I opened this bottle spontaneously, not expecting much, was extremely surprised! The wine was wonderful, ripe, fine soft tannins, forest floor, chocolate, cigar box, balanced and got better and better over time. This is such a bottle where you were just lucky, has matured perfectly!
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4th Saturday Group: Old & Young (J&S): Blind. Old brownish red color with notes of cedar, tea leaves and forest floor/detritus. The palate is slightly better than the bouquet suggests it will be, with tea and mushroom but also some fruit.
Clearly our bottle, which came as a bit of a surprise as when I double decanted off its sediment only 75 minutes prior to this flight being served, the bouquet was very much enjoyable and I couldn’t quite believe the wine deteriorated to such a degree in a relatively short time. Oh well, c’est la vie.
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Quite a classic nose displaying old-school Bordeaux notes as you would expect from 1988. Fully mature with pencil lead, darker fruits and fine dusty tannins. At peak with no real upside to hold longer.
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Drank over several evenings, this was at its best on the last glass. A bit stern and one-dimensional at first, this shows the old-school and slightly rustic character of the vintage (one of my personal favorites), though with a bit more elegance and restraint. Tobacco, cassis and pencil lead with uncharacteristically fine tannins for the vintage. Drinking well now with plenty of life ahead.
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Classic leather cigar box on the nose, dark fruits on the palate not much length but still a good wine. The drink by 2014 should be extended to 2021 at least.
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PNP. Classic mature Bordeaux. Cherry, cassis, pencil lead. A nice core of fruit, elegant, some earthy notes, bit clean, with dusty tannins. Lovely, at or slightly past peak, drink up.
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Classic left bank nose of licorice! But tastes more like a right bank with soft merlot in the beginning followed by chalk. The tannin in the end is long, fleshy, and chewy! No need to decant.
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The cork was in incredible condition with less than 50% absorbed through and perfectly firm still. This bottle was also showing really youthful with very little bricking and tons of bright red fruits after 30 minutes in the glass.
We enjoyed this bottle over the course of 3 hours and everyone was surprised at how vibrant the wine was.
Nose: leather, bright red fruits, some bell pepper Palate: perfectly resolved fine tannins and vibrant but reserved acidity
An excellent showing!
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Still in great shape a masculine wine that has been softened over the years, classic nose of cedar, leather, tobacco, smoke, menthol and slightly vegetal this was very pretty for 31 years old
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Catching up with Axel (Freds, Oxford Street, Sydney): Ahh, Old Bordeaux…leather, farmyard, autumn leaves, mushrooms and truffles. A little damp cellar, black berry and blackcurrants, slightly peppery spice. I the mouth it's wetly juicy, similar flavours to the nose with a little diluted coffee, softly black fruited, a little talc textured tannins. Balanced. Pretty glorious.
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Coravin fun - Bordeaux dozen; 7/13/2018-7/19/2018 (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Smells like mature Bordeaux. Earthy, herbaceous, chalky minerality, leather. On the palate it's savoury, leathery, slight brambles, soft and easy though has some breadth to the mid palate. Quite lightweight but travels long. Nice
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A vertical tasting of Château Duhart-Milon 1975-2012 (Restaurant Vineum, Rotterdam, NL): Mature but lively appearance; the gravel and Cabernet nose is not very expressive, but there seems to be good depth and ripeness; good body for a 1988, complete and with good, ripe Cabernet fruit, not as thin and gravelly and many others, firm tannins; lightish finish, but length is good. A seductive 1988.
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Beau nez de cèdre et de boite à cigares. Un vin léger, classique, élégant et en pleine forme. Il possède un bel équilibre, même s’il n’a pas beaucoup de profondeur. Impressionnant de jeunesse, les tanins sont fondus mais le vin a encore l’énergie d’un vin dix ans plus jeune. 89 pts
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drunk it last night in Curitiba , Brasil restaurant Nomaa We had other wines before.But this is a great wine , velvet, black fruits, delicate tannins, very nice nose. Didn t decant it. I think this wine lasts for more 5 or 10 years, althouh It won t improve!
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Exciting to open a 25 year old bottle of red to find it is still intact. Cork broke, but bottom half came out without crumbling. Overall in reasonable condition for the age. Colour deep red with little evidence of any burnt orange age tinge. Nose soft but still bright and an elegant perfume.
On the palate, overall impression is of dark fruits which have merged into a warm, almost velvet chocolate, experience. Very drinkable. Not a huge wine, but long and satisfying through the middle and back palate. Rather like meeting a good friend after a long absence; and indeed it would be ideal for such an occasion.
I don't sense that this wine will improve any further so if you have any in the cellar, I would get into it soon. Ideally with old friends, and reflect on where you were in 1988 as the grapes for this vintage grew in Bordeaux!
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Dark velvet. Obviously aged with a brown tint and transparent, light edges. Nevertheless, still shining and vital. Powerful, but elegant aromas of Freshly Baked Cake, Almond Paste and Dark Chocolate. Fragrances of Smoke, Leather and Graphite. Later, more Floral characteristics and Eucalypt. Complex and beautiful nose driven by secondary characteristics! Same here, hardly any fruit flavors. A little bit of Dark Ripe Berries and Cherries. Fruit in Rum. Some Vanilla and Almond Paste. Decent bodied with fully integrated tannins, but still lively acidity. A little short finish with Peppery Spiciness and Minerality. Filigree and complex!
Medium-bodied with fully integrated tannins, soft and round! Even though, lacking some density and length on the finish, the wine is very approachable and beautiful to drink now. If you have one in your cellar, drink it soon! See more details at cellartv.wordpress.com
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Dinner with Casey McClellan (Sue's): Decanted briefly off its sediment and rebottled, tasted about three hours later. Crimson color. Aromas of florals and black fruits, followed by hints of leather and graphite. Red fruit and leather tones on the palate. A fine bottle.
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2nd time Allred has opened one of these for us. Slighlty better than the last bottle but this 20 year old Bordeaux was still showing well. 89-90 points.
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Decanted briefly for sediment. Soft garnet color, showing a bit of age toward the rim. Notes of plum, potpourri and dark fruit, though there is a "tired" quality too. A bit thin on the palate, which was helped out by dinner. Flavors of red fruit and herbs.
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Still a pretty, inky cherry shading to garnet at the rim. Muted nose of mushroom, leather, and beef stock layered over sour cherry and fig. Similar on the palate, with tobacco, mineral and more fruit coming through. Decent body, some acidity, pleasant but mostly resolved tannins. More fruit comes through on the moderately long, warm finish. Very nice wine at this point, may even improve over the next few years.
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Wyncroft Winey Tour & Vineyard Dinner (Wyncroft Winery, Buchanon, Michigan): Allred brought this to the Wyncroft vineyard dinner to open alongside the Wyncroft Bordeaux blends. It was a hard comparison to make because this wine was 14 years older than the oldest Wyncroft Cab we sampled. This was an elegant Bordeaux starting to enter its prime whereas the "Shou's" were full of youthful exuberance with lively primary fruit. I have know idea what the Wyncroft wines will be like 10 years from now. This wine was light to medium bodied (at least in comparison) with some leather and berry notes. 89+ points.
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What a nice bottle of wine. Still rather deeply colored, I did not notice any bricking. Wonderful aromatics - cedar, tobacco, smoke and that Bordeaux earthiness/funk. Nice balance, with blackberry and plum flavors. Drinking well, and should hold for a while yet and maybe even improve a bit.
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12/23/2023 - grandvin100 Likes this wine: 93 Points
I opened this bottle spontaneously, not expecting much, was extremely surprised! The wine was wonderful, ripe, fine soft tannins, forest floor, chocolate, cigar box, balanced and got better and better over time. This is such a bottle where you were just lucky, has matured perfectly!
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5/27/2023 - AllRed wrote:
4th Saturday Group: Old & Young (J&S): Blind. Old brownish red color with notes of cedar, tea leaves and forest floor/detritus. The palate is slightly better than the bouquet suggests it will be, with tea and mushroom but also some fruit.
Clearly our bottle, which came as a bit of a surprise as when I double decanted off its sediment only 75 minutes prior to this flight being served, the bouquet was very much enjoyable and I couldn’t quite believe the wine deteriorated to such a degree in a relatively short time. Oh well, c’est la vie.
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12/6/2022 - godx wrote: 91 Points
Quite a classic nose displaying old-school Bordeaux notes as you would expect from 1988. Fully mature with pencil lead, darker fruits and fine dusty tannins. At peak with no real upside to hold longer.
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10/14/2022 - GrapeScott wrote: 90 Points
Drank over several evenings, this was at its best on the last glass. A bit stern and one-dimensional at first, this shows the old-school and slightly rustic character of the vintage (one of my personal favorites), though with a bit more elegance and restraint. Tobacco, cassis and pencil lead with uncharacteristically fine tannins for the vintage. Drinking well now with plenty of life ahead.
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12/21/2020 - alankingbowden@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Classic leather cigar box on the nose, dark fruits on the palate not much length but still a good wine. The drink by 2014 should be extended to 2021 at least.
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9/18/2020 - Maphill01 Likes this wine:
PNP. Classic mature Bordeaux. Cherry, cassis, pencil lead. A nice core of fruit, elegant, some earthy notes, bit clean, with dusty tannins. Lovely, at or slightly past peak, drink up.
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7/19/2020 - winecoffee wrote: 91 Points
Classic left bank nose of licorice! But tastes more like a right bank with soft merlot in the beginning followed by chalk. The tannin in the end is long, fleshy, and chewy! No need to decant.
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9/29/2019 - mikelikeswine Likes this wine: 92 Points
The cork was in incredible condition with less than 50% absorbed through and perfectly firm still. This bottle was also showing really youthful with very little bricking and tons of bright red fruits after 30 minutes in the glass.
We enjoyed this bottle over the course of 3 hours and everyone was surprised at how vibrant the wine was.
Nose: leather, bright red fruits, some bell pepper
Palate: perfectly resolved fine tannins and vibrant but reserved acidity
An excellent showing!
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6/28/2019 - jee27 wrote: 91 Points
Still in great shape a masculine wine that has been softened over the years, classic nose of cedar, leather, tobacco, smoke, menthol and slightly vegetal this was very pretty for 31 years old
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11/11/2018 - chatters wrote:
Catching up with Axel (Freds, Oxford Street, Sydney): Ahh, Old Bordeaux…leather, farmyard, autumn leaves, mushrooms and truffles. A little damp cellar, black berry and blackcurrants, slightly peppery spice. I the mouth it's wetly juicy, similar flavours to the nose with a little diluted coffee, softly black fruited, a little talc textured tannins. Balanced. Pretty glorious.
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11/4/2018 - rm97 wrote: 90 Points
On the downward trajectory but still enjoyable. Not overly expressive but still enjoyable.
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7/17/2018 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Bordeaux dozen; 7/13/2018-7/19/2018 (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Smells like mature Bordeaux. Earthy, herbaceous, chalky minerality, leather. On the palate it's savoury, leathery, slight brambles, soft and easy though has some breadth to the mid palate. Quite lightweight but travels long. Nice
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6/18/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
A vertical tasting of Château Duhart-Milon 1975-2012 (Restaurant Vineum, Rotterdam, NL): Mature but lively appearance; the gravel and Cabernet nose is not very expressive, but there seems to be good depth and ripeness; good body for a 1988, complete and with good, ripe Cabernet fruit, not as thin and gravelly and many others, firm tannins; lightish finish, but length is good. A seductive 1988.
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10/21/2017 - d'Artagnan wrote: 89 Points
Beau nez de cèdre et de boite à cigares. Un vin léger, classique, élégant et en pleine forme. Il possède un bel équilibre, même s’il n’a pas beaucoup de profondeur. Impressionnant de jeunesse, les tanins sont fondus mais le vin a encore l’énergie d’un vin dix ans plus jeune. 89 pts
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9/16/2015 - drgradowski wrote: 91 Points
drunk it last night in Curitiba , Brasil restaurant Nomaa
We had other wines before.But this is a great wine , velvet, black fruits, delicate tannins, very nice nose.
Didn t decant it. I think this wine lasts for more 5 or 10 years, althouh It won t improve!
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7/11/2015 - Meneley wrote:
Dried plum, forest floor, coffee bean. Very elegant finish...aging gracefully. Impressive! LO
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6/29/2013 - awbaker Likes this wine: 89 Points
Exciting to open a 25 year old bottle of red to find it is still intact. Cork broke, but bottom half came out without crumbling. Overall in reasonable condition for the age. Colour deep red with little evidence of any burnt orange age tinge. Nose soft but still bright and an elegant perfume.
On the palate, overall impression is of dark fruits which have merged into a warm, almost velvet chocolate, experience. Very drinkable. Not a huge wine, but long and satisfying through the middle and back palate. Rather like meeting a good friend after a long absence; and indeed it would be ideal for such an occasion.
I don't sense that this wine will improve any further so if you have any in the cellar, I would get into it soon. Ideally with old friends, and reflect on where you were in 1988 as the grapes for this vintage grew in Bordeaux!
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5/28/2013 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark velvet. Obviously aged with a brown tint and transparent, light edges. Nevertheless, still shining and vital.
Powerful, but elegant aromas of Freshly Baked Cake, Almond Paste and Dark Chocolate. Fragrances of Smoke, Leather and Graphite.
Later, more Floral characteristics and Eucalypt.
Complex and beautiful nose driven by secondary characteristics!
Same here, hardly any fruit flavors. A little bit of Dark Ripe Berries and Cherries. Fruit in Rum. Some Vanilla and Almond Paste.
Decent bodied with fully integrated tannins, but still lively acidity.
A little short finish with Peppery Spiciness and Minerality.
Filigree and complex!
Medium-bodied with fully integrated tannins, soft and round!
Even though, lacking some density and length on the finish,
the wine is very approachable and beautiful to drink now.
If you have one in your cellar, drink it soon!
See more details at cellartv.wordpress.com
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8/10/2012 - MPB54 wrote: 90 Points
Cork brittle but wine good
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4/23/2012 - AllRed wrote: 89 Points
Dinner with Casey McClellan (Sue's): Decanted briefly off its sediment and rebottled, tasted about three hours later. Crimson color. Aromas of florals and black fruits, followed by hints of leather and graphite. Red fruit and leather tones on the palate. A fine bottle.
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3/4/2011 - gross wrote: 88 Points
drank with Randolph, Burke, Wootton and compared to 04 Lafite and Cordelilan Bages. Held up well but needed time to open up.
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6/10/2009 - MPB54 wrote:
Severely corked. No good.
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1/4/2009 - Vino Me wrote: 89 Points
2nd time Allred has opened one of these for us. Slighlty better than the last bottle but this 20 year old Bordeaux was still showing well. 89-90 points.
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1/2/2009 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
Decanted briefly for sediment. Soft garnet color, showing a bit of age toward the rim. Notes of plum, potpourri and dark fruit, though there is a "tired" quality too. A bit thin on the palate, which was helped out by dinner. Flavors of red fruit and herbs.
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2/29/2008 - petitblanc wrote: 90 Points
Still a pretty, inky cherry shading to garnet at the rim. Muted nose of mushroom, leather, and beef stock layered over sour cherry and fig. Similar on the palate, with tobacco, mineral and more fruit coming through. Decent body, some acidity, pleasant but mostly resolved tannins. More fruit comes through on the moderately long, warm finish. Very nice wine at this point, may even improve over the next few years.
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6/26/2006 - Vino Me wrote: 89 Points
Wyncroft Winey Tour & Vineyard Dinner (Wyncroft Winery, Buchanon, Michigan): Allred brought this to the Wyncroft vineyard dinner to open alongside the Wyncroft Bordeaux blends. It was a hard comparison to make because this wine was 14 years older than the oldest Wyncroft Cab we sampled. This was an elegant Bordeaux starting to enter its prime whereas the "Shou's" were full of youthful exuberance with lively primary fruit. I have know idea what the Wyncroft wines will be like 10 years from now. This wine was light to medium bodied (at least in comparison) with some leather and berry notes. 89+ points.
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6/24/2006 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
What a nice bottle of wine. Still rather deeply colored, I did not notice any bricking. Wonderful aromatics - cedar, tobacco, smoke and that Bordeaux earthiness/funk. Nice balance, with blackberry and plum flavors. Drinking well, and should hold for a while yet and maybe even improve a bit.
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