Timuquana BYO (TCC): More age than the ‘95. Get some sage, herbal, more baking spice in style. Drinks very well. It’s more of the secondary and brawny style but also has all of the energy and verve of a great wine. Drinking really great.
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Really interesting wine. Tasted alongside a 1964 Pio Cesare Barolo and a 1979 Ducru Beaucaillou. In the first hour, this one seemed to have the most depth and complexity than the other two. In the second hour, the Ducru had passed it in complexity, where the Italian was off in left field. After the third hour, the Cos was actually gone (thankfully...as it did not hold well in the decanter). Those that still had some in the glass noticed that this one seemed to really fall off the ledge whereas The red fruit complexity of the Italian Barolo started to show, and the complexity of the Ducru started to blast off to Infinity and beyond! Just think this bottle may have not been in a great place as I have had several Cos in the past and they have all been pretty good. This one was showing okay, but not as well as I know this wine can show. Drink or hold for 10 years.
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Garnet colored with a slight tinge of brown rust bricking, medium full bodied, complex, concentrated, rich black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of leather, tobacco, coffee, herbs, spice and hints of cedar with lush tannins and crisp acidity on a long aromatic finish.
Fairly restrained on pop n' pour this opened up over a few hours to reveal a mature, layered and classic Left Bank Bordeaux, but it took some air and time to get their. A youthful '89 that needs time or a decant.
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Medium-dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & cassis with overtones of classic cigar box notes of cedar & tobacco, leather, graphite, floral notes of violets, herbs, forest floor/loam, mushrooms, minerals, cocoa, tar & some sous-bois notes. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackcurrants & cassis with herbs, mushrooms, minerals, coffee & a slight hint of oak/vanilla. Long lingering silky-smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing. At 34 years of age, I doubt any further development would occur from additional aging, but it should hold here for another 4 to 5 years. Fill was in lower neck; cork was saturated 1/2 up but intact.
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I definitely preferred this in its middle age, and unlike most of the top notch left bankers from the year, this has hit its peak. It is becoming more attractive as tertiary notes bed in, but it is not one the heavyweights from the vintage. Tell notes of cedar and blackcurrant define the wine, but lost fruit has left it a little exposed to tannin. Probably there is not a lot of upside in leaving this to develop.
Opened, filtered/decanted and rested several hours. Color was more toward a brown leather. Tasted fine, but not much fruit and little tannins. Probably reaching the end of its drinkability. The wine looks caramel colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle.
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Dégustation bordelaise 1989-1990 (Chez François G.): Un nez très charmeur qui m’a immédiatement fait penser à Cos. Un vrai flash-back olfactif d'une autre époque, où je goûtais plus souvent ce vin, il y a plus d'une quinzaine d'années! Je croyais rêver, quel plaisir de retrouver ces notes de cassis, avec un côté floral, du cèdre, exactement mes souvenirs (j'ajoute que le domaine a changé son style à partir de 2001 avec un boisé plus appuyé donnant des notes de moka).
La bouche est ronde et joufflue, elle fait très 1989. C'est aujourd'hui un grand charmeur, facile à boire, en pleine forme et vraiment délicieux, quoique sans la complexité du suivant. Magnifique vin en pleine forme, sur son plateau. 94 pts
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Dégustation comparaison Bordeaux 89 vs 90. Fruits rouges, cassis, cèdre, typé rive gauche, un vin avec une belle fraîcheur malgré un certain côté charmeur, assez large en bouche, mais tout de même équilibré, belle longueur. Mon 2e sur les 89. 92-93
Bordeaux 89 vs 90 tasting. Red fruit, cassis, cedar, very left bank in style, nice freshness and balance despite a certain roundness and charm to the palate, good length.
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Cork crumbled, so poured through filter into decanter. No leaking through the cork. Such lite and silky tannins. Very lite cocoa. Some game meat notes, maybe jerky. I genuinely enjoyed this. Was this the best wine, aged or fresh that I’ve had, no but enjoyed the experience quite a lot. 60/40 Cab Sauv / Merlot
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It was one of the twelve wines in the CNY gathering in Jim's home with wonderful fireworks. Everybody got drunk that night but felt graceful. Thank you Jim!
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At open, as soon as the cork lifted, the leathery smokiness of the Cos came to life. At first glass, no decant, it was a bit tight and short. As it gained air in the glass, it became beautiful - not incredible, but beautiful. A bit of acid persists throughout. I am certain this could age for quite a long time, but now showing a great balance between secondary and tertiary.
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Probably doesn't deserve this score but vs. the competition of the 86 Margaux and 95 Altare Arborina didn't stand a chance. It was very easy to identify that it didn't have the pedigree of the Margaux and didn't have the exoticism of the Altare. On its own merit, it is a solid drink.
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Ouvert 6h d’avance, le nez plutôt unidimensionnel sur le poivron au départ mettra du temps à s’ouvrir pour faire place en fin de soirée à un magnifique nez tertiaire sur la fumée, le cuir, le menthol, les épices et un restant de fruit… je pense même détecter un peu de café / chocolat
Bouche bien en place et ouvert… l’attaque est un brin vieillotte mais le crescendo fait son oeuvre vers du fruit rouge, du sous-bois, du poivron et quelques épices douces Le milieu de bouche est plein de matière, belle balance encore beaucoup de belle acidité, c’est évidement fondu et on perçois du graphite, du poivron, du café, et le classique textbook vieux bordeaux Finale très longue et suave sur le chocolat, les épices, le graphite Un vin vraiment wow, classique vieux bordeaux sur son plateau… plante pas mal de 1er grands crus classés de la même époque !
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Moët Hennessy Portfolio Tasting (10 Cases, London): Some decanting advisable here but no need for a long decant. It’s been a good decade since we tried this wine ( Papies 93) albeit we did have 2 corked bottles in the meantime. This to us ( especially having tried the mesmerising 1996 a couple of weeks ago, Papies 96) is an atypical Cos. Riper , more on the fruit and less of the minerality and austerity that we associate with both Cos and St Estephe. Still though this was a mesmerising bottle. Bright and still energetic albeit well evolved, healthy fruit, soft earthy and a nose beautiful enough to launch a 1000 ships to its rescue. Lovers of classic well aged left bank claret like ourselves would love this. Easy 95-96 and with a good decade of top end life left in the tank.
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Lots of dried herbs, dill and sous bois in the nose. Super fine tannins, velvety texture and amazing balance on the palate. Layers of subdued black fruit couple with smokey earthy notes. Definitely mature and ready now, will probably not improve.
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I generally prefer wine with a good amount of age but this made me think maybe a little younger than 30 years for Bordeaux is the right place for me. This bottle had very little primary fruit and seemed a little monotone. Still enjoyable but didn't live up to expectation.
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Elegant, soft, integrated, and brooding on its mid length finish. Tannins and old world class remain. Like a woman who is almost old enough to have lost her spark of beauty. But right now, she definitely still has it. Drink now.
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Tasted regularly over the last decade, this is ready to drink. Fully mature, it is forward for the year and probably is a wine that is not going to improve. Also as the fruit fades some tannic elements are being exposed particularly on the finish. Minimal decanting is needed. 94+
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Guy's Night: Open Your Last Bottle (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red/purple color with a 5mm transition. One hour double decant, drank a couple glasses over 3 hours. This was really, really good though overshadowed by the '83 Montrose tonight. Beautiful in its own right, I've always loved the '89 Cos. Red and black fruits, perfumed, pencil, damp earth and funk. The palate is full bodied and powerful, showing excellent density, cassis, deep raspberry, wood, minerality, pencil and round polished tannins. This almost youthful, this will may go forever.
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Open your last bottle (Jason and Mariellen's house): Decanted 1 hour, then back into the bottle for a few hours, before pouring a good-sized glass for myself that I drank over 2 hours. Perfume, funk, tobacco, sandalwood, tar, black fruits, orange rind, old leather and a bit of funk. I wished that I'd decanted this 2 hours, but at least I left myself a note from the previous bottle to decant at least an hour. Sadly, my last bottle, since that was the tasting theme.
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Guys Night Out - Open your last bottle of something you had multiple bottles of at one time!: See galewskj's notes for treatment. This was surprisingly young, and improved quite a bit throughout the evening! Very fruit forward with medium tannins that got finer as the evening progressed. Unlike some of the other notes, I think this wine needs another few years to completely come together (and I like my wines with plenty of fruit). There is enough fruit in this wine to allow the tannins to resolve better and to gain some additional tertiary flavors, IMO (at least for this bottle).
Nose showed black and purple fruit, cigar box and tobacco, with some floral notes too. Palate showed plenty of cassis, plum and hints of red currant, with leather, cedar and tobacco in the background. Pretty nice balance between fruit and tertiary flavors, but a little more tertiary flavors would elevate this wine. Also, as previously stated, tannins were very prevalent, but did start smoothing out with time in the glass....if they ever completely smoothed out, this would reach the top level! 93 to 94 points, with an easy 94 toward the end of the night!
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20th of 24, opened 90 minutes then splash decanted, perfect cork and level, surprisingly youthful and little changed from last bottle noted in October 18, nicely layered and with more relaxed fruit expression than more recent vintages, plus a certain silkiness, mature with limited upside, 10+ years. VF (18.5).
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At Skinner pre-auction tasting, Newton, Mass.: My companions thought this the best wine in the tasting. Quite brown. Fully mature. Classic claret profile with a very sweet finish. Drink soon.
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À l’ouverture, bouchon très imbibé Nez de bouchonnet de carton (merde) Heureusement tout se dissipe avec 1h de carafe pour faire place à un nez de fruits rouge, poivrons, fumée, cuir, boite a cigare et tourbe de sphaigne Bouche fruitée, belle complexité, encore beaucoup de matière. Cerise, sous-bois, menthol, cigare Finale intéressante fruitée epicée
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Le nez prend un peu de temps à se placer, nez assez classique de rive-gauche par la suite, ne montre aucune fatigue, superbe texture, une finale longue et savoureuse, très beau. 92-93
The nose needs some air, the cork was wet with some aromas of wet cardboard at first but things got for the better after with no apparent defect and a classic left bank nose. Gorgeous balanced Cos, not the most powerful at this point but gracious, showing no fatigue also with a long delicious finish.
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Cork loose, stained most of the way up. This is not the first time I have had a problem with a 1989 Bordeaux cork. Wine was OK but definitely not up to par. Almost all gone, 2 bottles left, hoping for better.
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Opened 1 hour prior. Light ruby color. Sandlewood, tar, black fruits, saddle leather, orange peel, tobacco leaf and barnyard. Light, spry palate and likely in its finally drinking window.
p.s. snake river farm filets and cauliflower purée and arugula/butter lettuce salad
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Late Dec 2021: bottle opened approx. 1 hour before consumption; deep purple red color; cassis, mocca, chocolate and cigarbox flavors in the nose; round with a well integrated acidity on the palate; slightly tannic in the cheeks. 92-93/100
Fully mature, excellent Cos d‘Estournel.
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Uncorked 2 hours before pouring (not decanted). Immediately expressive on the nose - fruit, spice and vanilla. On the palate, sweet dark fruits framed by coffee, chocolate and woody notes. After some time in glass, fruits give way to more spice, leather and a hint of leafiness. Good acidity throughout and good length on the finish. A wonderful drink enjoyed with chicken marsala
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Good looking cork. Lots of leather on the nose and a bit of grade school paste. No oxidation but also little fruit. Pronounced tannins. Better after a couple hours of air but this is on its way out. Drink ASAP.
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Great fruit in perfect balance with structure that provides grip and tension. Toasty oak. Balsamic, tar. Not the most compelling Cos but pretty good. Long and complex. Good to drink now and will last for many years.
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Little darker than the '89 Barton, tootsie roll, high tannins, a little creamy full texture, plummy, soft. Thought it was right bank. DD Bordeaux 1989-2000 Lawson's Steakhouse
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Cork came out pristine, appears to be in perfect shape. Lots of tertiary and a little musty right off the bat, but after 2-3 hours in the decanter this is a gorgeous wine. Tastes so much younger than it is. Red fruited with some savory and sous bois and classic tobacco. Plush texture somewhere between silk and velvet. This bottle would easily have 5-10 more years to go if not more. Really nice!
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Fully mature and drinking at its peak with a couple of hours in the decanter, this is now a highly enjoyable wine. Displaying secondary and tertiary notes, the nose is packed with blackcurrant, plum, cedar and tobacco. The palate is big and meaty with a strong tannic spine. Likewise the finish is tannin dominated, but well balanced but it probably lacks finesse. All in all this is a great mature left bank Bordeaux, but just lacking that little extra to elevate it to the top level of the year.
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Decanted one hour before serving. Deep garnet/tawny color. Aromas of dark berries, prunes, a little bit of funk, and perhaps a hint of truffle. Medium-plus body with medium-low acid and medium-to-medium-plus grippy tannins. Blackberry, prunes, dark cherry syrup, cola, and only a touch of earthiness. Felt a tad thin mid-palate. Only the color gave away its age.
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Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): A few years later and ex-Chateau and this wine is in a truly great place. You can taste the slightly more austere style of the wine but this was a big year and you get a nice fleshiness from that. I think I come out more for the ‘85 because it was a bit more complex and I kindof gravitate towards some of the less fruit forward versions but this was really nice.
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17x Bordeaux 1982-1990 (+ 2 Martha’s): All wines tasted single blind. From magnum. Like many other 1989 Bordeauxs, this Cos is now in a wonderful drinking window (I even think at its peak). Wonderful elegant and mature structural frame, quite expressive, full tertiary aromas but still an attractive fruit core - overall a super complete wine. As it was the first red wine of the tasting, I thought I might have been too optimistic as for the group this was only number 10 out of 16 wines vs my top 3 position. But a second glass at the end of the tasting (luckily it was a magnum) confirmed my initial judgement. 96/97 points.
TN: Expressive nose and palate displaying ripe dark fruit, fresh tobacco, herbs, some meaty notes, lots of graphite and even some burnt sugar notes. Quite complex and precise. Elegant structure with soft tannins with just hints of some edges, good and well-integrated acidity, soft, light structure with a touch of creaminess (could have used more of that), good balance and good tension from start to finish.
Decanting: A short decant should do the job.
Group score: 94.8 pts Group rank: Shared 10th out of 16 reds
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Opened (but not decanted) two hours before drinking. Was the fourth bottle at a dinner for four, despite dulled senses, this Cos impressed. Very expressive on the nose, lots of complexity with layers of flavours coming thru. Still vibrant and lots of life. A excellent Cos.
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Châine dinner at Bindille. Served with pork belly and duck in a cherry Demi glace. From the wine was poured I knew this was special. Rosey rich red to the rim and very clear. Nose, young and a lot of earth and cassis. Palette war Firm—showing no weakness. Long finish. Nose continued to improve. Remarkable for 32yo. Can improve to 2030.
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Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux and Cabs 2009 and Older (Chez Dalluge, MN): Very dark red/purple color. Double decanted for 1 hour; drank a glass over an hour. Wow, there's a great nose; gorgeous red fruits wafting from the glass, cherry, earth, leather, cigar, citrus peel. The palate is well integrated and full, tart cherry, great acidity, bold pencil notes, cigar wrapper, high toned and resonant with wth softened tannins and a very lengthy finish. Wow, just superb. 95+ to 96pts.
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Nose: medium + intense, fully matured with lots of spice aromas, some red and dark fruit and toast aromas embedded in it. Full spectrum of Cabernet spice, tomato hints with this rustic approach (reminding me of Cos we had drunk at the winery each time). Powerful ripe aromas, leather, cigar box.
Palate: medium tannins, wonderful mouthfeel, medium + acidity and medium + body. Incredible length. A little little fruit core left.
Quite on the peak and very great matured. Started with 96 points but I personally don't like the rustic St. Estephe enough, finally 94-95 points.
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Bordeaux 1982-1990 tasting (Restaurant Essen'z, Brugg): Bordeaux 1982-1980 tasting of selected wines, including a couple of pirates. All wines were decanted for at least 2-3 hours, tasted in flights of 2 and single-blind. While not a representative sample, I would venture the following observations: 1/ First growths in 1988 should not be underestimated for the hedonistic pleasure they offer, 2/ 1990 first growths have not yet passed through their closed stage, 3/ you’ll find stand-out second tier wines from 1982. 4/ Highlights were Palmer 89 and Gruaud Larose 82 (96 each).
Tasting note: Nice and ripe red and dark cherry fruit, sous-bois, earth, mushrooms, some graphite and pencil shavings, sprinkles of rose water. Just a bit meaty, hints of mint. Well integrated, softly textured palate with tension, although not overly layered. This is showing very well today and reminded me a lot of the 1996, both appear in a similarly great drinking spot right now.
Dinner at La T (La Trompette, London): Savoury, dark fruited. Somehow this is a little sullen, recalcitrant even. A fennel top note develops with air. Bar one previous off bottle, this is usually lovely in a richer, dark style, but this bottle isn’t quite there. Still, there’s plenty of good wine here, it’s just not as good as it can be. ***1/2
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This last bottle was at it’s zenith. Balanced , sweet tannins. Great black fruit with hint of red. Solid mid palate and lengthy finish. Cos at it’s best.
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Very nice fruit, complex, some tannin, great balance. Opened up after a few hours to silk and a classic rich Bordeaux. Wonderful! Next day it was smoother. Enjoyed it even more.
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Having worked through about 20-25 bottles of this wine over the last 20+ years it gets better each time. Our last note (April 2019) is still on target. Our bottles have matured beautifully over the years and have rewarded our patience. Served with a smoker prime rib roast.
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This showed very well tonight up against the '95. Obviously leaner and more cool-fruited than that vintage if lacking the opulence and layered depth. Balanced and elegant in a refined style with smooth tannins and a fresh, complex finish with notes of warm gravel and graphite minerals. Lovely now but should continue to age well.
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Popping the impeccably intact cork released a voluptuous wave of rich fruit and a typical Bordeaux nose. However, that left rather quickly. Pouring the wines into the decanter revealed a deep tawny color and an all out tertiary aromas. It was pretty reserved and tight at first, but after an hour or two, it started to show distinct flavors, such as forest floor, mushroom, cured beef, cedar, and some hints of smoke. Tannins were well integrated, but present enough to hold up well with food. The acidity was right were I would expect and was in perfect balance. Overall, if you love fully matured wines, this will be a treat.
Also, this had better balance when it was a served a little cooler (60 deg F - ish)
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Pronounced nose with notes of mushroom, truffle, red fruits, mint. High acidity and medium+ tannin. Medium garnet in colour. Surprisingly still fresh and some thought it was 2000s and younger. Tasted blind and I guess its older than 90s and got it right.
Tasted blind together (ranking based on consensus of 8) 1) 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild 98 1) 1986 Château Cos d’Estournel 95 2) 1989 Château Cos d’Estournel 94 3) 1993 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 96 4) 1988 Château Mouton Rothschild 92
There was a joint WOTN between 82 Mouton and 86 Estournel. The nose on 86 Estournel slightly edge out 82 Mouton but I prefer the overall balance and palate of 82 Mouton.
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Wow, what a stunning wine! After 32 years it is still singing, just amazing intensity. Very deeply garnet red, with only the slightest brown rim. A breath of aromas I have not encountered before: cherries, smoky peat, clear gamey aromas, kirsch, plum, cassis and vanilla. Even a hint of sweetness. A sensation on the palate as well: cherries, cassis, kirsch, ceder and spices (clove?) with a long and persistent finish. What a joy!
Funny enough my wife did not care for it a bit...
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Surprisingly dark in color for a wine this old with just some brick at the edge The nose has black cherries, saddle leather, beef burger and a hint of green tomato The palate is dark cherry fruit that is round beautifully balanced. It is quite long and finishes with that hint green tomato again. There is still some tannin here to go with the still very bold fruit. I think this wine may continue to be excellent for 10 more years
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Clear garnet. Primarily tertiary notes. Also damp earth, tobacco and cassis with some sweet red fruit in evidence and a hint of iodine. Medium-bodied, cedar infused palate which fans out across the finish. Excellent balance. Near the end of its drinking plateau so would suggest consuming in the next few years. Lovely.
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A step up from the '90 but trails the '82 by a mile in intensity of flavours. Developed leaf litter and leather nose with touch of floral notes. Palate is all rounded out, medium weight and decent finish. In the latter end of its drinking window...say another 3 years before declining?
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Pronounced nose intensity, ban-yard, savoury, wet forest, dried red fruits and black fruits, violet, medium+ acidity and tannin. Still able to keep longer than the estimated CT drinking dates. Did not decant. Tasted blind. Was the WOTN with 9 different bottles.
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Christmas Eve wine with sirloin tip and mushroom sauce. Light fruit cake and spice on the nose. Rich and full, dark berries, cherry, a bit of cedar, truffles, milk chocolate and spice on the palate. Very mature, an exotic element in this wine. Silky and long. Needs a good 2 hour decant. Wonderful!
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Drinking very well. Good to go. Fruit is as it should be - blackcurrant, hint of truffle, cedar, earth. Light ruby colour and some bricking. Very good.
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this bottle was absolutely firing tonight. layer after layer with both power and finesse. still some brighter red fruits along with more mature darker fruits and cassis, leather, cigar tobacco, dried meat, dried purple flower, cooked down bell pepper, wet rocks, iron, and scorched earth. open over the next 10 years
Still a nice nose of scorched earth/creosote, charred oak, black currant and mint. The palate is tight, with a great streak of minerality, decent acidity and some black fruits, earth and moderately tannic. Drink now. 92
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This is firmly in its drinking window, but still benefits from a few hours in the decanter. It is an excellent wine but hasn't really elevated over the last couple of years. Blackcurrant, plum, earth and tobacco dominate the wine, which has good depth and balance. Likewise the finish is lengthy. However, the tannin is over harsh on the palate and finish. It is a very enjoyable wine displaying secondary and tertiary notes, but is overshadowed by the great left bankers from the year. 94+
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1989, Château Cos d’Estournel, Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, Frankreich. Mittlers Rubin. Feinduftige, verspielte Nase, feine, rote Frucht, darüber Tabak, Zigarrenkiste, Kräuter, dezent auch florale Noten, sehr komplex. Im Gaumen weich und zugänglich, mittlerer bis voller Körper, noch immer Gerbstoffe, diese sind bereits sehr schöne eingebunden, die Säure stützt, verleiht Frische. Im Abgang mit dieser herrlichen, exotischen Cos-Würze, ein Traum. Viel schöner kann man Cos aktuell wohl nicht trinken. 18.5 vvPunkte (93/100). vvWine.ch
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Brick rim, full bodied. Earthy, cigar box, pencil led. Loamy, dark fruit. So smooth, silky tannin. Medium finish. Exquisite structure. Opened and decanted, and drank over six hours. This wine is flawless. I think this still has 3-5 years of good life in it.
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Guys Night Out with Wagyu Tenderloin and Crepe Cake: About 1 1/2 hour decant. This wine definitely has secondary characteristics. The nose has funk, tar, earth and graphite. The palate is slightly hollow, and there is still some tannins present. Frankly, it drank younger than I was expecting. Hold last bottle for 3+ years and still decant 1 hour(?). I find it interesting that the cellartracker window shows this at expired. That is obviously not the case.
Guys Night Out: Bring Something You're Looking Forward To Drinking (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red purple color, 2mm clear edge. Decanted for 90 minutes, drank a glass over 2 hours. The nose has a lot pencil lead up frint, earthy, cassis and a savory perfume of dark fruits eventually emerges. The palate is dark and dense, cassis, oak, tart dark berries, pencil, oak and earth. The tannins still have some hold here and the oak is not fully integrated. Drinks relatively young, but still impressive. This is still improving, but I wouldn't be afraid to drink it now with a couple good hours of air. 93+(+)pts.
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Decanted an hour, but needed closer to 2 hours to fully open. For the first two hours this is "classic" in style of the era at Cos (in my opinion) when the wines were a bit "lean and mean" with good, dark, cool fruit and the rest is graphite, mineral, and some tannin on the finish. Always good with food, they don't show as well on their own compared with the wines they started making in the 00s that are more about the fruit. I enjoy both styles, and this showed well with dinner last night once it had enough air. A-
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YES! This was rocking - drinking exactly as its supposed to. Still a rich densely packed wine that has many years to go. Gorgeous opaque color at the core. Dark ruby with bricking at the rim. Nose is dark cherries, camphor, slightly used leather saddle with some funk and some light purple flowers. Palate is still packed with energy. More dark red fruit, dark earth and deep rich spice. This is killer. So good. Clearly was stored just right.
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This was an easy 96 points for me, maybe even 97 points.
Just enough age, just enough liveliness. All the flavors integrated and in balance – fruit, oak, acid, and tannins all working together nicely. Excellent mouthfeel, long finish. A testament to the benefits of aging quality Bordeaux and drinking them at the correct time.
Tons of dark chocolate, but also uplifting (dark) red fruits, classic Bordeaux "graphite" vibe, some earthiness and mushrooms, black licorice, a hint of coffee, as well as wood (think cedar).
Living up to the St. Estephe profile, it's definitely a powerful wine that can go for quite a few more years (5+)...but right now, it is so delicious and probably in a good spot to drink.
Highly recommended.
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Jordan's 1989 Bordeaux Dinner (Feast & Imbibe - Evanston IL): There is clearly a lot here. Dense with lots of black fruit but not particularly giving and certainly not accessible or fun right now. I've had better bottles, but think further cellar time will benefit this wine.
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Lovely generous fruit, licorice, figs, oranges, cocoa beans, spices, cedar i e very complex bouquet. Perfect balance and again fruit, melted tannin still giving it structure coupled with medium acidity. Long rewarding finish. In a sweet spot now. Drink up. One of the best in a long time. Perfect example why you need patience with the top wines. Ps this bottle was tapped with Coravin 3 m ago and half a bottle was left and opened today. No sign of degradation.
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Great! After opening the bottle: Wood, mushrooms, and in the aftertaste lots of chocolate After 10‘: plums, sweet black fruit, vanilla, cedar, licorice,lots of chocolate During the next hour it stayed like that, but less chocolate. Just a wonderful wine!
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Po’s 89 Bordeaux @ Trompette (La Trompette, London): Quite ripe on the nose. Nicely rich without being overdone. Darker. Think this is Cos. Fresh and nicely structured. Some mid palate richness with a cooler, slightly licorice finish. ****
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Tasted next to 1990. Similar in colour, just a little duller and browner around the rim. More evolved on the nose as well - generous fruit, tobacco, cedar, sweet spices. Very layered and expressive. On the palate a little tired at times, slightly drying tannins, relatively low acidity. Very long. No rush, but probably best to slowly drink up. 92-94
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Bordeaux tasting (at my home): med ruby pronounced aromas intensity of red cherries, roasted plums, bilberries, cranberries, oak-vanilla, earth, leather, old furniture, smoked meat, still developing dry, high acidity, med+ tannins, med abv, full body, pronounced flavours intensity consistent with the nose, mint, eucalyptus, licorice, long elegant finish drink now - suitable for short further ageing outstanding
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Clear medium red color, not much sign of 30 year age, decanted 1.5 hours aromas of leather, black current, tobacco. Very smooth fruit on palate (black current, blackberry, spice, tobacco), perfect balance, tannins fully integrated. Finish was fruit and tobacco lasting 1+ minutes. Having had many bottles of this wine over the last 10 years or so it seems to have reached full maturity now. Probably will hold at this level for several more years. More elegant than powerful now.
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This is drinking wonderfully now, and has entered full maturity. The nose is deep with blackcurrant, plum, liquorice, and leather, which transfers to the palate. The tannin is fully resolved, but has retained bite. The depth and complexity are stunning with a 30+ seconds finish. This still benefits from a few hours in the decanter, and has the structure to stay at this level for the next decade.
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Dinner at Jade Court (Chicago, IL): This is drinking almost exactly as you would expect from the reputation of the producer. There's a nice leathery note on the nose here, which transfers to the palate. It's a very dense and brawny wine, with tons of power and earthy notes. This bottle was absolutely pristine and it really showed the longevity of these wines -- my only gripe was that this was too young. No doubt this will be brilliant with another decade or two under its belt.
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Very elegant fruit, beautifully spicy, colour still lively, tannin still quite firm, will fruit match this in time? The 88 Leo Barton was a more popular wine on the night - more obvious flesh, but the purity of the Cos was ahead from my perspective.
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Earthy but also has fruity notes. Medium to full bodied with a memorable intensity. Lasts long on the palate. Decanted for 1 hour. Drank at Gary Danko (1 star Michelin French restaurant in SF).
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Q4 - 2018 Tasting - Aged Bordeaux (Pre-1997) (New York, NY): 9 of 19 wines tasted double blind. Another of my favorites in today's tasting line up although I am in the minority here. This was still very much alive and so nicely balanced with the fruit (blackberries, red raspberries and currants), leather, dried leaves and tobacco, dusty tannins and lifting acidity all playing beautifully. Long bright finish. Group vote - 2 pennies. I voted - 1 penny
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Q4 Wine Club - Aged Bordeaux (Our apt): Wine #9: Wow - this was an intense wine. Almost port-like in style. Tons of fruit and on the sweeter side and very tasty but also kindof intense. This wine is prob still too young to be drinking, but it was really beautiful. (2 pennies)
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Cos D'Etournel Tasting at BWC Dark chocolate more dark fruit driven with chalky notes. Seems closed...but may be opening up slowly to show great dark fruit component with a touch of eucalyptus. Thin on the finish against the lamb. 8.9
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19th of 24, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, little changed from last bottle in March 17, very long, persistent and concentrated, velvety, hints of chocolate and fennel on exit as well as more normal flavour profile, almost the opposite of previous night's Margaux 86, this time the pleasure factor exceeds the technical mark, plenty of life. VF (18.5).
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Surprisingly rich colour for age; cedar, cigar box, still some dark fruit, some sharpness - hint of juniper?, earthy; on the palate smooth, rich, perfectly integrated, slight drop off in fruit, def at end of drinking window, perfect with steak!
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Decanted at 3pm, allowed to breathe for 2 hours and then poured back into the cleaned bottle for transport to a friend’s house. Initially it had a great nose but somewhat reticent palate but after another hour or two it really came into its own. The color was a medium garnet with just a hint of bricking. It was very earthy on the nose along with some graphite, smoke and cedar. The palate was mostly the secondary flavors along the lines of the nose but there was some nice light ripe blackberry in the finish which was moderately long and chewy. I think this was way better later at about 8-9pm at first I was thinking 92 Ota but it definitely finished stronger, so I upgraded slightly.
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Fully mature and rocking with a few hours of air. Cassis, plum, leather, cedar and tobacco notes create a very perfumed nose. Soft and silky on the palate with beautiful fruit and woody flavours. Balanced and fresh with good length on the finish. Not sure why this vintage doesn't score higher points on CT, what a great bottle!
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A magnum of Cos 1989 is at the absolute top of its prime.
Bold and vibrant, with blackberries, cassis, juniper jam, pepper, pencil shavings, tobacco, a tiny pinch of noble bitterness, awesome depth, and outstanding well integrated tannin that stays in the aftertaste after 15 minutes.
A Porthos of Bordeaux who denounced its baron de Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds title tonight.
WS 93, RP 88 - bollocks, I have no other words.
Alex Che BD meet-up at Le Restaurant / 17 April 2018
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Deep dark opaque garnet purple fast at thick tears, then second phase medium slow moving legs luscious; nose a bit closed definitely the weakest branch, most restrained yielding metallics lead, mouth is glorious rich fully in balance easy delicious dark purple fruits black raspberry bright with anise, dry short great with steak
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Rett fra flaska er det søte bær og litt lakris. Etterhvert kommer tobakkstoner og særlig blyantspiss, litt jord. Frisk og syrlig i munnen, flott fruktintensitet, etterhvert også litt røkt kjøtt. Delikate tanniner som man får vann i munnen av. Etterlater nesten et saltpreg i munnen, før den går over i en lang ettersmak med delikat bitterhet. Har lenge igjen.
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Last tasted nearly 18 months ago, and at the time it felt a little closed. However, this has now totally transformed, and is drinking gloriously. The nose is now classic mature left bank with deep aromas of blackcurrent and plum with a background of liquorice on the palate. The tannin is meaty, but resovled and has a lengthy balanced finish. Still needing time in the decanter, it is at its peak, and should stay here for the next 5 years plus.
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Has consistently scored 94, although the maturity has changed in the 23 years since a tasting with Bruno Prats, the character of the wine has remained the same. Earliest harvest since 1893 avoided some of the pitfalls of a hot year. Peaked in 07. Lovely bramble and oak. Previously noted pleasant sous bois/ farmyard (funk?) but not this time. Very long dry finish with a touch of liquorice. Lovely fully integrated old claret. Beautiful balance. Drink up, although I expect the slow decline to take a decade or more.
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Drank from magnum at end of harvest celebration dinner. Line-up (all magnum format): 1996 Mailly Grand Cru Champagne Millesime, 2009 PYCM Meursault Les Perrieres, 2007 Le Clos du Caillou Chateaneuf-du-Pape Reserve, 2005 Peter Michael Les Pavots, 2004 Cheval Blanc, and 1989 Cos d’Estournel.
Second best of the night, after the PYCM.
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Lovely blue fruit, medium bodied, typical St Esthepe. Still quite tannic and the nose is closed. The tannins did not budge even after a 3 hour slowox and a double decant. My fourth vintage of this wine (89, 92, 2003 and 2006) and the 89 is very charming, even if not great.
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Sweet dark black fruits with some green pepper. Sweet dark flavors with tart dry feel. Chewy big brawny with lots of black spice. Improved with air. Nice, on young side, but slightly closed.
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Veldig parfymert, lett moden men frisk, lukt av bjørnebær, solbær, sedertre, mørk sjokolade, varm våt hest, søt lakris og litt medisinskap. Smak av bjørnebær og solbær, moccabønner, søt og salt lakris. Etter to til tre timer i karaffel får den også smak av fløtekaramell. God konsentrasjon og overraskende frisk fruktighet for alderen. Vinen har en elegant letthet som jeg forbinder med St. Estephe. Smaken varer lenge.
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Perfect cork, almost no ullage. Decant for an hour. Great Bordeaux nose on the plum, tobacco, cedar spectrum. Great mouthfeel, soft tannins, but still has great balance and depth. It is on the downside from its peak, but it will be a long graceful slide. Lovely wine, and the reason you age great Bordeaux.
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28 years following on the vintage, the 89 Cos still displays a deep red to maroon color in the glass without any visible signs of aging or decay. A mild amount of sediment upon decanting. The nose is clean, broad and faintly floral in character. While sweet in the mouth, the fruit is quite subdued -- very little earth or wood either. The flavor notes are light and ethereal -- perhaps a hint of camomille tea and honey? Sufficient tannins on the finish to pucker the mouth. Plenty of vitality left
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Very nice example of aged St. Estephe. Dark red center fading to pale rim with a watery meniscus. Very savory nose. Subtle note of dark fruit but mostly tobacco and minerals (gravel, rusty iron) with some truffle, green pepper, and game. Purple flowers emerge after approximately two hours in decanter. Surprisingly sweet on the palate. Some cassis but more tobacco, lead pencil, and pepper. Body and acidity are medium. Tannins are very well integrated at this point. Medium-plus length. Unlikely to see improvement from here.
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New Years tasting 2017; A mixed set tasted fully blind. (@ SS): S, what a surprise (as almost always!) A real complex and mature wine which I should have recognized, but how often do you taste/drink wines like this unexpectedly? In the bouquet mature/evolved cassis and beautiful barnyard impressions. On the palate beautiful dark berries still, some sweetness and good acidity with still a lovely bite. What a feast! Thank you!!
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The wine has medium acidity. It smells like tobacco, cedar and oak. The body is full. The wine finishes long. It tastes like prune, tobacco, bell pepper, mushroom, raisin, mineral and lead pencil. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. The wine has fleshy texture.
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Continues to satisfy. Popped and poured tonight with Thanksgiving leftovers. At first incredibly rich nose of dark fruit, leather and tobacco, and rich silky palate redolent with dark red fruit. As it opened the palate got fruitier and the finish lengthened -- at first peppery but then long and sweet from there. Great balance overall, fine complement to roast pork, stuffing and gravy. An excellent '89.
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My notes started with a punctuated “Wow”, as an array of dusty earth, crushed cherry, exotic spice and dried flowers lifted up from the glass. On the palate, I found soft, feminine textures, yet there was still a vibrant core of acidity, as the ‘89 glided across the senses, leaving notes of dried cherry, strawberry, and sweet inner florals. A hint of hard red candies lingered on the finish, which seemed to go on and on. I don’t see this improving any further than it has, nor should it decline for at least a decade, and is simply gorgeous today.
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Lovely complex nose of tertiary flavours - tobacco, cedar, coffee, graphite. Lovely balance and good strong length on the palate. Soft tannins. Drinking beautifully.
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More restrained than other 1989's I have tried, and think it still has its best years ahead of it. Deep but restrained nose with blackcurrent and plum, and an earthiness on the palate finished off with some big tannins. I think I will leave it another year before I try again.
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Chicago Wine Flock...Gary Opens Cali Cab (Chez Weber - Chicago IL): Great aromas of black fruit, liqueur and dark chocolate. Similar flavors, just still slightly backward. This may still have upside, and will most likely drink well for decades if well stored. A type of Bordeaux i truly enjoy.
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Tasters Guild International; New York City Guild (NYC): Drank at Tasters Guild 1989 bordeaux tasting. Not much on the nose. Very dark and dense. Quite tight on the palate. Extremely tannic & hard for such an aged wine, though this is typical of Cos. Great structure, firm and chewy. Very nice spiciness. Some cedar, some cassis, some lead pencil. Round & fairly full-bodied. Still quite youthful.
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(repas d'anniversaire de groupe avec dégustation de plusieurs bouteilles) St-Estèphe classique, avec arômes profonds. Servi avec les steaks, match parfait. Cerises noires, violette, champignons. Malgré le millésime 1989, aurait pu vieillir encore.
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St Estephe @ RSJ (RSJ, London): Reasonably ripe. A slightly lactic top note. Harmonious in the palate. Rounded, with some stuffing without losing its elegance. Creamy. Decent length. This stands out for the evening. ****
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Dufter av solbær, krydder (paprika), noe jord som forsvinner etterhvert. Varmt preg på duften. Frisk i munnen, helt runde tanniner - fløyelsmyk, men veldig strukturert. Litt smak av krydderkake (uten sødmen), noe bitterhet i ettersmaken. Veldig bra match til entrecote, funker også til kveite med hollandaise. Perfekt moden vin, men holder lenge ennå. Fantastisk vin!
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Initially closed and opens after an hour decant. Initially slightly green on the nose but good perfume eventually comes through. Not as full bodied or as evolved as the '90 cos, but has similar purity. May benefit from a few more years
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Cos vertical with Aymeric de Gironde. Good Cos, but not very seductive or intriguing. Not much concentration, quite green nose. Disappointing for 89. Dry tannins and finish
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Tasted blind. Younger color than the Chateau Ladouys 1989 tasted against it. Fresher red color. Very dense and opaque appearance. Nose has sour fruit and a nice roundness to it. The palate is powerful and follows up some of the acidity from the nose, but not unbalanced in any way. Good wine.
50+5+11+14+8 (88p)
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Cos d'Estournel Vertical with Aymeric de Gironde (Ripple Restaurant in DC): The precise, seamless and vibrant palate reminds me the 89 Haut Brion. Very youthful nose displaying cool black fruits, cassis, coffee, lead pencil, cedar, flowers and a hint of mint. Very polished and precise palate, youthful energetic cassis fruit driven palate impression, nicely integrated sweet tannins and lovely long seamless finish. Not the most concentrated wine but beautiful harmony and precision. Excellent showing and highly recommend.
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15 Vintages of Cos d'Estournel (Ripple - Washington, DC): Crazy how young this wine still is, yet its elegance is so attractive. Smells leafy and herbal with dark currants and stewing spices. Full and chewy, still so structured with a firm tannic backbone. Pure currant fruit is matched with complex earth, anise, charcoal, gravel, cedar, tobacco and coffee notes. Another beauty, but this one is built for many more years to come.
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PnP. Another solid '89 bordeaux left banker. This wine had amazing intensity with masses of opulent dark fruit. Fully resolved tannins; perfectly smooth on the medium length finish. The negative here was a slight lack of acidity, making the wine taste a little flabby. As intense as the '90 Cos in my opinion but less structured. At peak and should probably drink up in the next couple of years.
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Dark red, with little or no browning; pristine cork. The bouquet and mouth were round, full bodied and ample, seemingly at this wine's peak. Drinking window promises many years ahead. Consumed with the '82 and '86, with the '82 being the star of the show and this being second.
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Tasted alongside 1989 Gruaud Larose and Pichon Lalande. Unfortunately corked on the nose, which wasn't apparent on the palate at first, but got worse when retasting later that evening. A bottle tasted last year wasn't flawed but also not great.
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Generous and full and lovely drinking right now. Has some ripe berry, fig and chocolate aromas and flavours. It is plump in the mouth with round sweet tannins carrying the finish.
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This has an extraordinary nose of ripe cassis, eucalyptus and cinnamin spice. On the palate, it's stubbornly lean at first but then a very finely-grained wine emerges with gorgeous flavors of cassis, eucalyptus and red spices. Quite linear and precise but somewhat unforgiving at this point. I can see why Jancis likes this as it is a very "British" claret. I find little vineyard typicity here for some reason but the wine is young, very fine and may improve. 92?
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18th of 24, typically fine or better, perfect cork and level, decanted an hour - deepish glossy garnet, rim slightly lightening; complex, classy bouquet, black fruit over hot bricks, touch of cedar, more Cos than St Estephe; fullish bodied, glossy, silky fruit, very long and persistent, decent drive, ready but improving still. Very fine (18.5/20).
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A Classic Bordeaux. Color showed no sign of aging...at least in the darkened restaurant. Seductive nose of fruit, smoke and both chocolate. and vanilla. Flavors of that plus tobacco, cedar and so much more. Opened and decanted at the restaurant and the wine did not change much in the hour or so it took us to drink it with my rack of lamb and her duck confit. We both loved the pairing.
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Beautiful classic Cos. Why would anyone choose to deviate from such a delightful classy style that cannot be even approached elsewhere? Impeccable balance, nice broad underlying structure holding together a vast array of plum, cassis, earthy and spicy aromas. Exactly what I hoped for this wine. Having tasted the 2008 vintage only a week earlier, I'm left shaking my head...
Medlar lunch: Lovely nose. Quite rich and lush but with a nicely savoury almost green edge that keeps it in check. Again, quite rich on the attack, but balanced by a minerality through the mid palate. Long. And lovely. The showgirl, with restraint. ****
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Drinking so beautifully right now. Opened prob 2 hours before consumption and then decanted for maybe 30 minutes. Funny how cali cabs and Bordeaux seem to move in the same direction. This tasted awfully similar to a '92 Bryant. There was a nice fruit backbone to it. Very earthy and lots going on. That really fun 'old' wine flavor. I enjoyed this. Had meant to pair against food, but ended up drinking the bottle before we got our mains.
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Vivino - Singapore "chapter" (the opening) (Imperial Treasure, Great World City): Dark-ruby. Reticent nose at first. Upon some swirling (and time in glass), this opened up to scents of spice, peppers. This bottle tasted a lot younger than the one I had ~2-weeks back. Didn't show that much secondary character. Tea-leaves, mocha, packed with fruits. A lot more legs to last for more years, most definitely...
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Cos d'Estournel dinner with Aymeric de Gironde & Charles Thomas (Les Amis): Now we're really really talking... Final wine of the night. This hit all the right spots. Wonderful nose with secondary flavors - forest floor, ash, cedar, spice... On the palate - silky with lots of spice. Still lots of fruit and one can definitely still sense the structure. Fine powdery tannins. Very long. This will definitely still last...
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A Night Out with Ch.Cos d'Estournel (Metropolitan wine cellar, HK): A lovely matured Cos, and the nose is just impeccable. Pure and clean, fruit still remains, mainly red fruits. I thought it casts a similar profile as the 96, but the 96 sports more energy and holds your attention more deeply. Nevertheless, the 89 Cos is a beauty in itself and drinks wonderfully, old leather, cigar smoke and mushroom are very comforting. What a nice wrap up to an enjoyable dinner with delicious food and beautiful wines from Cos.
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VIP Monopole Wine Tasting: Had 2 bottles with some variation. At its best, dried leaves, nice perfume, slight sour cherry in the finish with good structure and tertiary notes. this is peaked. Much prefer the 1990. 91-92
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FW-BYOB-HT#1: ¤FW - Outstanding wine! It's vibrant fruit fooled me to think this was much younger. The nose and style is text book Bordeaux. Ceder, pencil shavings, raw bell pepper, blueberries, Corinthian raisins, tobacco and some wood ashes. Mature, supple fruit with a fresh acidity and distinct but well integrated tannins. Tonight this is just in perfect harmony.
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This was a case of bottle variation. The lesser bottles were well aged, tannins resolved, medium bodied, nice character (90 pts). The better bottles had more intensity, medium to full bodied, polished, excellent character (93 pts). I luckily has a glass of each. No hurry to drink this wine.
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Extremely good bottle. At first on open it was very secondary - bright floral nose with tones of oak and leather, with front not very fruity but very balanced and long. As it opened over a few hours the nose intensified (rose petals) and dark red fruit emerged, combined with chocolate, leather, and spicy pepper on the back. Generous mouth watering acid and smoothed tannins complemented smoked duck ragu.
A lovely wine in a great place.
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This is bottle that came to London via the Swedish alcohol monopoly, so it has travelled around a bit. Bricking at edge, open, full nose of vanilla and spices. On the palete, this is beginning to dry out, with a touch of leanness, but still has a decent amount of fruit left, finishing well, with some length. Definitely time to drink up, but still a very good bottle.
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équilibre parfait. Arômes profonds et subtils (atténué et bien amalgamés): mûres, poivron vert, réglisse. tout simplement éblouissant! parmis les meilleures expérience des vins à vie.
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Decanted for 1 hour. The nose was a bit shy, with graphite and cassis. Tannins nicely integrated but still present enough that think it still has life ahead of it. Fruit tends toward the cooler side of the equation. Overall a really solid expression of Bordeaux and not overdone like some of the more recent vintages of Cos.
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mature Bordeaux wine evening (The Traklin Wine-Bistro): dark ruby colour with amber rim wonderful tertiary aromas, dark fruit on the nose, charred wood, burnt rubber, raisins, smokey full bodied, firm tannins, lacking depth, dry with excellent length.
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It took about an hour for this wine to start showing it's stuff. Well worth the wait. Light nose, but a well developed palate. Light earth, river stones, dark fruit - cassis primarily. Nice.
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This wine took an age to come round but it has been worth the wait. For many years this was an ugly duckling; it was stubbornly recalcitrant; then an awkward, spotty, callow youth. It started to come together around 2009 when it showed great promise, and acquitted itself with distinction in a star-studded line up of 1989s. I even preferred it to some of the vintage superstars like Montrose, Lynch-Bages, Pichons Baron and Lalande and Leoville-Lascases. Over the last five years this has gained in complexity and developed multifarious and captivating tertiary overtones. It has a freshness and vibrancy overlaid with a mosaic of dark fruits, pine needles, menthol, rich dark chocolates, licorice, iron, minerals, gravel, pipe tobacco and exotic spices. It has a fine texture, freshness and lift. It traverses the palate like a ballet dancer. It is marvellously poised and complex. A compelling wine. On this showing I think this is now probably one of the top half a dozen wines of the vintage.
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Dark fruit on the nose, charred wood, burnt rubber, raisins, smokey. Slightly angular on the palate, short and lacking depth, dry with medium+ length. Not sure about the bottle, but clearly disappointing in the context of the vintage. 89-91. Drink up.
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from magnum, decanted four hours. served with porcini-rubbed filet, this was drinking beautifully. rich nose, some bricking at the edges but full of life, and velvety mouthfeel. lots of dried red fruits to go with the mature secondary notes of mushroom, etc. A wonderful wine.
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an excellent bottle! shame can't be had more frequently. started a little tight with fine grained tannins, slowly opening to a little dark fruit as secondary aromas, the leather and barnyard were clearly in the forefront. Went very well with the Beef Wellington served that evening.
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Friday Night Double Blind Tasting $40+ (Bin 75): Dark core with bricking; red currant, eucalyptus, smoky, mesquite, and cedar; a little lean and mean and not really showing the stuffing some other wines from this vintage exhibit, very true aged Left Bank; good.
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Dinner with JonnyG (Sydney, Australia): Cherry, cedar, graphite and dusty elements to the nose. The palate is still youthful and doesn't feel fully settled yet, I'd like to see it again in 5 years or so. Medium length and depth.
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Purchased upon release and cellared in pristine fashion, this deep garnet wine shows aromas of Asian spices, fig, cocoa, plum and earth. Round and medium-bodied on the palate, its flavors mirror the nose and are framed by silky residual tannins and well-integrated alcohol (listed as 13%). Layered and building throughout the middle, it concludes with a soft, lengthy finish. This St. Estèphe is fully mature and delicious to drink. Well-cellared bottles should remain enjoyable for at least another 5-7 years. Drink now-2020.
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Bordeaux 1989 Horizontal Tasting (Zurich): Deep red. Nose of coffee, herbs and dark berries. The acidity is nicely integrated. Beautiful balance between sweetness and bitterness. The wine has power and is long, but the tannins are still present. I would wait another 3-4 years until I try again. Drink 2015 - 2035.
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Classic cab structure. I have a couple more bottles and I think I'll wait a few more years for the next bottle, or at least double decant and wait a few hours.
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San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 3/1/2013 (Sbicca Restaurant, Del Mar, California): Decanted and re-bottled three hours before tasting. Clear dark garnet color. Fresh bouquet of lavender, red currants, cherries, pipe tobacco, rocky forest floor, spice box. Elegant and balanced. Ultra smooth, mellow, medium body, long finish. My #1, group's SECOND PLACE, but with more #1 votes than the top-ranking wine tonight.
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A beautifully drinking wine. Decanted for 30 minutes. Only modest brick-ish tones on the rim. Still deep red at the center. Initially the bouquet was all about anise and licorice with the fruit subdued and hidden. After 60 minutes or so, dark berry fruit emerged and make the central flavor notes. Classically made. Well balanced. Broad, horizontal and complex. Still perhaps 5-7 years left in the drinking window.
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Double decanted 3 hrs in advance, needed second decant to remove some residual fine sediment. Deep red color with little bricking, dark berry fruit, tobacco, cedar, anise nose, plenty of dense dark fruit on palate, tannins are smoothly integrated, everything in balance, long smooth finish. Seems like this wine has attained a much higher level compared with our previous bottle a year ago. A very enjoyable wine with an enjoyable dinner.
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Beide Flaschen hatten Fehler. Offenbar schlechte Lagerung. Der Wein wird von Profi Bewertern sehr unterschiedlich benotet. Mein Eindruck lag eher bei Parker.
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Tuesday at the Papies (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): Just about in neck level. Solid Cork. Decanted for 1.5 hours and definitely helped. A lot of fine sediment s be aware of disturbing it. Colour shows its age with bricking n the rim and a brownish tint across. The nose is textbook yet again, elegant and mild with light earth, mineral and light sweet dark fruit notes. On the palate it is still firm yet the tannins are integrated with a silky edge to them. It exhibited a lot more fruit this time round vs a year or so ago when we tried it last . A solid showing. 93 drink from now but has the stuffing to go another 10yrs easily.
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Bordeaux 1989 left bank (with a bonus VCC): Ruby brown rim, with an initial nose of exotic spices, although this soon blows off, and what remains seems very closed. Smooth entry and then not a lot more. It is drinkable, but seems flat, a bit lifeless and lacking any real distintive flavours. Bad bottle maybe? No score given
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Beautifully mature and luxurious bouquet with cigar box and smoke. Same on the palate with a touch of sweetness, creamy fruits, sweet spices , a beautiful balance between acidity and sweetness and soft and round tannin with a soft and beautiful bite. The creamy fruits tell me the wine still has a good future, but the wine is in a beautiful drinking stage now as well.
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Cos-Montrose Battle (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Bold, coarse and masculine. Seems to have a lot of time to go. Dark fruit, leather, horse stable and beef stew prevail at the moment. Would like to try this one in 3 to 5 years time. 18.5/20
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After tasting a few other 1986 Bordeaux wines, this seemed downright young. In fact, fairly primary with plenty of ripe cassis fruit, vanilla and oak with some earthy and herbal notes. Really didn't show much in the way of secondary development. Medium-full bodied; still fairly tannic, but fairly fine-grained so that it comes across as rather smooth. Excellent depth and good concentration with nice balancing acidity and very good length. I honestly think this could probably use close to ten years to approach maturity, but it was quite nice to taste now.
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Drank just after the Gruaud Larose '96 at dinner. TheGL was a lovely wine but the Cos '89 was outstanding. Lots of secondary tastes coming through with the balance and complexity one expects from a great Bordeaux. I would say it is at its peak but will stay there for at least another 5 years and maybe longer. Interesting that Parker rates the 1990 much higher but I would give this the nod. While I have a lot of time for Parker, I think this is an example where he scores two wines (fairly in his mind) when they are very young but then doesn't adjust as much as he should as the wines mature.
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Medium red with brick edges, very little bouquet at first, slight red & black cherry, earthy, some tobacco, plenty of fruit in balance with tannins and acidity. Needs a couple of hours in carafe. Very smooth on palate with a nice medium length finish. No signs of decline.Tasted better with the mild cheese course than the spicy duck breast entree.
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Still fairly young colour for 1989. Chocolate dipped cherries and soft tones in the nose. Very well-balanced, ELEGANT and rich/ velvet, with earth and red fruits on the palate. Enough power and tannins for a long life.
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89/90 Bordeaux Retrospective with Hart Davis Hart: My second time with this wine over the past few months and just as before - brambly, flinty, good dark fruit. Rich texture. I found this much more multi-dimensional than the 1990.
4+
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St. Estephe night. Nose took some coaxing, and while not as lively as the '90 Montrose, had very pleasurable notes of cherry, cedar, and earth. Palate was very smooth with excellent mid palate, had a roasted nut profile along with rich black fruits. Reminded me somewhat of a super tuscan with exotic feel. Lengthy finish. Lighter and less tannic than the '90 Cos.
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St. Estephe Night (Home of Mike and Sandra O.): Splash decanted and continues to improve through the evening. Initially quite closed and tannic. Nose with a mild vinyl character, roasted coffee and very dark fruit with a tarry asphalt undertone. Palate was still quite tannic, with enough freshness on the otherwise dark currant profile. Many secondary notes of roasted Italian coffee, tar, and smoke. Lengthy tannic finish, showing more of the same secondary characteristics. Still youthful and tannic, needing time to reach peak, though good with a couple hours air. My #2 of the night. 93-95
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I decanted this wine for 1h before we started drinking. It was a bit restrained at first and not as distinct as i imagined. I thought this would be heady and intense. It opened up and started to display the muscles. Earthy complexity and mineral, but clearly softer than the '90. Great structure and body. Tannins were pleasant although firm. Here youmget a nice balance of primary and tertiary notes. Medimu++ finish this can last many more years.
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After 2 hours decanting, open nose with typical evolved Cabernet with good depth, purity. Cassis (on the mouth it was proeminent), earthy notes, humus, tobacco. Really nice. In the mouth, middle body, still lot of energy with high balance. Quite mouth in the beginning followed by rounded tannins with fine grain. Some bitterness at the end. The length was really nice. Not the best Cos, it should have been a monster like the 1986 in this vintage. Like many other château did.
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A beautiful, still lithe, athletic, wine dressed very smartly in a sexy suit. I've had this in the cellar since purchased at the release along wit many others from many vintages. They get opened on occasions. This one is one of the most surprising. Color still bright red, thinning slightly at the edges. Aromas change from cedar, leather and moist wood, to some bright berries, dark cherries, violets, and then you go to take another sip and it's back to leather, spices, anise. Body is light, mouthfeel is not super textured, showing the tannins are soft and the balance of alcohol and acid are perfect. Lots of vibrant fruit flavors. I would think this near or at it's apex of age, except that there is still so much sexy fruit inside the tailored suit of tannins that it will still be good for awhile yet! Not you new world style, time for even those that have not had a love affair with French Bordeaux to see what a really good St Estephe Bordeaux with a little age is all about, then decide if you like it or not.
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Christmas WIMPS (Bordeaux Table) (The Ledbury, London.): There's a ripeness and a lushness to the fruitbefore the structure grips you. Opens up well. Density and savouryness. Opens up well in the glass. Generous. ****1/2
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Straight from the Bottle: A little simple, lots of leather. After 1 hour in the decanter: Beautiful bouquet, very complex with notes of leather, lead, different earthy notes, but little herbal as well. I general lots of classic Bordeaux notes. Still Powerful - with well balanced and soft tannins. Danm I like it! Just what i want from a mature Bordeaux
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Decanted for 3 hours. Nose was closed. Finish was hot. Left a glass in the fridge overnight. Better the second day. Nose still closed but lush body of a Cos. Fruit was still there but this bottle was not at the level for this vintage.
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Medium ruby core with very little fade at the rim; very youthful tapenade smoky cassis, so undeveloped. Quite recalcitrant and unyielding. Quite concentrated and intense, brooding, licorice - takes some coaxing. Black cherry; beautifully defined palate, fruit and mouthfeel are sensational. Hugely complex Layers of flavour. Totally seductive. Austere yet classically wonderful. Really fills the mouth and delivers though not flashy. Complex finish with excellent length. Another 5 years and this will be something very special indeed! 93-95
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The nose was savory and meaty with dark red fruits, sweet cinnamon spice and hint of liquor. On the palate, it was big and rich with ripe, juicy fruit and herbal tea. The finish was mouth-coating but turned juicy with a slight medicinal note. This was a very sexy wine that was more fun to drink than to think about.
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I didn't realize this was in my cellar, it was left over from the holidays, a nice find when looking for a wine to have with steak. Mold on the cork and some indication of seepage but very good fill, still in the neck. Since my father left this I know it was stored under the steps starting around '90 or '91, then in a crawl space(not ideal) and finally in a wine cooler,. Promising aromas of fruit upon pulling the cork. Decanted this to allow it to warm since I didn't plan ahead for this bottle. Lots of sediment. Dark red, purple hue to the deep red core and some bricking on the edges. Aromas of spice, dark red fruit, toasted oak, and as it had more air time- bacon. Flavors of earth, some fruit, tobacco, tar. Very long finish.
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Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of cedar, berries, plums and a bit of cherries. Flavors of berries, plums and a little cherry. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink over the shorter term than the longer term.
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CT Wisconsin Offline (Madison, WI): I have to agree with Tom, this wine was a touch too green. But with that said I still found some cherries hidden underneath. Overall a little disappointing.
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From 375. Mature disc. Beautiful nose, excellent pencil lead, blackberries and plums, a nice oak component mingled with clay and just a hint of horse. Splendid. The nose is very heady, very lush. With air, lavender. Velvety on the palate, plenty of tannin. Good balance and a fine finish. Less elegance than the '97 (which I find aromatically gorgeous) but less chunky than the '85. Great wine!
Waiting on this will do it a disservice. I don't think that the tertiary components are going to get more interesting as there's just a hint of the fall leaf smell of Bordeaux going downhill on the finish and the fruit is so beautiful now. Drink up!
4.5/5
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This was lovely claret. Lovely blackcurrant nose. No trace of 'green' (the 88 consumed alongside it had a hint of green) This is in a very sweet place right now. Lovers of more 'classic' profile might want to wait but this gave a lot of pleasure. I wish I had more.
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beautiful garnet color, deep fruity aromas with licorice and vanilla. full flavored on the palate, almost with too much fruit, rich tannins, and moderate acidity. i would prefer to taste a bit more terroir, but nonetheless a rich and meaty St. Estephe.
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Wine-Pages Dublin Offline (Ely CHQ, Dublin, Ireland): I have had the '88 Cos before about 10 years ago and it was super. I was really looking forward to this, however I had three other flights before this one, (1 Champagne flight, 1 White and 1 Red Burgundy Flight). I struggled a little to differentiate between the '88 Haut Brion and this.
i found this wine very much out of balance. the fruit is fading, but the tannins on the finish were very harsh and astringent. i do not think it will ever resolve its structure...
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Cork was in great shape - red only 1/2 way. Decanted 1.5 hours and served with veal osso buco and risotto milanese. Amazingly vibrant yet balanced, it is the perfect example of why aged bordeaux has no equal. Drinking very well now and should last for at least another 3-5 years.
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An hour of decanter time was not enough. Dark with no apparent bricking. Nose, reserved initially, of tobacco and dark cherries. An hour into the meal it finally came around and showed some mocha notes and more floral elements. I think the wine has plenty left in it.
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Colour still dark, opulent, spicy nose, but on the palete, the fruit is drying out, leaving a rather thin taste, albeit with some length. A classy wine that seems to be very much on the way down, although my bottles bear capsule labels from the the Swedish alcohol monopoly (now abolished) which means the wine might have suffered from travelling too much. Other bottles from this case have been quite consistent. Update: 4 hours after opening, the wine filled out somewhat and it gains a couple of points, but my principal diagnosis that the fruit is fading still stands.
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Even after 2 hours decanting, the wine seemed flat and tired; but that changed over the course of the meal. We discovered a wonderfully elegant, complex and still fruity wine.
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Cork was horrendous, red through and through with mold growing on top. Still, the wine wasn't bad. Musty/dirt nose but very nice tannic structure. Too much green bell pepper on the palate but a nice long finish.
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Perfect high neck fill and well preserved cork. Opened for 30 min in decanter. Color ruby with slight bricking on edges .Nose was black currant, black berry, dried tobacco, resinous oak, wet earth with anise. Excellent balance on the palate. flavors were along lines of nose with additional notes for come walnut and chocolate. Wonderful wine, long finish. Loved it. My wife gave it 98..
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Decanted for 45minutes from a good & well kept bottle This wine is now on top form and drinks very well. Would prefer it to the 1990 at the moment in terms of timing. Very elegant wine from nose to palate. Nice subtle fruit, less earthy than other 80s Cos and very complex. Just lovely.
Nicol 93/Andreas 94 > 93+
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The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound. Purple-ruby color with some garnet at the rim. A lovely bouquet of ripe fruit, lavender and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, with good concentration, impressive balance, a classic structure, good texture, and a focused finish.
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I went through a half case for several years begining in 1996 and none was ready. I now had my last bottle and it was classic elegant St Estephe. More sublte than the Segur or others. Not nearly up to the 67, a classic fro all time, but definitely a first rate wine. SMokey with deep purple fruit on the nose and mid palate, long finish, medium body.
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Lovely, mature Bordeaux. Decanted one hour and funneled back into the bottle. Exquisite balance of tannins, structure, fruit and finish. A sort of restrained elegance. In its drinking prime?
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this was still very dark without any browning, it had a very tight mineral nose that took an hour or so to come out to play, it was never showy, the concentrated red fruit played well with the slate and smoke and the silky texture grew with time. elegant and classy, but not really wow for me.
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Miami Dinner with Jburman and MWN (Le Provencal on Miracle Mile): This was Jack's "back up wine".... what a guy. The nose was very clearly earthy, mushrooms and truffle with some menthol notes. Still plenty of tannin, mouth coating medium to full bodied wine. Very sexy elegant finish. We asked to have it decanted after our first glass which made a world of difference. Still 5+ years left at this level with no problem. And a well-stored bottle should go a ways as the tannins wre very much alive and there was enough going on with the nose and palate to last many more years.
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This is my third bottle, i feel really disappointed, not really the same as pervious. Very tight and can not open even after 5 hours decanting. Tannins like drinking a heavy Chinese tea all the time. The fruit was gone. Hope my next bottle would be better. Same case of 12 bottles but different taste. Unbelievable !!!!!!
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Horible looking cork. Wine was beautiful. Slow ox'd for about 4 hours and then drank over 2. Just starting to have a little bricking on the rim. Nice nose of dark fruit and a hint of earth. Flavor was complex dark fruits layered over a slight truffle/earthyness. Really a beautiful wine. Fully mature. Because of the cork and that this was an auction purchase - I have no clue if its stage of development is representative.
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Simple Series I: Andrew's Birthday (Asia Grand, Odeon Towers): Good, but a bit disappointing for a Cos from a strong year - this clearly needs more time in the bottle. Nose was muted, with tight little hints of earth, tobacco, cigar smoke and cassis, with quite a proportion of toast. Clearly a Cos though. Same on the palate, very nice balance and concentration, lovely stucture with fine tannins, typical Cos lines of cigar smoke, some cassis and some spice, but all so tightly wound up. It was all a little clean and primary at the moment. Finish too - nice smoke and graphite notes, very clean, some length, but not showing much. Obviously a good wine, but I would wait a good 3 years at the very least before broaching it again if I had a bottle that was this well stored.
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out of the bottle very thin and almost like the alcohol was gone - transformed dramatically over 1-2 hours into a delicious wine. A bit less intense than i thought it would be - don't know that more time will improve it.
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1989 Bordeaux at 20 years (Morton's NYC): Very nice. Balanced, broad with very good fruit and a touch of sweetness. Ready to drink and has a long life ahead of it. A-
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aged Bordeaux night at Cafe Bernard: Nice amounts of cedar,tobacco and dark chocolate on the nose along with some real nice blueberries and blackberries. Nice amounts of cherries,herbs de,cedar,and still pretty young tannins. A nice wine that still needs plenty of cellar time to show it's full potential IMO.
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the nose was a little tight at first, but the bottle opened up and showed well. nice blackerry compote, light tobocco and burnt herbs on the nose. the 89 didn't have the rich mouthfeel the 1990 Cos had, but the silkiness cannot be denied.
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Friday night Bordeaux (Cafe Bernard, Chicago IL): nose: rich and dense nose with tones of black cherry liqueur, cassis, dark red cherries, black currants and real nice tones of cedar. Good depth with a well evolved nose that still has a primal nature to it
taste: really good medium/full feel with dense tones of cedar, black cherry liqueur, dark cherries, and a nice amount of cassis. Good tannins with excellent balance but doesn't really bring it to the next level
overall: a very enjoyable Cos. While it is very ready right now with some good air, it still has a way to go as the nose is relatively evolved but the palate still has a youthful feel to it. The tannins are still quite present but are in a supporting role right now. An outstanding wine that has a ways to go, but not sure that it will get all that much better
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Popped and poured and eval'd post 30 min in glass. (properly stored since release with pristine cork, less than a 1/4 inch of penetration) brown orange hue Mercurial nose: fleeting earth, camphor followed by barbecue an d teriaki; all of which were not so obvious. Ultimately settled on a confectionery cocoa smell. Somewhate angular palate with a cherry chocolate echoing the cocoa nose. Moderately tannic, medium finish. =88
day 2 the round sweet cocoa and cherry-ness remains and the wine is still holding up. I would give it 89 - 90
I drank in late nineties and hated it. It has a lot to recommend it now. I doubt it will improve but should be a nice drink for the next 5 years. i am not sure about QPR but if you have it, pop a cork and enjoy.
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Ruby colored with bricking around the edges, the wine is very spicy, with scents of cinnamon, truffles, earth, cassis, and minerals. The wine is traditionally styled, giving it an austere quality. The fruit is not as rich as it was and is slowly starting to fade. Drink soon.
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Excellent. Remaining tannins and black fruit very well integrated at this point. Seems to have plenty of time left. Served with grilled lamb, red potatoes and asparagus.
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One of the better bottles I have drunk. It is light compared to some Cos from the more robust years. It stood up well demonstrating its pedigree. The nose coluld be said to be 'elegant' (read light, wispy...) but the requisite cassis, plumish nose... On the palate not fleshy but tasty enough. Did not last long on the finish.
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A slight bricking on the rim. The bottle never fully opened but buried were plenty of black fruits primarily blackberry and cassis, folowed by tobacco and leather. No tannins but lots of backbone. Around it's peak Went very well with the rack of lamb cooked for dinner.
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@Palme d'Or, David Errenreich's wine. I believe David decanted this for too long. It drank well with decent fruit at first. 2 hours later it evolved into a woody astringency. Not = to the one he served 2 years ago.
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After raiding a friend's cellar, this was the oldest Bordeaux he had that was ready to open. Cork was wet and colored nearly all the way through. Very deep garnet color with faint amber edges. Obviously older than many of the other wines that evening. A nice nose of leather, cedar and smoke. Initial taste had some vegetal qualities but after sitting for another hour it became smoother with tastes of tobacco, black fruits and burnt toast. Taste improved even more the next day. This wine shows best if decanted for a couple hours. What a great finish to a flight of big reds. Drink now or continue to hold.
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Bottle was in perfect condition. This wine needs a long decanting time to come around. Decanted immediately, very little sediment. The wine was acidic and sour at first, but gradually fleshed out and turned into something drinkable. After about an hour and a lot of swirling, the big tobacco and black fruit notes started coming out on the nose and things started coming into balance. It never became really fleshy, perhaps because we finished it before it had a chance. It would have been interesting to see how it continued to evolve. It was still a little stemmy by the end. I wouldn't drink this by itself, but it was a nice compliment to dinner. Next time I would open it about an hour earlier than we did. This wine is not over the hill by any means, but I don't think it's going to get any better. I'd drink it over the next few years.
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Very dark, concentrated, no signs of old age Very complex nose, parfume of fruit, vanilla, wood Great taste, moulleux, complex with nuance, no hard tannines but with a strong backbone, long after taste
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A mature Cos that may be at its peak. Very enjoyable. Purple plum in color with no sign of age. Fine nose of black currant with earth and cocoa overtones. Very nice on the palate with a long finish. Spice, fruit, earth and cocoa all in balance and integrated yielding a smooth and interesting tasting experience. Cos continues to be one of my favorites, and this one did not disappoint. The standout in a flight of 3 which included a 1988 and 1985.
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Second time we had this with the '96. This time the '89 came out on top. Absolutely mature and ready to drink, this had everything going, including the smoke that seems to me to be characteristic of the vintage. Not quite as fruity or aromatic as the the '96, but, IMO, had greater depth and character.
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Learning about Bordeaux with the Astorettes; 10/8/2007-10/10/2008 (Cafe Loup): Opens very green and leafy with obvious oak and a strong note of toasted sprouts and pencil lead. Medium bodied and very soft, silky soft with more than a passing resemblance to a mini 85 with it's upfront sweetness and seamless texture though less of the layered aspect that makes that wine appealing. This never wowed but has improved though the best aspect would be the gentle texture. 2007-2013
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Pefect to drink now. Almost overbearing on nose and palet after the Lafite and Margaux. Bring out the big steak and this will be perfect, big aromas of saddle leather, cedar, black currnants. long sexy finish.
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I don't want to say that I was let down by this wine but I think that I set my expectations too high. It was still quite good with nice fruit that did not fade away but nothing else really started to emerge until the bottle was nearly empty. Perhaps this should have been decanted to reach that yummy stage a little bit quicker. It was still an amazing bottle of wine but so far the 95 and 96 Cos are my favorites.
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at a blue nose tasting of various vintages of cos d'esternel. 2000 from someone else's cellar was probably the wine of the evening but this 89 wasn't far behind. mineral, tobacco and dark fruit tastes dominated this just beginning to open wine. the 90 was outclassed but that could change in a couple of years.
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Soft and somewhat muted. Quite round and in need of some angularity. Eventually started showing some chocolately notes, along with trademark Indian spices. A much less interesting wine than the '88 Cos that we drank alongside it.
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The Wine Summit 2007: Château Cos d'Estournel - Saturday, June 2, 2007 - afternoon: Mahogany – deep colour – wide amber rim; slowly developing bouquet – nice fruit but not as complex as the 1990; high acidity shines above the other elements, but there is an abundance of black currant fruit to coat the palate nicely; tannins come through in the finish – a bit drier than one might hope for.
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This was lovely. Lots of nice, edgy green character to this St. Estephe, clearly singing of Cabernet and its appellation. This opened up quickly and was just textbook Bordeaux with lots of stalk, mineral, tobacco and black fruit. Darned delicious!
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Very dark red, almost back Nose soft, not very good Beautiful taste a bit strange, not much fruit, nice after taste, round with soft tanines, low in acid
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DUO, Miami Medoc BYO Wine Dinner (DUO, S Miami Avenue, Miami, FL): One of David and Roberta's contributions. Wine #1 of Flight 1. WOTF, group rated it second or third best of the night. David Double decanted at 5pm.Excellent aromatics, classic cassis flavour and extended finish. Cigar box cedar absent.
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clear, deep garnet color with legs and browning rim. clean, medium intensity nose with butter showing through as the primary aroma. dry, medium(-) tannins. coffee showing on the palate with some bitterness. long finish. good-excellent quality. drink now, but will last 10 years.
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The 89' Cos was the star compared to the Pahlmeyer and the Bric del Fiasc. It is a classic. Providing the full range of Bordeaux characteristics and the sweet mocca notes which is so typical of Cos. It is clearly a mature wine and may not develop further, but it must have several years left on the plateau.
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Black cherries and earth, an incredible expression of terroir. A perfect end to a wonderful meal. We had some other excellent Italian wines during the eveing, related to an Italian dinner. The Cos D'Estournel was brought out to end the evening and it really topped everything off. It lingered and filled the mouth. Excellent wine!
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This is lovely mature bordeaux. Judging from the tasting notes, some of the bottles of this one are starting to go downhill. This particular one was just past its peak. Still delicious but a little softerr than it once was. P robably better now with fowl than with a steak. Unless yours have beeen impeccably kept, I would begin the pleasant task of drinking these up.
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Such a treat! Oh to have a cellar full of mature Bordeaux. Someday. Deep red-black with just a hint of bricking detectable. Youthful fruit flavors led by vibrant currant and raspberry. Earthy tobacco leaf, wood smoke, and pencil lead follow. Not big -- a medium to light sophisticated finish. Good acidity keeps everything humming along on the high notes. Should continue to be excellent for years but drink now. At £140 from a restaurant wine list in 5 star boutique hotel in London, it wasn't cheap, but it was one of those special wine experiences that is often difficult to convey with a tasting note and a score.
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An unexpected green tobacco streak on the nose with cedar-laced dark fruits. Some olive notes on the palate and still with youthful, slightly astringent tannic structure. Will benefit from significant age.
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Violet red, some hard to detect bricking at rim. Decanted 2 hours. Nose is just short of exposive. Cassis, graphite and tobacco/cedar box are immediately apparent. Layers of harder (for me) to identify earthy, spicey and black fruits also emerge. Medium rich palate and finish with plenty of structure remaining for a long life.
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Drank double blind with my tasting group. Medium ruby color with some amber in the rim. It initially exhibitted a very funky nose of mushrooms. With time, those off aromas dissipated and a beautiful (but subtle) nose of cedary currant emerged. The texture was velvety and the finish slightly short in this medium bodied, totally mature wine. This wine obviously suffered from been tasted after a 2001 Paloma Merlot and a 2000 Phelps Insignia, as it was deemed dead by a couple of people in the table.
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HDH Pre-Auction Tasting (Chicago IL): Wine tasting. Great aromas of black fruit, summer flowers and tobacco. Dense, young black plum and cherry flavors with espresso and dark chocolate. Great length, needs more time.
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Intended to be the star wine for New Year's Eve dinner at Fringale, it lived up to its billing. Decanted for two hours prior to dinner and then poured back into the bottle for the trip to the restaurant, this wine was still a dark crimson, looking very young. It was unctuous and mouth-filling with a very Bordeaux-like smoky-dusty aftertaste. Delicious now, this wine has 10 years left, and with all of the stuffing it has, it is perfect with lamb or steak.
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Sampled at the 2002 Wine Spectator Las Vegas Wine Experience in a seminar featuring '89 and '00 "Super Second" Growths. Jean-Guillaume Prats represented Cos on the dais and remarked that the grapes were picked a month later than the rest of the chateaus. Pipe tobacco nose, with some mushroom in the background. Rich rhubarb and black cherry flavors, with trademark oriental spices. Somewhat exotic-tasting. An interesting bottom-heavy mouth feel. Very different from the others.
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Moderate sediment. Bright disc, with deep (nearly opaque) red/amber robe and orange rim. Clean nose, showing very intense smokey black cherry, leather, earth, minerals and spicy plum. Good acidity for an '89, with ample but supple tannins and a medium to full-bodied palate. Similar flavors as nose. Medium, slightly hot finish. Very nice overall. Will likely further improve but is drinking quite well now.
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This impressive, earthy, rustic wine, has a beautiful nose of dark fruit, soil, earth, and dry tobacco. Fruit is lush, and ripe, but quite dark. This will get better.
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10 Bordeaux 1982 to 1989 Vintages (Lafayette, Ca.): Hot, dusty nose, hints of chocolate, and strawberry, lovely, rich, ripe fruit, touch simple, medium/long finish with medium amount of tannins. My #3 of 10.
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3/31/2024 - M.Batard wrote: 88 Points
Sadly, this bottle had no fruit left to speak of.
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3/22/2024 - Nanda wrote:
Consistent with my bottle from a few months ago.
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3/22/2024 - moguls wrote:
tasty
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1/13/2024 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Timuquana BYO (TCC): More age than the ‘95. Get some sage, herbal, more baking spice in style. Drinks very well. It’s more of the secondary and brawny style but also has all of the energy and verve of a great wine. Drinking really great.
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12/29/2023 - mflesh wrote:
Really interesting wine. Tasted alongside a 1964 Pio Cesare Barolo and a 1979 Ducru Beaucaillou. In the first hour, this one seemed to have the most depth and complexity than the other two. In the second hour, the Ducru had passed it in complexity, where the Italian was off in left field. After the third hour, the Cos was actually gone (thankfully...as it did not hold well in the decanter). Those that still had some in the glass noticed that this one seemed to really fall off the ledge whereas The red fruit complexity of the Italian Barolo started to show, and the complexity of the Ducru started to blast off to Infinity and beyond! Just think this bottle may have not been in a great place as I have had several Cos in the past and they have all been pretty good. This one was showing okay, but not as well as I know this wine can show. Drink or hold for 10 years.
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12/29/2023 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 93 Points
Garnet colored with a slight tinge of brown rust bricking, medium full bodied, complex, concentrated, rich black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of leather, tobacco, coffee, herbs, spice and hints of cedar with lush tannins and crisp acidity on a long aromatic finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-dinner-offers-medley-of.html
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12/25/2023 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Fairly restrained on pop n' pour this opened up over a few hours to reveal a mature, layered and classic Left Bank Bordeaux, but it took some air and time to get their. A youthful '89 that needs time or a decant.
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11/29/2023 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium-dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & cassis with overtones of classic cigar box notes of cedar & tobacco, leather, graphite, floral notes of violets, herbs, forest floor/loam, mushrooms, minerals, cocoa, tar & some sous-bois notes. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackcurrants & cassis with herbs, mushrooms, minerals, coffee & a slight hint of oak/vanilla. Long lingering silky-smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing. At 34 years of age, I doubt any further development would occur from additional aging, but it should hold here for another 4 to 5 years. Fill was in lower neck; cork was saturated 1/2 up but intact.
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7/30/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 93 Points
I definitely preferred this in its middle age, and unlike most of the top notch left bankers from the year, this has hit its peak. It is becoming more attractive as tertiary notes bed in, but it is not one the heavyweights from the vintage. Tell notes of cedar and blackcurrant define the wine, but lost fruit has left it a little exposed to tannin. Probably there is not a lot of upside in leaving this to develop.
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5/29/2023 - NapaRick Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened, filtered/decanted and rested several hours. Color was more toward a brown leather. Tasted fine, but not much fruit and little tannins. Probably reaching the end of its drinkability.
The wine looks caramel colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle.
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4/14/2023 - d'Artagnan wrote: 94 Points
Dégustation bordelaise 1989-1990 (Chez François G.): Un nez très charmeur qui m’a immédiatement fait penser à Cos. Un vrai flash-back olfactif d'une autre époque, où je goûtais plus souvent ce vin, il y a plus d'une quinzaine d'années! Je croyais rêver, quel plaisir de retrouver ces notes de cassis, avec un côté floral, du cèdre, exactement mes souvenirs (j'ajoute que le domaine a changé son style à partir de 2001 avec un boisé plus appuyé donnant des notes de moka).
La bouche est ronde et joufflue, elle fait très 1989. C'est aujourd'hui un grand charmeur, facile à boire, en pleine forme et vraiment délicieux, quoique sans la complexité du suivant. Magnifique vin en pleine forme, sur son plateau. 94 pts
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4/14/2023 - Mario17 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dégustation comparaison Bordeaux 89 vs 90. Fruits rouges, cassis, cèdre, typé rive gauche, un vin avec une belle fraîcheur malgré un certain côté charmeur, assez large en bouche, mais tout de même équilibré, belle longueur. Mon 2e sur les 89. 92-93
Bordeaux 89 vs 90 tasting. Red fruit, cassis, cedar, very left bank in style, nice freshness and balance despite a certain roundness and charm to the palate, good length.
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3/23/2023 - super007 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Cork crumbled, so poured through filter into decanter. No leaking through the cork.
Such lite and silky tannins.
Very lite cocoa.
Some game meat notes, maybe jerky.
I genuinely enjoyed this. Was this the best wine, aged or fresh that I’ve had, no but enjoyed the experience quite a lot.
60/40 Cab Sauv / Merlot
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3/19/2023 - Armen757 wrote:
Perfect drinking age - smooth and has aged beautifully.
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2/4/2023 - BLam Likes this wine: 93 Points
It was one of the twelve wines in the CNY gathering in Jim's home with wonderful fireworks. Everybody got drunk that night but felt graceful. Thank you Jim!
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1/1/2023 - novie1234 wrote: 94 Points
At open, as soon as the cork lifted, the leathery smokiness of the Cos came to life. At first glass, no decant, it was a bit tight and short. As it gained air in the glass, it became beautiful - not incredible, but beautiful. A bit of acid persists throughout. I am certain this could age for quite a long time, but now showing a great balance between secondary and tertiary.
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12/22/2022 - Dibbs Likes this wine: 91 Points
Probably doesn't deserve this score but vs. the competition of the 86 Margaux and 95 Altare Arborina didn't stand a chance. It was very easy to identify that it didn't have the pedigree of the Margaux and didn't have the exoticism of the Altare. On its own merit, it is a solid drink.
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12/3/2022 - Jonathanmustang Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ouvert 6h d’avance, le nez plutôt unidimensionnel sur le poivron au départ mettra du temps à s’ouvrir pour faire place en fin de soirée à un magnifique nez tertiaire sur la fumée, le cuir, le menthol, les épices et un restant de fruit… je pense même détecter un peu de café / chocolat
Bouche bien en place et ouvert… l’attaque est un brin vieillotte mais le crescendo fait son oeuvre vers du fruit rouge, du sous-bois, du poivron et quelques épices douces
Le milieu de bouche est plein de matière, belle balance encore beaucoup de belle acidité, c’est évidement fondu et on perçois du graphite, du poivron, du café, et le classique textbook vieux bordeaux
Finale très longue et suave sur le chocolat, les épices, le graphite
Un vin vraiment wow, classique vieux bordeaux sur son plateau… plante pas mal de 1er grands crus classés de la même époque !
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11/25/2022 - popasq Likes this wine: 96 Points
Classic Cos, drank it over 3 hours, needed 30 minutes to open up, this was simply awesome.
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11/24/2022 - Bham290 Likes this wine:
Peppery
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11/21/2022 - Papies wrote: 96 Points
Moët Hennessy Portfolio Tasting (10 Cases, London): Some decanting advisable here but no need for a long decant.
It’s been a good decade since we tried this wine ( Papies 93) albeit we did have 2 corked bottles in the meantime.
This to us ( especially having tried the mesmerising 1996 a couple of weeks ago, Papies 96) is an atypical Cos. Riper , more on the fruit and less of the minerality and austerity that we associate with both Cos and St Estephe. Still though this was a mesmerising bottle. Bright and still energetic albeit well evolved, healthy fruit, soft earthy and a nose beautiful enough to launch a 1000 ships to its rescue. Lovers of classic well aged left bank claret like ourselves would love this. Easy 95-96 and with a good decade of top end life left in the tank.
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10/29/2022 - Rani Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lots of dried herbs, dill and sous bois in the nose. Super fine tannins, velvety texture and amazing balance on the palate. Layers of subdued black fruit couple with smokey earthy notes. Definitely mature and ready now, will probably not improve.
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10/20/2022 - Dmax808 wrote: 92 Points
I generally prefer wine with a good amount of age but this made me think maybe a little younger than 30 years for Bordeaux is the right place for me. This bottle had very little primary fruit and seemed a little monotone. Still enjoyable but didn't live up to expectation.
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10/14/2022 - SnobNouveau Likes this wine: 94 Points
Elegant, soft, integrated, and brooding on its mid length finish. Tannins and old world class remain. Like a woman who is almost old enough to have lost her spark of beauty. But right now, she definitely still has it. Drink now.
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9/12/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted regularly over the last decade, this is ready to drink. Fully mature, it is forward for the year and probably is a wine that is not going to improve. Also as the fruit fades some tannic elements are being exposed particularly on the finish. Minimal decanting is needed. 94+
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9/8/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Guy's Night: Open Your Last Bottle (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red/purple color with a 5mm transition. One hour double decant, drank a couple glasses over 3 hours. This was really, really good though overshadowed by the '83 Montrose tonight. Beautiful in its own right, I've always loved the '89 Cos. Red and black fruits, perfumed, pencil, damp earth and funk. The palate is full bodied and powerful, showing excellent density, cassis, deep raspberry, wood, minerality, pencil and round polished tannins. This almost youthful, this will may go forever.
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9/8/2022 - galewskj wrote: 94 Points
Open your last bottle (Jason and Mariellen's house): Decanted 1 hour, then back into the bottle for a few hours, before pouring a good-sized glass for myself that I drank over 2 hours. Perfume, funk, tobacco, sandalwood, tar, black fruits, orange rind, old leather and a bit of funk. I wished that I'd decanted this 2 hours, but at least I left myself a note from the previous bottle to decant at least an hour. Sadly, my last bottle, since that was the tasting theme.
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9/8/2022 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Guys Night Out - Open your last bottle of something you had multiple bottles of at one time!: See galewskj's notes for treatment. This was surprisingly young, and improved quite a bit throughout the evening! Very fruit forward with medium tannins that got finer as the evening progressed. Unlike some of the other notes, I think this wine needs another few years to completely come together (and I like my wines with plenty of fruit). There is enough fruit in this wine to allow the tannins to resolve better and to gain some additional tertiary flavors, IMO (at least for this bottle).
Nose showed black and purple fruit, cigar box and tobacco, with some floral notes too. Palate showed plenty of cassis, plum and hints of red currant, with leather, cedar and tobacco in the background. Pretty nice balance between fruit and tertiary flavors, but a little more tertiary flavors would elevate this wine. Also, as previously stated, tannins were very prevalent, but did start smoothing out with time in the glass....if they ever completely smoothed out, this would reach the top level! 93 to 94 points, with an easy 94 toward the end of the night!
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8/21/2022 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
20th of 24, opened 90 minutes then splash decanted, perfect cork and level, surprisingly youthful and little changed from last bottle noted in October 18, nicely layered and with more relaxed fruit expression than more recent vintages, plus a certain silkiness, mature with limited upside, 10+ years. VF (18.5).
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8/11/2022 - talbot61 Likes this wine:
At Skinner pre-auction tasting, Newton, Mass.: My companions thought this the best wine in the tasting. Quite brown. Fully mature. Classic claret profile with a very sweet finish. Drink soon.
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7/7/2022 - Jonathanmustang Likes this wine: 92 Points
À l’ouverture, bouchon très imbibé
Nez de bouchonnet de carton (merde)
Heureusement tout se dissipe avec 1h de carafe pour faire place à un nez de fruits rouge, poivrons, fumée, cuir, boite a cigare et tourbe de sphaigne
Bouche fruitée, belle complexité, encore beaucoup de matière. Cerise, sous-bois, menthol, cigare
Finale intéressante fruitée epicée
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6/18/2022 - Jonathanmustang wrote: flawed
Bouchonnée
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4/28/2022 - Mario17 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Le nez prend un peu de temps à se placer, nez assez classique de rive-gauche par la suite, ne montre aucune fatigue, superbe texture, une finale longue et savoureuse, très beau. 92-93
The nose needs some air, the cork was wet with some aromas of wet cardboard at first but things got for the better after with no apparent defect and a classic left bank nose. Gorgeous balanced Cos, not the most powerful at this point but gracious, showing no fatigue also with a long delicious finish.
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3/31/2022 - mowtod Likes this wine: 88 Points
Classic Cos still great with cheese and fresh bread and Dan and Ellen
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3/28/2022 - bensonbrown wrote: flawed
Very significant brett
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3/21/2022 - mrkoors wrote: flawed
Cork loose, stained most of the way up. This is not the first time I have had a problem with a 1989 Bordeaux cork. Wine was OK but definitely not up to par. Almost all gone, 2 bottles left, hoping for better.
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12/31/2021 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened 1 hour prior. Light ruby color. Sandlewood, tar, black fruits, saddle leather, orange peel, tobacco leaf and barnyard. Light, spry palate and likely in its finally drinking window.
p.s. snake river farm filets and cauliflower purée and arugula/butter lettuce salad
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12/23/2021 - Fatty Cat wrote: 93 Points
Late Dec 2021: bottle opened approx. 1 hour before consumption; deep purple red color; cassis, mocca, chocolate and cigarbox flavors in the nose; round with a well integrated acidity on the palate; slightly tannic in the cheeks. 92-93/100
Fully mature, excellent Cos d‘Estournel.
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12/23/2021 - iainlo@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Uncorked 2 hours before pouring (not decanted). Immediately expressive on the nose - fruit, spice and vanilla. On the palate, sweet dark fruits framed by coffee, chocolate and woody notes. After some time in glass, fruits give way to more spice, leather and a hint of leafiness. Good acidity throughout and good length on the finish. A wonderful drink enjoyed with chicken marsala
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12/11/2021 - SpitzNV Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good looking cork. Lots of leather on the nose and a bit of grade school paste. No oxidation but also little fruit. Pronounced tannins. Better after a couple hours of air but this is on its way out. Drink ASAP.
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12/10/2021 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great fruit in perfect balance with structure that provides grip and tension. Toasty oak. Balsamic, tar. Not the most compelling Cos but pretty good. Long and complex. Good to drink now and will last for many years.
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11/8/2021 - peternelson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Little darker than the '89 Barton, tootsie roll, high tannins, a little creamy full texture, plummy, soft. Thought it was right bank. DD Bordeaux 1989-2000 Lawson's Steakhouse
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11/7/2021 - Iskama Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cork came out pristine, appears to be in perfect shape. Lots of tertiary and a little musty right off the bat, but after 2-3 hours in the decanter this is a gorgeous wine. Tastes so much younger than it is. Red fruited with some savory and sous bois and classic tobacco. Plush texture somewhere between silk and velvet. This bottle would easily have 5-10 more years to go if not more. Really nice!
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10/17/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fully mature and drinking at its peak with a couple of hours in the decanter, this is now a highly enjoyable wine. Displaying secondary and tertiary notes, the nose is packed with blackcurrant, plum, cedar and tobacco. The palate is big and meaty with a strong tannic spine. Likewise the finish is tannin dominated, but well balanced but it probably lacks finesse. All in all this is a great mature left bank Bordeaux, but just lacking that little extra to elevate it to the top level of the year.
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10/13/2021 - timothynbond Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted one hour before serving. Deep garnet/tawny color. Aromas of dark berries, prunes, a little bit of funk, and perhaps a hint of truffle. Medium-plus body with medium-low acid and medium-to-medium-plus grippy tannins. Blackberry, prunes, dark cherry syrup, cola, and only a touch of earthiness. Felt a tad thin mid-palate. Only the color gave away its age.
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9/9/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): A few years later and ex-Chateau and this wine is in a truly great place. You can taste the slightly more austere style of the wine but this was a big year and you get a nice fleshiness from that. I think I come out more for the ‘85 because it was a bit more complex and I kindof gravitate towards some of the less fruit forward versions but this was really nice.
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9/5/2021 - the godfather wrote:
Needed some air, decent after about 1.5 hours. Solid albeit not terribly inspiring, bottle may have been a bit tired
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8/24/2021 - Cailles wrote: 96 Points
17x Bordeaux 1982-1990 (+ 2 Martha’s): All wines tasted single blind. From magnum. Like many other 1989 Bordeauxs, this Cos is now in a wonderful drinking window (I even think at its peak). Wonderful elegant and mature structural frame, quite expressive, full tertiary aromas but still an attractive fruit core - overall a super complete wine. As it was the first red wine of the tasting, I thought I might have been too optimistic as for the group this was only number 10 out of 16 wines vs my top 3 position. But a second glass at the end of the tasting (luckily it was a magnum) confirmed my initial judgement. 96/97 points.
TN: Expressive nose and palate displaying ripe dark fruit, fresh tobacco, herbs, some meaty notes, lots of graphite and even some burnt sugar notes. Quite complex and precise. Elegant structure with soft tannins with just hints of some edges, good and well-integrated acidity, soft, light structure with a touch of creaminess (could have used more of that), good balance and good tension from start to finish.
Decanting: A short decant should do the job.
Group score: 94.8 pts
Group rank: Shared 10th out of 16 reds
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8/21/2021 - iainlo@gmail.com Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened (but not decanted) two hours before drinking. Was the fourth bottle at a dinner for four, despite dulled senses, this Cos impressed. Very expressive on the nose, lots of complexity with layers of flavours coming thru. Still vibrant and lots of life. A excellent Cos.
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7/21/2021 - plitton wrote: 96 Points
Châine dinner at Bindille. Served with pork belly and duck in a cherry Demi glace. From the wine was poured I knew this was special. Rosey rich red to the rim and very clear. Nose, young and a lot of earth and cassis. Palette war Firm—showing no weakness. Long finish. Nose continued to improve. Remarkable for 32yo. Can improve to 2030.
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6/27/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux and Cabs 2009 and Older (Chez Dalluge, MN): Very dark red/purple color. Double decanted for 1 hour; drank a glass over an hour. Wow, there's a great nose; gorgeous red fruits wafting from the glass, cherry, earth, leather, cigar, citrus peel. The palate is well integrated and full, tart cherry, great acidity, bold pencil notes, cigar wrapper, high toned and resonant with wth softened tannins and a very lengthy finish. Wow, just superb. 95+ to 96pts.
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6/26/2021 - La Sprezzatura wrote: 97 Points
ruby red with some brown reflexes
very fresh nose. classic bordeaux with cigar box, tobacco, herbs and pepper. cassis and blue berries.
creamy on the palate, fruit still fully present, very much tension still left, powerful aromas and intensity. wow.
imo this is still at its peak and can be enjoyed for another decade.
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6/26/2021 - J_H Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bordeaux 1982-1990 tasting (Restaurant Essen'z, Brugg)
Nose: medium + intense, fully matured with lots of spice aromas, some red and dark fruit and toast aromas embedded in it. Full spectrum of Cabernet spice, tomato hints with this rustic approach (reminding me of Cos we had drunk at the winery each time). Powerful ripe aromas, leather, cigar box.
Palate: medium tannins, wonderful mouthfeel, medium + acidity and medium + body. Incredible length. A little little fruit core left.
Quite on the peak and very great matured.
Started with 96 points but I personally don't like the rustic St. Estephe enough, finally 94-95 points.
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6/26/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux 1982-1990 tasting (Restaurant Essen'z, Brugg): Bordeaux 1982-1980 tasting of selected wines, including a couple of pirates. All wines were decanted for at least 2-3 hours, tasted in flights of 2 and single-blind. While not a representative sample, I would venture the following observations: 1/ First growths in 1988 should not be underestimated for the hedonistic pleasure they offer, 2/ 1990 first growths have not yet passed through their closed stage, 3/ you’ll find stand-out second tier wines from 1982. 4/ Highlights were Palmer 89 and Gruaud Larose 82 (96 each).
Tasting note:
Nice and ripe red and dark cherry fruit, sous-bois, earth, mushrooms, some graphite and pencil shavings, sprinkles of rose water. Just a bit meaty, hints of mint. Well integrated, softly textured palate with tension, although not overly layered. This is showing very well today and reminded me a lot of the 1996, both appear in a similarly great drinking spot right now.
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6/24/2021 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at La T (La Trompette, London): Savoury, dark fruited. Somehow this is a little sullen, recalcitrant even. A fennel top note develops with air. Bar one previous off bottle, this is usually lovely in a richer, dark style, but this bottle isn’t quite there. Still, there’s plenty of good wine here, it’s just not as good as it can be. ***1/2
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5/9/2021 - CESOS Likes this wine: 98 Points
This last bottle was at it’s zenith. Balanced , sweet tannins. Great black fruit with hint of red. Solid mid palate and lengthy finish. Cos at it’s best.
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5/8/2021 - Cg940 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very nice fruit, complex, some tannin, great balance. Opened up after a few hours to silk and a classic rich Bordeaux. Wonderful! Next day it was smoother. Enjoyed it even more.
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4/18/2021 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
Having worked through about 20-25 bottles of this wine over the last 20+ years it gets better each time. Our last note (April 2019) is still on target. Our bottles have matured beautifully over the years and have rewarded our patience. Served with a smoker prime rib roast.
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4/18/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
This showed very well tonight up against the '95. Obviously leaner and more cool-fruited than that vintage if lacking the opulence and layered depth. Balanced and elegant in a refined style with smooth tannins and a fresh, complex finish with notes of warm gravel and graphite minerals. Lovely now but should continue to age well.
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4/17/2021 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popping the impeccably intact cork released a voluptuous wave of rich fruit and a typical Bordeaux nose. However, that left rather quickly. Pouring the wines into the decanter revealed a deep tawny color and an all out tertiary aromas. It was pretty reserved and tight at first, but after an hour or two, it started to show distinct flavors, such as forest floor, mushroom, cured beef, cedar, and some hints of smoke. Tannins were well integrated, but present enough to hold up well with food. The acidity was right were I would expect and was in perfect balance. Overall, if you love fully matured wines, this will be a treat.
Also, this had better balance when it was a served a little cooler (60 deg F - ish)
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4/17/2021 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pronounced nose intensity with notes of mushroom, earth, black fruits. Medium+ acidity and medium tannin.
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4/1/2021 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pronounced nose with notes of mushroom, truffle, red fruits, mint. High acidity and medium+ tannin. Medium garnet in colour. Surprisingly still fresh and some thought it was 2000s and younger. Tasted blind and I guess its older than 90s and got it right.
Tasted blind together (ranking based on consensus of 8)
1) 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild 98
1) 1986 Château Cos d’Estournel 95
2) 1989 Château Cos d’Estournel 94
3) 1993 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 96
4) 1988 Château Mouton Rothschild 92
There was a joint WOTN between 82 Mouton and 86 Estournel. The nose on 86 Estournel slightly edge out 82 Mouton but I prefer the overall balance and palate of 82 Mouton.
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3/13/2021 - ThijsV Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow, what a stunning wine! After 32 years it is still singing, just amazing intensity. Very deeply garnet red, with only the slightest brown rim. A breath of aromas I have not encountered before: cherries, smoky peat, clear gamey aromas, kirsch, plum, cassis and vanilla. Even a hint of sweetness. A sensation on the palate as well: cherries, cassis, kirsch, ceder and spices (clove?) with a long and persistent finish. What a joy!
Funny enough my wife did not care for it a bit...
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2/15/2021 - Ruby99 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Surprisingly dark in color for a wine this old with just some brick at the edge
The nose has black cherries, saddle leather, beef burger and a hint of green tomato
The palate is dark cherry fruit that is round beautifully balanced. It is quite long and finishes with that hint green tomato again. There is still some tannin here to go with the still very bold fruit. I think this wine may continue to be excellent for 10 more years
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1/23/2021 - hkbob Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clear garnet. Primarily tertiary notes. Also damp earth, tobacco and cassis with some sweet red fruit in evidence and a hint of iodine. Medium-bodied, cedar infused palate which fans out across the finish. Excellent balance. Near the end of its drinking plateau so would suggest consuming in the next few years. Lovely.
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1/1/2021 - Andice wrote: 93 Points
A step up from the '90 but trails the '82 by a mile in intensity of flavours. Developed leaf litter and leather nose with touch of floral notes. Palate is all rounded out, medium weight and decent finish. In the latter end of its drinking window...say another 3 years before declining?
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12/27/2020 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pronounced nose intensity, ban-yard, savoury, wet forest, dried red fruits and black fruits, violet, medium+ acidity and tannin. Still able to keep longer than the estimated CT drinking dates. Did not decant. Tasted blind. Was the WOTN with 9 different bottles.
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12/25/2020 - davergny Likes this wine: 95 Points
Christmas Eve wine with sirloin tip and mushroom sauce.
Light fruit cake and spice on the nose. Rich and full, dark berries, cherry, a bit of cedar, truffles, milk chocolate and spice on the palate. Very mature, an exotic element in this wine. Silky and long. Needs a good 2 hour decant.
Wonderful!
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9/20/2020 - bordeauxmartini wrote: 93 Points
Drinking very well. Good to go. Fruit is as it should be - blackcurrant, hint of truffle, cedar, earth. Light ruby colour and some bricking. Very good.
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6/8/2020 - peeyush wrote: flawed
Flawed
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5/12/2020 - tunaguy Likes this wine: 96 Points
this bottle was absolutely firing tonight. layer after layer with both power and finesse. still some brighter red fruits along with more mature darker fruits and cassis, leather, cigar tobacco, dried meat, dried purple flower, cooked down bell pepper, wet rocks, iron, and scorched earth. open over the next 10 years
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3/28/2020 - WineGuyX wrote: 92 Points
Still a nice nose of scorched earth/creosote, charred oak, black currant and mint. The palate is tight, with a great streak of minerality, decent acidity and some black fruits, earth and moderately tannic. Drink now. 92
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3/15/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is firmly in its drinking window, but still benefits from a few hours in the decanter. It is an excellent wine but hasn't really elevated over the last couple of years. Blackcurrant, plum, earth and tobacco dominate the wine, which has good depth and balance. Likewise the finish is lengthy. However, the tannin is over harsh on the palate and finish. It is a very enjoyable wine displaying secondary and tertiary notes, but is overshadowed by the great left bankers from the year. 94+
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1/28/2020 - mdefreitas wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux from the 80s (Peppercorn's (Hartford, CT)): Deep red in color. A bit closed on the nose. Earth, leather and some cassis. Lovely palate. Youthful, muscular and could use more cellar time.
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12/29/2019 - mukden Likes this wine: 92 Points
YESSS! Absolutely gorgeous , chewy secondary aromas and still a hint of tannin; good old fruit at the back . Really lovely and not at all tired at 30.
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12/2/2019 - vvWine.ch Likes this wine: 93 Points
1989, Château Cos d’Estournel, Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, Frankreich. Mittlers Rubin. Feinduftige, verspielte Nase, feine, rote Frucht, darüber Tabak, Zigarrenkiste, Kräuter, dezent auch florale Noten, sehr komplex. Im Gaumen weich und zugänglich, mittlerer bis voller Körper, noch immer Gerbstoffe, diese sind bereits sehr schöne eingebunden, die Säure stützt, verleiht Frische. Im Abgang mit dieser herrlichen, exotischen Cos-Würze, ein Traum. Viel schöner kann man Cos aktuell wohl nicht trinken. 18.5 vvPunkte (93/100). vvWine.ch
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10/26/2019 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Renotcka visiting
Brick rim, full bodied.
Earthy, cigar box, pencil led. Loamy, dark fruit.
So smooth, silky tannin. Medium finish. Exquisite structure.
Opened and decanted, and drank over six hours. This wine is flawless. I think this still has 3-5 years of good life in it.
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10/19/2019 - galewskj wrote: 94 Points
Guys Night Out with Wagyu Tenderloin and Crepe Cake: About 1 1/2 hour decant. This wine definitely has secondary characteristics. The nose has funk, tar, earth and graphite. The palate is slightly hollow, and there is still some tannins present. Frankly, it drank younger than I was expecting. Hold last bottle for 3+ years and still decant 1 hour(?). I find it interesting that the cellartracker window shows this at expired. That is obviously not the case.
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10/17/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Guys Night Out: Bring Something You're Looking Forward To Drinking (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red purple color, 2mm clear edge. Decanted for 90 minutes, drank a glass over 2 hours. The nose has a lot pencil lead up frint, earthy, cassis and a savory perfume of dark fruits eventually emerges. The palate is dark and dense, cassis, oak, tart dark berries, pencil, oak and earth. The tannins still have some hold here and the oak is not fully integrated. Drinks relatively young, but still impressive. This is still improving, but I wouldn't be afraid to drink it now with a couple good hours of air. 93+(+)pts.
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10/12/2019 - Axelpeter wrote: 94 Points
Carli60)
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9/28/2019 - MC wrote:
Decanted an hour, but needed closer to 2 hours to fully open. For the first two hours this is "classic" in style of the era at Cos (in my opinion) when the wines were a bit "lean and mean" with good, dark, cool fruit and the rest is graphite, mineral, and some tannin on the finish. Always good with food, they don't show as well on their own compared with the wines they started making in the 00s that are more about the fruit. I enjoy both styles, and this showed well with dinner last night once it had enough air. A-
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9/20/2019 - H2OMansLibrary Likes this wine:
Pretty much what everyone else said. Beautifully made wine with excellent balance. Plenty of life.
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8/27/2019 - beezer6 wrote: 95 Points
YES! This was rocking - drinking exactly as its supposed to. Still a rich densely packed wine that has many years to go.
Gorgeous opaque color at the core. Dark ruby with bricking at the rim.
Nose is dark cherries, camphor, slightly used leather saddle with some funk and some light purple flowers.
Palate is still packed with energy. More dark red fruit, dark earth and deep rich spice. This is killer.
So good. Clearly was stored just right.
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8/17/2019 - JOHN_ Likes this wine: 96 Points
This was an easy 96 points for me, maybe even 97 points.
Just enough age, just enough liveliness. All the flavors integrated and in balance – fruit, oak, acid, and tannins all working together nicely. Excellent mouthfeel, long finish. A testament to the benefits of aging quality Bordeaux and drinking them at the correct time.
Tons of dark chocolate, but also uplifting (dark) red fruits, classic Bordeaux "graphite" vibe, some earthiness and mushrooms, black licorice, a hint of coffee, as well as wood (think cedar).
Living up to the St. Estephe profile, it's definitely a powerful wine that can go for quite a few more years (5+)...but right now, it is so delicious and probably in a good spot to drink.
Highly recommended.
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7/28/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Jordan's 1989 Bordeaux Dinner (Feast & Imbibe - Evanston IL): There is clearly a lot here. Dense with lots of black fruit but not particularly giving and certainly not accessible or fun right now. I've had better bottles, but think further cellar time will benefit this wine.
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6/26/2019 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fine Wines SG - Bordeaux 80s BYOB (Fine Wines SG): Highly acidic, and some elevated acids and rather burnish, with some florals, tea, chocolate, and rather savoury
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6/21/2019 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely generous fruit, licorice, figs, oranges, cocoa beans, spices, cedar i e very complex bouquet. Perfect balance and again fruit, melted tannin still giving it structure coupled with medium acidity. Long rewarding finish. In a sweet spot now. Drink up. One of the best in a long time. Perfect example why you need patience with the top wines.
Ps this bottle was tapped with Coravin 3 m ago and half a bottle was left and opened today. No sign of degradation.
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5/30/2019 - mr_rancho Likes this wine: 96 Points
Great!
After opening the bottle: Wood, mushrooms, and in the aftertaste lots of chocolate
After 10‘: plums, sweet black fruit, vanilla, cedar, licorice,lots of chocolate
During the next hour it stayed like that, but less chocolate. Just a wonderful wine!
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5/29/2019 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Po’s 89 Bordeaux @ Trompette (La Trompette, London): Quite ripe on the nose. Nicely rich without being overdone. Darker. Think this is Cos. Fresh and nicely structured. Some mid palate richness with a cooler, slightly licorice finish. ****
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5/28/2019 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Tasted next to 1990. Similar in colour, just a little duller and browner around the rim. More evolved on the nose as well - generous fruit, tobacco, cedar, sweet spices. Very layered and expressive. On the palate a little tired at times, slightly drying tannins, relatively low acidity. Very long. No rush, but probably best to slowly drink up. 92-94
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5/22/2019 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux tasting (at my home): med ruby
pronounced aromas intensity of red cherries, roasted plums, bilberries, cranberries, oak-vanilla, earth, leather, old furniture, smoked meat,
still developing
dry, high acidity, med+ tannins, med abv, full body, pronounced flavours intensity consistent with the nose, mint, eucalyptus, licorice, long elegant finish
drink now - suitable for short further ageing
outstanding
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4/14/2019 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
Clear medium red color, not much sign of 30 year age, decanted 1.5 hours aromas of leather, black current, tobacco. Very smooth fruit on palate (black current, blackberry, spice, tobacco), perfect balance, tannins fully integrated. Finish was fruit and tobacco lasting 1+ minutes. Having had many bottles of this wine over the last 10 years or so it seems to have reached full maturity now. Probably will hold at this level for several more years. More elegant than powerful now.
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4/14/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is drinking wonderfully now, and has entered full maturity. The nose is deep with blackcurrant, plum, liquorice, and leather, which transfers to the palate. The tannin is fully resolved, but has retained bite. The depth and complexity are stunning with a 30+ seconds finish. This still benefits from a few hours in the decanter, and has the structure to stay at this level for the next decade.
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2/21/2019 - mattiasjansson wrote: 94 Points
2nd Growth Bordeaux (Boston): Dark red. Pencil lead and cassis. Silky tannins. Big fruit - delicious.
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1/14/2019 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at Jade Court (Chicago, IL): This is drinking almost exactly as you would expect from the reputation of the producer. There's a nice leathery note on the nose here, which transfers to the palate. It's a very dense and brawny wine, with tons of power and earthy notes. This bottle was absolutely pristine and it really showed the longevity of these wines -- my only gripe was that this was too young. No doubt this will be brilliant with another decade or two under its belt.
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1/12/2019 - Chimer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very elegant fruit, beautifully spicy, colour still lively, tannin still quite firm, will fruit match this in time? The 88 Leo Barton was a more popular wine on the night - more obvious flesh, but the purity of the Cos was ahead from my perspective.
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11/25/2018 - minsoo464 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Earthy but also has fruity notes. Medium to full bodied with a memorable intensity. Lasts long on the palate. Decanted for 1 hour. Drank at Gary Danko (1 star Michelin French restaurant in SF).
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11/4/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
Q4 - 2018 Tasting - Aged Bordeaux (Pre-1997) (New York, NY): 9 of 19 wines tasted double blind. Another of my favorites in today's tasting line up although I am in the minority here. This was still very much alive and so nicely balanced with the fruit (blackberries, red raspberries and currants), leather, dried leaves and tobacco, dusty tannins and lifting acidity all playing beautifully. Long bright finish. Group vote - 2 pennies. I voted - 1 penny
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11/4/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Q4 Wine Club - Aged Bordeaux (Our apt): Wine #9: Wow - this was an intense wine. Almost port-like in style. Tons of fruit and on the sweeter side and very tasty but also kindof intense. This wine is prob still too young to be drinking, but it was really beautiful. (2 pennies)
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10/30/2018 - andreask888 wrote: 89 Points
Cos D'Etournel Tasting at BWC
Dark chocolate more dark fruit driven with chalky notes. Seems closed...but may be opening up slowly to show great dark fruit component with a touch of eucalyptus. Thin on the finish against the lamb. 8.9
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10/6/2018 - liber Likes this wine: 96 Points
19th of 24, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, little changed from last bottle in March 17, very long, persistent and concentrated, velvety, hints of chocolate and fennel on exit as well as more normal flavour profile, almost the opposite of previous night's Margaux 86, this time the pleasure factor exceeds the technical mark, plenty of life. VF (18.5).
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8/17/2018 - millwhat Likes this wine: 91 Points
Surprisingly rich colour for age; cedar, cigar box, still some dark fruit, some sharpness - hint of juniper?, earthy; on the palate smooth, rich, perfectly integrated, slight drop off in fruit, def at end of drinking window, perfect with steak!
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7/12/2018 - nywine68 Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Austere and over the hill. Perhaps a flawed bottle but not enjoyable
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6/14/2018 - oldwines wrote: 94 Points
Decanted at 3pm, allowed to breathe for 2 hours and then poured back into the cleaned bottle for transport to a friend’s house. Initially it had a great nose but somewhat reticent palate but after another hour or two it really came into its own. The color was a medium garnet with just a hint of bricking. It was very earthy on the nose along with some graphite, smoke and cedar. The palate was mostly the secondary flavors along the lines of the nose but there was some nice light ripe blackberry in the finish which was moderately long and chewy. I think this was way better later at about 8-9pm at first I was thinking 92 Ota but it definitely finished stronger, so I upgraded slightly.
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6/2/2018 - Blackbeard. Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fully mature and rocking with a few hours of air. Cassis, plum, leather, cedar and tobacco notes create a very perfumed nose. Soft and silky on the palate with beautiful fruit and woody flavours. Balanced and fresh with good length on the finish. Not sure why this vintage doesn't score higher points on CT, what a great bottle!
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4/17/2018 - ve23 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Alex Che party 2018 (Le Restaurant, Moscow): 96/100
A magnum of Cos 1989 is at the absolute top of its prime.
Bold and vibrant, with blackberries, cassis, juniper jam, pepper, pencil shavings, tobacco, a tiny pinch of noble bitterness, awesome depth, and outstanding well integrated tannin that stays in the aftertaste after 15 minutes.
A Porthos of Bordeaux who denounced its baron de Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds title tonight.
WS 93, RP 88 - bollocks, I have no other words.
Alex Che BD meet-up at Le Restaurant / 17 April 2018
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4/15/2018 - Bacchus&Ceres Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep dark opaque garnet purple fast at thick tears, then second phase medium slow moving legs luscious; nose a bit closed definitely the weakest branch, most restrained yielding metallics lead, mouth is glorious rich fully in balance easy delicious dark purple fruits black raspberry bright with anise, dry short great with steak
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3/29/2018 - rc@ughey wrote: 93 Points
Really enjoyable and in a lovely place right now. Dark fruits and cassis in a balanced, effortless classic Claret package.
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2/24/2018 - daghaug Likes this wine:
Rett fra flaska er det søte bær og litt lakris. Etterhvert kommer tobakkstoner og særlig blyantspiss, litt jord. Frisk og syrlig i munnen, flott fruktintensitet, etterhvert også litt røkt kjøtt. Delikate tanniner som man får vann i munnen av. Etterlater nesten et saltpreg i munnen, før den går over i en lang ettersmak med delikat bitterhet. Har lenge igjen.
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1/21/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
Last tasted nearly 18 months ago, and at the time it felt a little closed. However, this has now totally transformed, and is drinking gloriously. The nose is now classic mature left bank with deep aromas of blackcurrent and plum with a background of liquorice on the palate. The tannin is meaty, but resovled and has a lengthy balanced finish. Still needing time in the decanter, it is at its peak, and should stay here for the next 5 years plus.
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12/2/2017 - wineforth Likes this wine: 94 Points
Has consistently scored 94, although the maturity has changed in the 23 years since a tasting with Bruno Prats, the character of the wine has remained the same. Earliest harvest since 1893 avoided some of the pitfalls of a hot year. Peaked in 07. Lovely bramble and oak. Previously noted pleasant sous bois/ farmyard (funk?) but not this time. Very long dry finish with a touch of liquorice. Lovely fully integrated old claret. Beautiful balance. Drink up, although I expect the slow decline to take a decade or more.
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11/15/2017 - deetz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank from magnum at end of harvest celebration dinner. Line-up (all magnum format): 1996 Mailly Grand Cru Champagne Millesime, 2009 PYCM Meursault Les Perrieres, 2007 Le Clos du Caillou Chateaneuf-du-Pape Reserve, 2005 Peter Michael Les Pavots, 2004 Cheval Blanc, and 1989 Cos d’Estournel.
Second best of the night, after the PYCM.
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10/6/2017 - Sundbyberg wrote: 93 Points
Lovely blue fruit, medium bodied, typical St Esthepe.
Still quite tannic and the nose is closed. The tannins did not budge even after a 3 hour slowox and a double decant.
My fourth vintage of this wine (89, 92, 2003 and 2006) and the 89 is very charming, even if not great.
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8/16/2017 - mattiasjansson wrote: 90 Points
Old Bordeaux in Boston: Light/Medium body. A bit muted.
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8/10/2017 - KenK wrote: 90 Points
Sweet dark black fruits with some green pepper. Sweet dark flavors with tart dry feel. Chewy big brawny with lots of black spice. Improved with air. Nice, on young side, but slightly closed.
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7/14/2017 - ttholst wrote: 94 Points
Veldig parfymert, lett moden men frisk, lukt av bjørnebær, solbær, sedertre, mørk sjokolade, varm våt hest, søt lakris og litt medisinskap. Smak av bjørnebær og solbær, moccabønner, søt og salt lakris. Etter to til tre timer i karaffel får den også smak av fløtekaramell. God konsentrasjon og overraskende frisk fruktighet for alderen. Vinen har en elegant letthet som jeg forbinder med St. Estephe. Smaken varer lenge.
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6/13/2017 - vintage52 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Perfect cork, almost no ullage. Decant for an hour. Great Bordeaux nose on the plum, tobacco, cedar spectrum. Great mouthfeel, soft tannins, but still has great balance and depth. It is on the downside from its peak, but it will be a long graceful slide. Lovely wine, and the reason you age great Bordeaux.
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6/3/2017 - Hypersphere wrote: flawed
fake
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4/21/2017 - pepmi wrote: 92 Points
28 years following on the vintage, the 89 Cos still displays a deep red to maroon color in the glass without any visible signs of aging or decay. A mild amount of sediment upon decanting. The nose is clean, broad and faintly floral in character. While sweet in the mouth, the fruit is quite subdued -- very little earth or wood either. The flavor notes are light and ethereal -- perhaps a hint of camomille tea and honey? Sufficient tannins on the finish to pucker the mouth. Plenty of vitality left
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3/25/2017 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chez W, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, showed even better than my 7/15 note and not outclassed by a slightly sub par Mouton '86. VF (18.5).
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3/23/2017 - kenv Likes this wine: 96 Points
WCC Saint Estephe Blind Tasting (Provence Restaurant, Albany, NY): Rich black fruit. Great length. Another wow wine. Gorgeous and harmonious with lots of life left. My #2 WOTN.
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2/27/2017 - MaxSiegel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice example of aged St. Estephe.
Dark red center fading to pale rim with a watery meniscus. Very savory nose. Subtle note of dark fruit but mostly tobacco and minerals (gravel, rusty iron) with some truffle, green pepper, and game. Purple flowers emerge after approximately two hours in decanter. Surprisingly sweet on the palate. Some cassis but more tobacco, lead pencil, and pepper. Body and acidity are medium. Tannins are very well integrated at this point. Medium-plus length. Unlikely to see improvement from here.
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1/6/2017 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
New Years tasting 2017; A mixed set tasted fully blind. (@ SS): S, what a surprise (as almost always!) A real complex and mature wine which I should have recognized, but how often do you taste/drink wines like this unexpectedly? In the bouquet mature/evolved cassis and beautiful barnyard impressions. On the palate beautiful dark berries still, some sweetness and good acidity with still a lovely bite. What a feast! Thank you!!
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1/3/2017 - rgawlowski Likes this wine: 90 Points
A somewhat delicate nose and a dark, muddy color. Nice, delicate fruit, slightly acidic smokey nose, balanced, not overwhelming.
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12/31/2016 - jono9999 wrote: 97 Points
The wine has medium acidity. It smells like tobacco, cedar and oak. The body is full. The wine finishes long. It tastes like prune, tobacco, bell pepper, mushroom, raisin, mineral and lead pencil. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. The wine has fleshy texture.
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12/4/2016 - raiachat Does not like this wine:
Opened up and decanted and unfortunately the wine was done. Toast.
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12/3/2016 - Hypersphere wrote: flawed
2nd bottle in 2 years, 2nd time bad
Either badly stored before i acquired it, or it's a fake ...
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11/25/2016 - Richard P Howden wrote: 92 Points
Continues to satisfy. Popped and poured tonight with Thanksgiving leftovers. At first incredibly rich nose of dark fruit, leather and tobacco, and rich silky palate redolent with dark red fruit. As it opened the palate got fruitier and the finish lengthened -- at first peppery but then long and sweet from there. Great balance overall, fine complement to roast pork, stuffing and gravy. An excellent '89.
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11/22/2016 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 93 Points
My notes started with a punctuated “Wow”, as an array of dusty earth, crushed cherry, exotic spice and dried flowers lifted up from the glass. On the palate, I found soft, feminine textures, yet there was still a vibrant core of acidity, as the ‘89 glided across the senses, leaving notes of dried cherry, strawberry, and sweet inner florals. A hint of hard red candies lingered on the finish, which seemed to go on and on. I don’t see this improving any further than it has, nor should it decline for at least a decade, and is simply gorgeous today.
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11/18/2016 - Vitisvinifera Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely complex nose of tertiary flavours - tobacco, cedar, coffee, graphite. Lovely balance and good strong length on the palate. Soft tannins. Drinking beautifully.
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9/11/2016 - djhammond Likes this wine: 93 Points
More restrained than other 1989's I have tried, and think it still has its best years ahead of it. Deep but restrained nose with blackcurrent and plum, and an earthiness on the palate finished off with some big tannins. I think I will leave it another year before I try again.
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6/10/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Chicago Wine Flock...Gary Opens Cali Cab (Chez Weber - Chicago IL): Great aromas of black fruit, liqueur and dark chocolate. Similar flavors, just still slightly backward. This may still have upside, and will most likely drink well for decades if well stored. A type of Bordeaux i truly enjoy.
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6/3/2016 - jeramirez Likes this wine: 90 Points
Austere
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5/22/2016 - kghaffar89 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Terrific wine that really opened up. Paired well with food. Wish I had more bottles from this vintage as it is great to drink right now.
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5/12/2016 - cephomer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasters Guild International; New York City Guild (NYC): Drank at Tasters Guild 1989 bordeaux tasting. Not much on the nose. Very dark and dense. Quite tight on the palate. Extremely tannic & hard for such an aged wine, though this is typical of Cos. Great structure, firm and chewy. Very nice spiciness. Some cedar, some cassis, some lead pencil. Round & fairly full-bodied. Still quite youthful.
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4/26/2016 - MarceloIdeses wrote: 97 Points
Best estournel you could drink now.
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4/23/2016 - FrancoisD Likes this wine: 93 Points
(repas d'anniversaire de groupe avec dégustation de plusieurs bouteilles)
St-Estèphe classique, avec arômes profonds. Servi avec les steaks, match parfait.
Cerises noires, violette, champignons.
Malgré le millésime 1989, aurait pu vieillir encore.
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3/21/2016 - Paul D Likes this wine:
Ian Springett's St. Estephe Off-line (RSJ Restaurant, Southwark): Deep garnet core, pale garnet rim. Attractive, sweet red-fruited nose, red fruit, Christmas Cake, spice. Medium/full bodied, rich fruit, soft tannins, balanced though without obvious acidity, harmonious, long. Lovely ****1/2.
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3/21/2016 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
St Estephe @ RSJ (RSJ, London): Reasonably ripe. A slightly lactic top note. Harmonious in the palate. Rounded, with some stuffing without losing its elegance. Creamy. Decent length. This stands out for the evening. ****
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3/5/2016 - daghaug Likes this wine:
Dufter av solbær, krydder (paprika), noe jord som forsvinner etterhvert. Varmt preg på duften. Frisk i munnen, helt runde tanniner - fløyelsmyk, men veldig strukturert. Litt smak av krydderkake (uten sødmen), noe bitterhet i ettersmaken. Veldig bra match til entrecote, funker også til kveite med hollandaise. Perfekt moden vin, men holder lenge ennå. Fantastisk vin!
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2/20/2016 - batas wrote: 93 Points
Initially closed and opens after an hour decant. Initially slightly green on the nose but good perfume eventually comes through. Not as full bodied or as evolved as the '90 cos, but has similar purity. May benefit from a few more years
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2/3/2016 - mr_swirl Likes this wine: 87 Points
Cos vertical with Aymeric de Gironde. Good Cos, but not very seductive or intriguing. Not much concentration, quite green nose. Disappointing for 89. Dry tannins and finish
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1/31/2016 - Shiaxonna wrote: 88 Points
Tasted blind. Younger color than the Chateau Ladouys 1989 tasted against it. Fresher red color. Very dense and opaque appearance. Nose has sour fruit and a nice roundness to it. The palate is powerful and follows up some of the acidity from the nose, but not unbalanced in any way. Good wine.
50+5+11+14+8 (88p)
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1/23/2016 - mjdixon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not as good as I expected.
Fruit and some depth but not the complexity or Bordeaux terroir i prefer
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1/18/2016 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Cos d'Estournel Vertical with Aymeric de Gironde (Ripple Restaurant in DC): The precise, seamless and vibrant palate reminds me the 89 Haut Brion. Very youthful nose displaying cool black fruits, cassis, coffee, lead pencil, cedar, flowers and a hint of mint. Very polished and precise palate, youthful energetic cassis fruit driven palate impression, nicely integrated sweet tannins and lovely long seamless finish. Not the most concentrated wine but beautiful harmony and precision. Excellent showing and highly recommend.
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1/18/2016 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 94 Points
15 Vintages of Cos d'Estournel (Ripple - Washington, DC): Crazy how young this wine still is, yet its elegance is so attractive. Smells leafy and herbal with dark currants and stewing spices. Full and chewy, still so structured with a firm tannic backbone. Pure currant fruit is matched with complex earth, anise, charcoal, gravel, cedar, tobacco and coffee notes. Another beauty, but this one is built for many more years to come.
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12/17/2015 - dchoo077 wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Another solid '89 bordeaux left banker. This wine had amazing intensity with masses of opulent dark fruit. Fully resolved tannins; perfectly smooth on the medium length finish. The negative here was a slight lack of acidity, making the wine taste a little flabby. As intense as the '90 Cos in my opinion but less structured. At peak and should probably drink up in the next couple of years.
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11/7/2015 - rnellans wrote: 90 Points
I would not hold on to this longer...Certainly on the plateau and nowhere to go but down imo. Out shown by the 89 Figeac on this night..
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11/2/2015 - paolonardi wrote: 92 Points
maturità perfetta, non un campione di complessità ma una vera goduria su piatti di carne importante
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11/1/2015 - Chuck Miller wrote:
Drinking exceptionally well. En pointe. May hold for many years, but why not drink it now?
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10/17/2015 - WinoRick wrote: 93 Points
Dark red, with little or no browning; pristine cork. The bouquet and mouth were round, full bodied and ample, seemingly at this wine's peak. Drinking window promises many years ahead. Consumed with the '82 and '86, with the '82 being the star of the show and this being second.
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10/14/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: flawed
Tasted alongside 1989 Gruaud Larose and Pichon Lalande. Unfortunately corked on the nose, which wasn't apparent on the palate at first, but got worse when retasting later that evening. A bottle tasted last year wasn't flawed but also not great.
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10/14/2015 - Papies wrote: flawed
1982, 1985 & 1989 Bordeaux Super Seconds, with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Corked and not really worth a TN. Shame as we have always rated this 92-93 so far and wanted to check it again.
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9/19/2015 - ButtonwoodTree wrote:
Drank at La Panetierre with Sara and my mother.
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9/9/2015 - Sevencircles Likes this wine: 93 Points
A great and typical leftbank Bordeaux. Lovely nose and great mouthfeel and general taste. 93+ no doubt about that but a bit too expensive.
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8/31/2015 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Generous and full and lovely drinking right now. Has some ripe berry, fig and chocolate aromas and flavours. It is plump in the mouth with round sweet tannins carrying the finish.
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8/22/2015 - dream wrote: 92 Points
This has an extraordinary nose of ripe cassis, eucalyptus and cinnamin spice. On the palate, it's stubbornly lean at first but then a very finely-grained wine emerges with gorgeous flavors of cassis, eucalyptus and red spices. Quite linear and precise but somewhat unforgiving at this point. I can see why Jancis likes this as it is a very "British" claret. I find little vineyard typicity here for some reason but the wine is young, very fine and may improve. 92?
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8/4/2015 - jmoore431 wrote: 92 Points
Very young dark garnet color; muted, shy, sweet nose; palate explodes, rich and tannic still; seems much younger.
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7/4/2015 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
18th of 24, typically fine or better, perfect cork and level, decanted an hour - deepish glossy garnet, rim slightly lightening; complex, classy bouquet, black fruit over hot bricks, touch of cedar, more Cos than St Estephe; fullish bodied, glossy, silky fruit, very long and persistent, decent drive, ready but improving still. Very fine (18.5/20).
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6/29/2015 - grapist wrote: 96 Points
A Classic Bordeaux. Color showed no sign of aging...at least in the darkened restaurant. Seductive nose of fruit, smoke and both chocolate. and vanilla. Flavors of that plus tobacco, cedar and so much more.
Opened and decanted at the restaurant and the wine did not change much in the hour or so it took us to drink it with my rack of lamb and her duck confit. We both loved the pairing.
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5/13/2015 - andtheodor wrote: flawed
TCA. Quite dark, showing some coffee grounds, cocoa, tobacco too, but unfortunately too stripped to get into.
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5/3/2015 - vagrantone Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful classic Cos. Why would anyone choose to deviate from such a delightful classy style that cannot be even approached elsewhere?
Impeccable balance, nice broad underlying structure holding together a vast array of plum, cassis, earthy and spicy aromas. Exactly what I hoped for this wine. Having tasted the 2008 vintage only a week earlier, I'm left shaking my head...
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3/20/2015 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Medlar lunch: Lovely nose. Quite rich and lush but with a nicely savoury almost green edge that keeps it in check. Again, quite rich on the attack, but balanced by a minerality through the mid palate. Long. And lovely. The showgirl, with restraint. ****
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3/1/2015 - sharonandroland Likes this wine: 93 Points
Showing very well. Classic and classy. Well aged, lovely tobacco notes.Stil plenty of fruit, and the tannings very round now.
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2/24/2015 - chiliman96 wrote: 89 Points
disappointing; tart; unspectacular;
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2/23/2015 - chiliman96 wrote: flawed
corked
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2/7/2015 - Sheila62 Likes this wine:
Very young bordeaux. Unbelievable nose and balanced on the palate but this is a youngster. This will be very good in the future
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2/6/2015 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Drinking so beautifully right now. Opened prob 2 hours before consumption and then decanted for maybe 30 minutes. Funny how cali cabs and Bordeaux seem to move in the same direction. This tasted awfully similar to a '92 Bryant. There was a nice fruit backbone to it. Very earthy and lots going on. That really fun 'old' wine flavor. I enjoyed this. Had meant to pair against food, but ended up drinking the bottle before we got our mains.
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12/18/2014 - gaf wrote: 92 Points
STILL ROOM LEFT IN THIS ONE. GREAT NOSE AND SMOOOTH FINISH
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12/16/2014 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
I agree with other people that the wine is still very young. Vanilla, mocha, and black tea on the palate. I think this wine has a longer life ahead
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11/26/2014 - fcxj wrote: 86 Points
Faded quickly
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11/7/2014 - etyc Likes this wine:
Vivino - Singapore "chapter" (the opening) (Imperial Treasure, Great World City): Dark-ruby. Reticent nose at first. Upon some swirling (and time in glass), this opened up to scents of spice, peppers. This bottle tasted a lot younger than the one I had ~2-weeks back. Didn't show that much secondary character. Tea-leaves, mocha, packed with fruits. A lot more legs to last for more years, most definitely...
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10/28/2014 - etyc Likes this wine:
Cos d'Estournel dinner with Aymeric de Gironde & Charles Thomas (Les Amis): Now we're really really talking... Final wine of the night. This hit all the right spots. Wonderful nose with secondary flavors - forest floor, ash, cedar, spice... On the palate - silky with lots of spice. Still lots of fruit and one can definitely still sense the structure. Fine powdery tannins. Very long. This will definitely still last...
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10/10/2014 - Cheungtp Likes this wine: 94 Points
A Night Out with Ch.Cos d'Estournel (Metropolitan wine cellar, HK): A lovely matured Cos, and the nose is just impeccable. Pure and clean, fruit still remains, mainly red fruits. I thought it casts a similar profile as the 96, but the 96 sports more energy and holds your attention more deeply. Nevertheless, the 89 Cos is a beauty in itself and drinks wonderfully, old leather, cigar smoke and mushroom are very comforting. What a nice wrap up to an enjoyable dinner with delicious food and beautiful wines from Cos.
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10/8/2014 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
VIP Monopole Wine Tasting: Had 2 bottles with some variation. At its best, dried leaves, nice perfume, slight sour cherry in the finish with good structure and tertiary notes. this is peaked. Much prefer the 1990. 91-92
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9/24/2014 - Lilja Likes this wine: 94 Points
FW-BYOB-HT#1: ¤FW - Outstanding wine! It's vibrant fruit fooled me to think this was much younger. The nose and style is text book Bordeaux. Ceder, pencil shavings, raw bell pepper, blueberries, Corinthian raisins, tobacco and some wood ashes. Mature, supple fruit with a fresh acidity and distinct but well integrated tannins. Tonight this is just in perfect harmony.
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9/11/2014 - CellarBord Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was a case of bottle variation. The lesser bottles were well aged, tannins resolved, medium bodied, nice character (90 pts). The better bottles had more intensity, medium to full bodied, polished, excellent character (93 pts). I luckily has a glass of each. No hurry to drink this wine.
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7/17/2014 - Richard P Howden wrote: 93 Points
Extremely good bottle. At first on open it was very secondary - bright floral nose with tones of oak and leather, with front not very fruity but very balanced and long. As it opened over a few hours the nose intensified (rose petals) and dark red fruit emerged, combined with chocolate, leather, and spicy pepper on the back. Generous mouth watering acid and smoothed tannins complemented smoked duck ragu.
A lovely wine in a great place.
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7/5/2014 - Brussels 1049 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is bottle that came to London via the Swedish alcohol monopoly, so it has travelled around a bit. Bricking at edge, open, full nose of vanilla and spices. On the palete, this is beginning to dry out, with a touch of leanness, but still has a decent amount of fruit left, finishing well, with some length. Definitely time to drink up, but still a very good bottle.
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6/7/2014 - FrancoisD Likes this wine: 96 Points
équilibre parfait. Arômes profonds et subtils (atténué et bien amalgamés): mûres, poivron vert, réglisse.
tout simplement éblouissant!
parmis les meilleures expérience des vins à vie.
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5/18/2014 - Sennma wrote:
Decanted for 1 hour. The nose was a bit shy, with graphite and cassis. Tannins nicely integrated but still present enough that think it still has life ahead of it. Fruit tends toward the cooler side of the equation. Overall a really solid expression of Bordeaux and not overdone like some of the more recent vintages of Cos.
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4/30/2014 - jsebiri wrote:
wine showed very well tonight , multi-dimensional , nice
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4/28/2014 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
mature Bordeaux wine evening (The Traklin Wine-Bistro): dark ruby colour with amber rim
wonderful tertiary aromas, dark fruit on the nose, charred wood, burnt rubber, raisins, smokey
full bodied, firm tannins, lacking depth, dry with excellent length.
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4/9/2014 - DonWinspear Likes this wine: 92 Points
It took about an hour for this wine to start showing it's stuff. Well worth the wait. Light nose, but a well developed palate. Light earth, river stones, dark fruit - cassis primarily. Nice.
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3/20/2014 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 96 Points
This wine took an age to come round but it has been worth the wait. For many years this was an ugly duckling; it was stubbornly recalcitrant; then an awkward, spotty, callow youth. It started to come together around 2009 when it showed great promise, and acquitted itself with distinction in a star-studded line up of 1989s. I even preferred it to some of the vintage superstars like Montrose, Lynch-Bages, Pichons Baron and Lalande and Leoville-Lascases. Over the last five years this has gained in complexity and developed multifarious and captivating tertiary overtones. It has a freshness and vibrancy overlaid with a mosaic of dark fruits, pine needles, menthol, rich dark chocolates, licorice, iron, minerals, gravel, pipe tobacco and exotic spices. It has a fine texture, freshness and lift. It traverses the palate like a ballet dancer. It is marvellously poised and complex. A compelling wine. On this showing I think this is now probably one of the top half a dozen wines of the vintage.
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3/18/2014 - Papies wrote: flawed
Five Decades of Cos D'Estournel with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Had a funky nose and felt out of touch with other notes from this vintage. Will treat it as flawed.
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3/18/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruit on the nose, charred wood, burnt rubber, raisins, smokey. Slightly angular on the palate, short and lacking depth, dry with medium+ length. Not sure about the bottle, but clearly disappointing in the context of the vintage. 89-91. Drink up.
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1/18/2014 - Hypersphere wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for 3 hours, it showed class, but still tannic, and felt corked even then… disappointing
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12/15/2013 - gcvita01 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Had it with Standing Rib roast and Yorkshire pudding. Outstanding. Still holding up well, Nice finish.
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12/14/2013 - MLD70 Likes this wine: 93 Points
from magnum, decanted four hours. served with porcini-rubbed filet, this was drinking beautifully. rich nose, some bricking at the edges but full of life, and velvety mouthfeel. lots of dried red fruits to go with the mature secondary notes of mushroom, etc. A wonderful wine.
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12/5/2013 - reubenshapcott wrote: 92 Points
Damn that is some good wine.
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11/30/2013 - lockandkey2 Likes this wine: 95 Points
an excellent bottle! shame can't be had more frequently. started a little tight with fine grained tannins, slowly opening to a little dark fruit as secondary aromas, the leather and barnyard were clearly in the forefront. Went very well with the Beef Wellington served that evening.
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11/26/2013 - awilliamson4 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Great but a little green
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11/1/2013 - Rezy13 wrote:
Friday Night Double Blind Tasting $40+ (Bin 75): Dark core with bricking; red currant, eucalyptus, smoky, mesquite, and cedar; a little lean and mean and not really showing the stuffing some other wines from this vintage exhibit, very true aged Left Bank; good.
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10/28/2013 - JonnyG wrote: 89 Points
Aussie Night with the GrapeMates (Rocket Restaurant in Chatswood, Sydney): Quite monolithic and hard-edged, will strictly primary characteristics. Still admirable for its typicity, with notes of muted cherry and licorice, makin this worth revisiting in time if one were to be so lucky.
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10/24/2013 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
Dinner with JonnyG (Sydney, Australia): Cherry, cedar, graphite and dusty elements to the nose. The palate is still youthful and doesn't feel fully settled yet, I'd like to see it again in 5 years or so. Medium length and depth.
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10/24/2013 - fournet wrote: 91 Points
Nice. Ready. Lot of licorice.
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10/14/2013 - Chris Davies wrote: 93 Points
Lovely, a good bottle. Intense, ripe fleshy fruit and plenty of tertiary exotic spice and fine leather. Oak noticeable but balanced. Long, complex.
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9/20/2013 - DonalOB wrote: 91 Points
Cos Dinner
Quite a bit tighter than the '82. Still quite primal, not particularly evolved. Not a lot visible at this showing.
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9/8/2013 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 92 Points
Purchased upon release and cellared in pristine fashion, this deep garnet wine shows aromas of Asian spices, fig, cocoa, plum and earth. Round and medium-bodied on the palate, its flavors mirror the nose and are framed by silky residual tannins and well-integrated alcohol (listed as 13%). Layered and building throughout the middle, it concludes with a soft, lengthy finish. This St. Estèphe is fully mature and delicious to drink. Well-cellared bottles should remain enjoyable for at least another 5-7 years. Drink now-2020.
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4/19/2013 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bordeaux 1989 Horizontal Tasting (Zurich): Deep red. Nose of coffee, herbs and dark berries. The acidity is nicely integrated. Beautiful balance between sweetness and bitterness. The wine has power and is long, but the tannins are still present. I would wait another 3-4 years until I try again. Drink 2015 - 2035.
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4/14/2013 - WinoRick wrote: 91 Points
Classic cab structure. I have a couple more bottles and I think I'll wait a few more years for the next bottle, or at least double decant and wait a few hours.
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3/2/2013 - Rwill5978 wrote: 89 Points
Excellent wine.
Needed to decant to remove suspended complex molecules
See other tasting notes for details
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3/1/2013 - Javachip wrote: 96 Points
San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 3/1/2013 (Sbicca Restaurant, Del Mar, California): Decanted and re-bottled three hours before tasting. Clear dark garnet color. Fresh bouquet of lavender, red currants, cherries, pipe tobacco, rocky forest floor, spice box. Elegant and balanced. Ultra smooth, mellow, medium body, long finish. My #1, group's SECOND PLACE, but with more #1 votes than the top-ranking wine tonight.
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2/17/2013 - pepmi wrote: 92 Points
A beautifully drinking wine. Decanted for 30 minutes. Only modest brick-ish tones on the rim. Still deep red at the center. Initially the bouquet was all about anise and licorice with the fruit subdued and hidden. After 60 minutes or so, dark berry fruit emerged and make the central flavor notes. Classically made. Well balanced. Broad, horizontal and complex. Still perhaps 5-7 years left in the drinking window.
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2/15/2013 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
Double decanted 3 hrs in advance, needed second decant to remove some residual fine sediment. Deep red color with little bricking, dark berry fruit, tobacco, cedar, anise nose, plenty of dense dark fruit on palate, tannins are smoothly integrated, everything in balance, long smooth finish. Seems like this wine has attained a much higher level compared with our previous bottle a year ago. A very enjoyable wine with an enjoyable dinner.
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1/21/2013 - JackieTreehorn wrote: flawed
Corked
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1/11/2013 - LWI wrote: 91 Points
20 Vintages of Château Léoville Las Cases: Blind. Warm, sweet entrance, fresh fruit, but drying wooden tannins in the finish. Seems a bit overdone. Some brett?
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12/15/2012 - md20 Does not like this wine:
Beide Flaschen hatten Fehler. Offenbar schlechte Lagerung. Der Wein wird von Profi Bewertern sehr unterschiedlich benotet. Mein Eindruck lag eher bei Parker.
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12/11/2012 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Tuesday at the Papies (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): Just about in neck level. Solid Cork. Decanted for 1.5 hours and definitely helped. A lot of fine sediment s be aware of disturbing it.
Colour shows its age with bricking n the rim and a brownish tint across. The nose is textbook yet again, elegant and mild with light earth, mineral and light sweet dark fruit notes. On the palate it is still firm yet the tannins are integrated with a silky edge to them. It exhibited a lot more fruit this time round vs a year or so ago when we tried it last . A solid showing. 93 drink from now but has the stuffing to go another 10yrs easily.
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11/18/2012 - thewineoceros wrote:
Bordeaux 1989 left bank (with a bonus VCC): Ruby brown rim, with an initial nose of exotic spices, although this soon blows off, and what remains seems very closed. Smooth entry and then not a lot more. It is drinkable, but seems flat, a bit lifeless and lacking any real distintive flavours. Bad bottle maybe? No score given
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9/26/2012 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Beautifully mature and luxurious bouquet with cigar box and smoke. Same on the palate with a touch of sweetness, creamy fruits, sweet spices , a beautiful balance between acidity and sweetness and soft and round tannin with a soft and beautiful bite. The creamy fruits tell me the wine still has a good future, but the wine is in a beautiful drinking stage now as well.
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9/22/2012 - jkoenen wrote: 94 Points
Cos-Montrose Battle (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Bold, coarse and masculine. Seems to have a lot of time to go. Dark fruit, leather, horse stable and beef stew prevail at the moment. Would like to try this one in 3 to 5 years time. 18.5/20
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9/18/2012 - SimonG wrote: 88 Points
Rupert's 89 'Super Seconds' Offline (The Medlar, London): Single blind. A touch volatile and a little medicinal on the nose, a little stewed and plummy. ?a slightly under-par Cos? A little corked? Cos. ***
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6/12/2012 - wickedwax wrote:
After tasting a few other 1986 Bordeaux wines, this seemed downright young. In fact, fairly primary with plenty of ripe cassis fruit, vanilla and oak with some earthy and herbal notes. Really didn't show much in the way of secondary development. Medium-full bodied; still fairly tannic, but fairly fine-grained so that it comes across as rather smooth. Excellent depth and good concentration with nice balancing acidity and very good length. I honestly think this could probably use close to ten years to approach maturity, but it was quite nice to taste now.
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6/3/2012 - mariolanza wrote: 93 Points
Really enjoyed this, very classy, lots of liquorice and tobacco notes, great finesse, smooth all the way, classic Claret
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5/11/2012 - jwsobeck wrote: 93 Points
Kickass Bordeaux. Ripe at first. Then tea leaf. Red fruit. Excellent.
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5/5/2012 - phynes wrote: 95 Points
Drank just after the Gruaud Larose '96 at dinner. TheGL was a lovely wine but the Cos '89 was outstanding. Lots of secondary tastes coming through with the balance and complexity one expects from a great Bordeaux. I would say it is at its peak but will stay there for at least another 5 years and maybe longer. Interesting that Parker rates the 1990 much higher but I would give this the nod. While I have a lot of time for Parker, I think this is an example where he scores two wines (fairly in his mind) when they are very young but then doesn't adjust as much as he should as the wines mature.
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4/28/2012 - Schwarzer Hund wrote:
Medium red with brick edges, very little bouquet at first, slight red & black cherry, earthy, some tobacco, plenty of fruit in balance with tannins and acidity. Needs a couple of hours in carafe. Very smooth on palate with a nice medium length finish. No signs of decline.Tasted better with the mild cheese course than the spicy duck breast entree.
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4/5/2012 - Ary Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still fairly young colour for 1989. Chocolate dipped cherries and soft tones in the nose. Very well-balanced, ELEGANT and rich/ velvet, with earth and red fruits on the palate. Enough power and tannins for a long life.
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1/25/2012 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
89/90 Bordeaux Retrospective with Hart Davis Hart: My second time with this wine over the past few months and just as before - brambly, flinty, good dark fruit. Rich texture. I found this much more multi-dimensional than the 1990.
4+
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1/21/2012 - sdwineguru wrote: 95 Points
Mid-dark garnet, brick edges; cedar, wood, earth, tobacco nose; balanced on the palate; rich finish. Some life left. w/filet mignon
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1/20/2012 - macker100 wrote: 93 Points
St. Estephe night. Nose took some coaxing, and while not as lively as the '90 Montrose, had very pleasurable notes of cherry, cedar, and earth. Palate was very smooth with excellent mid palate, had a roasted nut profile along with rich black fruits. Reminded me somewhat of a super tuscan with exotic feel. Lengthy finish. Lighter and less tannic than the '90 Cos.
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1/20/2012 - Nutty08 wrote: 94 Points
St. Estephe Night (Home of Mike and Sandra O.): Splash decanted and continues to improve through the evening. Initially quite closed and tannic. Nose with a mild vinyl character, roasted coffee and very dark fruit with a tarry asphalt undertone. Palate was still quite tannic, with enough freshness on the otherwise dark currant profile. Many secondary notes of roasted Italian coffee, tar, and smoke. Lengthy tannic finish, showing more of the same secondary characteristics. Still youthful and tannic, needing time to reach peak, though good with a couple hours air. My #2 of the night. 93-95
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1/12/2012 - Lombardi wrote: 94 Points
I decanted this wine for 1h before we started drinking. It was a bit restrained at first and not as distinct as i imagined. I thought this would be heady and intense. It opened up and started to display the muscles. Earthy complexity and mineral, but clearly softer than the '90. Great structure and body. Tannins were pleasant although firm. Here youmget a nice balance of primary and tertiary notes. Medimu++ finish this can last many more years.
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1/11/2012 - porkar wrote:
Skall drickas HJ
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12/29/2011 - bertou wrote: 91 Points
After 2 hours decanting, open nose with typical evolved Cabernet with good depth, purity. Cassis (on the mouth it was proeminent), earthy notes, humus, tobacco. Really nice.
In the mouth, middle body, still lot of energy with high balance. Quite mouth in the beginning followed by rounded tannins with fine grain. Some bitterness at the end. The length was really nice.
Not the best Cos, it should have been a monster like the 1986 in this vintage. Like many other château did.
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12/24/2011 - Vinobrother wrote: 94 Points
A beautiful, still lithe, athletic, wine dressed very smartly in a sexy suit. I've had this in the cellar since purchased at the release along wit many others from many vintages. They get opened on occasions. This one is one of the most surprising. Color still bright red, thinning slightly at the edges. Aromas change from cedar, leather and moist wood, to some bright berries, dark cherries, violets, and then you go to take another sip and it's back to leather, spices, anise. Body is light, mouthfeel is not super textured, showing the tannins are soft and the balance of alcohol and acid are perfect. Lots of vibrant fruit flavors. I would think this near or at it's apex of age, except that there is still so much sexy fruit inside the tailored suit of tannins that it will still be good for awhile yet! Not you new world style, time for even those that have not had a love affair with French Bordeaux to see what a really good St Estephe Bordeaux with a little age is all about, then decide if you like it or not.
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12/13/2011 - SimonG wrote:
Christmas WIMPS (Bordeaux Table) (The Ledbury, London.): There's a ripeness and a lushness to the fruitbefore the structure grips you. Opens up well. Density and savouryness. Opens up well in the glass. Generous. ****1/2
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11/30/2011 - Greis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Straight from the Bottle: A little simple, lots of leather.
After 1 hour in the decanter: Beautiful bouquet, very complex with notes of leather, lead, different earthy notes, but little herbal as well. I general lots of classic Bordeaux notes. Still Powerful - with well balanced and soft tannins.
Danm I like it! Just what i want from a mature Bordeaux
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11/26/2011 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Académie des Cinquante Claret Tasting (Restaurant De Zwethheul **, Schipluiden, Netherlands): Savoury, animalité, pencil, some concentration, no obvious 1989-charm, masculin, svelte tannins, fully developed. a touch simple for what it is.
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10/30/2011 - Sennma wrote: flawed
Corked
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10/4/2011 - SFBill wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Nose was closed. Finish was hot.
Left a glass in the fridge overnight. Better the second day. Nose still closed but lush body of a Cos. Fruit was still there but this bottle was not at the level for this vintage.
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10/1/2011 - vespasian wrote: 94 Points
Medium ruby core with very little fade at the rim; very youthful tapenade smoky cassis, so undeveloped. Quite recalcitrant and unyielding. Quite concentrated and intense, brooding, licorice - takes some coaxing. Black cherry; beautifully defined palate, fruit and mouthfeel are sensational. Hugely complex Layers of flavour. Totally seductive. Austere yet classically wonderful. Really fills the mouth and delivers though not flashy. Complex finish with excellent length. Another 5 years and this will be something very special indeed! 93-95
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9/18/2011 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 90 Points
The nose was savory and meaty with dark red fruits, sweet cinnamon spice and hint of liquor. On the palate, it was big and rich with ripe, juicy fruit and herbal tea. The finish was mouth-coating but turned juicy with a slight medicinal note. This was a very sexy wine that was more fun to drink than to think about.
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9/16/2011 - tjib13 wrote: 91 Points
I didn't realize this was in my cellar, it was left over from the holidays, a nice find when looking for a wine to have with steak. Mold on the cork and some indication of seepage but very good fill, still in the neck. Since my father left this I know it was stored under the steps starting around '90 or '91, then in a crawl space(not ideal) and finally in a wine cooler,.
Promising aromas of fruit upon pulling the cork. Decanted this to allow it to warm since I didn't plan ahead for this bottle. Lots of sediment. Dark red, purple hue to the deep red core and some bricking on the edges. Aromas of spice, dark red fruit, toasted oak, and as it had more air time- bacon. Flavors of earth, some fruit, tobacco, tar. Very long finish.
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6/30/2011 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux Vertizontal (88,89,90 - Palmer/Leoville Barton/Cos/Mouton) (Roberson Wine, South Ken, London): Nice elegant yet restraint nose. Stony, mineral old school st estephe austerity to it. Good fruit though and lot of life. Feels a bit tight especially vs the other fruit driven 89s but thats Cos for you.Lots of life and lots of aging potential in this. 92
Decanting is needed.
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6/25/2011 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
CellarTracker Wisconsin Offline I - Part Three - Grand Finale (Madison, WI): WIML91
Tasted non blind at a wine dinner.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of cedar, berries, plums and a bit of cherries. Flavors of berries, plums and a little cherry. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink over the shorter term than the longer term.
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6/25/2011 - IWineAlot wrote: 90 Points
CT Wisconsin Offline (Madison, WI): I have to agree with Tom, this wine was a touch too green. But with that said I still found some cherries hidden underneath. Overall a little disappointing.
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6/25/2011 - petitblanc wrote:
CT Wisconsin Offline; 6/24/2011-6/25/2011 (Madison, WI): Surprisingly green and showing much less fruit than I had expected. This bottle was in decline and not especially enjoyable, for my palate. No score.
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5/29/2011 - englishman's claret wrote:
From 375. Mature disc. Beautiful nose, excellent pencil lead, blackberries and plums, a nice oak component mingled with clay and just a hint of horse. Splendid. The nose is very heady, very lush. With air, lavender. Velvety on the palate, plenty of tannin. Good balance and a fine finish. Less elegance than the '97 (which I find aromatically gorgeous) but less chunky than the '85. Great wine!
Waiting on this will do it a disservice. I don't think that the tertiary components are going to get more interesting as there's just a hint of the fall leaf smell of Bordeaux going downhill on the finish and the fruit is so beautiful now. Drink up!
4.5/5
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5/27/2011 - rayq Likes this wine:
This was lovely claret. Lovely blackcurrant nose. No trace of 'green' (the 88 consumed alongside it had a hint of green) This is in a very sweet place right now. Lovers of more 'classic' profile might want to wait but this gave a lot of pleasure. I wish I had more.
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5/9/2011 - Mark162 wrote: 89 Points
beautiful garnet color, deep fruity aromas with licorice and vanilla. full flavored on the palate, almost with too much fruit, rich tannins, and moderate acidity. i would prefer to taste a bit more terroir, but nonetheless a rich and meaty St. Estephe.
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3/31/2011 - Jossik wrote: 89 Points
Subito al naso molto frutto, qualcosa di marino, quasi salino. La bocca è più rotonda e vellutata, forse un po' troppo morbida.
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3/11/2011 - ctwomey wrote:
Wine-Pages Dublin Offline (Ely CHQ, Dublin, Ireland): I have had the '88 Cos before about 10 years ago and it was super. I was really looking forward to this, however I had three other flights before this one, (1 Champagne flight, 1 White and 1 Red Burgundy Flight). I struggled a little to differentiate between the '88 Haut Brion and this.
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3/6/2011 - carlwhat wrote:
i found this wine very much out of balance. the fruit is fading, but the tannins on the finish were very harsh and astringent. i do not think it will ever resolve its structure...
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3/4/2011 - palbe wrote: 91 Points
Stall, anis og røde bær på nesen. Myk, fyldig og harmonisk. Nær toppen nå.
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2/20/2011 - popasq wrote: 96 Points
Typical Cos, smoth, opened the bottle an hour before drinking, then decanted.
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2/11/2011 - joshbryer wrote:
No formal notes... Sappy red fruit, nice but not knockout nose. Very good secondary character, dense and rich but a bit hot. Slightly out of balance.
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1/23/2011 - heartlandrv wrote: 94 Points
Cork was in great shape - red only 1/2 way. Decanted 1.5 hours and served with veal osso buco and risotto milanese. Amazingly vibrant yet balanced, it is the perfect example of why aged bordeaux has no equal. Drinking very well now and should last for at least another 3-5 years.
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1/19/2011 - guribh wrote: 92 Points
An hour of decanter time was not enough. Dark with no apparent bricking. Nose, reserved initially, of tobacco and dark cherries. An hour into the meal it finally came around and showed some mocha notes and more floral elements. I think the wine has plenty left in it.
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12/28/2010 - Brussels 1049 wrote: 85 Points
Colour still dark, opulent, spicy nose, but on the palete, the fruit is drying out, leaving a rather thin taste, albeit with some length. A classy wine that seems to be very much on the way down, although my bottles bear capsule labels from the the Swedish alcohol monopoly (now abolished) which means the wine might have suffered from travelling too much. Other bottles from this case have been quite consistent. Update: 4 hours after opening, the wine filled out somewhat and it gains a couple of points, but my principal diagnosis that the fruit is fading still stands.
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12/26/2010 - lagrein wrote: 90 Points
Even after 2 hours decanting, the wine seemed flat and tired; but that changed over the course of the meal. We discovered a wonderfully elegant, complex and still fruity wine.
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12/21/2010 - guido23 wrote: flawed
Cork was horrendous, red through and through with mold growing on top. Still, the wine wasn't bad. Musty/dirt nose but very nice tannic structure. Too much green bell pepper on the palate but a nice long finish.
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11/26/2010 - profiler54 wrote: 96 Points
Perfect high neck fill and well preserved cork. Opened for 30 min in decanter. Color ruby with slight bricking on edges .Nose was black currant, black berry, dried tobacco, resinous oak, wet earth with anise. Excellent balance on the palate. flavors were along lines of nose with additional notes for come walnut and chocolate. Wonderful wine, long finish. Loved it. My wife gave it 98..
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11/24/2010 - JiiTee wrote: 94 Points
Very elegant Cos. It never let you down. Drink now.
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11/11/2010 - ELH wrote: 93 Points
Alas, the last bottle.
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10/17/2010 - treaganjr wrote: 93 Points
Opened 30 minutes before drinking but did not decant. Drinking very well and true to the Cos tradition of elegant wine.
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10/17/2010 - alamoave wrote: 95 Points
Superb claret. No flaws. Decant for 30 minutes
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9/7/2010 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 45minutes from a good & well kept bottle
This wine is now on top form and drinks very well. Would prefer it to the 1990 at the moment in terms of timing.
Very elegant wine from nose to palate. Nice subtle fruit, less earthy than other 80s Cos and very complex. Just lovely.
Nicol 93/Andreas 94 > 93+
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8/16/2010 - bsherwin wrote: flawed
An '89 Cos
Tinged with a hint of cork
It was my last one
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8/1/2010 - popasq wrote: 95 Points
Lovely, ready to drink.
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7/25/2010 - tbabes wrote: 94 Points
The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound. Purple-ruby color with some garnet at the rim. A lovely bouquet of ripe fruit, lavender and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, with good concentration, impressive balance, a classic structure, good texture, and a focused finish.
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7/19/2010 - Sotto325 wrote: 91 Points
I went through a half case for several years begining in 1996 and none was ready. I now had my last bottle and it was classic elegant St Estephe. More sublte than the Segur or others. Not nearly up to the 67, a classic fro all time, but definitely a first rate wine. SMokey with deep purple fruit on the nose and mid palate, long finish, medium body.
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7/2/2010 - ELH wrote: 93 Points
Lovely, mature Bordeaux. Decanted one hour and funneled back into the bottle. Exquisite balance of tannins, structure, fruit and finish. A sort of restrained elegance. In its drinking prime?
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6/16/2010 - jsander Likes this wine: 95 Points
Really nice old Bordeaux drank very well.
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6/1/2010 - beachbum wrote: 91 Points
this was still very dark without any browning, it had a very tight mineral nose that took an hour or so to come out to play, it was never showy, the concentrated red fruit played well with the slate and smoke and the silky texture grew with time. elegant and classy, but not really wow for me.
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3/14/2010 - rralls wrote: 92 Points
One of my favorites of the night.
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3/12/2010 - asaselzer wrote: 92 Points
Soft. Fruity, great Nose of herb. Gravelly. Thus is a great wine. Decant for at least one hour.
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2/27/2010 - jorgerunfast wrote: 92 Points
Miami Dinner with Jburman and MWN (Le Provencal on Miracle Mile): This was Jack's "back up wine".... what a guy. The nose was very clearly earthy, mushrooms and truffle with some menthol notes. Still plenty of tannin, mouth coating medium to full bodied wine. Very sexy elegant finish. We asked to have it decanted after our first glass which made a world of difference. Still 5+ years left at this level with no problem. And a well-stored bottle should go a ways as the tannins wre very much alive and there was enough going on with the nose and palate to last many more years.
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2/3/2010 - winenuts wrote: 85 Points
This is my third bottle, i feel really disappointed, not really the same as pervious. Very tight and can not open even after 5 hours decanting. Tannins like drinking a heavy Chinese tea all the time. The fruit was gone. Hope my next bottle would be better. Same case of 12 bottles but different taste. Unbelievable !!!!!!
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1/20/2010 - thirstyman wrote:
similar to last bottle - I'd drink now.
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1/3/2010 - Paul D wrote: flawed
Badly corked
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12/31/2009 - thirstyman wrote:
Horible looking cork. Wine was beautiful. Slow ox'd for about 4 hours and then drank over 2. Just starting to have a little bricking on the rim. Nice nose of dark fruit and a hint of earth. Flavor was complex dark fruits layered over a slight truffle/earthyness. Really a beautiful wine. Fully mature. Because of the cork and that this was an auction purchase - I have no clue if its stage of development is representative.
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12/31/2009 - Mpoob wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful drink, but it has gotten to the end of the "fruit" cycle and is now slipping into maturity.
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12/25/2009 - AtoZ wrote: 92 Points
Lovely bordeaux and at its peak. A bit more cedar than fruit perhaps for my liking but very enjoyable. I would not sit on these much longer.
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12/16/2009 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Simple Series I: Andrew's Birthday (Asia Grand, Odeon Towers): Good, but a bit disappointing for a Cos from a strong year - this clearly needs more time in the bottle. Nose was muted, with tight little hints of earth, tobacco, cigar smoke and cassis, with quite a proportion of toast. Clearly a Cos though. Same on the palate, very nice balance and concentration, lovely stucture with fine tannins, typical Cos lines of cigar smoke, some cassis and some spice, but all so tightly wound up. It was all a little clean and primary at the moment. Finish too - nice smoke and graphite notes, very clean, some length, but not showing much. Obviously a good wine, but I would wait a good 3 years at the very least before broaching it again if I had a bottle that was this well stored.
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11/15/2009 - schwartzman wrote: 91 Points
out of the bottle very thin and almost like the alcohol was gone - transformed dramatically over 1-2 hours into a delicious wine. A bit less intense than i thought it would be - don't know that more time will improve it.
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11/11/2009 - MRichman wrote:
1989 Bordeaux at 20 years (Morton's NYC): Very nice. Balanced, broad with very good fruit and a touch of sweetness. Ready to drink and has a long life ahead of it.
A-
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10/24/2009 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Académie des Cinquante 54th Annual Dinner (Restaurant Ciel Bleu **, Amsterdam): Warm and slightly roasted, a true 1989, well-rounded, softer and not as persistent as the Cepparello 1990, a tad short. Assez bien.
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10/24/2009 - winenuts wrote: 88 Points
It needs to decante for two hours then ready to drink, very smooth. compare with 85, 85 is more stylish and better. medium body.
clarity 5/5, colour 5/5, Aroma Intensity 8/10, aroma nose 12/15, taste 13/15, smoothly 5/5, taste balance 14/15, complexity 17/20, finish 9/10.
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10/6/2009 - RMC3 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for two hours. Very balanced and round. Much better than the last time I tasted it.
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8/31/2009 - t-slow wrote: 90 Points
Seems to get better with age. It may have put on a little weight with the fruits still holding hence adding to the pleasure of drinking it.
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7/29/2009 - 60ouvrees wrote:
Round and rich with an almost milky smoothness to it. Very tasty, crowd-pleasing bordeaux at peak of maturity.
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7/27/2009 - LeatherPalate wrote: 90 Points
aged Bordeaux night at Cafe Bernard: Nice amounts of cedar,tobacco and dark chocolate on the nose along with some real nice blueberries and blackberries.
Nice amounts of cherries,herbs de,cedar,and still pretty young tannins.
A nice wine that still needs plenty of cellar time to show it's full potential IMO.
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7/25/2009 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
the nose was a little tight at first, but the bottle opened up and showed well. nice blackerry compote, light tobocco and burnt herbs on the nose. the 89 didn't have the rich mouthfeel the 1990 Cos had, but the silkiness cannot be denied.
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7/24/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
Friday night Bordeaux (Cafe Bernard, Chicago IL): nose: rich and dense nose with tones of black cherry liqueur, cassis, dark red cherries, black currants and real nice tones of cedar. Good depth with a well evolved nose that still has a primal nature to it
taste: really good medium/full feel with dense tones of cedar, black cherry liqueur, dark cherries, and a nice amount of cassis. Good tannins with excellent balance but doesn't really bring it to the next level
overall: a very enjoyable Cos. While it is very ready right now with some good air, it still has a way to go as the nose is relatively evolved but the palate still has a youthful feel to it. The tannins are still quite present but are in a supporting role right now. An outstanding wine that has a ways to go, but not sure that it will get all that much better
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7/15/2009 - VoteferPedro wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured and eval'd post 30 min in glass. (properly stored since release with pristine cork, less than a 1/4 inch of penetration)
brown orange hue
Mercurial nose: fleeting earth, camphor followed by barbecue an d teriaki; all of which were not so obvious. Ultimately settled on a confectionery cocoa smell.
Somewhate angular palate with a cherry chocolate echoing the cocoa nose. Moderately tannic, medium finish. =88
day 2 the round sweet cocoa and cherry-ness remains and the wine is still holding up. I would give it 89 - 90
I drank in late nineties and hated it. It has a lot to recommend it now. I doubt it will improve but should be a nice drink for the next 5 years. i am not sure about QPR but if you have it, pop a cork and enjoy.
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7/6/2009 - wowothedog wrote: 78 Points
Quite OK, a bit tannic, present to the nose
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6/28/2009 - MC wrote:
Drinking well. A-
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6/17/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Ruby colored with bricking around the edges, the wine is very spicy, with scents of cinnamon, truffles, earth, cassis, and minerals. The wine is traditionally styled, giving it an austere quality. The fruit is not as rich as it was and is slowly starting to fade. Drink soon.
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4/12/2009 - Teamcrev wrote: 93 Points
Excellent. Remaining tannins and black fruit very well integrated at this point. Seems to have plenty of time left. Served with grilled lamb, red potatoes and asparagus.
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4/9/2009 - MC wrote:
Still young in color, but this is fully mature, and drinking well. It is just a bit thin to get an A, but nothing to turn down. Drink up. A-
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4/4/2009 - t-slow wrote: 89 Points
One of the better bottles I have drunk. It is light compared to some Cos from the more robust years. It stood up well demonstrating its pedigree. The nose coluld be said to be 'elegant' (read light, wispy...) but the requisite cassis, plumish nose... On the palate not fleshy but tasty enough. Did not last long on the finish.
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3/28/2009 - vinolovers wrote: 90 Points
A slight bricking on the rim. The bottle never fully opened but buried were plenty of black fruits primarily blackberry and cassis, folowed by tobacco and leather. No tannins but lots of backbone. Around it's peak Went very well with the rack of lamb cooked for dinner.
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3/21/2009 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 89 Points
@Palme d'Or, David Errenreich's wine. I believe David decanted this for too long. It drank well with decent fruit at first. 2 hours later it evolved into a woody astringency. Not = to the one he served 2 years ago.
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1/31/2009 - bricksofwine wrote: 94 Points
After raiding a friend's cellar, this was the oldest Bordeaux he had that was ready to open. Cork was wet and colored nearly all the way through. Very deep garnet color with faint amber edges. Obviously older than many of the other wines that evening. A nice nose of leather, cedar and smoke. Initial taste had some vegetal qualities but after sitting for another hour it became smoother with tastes of tobacco, black fruits and burnt toast. Taste improved even more the next day. This wine shows best if decanted for a couple hours. What a great finish to a flight of big reds. Drink now or continue to hold.
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1/1/2009 - Catnapped wrote: 91 Points
Bottle was in perfect condition. This wine needs a long decanting time to come around. Decanted immediately, very little sediment. The wine was acidic and sour at first, but gradually fleshed out and turned into something drinkable. After about an hour and a lot of swirling, the big tobacco and black fruit notes started coming out on the nose and things started coming into balance. It never became really fleshy, perhaps because we finished it before it had a chance. It would have been interesting to see how it continued to evolve. It was still a little stemmy by the end. I wouldn't drink this by itself, but it was a nice compliment to dinner. Next time I would open it about an hour earlier than we did. This wine is not over the hill by any means, but I don't think it's going to get any better. I'd drink it over the next few years.
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12/20/2008 - aof wrote: 90 Points
Surprisingly mediocre, considering the vintage. Rather vegetal undertones.
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12/20/2008 - t-slow wrote: flawed
Corked
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11/27/2008 - tendring wrote: 87 Points
Dark and developed.
Oxydised, metallic, rubber, offputting nose.
Quite pleasant, good balance, soft with dark chocolate notes, going nowhere.
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8/29/2008 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Dark, full, very youthful still, spice, tobacco, a bit chocolately, vigorous and delicious
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3/10/2008 - zimmy07 wrote: 91 Points
needed about two hours to decant. Has a green streak to it but evolved nicely with balanced fruit, a bit of tobacco and a smooth tannic structure
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3/9/2008 - psmith wrote:
Consistent with my last note.
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3/8/2008 - MeMyself&I wrote: 91 Points
Drinking very well right now. Not a whole lot of tannin on display. well-rounded, great fruit and a touch of cassis.
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3/2/2008 - Ricky99 wrote: 93 Points
Terrific wine with a ton of chutzpah.... opened bold and got sexier with air. Sad it went so fast
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1/23/2008 - BIlgen wrote: 90 Points
Very dark, concentrated, no signs of old age
Very complex nose, parfume of fruit, vanilla, wood
Great taste, moulleux, complex with nuance, no hard tannines but with a strong backbone, long after taste
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12/31/2007 - thomasme wrote: 90 Points
Round, flavorful and balanced, aired for two hours, not sure of provenance; at it's peak.
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12/13/2007 - cos82 wrote: 93 Points
A mature Cos that may be at its peak. Very enjoyable. Purple plum in color with no sign of age. Fine nose of black currant with earth and cocoa overtones. Very nice on the palate with a long finish. Spice, fruit, earth and cocoa all in balance and integrated yielding a smooth and interesting tasting experience. Cos continues to be one of my favorites, and this one did not disappoint. The standout in a flight of 3 which included a 1988 and 1985.
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10/31/2007 - grapist wrote: 96 Points
Second time we had this with the '96. This time the '89 came out on top. Absolutely mature and ready to drink, this had everything going, including the smoke that seems to me to be characteristic of the vintage. Not quite as fruity or aromatic as the the '96, but, IMO, had greater depth and character.
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10/9/2007 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 86 Points
Learning about Bordeaux with the Astorettes; 10/8/2007-10/10/2008 (Cafe Loup): Opens very green and leafy with obvious oak and a strong note of toasted sprouts and pencil lead. Medium bodied and very soft, silky soft with more than a passing resemblance to a mini 85 with it's upfront sweetness and seamless texture though less of the layered aspect that makes that wine appealing. This never wowed but has improved though the best aspect would be the gentle texture. 2007-2013
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9/10/2007 - PatrikO wrote: 92 Points
Pefect to drink now. Almost overbearing on nose and palet after the Lafite and Margaux. Bring out the big steak and this will be perfect, big aromas of
saddle leather, cedar, black currnants. long sexy finish.
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9/1/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
I don't want to say that I was let down by this wine but I think that I set my expectations too high. It was still quite good with nice fruit that did not fade away but nothing else really started to emerge until the bottle was nearly empty. Perhaps this should have been decanted to reach that yummy stage a little bit quicker. It was still an amazing bottle of wine but so far the 95 and 96 Cos are my favorites.
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8/19/2007 - GA wrote: 89 Points
8/07 Tasted at offline - Fading fruit - fine bitter burnt oak finish - off-balanced - ready now. 89 pts.
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7/24/2007 - IAMVLAD wrote:
at a blue nose tasting of various vintages of cos d'esternel. 2000 from someone else's cellar was probably the wine of the evening but this 89 wasn't far behind. mineral, tobacco and dark fruit tastes dominated this just beginning to open wine. the 90 was outclassed but that could change in a couple of years.
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6/15/2007 - otisabdul wrote: 89 Points
Soft and somewhat muted. Quite round and in need of some angularity. Eventually started showing some chocolately notes, along with trademark Indian spices. A much less interesting wine than the '88 Cos that we drank alongside it.
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6/2/2007 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
The Wine Summit 2007: Château Cos d'Estournel - Saturday, June 2, 2007 - afternoon: Mahogany – deep colour – wide amber rim; slowly developing bouquet – nice fruit but not as complex as the 1990; high acidity shines above the other elements, but there is an abundance of black currant fruit to coat the palate nicely; tannins come through in the finish – a bit drier than one might hope for.
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6/2/2007 - staglin wrote: 90 Points
Slighlty tired. Dry fruit on finish. Not overwhelming.
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5/17/2007 - Eric wrote:
This was lovely. Lots of nice, edgy green character to this St. Estephe, clearly singing of Cabernet and its appellation. This opened up quickly and was just textbook Bordeaux with lots of stalk, mineral, tobacco and black fruit. Darned delicious!
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2/1/2007 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
HDH Comparative Bordeaux Tasting 1989 & 1990 (Casino Club): Full red color. Lovely rich spicy cedar graphite nose. Full black fruit and spice on the palate with a long coffee finish.
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1/19/2007 - BIlgen wrote: 85 Points
Very dark red, almost back
Nose soft, not very good
Beautiful taste a bit strange, not much fruit, nice after taste, round with soft tanines, low in acid
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1/16/2007 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
DUO, Miami Medoc BYO Wine Dinner (DUO, S Miami Avenue, Miami, FL): One of David and Roberta's contributions. Wine #1 of Flight 1. WOTF, group rated it second or third best of the night. David Double decanted at 5pm.Excellent aromatics, classic cassis flavour and extended finish. Cigar box cedar absent.
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1/15/2007 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
clear, deep garnet color with legs and browning rim. clean, medium intensity nose with butter showing through as the primary aroma. dry, medium(-) tannins. coffee showing on the palate with some bitterness. long finish. good-excellent quality. drink now, but will last 10 years.
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1/2/2007 - Ricky99 wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic... surprised us.. very dumb when opened.. woke up in about an hour... outclassed two outstanding 95 first growths.
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11/18/2006 - pea wrote: 94 Points
The 89' Cos was the star compared to the Pahlmeyer and the Bric del Fiasc. It is a classic. Providing the full range of Bordeaux characteristics and the sweet mocca notes which is so typical of Cos. It is clearly a mature wine and may not develop further, but it must have several years left on the plateau.
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10/20/2006 - thlthl3 wrote: 93 Points
Black cherries and earth, an incredible expression of terroir. A perfect end to a wonderful meal. We had some other excellent Italian wines during the eveing, related to an Italian dinner. The Cos D'Estournel was brought out to end the evening and it really topped everything off. It lingered and filled the mouth. Excellent wine!
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9/25/2006 - Topper wrote: 91 Points
This is lovely mature bordeaux. Judging from the tasting notes, some of the bottles of this one are starting to go downhill. This particular one was just past its peak. Still delicious but a little softerr than it once was. P robably better now with fowl than with a steak. Unless yours have beeen impeccably kept, I would begin the pleasant task of drinking these up.
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9/10/2006 - gbyrn wrote:
dead fruit, slight nose of alcohol, over the hill
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7/30/2006 - babnik wrote: 93 Points
Such a treat! Oh to have a cellar full of mature Bordeaux. Someday. Deep red-black with just a hint of bricking detectable. Youthful fruit flavors led by vibrant currant and raspberry. Earthy tobacco leaf, wood smoke, and pencil lead follow. Not big -- a medium to light sophisticated finish. Good acidity keeps everything humming along on the high notes. Should continue to be excellent for years but drink now. At £140 from a restaurant wine list in 5 star boutique hotel in London, it wasn't cheap, but it was one of those special wine experiences that is often difficult to convey with a tasting note and a score.
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5/15/2006 - D. Fulton wrote: 89 Points
Soft and fruity. Shows plenty of blackberry notes but also a green edge. Quite sexy. Tasted blind.
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4/18/2006 - MFong wrote:
4 Decades of Chateau Cos D’Estournel (World Gourmet Summit 2006) (Grand Hyatt Singapore): Dark garnet with brick rim. Spicy nose with raw mushrooms. Smooth supple tannins. Intense but with clarity.
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3/18/2006 - psmith wrote: 90 Points
An unexpected green tobacco streak on the nose with cedar-laced dark fruits. Some olive notes on the palate and still with youthful, slightly astringent tannic structure. Will benefit from significant age.
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1/24/2006 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
Violet red, some hard to detect bricking at rim. Decanted 2 hours. Nose is just short of exposive. Cassis, graphite and tobacco/cedar box are immediately apparent. Layers of harder (for me) to identify earthy, spicey and black fruits also emerge. Medium rich palate and finish with plenty of structure remaining for a long life.
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12/6/2005 - hcampana wrote: 90 Points
Drank double blind with my tasting group. Medium ruby color with some amber in the rim. It initially exhibitted a very funky nose of mushrooms. With time, those off aromas dissipated and a beautiful (but subtle) nose of cedary currant emerged. The texture was velvety and the finish slightly short in this medium bodied, totally mature wine. This wine obviously suffered from been tasted after a 2001 Paloma Merlot and a 2000 Phelps Insignia, as it was deemed dead by a couple of people in the table.
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4/23/2005 - Michael wrote: 90 Points
Enjoyable from the start. Balanced, smooth and bordeaux like. At its best after about 2 horus in the glass. Not super complex but very refined.
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1/29/2005 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
HDH Pre-Auction Tasting (Chicago IL): Wine tasting. Great aromas of black fruit, summer flowers and tobacco. Dense, young black plum and cherry flavors with espresso and dark chocolate. Great length, needs more time.
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1/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Full red. Pale aroma of red fruit. Nice slightly sweet red fruit with long finish. 1/05
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10/19/2004 - MRichman wrote:
David Wainwright's Cos Vertical, 1985 Horizontal (Le Cirque): Nicely aged. Good fruit, but an empty core. nicely complex. Mellow. Lacking punch but complex. Olive.
B+
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12/31/2003 - PaulH wrote: 93 Points
Intended to be the star wine for New Year's Eve dinner at Fringale, it lived up to its billing. Decanted for two hours prior to dinner and then poured back into the bottle for the trip to the restaurant, this wine was still a dark crimson, looking very young. It was unctuous and mouth-filling with a very Bordeaux-like smoky-dusty aftertaste. Delicious now, this wine has 10 years left, and with all of the stuffing it has, it is perfect with lamb or steak.
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11/16/2003 - buckeye76 wrote: 92 Points
EARTHY NOSE WITH BLACKBERRIES, LICORICE, AND A TOUCH OF TOBACCO. BLACKBERRIES AND CURRANTS IN THE FLAVOR. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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11/2/2003 - Henman wrote:
Big nose with cassis.Acidic palate with cassis and cedar.
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10/20/2002 - otisabdul wrote: 89 Points
Sampled at the 2002 Wine Spectator Las Vegas Wine Experience in a seminar featuring '89 and '00 "Super Second" Growths. Jean-Guillaume Prats represented Cos on the dais and remarked that the grapes were picked a month later than the rest of the chateaus. Pipe tobacco nose, with some mushroom in the background. Rich rhubarb and black cherry flavors, with trademark oriental spices. Somewhat exotic-tasting. An interesting bottom-heavy mouth feel. Very different from the others.
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8/1/2002 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 91 Points
Moderate sediment. Bright disc, with deep (nearly opaque) red/amber robe and orange rim. Clean nose, showing very intense smokey black cherry, leather, earth, minerals and spicy plum. Good acidity for an '89, with ample but supple tannins and a medium to full-bodied palate. Similar flavors as nose. Medium, slightly hot finish. Very nice overall. Will likely further improve but is drinking quite well now.
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7/9/2001 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 94 Points
This impressive, earthy, rustic wine, has a beautiful nose of dark fruit, soil, earth, and dry tobacco. Fruit is lush, and ripe, but quite dark. This will get better.
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6/17/1999 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
10 Bordeaux 1982 to 1989 Vintages (Lafayette, Ca.): Hot, dusty nose, hints of chocolate, and strawberry, lovely, rich, ripe fruit, touch simple, medium/long finish with medium amount of tannins. My #3 of 10.
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6/5/1999 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasting 6 Bordeaux from 1983 to 1989 (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Lovely Oreo nose-chocolate and vanilla and wood, lovely bouquet, rich fruit, subtle, slightly closed today. My #3 of 6.
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12/28/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 88 Points
Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ lots of Bordeauxs (NYC): Nice nose. Not a super-concentrated monster, but a pleasant wine.
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2/21/1995 - cos65 wrote:
deep black ruby, mulberry chocolate, tannic
****
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