Gold color, floral nose of honey and resin. Mouthfeel is round, full and smooth with hints of pear and a wonderful long finish. Went perfectly with lobster. Long evolving life ahead.
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High-end Rhone Dinner at a friend's house. (Hollywood): Gold color. Floral, lemon and stone fruit. Youthful palate, floral and medium- spice, great acidity and long finish. This was an excellent showing for this wine.
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Rhône or Nôwhere 2.0 (Malcolm, NE): 100% old-vine Marsanne from the Les Murets lieu dit which is predominantly east facing on the hill. The 1999 “L’Orée” was the most powerful of the three Hermitage Blancs tonight. The nose was redolent of marmalade, honey, buttercream frosting, and slate. Luxurious texture with a long finish. Lovely with monkfish, sweet potato, leek, and winter truffle. Drink now through 2034+. Merci Dave!
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Quite good, perhaps a couple years past prime. This is not something I would drink frequently. My taste is similar to the descriptions written by Wildemeew and Notrollingerplease
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Kleur: Diep goudgeel. Aroma / bouquet: Wow, dit is het bouquet waar het hart van een vineus-gerontofiel sneller van gaat kloppen. Mijn eerste associatie is een combinatie van perzik-compote en (sinaasappel) marmelade. Daarnaast honing, En een - wat mij betreft uiterst aangenaam - licht rokerige oxidatieve toon die wat wegheeft van de notigheid van een sherry. Smaak / Afdronk: Grootse wijn, zachte zuurgraad, strakdroog maar met indrukken van honing, perzik-compote en zoethout. Zacht en verleidelijk. Meestal wordt aan witte Rhonewijnen een beperkt ontwikkelingspotentieel toegerekend, deze Ermitage zal inmiddels voor veel wijnliefhebbers te oud zijn, maar ik vind hem geweldig. Algemeen / potentieel: In dit stadium geweldig, voor velen wellicht net 2-3 te oud. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 94/100
Colour: Deep golden yellow. Aroma / bouquet: Wow, this is the bouquet that makes the heart of a vinous gerontophile beat faster. My first association is a combination of peach compote and (orange) marmalade. In addition, honey, And a - in my opinion extremely pleasant - slightly smoky oxidative tone that resembles the nuttyness of a sherry. Taste / Aftertaste: Great wine, soft acidity, tight dry but with impressions of honey, peach compote and licorice. Soft and seductive. Usually a limited development potential is attributed to white Rhone wines, this Ermitage will now be too old for many wine lovers, but I think it's great. General / Potential: Great at this stage, perhaps just 2-3 too old for many. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Taste / Aftertaste: 18 + General / potential: 9 = 94/100
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Glass: Zalto Bordeaux Clear, medium amber color. Clean, medium+ intense, fully developed nose. Some acacia, spices, hone, fine mushrooms, salt. Complex and dense, but past peak. On the palate same thing: Finest manzanilla sherry, salty, acacia, honey, roasted hazelnut. Very deep and dense, great pressure, creamy texture. Long, salty finish. Very good, but not, what it should be. Don't know, what to say or write. Can't rate it.
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Unrated. It was clearly not oxidized, but the flavors were muted and flat, and even after 3 hours it never woke up. Based on others reviews, this is just a bad bottle and not over the hill.
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Amber gold color. Distant apricot on the muted nose. Tropical fruits on the front palate but a bitterness enters at the mid-palate through the finish that resembles pecan shell. Opinions were divided; some thought it was cork taint, but others thought it was simply past its life (including the sommelier).
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Weekend in Westport; 8/25/2021-8/29/2021 (Westport, CT): Wine is often as much about time and place as it is about the wine. This was enjoyed with some good friends on the beach around sunset. Poured into a carafe and shared around. It's a bigger red wine. Honey and a bit unctuous but with a nice balance to it. Very enjoyable.
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Popped and poured. This needs 30 min to sort itself out. After that is it is lovely. Open knit, a little bit low in acid but it’s still pretty well balanced. Tangerines, almonds, cream cote through. Layered and complex with a long finish.
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A Year Later in Vero...; 3/17/2021-3/21/2021 (Vero Beach): From a magnum. Always a truly delicious wine and one that benefits a lot from air. We probably opened it a bit late and the original pours were all pnp. Going back to it later in the night it had softened in with honey and maybe an orange blossom petal. Really tasty.
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COVID Cyber Tasting: PnP. Big wine with honey, citrus, and full body. The palate was affected by slightly corked condition but still drinkable. The finishing is a bit flat unfortunately, otherwise I would expect this wine should be good.
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Rich, concentrated and complex. Acidity not surprisingly is a bit low, for me, but not at all flabby. Alcohol is also detectable, but not off putting. Liquid rocks, roasted hazelnuts, caramelized apples and honeysuckle. Viscous and creamy texture and a persistent finish. Old white Rhône is always a fun wine experience.
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This is still reasonably youthful with a light golden color. The nose exude elegance and class with some tropical fruit and flowers coming out. The palate is very well integrated with concentrated and refined flavors of pomelo, kiwi, minerals and spices. There is new oak evident here but it is well integrated into the wine.
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Deep golden color, ripe fruit nose then the luxuriant mouth feel continues with a buttery fruit palate that ends dry and slightly nutty. Saved some for the next evening, nose had mellowed and the dry nuttiness was more pronounced but still great.
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Big Meat and Serious Syrah on a gorgeous summer afternoon (Westport, CT): In a summer of discovering some new white wines, this is another one that has caught my fancy. Poured from 3L bottle. The color is golden yellow and clear as a bell - very pretty in the afternoon sun. This has some weight in the mouth feel, almost a waxy lanolin that makes it more of a wine to sip slowly and think about rather than gulp. It tastes of golden apple, nectarine with a bit of nuttiness on the back palate. Really good - would have liked to stay with this for a while but we had not even gotten to the reds yet..........
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Weekly tasting group RWP #254: Special wines (@ DJ): The bouquet shows some development and rustic flavors, but is still very lively with ripe yellow fruits and even some pleasant green impressions. On the palate ripe and soft yellow and white fruits, a bit fat, some pleasant vanilla from the oak, flowers, white pepper, some green impressions again, mild acidity and pleasant bitterness. Ready now and many years to go. I preferred this wine just a little above the Chave 2008.
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Opened for Michael's "April 1999" celebration. Yellow gold in color. A beautiful bouquet of citrus, apricot, straw and pineapple. Tropical fruit flavors without sweetness on the palate, with some minerals and subtle sherry nuance. Great acidity, unusual viscosity, very complex with perhaps the longest finish I've ever experienced from a white Rhone wine. Among the most stunning dry whites I have tasted.
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Yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of sea spray, lime spritzer and wet stones. Flavors of apricot core, lemon rind and soaked pears. Medium to bright acidity, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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Stored at 55 degrees in a climate controlled cellar since purchase in 2006. What a wine! I would recommend opening but waiting 2-3 hours to consume the majority of the bottle (as we wished we had done that, we only waited one hour to give air). It does seem to need some time for the typical initial oxidized notes to blow off, but after that, whoa! With an attractive, dark golden color, it is a wine of significant stature and stuffing, showcasing aromas of pear, carmelized apple, liquid stone, minerals, and with time, butter, honey, and more tropical fruit notes. In the mouth it is massive, oily, and only gained weight and depth as it sat in the glass, always completely saturating the mouth. Flavors included pear, pineapple, and with time, a hint of smoke and even salami. If not for a less than pleasant harshness on the mid-palate (and fleeting sherry/brandy note), a higher score might have been given. The finish also only improved over time, showing more tropical fruits as well. Compared to the '03 Jaboulet Hermitage Chevalier de Sterimberg, which was also quite good, this showed an extra degree of complexity and a more massive, layered experience in the mouth. The Jaboulet, though, shined more in terms of focus and precision (of which my wife seemed to prefer), though just as rich, this bottle featured a slightly greater stature and texture, giving it the slight edge in score. While this was good, I'm a bit skeptical of the 50+ year longevity predicted by RMP - perhaps, but at 17 years old, I can't see it going well for another 10 years. But what do I know, I wish I had more to find out!
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Kleur: Diep goudgeel. Aroma / bouquet: Delicaat en rijp. Uitsluitend tertiaire aromas. Zuiver, strakdroog maar met een duidelijk bouquet van zoetheid, vooral honing en zoethout. In veel opzichten subtieler dan de mooist gerijpte Chardonnays. Smaak / Afdronk: Wat een grootse wijn. Heel zachte zuurgraad. Boterzacht. Geen hint van zoet, maar tegelijkertijd smaakindrukken van honing, overrijpe ananas en zoethout. Algemeen / potentieel: Deze Ermitace Blanc is 17 jaar oud en indrukwekkend. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 94/100
Google Translate:
Color: Deep golden yellow. Aroma / bouquet: Delicate and ripe. Only tertiary aromas. Clean, tight dry but with a distinct bouquet of sweetness, especially honey and licorice. In many ways more subtle than the most beautifully matured Chardonnays. Taste / Finish: What a great wine. Very gentle acidity. Soft butter. No hint of sweetness, but also taste impressions of honey, overripe pineapple and liquorice. General / potential: . This Ermitace Blanc is 17 years old and impressive. 50+ Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Taste / Finish: 18 + General / potential: 9 = 94/100
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Full and tremendously complex with a hint of oily viscosity and a long, satisfying finish. Possesses that elusive ethereal quality that marks the truly great wines.
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Med gold. Honey, orchard fruit, fading. Palate is orchard fruit, honey, herbs, a little oily and soft acid. Tasted this blind and guessed 79 Meursault.
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Wally's: Dried herbs, subtle hints of nuts, nectarine pit, slight sherry note/aldehyde; round, sits nicely on the palate, good mouthfeel but light on its feet; more earthy shrooms than Meal, long finish. Comes from the Murets vineyard, farther east and a bit lower than Meal. Marsanne.
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Opened about 3 hours before drinking and let breath in bottle. Lovely marzipan and honeysuckle nose, with honey and spice and lanolin notes. Full and intense in the mouth with a long finish. Went beautifully with a trio of salads shared at dinner, but in particular an avacado shrimp and mustard salad. I'll save my last bottle till 2019 to see how these taste when they turn 20
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I love this wine. Took it to Resturant and opened it in a decanter. Deep apricot color and waves of pear with honeysuckle come through. The taste is loads of fruit . Lemon meringue pie comes to mind. So does Orange zest. The finish lingers on full a full min. This single vineyard Marrasane grape will live another 25yrs. I believe these Hermitage Blancs will revil the great Montrachets for Burgundy. Yummy Cheers
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Pop and pour at just a bit cooler than cellar temp. Golden color reminiscent of a mature sauternes. Funky, maderized nose. Great texture and length, with the maderized notes fading to the background. To the foreground appeared wax, white fruit and light floral notes. Enjoyed with some cheese and a salad, not sure the pairing was right. I still have one left and will hold for a little while longer.
[Thank you JS for the comment. To clarify, while it initially was a PnP, six of us tasted this wine over the course of 3 hours, during which time it was in and out of an ice bucket to keep the temperature cool but not too cold. I found it to be most enjoyable at slightly warmer than cellar temp, and probably about 1.5 hrs into the evening. my notes reflect my general impressions during the event]
Pulled the cork at 11am and started pouring (into cheap glasses, unfortunately) at 1:45, working it at different temps for an hour or so. Rich golden color like a sauternes w/o the viscosity. Initially a very heavy sherry-like (oxidized) profile, both on nose and palate. With air it turned rich, floral and honeyed. Bit of a weird experience and need to open my next bottle under more favorable conditions.
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Just a hint of oxidation on the nose, which was difficult for me to get past. I couldn't decide if this was closed and needed more cellar time or just over the hill. I would have guessed Rhone by default, but it lacked the richness and complexity that I would have expected, especially at this price point. Lemon and a bit of butterscotch, but a clipped finish. Given other notes, I will put it down to bottle variation and hope for better with the next bottle.
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Made from Marsanne, this was good stuff; a good package of nicely honeyed citrus and tropical fruit in addition to the primary spiced pears and mild nectarine flavors; wonderful white Northern Rhone.
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We were offered this at half off on the list...so we took it! I think it was all our first time with this wine. Very soft and subtle upon opening....waxy clean and pure fruit, almost savory, cold steel, smoked vanilla bean, marsala creme over poached Bosch pears. I think the other white we were having(Leflaive BBM) kind of made this wine seem mellow? I REALLY wished I could have spent more time with this bottle...I was starting to get some amazing complexities, minerality, floral spices.....subtle, yet there is SO much of something in there? Looks like Parker gave this 99pts, and says it typically closes up until age 12 or so....hmmm...I think our bottle might have been still closed. Will try again, hopefully, when it comes out of its slumber!+pts
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Brown Bag Double Blind Wine Dinner @ Caffe Portofino, The Falls, Miami; 3/20/2012-3/22/2012: - Yellow gold color with fast forming legs and aromas of cut green grass, grapefruit, peach, geranium and hazelnut. It's in total harmony and has flavours of grapefruit, peach, diacetyl (butter) and oak with a full body. Polished texture with a long finish - Bob Muraro's wine. Most of us were able to identify it's Rhone origins, I thought Marsanne due to it's relative sweet note. It is 100% Marsanne. Professional reviews are all over the landscape, RP-99, ST-89, and the rest in between. White WOTN.
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French Night @ Stefania's (San Jose): Really lovely nose with baked pineapple and other tropical fruits. Palate is full, round, oily but lacks acidity to balance it for me. Seems mature and ready to drink. I may not be a big fan of rhone whites.
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Dinner at Gary Danko. Kindly supplied by my dear sibling Paul. Light amber color. Nose of pineapple, flowers and wet stone. Seems to have emerged from its dumb phase -- this bottle, at least -- and has a delicious, complex and fairly unctuous character, with apricot, peach and minerals most prominent. Went splendidly with a couple of lobster dishes. I am sure it will only improve with age -- but it tasted so good last night that I would be hard pressed to be patient if I had any bottles of this vintage!
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1999 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc L'Orée (Frankrijk, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage) Kleur: Vol goudgeel. Aroma / bouquet: Prachtige en sublieme complexiteit, een bouquet dat zich niet aan je opdringt maar zich laagje voor laagje wil laten verkennen. Oxidatief, subtiel bouquet waarin hout, overrijpe kleine appeltjes, marsepein, steenfruit, sherry-toontje, grand marnier, kaarsvet. Smaak / Afdronk: Dik-sappig maar toch elegant, enorme concentratie, superzachte zuren. In de mond komen alle aromatische indrukken nog een keer terug. Enorme lengte. Algemeen / potentieel: Indrukwekkende wijn met een enorme lengte, subtiel oxidatief. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 95/100
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Popped and poured -- I know, blasphemy. Medium light golden color. Immediate pineapple on the nose, turning to honey, peach and apricot. First sip is obviously too soon -- a little hot and overwhelming -- so will let settle awhile before the next sip. An hour later, it's a mouthfull -- viscuous, lemon, pineapple, spice, floral and mineral. Incredibly long, lingering finish. I've got a feeling it will only get better.
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LdC 4th Annual Truffle Dinner (Primehouse): Full yellow color. Forward note of yellow fruit and lanolin iwth zingy tea-like notes. Lovely balanced sweet yellow fruit wtih a hint of anise. Nice complexity and balance. The best of this mini-vertical.
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Drank over dinner with friends, with coquille St Jacques. Light golden color. Both the nose and mouth seemed closed down. The bouquet was showing white flowers, apple blossoms, and hint of spice. Similar on the tongue, with a long dry finish. Very good, but will wait a few more years before opening the next bottle.
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Somewhat oxidative nose and darker in color than expected. Thick, creamy mouthfeel. Apple and assorted ripe tropical fruits. Enjoyable, and ready to drink.
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94. Light golden in color. Nose of honey, honeysuckle; extremely balanced with no angular edges, soft mouthfeel,; fruit forward with those on nose as well as peaches on palate. Not at all cloying. Excellent and paired very well with sweetbread preparation
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Ray Goder Truffle Dinner (Saddle & Cycle Club): Full golden yellow color. Rich forward aroma of apple pie and spice.. Rich unctuous round spicy yellow fruit with some dried herb notes on the palate.
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Replacement bottle--whewwwww, much better--no sherry/cooked elements that the previous bad bottle had ... gorgeous, fresh, candied apple/almond tart/marzipan. Great balance of juicy candied fruits and nuts--with bracing acidity. Opened up later to fascinating chocolate covered cherry and Grand Marinier candied orange elements. The De L'Oree I always love...
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Dark golden color, seemed way to dark for only 6 years old. Very sherry-like nose. Closed on the palate, with some juicy honey, but I think this may have been an off bottle. Gray Market, so who knows.. Ughhh.. (Wine Club SF did taste this and agreed it was bad, replaced it on the spot with a good bottle I drank two days later)
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Rhônes and dinner with Robert Parker (Baltimore, MD): Wow, this is like liquid gold, so rich and pure. However, compared to other vintages I seemed to notice a bit of heat on this vintage with a tiny note of kerosene.
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4/2/2024 - neiljh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Gold color, floral nose of honey and resin. Mouthfeel is round, full and smooth with hints of pear and a wonderful long finish. Went perfectly with lobster. Long evolving life ahead.
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3/26/2024 - jfpwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
High-end Rhone Dinner at a friend's house. (Hollywood): Gold color. Floral, lemon and stone fruit. Youthful palate, floral and medium- spice, great acidity and long finish. This was an excellent showing for this wine.
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3/7/2024 - thesternowl wrote: 93 Points
Rhône or Nôwhere 2.0 (Malcolm, NE): 100% old-vine Marsanne from the Les Murets lieu dit which is predominantly east facing on the hill. The 1999 “L’Orée” was the most powerful of the three Hermitage Blancs tonight. The nose was redolent of marmalade, honey, buttercream frosting, and slate. Luxurious texture with a long finish. Lovely with monkfish, sweet potato, leek, and winter truffle. Drink now through 2034+. Merci Dave!
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7/3/2023 - JazzManWine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Quite good, perhaps a couple years past prime. This is not something I would drink frequently. My taste is similar to the descriptions written by Wildemeew and Notrollingerplease
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4/27/2023 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 94 Points
Kleur: Diep goudgeel. Aroma / bouquet: Wow, dit is het bouquet waar het hart van een vineus-gerontofiel sneller van gaat kloppen. Mijn eerste associatie is een combinatie van perzik-compote en (sinaasappel) marmelade. Daarnaast honing, En een - wat mij betreft uiterst aangenaam - licht rokerige oxidatieve toon die wat wegheeft van de notigheid van een sherry. Smaak / Afdronk: Grootse wijn, zachte zuurgraad, strakdroog maar met indrukken van honing, perzik-compote en zoethout. Zacht en verleidelijk. Meestal wordt aan witte Rhonewijnen een beperkt ontwikkelingspotentieel toegerekend, deze Ermitage zal inmiddels voor veel wijnliefhebbers te oud zijn, maar ik vind hem geweldig. Algemeen / potentieel: In dit stadium geweldig, voor velen wellicht net 2-3 te oud. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 94/100
Colour: Deep golden yellow. Aroma / bouquet: Wow, this is the bouquet that makes the heart of a vinous gerontophile beat faster. My first association is a combination of peach compote and (orange) marmalade. In addition, honey, And a - in my opinion extremely pleasant - slightly smoky oxidative tone that resembles the nuttyness of a sherry. Taste / Aftertaste: Great wine, soft acidity, tight dry but with impressions of honey, peach compote and licorice. Soft and seductive. Usually a limited development potential is attributed to white Rhone wines, this Ermitage will now be too old for many wine lovers, but I think it's great. General / Potential: Great at this stage, perhaps just 2-3 too old for many. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Taste / Aftertaste: 18 + General / potential: 9 = 94/100
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11/5/2022 - NoTrollingerPlease wrote:
Glass: Zalto Bordeaux
Clear, medium amber color. Clean, medium+ intense, fully developed nose. Some acacia, spices, hone, fine mushrooms, salt. Complex and dense, but past peak. On the palate same thing: Finest manzanilla sherry, salty, acacia, honey, roasted hazelnut. Very deep and dense, great pressure, creamy texture. Long, salty finish. Very good, but not, what it should be. Don't know, what to say or write. Can't rate it.
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6/4/2022 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Viscous, fat, round.
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3/23/2022 - G_H wrote: 95 Points
Finally a clean bottle of this. Rich and opulent, yellow plums, glycerin, long and dense.
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3/20/2022 - LT98 wrote: flawed
Unrated. It was clearly not oxidized, but the flavors were muted and flat, and even after 3 hours it never woke up. Based on others reviews, this is just a bad bottle and not over the hill.
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11/21/2021 - ssouth Likes this wine: 98 Points
Simply stunning Opened up over 3 hrs in the decanter
Intense lemon rind, orange, wonderful texture, Asian spices , honeycomb. Long finish
Will last decades
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11/11/2021 - TexasBob wrote: flawed
Amber gold color. Distant apricot on the muted nose. Tropical fruits on the front palate but a bitterness enters at the mid-palate through the finish that resembles pecan shell. Opinions were divided; some thought it was cork taint, but others thought it was simply past its life (including the sommelier).
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8/27/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Weekend in Westport; 8/25/2021-8/29/2021 (Westport, CT): Wine is often as much about time and place as it is about the wine. This was enjoyed with some good friends on the beach around sunset. Poured into a carafe and shared around. It's a bigger red wine. Honey and a bit unctuous but with a nice balance to it. Very enjoyable.
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8/13/2021 - mclanew Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and poured. This needs 30 min to sort itself out. After that is it is lovely. Open knit, a little bit low in acid but it’s still pretty well balanced. Tangerines, almonds, cream cote through. Layered and complex with a long finish.
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3/18/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
A Year Later in Vero...; 3/17/2021-3/21/2021 (Vero Beach): From a magnum. Always a truly delicious wine and one that benefits a lot from air. We probably opened it a bit late and the original pours were all pnp. Going back to it later in the night it had softened in with honey and maybe an orange blossom petal. Really tasty.
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12/5/2020 - tmaher029 wrote:
this was a duplicate entry
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12/4/2020 - schan109 wrote: 90 Points
COVID Cyber Tasting: PnP. Big wine with honey, citrus, and full body. The palate was affected by slightly corked condition but still drinkable. The finishing is a bit flat unfortunately, otherwise I would expect this wine should be good.
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9/26/2020 - finediningnyc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich, concentrated and complex. Acidity not surprisingly is a bit low, for me, but not at all flabby. Alcohol is also detectable, but not off putting. Liquid rocks, roasted hazelnuts, caramelized apples and honeysuckle. Viscous and creamy texture and a persistent finish. Old white Rhône is always a fun wine experience.
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4/5/2020 - G_H wrote: 92 Points
Pear, chamomile, cut overripe apple, slightly alcoholic, medium- acidity
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3/13/2020 - Labrador wrote: flawed
It was oxidized - very disappointing.
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11/9/2019 - S1 Likes this wine:
Charleston Offlineorama V; 11/7/2019-11/10/2019 (The Holy City): from magnum. Waxy honeycomb with an oily marzipan quality and a big dose of green herbs. Delicious.
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11/9/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Charleston V - the wooden anniversary; 11/6/2019-11/10/2019 (Charleston, SC (various locations)): Has traditionally been a wine that I enjoy even though Michael and I disagree on Marsanne vs. Roussanne. Still, I appreciate the hardiness of this style. Lots of more fleshy fruit. Rounder notes. White rose petals. Drinking well.
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10/21/2019 - reichken wrote: 92 Points
interesting, medium weight, honeyed with the lanolin showing, a pondering weight that was still developing and has a lot of time
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3/9/2019 - mclanew Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is still reasonably youthful with a light golden color. The nose exude elegance and class with some tropical fruit and flowers coming out. The palate is very well integrated with concentrated and refined flavors of pomelo, kiwi, minerals and spices. There is new oak evident here but it is well integrated into the wine.
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12/26/2017 - neiljh Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep golden color, ripe fruit nose then the luxuriant mouth feel continues with a buttery fruit palate that ends dry and slightly nutty. Saved some for the next evening, nose had mellowed and the dry nuttiness was more pronounced but still great.
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10/24/2017 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great color, light hay, good nose, fragrant, drinking really well from magnum and great with the seafood prepared at Marea.
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7/29/2017 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
Big Meat and Serious Syrah on a gorgeous summer afternoon (Westport, CT): In a summer of discovering some new white wines, this is another one that has caught my fancy. Poured from 3L bottle. The color is golden yellow and clear as a bell - very pretty in the afternoon sun. This has some weight in the mouth feel, almost a waxy lanolin that makes it more of a wine to sip slowly and think about rather than gulp. It tastes of golden apple, nectarine with a bit of nuttiness on the back palate. Really good - would have liked to stay with this for a while but we had not even gotten to the reds yet..........
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7/29/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Big Meat and Serious Syrah (Westport, CT): From a 3L, this is a wonderful wine. Honeysuckle and white flowers. It's a bit rich and very lovely. I enjoyed it.
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4/24/2017 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
Weekly tasting group RWP #254: Special wines (@ DJ): The bouquet shows some development and rustic flavors, but is still very lively with ripe yellow fruits and even some pleasant green impressions. On the palate ripe and soft yellow and white fruits, a bit fat, some pleasant vanilla from the oak, flowers, white pepper, some green impressions again, mild acidity and pleasant bitterness. Ready now and many years to go. I preferred this wine just a little above the Chave 2008.
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4/17/2017 - mhudes Likes this wine: 96 Points
Opened for Michael's "April 1999" celebration. Yellow gold in color. A beautiful bouquet of citrus, apricot, straw and pineapple. Tropical fruit flavors without sweetness on the palate, with some minerals and subtle sherry nuance. Great acidity, unusual viscosity, very complex with perhaps the longest finish I've ever experienced from a white Rhone wine. Among the most stunning dry whites I have tasted.
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1/7/2017 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94
Tasted non blind.
Yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of sea spray, lime spritzer and wet stones. Flavors of apricot core, lemon rind and soaked pears. Medium to bright acidity, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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9/6/2016 - Apollo5710 wrote: 94 Points
Stored at 55 degrees in a climate controlled cellar since purchase in 2006. What a wine! I would recommend opening but waiting 2-3 hours to consume the majority of the bottle (as we wished we had done that, we only waited one hour to give air). It does seem to need some time for the typical initial oxidized notes to blow off, but after that, whoa! With an attractive, dark golden color, it is a wine of significant stature and stuffing, showcasing aromas of pear, carmelized apple, liquid stone, minerals, and with time, butter, honey, and more tropical fruit notes. In the mouth it is massive, oily, and only gained weight and depth as it sat in the glass, always completely saturating the mouth. Flavors included pear, pineapple, and with time, a hint of smoke and even salami. If not for a less than pleasant harshness on the mid-palate (and fleeting sherry/brandy note), a higher score might have been given. The finish also only improved over time, showing more tropical fruits as well. Compared to the '03 Jaboulet Hermitage Chevalier de Sterimberg, which was also quite good, this showed an extra degree of complexity and a more massive, layered experience in the mouth. The Jaboulet, though, shined more in terms of focus and precision (of which my wife seemed to prefer), though just as rich, this bottle featured a slightly greater stature and texture, giving it the slight edge in score. While this was good, I'm a bit skeptical of the 50+ year longevity predicted by RMP - perhaps, but at 17 years old, I can't see it going well for another 10 years. But what do I know, I wish I had more to find out!
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8/7/2016 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 94 Points
Kleur: Diep goudgeel. Aroma / bouquet: Delicaat en rijp. Uitsluitend tertiaire aromas. Zuiver, strakdroog maar met een duidelijk bouquet van zoetheid, vooral honing en zoethout. In veel opzichten subtieler dan de mooist gerijpte Chardonnays. Smaak / Afdronk: Wat een grootse wijn. Heel zachte zuurgraad. Boterzacht. Geen hint van zoet, maar tegelijkertijd smaakindrukken van honing, overrijpe ananas en zoethout. Algemeen / potentieel: Deze Ermitace Blanc is 17 jaar oud en indrukwekkend. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 94/100
Google Translate:
Color: Deep golden yellow. Aroma / bouquet: Delicate and ripe. Only tertiary aromas. Clean, tight dry but with a distinct bouquet of sweetness, especially honey and licorice. In many ways more subtle than the most beautifully matured Chardonnays. Taste / Finish: What a great wine. Very gentle acidity. Soft butter. No hint of sweetness, but also taste impressions of honey, overripe pineapple and liquorice. General / potential: . This Ermitace Blanc is 17 years old and impressive. 50+ Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Taste / Finish: 18 + General / potential: 9 = 94/100
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7/10/2016 - Dnathanson Likes this wine: 98 Points
Drank from a 6L. Was better as the night went on particularly good with cheeses and seafood. Honeysuckle, plantains and beeswax. A force.
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7/8/2016 - Hamersly Likes this wine: 98 Points
Full and tremendously complex with a hint of oily viscosity and a long, satisfying finish. Possesses that elusive ethereal quality that marks the truly great wines.
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10/12/2015 - KVM wrote:
Med gold. Honey, orchard fruit, fading. Palate is orchard fruit, honey, herbs, a little oily and soft acid. Tasted this blind and guessed 79 Meursault.
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6/23/2015 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Wally's: Dried herbs, subtle hints of nuts, nectarine pit, slight sherry note/aldehyde; round, sits nicely on the palate, good mouthfeel but light on its feet; more earthy shrooms than Meal, long finish. Comes from the Murets vineyard, farther east and a bit lower than Meal. Marsanne.
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5/17/2015 - Enfantterrible wrote: 94 Points
Opened about 3 hours before drinking and let breath in bottle. Lovely marzipan and honeysuckle nose, with honey and spice and lanolin notes. Full and intense in the mouth with a long finish. Went beautifully with a trio of salads shared at dinner, but in particular an avacado shrimp and mustard salad. I'll save my last bottle till 2019 to see how these taste when they turn 20
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2/13/2015 - Jeffrey Silver Likes this wine: 97 Points
I love this wine. Took it to Resturant and opened it in a decanter. Deep apricot color and waves of pear with honeysuckle come through. The taste is loads of fruit . Lemon meringue pie comes to mind. So does Orange zest. The finish lingers on full a full min. This single vineyard Marrasane grape will live another 25yrs. I believe these Hermitage Blancs will revil the great Montrachets for Burgundy. Yummy Cheers
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9/26/2014 - MLD70 wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour at just a bit cooler than cellar temp. Golden color reminiscent of a mature sauternes. Funky, maderized nose. Great texture and length, with the maderized notes fading to the background. To the foreground appeared wax, white fruit and light floral notes. Enjoyed with some cheese and a salad, not sure the pairing was right. I still have one left and will hold for a little while longer.
[Thank you JS for the comment. To clarify, while it initially was a PnP, six of us tasted this wine over the course of 3 hours, during which time it was in and out of an ice bucket to keep the temperature cool but not too cold. I found it to be most enjoyable at slightly warmer than cellar temp, and probably about 1.5 hrs into the evening. my notes reflect my general impressions during the event]
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6/27/2013 - dbjohnson wrote:
Breath for several hours.
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4/5/2013 - MLD70 wrote: 86 Points
Pulled the cork at 11am and started pouring (into cheap glasses, unfortunately) at 1:45, working it at different temps for an hour or so. Rich golden color like a sauternes w/o the viscosity. Initially a very heavy sherry-like (oxidized) profile, both on nose and palate. With air it turned rich, floral and honeyed. Bit of a weird experience and need to open my next bottle under more favorable conditions.
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2/23/2013 - dbjohnson wrote:
Breathe this bottle for several hours
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12/9/2012 - JimN wrote: 90 Points
Just a hint of oxidation on the nose, which was difficult for me to get past. I couldn't decide if this was closed and needed more cellar time or just over the hill. I would have guessed Rhone by default, but it lacked the richness and complexity that I would have expected, especially at this price point. Lemon and a bit of butterscotch, but a clipped finish. Given other notes, I will put it down to bottle variation and hope for better with the next bottle.
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11/20/2012 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 92 Points
Made from Marsanne, this was good stuff; a good package of nicely honeyed citrus and tropical fruit in addition to the primary spiced pears and mild nectarine flavors; wonderful white Northern Rhone.
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6/2/2012 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 94 Points
Hermitage Blancs: Chave vs. Chapoutier (The Redd Collection, Culver City, California): Light medium golden color with 1 millimeter clear meniscus; complex, coriander, lemon oil, baked lemon nose; tasty, poised, oily textured, lemon oil, coriander, mineral, orange honey palate; long finish
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5/31/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Ripe, intense and almost tropical fruit aromas. Came across as a bit hot and high octane to me, somewhat offset by the intense, lush fruit.
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4/19/2012 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 93 Points
We were offered this at half off on the list...so we took it! I think it was all our first time with this wine. Very soft and subtle upon opening....waxy clean and pure fruit, almost savory, cold steel, smoked vanilla bean, marsala creme over poached Bosch pears. I think the other white we were having(Leflaive BBM) kind of made this wine seem mellow? I REALLY wished I could have spent more time with this bottle...I was starting to get some amazing complexities, minerality, floral spices.....subtle, yet there is SO much of something in there? Looks like Parker gave this 99pts, and says it typically closes up until age 12 or so....hmmm...I think our bottle might have been still closed. Will try again, hopefully, when it comes out of its slumber!+pts
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3/21/2012 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 94 Points
Brown Bag Double Blind Wine Dinner @ Caffe Portofino, The Falls, Miami; 3/20/2012-3/22/2012: - Yellow gold color with fast forming legs and aromas of cut green grass, grapefruit, peach, geranium and hazelnut. It's in total harmony and has flavours of grapefruit, peach, diacetyl (butter) and oak with a full body. Polished texture with a long finish - Bob Muraro's wine.
Most of us were able to identify it's Rhone origins, I thought Marsanne due to it's relative sweet note. It is 100% Marsanne. Professional reviews are all over the landscape, RP-99, ST-89, and the rest in between. White WOTN.
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4/24/2011 - aagrawal wrote: 89 Points
French Night @ Stefania's (San Jose): Really lovely nose with baked pineapple and other tropical fruits. Palate is full, round, oily but lacks acidity to balance it for me. Seems mature and ready to drink. I may not be a big fan of rhone whites.
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2/14/2011 - paulevd wrote: 97 Points
Live Maine lobster on sale at the local store for $9.99/lb and it's Valentine's Day. What better day to open up another of these beauties.
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7/7/2010 - nvandyk wrote: 96 Points
Dinner at Gary Danko. Kindly supplied by my dear sibling Paul. Light amber color. Nose of pineapple, flowers and wet stone. Seems to have emerged from its dumb phase -- this bottle, at least -- and has a delicious, complex and fairly unctuous character, with apricot, peach and minerals most prominent. Went splendidly with a couple of lobster dishes. I am sure it will only improve with age -- but it tasted so good last night that I would be hard pressed to be patient if I had any bottles of this vintage!
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12/28/2009 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 95 Points
1999 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc L'Orée (Frankrijk, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage) Kleur: Vol goudgeel. Aroma / bouquet: Prachtige en sublieme complexiteit, een bouquet dat zich niet aan je opdringt maar zich laagje voor laagje wil laten verkennen. Oxidatief, subtiel bouquet waarin hout, overrijpe kleine appeltjes, marsepein, steenfruit, sherry-toontje, grand marnier, kaarsvet. Smaak / Afdronk: Dik-sappig maar toch elegant, enorme concentratie, superzachte zuren. In de mond komen alle aromatische indrukken nog een keer terug. Enorme lengte. Algemeen / potentieel: Indrukwekkende wijn met een enorme lengte, subtiel oxidatief. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 95/100
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6/9/2009 - paulevd wrote: 97 Points
Popped and poured -- I know, blasphemy. Medium light golden color. Immediate pineapple on the nose, turning to honey, peach and apricot. First sip is obviously too soon -- a little hot and overwhelming -- so will let settle awhile before the next sip. An hour later, it's a mouthfull -- viscuous, lemon, pineapple, spice, floral and mineral. Incredibly long, lingering finish. I've got a feeling it will only get better.
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1/9/2009 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Fourth Annual White Truffle Dinner (David Burke's Primehouse - Chicago IL): Stone fruit on nose and palate with some good supporting anise and allspice. Overall good balance and textures, this was my favorite of the 4 vintages of this wine in the underwhelming flight.
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1/9/2009 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
LdC 4th Annual Truffle Dinner (Primehouse): Full yellow color. Forward note of yellow fruit and lanolin iwth zingy tea-like notes. Lovely balanced sweet yellow fruit wtih a hint of anise. Nice complexity and balance. The best of this mini-vertical.
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8/4/2008 - paulevd wrote:
Sheeesh. I just couldn't wait. It is so closed down.
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12/14/2007 - Enfantterrible wrote: 88 Points
Drank over dinner with friends, with coquille St Jacques. Light golden color. Both the nose and mouth seemed closed down. The bouquet was showing white flowers, apple blossoms, and hint of spice. Similar on the tongue, with a long dry finish. Very good, but will wait a few more years before opening the next bottle.
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6/16/2007 - psmith wrote:
Somewhat oxidative nose and darker in color than expected. Thick, creamy mouthfeel. Apple and assorted ripe tropical fruits. Enjoyable, and ready to drink.
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3/20/2007 - rcl1 wrote: 94 Points
94. Light golden in color. Nose of honey, honeysuckle; extremely balanced with no angular edges, soft mouthfeel,; fruit forward with those on nose as well as peaches on palate. Not at all cloying. Excellent and paired very well with sweetbread preparation
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11/18/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Second Annual White Truffle Dinner (Saddle and Cycle Cub - Chicago IL): Floral start with tropical fruit and stone fruit. Similarly big fruit on palate with a very fat texture, but somewhat simpler, perhaps shut down in middle.
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11/18/2006 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Ray Goder Truffle Dinner (Saddle & Cycle Club): Full golden yellow color. Rich forward aroma of apple pie and spice.. Rich unctuous round spicy yellow fruit with some dried herb notes on the palate.
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8/15/2006 - danstrings wrote: 93 Points
Replacement bottle--whewwwww, much better--no sherry/cooked elements that the previous bad bottle had ... gorgeous, fresh, candied apple/almond tart/marzipan. Great balance of juicy candied fruits and nuts--with bracing acidity. Opened up later to fascinating chocolate covered cherry and Grand Marinier candied orange elements. The De L'Oree I always love...
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8/13/2006 - danstrings wrote: 85 Points
Dark golden color, seemed way to dark for only 6 years old. Very sherry-like nose. Closed on the palate, with some juicy honey, but I think this may have been an off bottle. Gray Market, so who knows.. Ughhh.. (Wine Club SF did taste this and agreed it was bad, replaced it on the spot with a good bottle I drank two days later)
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2/12/2005 - Eric wrote: 88 Points
Rhônes and dinner with Robert Parker (Baltimore, MD): Wow, this is like liquid gold, so rich and pure. However, compared to other vintages I seemed to notice a bit of heat on this vintage with a tiny note of kerosene.
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