in a half bottle, 38 years old. still very drinkable. amazing. still a bit of tannin. dry but with some of fruit. cork ok. probably purchased at Forest Hills Liquor store. you never know until you pull the cork. this what makes so amazing. The wine looks amber colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It tastes like prune. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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Aromatique sur le poivron rouge, des notes fumées et de bois précieux, léger sous-bois et poivre. C'est joli mais ça manque un peu de précision. Bouche élégante, enveloppante avec des tanins fondus, dommage qu'elle manque un peu de précision et de densité. Finale correcte.
Moins complet et impressionnant que le 89 et le 83 mais ça reste très bon, surtout à table !
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Developed and quite translucent reddish color with noticeably developed orange hue. Very classic, savory and noticeably developed, but definitely not yet over-aged nose of smoke, beef jerky, chipotle and cooked bell peppers, some leather, a little bit of ripe blackcurrant, a hint of wizened dark berries and a touch of sliced green chilis. Very captivating and attractive, really. The wine is full-bodied, velvety smooth and quite lush on the palate with mature, savory flavors of blackcurrant-driven dark berries, some bell pepper-driven vegetal character, light smoky notes, a little bit of leather, a leafy hint of autumnal tones and a touch of cigar box and cedar. The wine is still nicely tannic, given its +30 years of age, retaining enough bite and grip to make the wine feel pretty structured, along the moderately high acidity. Overall this wine feels a notch more structured than the slightly smoother Cheval Blanc 1986 tasted alongside, but also a tad more evolved. The finish is long and pretty umami in flavor with complex, haunting flavors of pipe tobacco, some cigar box, a little bit of blackcurrant-driven wizened dark berries, light pruney fruit, a hint of peppery spice and a touch of smoke.
This here is a classic example of well-matured old-school Margaux with wonderful vegetal touch of bell peppers and chilies that lends a lovely, savory undercurrent to the wine without overwhelming any of the developed fruit notes or those mature umami nuances. This wine was probably the overall favorite in a tasting of five Bordeaux blends from 2000 to 1985, although I prefered Cheval Blanc 1986 - but only by an inch. Although the wine is still quite structured, it feels like it has reached its plateau of maturity some time ago already, and while it will probably stay there for good many years, I doubt the wine will improve much from here. My recommendation is to drink the wine sooner rather than later, while it still has its impressive, but already somewhat resolved structure. Superb value at 75€.
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Dull garnet with a fading orange rim. Rather intense nose of stewed plums, brown blemished fruits with some metallic, mushrooms, compost. Fast and sheet like tears ill defined. Still a pleasant drinking wine but should consume sooner as witnessing the decline over the tasting notes. Soft tannins and nothing out of balance but becoming lackluster and dusty. Drink up yesterday.
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Jag gillar Brane Cantenac, denna borde nog druckits för 5+år sedan...men ändå mörka bär lite åt kompott, höstlöv/stall tobak och cederträ . Helt integrerade tanniner och kort eftersmak 3,75-4.0
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From Art's cellar. Better than the 2002s I have had lately, this wine had a lovely nose which showed its origin from the so-called "feminine appellation." Wine was crimson to amber, and after an hour or so decant, had the Margaux perfume I expect from BC with some cedar box wafting among the flowers and fruit. Nice long finish.
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Light ruby with brownish rim. Forest floor and pepper aromas, dark cherry fruit in the background. Very spicy, mid weight palate. Starting to dry out. Nice wine if you drink up soon.
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A repeat experience; see note April 25,2015. Remarkably spot on with last nights wine. I'd buy a case of this if I knew it would deliver the delicious joy and woodsman chivalry that this big boy did. Toujours Bordeaux!
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Hard to believe this is 30 years old given it is still a medium red with only slight bricking; also, very clear and translucent. Decantered straight from bottle as lots of sediment and broken cork. A fragrant nose but clearly demonstrating some secondary aromas of leather and on the second day, game meat, tree moss and truffle. So incredibly smooth.
On the second day, what struck me was how fruits were the dominate aroma when first poured, but then the game meat kicks in.
Amazing to think how nice this is, yet the 2008 and 2009 have been made with even higher standards, and will be even more amazing at 30 years old!
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Another crumbling cork however this time the wine reflects premox with a cinnamon coloration pale semi opaque orange rim, medium to fast thin legs, wet leaves and earth on the nose disguised cherries with brown blemishes. In the mouth not so disappointing remaining quite supple and curvilinear with sweet fruit soft purple & red plums, cleansing acidity encased in finely sanded wooden orb with a fast disappearing finish. Lovely for weekday dinner, nothing special and fading so drink up in next six months
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Beautiful wine tasting at its peak right now. Fully in bloom. This bottle was bought at auction, cork crumbled but alas the condition of the wine was thankfully fine. Dark purple in color with moderately long legs, gorgeous balance and finesse lusciously round big in mouth soft tannins purple fruits black currents cassis earthy mushroom or hay/herbaceous; perfumed nose is long lasting, elegant, and firm. Soft fruity flavors and earthy. Fabulous wine.
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Really amazing, fully mature bordeaux. Smells of cedar, oak, and cherries. Very luscious texture, almost syrupy, but balanced with nice acidity and tannins. Very long finish. Has just the right balance of barnyard smells for added complexity.
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From 75cl, into neck; perfect 5.5cm long cork, almost black at wine end with minimal staining back up to the neck, perhaps 1cm on average. Healthy tawny-orange rim, some brick-red in the middle of the glass. Best in the hour after opening, as it warmed up from 12C cellar temperature. Unbalanced once it reached 20C. Wonderful elusive perfume with mandarin orange oil, dried rose-petals as well as the expected cedar and raw leather. Astonishingly fat, sweet, glycerine-rich, buffered entry, which only gradually gives way to delicate acidity and (almost fully resolved, therefore aristocratic, fine) tannic structure on the mid-palate. Shortish finish. 91 for the perfume, 90 for the entry, 88 in the knowledge that even bottles as exceptionally well-preserved as this one are on the way to a happier hunting ground. 90P
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Dégustation de la SCO au complet 2012 (Paris 12e, France): Robe tuilée et brune. Essence de cèdre au nez, notes de fruits rouges bien mûrs, puis mousse. Quelques tanins sont encore présents, il est juste à point, la pente descendante le guette, un choix heureux pour ce jour !
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Rusty, brick colored, this smoke, cassis, ash and earthy scented wine is medium bodied and ends with a short, black cherry note. This is fully mature and requires drinking sooner than later.
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Pour un 26e anniversaire (1984 n'était pas extraordinaire sur la rive gauche, on pardonnera donc l'écart). Robe intacte, à peine brunie. La colonne vertébrale est très bien en place, les tanins sont fondus mais présents, arômes tertiaires d'essences végétales très raffinés qui ont pris le pas sur le fruit, une certaine amertume au palais mais la finale est agréable, longue et capiteuse...je serais curieux de le goûter à nouveau dans cinq ans.
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Opened and corked bottle in morning for evening drinking. Opened up pretty quickly in the glass. Lovely ruby colour. Very delicate taste, berries and perhaps rose petals. Fragrant. Lovely
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VERY vegetal qualities. Bell pepper really overwhelmed other floral notes trying to get through. There was some cassis on the palate right out of the bottle, but it diminished rather quickly with air. This bottle was clearly over the hill.
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I'd seek this out again at the price I paid. A touch of barnyard promptly blew off in the decanter. Medium-bodied, quite aromatic (predominantly floral) and an impressive finish for the price point. As with most bordeaux it gained flesh with air, but this wine is really for those seeking an ethereal wine at a relative bargain price. We opened this as the second bottle of the night with some grilled steaks, which was somewhat of a mismatch, of course -- but as hoped for, it was a lovely thing to linger over after the food was gone. Next time, duck or lamb.
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Started out with a metallic/thin finnish, but with some air gained in body and intensity. A nice, mature Margaux and a food wine. I would buy more for immediate consumption at the right price.
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9/15/2023 - Martyl9 Likes this wine: 92 Points
in a half bottle, 38 years old. still very drinkable.
amazing. still a bit of tannin. dry but with some of fruit. cork ok. probably purchased at Forest Hills Liquor store. you never know until you pull the cork. this what makes so amazing.
The wine looks amber colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It tastes like prune. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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5/13/2023 - Tonniking wrote:
Délicieux, gourmand, un peu confiture, truffe, tabac,
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7/11/2021 - Marc C Likes this wine: 90 Points
Aromatique sur le poivron rouge, des notes fumées et de bois précieux, léger sous-bois et poivre. C'est joli mais ça manque un peu de précision. Bouche élégante, enveloppante avec des tanins fondus, dommage qu'elle manque un peu de précision et de densité. Finale correcte.
Moins complet et impressionnant que le 89 et le 83 mais ça reste très bon, surtout à table !
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1/12/2018 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points
12,5% alcohol.
Developed and quite translucent reddish color with noticeably developed orange hue. Very classic, savory and noticeably developed, but definitely not yet over-aged nose of smoke, beef jerky, chipotle and cooked bell peppers, some leather, a little bit of ripe blackcurrant, a hint of wizened dark berries and a touch of sliced green chilis. Very captivating and attractive, really. The wine is full-bodied, velvety smooth and quite lush on the palate with mature, savory flavors of blackcurrant-driven dark berries, some bell pepper-driven vegetal character, light smoky notes, a little bit of leather, a leafy hint of autumnal tones and a touch of cigar box and cedar. The wine is still nicely tannic, given its +30 years of age, retaining enough bite and grip to make the wine feel pretty structured, along the moderately high acidity. Overall this wine feels a notch more structured than the slightly smoother Cheval Blanc 1986 tasted alongside, but also a tad more evolved. The finish is long and pretty umami in flavor with complex, haunting flavors of pipe tobacco, some cigar box, a little bit of blackcurrant-driven wizened dark berries, light pruney fruit, a hint of peppery spice and a touch of smoke.
This here is a classic example of well-matured old-school Margaux with wonderful vegetal touch of bell peppers and chilies that lends a lovely, savory undercurrent to the wine without overwhelming any of the developed fruit notes or those mature umami nuances. This wine was probably the overall favorite in a tasting of five Bordeaux blends from 2000 to 1985, although I prefered Cheval Blanc 1986 - but only by an inch. Although the wine is still quite structured, it feels like it has reached its plateau of maturity some time ago already, and while it will probably stay there for good many years, I doubt the wine will improve much from here. My recommendation is to drink the wine sooner rather than later, while it still has its impressive, but already somewhat resolved structure. Superb value at 75€.
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10/7/2017 - Bacchus&Ceres Likes this wine: 88 Points
Dull garnet with a fading orange rim. Rather intense nose of stewed plums, brown blemished fruits with some metallic, mushrooms, compost. Fast and sheet like tears ill defined. Still a pleasant drinking wine but should consume sooner as witnessing the decline over the tasting notes. Soft tannins and nothing out of balance but becoming lackluster and dusty. Drink up yesterday.
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9/30/2017 - plbullot Likes this wine: 85 Points
Great wine with good tanin taste. It's really time to drink it but it is still a great bottle
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8/3/2017 - Glifberg Likes this wine: 90 Points
Jag gillar Brane Cantenac, denna borde nog druckits för 5+år sedan...men ändå mörka bär lite åt kompott, höstlöv/stall tobak och cederträ . Helt integrerade tanniner och kort eftersmak 3,75-4.0
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3/21/2017 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 90 Points
From Art's cellar. Better than the 2002s I have had lately, this wine had a lovely nose which showed its origin from the so-called "feminine appellation." Wine was crimson to amber, and after an hour or so decant, had the Margaux perfume I expect from BC with some cedar box wafting among the flowers and fruit. Nice long finish.
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2/28/2016 - tzelmer wrote: 91 Points
Light ruby with brownish rim. Forest floor and pepper aromas, dark cherry fruit in the background. Very spicy, mid weight palate. Starting to dry out. Nice wine if you drink up soon.
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11/23/2015 - Bacchus&Ceres Likes this wine: 92 Points
A repeat experience; see note April 25,2015. Remarkably spot on with last nights wine. I'd buy a case of this if I knew it would deliver the delicious joy and woodsman chivalry that this big boy did. Toujours Bordeaux!
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10/2/2015 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank during a mini vertical with the 2008.
Hard to believe this is 30 years old given it is still a medium red with only slight bricking; also, very clear and translucent. Decantered straight from bottle as lots of sediment and broken cork. A fragrant nose but clearly demonstrating some secondary aromas of leather and on the second day, game meat, tree moss and truffle. So incredibly smooth.
On the second day, what struck me was how fruits were the dominate aroma when first poured, but then the game meat kicks in.
Amazing to think how nice this is, yet the 2008 and 2009 have been made with even higher standards, and will be even more amazing at 30 years old!
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9/19/2015 - Bacchus&Ceres wrote: 85 Points
Another crumbling cork however this time the wine reflects premox with a cinnamon coloration pale semi opaque orange rim, medium to fast thin legs, wet leaves and earth on the nose disguised cherries with brown blemishes. In the mouth not so disappointing remaining quite supple and curvilinear with sweet fruit soft purple & red plums, cleansing acidity encased in finely sanded wooden orb with a fast disappearing finish. Lovely for weekday dinner, nothing special and fading so drink up in next six months
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4/25/2015 - Bacchus&Ceres Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful wine tasting at its peak right now. Fully in bloom. This bottle was bought at auction, cork crumbled but alas the condition of the wine was thankfully fine. Dark purple in color with moderately long legs, gorgeous balance and finesse lusciously round big in mouth soft tannins purple fruits black currents cassis earthy mushroom or hay/herbaceous; perfumed nose is long lasting, elegant, and firm. Soft fruity flavors and earthy. Fabulous wine.
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7/25/2014 - redwineguy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really amazing, fully mature bordeaux. Smells of cedar, oak, and cherries. Very luscious texture, almost syrupy, but balanced with nice acidity and tannins. Very long finish. Has just the right balance of barnyard smells for added complexity.
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2/16/2014 - honest bob wrote: 90 Points
From 75cl, into neck; perfect 5.5cm long cork, almost black at wine end with minimal staining back up to the neck, perhaps 1cm on average. Healthy tawny-orange rim, some brick-red in the middle of the glass. Best in the hour after opening, as it warmed up from 12C cellar temperature. Unbalanced once it reached 20C. Wonderful elusive perfume with mandarin orange oil, dried rose-petals as well as the expected cedar and raw leather. Astonishingly fat, sweet, glycerine-rich, buffered entry, which only gradually gives way to delicate acidity and (almost fully resolved, therefore aristocratic, fine) tannic structure on the mid-palate. Shortish finish. 91 for the perfume, 90 for the entry, 88 in the knowledge that even bottles as exceptionally well-preserved as this one are on the way to a happier hunting ground. 90P
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10/2/2013 - iByron wrote: 90 Points
Clear garnet brown. Big eucalyptus nose. Still some faint fruit in the leather. Very nice. Amazed that it still has what it has.
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4/19/2013 - Janstan Likes this wine: 89 Points
very nice old bordeaux. Still life but fading
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5/8/2012 - stadler Likes this wine:
Dégustation de la SCO au complet 2012 (Paris 12e, France): Robe tuilée et brune. Essence de cèdre au nez, notes de fruits rouges bien mûrs, puis mousse. Quelques tanins sont encore présents, il est juste à point, la pente descendante le guette, un choix heureux pour ce jour !
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5/15/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 85 Points
Rusty, brick colored, this smoke, cassis, ash and earthy scented wine is medium bodied and ends with a short, black cherry note. This is fully mature and requires drinking sooner than later.
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10/2/2010 - stadler wrote: 92 Points
Pour un 26e anniversaire (1984 n'était pas extraordinaire sur la rive gauche, on pardonnera donc l'écart). Robe intacte, à peine brunie. La colonne vertébrale est très bien en place, les tanins sont fondus mais présents, arômes tertiaires d'essences végétales très raffinés qui ont pris le pas sur le fruit, une certaine amertume au palais mais la finale est agréable, longue et capiteuse...je serais curieux de le goûter à nouveau dans cinq ans.
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6/8/2010 - jbm wrote: 89 Points
Opened and corked bottle in morning for evening drinking. Opened up pretty quickly in the glass. Lovely ruby colour. Very delicate taste, berries and perhaps rose petals. Fragrant. Lovely
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12/30/2009 - dy_dx wrote: 86 Points
VERY vegetal qualities. Bell pepper really overwhelmed other floral notes trying to get through. There was some cassis on the palate right out of the bottle, but it diminished rather quickly with air. This bottle was clearly over the hill.
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4/13/2007 - kmforster wrote:
I'd seek this out again at the price I paid. A touch of barnyard promptly blew off in the decanter. Medium-bodied, quite aromatic (predominantly floral) and an impressive finish for the price point. As with most bordeaux it gained flesh with air, but this wine is really for those seeking an ethereal wine at a relative bargain price. We opened this as the second bottle of the night with some grilled steaks, which was somewhat of a mismatch, of course -- but as hoped for, it was a lovely thing to linger over after the food was gone. Next time, duck or lamb.
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2/3/2007 - ATBridge wrote:
Started out with a metallic/thin finnish, but with some air gained in body and intensity. A nice, mature Margaux and a food wine. I would buy more for immediate consumption at the right price.
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4/18/1995 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Christie's Pre-Sale Tasting (Amsterdam): Maturing nicely, characteristic gamey nose; supple, smooth, well-rounded; good length.
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