A little muddiness from the cork. Improved markedly with air. Has some Hoisin and smoked meat aromas and flavours. It is relatively gentle, sweet and vinous in the mouth. Fruit flavours are fading and the finish is decidedly earthy and persistent.
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Maybe just a hint of mushroom from the cork. Plenty of hoisin, smoke, dried flowers and black tea too. It is one of the most rich and powerful ‘85’s I have had, but oh so velvety and sensual too. Plenty of spice comes to the fore with air and the finish is expansive and lingers.
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Very structured and much younger than I expected (at least in comparison to the 85 La Tache) - really focused and bright cherry fruit on the palate with a bit of chew from the tannin that shows the broadness of the structure. The acidity on it is what really made me think it was far younger than the actual vintage, really vibrant acidity that made the fruit pop.
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Blinded. Up front is sour cherries, and strawberry. Very mild pretty fruit, but a lot of acidity. Spend some time with it and it gains an earth spice note. Really pretty wine.
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Holiday Burgundy Lunch: Served blind, I actually thought this was younger than the wines in the previous flight but was quite a bit older than 2, and a bit older than 1. Absolutely impressive, a wine I could spend all day with. This was quite clean, expressing rose petal aromas and layers of fruit. Nobody guessed the wine incidentally, which was interesting, but we all were smitten by it.
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Mature, but still vibrant. A very good bottle as far as these come. Lovely tea and sweet spice notes. Palate becoming more delicate but still has the sweetness of fruit.
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DRC GE Lunch: Perfect aromatics, and I don't use the term perfect lightly. Glorious, clean, precise and elegant wine. The rose petals dance around my head, and put a giddy smile on my face. The epitome of great Burgundy.
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1985 DRC Grandes Echezeaux carries the magical scent of that makes you dream with more of this bottles. Intense and vibrant red fruits, spices, earthy & roses. The palate still dense, complex, a work of art!
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Good but not spellbinding. Decent spice notes. Lacking some complexity - just expected more. Could also have suffered from coming after the 91 Rousseau Chambertin. This was good but wanted more.
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Party at My Place: Initially there was an air of volatile acidity over this, which blew off quickly enough. The nose then had a good bit of damp earth and farmy soil over developed red cherry fruit. Plenty of Echezeaux spice mixed in with the whole clustered stalkiness. The details of the floral stems had faded and this was comparable to the 1995 Echezeaux in terms of its straightforwardness. I think I liked this more than others at the dinner, but may have a mild bias because I brought it, but then again, I'm usually harder on my wines. This didn't have the striking expression and projection, or even elegance of most '85 DRCs, but I still thought it was pretty good.
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Intact and recognizable but not the freshest bottle, although outward appearances belied this. Trending toward stronger acid on the back half of the palate. Began to fade with 30 mins of air time.
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En flaska i fantastiskt skick. En underbart parfymerad rosendoft att dö för, viss kryddighet och lite rökig mineralitet. Otroligt fint vin med en galet bra doft.
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A weightier experience with this wine versus some previous. Real substance here with dark plum and sweet spice, but with wonderful lift from violet, lavender and cardamom notes on the nose.
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Looked demur and backwards next to the '78. It did get going and had plenty of sweet red fruits along with some sous bois and Hoisin. It was rich and fleshy and length was sneaky. The mouth is left with plenty of floral spice once you swallow the wine.
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Food: Japanese Condition: perfect Duration: 4 hours Aroma: rose petals, spices, cherry Notes: a classic nose from the maker, I can never get enough of that nose. However, I did think that the wine was a little underwhelming for a 1985, the palate and aftertaste was a little imbalanced and doesn't give the complexity I was expecting. Still a great wine obviously but no value for money here and I was expecting more.
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Fading and muddied in general with browning on the edges, however still evident dark fruit and some spice. This bottle did not come close to representing what this wine can still be, and certainly was no comparison to the last two that I have had. 89-90
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A bright nose with metallic notes, light funk, and light blood. The nose is more complex and persistent than the palate. A somewhat short and astringent finish. Was not a great pairing with suckling pig with black truffle. Bottle from domaine.
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From magnum. Excellent bottle. Pure nose with various floral notes, red plum, cherry, light spice and dry leaves. Long finish. Some evolution over two hours of air time with an overall smoothness throughout. The best experience that I have had with this wine to-date.
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Perfect bottle, top fill. From domaine. Still quite young in colour. Medium red velvet. Incredible bouquet! Red flowers, roses, violets, cloves, spice box, underbrush, curry powder. After an hour it shows cherries, meat and mushrooms. Very deep and complex nose. Just lovely taste! Still young and vital fruit, lots of energy and incredible depth. Complex and layered. Elegant mineral structure, almost salty, silky mature tannins that melts into the gum, nice acidity that reminds me of lingonberries. After an hour it gets more meaty. Long long finish. Served blind at dinner with good friends and wine lovers. My friend call DRC's Grands-Échézeaux for mini-La Tache and I must admit he got a good point here. This G-É performs at least as good as the La Tache, and better than the 1985 Richebourg. Almost a perfect score today, 98 - 99 points! To me this wine is Gabrielle Anwar.
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Medium red in color with slight bricking. Fantastic red floral nose loaded with spices and slight mushrooms. Medium plus palate with very good focus and structure, floral just like the nose and long finish. Fantastic wine in a great place to drink, I wouldn't wait any further for a wine that is drinking this well.
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La Paulee Gala (San Francisco CA): Ripe red and black cherry work well with earthy aromas, but these were all behind great sweet baking spice. Flavors balanced the earthy and fruit components well, nicely supported by good acids and tannins that gave a firming character. Far superior to the 1985 La Tache tasted shortly after.
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The nose is a bit foursquare and steely. The mouthfeel is medium+ and the wine still retains great primary fruit and real weight - even a element of coarseness.
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Glass comparison: Riedel Burgundy Vinum vs Sommelier. The Vinum showed the nose better, but the Sommelier conveyed the palate better, with more precision. The fruit is fine but not exciting, the nose good and overall a nice wine but not a profound wine.
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"Open something that hurts club" Seattle Chapter get together (Morton's Steakhouse Seattle): Having had this wine a few years back and being slightly disappointed, I was hesitant to revisit. Many I know have never found the 85 DRC line-up to have lived up to its hype. After having a few myself, I think I'm in this camp as well. There was certainly nothing wrong with this wine. It had great purity, delicious red fruit, very soft and resolved mouthfeel and a fairly high-toned nosed, it just didn't smell like DRC. It lacked the spice, the stemmy quality, the intensity, the goods. Everyone certainly found it quite good but it lacked that extra element to make it fantastic. More time? Who knows...
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Tasted at Chanterelle in NYC celebrating the seventy- fifth anniversary of the Wine and Food Society of New York. Violets and roses waft from the nose of this lovely ruby colored almost 25 year old wine.The spice and clove aromas merge with the black fruit creating a rich yet youthful flavor that is lively and commanding ending with a full and lengthy finish.
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Burgs w/ Burgundy Bob & The Boys (Bob Macdonald's House, Minneapolis): Youthful deep maroon color, with slight lightening. A slight touch of wood spice on the initial nose. Glorious, complex perfumed layers of red cherry fruit and spice. Smooth, silky, and floral. A panoply of secondary flavors including black tea, brown sugar, and baking spices. Meaty, juicy midpalate. Marvelous length. A terrific showing.
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9/6/2023 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
A little muddiness from the cork. Improved markedly with air. Has some Hoisin and smoked meat aromas and flavours. It is relatively gentle, sweet and vinous in the mouth. Fruit flavours are fading and the finish is decidedly earthy and persistent.
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2/25/2023 - johnh1001 wrote: 92 Points
Very mature but pretty aromas of earth, rose petals, faded spice and red fruit. Nice but not an all star.
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2/25/2023 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Maybe just a hint of mushroom from the cork. Plenty of hoisin, smoke, dried flowers and black tea too. It is one of the most rich and powerful ‘85’s I have had, but oh so velvety and sensual too. Plenty of spice comes to the fore with air and the finish is expansive and lingers.
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3/4/2022 - clayfu wrote:
Very structured and much younger than I expected (at least in comparison to the 85 La Tache) - really focused and bright cherry fruit on the palate with a bit of chew from the tannin that shows the broadness of the structure. The acidity on it is what really made me think it was far younger than the actual vintage, really vibrant acidity that made the fruit pop.
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2/14/2022 - mye wrote:
Blinded. Up front is sour cherries, and strawberry. Very mild pretty fruit, but a lot of acidity. Spend some time with it and it gains an earth spice note. Really pretty wine.
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12/10/2021 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Holiday Burgundy Lunch: Served blind, I actually thought this was younger than the wines in the previous flight but was quite a bit older than 2, and a bit older than 1. Absolutely impressive, a wine I could spend all day with. This was quite clean, expressing rose petal aromas and layers of fruit. Nobody guessed the wine incidentally, which was interesting, but we all were smitten by it.
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9/15/2021 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
Elegant and complex. Particularly enjoyed the aromatics on this bottle.
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8/19/2021 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
Seamless palate. Outperformed the Richebourg on this evening.
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7/21/2021 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Mature, but still vibrant. A very good bottle as far as these come. Lovely tea and sweet spice notes. Palate becoming more delicate but still has the sweetness of fruit.
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1/29/2021 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
DRC GE Lunch: Perfect aromatics, and I don't use the term perfect lightly. Glorious, clean, precise and elegant wine. The rose petals dance around my head, and put a giddy smile on my face. The epitome of great Burgundy.
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11/12/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Clean but likely not further evolution from here on this bottle. 95-
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10/28/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fully mature, beginning to display tea notes. While less effusive spice than some bottles, great structure and poise to the palate here.
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8/4/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bottle at peak maturity. Slightly dry fruit, lower acid palate, but tangy spice and soil notes. 94-95
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6/24/2020 - winedr Likes this wine: 96 Points
Great wine. Still had great fruit and a lot of finesse.
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6/9/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Elegant fruit and spice. Great spot in its maturity. Very good bottle.
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4/22/2020 - fcxj wrote: 96 Points
That nectary, resolved dried rose aromatics of old DRC. Differentiator for 85s is the sweet palate. (3599/11793)
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6/26/2019 - fcxj wrote: 96 Points
Dr Chan. Bit of vitamin stink, could be Richebourg maybe 1978? Palate is oh so sweet. Great wine. (3388/11793)
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3/9/2019 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good tang and energy on the finish. Could have benefited from more air. Consistent with other recents. 94+
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2/1/2019 - hprphf wrote: 92 Points
Acker 2019/02 (Vaucluse): 001843/11793. Not much excitement left; slightly acidic but overall good. 92
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1/12/2019 - RaphaelMalago Likes this wine: 94 Points
1985 DRC Grandes Echezeaux carries the magical scent of that makes you dream with more of this bottles. Intense and vibrant red fruits, spices, earthy & roses. The palate still dense, complex, a work of art!
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7/11/2018 - tinybubbles wrote: flawed
A touch of maderization.
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4/7/2018 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good but not spellbinding. Decent spice notes. Lacking some complexity - just expected more. Could also have suffered from coming after the 91 Rousseau Chambertin. This was good but wanted more.
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4/6/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
Party at My Place: Initially there was an air of volatile acidity over this, which blew off quickly enough. The nose then had a good bit of damp earth and farmy soil over developed red cherry fruit. Plenty of Echezeaux spice mixed in with the whole clustered stalkiness. The details of the floral stems had faded and this was comparable to the 1995 Echezeaux in terms of its straightforwardness. I think I liked this more than others at the dinner, but may have a mild bias because I brought it, but then again, I'm usually harder on my wines. This didn't have the striking expression and projection, or even elegance of most '85 DRCs, but I still thought it was pretty good.
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10/21/2017 - tinybubbles wrote:
Intact and recognizable but not the freshest bottle, although outward appearances belied this. Trending toward stronger acid on the back half of the palate. Began to fade with 30 mins of air time.
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6/2/2017 - tinybubbles wrote:
Showed the expected spice notes on the nose, but a subdued palate was beginning to brown on the edges.
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4/17/2017 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 95 Points
En flaska i fantastiskt skick. En underbart parfymerad rosendoft att dö för, viss kryddighet och lite rökig mineralitet. Otroligt fint vin med en galet bra doft.
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1/24/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very clean dark red fruit, tar notes and soft acid streak. Great clarity on this bottle. One of the better 750s I have had recently. 94-95
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1/24/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
A weightier experience with this wine versus some previous. Real substance here with dark plum and sweet spice, but with wonderful lift from violet, lavender and cardamom notes on the nose.
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1/1/2017 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Looked demur and backwards next to the '78. It did get going and had plenty of sweet red fruits along with some sous bois and Hoisin. It was rich and fleshy and length was sneaky. The mouth is left with plenty of floral spice once you swallow the wine.
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12/15/2016 - BradE wrote:
DP, some nice white burgs, DRC GE, and 05 Dujac reds.: Deep, rich, simply lovely. I liked it almost as much as the 88.
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12/8/2016 - TWSA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Food: Japanese
Condition: perfect
Duration: 4 hours
Aroma: rose petals, spices, cherry
Notes: a classic nose from the maker, I can never get enough of that nose. However, I did think that the wine was a little underwhelming for a 1985, the palate and aftertaste was a little imbalanced and doesn't give the complexity I was expecting. Still a great wine obviously but no value for money here and I was expecting more.
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1/26/2016 - tinybubbles wrote: 89 Points
Fading and muddied in general with browning on the edges, however still evident dark fruit and some spice. This bottle did not come close to representing what this wine can still be, and certainly was no comparison to the last two that I have had. 89-90
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2/27/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
A bright nose with metallic notes, light funk, and light blood. The nose is more complex and persistent than the palate. A somewhat short and astringent finish. Was not a great pairing with suckling pig with black truffle. Bottle from domaine.
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2/26/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
From magnum. Excellent bottle. Pure nose with various floral notes, red plum, cherry, light spice and dry leaves. Long finish. Some evolution over two hours of air time with an overall smoothness throughout. The best experience that I have had with this wine to-date.
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11/8/2014 - Tenuta Stefan Likes this wine: 98 Points
Perfect bottle, top fill. From domaine.
Still quite young in colour. Medium red velvet.
Incredible bouquet! Red flowers, roses, violets, cloves, spice box, underbrush, curry powder. After an hour it shows cherries, meat and mushrooms. Very deep and complex nose.
Just lovely taste! Still young and vital fruit, lots of energy and incredible depth. Complex and layered. Elegant mineral structure, almost salty, silky mature tannins that melts into the gum, nice acidity that reminds me of lingonberries. After an hour it gets more meaty. Long long finish.
Served blind at dinner with good friends and wine lovers.
My friend call DRC's Grands-Échézeaux for mini-La Tache and I must admit he got a good point here. This G-É performs at least as good as the La Tache, and better than the 1985 Richebourg.
Almost a perfect score today, 98 - 99 points!
To me this wine is Gabrielle Anwar.
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6/14/2013 - Pacalet Likes this wine: 96 Points
Medium red in color with slight bricking. Fantastic red floral nose loaded with spices and slight mushrooms. Medium plus palate with very good focus and structure, floral just like the nose and long finish. Fantastic wine in a great place to drink, I wouldn't wait any further for a wine that is drinking this well.
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3/7/2013 - rnellans wrote: 96 Points
A wow wine for me. One of the better wines of the night. Good structure. Dark cherries. Still moderate tannins, but good balance
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2/25/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
La Paulee Gala (San Francisco CA): Ripe red and black cherry work well with earthy aromas, but these were all behind great sweet baking spice. Flavors balanced the earthy and fruit components well, nicely supported by good acids and tannins that gave a firming character. Far superior to the 1985 La Tache tasted shortly after.
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1/24/2012 - lepetitchateau wrote: 94 Points
The nose is a bit foursquare and steely. The mouthfeel is medium+ and the wine still retains great primary fruit and real weight - even a element of coarseness.
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12/19/2011 - Lord Rayas wrote: 98 Points
Dinner with Julian/Ada, Alex, David, Arthur/Andrea, Gary (The Principal): stunning aromas of underbrush, forest, spice and ripe fruits. kept getting better. thank you Alex!
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5/5/2011 - lepetitchateau wrote: 92 Points
Glass comparison: Riedel Burgundy Vinum vs Sommelier. The Vinum showed the nose better, but the Sommelier conveyed the palate better, with more precision. The fruit is fine but not exciting, the nose good and overall a nice wine but not a profound wine.
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11/6/2010 - Jdub wrote:
"Open something that hurts club" Seattle Chapter get together (Morton's Steakhouse Seattle): Having had this wine a few years back and being slightly disappointed, I was hesitant to revisit. Many I know have never found the 85 DRC line-up to have lived up to its hype. After having a few myself, I think I'm in this camp as well. There was certainly nothing wrong with this wine. It had great purity, delicious red fruit, very soft and resolved mouthfeel and a fairly high-toned nosed, it just didn't smell like DRC. It lacked the spice, the stemmy quality, the intensity, the goods. Everyone certainly found it quite good but it lacked that extra element to make it fantastic. More time? Who knows...
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10/29/2009 - BradE wrote:
An absolutely great bottle. This is a wonderful wine.
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1/20/2009 - gsquireh wrote: 96 Points
Tasted at Chanterelle in NYC celebrating the seventy- fifth anniversary of the Wine and Food Society of New York. Violets and roses waft from the nose of this lovely ruby colored almost 25 year old wine.The spice and clove aromas merge with the black fruit creating a rich yet youthful flavor that is lively and commanding ending with a full and lengthy finish.
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11/28/2008 - Alex G. wrote:
A very regal wine from the first whiff of the first pour. Such freshness and purity. Rose petals, red fruits, and gentle hints of earth and spice. A-
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10/16/2008 - Siggy wrote: 96 Points
Burgs w/ Burgundy Bob & The Boys (Bob Macdonald's House, Minneapolis): Youthful deep maroon color, with slight lightening. A slight touch of wood spice on the initial nose. Glorious, complex perfumed layers of red cherry fruit and spice. Smooth, silky, and floral. A panoply of secondary flavors including black tea, brown sugar, and baking spices. Meaty, juicy midpalate. Marvelous length. A terrific showing.
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6/1/2008 - Totatalitarian wrote:
In a stately stage of life, this was a beautiful bottle and a complex expression of GE. Excellent.
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6/1/2008 - BradE wrote:
Drunk with the 85 RSV. The GE rocked, and was excellent.
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4/26/2008 - Francolini wrote: 95 Points
Wow, complex, long. Good time to drink
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4/14/2007 - 83AJ wrote: 75 Points
just drinkable....for respect only. nice color, bad yeast back end. A classic disappointment.
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