996

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Another wine that divided opinions on the table. A class act; still young and opaque, but remarkably accessible and ever so smooth and inviting that you can drink and enjoy it now. It seems to hold great promise and I assume it will develop more complexity with age.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

The best thing about this wine is the mature Cabernet attack, especially the ash notes. This wine is in a very good place and is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon right at its apogee. It would be interesting to try a couple of glasses of this to determine whether it would become one dimensional without a Cab Franc or Merlot foil, but based on my sample this is a winner.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Some years - at least a decade - past its best, but still just about alive - possibly in its death throes - and fun to try, with some recognisable read across from the much more in-the-land-of-the-living and terrific 2009.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

I am in full agreement with the three notes below. Wine of the night by a country mile; tasted like an expensive Cote Rotie; fabulous. Inevitably I looked into sourcing some, but sadly it seems that the train left the platform a long time ago. Easily the best SA wine I have ever tasted.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Perhaps the most controversial wine of the tasting. The ridiculously heavy bottle and even more ridiculous price (£77 ex-VAT) raised hackles around the table, and probably unduly prejudiced the subconscious subjective opinions of some. Looked at objectively - as a Bordeaux lover - there is lots to like about this wine - with the lead role being played by Cabernet Franc (41%), with Cabernet Sauvignon playing second fiddle (19%), lending this an alluring leafiness on the attack. (The rest is Malbec 17%, Merlot 15% and Petit Verdot 8%). Yes it is a big full bodied wine but it is not a caricature of a Parkerised fruit bomb, as some tried to insinuate. In fact it is has impressive balance, and should age well. It is the perfect wine for a braaivleis. Of course I wouldn’t buy it at the asking price, but it is nonetheless an accomplished creation from a talented producer, and probably the second best red on the table on the night.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

One half of the table - somewhat bizarrely imo - seemed to enraptured by this while the other half seemed less enamoured by this Blank Bottle creation. To me it was a good generic Syrah, a bit simple, not particularly interesting or complex, but on the plus side quite light on its feet and drinkable, despite its callow youth. I am curious to latch on to a bottle to analyse it over an evening, because I may have missed a trick here (each bottle went around 11 tasters).

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Flat out delicious, with delightful strawberry, floral and earthy notes; like the Newton Johnson pinot noir not the last word in complexity but it is difficult not to love this. And one of the few wines at the tasting that I would consider seeking out.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

An interesting aged pinot with alluring saline and savoury traits, it really has evolved into a tertiary phase with what’s left of the faint red fruits fading. It really did work well on the night, however, but I suspect we got lucky and I would not push my luck if I had several of these. When you find out what this costs (upwards of £60 per bottle) assuming you could find it, red burgundy suddenly does not look such poor value for money.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Resplendent, juicy, pure red fruits; not the last word in complexity but delicious and delightful. While it will last a few more years there is no reason to delay gratification, because it will probably just evolve rather than improve.

9/18/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Fresh, clean, lively, decent, zingy, not all that complex but a good effort. On a par with a good Spanish Albariño which is an achievement in itself (though let’s face it a lot of Spanish Albariño is pretty dull). You would be ecstatic to be served this in a pub, work party or wedding…you can drink it til the cows come home…but this is more a reflection of how dismal mass event wines still tend to be.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Already drinking very well. It was smoky, lively, crisp and exotic. Out of magnum.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Many in the room thought this was over the hill. I would beg to differ, and I liked its aged complexity and especially its cardoman and other Indian spice notes. It was the most interesting of the whites.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

This was marred by a strong rubber/sulphur nose. Once you get past that, which is easier said than done, it has a classy palate with a plethora of tropical fruits, minerals and spice in a languid style. I suspect it will age well and the sulphur notes will recede. I am not sure I would go out and buy this in the high twenties pounds per bottle. It’s no bargain.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Compared to the 2020 served next to it, this showed the benefits of age, and it was served at the correct temperature too; still distinctive sauvignon blanc; well made wine with a good finish, still too aggressive. I doubt I would be able to drink more than a glass of this. I don’t know who buys and drinks these wines.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Served too warm, which magnified its shortcomings. Sharp, acidic, abrasive; not easy even to drink a small pour; better with goat's cheese; needs a couple of years to mellow, but reminds me of those overly assertive and aggressive kiwi Sauvignons which are such an ordeal to drink. Drinking a bottle of this would be about as easy as scoffing down a plate of ritz crackers.

9/15/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

A treat to end our SA tasting; honey and apricots, lush long finish; not quite the impeccable acidity you get on a great Sauternes. And you can buy three times the quantity of a good vintage of Ch Coutet for the same price.

7/9/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

I acquired a small batch a couple of years ago and I was underwhelmed by the first bottle. This second bottle - popped and poured - was marvellous - it had a beautifully floral Margaux bouquet, with truffly hints and was nicely resolved, albeit grippy on the palate… a bit of pluminess but a wine with real finesse in the perfect place.

6/24/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Really impressed by this. Jonathan Flavell’s note below describes this wine perfectly. By no means over priced given the quality.

6/10/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

When you open this it tells you to go forth and multiply. So double decant it and come back in a few hours, and it wakes up and weaves its charms.

I bought the 1995, 1999, 2000 and 2001 and I think this bottle of 1999 is another excellent rendition of BAMA. The 1999 vintage was a strong year for the Margaux appellation compared to the rest of the Medoc, but this really opened up beautifully, and it is so unpolluted by modernism.

There is no new oak.in fact no oak period. It is 12.5% as you would expect. Once you get used to the lack of new oak or any other cellar manipulation and the low level of fruit this wine starts to sing in low key. Such a throwback to the last century but it is ever so nuanced: rusty nails, iron ore, counterbalanced with sweet plums, red fruits, licorice, gamey notes, leather, lots of coal dust, framed with a stern acidic spine.

4/14/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Pitch perfect old-fashioned Aussie Shiraz exactly how I like it, better than recent Granges. Gunflint, flamboyant plums, minerals, liquid coal, savoury (as opposed to unsavoury), pretty sensational attack. On the palate, plush and fully mature, tar, asphalt, with rich lush fruit, great wine. It is probably approaching the end of its drinking window so will drink the other one soon. Comfortably *****

10/23/2021 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

I picked up six of these at auction last year for a song. All but one have been glorious and kindled memories of drinking the stunning 1992 in Fredericks in Islington in the mid-90s. This has a golden hue but is still going strong with so much going on, it really is a treasure trove, which drives on to a long glorious finish. This was my white wine of the year in 2021.

1/21/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

Drank alongside the 1970, these two were evenly matched and just brilliant, mature, complex examples of unadulterated old school St- Emilion. Both were light on their feet with a dazzling array of complex tertiary nuances on the palate. This 1982 probably just edged it in the end because it had a bit more drive, energy and follow through.

10/23/2021 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

A brilliant showing for this wine which was perfectly resolved, right in the sweet spot and unlike most other 1970s showing plenty of life and vibrancy. It has red berries, tobacco, earth, truffles and an array of other complex tertiary notes with, as Patrick noted, hints of wintergreen. It is light on its feet and glides effortlessly across the palate. This and the 1982, with which it was paired were evenly matched, and the best Magdelaines I have ever tried. Now I understand what all the fuss is about..

10/22/2021 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

The last bottle of this tried in Bordeaux in 2017 was shut down hard and politely told us to go away, but this one was at least approachable. Tasted next to the 1995 this has so little evolution, with an even more youthful purple than its flight mate. It is medium-bodied, seamless and not quite on the same level as the 1995, though unfortunately it was served at the end of the evening and by then it was a little too warm having been left on the counter. However the future is bright for this wine, and I could imagine it really hitting its stride from around 2030 when it may merit a higher score. Lafite generally does need three decades to get into top gear.

10/22/2021 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

I remember how this wine destroyed the field at a dinner at Kittle House in Chappaqua with Jacques Levy just over a decade ago. It has hardly evolved since then, with little evolution on the colour. It is red-fruited with graphite, cedar, truffle and perfect harmony. It is weightless and seamless, potentially perfection in the making.

10/22/2021 - Comte Flaneur wrote:

This was similar to the fabulous 1978 tasted along side with trademark lead pencil and cigar box notes but could not quite match the impeccable balance, breeding and finish of its flight mate with a couple of hairs out of place by comparison, and it needs drinking. The 1978 was similar to the last bottle - see note from 3/1/2018.