2/7/2024 - tzelmer wrote:

This wine is holding steady. Brambly dark fruit and some plummy sweetness. Med+ tannin still but in good balance with the solid acidity and concentration of flavors. Good length with some tertiary notes of leather and cigar box starting to show up. I think this will continue to age nicely. Longish (4+ hours minimum) now, longer if able. Or better yet, wait 5 years.

2/7/2024 - tzelmer wrote:

Red plum and black currant, slight hints of tobacco leaf and cedar. Medium concentration. A bit astringent with slightly chewy tannins and acidic upon opening. I am hoping this will gain weight and the fruit will fill-in the mid-plate with air. Update - never really got better, just slowly faded. Drink soon.

2/7/2024 - tzelmer wrote:

Red and black plum, hint of tar and rose petal on the nose, maybe hinting at truffle in the future. Subdued plum and berry fruit, lighter concentration. A finessed style, needs a bit of time to show better. Well balanced and nice, I like this style, if not the greatest concentration or complexity.

2/7/2024 - tzelmer wrote:

Non-blind. Tasted on opening. will adjust after decanting if warranted. Red currant, hint of blueberry, light vanilla. Medium concentration, ripe and pleasantly sweet fruit (not over-ripe at all). More plum comes through on the palate than on the nose, and the medium length finish is blueberry and vanilla. Pleasant. Not for terribly long ageing, maybe 5 years more, 10 max.

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): Very good wine. More plum, raspberry and sweet oak notes that I get in more right bank wines with Merlot (chocolate, sweet cigar tobacco) and starting to show some mushroom character which I think will increase as this ages. Confirmed this has about 50% merlot, and it shows. Good, well made, but not typical St. Julien. I prefer other vintages of this wine, later vintages, that are more Cab dominant. This is still good wine though, just a bit unexpected.

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): This is outstanding. Aromas and flavors of all the red and black fruits you can think of + slight cedar and dry earth notes on the finish. The concentration and definition are really impressive here. The broad mid-palate, silky tannins and impressive length just keep you coming back for more. This is the best Lagrange I have tasted. May not be a wine that lasts another 20 years but it sure is great right now. If you can get some you should try it. 95 now maybe 96 over the next 5 years and then will peak in my opinion. The 2010 is a very different wine but will live longer.

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): Raspberry, plum, light oak notes. Medium acidity, medium body, medium tannin. Bright red fruit on the palate, Open and generous already. Early drinking wine. A slight floral undertone on the medium length finish. Well made, enjoyable.

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): Cherry, plum, blackberry on the nose and palate. Well concentrated, silky tannin, great length for a young wine. Not complex yet as expected but the balance on concentration are there and the lengthy finish indicates a very bright future for this one. Has many many years of evolution ahead.

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): Dense dark fruit, black cherry, black currant, hint of blueberry, black tea, some slightly green tones that distract a little from the good things going on. Lower acidity than other recent vintages but tannin in balance. This is a cool vintage wine, and it is pretty well done compared to other 2017's I have tried.

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): Bright ripe cherry. Nose a little closed at the moment. Big, rich palate, balanced and long. Bigger than other recent vintages. Great now, better in the future (92 heading to 94 in 10-15 years)

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): Black currant, black raspberry, cherry, cinnamon, orange peel. Silky, integrated tannin, well balanced, very, very good and will also still get better. 94 now, maybe 95-96 in 5-7 years.

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): Cherry, raspberry, plum aromas and flavors. Very well balanced and nice concentration and length. Everything you would want in a solid St. Julien. Lately, this producer is very consistent. The tannins are very refined and already feel integrated. This is drinkable with a longish decant (few hours) and will age very well for many years.

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): Melange of red fruit aromas and flavors, a dry earth note, and some leather. Med+ alcohol which detracts slightly from the overall experience. The balance is still good, the acidity, overall body, and tannin are in unison. A bigger vintage but remains under control.

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): Red raspberry on the nose, quite open on the nose. Palate a bit more strict than the nose would have indicated. Well balanced structure and the tannins are very refined. Nothing outstanding, a very good wine, a luncheon wine with good food. Good value and can age a little and improve/open up.

3/31/2023 - tzelmer wrote:

Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien) visit with GM - dinner and tasting (Raleigh, NC): Grapefruit and Meyer lemon, a hint of other citrus (tangerine), very slight pineapple and the finish shows some grassy and creamy notes. This was much more complex than I thought it might be. Very fresh with a great combination of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon each showing up. Good mid-palate breadth and finish length for the price point. Out of magnum.

12/30/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

Once again with Christmas dinner rib roast. This bottle a bit less fresh than the first. This one seemed more on the downhill slope. Much more leather and tobacco and very tart fruit, cranberry. Still good but needs to be drunk soon.

11/21/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

Smells of all the berries imaginable. Lovely fruit and a slight herbal tinge comes in from some apparent stem inclusion I am guessing. This has the body of a concentrated Pinot Noir, but not the same flavor profile at all. I drank this too young. I think this has a lot more to give and will become quite savory over time.

11/21/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

Oxidized, prematurely. Two consecutive bottles of 2016, both oxidized (One Le Mont and one Clos du Bourg). I have loved Huet Sec wines for a long time but this is concerning. What changed? Has there been a recent change in winemaking?

11/21/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

Terribly oxidized. Earlier bottles were fine, this was stored in my cellar at all times. Not sure what is happening here, I have seen a lot of other tasting notes with the same.

9/6/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

High-toned red cherry fruit, ripe. With some air (1 hr decant) the secondary aromas start to come out. New leather, tobacco leaf, sun-dried tomato. The cherry fruit is the dominant aspect on the palate. There is ample freshness here. The fruit has started to give way slightly to the secondary notes since my last bottle. Wait 3-5 years minimum on the next one. Not sure this has the full fruit profile to live for an extremely long life. The tannins are already resolving in this.

4/25/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

Nose of crushed cherry and strawberry with a hint of fennel and unfortunately some noticeable sulphur/burned rubber. This is my 3rd bottle of this and the sulphur has been noticeable in all. Even after letting this decant for an hour it is still there. Even so, this "rose" is still somewhat unique and real wine lovers should try these. They are a different experience, much deeper and profound wines but still with the great rose flavors. The higher-level Rein de Bois is a clear step up from this wine too, it is worth seeking out. Also, these wines need AT LEAST two years to even begin opening up and can last for 10+. Don't believe me, save a Rein de Bois for 10 years. You can thank me later.

3/24/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

This is a very nice example of a village-level P-M. I am not sure the Q/P is really there though, as with most all of Burgundy these days. Still, a very good wine.

3/12/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

Nose of white flowers, ripe apple, pineapple, ginger. Quite complex and powerful aromas. Palate is on the richer side but stays within the bounds of balance between the ripe Cali fruit, the acidity, and the notes from the oak aging. The finish is long, complex, and refreshing. This is really outstanding. Great now, can age.

2/16/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

This is an interesting Champagne. It has a definite oxidized character. Overall is has good acidity and decent length, with the oxidative flavors taking over (think good sherry). There really isn't much perceptible fruit, but there is a sweet/candy note that comes through on the finish, which I usually find in much older champagne. That gives it a cellar aged feel which I like. I imagine this may be a love it or hate it type of wine. 65% PN, 15% CH, 20% PM, disgorged "winter 2017".

1/12/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

This is a big fruity red. Very ripe red and black berry scents along with just a hint of the Rioja traditional oak influences but pretty subtle. This is all about big ripe fruit. Perhaps a little unbalanced as the tannin is not huge and the alcohol is noticeable.

1/12/2022 - tzelmer wrote:

Nose of yellow apple mostly with a little ginger and a little exotic fruit such as bruised banana. Showing its age a little but remains very fruity with apple and maybe a little peach, and a some warm spicy notes on the finish. Overall well balanced but the finish is a bit short. I don't think this will improve with more time, drink up.

12/29/2021 - tzelmer wrote:

This is a very interesting wine. Outside of anything "normal" certainly. This is my first experience with a red wine from Rias Baixas. Frankly, I was not really aware a red wine could be produced from this appellation. I learn something new every day. This wine has the most salinity of any red wine I have ever had. It has very good ripe fruit and abundant acidity to match. There is also what seems to me like stem inclusion, and the stems were not fully ripe, there is a small bit of green/vegetal flavors and aromas. This is a "weird" and complex wine. If served to a group, I would imagine it would be polarizing. I enjoyed it for what it is. It was better with food due to the very high acidity.

12/29/2021 - tzelmer wrote:

Obviously quite a young wine. I was expecting the village level to be a little more accessible at this point but it was still pretty reduced and tight. There is a fairly elegant, if somewhat simple, wine underneath. It has cherry and berry flavors with some slight spice but not much. The reduction/sulphur aroma is pretty strong, presently. I am not calling this flawed as this type of reduction is pretty common in Burgundy and likely will not detract from this wine's future. I will give this at least 2 years before trying another.

12/26/2021 - tzelmer wrote:

This is a very fine maturing port. The balance is fantastic as far as port goes. The fruit is beginning to fade, but the secondary notes are not yet very prominent. This will last many, many years. I would suggest waiting at least another 10 years. Likely 94-95 once fully mature. General opinion here - for my money port just does not reach the same heights of elegance and complexity that a Botrytis-laced sweet wine, such as Sauternes or Riesling regularly shows.

12/26/2021 - tzelmer wrote:

Mineral intensity paired with yellow fruit, with a citrusy overtone and some exotic fruit, just a touch, of pineapple. This has great balance and length. Another fine showing from Ramey in a long, long line of fine showings.

12/20/2021 - tzelmer wrote:

This smelled of blackberries and red plums, bay leaf, and nutmeg and pipe tabocco. The tannin is still substantial but it is very refined. Overall this is well balanced and can be drunk now but I feel it will improve and is not yet close to drinking at it's full complexity. That said, I prefer more secondary and tertiary flavors than most, and I believe in 5-10 years this will shed some tannin and become more complex. If you want the fruit then you should have drunk this a couple years ago. Compared to other notes I found this quite compelling and complex. 92+ (future 93-94).

7/17/2021 - tzelmer wrote:

I see that I tasted this a 5 years ago so this is a development note. The floral aromatics are impressive. When you smell this you expect a WOW wine experience. However it does not quite get there. This is a solid wine that I now feel simply needs a few more years to unfurl. Good black fruit, cassis, blackberry, and a plethora of floral/spice character but still a bit buried by the chewy tannin. I think in 3-5 years it will improve but it will never be a show stopper. Maybe reach 90..

7/17/2021 - tzelmer wrote:

On opening there was a lot of Brett aroma. Consistent across 5 bottles. The funk largely blew off over 6 hours of slow ox. What was left has the standard Pessac-Léognan flavors, black and red fruit, smoky-earth and a realtivly high acidity. Overall it improved and went well with food. This was a bit thin in the middle and short on the finish so not rated as outstanding. I think this is advance in age due to the Brett? Other reviews show about a 50% chance you have a Brett laced bottle. I wonder what the clean bottles taste like?

2/17/2021 - tzelmer wrote:

RMCEES note below hits the notes spot-on. I think the length of the finish gives a couple more points in my book. Classic Pessac, lot of time left. Quite lovely.

2/17/2021 - tzelmer wrote:

This was the last bottle of a group I bought in auction in 2016 on a whim, all Guigal CdR (81,84,90). These were all completely mature to say the least but interesting and drinkable in their own way. Very strong iron mineral tone but still with some cherry fruit and fine body and acidity. Probably the best of the three to be honest. The original price tag still on the bottle said $3.99 !! How far we have come.

2/17/2021 - tzelmer wrote:

Had this with Christmas dinner (prime rib roast). This was outstanding. Fresh dark red plum fruit, slight berry hint, fennel, thyme, leather. This still has a lot of life left in this format (Magnum 1.5 L).

9/27/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Medium yellow gold, not much color yet. Primary nose of peach, candied ginger, and almond, there is a slight floral note as well. Same notes on the relatively light and lively palate. Good length. Not terribly sweet, a great food wine. True to the house style. Very good with mid term development potential.

9/27/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Dark color, with even a tinge of purple still. Very primary cassis and just a hint of the sweet spiciness I usually pick up in Lalande. Good concentration, balance and length. This is not a classic vintage but better than expected. Still lots of time and room for development here.

9/27/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Dark ruby, no bricking. Nose of plum and cherry liqueur, and other bramble fruit. Palate-coating cherry and plum with lovely concentration and creaminess. Great length and balance. Everything is well integrated. This is very nice now and will drink well for some time yet, my WOTN against 99 l’Evangile and 04 Pichon Lalande.

9/27/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Decanted for 1 hour, monitored over decanting period. Perfect level, sound cork, half soaked. At first, a bit tight and cool with cherry and plum fruit and not much secondary development. Relatively high acid and still some fine grained tannin. As it opened a truffle note began to emerge. Put back in the bottle and vac sealed at 1 hr. During dinner this fell apart a bit. The tannin was gone and the acid sticks out. Still a very nice wine. Well and truly outshone by a 2000 l’Evangile and an 04 Pichon Lalande. I would not put this up against any other big boys due to the slightly weak view rage but this can still develop further but will be more of a lighter, cooler claret like the old days.

8/27/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Dark ruby, even a little purple. Hardly any rim variation and no bricking. Powerful fruity nose of ripe cherry and slight menthol. I likened it to Ludens cough drops and everyone immediately agreed. With a little time in glass some toasty oak notes began to emerge, and it shifted over into Cherry Cola territory which I do not like much. This did not show much in the way of the animal/sauvage/earthy/spicy notes one would like to see in NSG. This is perhaps too ripe, extracted and oaked, covering that up? A bit disappointing, but well made if you enjoy the style. I could have mistaken this for a wine from the Sonoma Coast or Willamette Valley.

8/27/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Elegant wine with great balance. No rough edges at all. Still a lot of primary fruit, blueberry and cherry, with a little floral hint. No noticeable oak. Everything blends seamlessly together. Would expect some secondary development at this stage but it is not there.

8/26/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Still very closed on the aroma and palate, even after 4 hours slow ox and then an aggressive decant. Chocolate, espresso, plum nose. Same notes on the palate. Even with a lot of coaxing just not giving up much. I am not sure where this is going to develop. Maybe 5 more years? Maybe it just is not a great vintage? Still balanced and enjoyable with food. Just not any real wow factor. For the price, I want more.

8/26/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Light, fresh, floral. Forest berries, violet, black pepper note in the finish. Very balanced.

8/14/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Purple tinged ruby, obviously quite young. A plethora of bright red fruit and floral aromas. Very ripe fruit, great structure to balance that. Almost too floral for me. Very good wine, perhaps lacking a little concentration to get big scores.

8/14/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

This was outstanding. Great balance and length. Perfectly ripe fruit, cherries, cranberries, violet. There are some secondary earthy notes waiting to emerge. This is great now, better in 3-5 years. Finesse and elegance here.

8/14/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Still deep dark color. No discernible bricking or rim variation. Smells of very ripe plum, dried tobacco leaf, and a slight floral character. Full body, flavors of ripe plum, ripe cherry, tobacco, and leathery component. The tannin and acid are big but in balance. The alcohol is massive and undoes this wine a bit. Very ripe, almost pruny fruit lingers in the aftertaste.

8/12/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Lively citrus, melon, pear, aromas with a hint of honey, chamomile and lanolin. Same notes in the palate. The honey note lingers. Very good.

8/12/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Disgorged Jan 2019. Lovely bright lemon, lemon pith, slight floral aromatics. In the palate this is bright and linear, with a chalky mineral finish. Great aperitif wine. I wonder how this will age?

7/19/2020 - tzelmer wrote:

Still purple tinge, so still very young. Toasty notes on PnP, after decanting a couple hours the blackberry and blueberry fruit comes out and a hint of the bacon fat note that I love in Syrah begins to show up. I think this will hit a nice spot in 3-5 years. Very nice.