April 14, 2024 - Drinking beautifully
December 25, 2023 - Drinking beautifully. My favorite Christmas wine!
December 6, 2023 - Tasted blind. Unmistakable Payillac nose of dried parsley and thyme, pencil shavings. Quite soft tannins, classic claret, notes of ink and tobacco.
December 2, 2023 - This was a super fun roller coaster. Opened up firing out the gate at a 95/96 point scale. The opposite of last time where the bottle was quite green and needed to integrate. Then it started to fade. The 83 next to it was eclipsing it. Thankfully the night lived on after dinner and I took the rest of this bottle to the hotel. Wow, it not only got a second wind but reached new higher levels. Maybe even a 98 at this point. I love 1985 wines in general and this showed why.
November 18, 2023 - Aromatic, floral and delicious aromas with leather and some foxy notes. Soft, rich and concentrated on the palate. More power here than I expected. On its peak now, I guess.
November 6, 2023 - Kleur: Robijnrood, lichte verkleuring aan de rand. Aroma / bouquet: Opvallend vitaal bouquet, stoer en krachtig, tegelijkertijd een subtiele maar aangename boersigheid / stalgeur. Smaak / Afdronk: Krachtige en vitale wijn, serieuze concentratie. Verfijnde zuren, iets plakkerige stoere tannines met een aangename bite. Prachtige balans, lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Geschonken uit Magnum… Fenomenale wijn. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
Colour: Ruby red, slight discolouration on the edge. Aroma / bouquet: Striking vital bouquet, sturdy and powerful, at the same time a subtle but pleasant rustic / stable scent. Taste / Aftertaste: Powerful and vital wine, serious concentration. Refined acidity, slightly sticky, tough tannins with a pleasant bite. Beautiful balance, long finish. General / potential: Poured from Magnum… Phenomenal wine. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Taste / Aftertaste: 20 + General / potential: 10 = 100/100
September 29, 2023 - DJHAMMOND sums it up nicely with his description. PNP and the first glass was as described. Leather, red fruits with a long, long finish. For me though this dropped away somewhat quickly. Good but not great.
July 6, 2023 - see my notes for the '88 Pichon Lalande as we did '85 vs '88 vertical.
July 1, 2023 - Tasted blind. Some greenness on the nose took me to the Right Bank but once it was established as a left bank I had no doubt it’s Lalande. Very elegant, classic red and black fruit, underbrush and tobacco. Lovely.
June 2, 2023 - This was a revelation and is a real dark horse from an unappreciated vintage. Needing only a pop and pour, this is fully mature and integrated. Old leather, spice, plum, and blackcurrant dominate the nose and palate with a lengthy finish. Highly recommended.