Had on 07.02.2024. Decanted 30 mins after opening (54mm cork in great condition) and poured two hours later. Deepish garnet, with some russet at the very edge. New barrique, mature St. Emilion dried fruit nose suggests a ripe vintage. Sweet, concentrated and seductive fruit on the front, but the wine fails to deliver what one anticipates will follow along the palate. It's not abrupt, but it is shorter than one could expect, given the reputation of the vintage and it being from one of the better GC estates. But, it develops positively, proven by the last glass being better than the first. So, there is hope yet!
Anyway, the dregs in the bottle - which had been left open and sitting on the table overnight - were substantial enough for a small glass to be poured the next day, around 24 hours after it had been opened. It was quite remarkable how both the nose and palate were unchanged after this time. An even longer sit in the decanter would have helped, it seems.
In all, between very good and very good plus. It should see 30 years, if properly stored.
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Popped & poured. Dark/black color. Nose of leather, cedar and sweet fruit (nose faded a bit after opening). Medium bodied, silky smooth tannins, plenty of tertiary elements here (coffee, chocolate, leather, forest floor, dust, earth) along with fair, but fading level of fruit (mostly plums). Wine still drinking well but is on the decline from its peak a few years ago.
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Yes, I think that this is doing just fine. Its got that septic old merlot nose that blows off and reveals goodies. Lots of sweet, tannic fruit in the form of plums. Its tinged with charred oak...The wine has great acidity to balance the ripe fruit until the tannins take over to drive the long finish. Good to very good, this is a 1998 St. Emilion that seems to have been quite cutting edge for its time as it is definitely modern feeling in style. Drink or Hold
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Valentine's dinner with Lauren at Kayne Prime in Nashville, TN
This was extremely pleasant, enjoyable, and surprising! I had a bottle on Christmas Day (PnP, improper stemware) with prime rib, and it was softer and much more simple.
After an hour in the decanter, this bottle showed ripe, primary fruit reminiscent of what I would expect from a Pichon Baron! Lots of rich cassis and grapey fruit! Throughout the dinner the bottle evolved into the more expected soft plum textures and hints of cigar box.
This particular bottle had the stuffing to support at least 5 more years in the cellar. No rush, but delicious now. Very good concentration and length. Good complexity - much more than expected. Paired well with waygu filet, brussels in truffle oil, cauliflower, and popovers. Phenomenal QPR at the ~$25 I paid from HDH.
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Still life in this bottle. No decant, just pop and pour. Nice red color without bricking. Smells like east side Bordeaux should. Tannins are fine but dusty. This is not in its decline, but I doubt it will get better. The tannins are out shimming the fruit, albeit minimally. Very nice. Look forward to the 2005s in a decade.
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Scored up as absolutely a point. Still lovely dark ruby. Incredible fruits, dark plums, some cherry and a touch of blackcurrant. Overlaid with a beautifully velvety moth feel. And add in some developing tertiary notes, bit of cigar, some forest floor, some meatiness. Perfect poise and balance. Decent length. What more can you ask for? well, outstanding QPR is nice too.
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Drank last nite with D. Very dark/black color. Nose of leather, cedar and sweet fruit (nose faded a bit after opening). Medium bodied, silky smooth tannins, plenty of tertiary elements here (coffee, chocolate, leather, forest floor, dust, earth) along with still fair level of fruit (mostly plums). Fruit faded a bit over time in the glass, but still enjoyed this wine quite a bit. A fine example of a well-preserved, right bank bdx heavy on merlot. Has aged precisely as I had hoped when I bought a few bottles way back when, and continues to drink very well. A wonderful example of how enjoyable tertiary notes can be in an old wine like this.
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Showing better than expected. A classic claret with a soft medium body frame, with mostly currant fruit and a nice litheness from the medium acidity, with some earthy/leathery notes on the 25-30 sec finish. Doesn't blow you away, but a very satisfying and enjoyable wine with a Porterhouse steak on Thursday night. Needs about 30 mins to fully open up.
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Opened and decanted 30 minutes before dinner. Lovely forest fruit underpinned by soft tannins. Beautifully intergated, medium body. Highly satisfying glass of merlot.
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Classic claret in its prime - a satisfyingly complex mix of blackcurrant, cedar supported by balanced acidity and enough tannin to balance venison steak. Fantastic value at £25.
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Black fruit and warm oak on the nose continued satisfyingly on the palate. Dark bramble fruit still has good support from acidity and tannins and fades into a reasonably rounded finish, but with tannins still in evidence. No hurry to drink up.
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1998 Right Bank Bordeaux Retrospective (New Buffalo, Michigan): Opened after a 2 hour car ride. Decanted for 1 hour. Produced from a vineyard directly across the road from Ausone and sharing the same clay and limestone soils as well as being made by the same winemaker, Alain Vauthier. Dark red color. Approximately 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. This had firm tannins. Less fruit than the other wines. Notes of coffee and asphalt. I would hope that this wine would show better under better circumstances. I have 1 more bottle. 87-88 points.
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A funky (in a good way) nose of plum, cherries jubilee, band-aid, cigar tobacco and damp barnyard earth. Round and silky with earthy berry and a distinctive bark note. A delicate, seductive finish. Very nice, textbook Bordeaux that far surpasses my last experience with this wine.
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Seemed a bit thin at this point, probably has run its course, still some nose, I recall liking it better 2-3 years ago. I'd drink up if you still have in cellar.
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Straight down the middle, medium-bodied Bordeaux, with plenty of fruit but a bit of a hollow finish. But QPR is right and the wine both fits in well with food and yet can stand on its own.
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again straight from cellar to decanter, but up to 2 hours didn't do much for the wine or me. There just may not be that much there, certainly rather underwhelming fruit. Not sure how time will help this.
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Had w/ ribs - worked pretty well. Hasn't really changed since my last tasting - nice round wine, but insufficient complexity. It will certainly last a bit longer, but I don't think it will improve. A decent wine for the price
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With lamb chops. straight from the cellar to the decanter at under 50 degrees which did little for the aromatics. Not giving a lot and still a fair bit of tannin. Plenty of time to drink this although I don't know that I will ever love it if it wont' give more fruit or body. If nothing else, a pleasant drink and nice accompaniment to dinner.
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Beautiful garnet color out of the bottle. Drank with homemade chili on a rare chilly Houston night. Smoky, earthy nose and somewhat tannic mouth. My only gripe would be that it ends a little soft. Recent reviews have said to drink now, that it won't get any better with time. I'm torn - I like this right now, but I think it will last for a few more years. Good Bordeaux for the value - glad I bought 6.
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Decided it was time to give this one a try. Took a long time to open - pretty tight for over an hour of decanting. Bright cherry notes and good structure, not as much depth as I had hoped for. It might have a few more months on it, but not much more...
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A very nice textbook Right Bank wine, dark fruit with a smoky, leathery finish that would have scored higher if it had been longer and more intense. An excellent wine for the $21 I paid that rewarded its time in the cellar well. Decanted for no more than an hour, it reminded me why I always come back to Bordeaux especially when matched with some spur of the moment grilled lamb chops (a treat for me as my wife does not care for them). A terrifically balanced wine that will not really benefit from further aging.
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Takes 2 hours to really get into form. Soft fruit...a little watery in the mid palate...dusty soft tannins. Nice old world style and integration. I'll drink my last 2 soon....won't get better.
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The nose was initially very green, but with air it gave place to red and black fruit. This is quite round but lacks intensity or spiciness to make it exciting.
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Nice fruit intensity on the nose, blackcurrant and red cherry, along with coffee, anise and some green tobacco. Shows rather austere on the palate. The finish is particularly lean with a green streak. Needs another 3-4 years.
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2/11/2024 - Ingmars wrote:
Had on 07.02.2024. Decanted 30 mins after opening (54mm cork in great condition) and poured two hours later. Deepish garnet, with some russet at the very edge. New barrique, mature St. Emilion dried fruit nose suggests a ripe vintage. Sweet, concentrated and seductive fruit on the front, but the wine fails to deliver what one anticipates will follow along the palate. It's not abrupt, but it is shorter than one could expect, given the reputation of the vintage and it being from one of the better GC estates. But, it develops positively, proven by the last glass being better than the first. So, there is hope yet!
Anyway, the dregs in the bottle - which had been left open and sitting on the table overnight - were substantial enough for a small glass to be poured the next day, around 24 hours after it had been opened. It was quite remarkable how both the nose and palate were unchanged after this time. An even longer sit in the decanter would have helped, it seems.
In all, between very good and very good plus. It should see 30 years, if properly stored.
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7/5/2023 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 92 Points
Garnet. Took 2 hours after decant to open up. Nose between tertiary and secondary aromas, such as plums, tobacco. Taste smooth, as the nose. Good.
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2/24/2023 - Tao wrote: flawed
How sad to end up like this!! Been waiting it for so long and had very high expectations.
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9/18/2019 - BrewWench Likes this wine: 75 Points
It's pretty much gone. Just the remnants of tannins. Medicinal, light finish. Last bottle of six, maybe waited just a couple of years too late.
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3/22/2018 - AWBryce wrote:
Old bord nose, red fruits, tannin, open, ready to. Go
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10/31/2017 - cephomer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Popped & poured. Dark/black color. Nose of leather, cedar and sweet fruit (nose faded a bit after opening). Medium bodied, silky smooth tannins, plenty of tertiary elements here (coffee, chocolate, leather, forest floor, dust, earth) along with fair, but fading level of fruit (mostly plums). Wine still drinking well but is on the decline from its peak a few years ago.
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4/21/2017 - Purple Tooth wrote: 92 Points
Yes, I think that this is doing just fine. Its got that septic old merlot nose that blows off and reveals goodies. Lots of sweet, tannic fruit in the form of plums. Its tinged with charred oak...The wine has great acidity to balance the ripe fruit until the tannins take over to drive the long finish. Good to very good, this is a 1998 St. Emilion that seems to have been quite cutting edge for its time as it is definitely modern feeling in style. Drink or Hold
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2/15/2017 - Tiesface Likes this wine: 94 Points
Valentine's dinner with Lauren at Kayne Prime in Nashville, TN
This was extremely pleasant, enjoyable, and surprising! I had a bottle on Christmas Day (PnP, improper stemware) with prime rib, and it was softer and much more simple.
After an hour in the decanter, this bottle showed ripe, primary fruit reminiscent of what I would expect from a Pichon Baron! Lots of rich cassis and grapey fruit! Throughout the dinner the bottle evolved into the more expected soft plum textures and hints of cigar box.
This particular bottle had the stuffing to support at least 5 more years in the cellar. No rush, but delicious now. Very good concentration and length. Good complexity - much more than expected. Paired well with waygu filet, brussels in truffle oil, cauliflower, and popovers. Phenomenal QPR at the ~$25 I paid from HDH.
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3/13/2016 - O'Meara Likes this wine:
Still life in this bottle. No decant, just pop and pour. Nice red color without bricking. Smells like east side Bordeaux should. Tannins are fine but dusty. This is not in its decline, but I doubt it will get better. The tannins are out shimming the fruit, albeit minimally. Very nice. Look forward to the 2005s in a decade.
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12/23/2015 - cannym Likes this wine: 92 Points
Scored up as absolutely a point. Still lovely dark ruby. Incredible fruits, dark plums, some cherry and a touch of blackcurrant. Overlaid with a beautifully velvety moth feel. And add in some developing tertiary notes, bit of cigar, some forest floor, some meatiness. Perfect poise and balance. Decent length. What more can you ask for? well, outstanding QPR is nice too.
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9/5/2015 - cephomer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank last nite with D. Very dark/black color. Nose of leather, cedar and sweet fruit (nose faded a bit after opening). Medium bodied, silky smooth tannins, plenty of tertiary elements here (coffee, chocolate, leather, forest floor, dust, earth) along with still fair level of fruit (mostly plums). Fruit faded a bit over time in the glass, but still enjoyed this wine quite a bit. A fine example of a well-preserved, right bank bdx heavy on merlot. Has aged precisely as I had hoped when I bought a few bottles way back when, and continues to drink very well. A wonderful example of how enjoyable tertiary notes can be in an old wine like this.
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6/28/2014 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 92 Points
Drunk from half bottle this is perfectly resolved and delicious St-Emilion, with captivating truffle, sous bois and woodsy notes.
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2/24/2013 - BrewWench wrote: 90 Points
Earthy, peaty with a looooonnnng finish. Wow. I thought this was done, but I think it's still going strong.
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12/25/2012 - MissHighwater Likes this wine: 88 Points
Satisfying mature claret. Fruit and tannin in balance, but need to drink up. Excellent with Christmas dinner.
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11/1/2012 - vinole wrote: 91 Points
Showing better than expected. A classic claret with a soft medium body frame, with mostly currant fruit and a nice litheness from the medium acidity, with some earthy/leathery notes on the 25-30 sec finish. Doesn't blow you away, but a very satisfying and enjoyable wine with a Porterhouse steak on Thursday night. Needs about 30 mins to fully open up.
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10/29/2012 - snootypig wrote: 90 Points
Opened and decanted 30 minutes before dinner. Lovely forest fruit underpinned by soft tannins. Beautifully intergated, medium body. Highly satisfying glass of merlot.
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9/21/2012 - MissHighwater wrote: 88 Points
Classic claret in its prime - a satisfyingly complex mix of blackcurrant, cedar supported by balanced acidity and enough tannin to balance venison steak. Fantastic value at £25.
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3/4/2012 - MissHighwater wrote: 87 Points
Black fruit and warm oak on the nose continued satisfyingly on the palate. Dark bramble fruit still has good support from acidity and tannins and fades into a reasonably rounded finish, but with tannins still in evidence. No hurry to drink up.
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12/30/2011 - BrewWench wrote: 82 Points
Wow. Still holding up, but I think we're about done.
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2/20/2011 - jcoleman wrote: 85 Points
a disappointing wine. very tannic with little fruit left. unlikely to improve
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8/3/2010 - Vino Me wrote: 88 Points
1998 Right Bank Bordeaux Retrospective (New Buffalo, Michigan): Opened after a 2 hour car ride. Decanted for 1 hour. Produced from a vineyard directly across the road from Ausone and sharing the same clay and limestone soils as well as being made by the same winemaker, Alain Vauthier. Dark red color. Approximately 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. This had firm tannins. Less fruit than the other wines. Notes of coffee and asphalt. I would hope that this wine would show better under better circumstances. I have 1 more bottle. 87-88 points.
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6/9/2010 - pgordon62 wrote: 90 Points
A funky (in a good way) nose of plum, cherries jubilee, band-aid, cigar tobacco and damp barnyard earth. Round and silky with earthy berry and a distinctive bark note. A delicate, seductive finish. Very nice, textbook Bordeaux that far surpasses my last experience with this wine.
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12/25/2009 - clutj wrote: 85 Points
Seemed a bit thin at this point, probably has run its course, still some nose, I recall liking it better 2-3 years ago. I'd drink up if you still have in cellar.
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6/21/2009 - kgh wrote: 88 Points
Dark color, medium body. More tobacco and earth than fruit. Supple tannins and went well with food.
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4/8/2009 - BrewWench wrote: 84 Points
Medium body, but still holding steady on the smoke and peat.
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3/12/2009 - Niagara wrote: 87 Points
Straight down the middle, medium-bodied Bordeaux, with plenty of fruit but a bit of a hollow finish. But QPR is right and the wine both fits in well with food and yet can stand on its own.
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1/13/2009 - Mr T wrote:
again straight from cellar to decanter, but up to 2 hours didn't do much for the wine or me. There just may not be that much there, certainly rather underwhelming fruit. Not sure how time will help this.
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5/31/2008 - Stirling1 wrote:
Had w/ ribs - worked pretty well. Hasn't really changed since my last tasting - nice round wine, but insufficient complexity. It will certainly last a bit longer, but I don't think it will improve. A decent wine for the price
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5/6/2008 - DesMarteau wrote: 90 Points
Tannins...spice...tobacco. More tannic than expressive. Lower end bordeaux with all of the flaws that they usually carry.
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1/24/2008 - Mr T wrote:
With lamb chops. straight from the cellar to the decanter at under 50 degrees which did little for the aromatics. Not giving a lot and still a fair bit of tannin. Plenty of time to drink this although I don't know that I will ever love it if it wont' give more fruit or body. If nothing else, a pleasant drink and nice accompaniment to dinner.
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11/26/2007 - BrewWench wrote: 83 Points
Beautiful garnet color out of the bottle. Drank with homemade chili on a rare chilly Houston night. Smoky, earthy nose and somewhat tannic mouth. My only gripe would be that it ends a little soft. Recent reviews have said to drink now, that it won't get any better with time. I'm torn - I like this right now, but I think it will last for a few more years. Good Bordeaux for the value - glad I bought 6.
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11/25/2007 - Stirling1 wrote: 85 Points
Decided it was time to give this one a try. Took a long time to open - pretty tight for over an hour of decanting. Bright cherry notes and good structure, not as much depth as I had hoped for. It might have a few more months on it, but not much more...
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6/13/2007 - vinole wrote: 90 Points
A very nice textbook Right Bank wine, dark fruit with a smoky, leathery finish that would have scored higher if it had been longer and more intense. An excellent wine for the $21 I paid that rewarded its time in the cellar well. Decanted for no more than an hour, it reminded me why I always come back to Bordeaux especially when matched with some spur of the moment grilled lamb chops (a treat for me as my wife does not care for them). A terrifically balanced wine that will not really benefit from further aging.
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4/5/2007 - DesMarteau wrote: 89 Points
Takes 2 hours to really get into form. Soft fruit...a little watery in the mid palate...dusty soft tannins. Nice old world style and integration. I'll drink my last 2 soon....won't get better.
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3/31/2007 - Mahan wrote: 89 Points
Nothing special. Hope it improves with a little more age.
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10/2/2006 - Bucko wrote: 87 Points
The nose was initially very green, but with air it gave place to red and black fruit. This is quite round but lacks intensity or spiciness to make it exciting.
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4/9/2006 - pgordon62 wrote: 87 Points
Nice fruit intensity on the nose, blackcurrant and red cherry, along with coffee, anise and some green tobacco. Shows rather austere on the palate. The finish is particularly lean with a green streak. Needs another 3-4 years.
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1/3/2006 - Slipknot wrote: flawed
corked
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8/6/2004 - xpensivewino wrote: 90 Points
Solid bordeaux. No rush to drink it as I think it will only get better.
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