Perfection in a glass. Like previous notes this needs a 4+ hour decant. Once it finally relents and opens it reveals sweet cedar and a depth of stewed plums and thyme that must be tasted to be believed. This is a wine that is getting better by the day….
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Champers and Napa Cabs Blind - Fun Times! (Chateau Simms): This was an unexpected treat. The wine reinforced the adage that there no good old vintages, just good bottles.....and this was a good bottle! I have had this wine a couple times, and this was the best bottle yet. A nice blend of dark fruit and tertiary goodness. The color was still remarkably dark with a slight reddish hue on the rim. The nose showed some florals, earth, and old leather, and the palate followed suit with cassis and stewed plums coupled with some earthiness, old leather, graphite and sweet tobacco. Tannins were well rounded and smooth and shades of acidity kept the fruit alive. Definitely leaning toward the tertiary side of the scale, but still had plenty of discernible fruit. Loved it! 97+
Palate: Tannins seem completely integrated, light mushrooms and soft light red fruits. Damp soil and rotting tree leaves.
Only had a taste from the dregs of a remaining bottle. Definitely already deep into the tertiary realm. Or, possibly just variation, or maybe it has dove deeper into the tertiary side after getting loads of air from being open the previous night.
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98+ -- what a wonderful wine - a moment of wine - an immortal wine - 6 hours decant - but this bottle was not completely open for the very real fun - so powerful - what a structure - coffee - cassis - leather - hint of mint and at this stage - waht would this wine be, if this is ready? - Parker wrote in 1996: it has the potential to last for 50-100 years! (RP) Inner quote mark (8/1996) -- i agree
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This wine is shockingly young for its age and hardly shows any bricking. Nose and palate are quite subdued when first opened and not all that interesting, so highly advise to leave this alone for at least 2-3 hours before approaching. This really starts to come alive around hours 4-5 with growing intensity in the nose and palate. Regal, aristocratic, this wine is a monument to classicism with med-high acidity, firm structure, nose dominated by mint, cedar, leather, and restrained but fresh black fruits. Drank over three days and kept getting better each day. This is just entering its drinking window and should last another 3 decades.
This is not everyone’s cup of tea, especially those newer to wine or used to new world palates, but for those who enjoy this style of winemaking, the 86 Mouton is an exemplary example.
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Decanted two hours ahead. Surprisingly light sediment. Outstanding nose. A beautiful blend of elegance and power. It took great restraint, but this is the first bottle from the case.
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Blind, side by side with Lafite 1986 Many preferred the Lafite, for me the Mouton was slightly in front. Still too young, elegant and powerful like. The Mouton with the better structure and compared to the last 3-4 bottles in better shape. Coffee and cassis are dominating. 2-3 decades ahead. 98
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Decanted two hours. A perfect wine and I rarely say that. Power, purity, balance, complexity and length. This wine has it all. Black currant, forest floor, black pepper, herbs. Wonderful inner core of fruit, well integrated tannins and a finish that goes on forever. Despite its age this can go on forever.
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Out of a 375mL with suspect storage: apparently found in a dusty corner of the basement of my local wine shop. It wasn't cheap, but given the prices that this wine fetches at retail (at least $1000/bootle), I got a screaming bargain. This is the first 1st growth I've ever bought! Saved for a few years for a special occasion- That's tonight!
Cork is mostly saturated, comes out in one piece. Wine pours a healthy looking crimson with just the smallest amount of bricking at the rim. Amazingly healthy looking.
One smell and I can tell that, while good, this wine is not at its best. The whole package is a little muted and lacks some intensity. The aromas that I do smell are nice though- the fruits are at the dark end of the spectrum, blackberries and black plums, black cherries, along with some cinnamon, and classic Pauillac unburnt cigar and cedar.
Gentle and suave in the mouth with a very pleasant surprisingly fruit-forward entry. Dark fruits take the lead, then some lovely leathery tertiary notes. Cassis, tobacco, wood, graphite, all those nice Bordeaux descriptors are there, though you have to hunt for them a bit. The finish is nice and pleasant, medium in length, medium in complexity. I'm left with the impression of a nice, though not profound, Bordeaux. I enjoy it, but it's not the 100pt epic wine that I was hoping for. I'm not into scoring wines, but I'll give it a B+. Not bad given the deal I got.
I've never had this wine before (never had Mouton before in fact), and there are no over-the-hill off notes, but the giveaway that this wine is not at its best are the almost absent tannins. The '86 vintage, and the '86 Mouton in particular, has the reputation of being a bit of a tannin monster, but not this bottle. I imagine the small format and so-so storage accelerated the aging of this wine. My guess is that I'm tasting the 1986 Mouton as it will be at age 50 or 60, instead of the 38 years that it is today. I'd love to try a well stored full sized bottle, and while this wasn't profound, it was certainly fun and worth it for the experience of having tried Mouton.
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We left this open for 90 minutes but really we should have decanted, the last glass was the best. With air the wine found extra depth on the palate and complexity. Very good claret
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12.5% ABV. Relatively youthful appearance with a medium garnet rim and a solid ruby core. Decanted for 1.5 hrs and followed over 5 hours.
A complex profile of blackberry, cassis, black cherry, nutmeg, coffee bean, toasted almond, pencil, cigar humidor, saddle leather, and tilled earth. Initially detected some mild VA on the nose but that eventually dissipated relatively quickly. Tannins haven’t fully resolved yet. Good acidity level that underpins the core of deep pitched black fruit. Medium weight on the palate with a long finish.
Tightly wound initially and needed at least a couple hours in the decanter to uncoil. Once it did, it dazzled with its Mouton sexiness and haunting bouquet of aromas + flavors. My only nitpick is the current tannin profile which gives a slightly chunky/four-square mouthfeel, but otherwise this is fantastic. I don’t think there’s any rush to drink through your ‘86 Moutons as this is probably still on its way to peak and will have a long life given its depth and structure. Looking forward to revisiting this down the road.
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Double decanted 6 hours in advance of dinner. Lots of sediment. Even after the decant this shows youthful and a touch austere and masculine. Beautiful savory nose, graphite, gravel, dark fruits, cedar and some earth. Saline infused texture on the palate, clenched and tannic, black fruits, mushrooms and a savory element adds to the complexity. Incredibly long finish. Excellent and this appears to be immortal.
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Fantastic nose with elegant and soft red berry and fantastic tertiary notes. Lots of rose hips, dried spices and sweet tobacco leaves. Beautiful balance but it’s missing some more fruit structure. Great overall complexity. Long, dry and elegant finish. A very good bottle but not the best 1986 Mouton I had in the past years. Nevertheless it’s always an enjoyable experience to try this vintage. (IG)
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Vinklubben 1983's 40th anniversary X-mas dinner (Hos Sten): DnP Dark red, slim yellow edge, 6, unclear Utterly hedonistic complex bouquet, loads of good stuff, dark fruits,, jasmine flowers, exotic spices, coffee..... Harmonious palate, mT, h-A, mB, dry, elegant but at the same time loads of taste, long, long finish Drink now-but it will evolve for decades to come.
Had it after Lynch-Bages 1990 which was also in a fantastic place but this was a step up! Thanks Britt
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Mouton vs Lynch-Bages 1989, 1986, 1966 and 1961 vintages (A collector's home): Decanted for 2 hours, served single blind in a flight of 4 wines. Wine D, My 2nd ranked wine, groups 3rd. Blackish deep red. Graphite, licorice, black fruits, road tar and a bit of funk on the nose. Deep, austere and concentrated palate. Saline infused texture, almost salty, inky with tightly wound layers of fruit. Long finish. This was impressive but seems to need more time to unwind.
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Mouton Rothschild Vertical: Decanted for 5 hours but on the palate it still feel tight. Not sure how long this wine needs to soften down the tannin. Pronounced nose intensity with notes of black fruits, coffee, toast, charr wood, flora. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is slightly unbalanced, it should be already well integrated.
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Fuuuwoooh, impossibly youthful.. looked no more than 15 years, this is probably going to be one of those immortals that gets written into history books. Dense, dark and lush. No shortage of ripe black fruits, graphite and smoke. Mouth coating and everlasting finish. This gets my approval simply for being indestructible.
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On termine le tout avec une deuxième bouteille du 1986. Si la première fut une déception, celle si était tout simplement ce qu'il est supposé d’être...un grand vin ! Tout est en harmonie et savoureux, la bouche est pleine de fruit mure délicat, c’est soyeux, long, difficile d'en demander plus d'un Bordeaux mature. Magnifique !
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Chez Zim: pnp, at the beginning closed and very rigid, with air it opened a bit, but remained nevertheless rigid and tannic with a certain rusticity. It has not been my favorite of the evening. Repeats my impressions of the same wine tasted five years ago. A decant is imperative.
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Opened it around 11am, cork came out intact. Poured into decanter, and tried a small sip. Some brick/rust color, but thank goodness wasn't corked or cooked. Initial impression: lots of bacon, smoke, espresso, with some mint and reserved black fruit. Around 1pm, we had with a simple bistro-style burger that we grilled on the charcoal. At this point the more savory components had softened, and it worked really well -- the estuarial character of classic Bordeaux was more prominent; some dark soy sauce character too. By 6pm we finished it with some grilled lamb chops and grilled mushrooms -- this was the highlight -- just really good mature claret, with plenty of freshness and life. This was my first experience with 1st growth Bordeaux. It was definitely showing plenty of tertiary notes, but was remarkably fresh. Had I tasted it blind I would've guessed it to be at least 15 years old (but not 37!). I know others say it has another 40-50 years ahead of it but I do think I would've enjoyed it most ~ 10 years ago (though my palate is very sensitive to oxidative flavors, and I'm only just now starting to explore more properly aged wine -- so please note my bias).
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Opened at Otto e Mezzo in HK. Slow-oxed for a few hours before enjoying over dinner. Provenance ex-Chateau, stored properly since purchase.
This was probably the best showing of '86 Mouton that I've ever had. Has the monolithic beast finally turned a corner? Absolutely gorgeous nose of black and blue fruits, cassis, sous-bois, and even some seaweed. Tannins resolved, but this was still very fresh and going down like liquid velvet. Great texture on the palate and long finish - very memorable.
It's been a nice journey seeing this bottle evolve over the last few years, and I think that assuming it's been stored properly and in good condition, these are finally getting approachable. Don't hesitate to try for yourself to verify, and these are always a treat.
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Steak Dinner with Great Wine (Asador Bastian - Chicago IL): Opened and decanted an hour+ in advance, and more air time would have made this even better. Wonderfully spiced aromatic start with so much currant and cassis throughout. Wonderful depth, even if the tannins are still slightly protruding. So much here, with further upside for sure.
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This just needs a lot of air to fully open up. We decanted it for 5 hours but it still wasn't enough. We poured back half the bottle and gave it another 2 days of air and then it was fully open. I believe that this wine (from well stored bottles) needs another 12 years or so to fully develop. If you do decide to open a bottle now, give it plenty of air. One of those wines, that you expect to see their 100 birthday in fine form.
Unfortunately I won't be there to experience that though...
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No detailed notes taken. Tasted double blind. Very classic Bordeaux with a strong minerality and earthyness and a dark fruit core. A bit of tertiary development is there but this seems far away from peak. Medium complex only and the tannins have yet to melt and bring everything together. I know that many love this wine but I‘m not sure the quality of the tannins is good enough to be the legend many say this is (or will become). But don‘t get me wrong, this was very enjoyable but paled in comparison to the more complex and more elegant Bordeaux competition tonight (Conseillante 1989 at 96pts, Gruaud Larose 1989 at 95pts, Evangile 1982 at 96pts).
Tasted blind. A magistral wine combining base notes of earth, truffles and sous-bois with dark cherry and cassis fruit as well as perfumed, floral top notes and a side of fresh herbs. Soft texture, but with a firm tannic structure. Big pleasure and much more ready to drink than the last bottle a few years ago. But not as precise as the best in class I found.
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(SYP) Slow-ox for 8 hours It showed noticeably more fruit aromas than the '96 with a hint of tobacco. More concentrated flavours too. With some air, it evolved to show notes of spices, dark berries and a whiff of sweet dates. It became rounder and more balanced in the mouth with a slightly dry finish. This felt the darkest among the trio ('86, '87 & '96) with a core of graphite.
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Enjoyed my last bottle tonight with a bone in ribeye and it was spectacular ! The cork was totally saturated but the seal was still intact. Once opened the aromas of this 36 y/o beauty came wafting out! Typical MRC nose but with a deep haunting tertiary sent that only decades of proper bottle age can develop. Dark berry fruit with a creamy like finish that lasts. Structured yet fine and pure. Decanted for a half hour before I tucked into my first glass. The wine kept improving with time. The best representation of this beautifully fine first growth that I have enjoyed.
A lot different from the monolithic previous bottle. Decent style and complexity, medium full concentration. Nothing out of place but not a good example of it. When I opened it I feared it might have been flawed since it had no aroma. It cleared up but never took off. A recent purchase so maybe heat damaged along the way despite great fill and bottle appearance.
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Chez W, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, another fine showing, tannins softer and sweeter, quite rich and complex, more flattering than classier and more nuanced Lafite 95, little upside now but plenty of time in hand. VF (18.5).
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Drank one of three bottles I picked up at an auction. This one had mold on the capsule as was declared by the auction house . The other two were in perfect condition. I removed the capsule and the top was covered with mold, an obvious leaker. I removed the cork with an ahso and it was saturated with a half inch of mold on the top. The aroma was typical MRC! The color had a slight bricking on the outermost ring in the glass, as expected . The tannins were still slightly noticeably but had a interesting chocolaty flavor. The fruit was less than I had experienced on other MRC’s but the overall wine was delicious . I think the leakage had some effect on the fruit of the wine, making this a less than perfect example of this fine wine. I look forward to comparing notes on the next bottles.
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My first time to taste this beautiful and rather enigmatic wine. The interesting thing is that at this point, 36 years young, the wine is still very much an adolescent. By that I mean that the fruit flavors are rather primary, a touch roasted or sun-kissed on the initial opening, then focusing and improving in the decanter over two hours time. If you had blinded me and said, this was an early 2000s Opus One or Dominus, I would believe you for sure. It does not have the astringency or drying tannins typical of 1986, but instead is structurally resolved, and yet without much tertiary development. This bottle was purchased on release and stored in a cold cellar until today.
Please excuse any dictation related typos.
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blind An approachable bottle, not that closed as often. Still firm tannins but leather and tobacco notes are joining the fruit side. Roasted aromas. At least 2 more decades. 97
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Didn’t live up to the rave reviews at least not to my tastes but each to their own. Opened at 12 noon. Decanted at 5pm. Started drinking at 8pm with steak. Nose was muted. Tannins were soft and well integrated but I didn’t get much of the classic Pauillac notes of pencil shavings, forest floor, leather etc mentioned in other reviews. It wasn’t that the tannins were overbearing. It was all just quite muted. Not in an “off bottle” sense. Just didn’t do it for me. Disappointing.
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Rich, delicious huge black cherry fruit with intense tobacco, cigar box flavors, excellent structure, ample tannins, Long finish, needs at least 20 more years to fully soften, try again in 10 years, spectacular wine, still a big baby
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Opened and at first glance I thought maybe the bottle was imperfect. Whatever was there blew off in a couple minutes but the wine was shut down for a long time. Took nearly 2 hours to become approachable. Very rich and seductive cherry fruits and typical pauillac pencil shavings and some tertiary flavors. This wine needs a lot more time to shed its baby fat.
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A great Mouton that's still youthful and tannic in the '86 way but there is also gorgeous violet-tinged fruit underneath with great structure and intensity. However, it was drunk alongside a great bottle of the '82 and that's how I could see that the tannins are on the rougher side and the wine doesn't have quite the same balance and refinement of the '82. Still great juice and it's best days are probably ahead.
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Oops - got the benefit of drinking this again last week and realizing that I didn't capture the last time we drank it. It was very good. In a tough line-up with Grange (which was what I found myself going back to over and over). But drinking very nicely. Did not show quite as young and bright as the ex-Chateau version but that's to be expected.
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Opened and decanted for sediment then recorked, flew cross country (with ice pack) then served. The last time I had this wine I had the impression it needed a lot of air. With that lots of air this wine was really doing great. In a touch line-up with an excellent Grange and Unico, but certainly deserving of the spot. Wonderful.
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Not much to add beyond OLDWINES' note, from a "guys dinner" featuring amazing dinner dishes coupled with even more amazing wine. I have had very few bottles of Mouton, so this was the wine I was most anticipating for the evening, not to mention its pairing with a Piedmontese tomahawk ribeye steak. I have no detailed notes, but my impression was its classy purity and integration. No rough edges, just liquid red velvet. But it turns out I actually like the rough edges, which is mostly why I preferred the '02 Grange (from a previous course) slightly more to this venerable Mouton.
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Sea, Feather and Land (New Jersey): In my cellar since original release, decanted at 4:15pm and served at 9pm with Shane’s 4th course, Piemontese tomahawk ribeye dish. This was tasted beside a very youthful 2019 Napa Cab from PV365 that was almost identical in color on a small pour, but with more in the glass the younger wine was clearly more dense and dark. There is considerable controversy it would appear about this wine with frequent bottle variation and widely divergent scores, both among the “pro’s” and CT’ers. This bottle was pristine just like my previous 2 consumed in 2017. Medium dark garnet color. Classic Pauillac nose with fragrant black earth, pencil lead, black cherry and cassis. There is little to no sign of age, shockingly youthful! Integrated tannins and enough acidity still active to give a bright undertone to the wine. Still structured to continue aging for a good while yet. Palate has earthy black currant, dark cherry, pencil lead, hints of chocolate and continues with the earthy minerals into a very long savory finish. So elegant and amazingly balanced, long and complex with a youthfulness that would suggest a wine 20 years younger. My WOTN but some of the others preferred the 2002 Penfold”s Grange that went with the previous course.
Gilman is right. For a First in a reputable great vintage at age 36, this Mouton is shockingly simple. On the positive side, the bright black- and blue-berry fruit is rich and tasty and a bit glossy. Tannins are moderate, acidity is sound, length is average. So - tasted pretty good but gets more and more boring as the bottle is consumed. This could be a decent California cab at a fraction of the cost. I’d be surprised in it blossomed in the future. Sad.
Tasted blind in the a line-up of 5 great vintages of Mouton, this wine had a deep red/purple center and red rims. The medium intensity nose of black cherries, minerals, plums, and tobacco still seemed tight.
In the mouth, this wine was rich and yet gorgeously balanced with rounded tannin and solid acidity. It was way too young but still drinking nicely!
This will develop extremely well and reminds me of a much younger version of the great '59. I score for current drinking but who knows how high this could go?
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NobleRottersSydney - top 80s Bdx with Rhone ringers (Fix, St James, Sydney): {cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] Barely past youthful, as for previous tastings. Meat and currants. Power. Power and drive. Palate is more about structure than fruit too, but it’s a struggle. Medium dusty tannins, subtle oak. It just seems to have so much pure black fruit that builds, endlessly. Medium/full weight, long finish. It is, indeed, a majestic sort of wine, commanding more respect than adoration. You kind of sit back and think, ‘wow, will this ever mature?’ Possibly not, who knows. Beautifully drinkable though with a decent amount of air and a rare (or blue!) lump of animal protein. Just a nagging sense that it’s best may be yet to come. Maybe.
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1.5 hour decant and followed for 2.5 hours. Fruity nose of dark red fruits and cedar notes, maybe some slight bricking but really looks youthful. Blackberry, plumbs, cocoa, youthful feel with fine tannins, improving as the night progressed. Approachable now but plenty of stuffing left.
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Contrairement à certaines déjà bues qui affichaient encore le profil d’un vin pas encore arrivé à son apogée, celle-ci était malheureusement bien avancée.
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A small gathering - 02 Lignier MSD VV, 82 and 86 Mouton, 96 Giacosa Asili (Undisclosed location in McLean, VA): Expressive youthful nose displaying intense concentrated black fruit, strong crème de cassis, blackberry, liquid smoke, ink, caramel, lead pencil, dark spices and earthy mineral. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of intense concentrated black fruit, unctuous but also silky and fluid, bright acidity and mineral, noticeably but fine tannins and a long concentrate cassis fruit driven finish with lead pencil at the end. This is bigger than the 82 but not as detailed. It is also decisively younger than the 82. I seem to prefer the 86 over the 82 in the past few years.
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Very intriguing nose of graphite, red fruit, and a bit of raw meat. Good structure with good acidity and a dominant iron note along with more red fruit on the palate. Long finish. Excellent wine that needed quite a bit of air and kept improving through the night. Feels very young still, but I did prefer the last bottle I had a few years ago.
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Well I was expecting this to be too young and backward to appreciate, but it was completely open for business, with an immediately attention getting bouquet of dark fruits, wood, cocoa, fennel, and a whiff of florals. Dense and intense, with still a ton of fine tannin, but so much fruit that one hardly notices the tannin. Clearly still young, but completely approachable now, and a thrill to drink.
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Nice sweet dark tobacco with a Swede. Mature, yet still giving with dark toasted fruits. Finishes just a touch quick. Lively & ready to go. Classic Mouton brooding dark char.
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1986 Bordeaux plus some supplements (Restaurant Brunnenstube, Beinstein): From a perfect bottle. Decanted for ~ 4h. Clear, deep ruby color with even some purple reflexes. Very youthful! Pronounced, developing and powerful nose. Violets, black currant, fine oak, spices. Very dense and youthful nose! After 35 years it has not even fully developed much tertiary notes and just has some reminiscent smell of pencil shavings. On the palate wonderful acidity, the mellow and ripe tannin is still very high and gives the wine a youthful grip. Wonderful pure red and dark fruit. Great tension, pressure and depth, very good texture. This is unbelievably young! And it could very well earn a perfect score once the tannin has been fully integrated and it develops a bit more complexity through tertiary notes and some more elegance. Nevertheless already a brilliant wine! 96++
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Vivid crimson red color with no sides of having faded. Unbelieveably nose resplendent with violets and raspberries and deeper in black pepper and a confectionary note - probably the best nose I’ve ever had the pleasure of inhaling. The immediate impression is shocking discombobulation at the intensity and virile youth of the wine - the tannins have a fierce grip and the fruit is reticent. The nose gets 100 points and the wine itself 93. This was a transformative wine experience.
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Le fameux 1986....Premièrement, cette bouteille n'était clairement pas le Mouton 86 typique. Un nez d'écurie, fermier avec du tabac comme j'en ai jamais autant retrouver dans un vin. C'est beaucoup plus évolué autant au nez qu'en bouche. La matière est intéressante avec une belle fraîcheur et une longueur respectable, ce n'était pas un mauvais vin loin de la mais aucunement ce qu'il devrait goûter. Un vin qui nous laisse un peut sur une impression de " Past prime " Malheureusement pas une bouteille a point.
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not blind Today after two bottles of cork a singing bottle. Decanted over a few hours and drink over one hour. Still very tight but great nose of black currant and roasted coffee beans. Some ethereal notes. Still many years ahead. 97 today
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Firm, fiercely tannic, strict, and young, this bottle remains stubbornly adolescent. Incredibly concentrated, powerful, long and intense, this is a modern-day version of the 1928, which took 50-60 years to come around. Younger consumers with patience should take a good look at this. Provided that youth and patience can get along.
Opened in Knightsbridge. Decanted for some air, but drank immediately.
This was in a much better place than when I had this wine back in 2017, when it was still absolutely monolithic. Lovely primary flavours still there - a mix of black, blue and red fruit coming through, but the tannins were much better integrated and this had some softness and tertiary characteristics that were befitting of a wine that is over 35 years old!
We had two bottles of the same this evening, and both were showing well. Mouton has never quite been my favourite but can't deny that this was in a good spot. Will probably keep at this level for a while, but definitely don't hesitate to drink up. Don't worry about giving it some air as well - an hour or two to loosen everything up won't hurt!
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Happily it was a good bottle after purchasing duty paid. Took around 4 hours to really come into it's own. Very satisfying and complex. Was worth the gamble.
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Beautiful seductive nose of sandlewood, spices, needed to be decanted and drank well in the first half of the evening but then started to fade a little as it got warmer. Still some grippy tannins present and could potentially cellar but doubt it will improve any more. Delicious
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Deep dark ruby color with rim variation. Ripe red and black fruits, mint, licorice, pepper. Great balance with proper acidity and lots of silky tannins.
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Deep garnet,pronounced rose,raspberry,red cherry,blueberry,black cherry,green bell pepper,ripe fruit,vanilla,coffee,leather,dry,medium(+) acidity,smooth medium tannin,medium alcohol,medium(+) body,long finish,outstanding wine,suitable for bottle ageing
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Deep ruby almost purple color. Elegant persistent rush of symphonically balanced notes of blackberry, vanilla, graphite, dark chocolate and forest floor. Dry, rounded acidity, surprisingly chewy tannins, palate follows through. Full body. Great balance (albeit with a short tannin wall at end). Long finish. A masterpiece, but admittedly not transcendent.
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blind In perfect shape. Still young, decanted for a few hours, iron, graphite, some black currant, great acidity, reluctant in fruit but powerful in concentration and length. Far away from his peak. 98+, nailed it
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Not a great bottle. Cork was 80% wet and came out in two pieces. The wine itself seemed reticent upon decanting and didn't show betterment during it's six-hour decant. Good color and aromatics, but closer to ordinary than possessing the essence of a first growth quality or Mouton personality on the palate and finish.
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Deep garnet core, semi-opaque. The bouquet simply leaps from the glass: lead pencil, cassis, plum, cherry, coffee. Dry, balanced acidity, medium-bodied, with largely resolved tannins. The palate mirrors the nose in all its symphonic glory: Cab Franc/lead pencil upfront (brass), dark fruit on the midpalate (strings), and more mature notes of coffee, toast and oak on the finish (woodwinds). The length is very long. The overall experience is best captured in the famous stanza from Baudelaire: “Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté / Luxe, calme et volupté." No hurry at all (as there is still plenty of fruit left), but the wine is definitely well in its drinking window. Outstanding.
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Double decanted and took to a restaurant. No tasting notes, but it was really drinking well. Tannins have softened, and just beautiful right now. Nice nose. Maybe on the downward slope of drinking window but barely. Lost some of the lucious-ness I recall from years ago, but hardly tastes “old”. For sure >95 type, but I didn’t spend time on that.
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Base neck. Imported from Bordeaux in the late 1980ies and stored under perfect conditions since then. Cork hasn't been leaking, but is fully soaked. No decant. Pnp. Deep deep ruby garnet coulour of a young wine in the center and maybe a minimal hue of orange to the rim. The nose is open and with warming up from cellar temperature is gaining more and more intensity. Blackberries, tea, pencil shavings, menthol, a bit of black currants with swirling. Cigarbox, blood, dark cherries, inscence and scents I could not name. Soy. Very complex, extraordinary intensity, though not as intense as the 1989 Lynch Bages, I had last week. On the palate the first impression is one of high concentration and acidity, the tannins are there but not in the forefront. Great balance of all components. The fruit takes the backseat now in contrast to the wines bouquet. On the palate it seems a bit closed now, what is confusing given its bouquet. Then I've been waiting an half hour with the wine standing in a cool room to avoide to high drinking temperatures. It gains in intensity on the palate and gets more and more length. The tannin becomes more prominent, but it is smooth and round. No hardness here. This Mouton has a long aftertaste first showing more of its tertiary notes and then with the fruit components striking back. Finishing on an iron note. 5/15/20/10. This is going to age well for another 35 years, well if the cork is in better condition or if the bottle is recorked. Though still quite young and with more tannin that other bordeauxs with more than 30 years of age, this is ready to drink with airation in bottle and glass without decant, which takes the nuances possibly. With more time it changes and delivers white chocolate with coffee notes. 100 points, -2055+
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Kleur: Diep donkerrood met een dunne oranjebruine rand. Aroma / bouquet: Delicaat en rijp, maar minder expressief dan ik had gehoopt. Na enige tijd beluchting komt het delicate en verfijnde bouquet los. Gedroogde dadels, verfijnd hout / zoethout, zwarte peper en theeblaadjes. Na enige tijd komen er meer gebrande aroma's los die doen denken aan koffieboontjes en bittere chocola. Smaak / Afdronk: Wow. In de mond maakt deze klassieke grootheid direct een verpletterende indruk.Krachtig, met uitgesproken zuren en krachtige, prachtig gerijpte tannines. Een meer dan voortreffelijke balans tussen zuren, tannines, vulling en alcohol en dat met een superieure concentratie. Algemeen / potentieel: Stoere wijn met nog volop reserves die nog een lange toekomst voor zich heeft. Maar deze fles niet ;-). 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 99/100
Color: Deep dark red with a thin orange-brown edge Aroma / bouquet: Delicate and ripe, but less expressive than I hoped. After some time aeration, the delicate and refined bouquet is released. Dried dates, refined wood / liquorice, black pepper and tea leaves. After some time, more roasted aromas are released that are reminiscent of coffee beans and bitter chocolate. Taste / Finish: Wow. On the palate, this classic greatness immediately makes a smashing impression. Powerful, with pronounced acidity and powerful, beautifully aged tannins. A more than excellent balance between acids, tannins, filling and alcohol and that with a superior concentration. General / potential: Tough wine with plenty of reserves that still has a long future ahead of it. But not this bottle ;-). 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Taste / Finish: 20 + Overall / potential: 10 = 99/100
Going on 35, had base neck fill. I was underwhelmed by my last couple bottles of this, but this bottle was on point. Nice teritiary earthiness along with cedar, mint, black tea. Black currant fruit, slightly dried. Hint of anise. Great texture with a solid solid acid/tannin backbone feels like another 15 years is possible. Thoroughly enjoyed and looking forward to my last couple bottles in next few years. Highly recommended if you can get it.
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It seems pretty closed on opening earlier in the day during decanting. After several hours, the wine seemed a little stripped. Nothing overt, and very good, but nothing like it should have been. After several hours in the decanter it became evident this was corked not just closed. Two in a row for me with this wine. Ouch.
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Bearing in mind the weight of expectations that accompany the opening of any 100-point wine, I was fully prepared to be disappointed. Or to go against the grain. After all, I remember 10 years ago when I opened one, I was somewhat underwhelmed.
But such skepticism proved unwarranted. Decanted for a mere 30 minutes while the chicken was busy browning in the oven, the wine's nose was a rich bouquet of cassis, crushed rocks, iron shavings and pig's blood. On the palate, the wine is simple unfussy perfection: fruit and tannin are perfectly balanced, meshed finely together in complex velvety layers of intense yet restrained dark berry flavors. There is not a hair out of place, not a flaw to be found. No drama, no drumrolls, just 100 points.
Medium garnet. Nose of ripe cherry and raspberry, and some savoury spices and Chinese medicinal herbs. Somewhat lean on the palate, with strong biting tannins, and ripe red fruits, tar and herbs. Long finish, mostly of the herbal flavours and greens
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Dark, dark weathered garnet color, I get some light dried tobacco notes, bit of old wood; the last time I tried this was probably 15 years ago, when it was starting to be drinkable, but still pretty severe, with razor wire tannins. The tannins have softened considerably, dropping into a fair amount of blackberry colored sediment, still leaving some mouth coating grip; the fruit is still fairly strong, with a purple violet note, a bit faded but still good intensity. Seems like this will always retain its 86-ness, like a rustic piece of unfinished furniture burnishes with time. I think it’s in a good drinking window, which should last for many years.
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Tasted blind. This was nothing like previous bottles I've had of this wine. Menthol dominated nose that was hard to get past. There some fruit and cherry notes behind the menthol. Good acidity with strong tannins, but little fruit and quite harsh on the palate. I've had this wine a few times over the past 15 years and have to think this was a bad bottle.
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This is the second time I had the 1986 Mouton and this was the best showing so far. Still incredibly dense and tannic. After four hours in a decanter a truly astonishing wine appeared. Nose of menthol, pencil shavings and cigar box. The palate is loaded with mature dark fruit with a silky texture and enormous concentration. Still tannic after decanting but the tannins did not in any way obscure or hide the mature fruit and tertiary flavours. Compared to the flamboyant 82 had in the same evening the 86 offers a more austere Latour like style. It is not at its peak yet but is already an amazing wine. The Mouton 86 embodies everything that a first growth from Pauillac should be.
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A mercurial wine that never consistently or thoroughly satisfies me, and tonight was no exception. For context it’s a bottle i cellared for 20+ years, it was a base neck fill, a mostly soaked cork, but not all the way through and no seepage. a beautiful garnet color.
The aromas are not explosive but prominent, plummy, minerals, cherry syrup, pencil, and spice. The palate as always is old school Bordeaux with black currants and flashes of cherry Luden’s in the mid palate, then dark chocolate, licorice, and tar taking over the finish....descriptively it’s a home run but the fruit is a bit dry, lacking magic and even charm. I have 1 bottle left from my half case and I’ll probably wait a few years to try it, but at 35 y.o. have to question if this really gets any better
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Well, every now and then you pull a wine and it has everything. This was surely one of those times. When I first pulled the cork, I was taken aback by the gobs of bright red fruit reeking from the bottle. I mean it was like I was at a cherry and raspberry packing house. Then beautiful impressions of earthy soil wafted out. I did a quick taste, and grinned from ear to ear. "This is gonna be great!" I proclaimed. Then I decanted into Grassl decanter. Over the next few hours the wine relaxed from its storage. What it left was a most compelling melange of bright red fruit, earth/soil, green tobacco, and a hint of cedar box. I was wondering if the wine would be a little too youthful, before I pulled the cork. Well, that thought was easy dispelled with each sip. While it is "young for its age," it is so great to drink right now. The fruit, acid, and tannins were so in step with each other, with never a thought of austerity, but more like a glowing, buzzing, beckoning to drink this perfect juice. I drank this bottle with my immediate family, and we were all raving about this through the whole meal. This was a quintessential power without weight wine, and one that will surely make it to 100+ years!!!
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After 90 minutes decanted, this dark red beauty had a lovely fruity, albeit subdued nose. The body was of a medium full Pauillac promising future greatness. The finish was fine. This wine needs more cellar time.
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Followed over the course of about 6 hours, this bottle of 86 Mouton seemed to weave in and out of accessibility. At its best, a virile expression of Mouton, showing pure blackcurrant, pencil shavings, and hints of mineral and smoke. At moments this seemed intense and pure, only to quickly retreat back a moment later. Clearly a wine years from its apogee, a rough rating would look something like mid to high 90s, though I am not struck as obviously by superlative greatness as I am with the 1982.
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[Blind] Nose is a little muddled up front and it is initially difficult to get a clear read. Dense and heavy. Palate is similarly dark and stormy but showing nice age and development too. Secondary in terms of fruit character but dense and absolutely stuffed palate. More forest floor and forest fire smoke showing up. Round at first but also showing a more herbaceous edge. Still massive and excellent, but I have had a number of these, many hit and miss and many frustratingly youthful and stubborn, and I think there are fresher examples than this out there. See e.g., 2017 note.
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Not the Christmas gift I was expecting. This bottle, last of the case, was very badly corked. Such a disappointment versus the last bottle, drunk 6 years or so ago. Given the range of tasting notes I was hoping to be able to contribute to the debate but sadly not.
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Lacking fruit and nearing death; proceeding into a slow decline. Still impressive structure of tannin and acid but not providing much flavor or scents. Very clean - virtually no sediment.
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Powerful, firm, concentrated, tannic and deep, this is classic Bordeaux at its best. Not showy, but suggestive, this is a wine of contemplation. It takes time in the glass to unfurl. Complex, but not at forward, with patience and coaxing the wall of fruit opens to leather, soy, spice, tobacco, cedar chest, bright red cherries, cassis and cigar box sensations. Yes, the wine is tannic, but the tannins are ripe, firm, delivering you a stoic, refined, multi-layered experience. Give it 2-3 hours of air, or wait 5-10 years, else gift it to your children, if they are young. I am certain this is going to be one of the 100 year wines.
This needs a proper decanting or a decade more in the cellar. Quite closed down and even a little boring after uncorking. With an hour it starts singing. Beautiful ripe red fruit notes paired with amazing tertiary notes like mushrooms and forest floor. Firm tannins. If tasted blind I would have put this somewhere in the late 90s. Very good structure and depth. Not as good as my past two bottles but still absolutely enjoyable.
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Last bottle in 2018 scored 100. Opaque mahogany appearance. Classical aged nose with iodine blackcurrant blackberry mint spice and nutmeg. Beautifully balanced. Soft mouthfeel. Has the Mouton masculine extroversion. Has the Pauillac pencil shavings. Flavours include blueberries olives cherries milk coffee coffee grounds eucalyptus. In Tetsuyas. Best after 30 minutes in the decanter. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. 18 deg C. Should be good to 2050. One more bottle left.
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A Zoom tasting of decent wines. An excuse to be social. (Zoom): First bottle from a purchase of an OWC. Bottles still had the tissue. Beautiful explosive nose of cigar, meat, dirt, smoke, and almost like burning rubber. Very seductive. However, it’s flaw is that it lacks fruits. This is not drinking as young as other notes suggest. While it doesn’t present typical of 1986s, it does show its age. The palate is a bit lean and lacking fruit and weight. The tan is are bit on the dusty side. Finish is tart with a higher level of heat and acid than the rest in this flight. I am being critical though, this is a great wine.
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A very complex Bordeaux nose. This is incredibly young, fresh and elegant, amazingly silky polished tannins that are still very present and provide structure, a pretty dark berry fruit, cassis, lots of depth for such an old wine, black tea flavors, hint of dark chocolate, salty, cedar notes and cigar box, no brett flavors here. A truely great bottle of wine, especially considering its age. Will likely be longer lived than the equally fantastic 1982 Mouton tasted alongside, but maybe it is a hint less complex. - 96+ points
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The first words out of my mouth when I tasted this was “showing very young.” I didn’t think I needed hours to let this open up so we drank it right away, which was a mistake. Improved a lot after an hour or so, but even then it was still very closed for a 34 year old wine. I would highly recommend giving this a few hours in a decanter if you open now, otherwise I would revisit again in 10+ years. I can’t remember ever having a wine this old that seemed so young before, just massive.
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This is a beast. Out of a half bottle that was double decanted and open for 4 hours before serving. The wine is massive, concentration is over the roof, the acids are vicious. Tannins are soft and very intergrated. Black fruits, spice, cedar, graphite, are all that this baby will offer up. I cannot get over the youthfulness.
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consistent with my last note: dark red with brick rim - aromatic nose of cassis, graphite, tobacco and white flowers - very nice forward flavors, but fell off markedly in the middle of the mouth with insufficient body to compliment the up-front flavors - medium length finish - ripe tannins moderate, acid balance good - would rate this a 96 for the nose and forward flavors, but a 92 for the body afterward - reasonably mature now, but clearly will last for another 10-20 years, hopefully with the possibility of continued development of more complex flavors - tasted alongside with the 86 Chateau Margaux, which was much more open and accessible at this time - so drink the Margaux and hold the Mouton!
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This 86 is a huge wine, it was so huge it’ll take another 2-3 decades of aging to mellow down and ready to be drank. We decanted it for 2-3 hours, and it was like fresh out of the bottle! Very opulent nose, extremely smokey and a huge nose overwhelm most wines on the table. Its a fruit bomb on the mouth, still hugely tannic and overwhelming amount of fruits. I would like to revisit this bottle in 20 years time!”
more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
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Drank this from a half bottle and you could have still fooled me that this wine wasn’t from the last decade. Still a wall of tannin and a beast of a wine even after several hours. Honestly one of my faves in recent memory but still has considerable upside and this wine May very well outlive me (1986 is a birthyear wine for me). Tons of cassis but also violets, cedar, balsam, tobacco leaf, dark cherry with herbal / caramel finish. Phenomenal wine that has somehow made time stand still....
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Excellent. Cork in perfect shape and great fill on a bottle shared with friends for the superbowl.
12hours of slow oxidation and this was still a monolith. Decanted and it opened up over the course of several hours over dinner.
All the classic pauillac notes, gravel, pencil, earth, black cassis and violets. Very fine tannins well integrated. A long finish but perhaps a bit thin on the palate.
Showing some tertiary notes and the baby fat has been shed. Still developing
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dark red with brick rim - aromatic nose of cassis, graphite, tobacco and white flowers - very nice forward flavors, but fell off markedly in the middle of the mouth with insufficient body to compliment the up-front flavors - medium length finish - ripe tannins moderate, acid balance good - would rate a 96 for the nose and forward flavors, but a 92 for the body afterward - reasonably mature now, but clearly will last for another 10-20 years, hopefully with the possibility of continued development of more complex flavors
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“Best Bottle” tasting in Fitzgerald, Rotterdam. (By JvT @ Fitzgerald): Beautiful dark berries and impressions of earth in the bouquet. On the palate the same impressions, autumn forest, firm acidity and length. Lacks some refinement at the moment, but I think that is because the wine is still too young. Nevertheless a great experience again. 96+
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Drank for new years day. Opened and decanted for about an hour. Overall excellent bottle of wine. Tertiary notes. Still powerful fruit. Ability to age longer. In no way nearing its end.
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Massive wine, tannins bold, fruit powerful — 10-20 years still ahead (reminded me of 2000 Lafite). Needed 2 hours+ to open but nose amazing, gorgeous mouthfeel and spectacular finish. Need more of this to lay down for next decade of enjoyment. Special treat to myself for Xmas eve dinner in Paris. Cheers!!
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Tremendous Pauillac and a clear reminder why this is my favorite appellation. Bright ruby red, decanted and aerated for an hour then drank over 2. Nose of cassis concentrate, ink, black pepper, and some black currants all fully reflected on the palate. Powerful wine, very complex structure and built to last another 20 years. Tannins coated by the richness of the fruit and texture of the wine that finishes very long on hints of pepper. Simply delectable. I need to buy more of this beauty!
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Still quite structured with good crisp intensity of flavor with notes of black fruits and Asian spices. Quite structured and a bit lean for Mouton but very finely etched with incredible class and breed. Just showing some maturity with hints of roasted nuts and truffles on the classic, complex finish. Well-stored bottles still need time. 95+
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Faintly faintly corked. The type that you can't really smell but which manifests in a muted and thin fruit. A massive wine cut short. Inky concentration and tannin that still strikes.
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Showing signs of tertiary development, with funky rounded aromatics. There is plenty of fruit left. A little less structured than Moutons I’ve had around the same vintage.
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Like the spaceship leaving the solar system when this will be ready? Dark, opaque and brooding, with olives on the entry. Pure and monolithic with fabulous fruit. Even though it has not really developed much complexity I do enjoy drinking this. But it remains a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. My fifth rated wine.
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moderate red with brick/orange rim - beautiful aromatic nose of cassis, graphite, tobacco and white flowers - very nice up front flavors, but fell off markedly in the middle of the mouth with insufficient body to compliment the forward flavors - nice medium length finish - tannins moderate, acid balance good - would get a 97 for the nose and forward flavors, but a 91 for the body afterward - fully mature, though maybe some continued development possible
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Cap intact. Slightest of mould underneath. Opened using blade-opener but cork broke in two. Last part came out allright. Tight nose on PnP but after 6h decant great improvement and some of the aphorisms regarding better Pauillac wines were indeed honored. Let's take "fist in a velvet glove" - the nose is inviting, seductive almost. Violets, roses, cassis and beautiful cedar wood. All multilayered and inviting. Then, on drinking, you are treated to a wide array of exotic raw tobacco, luxurious leathers and interspersed here you find coffee, rose petals, green peppers. "Like lighting up a Marlboro in autumn rain". Aftertaste lingers for a long while - in fact I could still feel the aftertaste of the wine after having had a mouthful of another wine (a reference wine). Good bottle, no signs of tiering. What was a rather good reference wine at the outset - it turned into cranberry juice after having had the Mouton. Such are the powers of this wine. Power and elegance at the same time.
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The wine has fragrant aromatics, dark sweet berries and flowers, which I find are evolving more seductively than the flavors. This wine has never been opulent and I suspect it never will, but there is good depth to the dark fruit and a savory beef blood element which come together nicely. It’s just the darn dryness of the tannins that own the finish.
I like it, and it’s young enough (still!) that I’ll take my time with my last few bottles, but I do think there are better 86s (LLC, Gruaud Larose)
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I am sure old-timers tasting the 1928 in its youth grew tired of waiting for full-maturity and made similar comments to this note. Clearly, all the elements for a great wine are here. Powerful, deep, full-bodied, complex, youthful, energetic and multi-layered, the wine remains stubbornly holding on to its youth. The wall of tannin remains, as does the ocean of fruit, but the tannins are quite present, even with 4 hours of air. Yet, it is impossible not to see that when this hits its stride, it is going to be one of the great vintages of Mouton. But when is that going to happen?
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Decanted around 9 a.m. for an after lunch tasting. This bottle was pretty much identical to the one I opened 7 years ago (!). Still somewhat immature; a monumental wine on the nose and palate.
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This great wine remains chiseled and so pure with an incredible streak of graphite running through it. Definitely an old style of Bordeaux (not a bad thing) that’s not opulent nor smooth as silk but still amazingly focused, layered and fine! There are flavors of deep black fruits and carbon minerals to go along with the liquid graphite that flows over the tongue like holy water and there is a freshness, succulence and intensity that is incredible for a 33 year old wine. Will go for decades and keep improving in my opinion. 96+
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Just a tinge of bricking at the edge with a garnet core. PnP. Smells beautiful. Concentrated red fruit, some cassis, raisin and other dried fruit, cigar, and dusty earth. There’s a lot going on but it is so pure. In the mouth it is medium body with an incredible silkiness that flows around the palate. Flavors are concentrated like the nose and tannins still have some grip. The acidity frames everything nicely and only offers a bit of bitterness on the back end. This should open up beautifully. Drink now or hold for another 10-15 years.
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young dark purple color, massive nose, cassis, fruitcake, dark plums, pepper notes, on the palate a voluptuous and piercingly pure core of ripe fruit on a scale rarely seen in a wine that is also properly balanced and fully showing its breed, the palate a near-mirror of the nose with cassis, fruitcake and cherry notes, white mineral streaks with time, still incredibly tannic but with time in glass these softened to a sufficient degree to reveal an excellent balance that convinces me at long last that this wine will go the distance and unfurl as may of us had dreamed it might, a glorious wine with a purity the 1982 will never have, and at this point my personal favorite of the two great titans of Bordeaux's Golden Decade.
Amazingly young in all respects, decanted over 4 hours and could have gone much longer. Great tannins will carry this through another 25 years easily. Beautiful balance, classic nose of stone fruit and leather and minerals, and a wonderfully alive palate of dark fruit and forest. Wow!
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Wine Monuments Man Chapter 4 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Drank it side by side with Sassicaia 1985. 3 hours of double decantation. A baby monster. Tremendous, typical Pauillac. Graphite, black currant, power, roasted aromas, some hints of coffee, even after 3 hours of drinking the wine feels closed and not reached his peak. At least 2 more decades. The wine needs maybe 10 hours of air. 99(100)
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Shame on me to call this a vega after a glorious bottle last friday. This one was not decanted long enough in the decanter. It still got that tannic bite. Very deep and concentrated but still a bit tight. Not showing the layers.
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Slow oxed for 2 hours and decanted for 2.5 hours. Great structure with so much power. Cherry, black fruit, tobacco, earth and truffle. The depth and finesse were spectacular. It still showed some tannins because of the vintage. Very good. My fav mouton along with 82.
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Mouton Rothschild vertical 1878-2002 (Old Swiss House, Lucerne): A chameleon showing different colours every time you revisit the glass. More earth and leather than in the 82 overall. Full bodied with an interesting herbal touch on the palate. Tannins are still tangible and add to an overall muscular structure. This feels like there is still decades of aging potential left in the bottle. There were comments around the table highlighting a faint oxidation, but if so it was not noticeable to me. 82 and 86 were a toe to toe race at this vertical but if you put a gun to my head the 86 was just a whisker better.
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Mouton Vertical (Lucerne): This wine left me a bit puzzled. I expected a rather closed, painfully young bottle but that was not the case. The wine was open (our expert called it “a more communicative example of the ‘86”) even though the tannins had some rough edges. But after 20 minutes in the glass I suddenly had oxidative aromas only to disappear and come back a few times. I guess overall, not the perfect and most representative bottle. The best moments were a 95 points experience (missing the laser-sharp precision of the also very young ‘89 Lynch but with lots of power and stuffing which is very promising). No rating.
TN: More tertiary development than the ‘82 drank alongside, slight sweet oak aromas, dark fruit underneath. Same on the palate with more minerality and hints of dried herbs. Some granular, noticeable tannins which need to further integrate, good well integrated acidity. Less complex and showing compared to the ‘82. Medium+ finish.
Decanting: Double decant & slow-ox for 2 hours. Hard to give any advice after this volatile bottle.
Super Bowl 2019 (Alpharetta, GA): Dark core with garnet rim; incense, green pepper, currants, cigar, chocolate, iron, dense, compost, graphite; fat and rich on the palate, chewy, deep and layered, currants, pretty to a degree but very firm tannins; Leoville...Mouton- called '86 Mouton; 95+.
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2nd Annual Sommelier Appreciation Dinner (Undisclosed Location): Mouton vs. Lafite flight pits the legendary '86 Mouton against the less-legendary '90 Lafite... but the Lafite was the winner on my scorecard. The aromas here were sweet, with some figginess surfacing with air, but still holding things close to the vest. The palate is still very, very tannic, the tannin practically reverberating into more tannin, but it does show some nuttiness and dark fruit with that sur-maturite on the nose manifesting in some pruniness on the back end. I let this sit to see what develops and it did start to show some more classic Pauillac pencil scents, albeit faintly, but didn't budge much.
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Sommelier Appreciation Dinner 2019 (The Brown Residence): Explosive nose displaying intense black fruit, crème de cassis, blueberry concentrate, blackberry jam, ink, licorice, lavender, liquid smoke, dark spices, strong cedar, lead pencil and earth. Unbelievable concentration, layers upon layers of concentrated crème de cassis, dense yet silky and concentrated, perfect amount of acidity and mineral and the never ending finish. Despite being incredibly youthful, it is now unbelievably expressive and drinking magnificently in a very youthful way. It can easily develop for another two or three decades and will remain perfect for a century or more. I have been preferring this to the monumental 82 for the past five years also and now am convince that this is the best Mouton for the past fifty years, perhaps the 10 being equal.
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Chez W, decanted an hour, perfect level, travelled cork, possibly the best bottle yet (purer and with more to it than last in March 17) and ready at last to drink though the cassis led fruit retains youthful energy, Mouton at its best increasingly edging the attractive 95 as the evening progressed. VF+ (19).
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Still young but there is a lot of pleasure if you taste it now.A typical great mouton with herbs, pencil, black fruits. Very silky and well ballanced withgreat aftertaste.Sadly it was my last bottle but if i had one i will keep it for 5-8 years more.
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1986 Left Bank Bordeaux: Serious and deep nose with classic combination of graphite and black currants, also most complex, some bonfire; wonderful fullish fruit in the mouth, youtful, a lot of swirling brings out a complex finish.
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Bordeaux 1986 Stock, Oslo: Utrolig delikat duft med eksotiske toner, et herlig preg av krydderbasar og mørke bær. Forførerisk. Enorm konsentrasjon i anslaget. Hinsides intensitet. Dette er magisk. Kompakt, massiv frukt, flere minutter lang ettersmak.
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5 ans depuis ma dernière bouteille et pas beaucoup d'évolution… Bouteille et bouchon parfaits. Epaulé durant 60 minutes, puis carafé durant 90, puis bu sur 120. Couleur prune avec quelques traces d'évolution, assez brillante. 1er nez sur le cassis, puis roses, un peu de sous-bois aussi, puis retour aux fruits noirs, en fait les arômes faisaient le yo-yo, primaires, secondaires et tertiaires, puis retour, etc. En bouche, le vin se montre légèrement plus aimable qu'il y a 5 ans, mais en restant assez austère et monolithique. Il y a de la matière mais elle est prise dans une gangue de tanins et a de la peine à procurer du plaisir. J'ai eu beaucoup plus de satisfaction à le boire au début des années 2000. Se fera-t-il un jour?... Peut-être!
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Incredible. Still fiercely dense with a brick wall of tannins that soften after a couple of hours. Elegant dark fruit, cedar and tobacco Just fantastic. Still needs a lot of air to come to its right.
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A deep colour, showing little age; quite intense blackcurrant fruit, with a fairly thick texture; elegant, full, nicely mature but not old, although the finish is perhaps starting to fade a bit. Looking at earlier notes, I see that I was giving this 97 or 98 six or seven years ago, so perhaps it has started to decline (not surprising after 32 years). Even so, it is still a very fine wine.
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Big Bordeaux XV (Kevin and Vicki's house): 4 hour decant. This wine had drying tannins and seemed to be brooding. There are components to suggest that it may be a great wine someday, but the components do not add up to a great experience.
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4 hour decant and it never got to its hype or potential. Tobacco, scorched earth, blackberry with heavy tannins. Interesting to try but doesn't come close to justifying the price.
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Big Bordeaux XV: Featuring '86 Mouton and Margaux (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 4 hours. Drank a glass over 2 hours. This just feels like it wants to unwind, but instead it teases you with potential. The nose is a mix of high toned spice, blackberry, blackberry liqueur, purple flowers, tobacco, and cassis. The palate is full of big dark fruit mid and back, lots of graphite, gravel, more subtle oak, and moderate tannins. A good sound bottlle, very solid; promising, if one can say that about a 32 year old wine, but nowhere near meeting expections. The '86 Margaux blew its doors off. Hopefullly I'll get another shot at this sometime.
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A Special 40th Anniversary Celebration (Restaurant Daniel, New York City): Let me start by saying that when this was poured, I was sure my first perfect wine rating was going to be given. The nose was as explosive as it was enticing, with loads of graphite, cedar and pepper. The first sips were powerful and pure, adding tastes of soy, mocha and pastille to the tastes indicated by the aromas, all delivered in a compact, creamy manner along with a ton of structure. In fact, the wine is still quite primary and could easily require a decade or more before showing real development. After a few more minutes of its supernova-like brilliance, the wine quickly became closed and unyielding, as if to say that we mortals today can only get a glimpse of future glories (hence my withdrawal of a single point, to be held in reserve should I ever get a second chance at this beauty).
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Sent from merchant in Connecticut to NYC. Brought to dinner at Le Cou Cou. Somm stated was not corked but off. I disagree with her. I felt was a good representation of this year. Cassis, lead pencil. Softening tannin. Plum on the nose.
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10Y Weekend (Day 1) (Søllerød Kro): Huge potential. Still very young and needs more time. Packed with young fruit and a tightly wound frame. Loved it! 98+
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This bottle was ( correctly) rejected from my auction lot by HDH of Chicago and returned to me due to a pushed in cork ( even though the fill level was excellent). I decided to drink the wine with my wife and some friends at Pumpkin Restaurant. I gingerly removed the cork in two pieces and poured. Wow! The inky black wine showed absolutely no signs of oxidation and was, in fact, a stunner on many levels. Ripe, beautifully integrated fruit in the mouth with outstanding depth and length. Silky, complex and incredibly suave on the palate. Interestingly, the wine grew richer and more youthful with every sip. A truly monumental wine.
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Marc's 70th Birthday Dinner in DC (Oval Room in DC): Nice wine. The nose was strong black fruits with some dirt, and light green note. This was a bit simple on opening but opened up with alot, alot of air. After it opened this had strong and complex black fruit, earthy/truffle, light sharp green/bitter components. Medium body, good acidity, moderate drying tannins. Still mostly primary. Great bottle tho.
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No happy with this wine; it was bland; disappointing. LEARNED afterwards, of all the first growths this one travels the worst and does not stand up to "being moved around". I also learned this is not a consistent wine from vintage to vintage.
NobleRottersSydney - top 80s Bordeaux (360 Bar & Dining, Sydney): {cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] Drinking this alongside the Grange tends to just highlight the differences between the wines and runs the risk of distracting from their greatness. The nose is has moved a little from overt youth, but it’s a long way from an aged wine. Instead, it’s essence of currants, or cabernet (despite being 20% merlot & franc). Cedar, malt, and rich black fruit coat the tongue. It’s full-bodied, with plenty of fine chalky tannin on offer, with richness of texture, depth, and concentration. A magisterial wine, with a long even finish. Might just be one of the longest-lived dry wines of all time. Double-decanted a few hours earlier.
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Tasted in a flight of '86 1st growths. There was some discussion of whether this one might be corked - I did not get this at all. The nose was classic old library and leather, but the palate was plush and plummy with leather and spice cabinet and a very long finish. On initial tasting this one was my favorite, but over the course of the evening the Margaux edged it out. This one also still tasted great from the bottle remains on day 2.
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My Super Secret Surprise Birthday Celebration Extravaganza (Friends apt): This was a wine that was perhaps the most closed when we first poured and so didn't give the best first impression. Had been decanted for about 1.5 hours before pouring, but opened up a lot in the glass. Black fruits (cassis), hint of violet. Touch of smokiness to it. It was a very nice wine when it got going.
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Masculine, powerful and concentrated beyond belief, the wine is stubbornly holding on to its youth, refusing to soften up its wall of tannin. Still, it is impossible not to be overwhelmed by the endless layers of exotically textured, dark, dense fruit. The nose, with its Asian spice, mint, tobacco, cigar box and earthy component is off the hook. And as hard as it is too believe, the experience of the wine on the palate is even better. But it will need another decade to truly come together.
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This bottle was purchased at auction Its level was very low neck. The wine was expertly decantered by a sommelier in Tetsuya's restaurant in Sydney. It was best after 45 minutes to when it was finished at 90 minutes. Served in Riedel glasses at an estimated temperature of 17 degrees C on average. The appearance was an inky opacity with a mahogany rim. At its best, the nose was intense with a sense that the bouquet was being pumped out. The aromas were blackcurrant, blackberry, pencil shavings, cigar box, tobacco leaves, charcoal, cherries, licorice, pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, menthol, vanilla, smoke, wet earth, manure, minerals and coffee. The palate was full bodied and elegant. Initially, there was some slight sourness and bitterness, but this resolved by 45 minutes. The length was exceptional. The wine was beautifully integrated with a sense of a single flavour/aroma entity based on an iconic aged bordeaux cabernet spine. The wine was changeable from sip to sip. The wine’s personality would be best described as extroverted. This bottle is drinking well now at 32 years. I would be drinking the two companion bottles bought in the next few years to avoid the risk of being too old though who’s to say they may not last decades and even improve further.
First unfortunately corked. 2nd bottle, just opened without decantation. Again a mistake. So tight and closed in the beginning. You feel the panzer around the wine. The fruits try to come out but are prisoned in the gorgeous structure of the wine. Killing acidity and firm tannins. After one hour in the glas you feel the greatness of this endless gem. A scent of black currant, leather, black coffee and dark chocolate with cedar wood. At least 30 more years. 98+. It needs at 4-5h of decantation, better 12-24h.
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Drunk from magnum (a first mag was corked so this one was opened and decanted about 2 hours before pouring). The wine is very nice, but not quite as impressive as I would have thought. More evolution traces than expected from magnum. It is quite deep and balanced, but lacks a bit of freshness and tension. Medium length, smooth tanins. Overall a delicious wine, but far from what can expect from a 1st growth in a glorious vintage. On this occasion, it was completely overshadowed by the 1989 Angelus (magnum too).
Acker Auction - April 2018 (Marea in NYC): A lot younger than I'd have thought. This wine was still fairly tight. bright red fruits and spice and some woodsy. Very crisp note to it. May be the better wine in the long term, but today preferred the '86 Cheval tried alongside.
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Decanted for 2 hrs and consumed in 1.5 hrs. Wine still have tannin. Berries, lot of fruits, a little earth and mint. Still a long way to go and can last at least another 5-10 yrs before hitting peak.
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Chez JPL: JP said when he opened it 4 hours before drinking, it was totally closed. When we tasted, it was ok, but without a real personality, disappointing for me. We tasted the wines with a group of friends. The wines were in flights of 2 to accompany 7 dishes, means 14 wines altogether and with the exception of the host JP, all were served blind to us. The Mouton was served with the Clos de Tart 2004, which was far more interesting I have to say. This was the impression of the whole group.
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This big boy is still as thick as a brick, and probably about 15 years away from its apogee. Feels almost immortal in its firmness. Nose was a bit shy for the first 60 to 90 minutes and it finally started to unfold and release char, roasted cured meat juice, and flowers. Very powerful, very dense, and still as dark as the night. Follows in the footsteps of the 86 Lafite, but I think this one has more give. Lets hope that it maintains freshness while it sleeps. HOLD or decant for 4 to 6 hours.
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Elegant and complex on the nose, fully matured yet still a long way to go. Soft and velvety tannins, great balance and depth. Best example of a great 100 points wine.
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Second Sunday Group: 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Barb's): Courtesy of MaY, popped and poured. Initially there's a slight hint of something musty, perhaps TCA, but it eventually blew off rather than worsened, so just a little bottle funk...fears allayed. Crimson core though showing some age at the meniscus. Floral and black currant notes with a slight earthy tobacco quality. Nice red berry fruit on the palate with softened tannin and nice balancing acidity. Finishes with nice length.
I'd have loved to have spent an evening with this to follow its development. We have been lucky/fortunate enough to be with MaY for the first two of his three bottles, and hope to be around for the last. Thank you, M. 93+ pts, with some room for improvement with additional complexity.
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about two hours.
Garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of leather, smoke, berries and cherries. Flavors of berries and raspberries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink with a little air to blow off bottle funk and help awaken the wine after a long sleep or continue to hold. In theory plenty of years ahead for this bottle just now emerging from hibernation.
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Ruby red color with some brick on the edge, slight translucency. Smells are currants, barnyard, pyrazine, blackberry, leather, and iodine. Tastes are currants, earth, tobacco, cherry, stone, and peppery spice. Light body and long finish with soft tannins.
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Broken cork, gave this one hour of decanting before approaching and drank over another three. The nose is initially brooding with purple and blue fruit, currant and blackberry. There seems to be more opulence here than I’ve experienced in past bottles, but still dense. There is lead pencil, forest floor, and dark chocolate on this nose too. Whiffs of red cedar, cigar tobacco, coffee, and a distinctive exotic spice. Big showy and bold perfume. The palate still has a major wallop of blackberry and currant fruit, and overall this is dark and intense, but, again, this one is more lush than recalled on past bottles, including from this case. The tannin is firm but is not unduly intense. A mild Concord grape sweetness to the fruit. With more air the bouquet really begins to show a variety of intricacies and the palate yields more terroir. The lead pencil shavings are particularly pronounced. Mouth coating and persistently flavorful finish. Have been fortunate to taste this wine a number of times, and obviously there is something to be said about drinking a single bottle in isolation as opposed to in a massive vertical, but this is the first bottle of ‘86 that has been very impressive and truly lived up to the hype. Bottle bought on release and cellared since. Very fine indeed.
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No surprises here. I’ve had this before and at that time it was the best Bordeaux I had ever had. It still is. This is an incredibly youthful wine with the classic left bank notes of cassis, leather, pencil lead, but it still has powerful dark fruit and integrated tannin that coats the entire mouth giving a velvety long finish. Still youthful and nowhere close to its end. Another 50 years at least. Definitely a 100 pt wine.
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Heritage Blind Tasting in Vegas (Jean-Georges Restaurant, Aria Hotel Las Vegas): Moderate purple-ruby; notes of earth, barnyard, brett, black fruits, and berries, stwed fruits and prunes, band aid and licorice with gravel minerality. Almost thought this was an old CdP but it was too dry, too structured and too dark, but guessed 2000 St. Ducru-Beaucaillou. Glad I did! I liked this but really very bretty. Good brett, but bretty! Heritage Auction Blind Tasting line-up.
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Tasted along Lafite 1986. Complex nose of dark plums, forest floor, dark berries, black cherries, and some pencil shavings on the nose. Drying, powerful tannins with more plum, dark fruit, and blackberries on the palate. Very long finish. It was interesting to see that the Lafite started stronger but declined a bit during 1.5 hours, whereas the Mouton started harsh but kept improving throughout the night. This tasted like a much younger wine. Phenomenal!
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Decanted and served blind to us at the Wolf restaurant in Oakland. Wow! Without knowing what this is, I'm thinking this may be the best wine I've tasted this year. It almost screams Bordeaux. Dark red in color. The nose seemed almost intense, and although decanted, it still takes a while to completely open into something beautiful. On the palate, many layers of dark fruit (Dark plums, black currants, blackberries, black cherries etc.) Certainly cedar and chocolate, minerals and perhaps licorice. Concentrated, yet delicious with a long finish. I'm thinking a great 1990 Bordeaux, but it seems too young for that, so I guess a great 1996 left banker. I may have gone the wrong direction in time, however, this wine is likely to remain monumental for another quarter century. (I suspect the reason I gave this "only" 99 points, is that I've never given any wine 100 points.)
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I don't think I've ever tasted a better wine. We opened it as we were ready to flee our Naples home in advance of Hurricane Irma. I didn't know if I would ever see my collection again and this was one bottle I didn't want to miss. As it turned out, we decided to stay. But the Mouton gave me strength. Incredibly sublime with dense, dark fruit, cassis and classic Mouton character. Floral, cedar nose with hints of lead pencil. Cedar and rosemary on the palate. Long in the finish. Fruit still strong, tannins are fine and almost untraceable. Glad I opened it.
Dinner with Charles M - 06 CdC, 86 Mouton, 86 Lafite and etc. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): Unbelievably intense youthful nose displaying cremes de cassis, blueberry concentrate, ink, liquid smoke, incense, lavender, bitter chocolate, caramel, lead pencil and cedar. There is a hint of old barrel smell that makes the nose from being perfect. Once again, incredible concentration, unctuous, yet unbelievably layered polished fruit gives exceptional silkiness, intense cassis and caramel driven palate impression, bright acidity, tannins are completed masked by opulent fruit and a long intense cassis and liquid smoke driven finish. A slight hint of the old barrel/dirty smell prevents from perfectly pure hence my rating. Another incredible showing. For my palate, this has been showing beautifully for the past few years. It is fascinating exercise to compare with the 86 Mouton. Although both wines are incredible concentrated and formidably structured, the 86 Mouton shows incredible opulence where the 86 Lafite displays sheer elegance and sophistication.
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Enjoyed with my wife at the Black Bass Hotel restaurant in Bucks County PA for our anniversary-eve away from the kids. Decanted at about 3pm, allowed to breath until about 6:30pm before pouring back into the bottle for transit to the restaurant and drunk from about 8-9:30pm. As we were drinking this with our main course it suddenly transformed in our glasses and just "blew up" with rich fruit and chocolate. The wine is dark garnet with no sign of age, looks like it could be 10 years old or less. The nose is complex and full of earthy forest floor, graphite, black fruit and a hint of mint and spice. Palate is smooth, rich and chewy with some blackberry, black plum, anise, mint, mocha and leather amid an endlessly long finish. Exquisite!
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Opened in London. Decanted for 1+ hours before enjoying.
Absolutely monolithic wine, and still very primary. Though there was powerful fruit coming through with a bit of coaxing in the glass, the tannins were still very present, and it came across as dark, brooding and very serious. Definitely needed a bit more air - but ultimately I think this was a case of 30 year old infanticide!
Revisit in 5+ years to see how it's doing.
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Mesmerizing near perfection. Drank with friends at our local french restaurant after a splash decant. Haunting nose of black cherry, raspberry and spice with a dash of creme de cassis liqueur. Seamless in the mouth with a finish sailing on and on... If a date, this was a 35 year old Sophia Loren who happens to have a masters degree in geopolitics, so fascinates you all evening with layers of intelligent insight in addition to captivating sex appeal.
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Über den Mouton 1986 möchte ich nicht viele Worte verlieren. Es ist eine Legende und bleibt eine Legende. In Top Flaschen Kondition wird dieser Wein mich sicherlich überleben. trotz 6 Stunden Karaffierung glänzte die schwarze Johannisbeere als Primärfrucht. 98+. In Zukunft ohne Wenn und Aber 100 Punkte.
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Requires decanting a good hour minimum better 2. It took a few swirls too in order to develop the nose too. We have tried this wine a good 6 times now with our fair share of great and bad bottles and the scores for good bottles have been in the 95-98 range. The testament to this wine is really the fact that our friend who tried this blind said this is a 2000 Bordeaux! And indeed the wine is so young, dark in colour, bright, full of energy. Lots of presence here but its delivered effortlessly, not heavy and the fruit albeit very much there is not over ripe or forced. Its a solid and a class act of wine and an experience. Very elegant. 95+ and will wait another 2yrs minimum for our next bottle
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Mouton Rothschild Vertical Dinner (Vaucluse): Nose is intense, tannic, dense, dark. Hot asphalt and tar. Chiseled and laser like on the palate. Tannins are actually integrating quite nicely, but where is that opulent Mouton fruit, loamy soil, and forest floor? Some of these '86s that are supposed to be just perfect seem to have all the structure without the roundness of the fruit to go the distance. Have had the same impression of this wine a few times. Doesn't provide a ton of pleasure right now relative to 'lesser' vintages of comparable age, but holding on to these for the long haul.
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Complex and rich. Really nice. Classic and mid fairway wine. From a good vintage. This speaks to me as a classic example of BDX, with age thats showing well.
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Mouton dinner with Philippe Dhalluin and Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): I am not going to lie. I love the 86 Mouton and consider it one of the greatest Bordeauxs. Explosive nose displaying intense creme de cassis, subtle floral perfume, liquid smoke, ink, caramel, cedar, milk chocolate, lead pencil and mineral. Mindboggling concentration, layers upon layers of cassis and ink driven fruit, silky and polished, a hint of sweet tannins and the finish that subtly resonates. This particular bottle is incredibly youthful yet perfectly hedonistic. A couple tasters mentions this being tight and young. Though youthful, I find the wine to be perfect. Phillipe mentions that there was no selection at Mouton in 1986. I wonder what would have happened if the Chateau had a second label.
(MR vertical) Opened 3 hours in advance and decanted before serving. More than 30 years old and still too young. Fascinating. The density is immense and this may yield an even higher score later. Don't get me wrong : it is an absolute delight to taste now packed with everything you'd expect from the greatest Bordeaux wines. It just seems like it's still holding back and the colour show no signs of ageing.
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Occasional dinner group: 100 Parker points (red) wines (@ the Librije in Zwolle, Netherlands.): Beautiful and luxurious bouquet with red and dark forest fruits. On the palate autumn forest, and although there is fresh acidity, I had the impression the wine was not exactly what it should be. I thought it was a bit musty. Most tasters thought it was a superb wine. Anyway, I did not score it this time.
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Drank along side about 9-10 Bordeaux with some age on them. I would have been a very happy person 'parking' on this one all evening as it kept evolving. It was my WOTN (fwiw). Long finish. I agree with others tasters' notes here (aka CT) that the wine deserves some nice decanting (2-3 hours or so). But that time point, it does evolve and shows even greater and better. Along side the '86 Margaux it was a winner, but not by a larger margin. Over the course of the evening, the 'gap' did expand in favor of the Mouton. I'd get back to my notes for more details. A great treat to try this one.
(95+ to 96)
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Consistent to several previous showings. Still a hard, closed, compressed Bordeaux. So tight, so young, reductive, dense fruit, lactic, just like a wine that was bottled a few months ago, dry finish. I don't think this will ever turn around, they totally over extracted it and Parker went for it (see also my my earlier tasting story on 66x Parker 100 pointers). Hands off, especially at the 750 USD price tag.
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Six courses on short notice with some great football: Decanted 3-4 hours before the course was served but tasted over that time. The wine is deep dark garnet with no hint even of bricking...this wine looks less than 10 years old rather than 30!! The Nose is classic, with lots of barnyard, earthy mushroom, graphite, Black plum, currant, cedar and tar. The mouth feel is rich and dense. It is somewhat unyielding though delicious with plenty of flavor only slightly hidden in the remaining tannins. The finish is long and so balanced. Lots of life left and still probably far from peaking. Last tasted 10 years ago. This was very good with the grilled venison.
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Tasted single blind from a half bottle against a half bottle of 1986 Lafite.
Third time with this wine and I'm pleased that it was not corked this time as the first time. Even from a half bottle, the wine shows a lot of youth. Decanted only to remove sediment, this wine initially had a quite a bit of cherry and raspberry fruit with a very tight palate and grippy tannins. I thought it was the Lafite because it was full of red fruit.
The best part of this wine, as it was last time, was the massive evolution over the course of the 3+ hour dinner. Last time the bottle was decanted for a number of hours, so what was cool was that this wine started in a totally different place but after 3 hours was similar to how the wine drank last time at the beginning. The red fruit of the wine evolved into having more oak, and the fruit moved to blackberry and plum, later cigar came out, some menthol, and toasty notes. The tannins broke down and the finish lengthened. By the 3 hours mark, the wine had transformed. The nose grew into this haunting combination of earth, black fruit, a little brett, and stinky oak. At this point, the Lafite paled in comparison.
The wine has great intensity and presence but yet is so easy and effortless to drink. It was not obvious initially, but after an hour this was so clearly superior to the Lafite, both more hedonistic and more intellectual. Truly and exceptional experience. Despite all the evolution in the 3+ hours, the wine clearly had so much more to say if we had had a full bottle and more time. I'd say it's a 97+ point wine and may still get better yet. It doesn't require decanting, but it repays extended time in the glass.
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Belated note. Classic Bordeaux nose. Good but not great on the palate. Still a little tough and probably not fully mature, but I wonder if there is enough fruit to outlast the tannin.
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Firm, set in its ways, powerful and tannic, yet, even though it's set in its ways, there is movement here. One of the more youthful bottles I recall tasting, the nose is there, with its cassis, cedar, Asian spice, tobacco and forest floor glory. The body is full, in fact, this is massive in its concentration, equaled only by its tannic structure. With air, 4-6 hours, the wine softened, opened and showed its stuff. The wine was made from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
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Holiday Dinner - Champ, Burg, Bordeaux, Rhone and etc. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): Explosive nose displaying crème de cassis, lead pencil, ink, cedar, dark chocolate and mineral. Excellent concentration, unctuous, incredibly layered, silky and polished, nicely integrated tannins and an incredibly long cassis driven finish. For my plate, the 86 Mouton is reaching the first stage of the youthful peak.
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Dark black cherry with slight brown hues; Sweet tobaco, sweet red cherry fruit with some exotic spice; Fruit is nicely apparent even at 30 yrs. A touch of cocoa powder and cherry on the palate. Good entry, moderately silky, but with ample fine tannins with good grip; Quite acidic, tangy, but balanced by the structure. This was underwhelming for all the hype. Very solid, built, maybe slightly elevated acidity, but certainly somewhat closed/sleeping at this point. Try again in 10 years (92-95 at that point?). Compare with the '82 which was stunning and showy ( and still cruising along). Ultra Rare Bordeaux Tasting-Class at Monopole.
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Ranjan's 113th Birthday Dinner (Members' Lounge, Happy Valley Racecourse, Hong Kong): (From a 5.0L decanted for a couple of hours prior to serving.... way not long enough). Very slightly browning purple-red at the outer of a bright opaque core. Nose is quite closed, which is typical of the vintage but was overly so with this wine because of the format. Palate is lovely plump fruit then a very dry finish. Surprisingly subdued in terms of length or resonance on the finale. People were somewhat confused by this and were drinking the label rather than the wine......the 1986s are still very closed and it especially showed in this very big format bottle. Come back in 10+ years.
Young, primary, and dark with tannin and oak requiring at least another 10 years to become even initially balanced. White pepper emerging on this bottle. 94+
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Rich cassis, cedar, clove, chocolate and some smokey funk to complete the awesome nose. The palate is rich, perfectly ripe with good grip, still young and showing some tannin and energy on the back end. This wine has the perfect balance between concentration and structure with a lovely layering of flavors and texture that is so compelling.
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First dinner of the L.A. wine trip (The Bazaar at SLS, Beverly Hills, California): An off-bottle, unfortunately. There may have been a hint of TCA, though it wasn’t obviously corked. There was an overpowering marine quality to it. Certainly drinkable, but it’s hard to describe or rate this wine that is so obviously not a typical 1986 Mouton. Still could detect the enormous structure this wine is known for. I will not give this a score, as this was obviously an off-bottle and not a good representative of the 1986 Mouton.
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Bordeaux 1986 single blind tasting at Grappe, Stockholm. With Mr Carl-Jan Granqvist and Mr Johan Edström. Highly concentrated. Very long and weighty aftertaste. Still young and tight.
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Utan tvekan kvällen vin! Ren elegant frukt, cigarrlåda, tryffel, kaffe, otrolig koncentration i kombination med underbar lätthet, elegans och struktur. Ett mörkt men ändå silkeslent vin som upplevs som avsevärt mycket yngre. Riktigt bra.
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1980s Bordeaux at Riverbend (Oregon): Lovely wine not yet in its prime. Perfect balance with clean, pure fruit in a fresh, velvet glove. Not a rich or big wine, just everything in its proper place. Remarkably young in spirit for its age; plenty of time ahead, for sure. Double decanted 90+ minutes ahead; needed all of it. It should yet improve.
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66x Parker 100-Pointers from Bordeaux 1947-2010 tasted blind (Switzerland): Tasted blind. Medium-dark garnet. Mute nose of clay, wood, some blue fruit, not much going on. Medium-full bodied palate with lots of tannins and a drying finish. Rustic, where is the pleasure here? Same as the Lafite 1986, not an impressive wine and it and confirms my numerous previous experiences with the charmless, over-rated 1986 vintage. Consistent with my previous tastings of 86 Mouton. Group score: 17.06, group rank: 40/64
Deep dark reddish-purple in color; still almost opaque with just ever-so-slight clearing at the edges. Forward, attractive & fragrant nose of still evolving yet complex ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, plums & figs with overtones of classic cigar box notes of cedar & tobacco, some floral notes of violets, earthy/dusty, tea, leather, herbal notes of eucalyptus & sage, spice notes of pepper, anise & allspice, truffles & a hint of dark cocoa in the background. Full bodied with very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, deep, lush & complex, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries, plums & cassis with earthy, herbs, spices, dark cocoa, mushrooms, minerals & a touch of vanilla in the background. Long, lingering finish. Drinks well with decanting & extended airing but has the fruit & structure to continue development for many years to come at which time it will easily be a 100 point wine. Incredibly concentrated Bordeaux delivering layer upon layer; possibly one of the best Moutons!
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A beautiful wine. It starts with a phenomenal nose and then you get an incredible structure with beautiful tannins that are still very much present after 30 years. The wine was very slow to open up and requires at least 2 hours of air. The fruit is still very young and vibrant with great acidity and some secondary flavors. No doubt this will last another 10 years at least
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Mostly Bordeaux dinner with Bob (Magdalena restaurant at the Ivy Hotel, Baltimore): I decanted this at home. The nose displayed intense crème de cassis. Slightly less intense compared to earlier. Nevertheless intense cassis, ink, clove, cedar, wild flowers, bitter chocolate, lead pencil and strong presence of mineral. Incredible concentration, layer upon layer of intense cassis, silky and polished texture, surprisingly none noticeable tannins and lovely long finish. Just like the 86 Lafite, the polished palate masks the opulent concentrated fruit. Perfectly focused and harmonious. Incredible wine.
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Still deeply coloured. Smoke, tomato leaf, cedar and chocolate. The palate is remarkable youthful still, with good intensity and tannins to burn. Didn't quite live up to expectations though. Probably would have benefitted from a longer decant, or a few more years in the cellar to gain more complexity.
SLDS Reunion Tasting (Bentley, Sydney, Australia): Graphite, musk, licorice and slate on the slightly closed down nose. The palate has nice composure, with a good balance of fruit and structure. There is a little bit of a lack of interest for me tonight, the complexity still has time to develop, but it isn't there yet. A wine that needs more time before it can show what it is holding back.
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dryer than the 82, tight, big but it may be ready in 5 years. all of this talk of beating the 82 seems like crap after 3 head to heads. Maybe Mikes bottles are advanced.
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Backward, youthful, tannic. Dense, loads of fruit, mouthwatering. Fruit is indistinguishable if only because it's so well integrated and hiding. Decant for ages, hold it more. Whatever you do, be patient.
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This really showed its class and pedigree tonight and was clearly the best wine of all the fine 86's and '96's we drank. Still an infant but it is revealing enough to be enjoyable tonight with a long decant. Exquisite texture akin to liquid granite given its chiseled intensity and precision. Delicious flavors of black fruits, graphite and smoky minerals lead to a penetrating finish with fantastic depth and sleekness. Very fine and deeply layered with a wonderful graphite and mineral complexity just beginning to develop. 96+
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A challenging start for this bottle as it was quite closed and primary, even for this wine. Opened after one hour. Good acid, low fruit expression, somewhat dirty. Consumed over two hours. 94+
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A touch of pleasant brett. Leather, cassis, chocolate, rhubarb, earth, graphite. Middleweight, healthy acidity, with the feared 1986 tannin relatively in check. I don't have any real nits to pick here, and I didn't find it as backwards as I expected, but nor was it as magical as I hoped it would be.
Ren elegant frukt, otrolig koncentration i kombination med underbar elegans och struktur. Ett mörkt men ändå silkeslent vin som upplevs som avsevärt mycket yngre. Riktigt bra.
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Extraordinary. Drank with friends after a brief decanting. Fully mature and offering a kaleidoscopic nose of cherry, spice and dark fruits. Palate coating with a finish lasting a full minute. If a date, this was a 35 year old Latina beauty who has you sitting on the edge of your chair in anticipation of a kiss after dinner.
Highly recommended extraordinary juice
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30th Wedding anniversary with dear friends (INTRO Chicago): Great color, decanted for 2 hrs and could have used 4 more. Initially tight tannins but clearly was ready to open over the course of lamb chops. Cedar box, earthy, mushrooms. Great finish and still a baby.
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Chez W, decanted an hour, a small step[ up on April 14 note, multi layered, classy fruit covering residue of fine grained tannin, long and persistent as ever, still plenty of energy and life. Very fine plus (19/20).
Significant reserves of dark fruit, earthy notes and dark spice, but all still quite primary yet of very high quality. And all three of those currently in a balanced standoff. Stating the obvious, in its present state this wine benefits from a long decant. Frequently awkwardly young and tight-fisted, this wine's best days are still at least a decade in the future. 95+
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Perfect filling and bottle looked in really good condition. Foil removed the cork did not look healthy at all. Broke in two when pulled (even with a Durand). It was soaking and stained all around. After 2,5h decant it was really youthful. Color was deep garnet. Lovely concentrated nose, but surprisingly primary. Mouth was great of course, but could not help thinking that it was drunk way too early. We put it aside and turned to neighbouring glass with 2001 Azelia Riserva Voghera Brea that really overshadowed the CMR. Revisited 1+h later the nose had picked up more complexity, as had the mouth but tannins were still gripping and dry and wine overall felt restrained. The finish was incredibly long though. Of course an outstanding wine but we all knew this would be so so much better in 6-10 years time (if not more).
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I've had this wine a few times and unfortunately just haven't had great luck with it. It's never charming and usually a bit austere as was the case last night.
Poured to a beautiful ruby red color, both the bouquet and flavors are a bit subdued. Definitely softens with aeration, but the tannins mainain a hard edge that's more powerful than the fruit.
I've not come across that magical bottle yet, and I'm starting to wonder if I will. Not a friendly wine. For me the LLC, Gruaud and even PL are better.
Upon removing foil cork was discolored and molded. It pulled in one piece but stained all around. Color was deep garnet with hints of brown at rim. Nose was normal and wow. On the palate lots of red fruit, cassis, leather and tobacco. Slightly acidic with lots of tannin remaining. A good two minute finish. One of the best ever tasted.
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Stunning in every sense of the word. With 4 hours of decanting, the regal fruit truly showed of its royal bearing. Mouth filling, but not heavy, the fruit coated your palate. Probably more athletic than brawny, the tannins, while present are ripe giving the wine a polished, masculine personality that is hard to beat. You can drink this stunner now, but you'll get even more out of the wine if you give it another 5-10 years. It's going to be worth it. Made from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the late harvest took place from October 2, finishing October, 16.
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Opened about half an hour in advance. Medium red/brick colour; elegant, slightly perfumed nose; rather restrained on the palate, with blackcurrant fruit, good balance, and some dusty, smoky tannin on the finish. This seems rather subdued compared to earlier bottles, with the tannin hiding the fruit to some extent. Perhaps we should have given it more air and more time at the outset. Nevertheless, a classy wine by any standard.
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Some bottles of this wine with air, have been quite enjoyable. This bottle tasted like it was 10 years old. Tannic, tight, powerful, dense and full bodied, there was an ocean of fruit. But the tannins and closed character of the wine made it all about the promise, and not about the present.
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This was a nice change from a corked bottle we had last year. This wine was clearly the most youthful of the flight. It had lots of oak on the nose, but still an incredible amount of fruit, really shining through, with dark blackberry and raspberry. The terroir was really there, as for me it was clearly a Pauillac with such masculinity, pencil lead, austerity, and spicy oak. The youth showed through on the palate with some really nice tannic grip along with a lot of black fruit and oak. I enjoyed the structure on this wine but others felt it too tannic. The finish was long and dry and the power and alcohol was present in a good way.
My #5, the group's #8
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The nose is simply gorgeous now on this wine with notes of black fruits, allspice and some eucalyptus. On the palate, it's still quite dense and closed but the breed and class are readily apparent. The texture is akin to black steel which accompanies flavors of very dark fruits along with graphite and smoky eucalyptus. The finish is very fine and intense at the same time with unreal concentration and complex notes of a fabulus violet spice. All this needs is time and tons of it. 95+
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1.Flight Latour 1990 MG vs Lynch Bages 1989 MG 2 Flight La Mission Haut Brion 1989 vs Haut Brion 1989 3.Flight Mouton 1982 vs Latour 1982 MG 4 Flight Mouton 1986 vs Lafite 1986
opened 24 hours before, tight, young, tart acidity, feels younger but very different to Mouton 1982, but not so elegant, fruity side beside some mints, chocolate and pencil, 98-99 this time
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(BYO Blind tasting) A bit muted nose, that never really came around. Some guessed cork, but I never agreed. Subtle hints of dark fruit, cherries and black currant, oak, spices and meat. Very dense and not very charming. Medium-fullish, elegant and austere palate. Old-school Bdx. Black currant, oak, cedar. Slightly more tannic than fruit in structure. Very, very austere, and not much happening after two hours or more. An off-bottle? Classic left-bank Bdx, that became a matter of discussion. With the raving ratings here, this should have shown better. Not corked, but some problem there was. Probably worth a higher rating than my 93.
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This is an absolutely beautiful wine. Tasted side by side with 1990 Beaucastel Hommage Jaques Perrin and 2003 Scarecrow, this was hands down the best wine of the night. Stunning in its complexity and finish but also soft and sexy. This is in my top three wines ever tasted.
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Keith's Blind Challenge 2015 (The Medlar, London): Blind. Dense ruby. Herbaceous. Very left bank. A touch of Brett but more heft and surliness than anything else. 86 and Mouton? It does start to relax but still so dense and unyielding. **(**1/2)?
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Kept the wine out of the wine vault and up for 12 hours opened it 4 hours before the meal redblack berries aroma popped out of the bottle with spice earth,tobacco amazing. light rim purple color. Complex, elegant, tobacco , black fruit, layers and layers of silky flavors. with long finish. absolutely Delicious I share it tthe bottle through tihe whole meal and it was alive , elegant , silky and volumtious. with still a long finish. the best Mouton I have had so far
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Clearly, this is the most concentrated wine of the vintage. This is incredibly dense, with so much fruit and tannin, it's hard to believe. Overcoming the hard qualities many wines from 1986 share, the is elegant and powerful all at once. It has the unique ability to combine grace and refinement with massive levels of fruit. The wine is tannic, but not in a bad way, as the tannins are ripe and have polished, soft textures. Still young, drink this now with 4 hours of air, of wait another decade. In this case, patience is a virtue.
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Aromas of black fruit and cherry and prune popped out of the bottle when I opened it. dark color. light rim, started to close but layers of complex fruit earth totally balanced and ethereral for the entire meal. extremelyy long finish . it was spectacular. lush. and deep. with many years to go but I am so happy I enjoyed it now.
Ethereal sublime potion of stewed prune and red fruit with an Asian spice backdrop. Long, long scintillating finish. Hard to say how perfection improves with further age so why wait any longer?
If a date, this was a shapely 29 year old PhD student/ novelist who spends dinner discussing 19th century Russian history before bringing you back to her flat and keeping you awake until 6am with erotic play
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Still young, this offers so much promise, once you look below it tannic shell. Intense, fresh, massive, powerful and mouth filling, the wine grabs you, keeping you focused on what's in your glass. Another 5-10 years add even more complexity and softness to the wine.
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An almost perfect Bordeaux, still young with alot of potential. Decanted 3 hours before. Best at the end 6 hours later, cassis, graphite, cedar wood and cigar box, cinnamon, mint, dark berries, elegant with a brialliant long finish, tannins are like chewing gum, smooth and silky. 98-100, next time 6-8h decantation, thanks Thomas
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Wine tasting dinner - HQ Bourg, Bord, Ribera del Duero (Bernstorrf slot - Tehuset (kg arr.)): Among others tasted against Mouton Rothschild 1986. Crazy idea but never the less what we did. Both wines have again and again scored 100 points at WA and other places. Very Different wines as expected: Mouton'86 is a lot more savoury and mature with more tertiary notes than Pingus, which is more fruity with even higher intensity and tannins off course (but not too much), Pingus is a much younger wine but also another grape and region. Both wines have many years ahead but can both definitely drink now. Subjectively I liked Pingus '04 better than Mouton '86. Around the table, opinions were fairly evenly distributed. Both wines were without doubt outstanding
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Purple-black color. Decanted for 3 hours and needed all of that and more for the nose to start coming through. Pencil lead, cassis, smoke, blackberry, leather and meat on the nose. Very deep. This was a massive wine and not delivering much on the palate. It was without a doubt good - very Paulliac - but not great as it really needs about another 10 years of cellar time. The structure and concentration seems to be all there for a phenomenal evolution. Just too damn young still - at 29!!
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I have been drinking 1st Growths for many years. This was the best Mouton, I have enjoyed. Even at 29+ yrs it was deep red and youthful. I decanted for 3 hrs. The perfect balance of silky smoothness and complexity. A real full bodied palate full of flavor. Worth every penny of the price. I wish I had a case of this wine.
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1st Vivino Int'l chapter in Singapore (Sat. evening/night), Part-2 (Park Regis restaurant): What a fabulous (first) Vivino Int'l outing/gathering, & perhaps it was only fitting that it ended on a high, with the last pair of '86 Mouton & '82 Margaux! And what a "baby" this was. Oh boy, it sure was evolving at glacier-pace; However the stuffing it had was obviously evident. Nose of spice & cigars. Just incredible on the palate - depth of fruit, powerful and intense, still fairly tannic but yet, extremely classy. Superb! Can only imagine what a legend this will be when it hits its drinking window!
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I get to taste this wine a lot, as I own it, and so do many of my friends. While some bottles are more open and expressive than others, it never fails to impress with its massive wall of ripe, intense fruits, nose of Cuban Cigars, cedar chest, truffle, Asian spice, and long, powerful, tannic,yet, polished finish. This is still young and will only get better and better for decades.
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NobleRottersSydney - top 86 Bdx (mostly) with Grange (360 Bar & Dining, Sydney): {cork, 13%} (Gordon) Amazingly dark for thirty year old. Rivals the Grange. Surprisingly youthful nose of coconut and oak. And black fruit. You’d pick this as five years old, not thirty. Brooding and intense. You could fall into this and be lost forever. You’d swear the palate has some sweet new-world fruit in there; it’s almost jammy in its fruity richness. The wine appears to have lived in some kind of stasis for a quarter of a century; it’s still tight, with medium/high chalky tannins, medium acid; absolutely full-bodied in weight, and a long finish. Massive and impressive, but really far too young to drink. I guess this will be quite something in another quarter-century or more; how’s the 1945 drinking these days? This is all about potential still. Drink in, oh, I dunno, 2060 or so?
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Dark garnet and fully mature, the wine gave aromas of black cherry, dark fruit and Asian spice. Tasting was seamless from the fruit up front, through the complex mid palate and long, long finish.
Lots of stuffing still but I doubt it improves from here. Perfection in a glass.
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Pre Davos Wine Forum tasting (Zumikon, Switzerland): Much darker than the other wines in the flight, an obvious candidate for the Mouton. Brooding and unforgiving, this just doesn't yield much on a very clamped down palate. Perhaps I am influence by the fact that I have had some stellar (albeit very heavily decanted) bottles.
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Holiday dinner with Washington DC Winos (Ripple Restaurant in Washington D.C.): This could go to 100 but for the comparisons with Latour 62 and notably 59, I will stick to a 98 points wine. Don't you hate numbers? I do, too, but then again, what the heck. Correction! This was NOT "popped and poured" as I had previously indicated, but rather opened the day before, which proves just how slow its evolution is... With black cassis, dark fruits in its enveloping and pronounced aromatics that grew more and more complex as the wine sat in glass. The palate is full bodied without being so in a "New World" fashion, that is to say, elegant and refined and yet so tannic and powerful at the same time. Going back to the Margaux, Mouton just seems to have so much more "going on" in this vintage. It is a beguiling wine that will reward further aging (and it has the tannin to age for a loooooong time) in your cellar, but can certainly be thoroughly enjoyed today. I would suggest decanting. It was interesting to return to it, after tasting Latour 1959 and 1962, and sense its sheer youthfulness and vigor by comparison - and what holds such promise for further cellaring.
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(Tres Ninos '86 Bdx Horizontal). Thanks to the studs at Tres Ninos for putting this together. The Mouton had to battle the Lafite and Leoville - all RP 100 wines.
This took two hours to show its best. Deep purple color with a youthful character. Complex and compelling nose of blackberry, leather, black pepper and many other subtleties evolving in the glass. On the palate this wine had the most pure power of all three wines. Intensity in the mid palate and a long finish.
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This time it is very elegant, mild licorice, complex nose, deep and vibrant. Medium-bodied, everything is set to be perfect in balance and structure. Linger and beautiful long finish.
This stage has quite a same scent as 1945. So glad to meet it in 1986. Cheers...
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Holiday Bordeaux Dinner with Eric - 82, 89 & 90 FGs among others (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Initially cassis dominates, plum, ink, cedar, mineral and lead pencil. Exceptional concentration, cassis driven palate impression, polished and silky palate and nice integrated tannins. Some found this to be still shutdown. I thought the wine was open with very youthful fruits. It is quite precise and linear. A long life ahead. I believe only a couple of us went crazy over this. YMMV.
Occasional dinner group: Riesling GG and 100 RP point wines: Impressive bouquet with dark fruits, ink, minerals etc. On the palate still backward with a lot of cassis and other dark forest fruits, youthful tannin with a good bite. Still reserved, but spreading through the mouth beautifully. Many in the group gave the wine the perfect score, which it probably deserves, but for now I think the wine needs another 10+ years to show its full beauty. 98++ for tonight.
An absolutely remarkable wine. To last 26 years in my uncontrolled cellar and be this good, it deserves a 100 point rating from me! Opened at 4PM Thanksgiving and to celebrate our 40th anniversary. Took maybe an hour to begin to open. Still ruby in the center and a slight claret on the edges. A symphony of flavors and aromas: earth, leather, cedar, berries. Very soft tannins and a slightly dry finish. Finished the next night over three hours. Just as wonderful.I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy this level of wine. One left!
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100 pts too much? Not to my tastes. Flawlessly chiseled, with a dense core of complex high acid fruit and everything that makes a Bordeaux legend. Will of course be even more rewarding later on, but it's nonetheless a thrill to taste right now.
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Drew's 40th: Nose still youthful but still showing classic Mouton nose of currants, dark cassis and rubber/tar/smoke. Not as open and approachable as the 86 Cheval Blanc, but continued to open up in the glass for hours. Chiselled profile with condensed fruit balanced by incredibly energetic acidity. Needs another decade but wow this is good now. Insane potential. 94+
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"International Business & Wine Society Mouton Dinner at Nomad, NYC." Really a fabulous ageless Bordeaux made in a classic old style but that doesn't take anything away from the chiseled class and breed this wine shows. Still so young but showing perfect balance between the grippy intense black fruits and the high-acid, high tannin style. The wine is full but also very fine like cut granite. The density and fine complexity to be found on the finish, to me at least, are legendary. 97+
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4 Days 4 Great Events and lots of Parker Points; 11/14/2014-11/18/2014 (Paris & London): Double decanted for about 2 hours and observed over a good hour. Needs a lot of decanting. We should have done more as it only showed its true face at the end of our dinner.Side by side with Cos 90( Papies 96) and las cases 1985(Papies 95). Amazingly it felt still very young! We have tried this wine a few times and have had a lot of bottle variation too. Smoky side on the nose, still good core of rich dark fruit, elegant and very balanced. Light leathery side, light pepper but still a healthy and solid core of dark fruits ,good acidity and impressively fresh.always a great experience albeit not the best we have had with this great wine. 95 on the day and has a loooong life ahead
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White Truffle Lunch (Otto e Mezzo, Alexandra House, Central, Hong Kong): Opened for 7 hours and decanted for another 2 hours. Dark, brooding, semi-transparent black-red colour......it looks like a 2005 and definitely looks much youunger than the preceding 1996 La Conseillante. Nose is GOSH!.......classic, perfectly linear pencil lead and graphite, high-toned, incredibly elegant, lean, sleek, pedigreed......just in a higher league to all the preceding wines. Palate is sublime - austere, aloof, tightly wound, incredibly linear, black fruit blackened by black shoe polish, a blackberry reduced to an atom of super-concentrated essence. Incredible finesse. Angular. Lean-faced. Beautiful in a 'glance but don't stare' way that is a perfect epitome of the vintage. Has hardly yielded at all since we last drank this together in 2009........but just wonderful and everyone's wine of the lunch. Almost 97. Thanks, Jason!
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Clearly the wine of the vintage. At almost 30 years of age, this is fun to drink. But its best days are well into the future. There is an exotic texture to the massive wall of fruit, ripe, coupled with powerful, but tannins and attention seeking aromatics.
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Mouton Dinner (Ritz Chicago): Decanted and drank over two hours. This really took some time to come around and only really did once we dug into our Wagyu cheeseburgers…as you do. Once the nose came around there was more spice, cinnamon and spearmint along with coffee and chocolate on the nose and palate. Rich dark fruit with serious, but obtrusive tannin. Very long finish.
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Drunk at the HK Club - this was the best example I have had of this wine, but it still doesn't jump out at you. It took almost all night for the wine to show what it can do and even then I'm convinced it had more potential. I am guessing the wine is still too young and I also suspect that if we had decanted it hours before (maybe even in the morning) it would have benefited. Well, only one thing to do I guess; keep on trying it!
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Nose was very shy. Almost nothing after an hour. Palate was dense, deep, dark and brooding. It took quite a bit to get anything out of this. All the components were there but they were doing a good job of staying in the background. It definitely needs many more years to show its stuff but there are definite signs this has what it takes for perfection. Would love to revisit in 20 years.
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A Bordeaux wine of high calibre showing amazing youthfulness at 28 years of age - I would say it needs some time to reach the plateau of its maturity. Nose was classic Pauillac, savoury with cedar notes and animal. Still there was a hint of greeness as if it was a touch corked - which it wasn't. Palate is fluid, muscular, vibrant and classic, but if this was a perfect bottle of Mouton '86 then the wine although fabulous is not perfect and will not get perfect because of the slight greeness on the nose. Splitting hair, I know...
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Served blind right after a 2007 Domaine de la Janasse CdP Vielles Vignes. Immediately guessed as a left bank Bordeaux and most probably Pauillac, possibly first growth but I failed to guess the age since I thought it was much younger. Dark garnet. Expressive nose with melted graphite, cedar, cassis, barnyard, florality, licorice and spice. Medium to full-bodied, with rich, vibrant fruit, firm tannins and balancing acidity. Very long aftertaste with a sence of dryness. Very enjoyable but could benefit from another 5 years of cellaring. Classic Mouton at its best!
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drank it 28/05/2011 my best red wine so far, menthol, mintchocolate, casis, pencil, dark berries, minerality, fullbodied, firm and soft tannins, still very young, very long aftertaste after fruit jam, won against Unico 1991
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Big, powerful, rich, tannic and packed with layer after layer of fruit. The wine coats your palate, the nose offers complexities, but the wine is still young at close to 30 years of age. There is a bit of grit to the tannins that was overwhelmed by the fruit, but you could feel a bit. If you can wait a decade, this should be even better as it is has all the raw materials for a long life.
Birthday Celebration (Abigail's American Bistro - Highland Park IL): Open and decanted an hour+ before serving. Black plum and currant with liqueur, cigarbox and intense savory spice. Long minute+ finish with extreme concentration. Keot getting better and better in the hour in glass. My WOTN in a close, 4-horse race.
This was sensational! Incredible burst of aromas when the bottle was first opened. Then shut down a bit for a couple of hours, and then ... WOW! It exploded with taste and flavor. Much more round and substantial than the Lafite (90 and 95). By the 4th-5th hour this baby had blossomed into what we were all hoping it would be. For sure WOTW (week), against some pretty stiff competition (Palmer 89, Lafite 90/95, Gaja Sperss 1997, Montrose 2000). Great nights, lots of fun.
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Great one. I think close to his highest level. I had it twice. At the first time more impressed. Everything a fantastic red wine needs. Silky, elegant, eternal finish. (50+5+15+19+9). Will have it again in 2 month
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KYD - The Killing Fields (Søllerød Kro): What a crazy wine!! Insane flavors depth and huge backbone for a wine with this amount of age. Loads of fruit but also packed with a harsh and tight tannin structure. Still needs a lot of time before it will be a real pleasure to drink. However, the wine is very impressive and shows how good Mouton can make wine. This will keep for a very long time! Consuming the wine over 3 hours didn't really evolve the wine but it could perhaps have been better with 6-9 hours of air before consumption.
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Chez W, decanted 2 hours, splendid as usual and continuing to develop at glacial pace, tannins now fully absorbed, fruit beautifully round and almost unctuous, but at the price of nuance...I'm not sure I didn't prefer the Las Cases 88 3 days later....it's certainly better than the Latour in 86, but my recollection is that Lafite and Margaux and possibly Las Cases are more interesting at this exalted level - time to look at them again! Very fine (18.5/20).
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Deep purple and youthful looking in the glass. Nose of graphite, metal, and loam. Minimal fruit when first opened, but a couple hour decant started to coax out some blue fruit aroma. The palate had nice depth and balance. Blue fruits, tobacco, pine, pencil lead were present. The palate shifted a lot and provided interest. Give it time to open up if drinking now. I think my score may have been higher if I had let it rest a couple more hours. It is an excellent wine.
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Dégustation Bordeaux 1986 Chez Christophe: Un nez encore un peu boisé, avec du café, de la viande, très jeune. La bouche est très élégante et jeune, dans un style moderne. Il est peu expressif, mais possède la texture d’un grand vin. Il affiche une très grande longueur structurelle, mais pas sans la complexité attendue d’un vin de cet âge et de son rang. Il se comporte en fait comme un très jeune vin encore fermé et marqué par son élevage. Je crois qu’il intégrera le tout car il possède une grande finesse de tanins et n’a rien d’asséchant. Si ce ne fut pas le coup de cœur attendu, il me reste l’impression d’une promesse de grandeur. Je n’ai pas de doute en fait qu’il sera très grand, mais pas avant une dizaine d’années voire davantage. 95 (++) pts
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After a 1.5 hour decant, this wine was still stubborn and unyielding. It was simply not willing to give anything. I was surprised and disappointed. The structure was elegant and refined, and hints of glory peered out. Color was deep and dark. With time during the prime rib meal, the wine began to reveal its fruit, but it never really opened up. Needs a good 3-4 hour decant. The 1990 Pichon Baron outshone the Mouton. I hesitate to give a score, since I think with more decanting time, the wine would have come alive. It's a 92+ wine, I just can't evaluate further.
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1970s Bordeaux Horizontal (Golden Gate Yacht Club, San Francisco): Deep, deep ruby color, cannot see through; nose has very deep black fruit, blackberry, very balanced, nice component of green but mostly black fruits, very young nose; full bodied, black fruits, tannins don't kick in until midpalate, great acid throughout; finish is medium length. This is just far too young, difficult to evaluate, but has great balance. 93-95+++ 30 min air: starts to wake up on the nose, palate is still tight, tannic. A menthol component comes out on the nose. Lovely wine with great silky texture and obviously dense layers waiting to mature, but not yet at a point where it is enjoyable to drink. If you have any, wait 5-10 years minimum. 94
Decanting this you would never take it as a wine that's 28 years old. It's still beautifully, richly red. On the nose there is still some red fruits. Tasting it, it's smooth, silky, very together with great length. People aren't kidding when they given this another 30+ years of life. Sadly, I have only one bottle left. I will have to lose it at the back of the cellar.
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Served with braised beef cheek at a Society of Bacchus dinner. This was my favorite red wine of the evening. I did not take notes. From memory: fully mature Bordeaux with all the elements: power, complexity, length, & balance. Incredibly silky texture. A wonderful companion to food. Outstanding.
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"Best of the Best" Tasting (Switzerland): Tasted blind out of 0.75 bottle, decanted for 2hours back in original bottle: Clear deep red. Nose of leather, walnut, currant, mint, coffee and smoke. A wine where the perfect harmony of opposites create the masterpiece...acidity and sweetness, opulence and elegance, length and complexity. Flavors of dark berries, coffee and black currant. Still young and a wine that can be easily stored for the next two generations. Drink now - 2050.
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The fill was base neck and the cork was sound. Very dark color, with some ruby at the rim. Pretty reserved still, but with coaxing revealed notes of cassis, currant, truffle, and hints of tobascco. Full-bodied, with good depth; enjoyable mouthfeel, but just lacking in terms of texture. A very serious wine, this should last for another 30 years where properly cellared!
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Bouteille et bouchon en parfaite condition. Bouteille achetée en primeurs. Passée en carafe durant 90 minutes. Couleur prune violette, très peu évoluée. Nez sur le cassis, puis la fumée, le bois noble. En bouche, on remarque la constitution colossale, avec le bémol que ce vin, à ce stade, manque de finesse. La longueur n'est pas exceptionnelle non plus, même si les tanins sont bien présents. La matière est là, c'est du costaud, mais nous n'avons pas réellement eu du plaisir. Il me fait penser à Montrose 1986. A revoir dans quelques années, mais je le préférais il y a 10 ans, je le trouvais plus harmonieux.
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More earth, a bit of funk and a grittiness I didn't get with the first bottle we had today at lunch. Nice when you get to have this wine back to back. Still a powerful experience.
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Another great bottle. Massive concentration, although this did not need as much time as the last bottle to really get going. A wonderful and complete wine that has loads of time left.
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wat een wijn, hij blijft zich nog terugtrekken, geeft zich niet over, heeft zijn tijd nog nodig, donkere kleur, veel dikte, intens, veel indrukken, blijven volgen!
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The Mouton 86 is truly the most outstanding Mouton out of dozens vintages I tried. It's so powerful and muscular. Tannin is still very strong with big big big structure. It's only half-opened even after 2 hours in decanter. Cellar it.
Drank side-by-side with a HB 89, which is more silky, balanced and approachable at this moment.
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Needed 3+ hours in a decanter to begin to show itself. Then a gorgeous classic mouton nose of blackberries and cassis with notes of roasted nuts and dark minerals. On the palate the wine shows an incredible concentration of blackberry and dark rasberry fruit in a very crisp and tight package. Extremely fine and refined with immense depth of flavor which leads to a finish with ripe but steel-like tannins with notes of dark graphite minerals And Asian spices. Drinking very well now with roasted meats but its as clear as day that this is a wine that will only show it's best after 50+ years and will live as long as any modern day Bordeaux ever produced. 96++
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Slow-O 2 hours, served non-blind. Medium toward dark ruby with gentle fading to the rim, cork in exc. cond. Youthful, exuberant and wholly different than the 1988, this is a wow-wine, or at least it's destined to become one since the best is still a decade or two (or three) away. Seriously endowed, but in an elegant, sophisticated way. I think someone used the word regal, I couldn't agree more. I'll likely be haunted by this beauty for some time to come, and I'm ok with that. highly recommended
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Power, purity, refinement and intensity. This incredibly concentrated wine remains the wine of the 1986 Bordeaux vintage. With 4 hours of air, the wine began to open and reveal tobacco, Cuban cigars, truffle, cassis, blackberry and Asian spice notes. On the palate, the wine is huge, but perfectly balanced with all the right elements leading to a pure, clean finish that builds in the mouth for close to 60 seconds! You can pop a cork today with 3-4 hours of air, but if you have the patience, another 5-10 years in the bottle will only add more complexity to this stunning wine.
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Still at the Mountain House--Tim Strikes Again: Soft and saturated cork, but still extracted in one piece. We had worries at first but the wine was OK, just perhaps a little tired fruit. Still shows firm tannins with leather/tobacco, pleasant herbaceous qualities and tart red fruit with just a hint of black fruit. Perhaps a bit of soy near the finish.
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Still built like steel but this wine is at least finally starting to show what it has in store. The nose has scents of cedar and black spices and on the palate it's showing flavors of black currants and graphite minerals. Rich, big and deep and perfectly balanced and elegant. I would say of all the '86's, this will be the longest-lived and perhaps ultimately the best. Really regal and sure of itself. 96+
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Richter Raritäten Degu (Restaurant Farnsburg, Switzerland): Collectively all tasters in the room had this wine many many times over the past years, most have followed the wine since release, many also had it recently, some just 3 days before, me personally 3 months before. Yet all of us, absolutely all of us, agreed that this was the first time that the wine was really open and felt ready.
A spectacular bottle, tons of blackberry, blackcurrant and many more type of dark berries most of which I don't even know exist. Then follow the classic Mouton pencil shavings and graphite notes. The palate then has so much power yet remains elegant.
A legendary wine!
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Dekantert og luftet 6 timer. Tilbake på flaska et par timer og tilbake på karaffel i et par timer. Fillen var i bunn av hals og korken gjennomtrukket. Dyp mørk, bred kjerne. Tung frukt kombinert med floralitet. Etter hvert krydder, solbær og den framstår ganske heftig. Dette forsvinner og den framstår mutt igjen. Parfyme kommer. Nesen kom og gikk og var lite til å stole på. Tanninene biter bak (fat) og foran på overleppa (frukt). God lengde og flott syre. Den drar seg mot mentol før den blir litt mutt igjen. Ikke topp flaske og muligens for lang lufting.
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Wino w doskonałej kondycji ale kompletnie bez charakteru. Pijac mialem wrażenie ze jest to wino niedonczone, ze brak mu zapachu, owocu ... W kieliszku Riedel CS nabrało trochę głębi. Nos: tytoń, ziemia. W ustach delikatne wygladzone z mała ilością tanin. --- Eric botels
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This is the only challenger to the 1945. Incredibly youthful with a wild nose of cherries, spices, tobacco. On the palate more spice, dark plum, smoke, silky texture, but the tannins are still quite forbidding. Open up after about an hour to become more charming.
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Difficult to rate this wine. Even after a 9 hr decant, it was bruising and tough. It's dense, meaty, powerful and long, but I wonder if it will ever come into balance. The fruit is clenched and tight.
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The wine of the vintage strikes again! From a difficult year, known for tough, tannic wines, 1986 Mouton Rothschild is a true gem. Asian spice, coffee bean, smoke, blackberries, over ripe cherries, earth, tobacco and stone notes come alive. Powerful, intense and packed with more layers of fruit than I'd want to count, the wine is massive. It tastes and feels like a full bottle was poured into a magnum. The wine is masculine, but refined, structured and graceful. At close to 30 years of age, it wants another decade or more before it really starts to deliver its goods. This wine clearly coats your mouth, palate and tongue with the essence of Bordeaux.
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My friend Richard surprised me yesterday evening with this (well stored) wine. The nose was very elegant not very Pauillac (more like Léoville-Las Cases); the midtaste was very sophisticated, balanced and refined, no hard edges, as '86 can offer. The final was nearly sublime, although showing ripeness there was no sign of age in the wine. This bottle was really 'à point'. In total, the wine was not the equivalent of the '59, but this '86 Mouton-Rothschild was worth his reputation.
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Rapidly approaching 30 years of age, this is still an adolescent! While fun to drink now, at maturity, which could come in another 10-15 or 20 years, this is going to be a stunning wine! It’s got it all starting with smoke filled bouquet, complicated with lead pencil, cigar box, spice, dark chocolate, cassis and dark berries. Still tanninc, the tannins are ripe, but there is a light chalky quality feel in the incredibly long, intense, structured finish. The 4 hour decanting was about right.
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Base neck/top shoulder. Remaining bottles have slightly higher fill. Dark, concentrated, tannic wine. Plenty of spice, earth, coffee on the nose. This wine is still a baby. Three hours later it still had not opened up. I understand how it could be stunning, but needs time. A-/A
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Friday after Thanksgiving (FAT) (Palm Beach Gardens FL): Tasting, brief note. Massive black fruit, great spice aromas. Still firm, dense and masculine, this would clearly have benefited from some decanter time, but continues to give clear signs of how great it will be in the future. 96-98 points.
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Decanted for one hour. Darkest purple, looks young; complex nose of terroir, tobacco, cedar, mint, rich Cabernet fruit; mid-body to big; mid-to-high viscosity; becoming more approachable as tannins soften; hints of wood, chocolate and berries in the finish; almost chewy. Two couples enjoyed with filet mignon, rack of lamb and wild boar. Wine a match for them all. Taste again in five years!
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Luftet 15 timer. Krydder, lær, tobakk og mørk frukt. Monumental men frisk i munn. Masse frukt, tannin og frukt gjør den ungdommelig og rank. Lang, selvsagt. Den er opphøyet over ordet "godt", men det er det. Utrolig godt!
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Mature and Maturing Bordeaux (Oslo): 15 h decant. Same cold cellar from release. Very, very dark; lots of black currants and other dark berries ; very fruity in the mouth, fresh, full, lots of tannin behind the fruit. Long and balanced. More up front than expected, perhaps helped by the long decant.
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Again a poor performance of this famous wine, this time from different provenance than the bottle from January this year. Am I misinterpreting this wine? Is is still so closed that we cannot taste through it? But tasting it blind, we came across unripe, grassy notes, drying tannins, very little complexity in nose or taste and a very short finish. These are not the characteristics of a young top wine. Drank along Cos and Leoville las Cases 1986, both with star performance. I'll try again in 10 years.
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Double decanted and drank over 2 hours. My second time with this wine this year. It is so incredibly huge I still can't get over it. Giant black and red fruit aromas on the nose along with wood, leather and some spice an smoke. More red fruit and dark fruit on the palate with a mocha background. Huge in the mouth. Big tannin but easily matched by the fruit. Even after a few hours this was still holding back. Super long finish with strong tannin and fruit. I want to drink this again tomorrow but waiting 10 years to do it again is the right call.
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decanted for 7 hours and consumed over the following 6 hours. still improving at the end. still deep purple with very little sign of ageing at the rim... incredibly youthful for a 26 year old wine. wonderful sense of symmetry and precision but i still feel something is being held in reserve. won't touch any of my remaining 9 bottles for a few years
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This was wine at the current stage was a disappointment. The bottle was a magnum and was decanted for three hours before tasting. As described by Dbrane in his tasting not on 9/1/11, this wine is just way too primary still. Extremely tight, didn't open even after 5 hours. Maybe one for 10 years time....
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Well I'd never be one, and I say that sincerely, to contradict Jeff but we definitely had a different experience with a '86 Mouton that we opened Saturday night. Before saying anything it's important to note that after quickly opening up this wine was singing. Such a beautiful expression of Bordeaux. A bit off the shoulder on the fill but not much. No decant at all. So vibrant in the glass. Like it had been bottled yesterday. Smoke and earth and dried red fruit and all things one looks for. Kept improving to the point where we set it aside for less than an hour just to make sure we could experience anything it had to offer as it progressed. It was not to be. When we went back to it the nose and taste had faded. Clearly we got the best of it and fortunately only reserved a few glasses. I realize storage and bottle variation counts for a lot with these wines but be careful. We would have been very disappointed if we had decanted for any length of time. Of course, it's possible that it could have reappeared after a spell but we weren't able to find out so we just finished her off.
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We overnighted at our friends' lake cottage overlooking Lake Wabamun - about 45 minuts West of the City. Four couples joined in the fun. In the afternoon we had a blind wine tasting of four California Pinot Noirs - 2008 Rochioli Estate Russian River Valley, 2008 Kosta-Browne Sonoma County, 2008 Rivers-Marie Summa Old Vines, and 2009 Failla Sonoma County. I only managed to identify one of the wines - the KB - although I have tasted all of them in prior settings. Sat on the screened deck overlooking some sailing and water skiing on the lake. Terrific weather -calm, clear and sunny 86F.
Each of the Pinot Noirs was most attractive and gained additional nuances and complexity as they sat open. Group favorite turned out to be the Failla wine. The group liked its balance and elegance on the palate. But this posting is not about the Pinot Noirs. At dinner our host offered up a Magnum of the 1986 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild to accompany some grilled venison tenderloin. This venison was from a deer our host shot last Fall. Turned out to be an exceptional matchup.
High fill level - two inch cork removed intact and in excellent condition; decanted a few hours prior to dinner; deep black color, opaque with a thin edge of purple; the aromas were incredible, with massive sweet black currant fruit, some spices and a slight smoky element; a cedar note struggling to get by the fruit; the fruit carries, however, and continued to shoot well into the nostrils - almost breath taking in its depth; layer upon layer of fruit on the palate that extended well into the back and just wouldn't stop; with all of that fruit it took a bit of time to bring out the peppery nuances; acidity frames a solid structure, and there remain some soft tannins to resolve over more time; the finish would not quit as the fruit remained for what seemed an exceptionally long time. I suspect this wine had more years to reach its peak of maturity, whenever that might be, but it was a great experience to drink it now.
Many thanks to Bob, our host on this occasion.
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Smoke, cassis, truffle, brown sugar, lead pencil, cherry blossoms, smoke, Asian spice, caramel and light chocolate with mint create the perfume. Big, powerful, full bodied with dense textures, chalky tannins and the structure to age for several more decades without trouble, there is a lot of intense, spice and cassis meshed with tannins remaining to be resolved. The wine was decanted 4 hours prior to serving. I am not a fan of long decants. But 1986 Mouton Rothschild demanded it. In fact, it continued improving in the glass for the next few hours. Even though the wine is 26 years old, another 5-10 years is required before it begins to show its best.
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A very deep colour; intense, concentrated, with a very smooth, velvety texture; there is blackcurrant fruit, cigar box and cedar, and mineral notes; a very deep and long finish. A top class claret, hard to beat.
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We were all excited about this wine, and the 86 Lafite, supposedly the perfect pair. Sadly not so. The Lafite was corked, and the Mouton, well, was it faulty? There were no signs of being corked or any visible faults, but despite decanting and pouring over for hours, the wine remained tannic, closed and forbidding, utterly charmless. I do not know what to score it. As a drink today it's maybe around 88+, lots of structure but not enough fruit to cover it. In 10 years time, who knows, maybe it will be great and come out of its shell, but on this bottle showing I doubt it. Sadly I dont have one to test out in 2022! Hugely disappointing.
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Drank at dinner with Heinz and the gang. Although the bottle still had a very high level the cork was fully soaked. Very dark red colour; almost opaque; no hint of brick. The nose was intense and forward dark red fruit, black cherry but not as fresh as I expected. Mineral notes and herbs. The palate is as intense as the colour suggests, maybe even more, low acidity, balanced and tannins are ripe and in balance. Overall I think this bottle did not do the wine justice, but still very enjoyable.
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100 Point Wine Dinner: Second time having this in a month! Consistent rating at 98 and had this with the 1982 tonight. Very similar although the 1982 has some fruity sweetness coming through. Classic Mouton.
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Tasted blind with wine friends at our annual NFL Draft get together. Fragrant aromas of blackberry, black current, black cherry, cigar box, a touch of graphite, chocolate, cedar and an ever so slight touch of pleasant barnyard - highly complex. Great structure and balance. A creamy/velvety texture in the mouth. Highly concentrated. A long silky finish. Monumental stuff.
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dinner @ ann colgin's home. i'm a mouton fan, and this vintage hits me in the right place. i am only sparingly gaga over wines 25+ years of age, preferring the 15-20 year range because...i don't usually have access to perfect provenance, so why wait? well, this bottle is why you wait if you can. complex and simply lovely, it only lacks super depth of fruit.
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"The Dinner" Featuring Six Bordeaux Luminaries (Ann Colgin's and Joe Wender's Home): Dark ruby color. Nose of black currant and earth. Tastes of blackberry, cherry, currant, cedar, and pencil lead. Well balanced. Fine grained tannins. Rich powerful finish with very nice complecity and depth. A wine for the ages. Actually could use more time to blossom.
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Over 25 Tasting (Home): In comparison to the slightly flawed Ch. Margaux that preceded it at our tasting, this bottle was glorious from the beginning. It was also decanted about 3 hours before the event, and the scent went from wonderful to spectacular. Beautiful deep color to the rim, with no indication of its age. No earthiness that can show up in older wines--just soft, clean, clear fruit with a finish that went on forever.
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I think our earliest TN reflects this wine 100% "Class, Eleganse and complexity. We could really stop the TN here. The nose is really a journey into a complex set of red fruit, little earth and floral elements. The palate is velvety, layers and layers of beauty. Wine is still very much alive and vibrant but tannins are well integrated and post 1.5 hours the wine was fully singing. Nothing out of sync or out of balance, purity to the limit. Complex and kept on improving, never loosing any of its vribrancy. Truly magnificent. maybe 98 is low."
Vs the Lafite 89. Outshone the Lafite but anyway the LAfite was never a match for this behemoth.
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INTENSE color, with earthiness in the nose. Amazed by the intensity of flavors, acidity and strength. This wine should easily last another 25 years. Best wine of the night for me. One of the best wines I've ever had. EVER. Came back for more.
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level into neck, perfect provenance, cold cellar. Colour very dark ruby, rather youthfull, nose one-dimensional at first; so sweet that it could be from Italia, a little later tobacco, dusty, almost Graves. Taste not very interesting at first. Overly sweet, massive, not very complex. Rather abrupt finish. Not living up to its reputation. Mediocre bottle or just not near matureness? We'll find out in 10+ years time.
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It's a 86 Bordeaux event including other great wines such as Mouton and Lafite. Unfortunately, the wines were opened and decanted late. Fantastric structure and nose, but too young for consumption. Let's wait for another 5-10 yrs before trying again.
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This is a huge, giant of a wine. There is so much fruit packed into this wine, the bottle seemed to be bulging and the seams straining to hold all the ripe cassis, black fruit and Asian spice in place. This is an amazing wine demanding at least another 15/20 years in the bottle. This might be the most concentrated Bordeaux I have ever experienced. Unfortunately, it remained for the most part tight. A long decant is the way to go for those lacking patience.
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BW bottle. Fill into neck. Still primary color with a tight nose of ripe black rasberries and allspice. This bottle is quite tight and unforgiving but the fruit and mineral cut are so pure and classy that you can tell this will blossom into something special. It has deep black rasberry fruit with great underlying graphite and mineral notes. The tannins are firm but very fine and this particular bottle needs another 10+ years. Great class and breed is quite evident. 95+l
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This has got so much potential with its packed dark rubin fruit. Almost a bit Latour like. Many people think this can be as good as 1945. Maybe, if the fruit can deliver. Its not there now but you can feel its somewhere underneath. Very hard to judge at this point. A sleeping beauty.
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Beautifully fresh, full-bodied black cherry fruit with cedary, leather, tobacco, cassis, and slightly cigar box flavors, superb structure, elegant with some age, long finish, texture of wine wasn't as rich as I would have hoped, many years left to go but wine seems at it's peak
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2011 Simple Series 9: Sean BOD (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck @ Paragon): Alcohol :: 12.5% Opened for about 7hrs and decanted for 2hrs. Such dark color, this magnificent Mouton seems never aged, on the color itself everyone think this could be as young as a 2000! Nose was quite tight and shy, but it was deep and intense. Cedar, pencil shaving, capsicum, earth with sweet dark fruits underneath. The palate is as youthful as the color may suggest, still terribly tight despite such long hrs of aeration. Formidable structured dominated the palate and the underlying sweet dark fruits were struggling to surface. Large scale, expansive with mouth coating intensity but this is well delineated, focus and precise. Massive tannin here, provide good grip and depth but this is very ripe and fine grained with no sense of heaviness. The finish is unreal with wonderful freshness! The last sip is getting sweeter and juicier. This is no way near the its drinking window. Hand off for at least another decade. Today I prefer the completeness of the Turque but I believe the Mouton will be eventually overcome the Turque 10yrs down the road. 93-95+
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Sean Birthday (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck): Not drinking so well at the moment due to the tightly knit structure and tannins. Unbelievably primary even from the color from the rim. Probably will be outstanding in 10-20 years time but at the moment, not yet. A wine of pedigree but needs much time to shine.
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2011 Simple Series VII: Sean's Birthday (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): Opened 6 hours before and decanted another 3 hours, yet this was so, so closed. It had a beautiful flowery bouquet, with dried violet petals floating like a halo over a lovely noseful of dark fruit, tobacco smoke and dried earth. A glorious Pauillac nose. The palate was so very tight though, so this drank like a wine at least a decade younger, with super fresh, super primary cassis fruit at the fore precious else beneath but for a graphite-like nuance. So pure, yet so tightly clenched and barely showing. Still though, this was clearly a First Growth, with great depth, superb balance and a lovely, ringing transperancy to its dark fruit as it moved into a finish of effortless power and subtle length. So obdurate, so clenched, so young. This needs decades yet. At the moment, it was intellectually great, but rather less pleasurable. Some said that the quality here was greater than that of the 1966 Latour we had together. Perhaps so, these things are hard to tell, but the older wine was just drinking so much better on the night. I would recommend locking bottles of these away in the cellar and forgetting about them for a long, long time.
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tasted at maxim's in paris. mind blowing wine. subtle and well integrated tannins. so much depth. blackcurrant and cassis with an underlayer of graphite. i've just ordered a whole case and will drink 1 a year from here on in. will be fascinating to see if it continues to evolve. love it
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Succulent, the sweetness of the vintage's style, beautiful texture with a very long long finished. 100/100 from the start. (first 10 minutes)
This wine is special, I try to deduct the score but can not. The wine seems better and better with time. It doesn't like any Mouton because of its fruity.
After 3 hours, the promising, lead pencil appears, Typical scent of Mouton just shows up. Can you imagine ?
The beautiful fruits combined with Mouton's fragrant, ohhh... Lovely full-bodied, perfect in structure, great balance, round and vibrant.
Aftertaste is still breath-taking....more easy to enjoy than the 1982...
Drink now - 2030+ ....................This wine is too good for me.........................
ps. I think I prefer the 1983 Cheval Blanc and 2002 Ausone tasting together.
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2000 Pavie and 1986 Mouton, three friends: This particular bottle was amazingly youthful. Two hours double decanted, initially a bit shy nose of luxurious oak, plum, and mocha. Very polished palate and tannin was nicely integrated.
The wine got better, gaining incredible amount of weight and sweet fruit. Some cassis with a hint of redder fruit, cedar, mocha, lead pencil and noticeable oak that to me is pleasing. This bottle displays silky and polished texture, excellent concentration and although noticeable but integrated tannins. Next to the 00 Pavie, the wine is more polished and delineated and better structured but not as expressive and hedonistic. A long life ahead much more room to improve. The last drop was the best as it was really getting jammier and sweeter!
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needs another 5 to 10 years before it scores 100. Wonderful almost black color. black currant cedar pencil in the nose. on the palate secondary nuances start to develop.
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This wine was very nice but i felt like it should have been decanted for a day before consumption. It was closed and monolithic i’d be interested in trying a bottle now
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Mature but still powerful bouquet with luxurious toasted oak, cedar, lead pencil and cassis. On the palate good cassis juice and very harmonious with the bouquet. Still firm tannin with a lot of good bitterness. Powerful and also elegant. In this stage not worth the 100 Parker points, but there still is a future of at least another 5 - 10 years and when everything is in perfect place he might be right.
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Was expecting more as a whole from this bottle. Long awaited a taste. Acid driven - almost too acidic. Rustic barnyard dusty cherries, and briary bramble berries. Subtle qualities. Kind of lacking a mid palate. As a whole it was a very well made wine. I was just ready to be Wowed big time. Still some really nice soft aromatics and flavors. After looking at other respected CellarTracker user reviews, I believe this bottle may have been off.
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There was a soapy scent and flavor that may have been due to a fault in the cleaning of the glasses. There was plenty of Mouton underneath but what a disappointment in context! NR
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Papies LWE - Mouton 86 vs Cos 86 and some other friends (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): The bottle variation in this wine is massive to the point that it makes us worried a bit. We had our share of pain in the past with Mouton 86 and its brittle corks etc. But this is a proper full case. Complete in great shape and even with the original wrapping papers from the chateau ( If anyone collects these drop us an email and will send you one as we have a couple extra). In general cork condition has always been a let down with moutons in our mind even the 1990 had issues. We wonder if its just our luck
The one we opened in November ( pls see previous tasting note) was light years better than this one. Back to the one in question, bottom of neck, fully wet but solid cork with a bit of rot(?) just under the capule.
Wine is a youngster still and is still tight and reserved with good level of tannins. Maybe just coming out of its sleep. 2 hours of decanting minimum. For tasting note and grade pls see out previous TN from 16 Nov 10. This bottle wasnt up to speed.
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1986 Bordeaux @ EWS: 1986 Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac) (100WA, 95IWC, 99WS) A big momma. Dark dense black minerals with a deft touch of classic older Bordeaux funk. Aromas feature blackberries with a deep dense dark chocolate component. Sweet rich almost jammy blackberries and cherries. A dense ripe showy wine. Toasty elements and long finish that packs a real punch. Iron fist in velvet glove here. Great wine, dense sweet ripe solid wall of dark fruits with dry mineral extract. Comes across much younger and therefore seems a long, long way to go. This is special stuff. 98 Drinking beautifully. Classic Pauillac. 10 first place including mine.
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A deep colour, mature but not old. The nose is classic Pauillac - blackcurrant/cedar/cigar box, and fairly intense. The palate is very smooth and rich, with good intensity and excellent balance. A myriad of flavours. There is perhaps a slight dryness on the finish; otherwise, this is hard to fault.
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It's its depth and intensity that most struck me. It was hypnotizing, and one could get lost in it. I generally think this wine is too young still, but last night it should well. This bottle's tannins had melted nicely, and it was very fruity and expressive. Perhaps it is opening up for a year or so, to let us enjoy it?
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Mouton 86 vs Las Cases 86 at the Papies: Needs decanting, 2-3 hours to hit the peak. We opened and monitored it along with LLC for 1.5 hours and the wine kept on getting better and better. Dont rush it, dont filter and no aerators here please. The wine is just entering its drinking window in our mind. From a perfect case still in the original wrapping papers. Cork was solid and well wet, levels were very good.
Class, Eleganse and complexity. We could really stop the TN here. The nose is really a journey into a complex set of red fruit, little earth and floral elements. The palate is velvety, layers and layers of beauty. Wine is still very much alive and vibrant but tannins are well integrated and post 1.5 hours the wine was fully singing. Nothing out of sync or out of balance, purity to the limit. Complex and kept on improving, never loosing any of its vribrancy. Truly magnificent. maybe 98 is low.
VS the LLC.... the LLC is much more powerfull more meaty with a bigger nose. But MR beats the LLC with a velvet glove and a class of its own. Now if you adjust vs price... the LLC at 1/3 of the price is the one to buy.
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1986 Mouton Rothschild remains an adolescent. That is quite an accomplishment for a wine that is approaching 25 years of age! Asian spice, tobacco, cigar box, cedar, smoke, black cherry and cassis, This special wine is packed and stacked with dense, powerful, layers of exotic fruit. But it remains almost primary. There is a lot to like about this expression of Bordeaux wine, but it requires another 5-10 years before it finally opens up to reveal its magic 97 Pts
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Tasted at the Cincinnati Mondiale du Vin "cellar treasures" event. This was my WOTN. Dark garnet. Nose of dark, dark fruit, earth, leather and some burnt rubber. Medium to full palate of ripe dark fruit with wonderful mineral character and amazing length. Focused acidity and light tannins. This wine is really singing.
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Incredible bottle; velvety on the tongue, perfectly balanced with just enough tannin still left to provide backbone. Nose complex; long lingering finish.
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Powerful red currant, plum, sweet tobacco and cedar aromatics. I could smell this all night and not get tired of it. Youthful palate, full of sweet red fruits and sweet and savory earth notes. Medium plus body with great grip on the long finish. The tannins have started to round out, but are still present. Fantastic wine.
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Wine was decanted for an hour, which was not enough. Over the next two it improved and changed from a masked beauty to reveal toasted tobacco fragrance. Great wine.
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Absolutely no hint of fading in the color - in fact as sits in the glass it looks like an '07 Napa Cabernet. The nose is expressive though with ever-changing smells of lavender, cassis, smoke, sweet tobacco and eucalyptus. On the palate, this bottle at least, remains impenetrable with a backbone of steel and clamped shut tannins. But the tannins are ripe and I can sense the balance and power that I think will still make this one of the longest-lived and greatest Bordeaux's produced in recent times. Open again when I have my first great-grandchild! 96+
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Decanted for 45 minutes, would have benefited with more time. Lovely garnet color without browning. Complex subtle nose of lightly toasted almonds and cherries. Complex finish with wave after wave on nuanced tastes. Long long finish.
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Popped and poured for Mothers Day. No need to decant. This just sang out of the bottle. It is time to drink. No sure if this will last another 10 years.
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Had two bottles with Easter brunch of leg of lamb and rosemary oven browned potatoes. First bottle decanted for only 30 minutes--not long enough. Although it wasn't bad, it was tight and stiff. Deep purple and looking very young in the glass. Nose of dark fruit and some leather and coffee. The second bottle sat for over an hour--vastly improved. It really blossomed in the glass. Still dark purple, nearly black in the glass, but more spice on the nose than bottle one. It was complex with a long and succulent finish. Smooth and velvety on the tongue. Next time around, will let it sit for several hours. Should last a lifetime.
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my first encounter with this wine. i'd been reading in the wine press that it finally had moved after a long dormant stage, if that's true i'm glad i hadn't tasted it sooner. the wine is still a deep inky color with no signs of aging, it looks like 5 year old Bordeaux. The nose is still restrained, I decanted for a couple hours, and it was very primary still, lots of black fruit. In the mouth I found it to still be very backward. There's no question the fruit is quite concentrated, and there's long glycerin legs when you swirl, but the hefty tannins are still fighting the fruit. Quite rustic, and it made me think I was drinking a St Julien. It is nowhere near it's remarkable sibling, the 1982, in terms of pleasure and magnificence. I have more bottles in my cellar which I don't plan on drinking for a few years.
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Fresh and clean looking in intense ruby-garnet with brown highlights. Soft and gentle claret nose with a bouquet of forest ground and barnyard under the mainframe of medium intensity red fruit, blackberries, prunes and plums. This is gentle and round backed by tannins clearly from the high Cabernet content, soft and gracious. Easily drinking at its best while all the flavours are lingering long as it finishes.
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Simply stunning, soo fresh and still soo young for 23 years in the bottle. Unbelievable. Will this age for 100+ years. I think so. A really divine wine.
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When first opened it was tight and lean. After one hour of decanting it blossomed into what we all expect from Mouton. Great youthtful color, showing no age, and moderate fruit with balanced acid and tannin. The mouth feel was round and jewel-like. There was anise on the finish with strawberry hints. Some cedar and tobacco.
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Purchased from Marketplace - no decant. Medium/deep garnet - still vibrant and youthful in appearance. Nose didn't give away very much but typically Mouton fruit and floral notes. In mouth, what struck me was how youthful and fresh this tasted yet showing the balance of a well aged claret. Medium bodied, balanced, refreshing and well defined. This obviously kept evolving in glass and although it didn't disappoint in the least bit, I wasn't blown away. Compared with the 95 which I know well, this is very similar but a step up in balance, structure and expression. The Mouton for Mouton lovers? 50+9+8+20+10=97
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Non carafé. L’appréhension était à son comble lors du service de ce vin, sacré mythique lorsque Parker lui a conféré la note de 100 sur 100. Un nez à prime abord fermé à double tour – et qui ne m’offre aucun plaisir –, qui se transforme après une trentaine de minutes en un nez d’une pureté exceptionnelle et rarissime, aérien, précis et détaillé comme on en voit si peu. La bouche est aristocratique, fine, délicatement minérale, puissante et parfaitement équilibrée. La grande classe. Il lui manque cependant un petit je-ne-sais-quoi qui aurait rendue l’expérience magique. Un grand vin. Merci Bordeaux70. 93-95.
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Classic mouton nose and palate. Restrained fruit but nicely integrated tannins. Shut down after a few hours but still perfectly balanced and improved over 2 days. Might be going through an ackward phase.
(edited to correct typos from corkz app)
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Tightly wound, but with coaxing, begging and pleading, along with long decanting, black currant, Asian Spice, Cuban cigar, minerality, leather and soy could be found. Packed and stacked with spicy, dark fruit, round, firm tannins and opulent textures, this exotic, sublime requires until at least 2020 before opening.
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kleur is nog paars rood, geur is duidelijk cederhout, licht getoast, nog duidelijk fruit bessen kersen, veel details en erg subtiel, mooie diepgang, je blijft ruiken, verleidelijk, smaak is elegant en soepel, zacht in de mond, alles in prachtige verhouding, gezien de leeftijd komt de wijn nog jong over, heeft nog erg veel inhoud, zeer speciaal. eerdere fles al langer geleden gedronken kwam krachtiger over met meer tannines
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(Dinner @ Terra- Decanted gently) Aromatically - very intense and open immediatly with profound aromas that were very complex and somewhat difficult to pin-point with common descriptors but it presented sweat floral aromas dingy cave like fungal aromas with tobacco, cedar and a complex yet elegant spice all hightened by around 20 years of life in the bottle. This wine was dense and ripe with full lasting flavor and lengthy silky tannin. Fantastic wine paired with great food. WOTN 97
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Beautiful nose of dark cherry, violet, earth, with a slight hint of stink bug. Mouth tannin and acidity is perfectly in balance and harmonious. Flavors of sour cherries, plums, wet earth and stone. Flawless finish. A perfect wine.
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Did not live up to expectations - must have been the bottle. There were some heavy unpleasant aromas behind the cedar, black fruit, tar, animal, scorched earth and smokey aromas. In 2009 still quite young and tannic on the finish although initial mouthfeel was silky.
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1986 Dinner (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Drank 9.5 hours after decanting. Very deep red colour and totally opaque except for the slightest transparency at the edges of the glass. Incredibly restrained and aloof nose....pencil lead and just the merest sense of the dense unfurled fruit that lurks in the dark corners. The palate is very similar - still inky, graphite, granite, tart blackcurrant/blackberry and disconcertingly fresh-sawn wood for a wine that is 23 years old. Very long aftertaste but too closed to be called "length" or "resonance".
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Double decanted, and tight as a rock. It shut down even more in the glass as the evening progressed until I couldn't taste anything, but while I could I loved the dark cherry fruit profile and the pretty floral cedar aromatics. RK thinks it will be better than '45 Mouton. No point in drinnking it now.
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1986Cali Cabs and Bordeaux, 1989 Bollinger Grande Annee (Skinner's Loft, Jersey City, NJ): Really nice with many, many years to go. Dry and chalky tannins that felt like black tea in the mouth. This may have been too young too open, but it was pleasurable now. I had the 1996 and 2003 and enjoyed them, but this was the best of the three now. Really glad to have had it.
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Surprisingly, this was less tannic and more open than the '86 Cos but it's still a bruiser of a wine that will last forever. To me not worth the tariff, though.
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Brought to Zachy's auction at Daniel - this was good, but not as good as it can be. A bit thin and acidic relative to other bottles that I have had. The nose was better than the palate this time.
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One of the best wines we have had for a long time: ripe, rich, intense, silky smooth, elegant and long. It has all the hallmarks of classic claret: profound blackcurrant fruit, with cedary, spicy ovetones. The fruit is still fresh and there is a little tannin. Will keep.
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Inky black color was the darkest of the first growth flight. Nose was tight giving hints of blackberries and an odd iodine note. Juicy dark plums on the palate but surrounded by big, burly tannins. This is a beast and won’t wake up for a long time. Great wine, but lacks the elegance of the Lafite. 94++
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1986 Bordeaux Night @ The Hawksmoor: dark color on the wine. some gamey nose to go with the cedar. very well balanced in the mouth , not as big as i expected and a bit one dimensional , showed some purple fruit and a bit of smoke. i do not think this was a great example of 86 Mouton
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Brought to Zachy's auction at Daniel - slight mustiness upon opening with cedar, mushroom, and little eucalyptus, very much like '82 Latour. Tasted immediately after opening with big tannins, blackberries and dark cherries in the background. There is enough acidity to keep this wine fresh for a long time. After a couple of hours decant, more tobacco flavors appeared. By the last sip of the bottle 6 hours after opening, espresso and a touch of cocoa. Unlike the bottle I served blind a couple of weeks, I had the pleasure of watching this evolve during the night as opposed to tasting it just once a few hours after opening.
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Decanted for several hours, this monster STILL at 23 years of age tastes like a young wine. The decanting took the tannic edge off, however, and black cherry and a sort of floral minerality was apparent to me first. As the night went on, a strong tobacco took over.
I probably could have waited another 23 years to drink this one, but alas I am an impatient man! Also drank a 1967 d'Yquem this night. A magical evening.
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The aroma was quintessential Bordeaux. It seemed wound tight and did not open up until 2 hours into the decant. Classy taste but somewhat restrained. We were moved by a 2004 Contador quaffed later that same evening. The audience was split on a preference between the two, and considering the CMR pedigree, it shouldn't have been that close.
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The Big "Four-O": 40+ Wines for 40 Years: This bottle showed really well tonight. Still has big tannins, smoky, cherry, blackberry fruits, with a long finish. This should still age effortlessly for many years to come. Group #2 of the blind tasting.
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This may have been one of the most sublime bottles of wine I have ever drunk. While Robert Parker in his last tasting note (1996) describes it as massive and enormously concentrated, now 13 years later it has mellowed nicely. Perfectly balanced, lingers on the tongue wonderfully. Decant it, give it some time to open up the bouquet.
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still a very young wine capable of aging many more years. Graphite and tobacco are the first things I got on the entry, rounded out by a blast of cherry, mint, and mineral through the mid palate. Very balanced and seductive. Still a somewhat chewy wine. Really great bottle of wine
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Dinner with the Lees and Zimmers (Columbus, OH): Characteristic Mouton dark fruits and tobacco notes. Masculine styling. Giving on the nose, but still quite tannic, high pitched, and wrapped up on the palate, even with several hours decanting. Big Bordeaux. Still quite young, but very enjoyable.
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From 375. Only a brief decant and it needs more, for sure. Deep garnet color with quite a bit of sediment. Nose dominated by cedar and graphite with a little bit of red and black fruit. Rich classis, smoke, and cedar on the palate. This needs either time or a very long decant, but no question this is a brilliant wine. Score probably understates how good it would be if served after an 8 hour decant.
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Popped, poured, consumed over a couple of hours. Aromas of ripe blackberry, cassis cocoa. Massive blackberry and black cherry flavors on palate, still almost entirely primary with great minerality. Once the bottle was open for a while and aerated a bit in glass, the tannins and acid emerge in middle and finish, really provide extra texture and layers to this wine. Showing very, very young today, not even close to its peak.
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Not sure if the bottle was damaged as the Cork was fully wet. Tried 2 bottles and they were both the same. Was Flat with no magic for what is supposed to be a 100RP wine
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Deep blackish color. Phenominal nose of charred cedar, tobacco and complex blackberries. Incredibly deep, thick and silky and still quite primary. A huge Bordeaux with fabulous flavors of rich cassis, smoky blackberries and burnt cedar. Intense and deeply tannic but also beginning to show a great complexity with charcoal and cedar dominating the incredibly long finish. I've had some bottles of this wine that were virtually impenetrable but this bottle is so opulent and singing tonight. Still way young and seems to have the backbone to go 50 more years in its sleep. Just about the pinnacle of Bordeaux. 99
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Dinner with Otto (Backstreet): Blackberries, black cherries and earth. Very firm tannins. Well balanced with good acidity. Built to last. Rather rustic in style. Nice complex finish. Not the best bottle I've ever had.
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A decadent 30th birthday for Justin Wells (Sammamish, WA): Tasted from 375ml. Offered up double-blind I correctly guessed Bordeaux thinking that maybe this was the 1989 Lynch Bages or a great Montrose. Not a terrible guess. Without glasses handy we might have sampled a few furtive sips straight from the decanter, on right on pop and pour this wine was at peak, just pure syrup of Pauillac. The color is black as night. A wine of sickening (in a good way) intensity. Loaded with those Mouton minerals. But after this brief flash of glory, this clamped down HARD and fell sound asleep. With a lot of swirling you could get that black, Pauillac tobacco, but the palate locked up tight. Let 'em sleep or decant the holy living heck out of these.
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Half. Superior Cabernet. Deep, young appearance; wonderful aroma of blackcurrant, cedar, hint of eucalyptus; muscular, masculine, tannic, enormous length. A truly great wine, too young still.
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Raid the Cellar Party at BWB. This was a brute. Hard to really know when this wine is going to settle down. I'm sure I"m underscoring it now, but it's competition was so fierce and so many of the other wines were drinking so well I had no choice but to rate this a little farther down the scale. Perfect potential? Hmm, maybe in about 10 years.
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Unbelievable! Decanted for five hours, the wine changed so much during the hour we drank it. By the end it was huge, but still delicate and fine. The finish lasted forever! Amazing.
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G7 (Jock): Nose of blackberries. Tastes of cherries and blackcurrant. Complex mid palate and elegant finish. This wine needs much more time to start showing its full potential. Fantastic.
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Opened at Rich & Dana's chili & caroling party. This was a popped & poured so I set my glass aside for a couple of hours before tasting. Deep inky garnet color, this looked like it had just been bottled. Still very tight. Notes of pencil lead and cedar dominate, with a leathery/meaty note barely discernable. Firmly tannic, with just some dark fruit flavors apparent before the tannins clamp down hard. Maturity is nowhere in sight for this wine, and I would hold for at least 10 years, if not longer, before opening a bottle.
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Brought to tasting and went up against Colgin, Harlan and Maya, did not do well in this company. Seemed a bit light on the midpalate. Would not have believed this was a 100 point wine.
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Pre-Harlan Warm-up at Brad England's House: The color is a dense black/red. This is extremely closed on the nose. With coaxing you can sense brooding black fruit. I didn't detect any barnyard funk that I traditionally get with Mouton, this smells very clean. In the mouth this is extremely concentrated but compact and structured with more brooding black fruit. Decent length on the finish. I would guess this needs about 20 years just to get to the point where it starts to drink well at all.
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Consumed after being decanted for 2 hours with friends during a Mouton vertical ( 94, 90, 89, 86[my cellar], and 85) celebrating my 60th birthday. Wasn't as good as the 82 (100 points) consumed on my 50th, but nonetheless an exceptional wine. Seemed ready, but probably a long life ahead. Subtle yet very complex at the same time. Hard to put into words. Not fruit driven, but minerals and tobacco with a great nose and a long finish. Each sip had me searching for something more which it didn't deliver yet was totally satisfying. The wine of the night, although the 89 came close in a fruit driven California style. Would love to try both again in 10 years. The 85 and 90 were hollow and disappointing and the 94 a lot better than I would have anticipated, but faded quickly.
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Certainly one of the wines of the decade, let alone vintage (no contest there). Alongside the other first growths from 86 it still was absolutely imperious and untouchable (Lafite 1986 [a Parker 100 too], seemed like a step down). The wine has everything you could really want: menthol, tobacco, pain grille all surround the, incredibly tightly wound, sledgehammer cassis core. So much complexity, so much texture, such beauty. The one serious worry is that this is a 50 year wine; and 750ml bottles may succumb to oxidation before this wine is at its peak - Magnum drinkers will sleep easy, although they'll have to outlive this wine!!
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First growth Bordeaux at Michael Gordon's (Bellevue, WA): Unreal color. Far more dark than any other wine this evening. Jeeze this is dense, loaded with charcoal, tobacco, just pure liqueur of Pauillac. This was clearly the best 1986 Mouton I have ever tasted. Simply unreal. Perfect and earth shattering on every single sip and my clear wine of the night.
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eBob Tasting - Full saturated deep purple black to the rim. full rich black coffee fruit. Big bright blackcurrant fruit with typicall paulliac pencil lead notes. Still very tight and young. Mid 90s. 2/06
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A step down from the 1983. This was not decanted. A fine wine but it did not have the depth of the 1983. Sweet fruit with notes of black currant and lead pencil. Firm tannins. Medium bodied with some pepper on the finish. 92-93 points.
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Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 and older Bordeaux (Seattle, WA): When I first decanted this about 4 hours earlier in the day, the aromatics screamed of Pauillac, and the wine was like syrup with unreal concentration. When we revisited it at the tasting it was more controversial with one taster finding it over the top and unratable. The other tasters all scored it 95 or 96. For me this was am OMFG wine, loaded with sweet tobacco, much more ripe than I expected, with two minute tannins that seize your palate, a freak of a wine. Wow!
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STG does 90 or older Bordeaux (Ballard, WA): Once again LeVine brings a crappy wine. :) The nose showed leather and sweet black fruit. It, however, seemed to be hiding much more. The palate was very sweet and lush. I thought for sure that Jason had slipped in a California ringer. I felt a bit vindicated when later on Jason pointed out that Parker made a similar comment in his tasting note.
This wines is decades from being ready. It still shows the searing tannins of a barrel sample. This wine will outlive us all.
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Tasting. Huge black fruit aromas with some cedar, tobacco, licorice. Black plum, black cherry on palate with great density and concentration. Amazingly structured - tannins are large scaled but silky and integration, acidity is elongated but always in background. Long, elegant and powerful finish. Perfect integration.
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My trip to Napa, Part 1: The Prelude (San Francisco, CA): I picked this up at Dee Vine Wines in the afternoon and thought, what the heck... We decanted this for four hours. It could have easily used twenty-four. At first this was dark, forbidding, and massive, very closed, but it slowly opened to reveal an alluring nose of spice cake, graphite and dense, dusty layers of fruit. Eventually mint and sweet plums started to peek out. The palate is intense, dense and massive with amazing structure and power. Dusty, stunningly powerful. Wow, this kept opening and gaining weight and complexity. By the final sips I was nearly speechless and my scribbled tasting notes had devolved to a series of profanities and exclamations. Wow! This is at 98 points now with so much potential for the future that it is scary. I have never tasted something so tightly wound and patiently waiting to pounce.
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Dark red with some browning at the rim. Smells like rotten water. In the mouth the wine had a nice and spicy vanilla-like taste with a good delivery, and charm. This was a very stylish wine, but the nose was off-putting. With air the “rotten” character blew off, and the wine could be enjoyed a bit more for what it is. I believe this would de very well with food. 92 points
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this was my favorite Bordeaux tasted (tasted blind). This wine still looks like a baby. Ruby red in color with purple hints, the color intensity is deep and clear. Aromas of tasted coffee, black currants and cloves fill the nose with pleasures. Still lots of acidity in the fruit here, with a glycerin edge and black fruit and spice flavors. Still plenty of tannins, but perfectly balanced. A true treat to experience.
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June 3, 2004 : Decanted in mid-afternoon. A 2" cork, in very good condition. Also brought back some fond memories of our visit to the Chateau in May, 1987, where we had some barrel samples to taste.The wine is impenetrably opaque, black in colour with just a thin rim of purple, easily one of the darkest wines imaginable; hugely aromatic, with endless waves of black currant pouring forth from the decanter, even as you pass the table; in the glass the aromas were more focused, offering up an excess of black currant fruit, some light smokey oak, and hints of black pepper; the aromas push forth with great intensity, extending well up the nostrils; very full bodied, with great concentration; there are some significant tannins, but there is so much fruit riding over them; with all of this fruit, the tannins seem softer, almost agreeable on the palate; flavours are principally sweet black currant, with notes of black pepper; it finishes remarkably long, seemingly still full on the palate after several minutes; the finish is all about the massive fruit.The wine appears very young, in spite of its 17 years, and clearly needs much more time to fully evolve. At this point it seems like the wine would have no trouble lasting 40 or 50 years. The remaining bottles in my cellar are not going to be put to that test, however. Unless I get overanxious, I'll probably be looking at opening the next one in 4 years time. HRG
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Perhaps my favorite Bordeaux from 1970 to the present, this giant is starting to rumble from its sleep. Although still somewhat closed, the incredible depth and complexity are starting to peer from behind the curtain, and it is already long and nuanced. I’m not opening one of my few bottles for 5 – 10 years, but I hope to drink bottles from others to keep an eye on its progress.
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Tasted at vertical Mouton tasting at the Belgian Lion. The light was suboptimal, but the color is definitely dark and likely is ruby. The rim is still red. The bouquet is intense and extremely youthful for a 14-year-old wine. It shows currants, oak, vanilla, cedar and mineral scents. The palate is huge, elegant and youthful, with similar flavors as nose, with the addition of blackberry. The finish is somewhat tannic and seems to last forever. This wine is extremely well-balanced and should continue to get better for at least another decade. It was the star of the vertical, which was a tasting where many of the wines showed beatifully.
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Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ 1994 Harlan (NYC): Tough environment to taste this wine in (a crowded pre-auction tasting), but I couldn't help feeling dissapointed in this wine. Some interesting spice on the palate, but overall a very thin, weak wine. Perhaps this wine is in a dumb phase? Perhaps poor storage conditions?
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Extremely dark color. Closed in but promising. Very tannic. Difficult to judge at this early stage. Obviously intense and needs lots of time, at least 10 years. No score.
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With MPL, BLR and Amy at MPL's house. Incredibly attractive. Rich, viscous, concentrated black ruby-purple. Gorgeous. Perfect nose, packed with all the fruit you could want, and soooo complex. Great palate too, well-balanced, though still tannic, closed and hard. Excellent potential. 5-15-15-9: 94/100.
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Robert Mondavi Sponsored Tasting of 3 Bordeaux and 4 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons. Had a nearly perfect score for nose as it was chocolate, cigr box nose, that was slightly closed, mouth feel was superb with rich, luscious fruit, medium soft tannin full of what the nose promised, a great finish and aftertaste.
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With MPL and BLR at Singer & Foy survey of '86 Bordeaux. Incredible dark ruby-purple color. Wow! Almost as dark as the Sociando-Mallet. Very complex nose emphasizes fruit and roasted coffee beans, freshly ground. On the palate, it is an absolute revelation. So complex, deep, rich, concentrated. Veery complex finish. Long, long, long. Wow! Time will polish this into perfection in a glass. 5-12-19-10: 96/100.
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6 Wines 1986 Bordeaux vs. Cabernet Sauvignon. Second darkest red in glass, big, earthy, fruity nose, best nose of group, fruity, balanced in mouth, slight acid on finish. My #1 and Group #1 of 6.
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The Second 1986 Vintage Tasting of 6 Bordeaux This Month. Fantastic nose with berries, wood, trifle hot, concentrated taste of cherries, elegant, long finish. My #1 of 6.
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4/20/2024 - winesavant68 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Perfection in a glass. Like previous notes this needs a 4+ hour decant. Once it finally relents and opens it reveals sweet cedar and a depth of stewed plums and thyme that must be tasted to be believed. This is a wine that is getting better by the day….
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4/14/2024 - MN Wine Junkie Likes this wine: 97 Points
Champers and Napa Cabs Blind - Fun Times! (Chateau Simms): This was an unexpected treat. The wine reinforced the adage that there no good old vintages, just good bottles.....and this was a good bottle! I have had this wine a couple times, and this was the best bottle yet. A nice blend of dark fruit and tertiary goodness. The color was still remarkably dark with a slight reddish hue on the rim. The nose showed some florals, earth, and old leather, and the palate followed suit with cassis and stewed plums coupled with some earthiness, old leather, graphite and sweet tobacco. Tannins were well rounded and smooth and shades of acidity kept the fruit alive. Definitely leaning toward the tertiary side of the scale, but still had plenty of discernible fruit. Loved it! 97+
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4/14/2024 - bsumoba wrote:
Had a small sip. Super interesting, but needed more.
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4/14/2024 - WineBurrowingWombat wrote:
Eyes Wide Shut - Day 2 (A quiet place): Nose: Bright and airy forest floor, lithe mushrooms, used leather and light red fruits.
Palate: Tannins seem completely integrated, light mushrooms and soft light red fruits. Damp soil and rotting tree leaves.
Only had a taste from the dregs of a remaining bottle. Definitely already deep into the tertiary realm. Or, possibly just variation, or maybe it has dove deeper into the tertiary side after getting loads of air from being open the previous night.
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4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote: 94 Points
Very good if still somewhat angular/edgy, needs a lot more time. 94++
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3/21/2024 - UPL Likes this wine: 98 Points
98+ -- what a wonderful wine - a moment of wine - an immortal wine - 6 hours decant - but this bottle was not completely open for the very real fun - so powerful - what a structure - coffee - cassis - leather - hint of mint and at this stage - waht would this wine be, if this is ready? - Parker wrote in 1996: it has the potential to last for 50-100 years! (RP) Inner quote mark (8/1996) -- i agree
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3/18/2024 - merlotsmile Likes this wine: 95 Points
Comm Bx
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3/15/2024 - bordeaux_bro Likes this wine: 97 Points
This wine is shockingly young for its age and hardly shows any bricking. Nose and palate are quite subdued when first opened and not all that interesting, so highly advise to leave this alone for at least 2-3 hours before approaching. This really starts to come alive around hours 4-5 with growing intensity in the nose and palate. Regal, aristocratic, this wine is a monument to classicism with med-high acidity, firm structure, nose dominated by mint, cedar, leather, and restrained but fresh black fruits. Drank over three days and kept getting better each day. This is just entering its drinking window and should last another 3 decades.
This is not everyone’s cup of tea, especially those newer to wine or used to new world palates, but for those who enjoy this style of winemaking, the 86 Mouton is an exemplary example.
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3/11/2024 - booksmiths Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted two hours ahead.
Surprisingly light sediment.
Outstanding nose. A beautiful blend of
elegance and power. It took great restraint,
but this is the first bottle from the case.
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3/8/2024 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Smelling great and so tasty. With still bright structure and vivid minerality on the back. Just opened and so good.
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3/3/2024 - aquacongas wrote: 98 Points
Blind, side by side with Lafite 1986
Many preferred the Lafite, for me the Mouton was slightly in front. Still too young, elegant and powerful like. The Mouton with the better structure and compared to the last 3-4 bottles in better shape. Coffee and cassis are dominating. 2-3 decades ahead. 98
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2/24/2024 - mclanew Likes this wine: 100 Points
Decanted two hours. A perfect wine and I rarely say that. Power, purity, balance, complexity and length. This wine has it all. Black currant, forest floor, black pepper, herbs. Wonderful inner core of fruit, well integrated tannins and a finish that goes on forever. Despite its age this can go on forever.
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2/19/2024 - NoahCap wrote:
Out of a 375mL with suspect storage: apparently found in a dusty corner of the basement of my local wine shop. It wasn't cheap, but given the prices that this wine fetches at retail (at least $1000/bootle), I got a screaming bargain. This is the first 1st growth I've ever bought! Saved for a few years for a special occasion- That's tonight!
Cork is mostly saturated, comes out in one piece. Wine pours a healthy looking crimson with just the smallest amount of bricking at the rim. Amazingly healthy looking.
One smell and I can tell that, while good, this wine is not at its best. The whole package is a little muted and lacks some intensity. The aromas that I do smell are nice though- the fruits are at the dark end of the spectrum, blackberries and black plums, black cherries, along with some cinnamon, and classic Pauillac unburnt cigar and cedar.
Gentle and suave in the mouth with a very pleasant surprisingly fruit-forward entry. Dark fruits take the lead, then some lovely leathery tertiary notes. Cassis, tobacco, wood, graphite, all those nice Bordeaux descriptors are there, though you have to hunt for them a bit. The finish is nice and pleasant, medium in length, medium in complexity. I'm left with the impression of a nice, though not profound, Bordeaux. I enjoy it, but it's not the 100pt epic wine that I was hoping for. I'm not into scoring wines, but I'll give it a B+. Not bad given the deal I got.
I've never had this wine before (never had Mouton before in fact), and there are no over-the-hill off notes, but the giveaway that this wine is not at its best are the almost absent tannins. The '86 vintage, and the '86 Mouton in particular, has the reputation of being a bit of a tannin monster, but not this bottle. I imagine the small format and so-so storage accelerated the aging of this wine. My guess is that I'm tasting the 1986 Mouton as it will be at age 50 or 60, instead of the 38 years that it is today. I'd love to try a well stored full sized bottle, and while this wasn't profound, it was certainly fun and worth it for the experience of having tried Mouton.
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2/8/2024 - ubercuvee wrote:
We left this open for 90 minutes but really we should have decanted, the last glass was the best. With air the wine found extra depth on the palate and complexity. Very good claret
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1/27/2024 - iBurg1229 Likes this wine: 97 Points
12.5% ABV. Relatively youthful appearance with a medium garnet rim and a solid ruby core. Decanted for 1.5 hrs and followed over 5 hours.
A complex profile of blackberry, cassis, black cherry, nutmeg, coffee bean, toasted almond, pencil, cigar humidor, saddle leather, and tilled earth. Initially detected some mild VA on the nose but that eventually dissipated relatively quickly. Tannins haven’t fully resolved yet. Good acidity level that underpins the core of deep pitched black fruit. Medium weight on the palate with a long finish.
Tightly wound initially and needed at least a couple hours in the decanter to uncoil. Once it did, it dazzled with its Mouton sexiness and haunting bouquet of aromas + flavors. My only nitpick is the current tannin profile which gives a slightly chunky/four-square mouthfeel, but otherwise this is fantastic. I don’t think there’s any rush to drink through your ‘86 Moutons as this is probably still on its way to peak and will have a long life given its depth and structure. Looking forward to revisiting this down the road.
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1/25/2024 - peternelson wrote: flawed
corked.
DD Blind 1982-2005 Bordeaux 1st Growth dinner at BOA steakhouse.
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1/18/2024 - aquacongas wrote: 95 Points
not blind
Missing the charme, a bit tight, only some black currant left. 95
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1/2/2024 - llink wrote: 96 Points
Double decanted 6 hours in advance of dinner. Lots of sediment. Even after the decant this shows youthful and a touch austere and masculine. Beautiful savory nose, graphite, gravel, dark fruits, cedar and some earth. Saline infused texture on the palate, clenched and tannic, black fruits, mushrooms and a savory element adds to the complexity. Incredibly long finish. Excellent and this appears to be immortal.
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1/1/2024 - DrZett wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic nose with elegant and soft red berry and fantastic tertiary notes. Lots of rose hips, dried spices and sweet tobacco leaves. Beautiful balance but it’s missing some more fruit structure. Great overall complexity. Long, dry and elegant finish. A very good bottle but not the best 1986 Mouton I had in the past years. Nevertheless it’s always an enjoyable experience to try this vintage. (IG)
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12/26/2023 - aquacongas wrote: 96 Points
blind
This time a bit evolved, all others "rated" the wine higher. For me really nice to drink but missing some primary aromas. 96
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12/11/2023 - talbot61 wrote: flawed
Disaster. The cork had completely disintegrated and the wine was undrinkable.
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12/7/2023 - asgerG wrote: 97 Points
Vinklubben 1983's 40th anniversary X-mas dinner (Hos Sten): DnP
Dark red, slim yellow edge, 6, unclear
Utterly hedonistic complex bouquet, loads of good stuff, dark fruits,, jasmine flowers, exotic spices, coffee.....
Harmonious palate, mT, h-A, mB, dry, elegant but at the same time loads of taste, long, long finish
Drink now-but it will evolve for decades to come.
Had it after Lynch-Bages 1990 which was also in a fantastic place but this was a step up!
Thanks Britt
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11/19/2023 - llink wrote: 95 Points
Mouton vs Lynch-Bages 1989, 1986, 1966 and 1961 vintages (A collector's home): Decanted for 2 hours, served single blind in a flight of 4 wines. Wine D, My 2nd ranked wine, groups 3rd. Blackish deep red. Graphite, licorice, black fruits, road tar and a bit of funk on the nose. Deep, austere and concentrated palate. Saline infused texture, almost salty, inky with tightly wound layers of fruit. Long finish. This was impressive but seems to need more time to unwind.
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11/3/2023 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 96 Points
Mouton Rothschild Vertical: Decanted for 5 hours but on the palate it still feel tight. Not sure how long this wine needs to soften down the tannin. Pronounced nose intensity with notes of black fruits, coffee, toast, charr wood, flora. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is slightly unbalanced, it should be already well integrated.
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11/1/2023 - wineton.mee wrote: 96 Points
Fuuuwoooh, impossibly youthful.. looked no more than 15 years, this is probably going to be one of those immortals that gets written into history books. Dense, dark and lush. No shortage of ripe black fruits, graphite and smoke. Mouth coating and everlasting finish. This gets my approval simply for being indestructible.
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10/30/2023 - Goodwine4ever wrote: 95 Points
Dégustation de 30 millésimes de Mouton Rothschild
1986
On termine le tout avec une deuxième bouteille du 1986.
Si la première fut une déception, celle si était tout simplement ce qu'il est supposé d’être...un grand vin !
Tout est en harmonie et savoureux, la bouche est pleine de fruit mure délicat, c’est soyeux, long, difficile d'en demander plus d'un Bordeaux mature.
Magnifique !
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10/15/2023 - MJReb wrote: 91 Points
Chez Zim: pnp, at the beginning closed and very rigid, with air it opened a bit, but remained nevertheless rigid and tannic with a certain rusticity. It has not been my favorite of the evening. Repeats my impressions of the same wine tasted five years ago. A decant is imperative.
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9/18/2023 - paulst Likes this wine: 97 Points
Cedar with balanced fruit and depth; resolved and complex; elegant finish.
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9/15/2023 - aquacongas wrote: 96 Points
blind
Guessed right. This time a bit tired. Lynch Bages 1989 was stronger and fresher. 96
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8/23/2023 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 96 Points
Les Degustateurs last tasting for a dear friend (Smyth and the Loyalist Chicago, IL): Initially thin on the palate. Good color, better after a while and a second taste. Lacks the sweetness. I thought an ‘85 vintage.
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8/21/2023 - G SQUARED Likes this wine: 95 Points
Will this EVER show itself???? Not touching for another decade.
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8/6/2023 - yaanik Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened it around 11am, cork came out intact. Poured into decanter, and tried a small sip. Some brick/rust color, but thank goodness wasn't corked or cooked. Initial impression: lots of bacon, smoke, espresso, with some mint and reserved black fruit. Around 1pm, we had with a simple bistro-style burger that we grilled on the charcoal. At this point the more savory components had softened, and it worked really well -- the estuarial character of classic Bordeaux was more prominent; some dark soy sauce character too. By 6pm we finished it with some grilled lamb chops and grilled mushrooms -- this was the highlight -- just really good mature claret, with plenty of freshness and life. This was my first experience with 1st growth Bordeaux. It was definitely showing plenty of tertiary notes, but was remarkably fresh. Had I tasted it blind I would've guessed it to be at least 15 years old (but not 37!). I know others say it has another 40-50 years ahead of it but I do think I would've enjoyed it most ~ 10 years ago (though my palate is very sensitive to oxidative flavors, and I'm only just now starting to explore more properly aged wine -- so please note my bias).
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6/30/2023 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 96 Points
Opened at Otto e Mezzo in HK. Slow-oxed for a few hours before enjoying over dinner. Provenance ex-Chateau, stored properly since purchase.
This was probably the best showing of '86 Mouton that I've ever had. Has the monolithic beast finally turned a corner? Absolutely gorgeous nose of black and blue fruits, cassis, sous-bois, and even some seaweed. Tannins resolved, but this was still very fresh and going down like liquid velvet. Great texture on the palate and long finish - very memorable.
It's been a nice journey seeing this bottle evolve over the last few years, and I think that assuming it's been stored properly and in good condition, these are finally getting approachable. Don't hesitate to try for yourself to verify, and these are always a treat.
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6/25/2023 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
Second time this year for this wine...as noted before it is a is a brute...very dark color, tannic, structured, restrained, tight. Needs lots of time!
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4/28/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 97 Points
Steak Dinner with Great Wine (Asador Bastian - Chicago IL): Opened and decanted an hour+ in advance, and more air time would have made this even better. Wonderfully spiced aromatic start with so much currant and cassis throughout. Wonderful depth, even if the tannins are still slightly protruding. So much here, with further upside for sure.
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4/28/2023 - G_H wrote:
This just needs a lot of air to fully open up. We decanted it for 5 hours but it still wasn't enough. We poured back half the bottle and gave it another 2 days of air and then it was fully open. I believe that this wine (from well stored bottles) needs another 12 years or so to fully develop. If you do decide to open a bottle now, give it plenty of air. One of those wines, that you expect to see their 100 birthday in fine form.
Unfortunately I won't be there to experience that though...
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4/22/2023 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
No detailed notes taken. Tasted double blind. Very classic Bordeaux with a strong minerality and earthyness and a dark fruit core. A bit of tertiary development is there but this seems far away from peak. Medium complex only and the tannins have yet to melt and bring everything together. I know that many love this wine but I‘m not sure the quality of the tannins is good enough to be the legend many say this is (or will become). But don‘t get me wrong, this was very enjoyable but paled in comparison to the more complex and more elegant Bordeaux competition tonight (Conseillante 1989 at 96pts, Gruaud Larose 1989 at 95pts, Evangile 1982 at 96pts).
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4/19/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind. A magistral wine combining base notes of earth, truffles and sous-bois with dark cherry and cassis fruit as well as perfumed, floral top notes and a side of fresh herbs. Soft texture, but with a firm tannic structure. Big pleasure and much more ready to drink than the last bottle a few years ago. But not as precise as the best in class I found.
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4/13/2023 - Burgnick wrote:
A US auctioned bottle. Clearly softer than a pristine 86 Mouton. It lacked vibrancy.
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3/10/2023 - LTTC wrote: 93 Points
(SYP) Slow-ox for 8 hours
It showed noticeably more fruit aromas than the '96 with a hint of tobacco. More concentrated flavours too. With some air, it evolved to show notes of spices, dark berries and a whiff of sweet dates. It became rounder and more balanced in the mouth with a slightly dry finish. This felt the darkest among the trio ('86, '87 & '96) with a core of graphite.
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2/20/2023 - DWStyle Likes this wine: 98 Points
Enjoyed my last bottle tonight with a bone in ribeye and it was spectacular ! The cork was totally saturated but the seal was still intact. Once opened the aromas of this 36 y/o beauty came wafting out! Typical MRC nose but with a deep haunting tertiary sent that only decades of proper bottle age can develop. Dark berry fruit with a creamy like finish that lasts. Structured yet fine and pure. Decanted for a half hour before I tucked into my first glass. The wine kept improving with time. The best representation of this beautifully fine first growth that I have enjoyed.
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2/18/2023 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
A lot different from the monolithic previous bottle. Decent style and complexity, medium full concentration. Nothing out of place but not a good example of it. When I opened it I feared it might have been flawed since it had no aroma. It cleared up but never took off. A recent purchase so maybe heat damaged along the way despite great fill and bottle appearance.
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2/10/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chez W, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, another fine showing, tannins softer and sweeter, quite rich and complex, more flattering than classier and more nuanced Lafite 95, little upside now but plenty of time in hand. VF (18.5).
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2/5/2023 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
Brad and Diane England and Peter Joseph weekend dinner, Part 2. (Roger Nellans home): Served alongside the '85. Stark contrast in the 2 wines. The '85 being very approachable and delish. The '86 is a brute...very dark color, tannic, structured, restrained, tight. Needs lots of time! Hopefully the fruit will last.
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2/5/2023 - BradE wrote:
Leather, tight as a drum, inaccessible. Not sure if it just needs another decade or if that's all there is.
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1/25/2023 - dcwino wrote: flawed
Mouton dinner (La Chaumiere in Georgetown): Unfortunately....corked!
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1/16/2023 - DWStyle Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank one of three bottles I picked up at an auction. This one had mold on the capsule as was declared by the auction house . The other two were in perfect condition. I removed the capsule and the top was covered with mold, an obvious leaker. I removed the cork with an ahso and it was saturated with a half inch of mold on the top. The aroma was typical MRC! The color had a slight bricking on the outermost ring in the glass, as expected . The tannins were still slightly noticeably but had a interesting chocolaty flavor. The fruit was less than I had experienced on other MRC’s but the overall wine was delicious . I think the leakage had some effect on the fruit of the wine, making this a less than perfect example of this fine wine. I look forward to comparing notes on the next bottles.
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12/10/2022 - Eric wrote:
ESTG Year-End Tasting (Newcastle, WA): Mmmm, cedar, just so, so, so, so very tannic. Will this ever come around?
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11/24/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tiight; jammy; sweet blackberry; smooth finish.
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11/18/2022 - jviz wrote: 97 Points
My first time to taste this beautiful and rather enigmatic wine. The interesting thing is that at this point, 36 years young, the wine is still very much an adolescent. By that I mean that the fruit flavors are rather primary, a touch roasted or sun-kissed on the initial opening, then focusing and improving in the decanter over two hours time. If you had blinded me and said, this was an early 2000s Opus One or Dominus, I would believe you for sure. It does not have the astringency or drying tannins typical of 1986, but instead is structurally resolved, and yet without much tertiary development. This bottle was purchased on release and stored in a cold cellar until today.
Please excuse any dictation related typos.
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10/28/2022 - aquacongas wrote: 97 Points
blind
An approachable bottle, not that closed as often. Still firm tannins but leather and tobacco notes are joining the fruit side. Roasted aromas. At least 2 more decades. 97
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10/28/2022 - aquacongas wrote: flawed
not a perfect, even it was not cork
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10/21/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
NY Wine Experience 2022; 10/20/2022-10/23/2022 (Marriott Marquis): Beautiful dark cassis in style. Well integrated. Very young still (younger than the '96), but just lovely. Lots of spices. A wine that seems like it should live forever.
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10/18/2022 - ricknat1 wrote: 92 Points
Still not showing itself. Truly again in 5 years
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10/14/2022 - DoctorBartolo wrote: 92 Points
Didn’t live up to the rave reviews at least not to my tastes but each to their own. Opened at 12 noon. Decanted at 5pm. Started drinking at 8pm with steak. Nose was muted. Tannins were soft and well integrated but I didn’t get much of the classic Pauillac notes of pencil shavings, forest floor, leather etc mentioned in other reviews. It wasn’t that the tannins were overbearing. It was all just quite muted. Not in an “off bottle” sense. Just didn’t do it for me. Disappointing.
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10/6/2022 - Amerique wrote: 96 Points
Rich, delicious huge black cherry fruit with intense tobacco, cigar box flavors, excellent structure, ample tannins, Long finish, needs at least 20 more years to fully soften, try again in 10 years, spectacular wine, still a big baby
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10/3/2022 - Ltrain1282 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened and at first glance I thought maybe the bottle was imperfect. Whatever was there blew off in a couple minutes but the wine was shut down for a long time. Took nearly 2 hours to become approachable. Very rich and seductive cherry fruits and typical pauillac pencil shavings and some tertiary flavors. This wine needs a lot more time to shed its baby fat.
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9/23/2022 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A great Mouton that's still youthful and tannic in the '86 way but there is also gorgeous violet-tinged fruit underneath with great structure and intensity. However, it was drunk alongside a great bottle of the '82 and that's how I could see that the tannins are on the rougher side and the wine doesn't have quite the same balance and refinement of the '82. Still great juice and it's best days are probably ahead.
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9/14/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Oops - got the benefit of drinking this again last week and realizing that I didn't capture the last time we drank it. It was very good. In a tough line-up with Grange (which was what I found myself going back to over and over). But drinking very nicely. Did not show quite as young and bright as the ex-Chateau version but that's to be expected.
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9/14/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Opened and decanted for sediment then recorked, flew cross country (with ice pack) then served. The last time I had this wine I had the impression it needed a lot of air. With that lots of air this wine was really doing great. In a touch line-up with an excellent Grange and Unico, but certainly deserving of the spot. Wonderful.
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9/10/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light blackberry; silky; elegant; soft light finish.
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8/7/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 89 Points
No nose, soft, round, lean, light fruit; velvet; simple; light finish.
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7/21/2022 - skurtz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Not much to add beyond OLDWINES' note, from a "guys dinner" featuring amazing dinner dishes coupled with even more amazing wine. I have had very few bottles of Mouton, so this was the wine I was most anticipating for the evening, not to mention its pairing with a Piedmontese tomahawk ribeye steak. I have no detailed notes, but my impression was its classy purity and integration. No rough edges, just liquid red velvet. But it turns out I actually like the rough edges, which is mostly why I preferred the '02 Grange (from a previous course) slightly more to this venerable Mouton.
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7/21/2022 - oldwines Likes this wine: 97 Points
Sea, Feather and Land (New Jersey): In my cellar since original release, decanted at 4:15pm and served at 9pm with Shane’s 4th course, Piemontese tomahawk ribeye dish. This was tasted beside a very youthful 2019 Napa Cab from PV365 that was almost identical in color on a small pour, but with more in the glass the younger wine was clearly more dense and dark. There is considerable controversy it would appear about this wine with frequent bottle variation and widely divergent scores, both among the “pro’s” and CT’ers. This bottle was pristine just like my previous 2 consumed in 2017. Medium dark garnet color. Classic Pauillac nose with fragrant black earth, pencil lead, black cherry and cassis. There is little to no sign of age, shockingly youthful! Integrated tannins and enough acidity still active to give a bright undertone to the wine. Still structured to continue aging for a good while yet. Palate has earthy black currant, dark cherry, pencil lead, hints of chocolate and continues with the earthy minerals into a very long savory finish. So elegant and amazingly balanced, long and complex with a youthfulness that would suggest a wine 20 years younger. My WOTN but some of the others preferred the 2002 Penfold”s Grange that went with the previous course.
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6/18/2022 - sdr Does not like this wine: 89 Points
Gilman is right. For a First in a reputable great vintage at age 36, this Mouton is shockingly simple. On the positive side, the bright black- and blue-berry fruit is rich and tasty and a bit glossy. Tannins are moderate, acidity is sound, length is average. So - tasted pretty good but gets more and more boring as the bottle is consumed. This could be a decent California cab at a fraction of the cost. I’d be surprised in it blossomed in the future. Sad.
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6/12/2022 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind in the a line-up of 5 great vintages of Mouton, this wine had a deep red/purple center and red rims. The medium intensity nose of black cherries, minerals, plums, and tobacco still seemed tight.
In the mouth, this wine was rich and yet gorgeously balanced with rounded tannin and solid acidity. It was way too young but still drinking nicely!
This will develop extremely well and reminds me of a much younger version of the great '59. I score for current drinking but who knows how high this could go?
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6/1/2022 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - top 80s Bdx with Rhone ringers (Fix, St James, Sydney): {cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] Barely past youthful, as for previous tastings. Meat and currants. Power. Power and drive. Palate is more about structure than fruit too, but it’s a struggle. Medium dusty tannins, subtle oak. It just seems to have so much pure black fruit that builds, endlessly. Medium/full weight, long finish. It is, indeed, a majestic sort of wine, commanding more respect than adoration. You kind of sit back and think, ‘wow, will this ever mature?’ Possibly not, who knows. Beautifully drinkable though with a decent amount of air and a rare (or blue!) lump of animal protein. Just a nagging sense that it’s best may be yet to come. Maybe.
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3/24/2022 - ricknat1 wrote: 95 Points
Surprisingly the best showing for me of this vintage as it gave the 82 it was paired with a race that it could not quite win. Good future ahead of it
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3/6/2022 - G8tor80 Likes this wine: 96 Points
1.5 hour decant and followed for 2.5 hours. Fruity nose of dark red fruits and cedar notes, maybe some slight bricking but really looks youthful. Blackberry, plumbs, cocoa, youthful feel with fine tannins, improving as the night progressed. Approachable now but plenty of stuffing left.
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2/19/2022 - fontaine wrote: 91 Points
Contrairement à certaines déjà bues qui affichaient encore le profil d’un vin pas encore arrivé à son apogée, celle-ci était malheureusement bien avancée.
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1/14/2022 - dcwino wrote: 99 Points
A small gathering - 02 Lignier MSD VV, 82 and 86 Mouton, 96 Giacosa Asili (Undisclosed location in McLean, VA): Expressive youthful nose displaying intense concentrated black fruit, strong crème de cassis, blackberry, liquid smoke, ink, caramel, lead pencil, dark spices and earthy mineral. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of intense concentrated black fruit, unctuous but also silky and fluid, bright acidity and mineral, noticeably but fine tannins and a long concentrate cassis fruit driven finish with lead pencil at the end. This is bigger than the 82 but not as detailed. It is also decisively younger than the 82. I seem to prefer the 86 over the 82 in the past few years.
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12/24/2021 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 96 Points
Very intriguing nose of graphite, red fruit, and a bit of raw meat. Good structure with good acidity and a dominant iron note along with more red fruit on the palate. Long finish. Excellent wine that needed quite a bit of air and kept improving through the night. Feels very young still, but I did prefer the last bottle I had a few years ago.
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12/12/2021 - robmatic wrote: 97 Points
Well I was expecting this to be too young and backward to appreciate, but it was completely open for business, with an immediately attention getting bouquet of dark fruits, wood, cocoa, fennel, and a whiff of florals. Dense and intense, with still a ton of fine tannin, but so much fruit that one hardly notices the tannin. Clearly still young, but completely approachable now, and a thrill to drink.
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11/20/2021 - KenK Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nice sweet dark tobacco with a Swede. Mature, yet still giving with dark toasted fruits. Finishes just a touch quick. Lively & ready to go. Classic Mouton brooding dark char.
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11/19/2021 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 96 Points
1986 Bordeaux plus some supplements (Restaurant Brunnenstube, Beinstein): From a perfect bottle. Decanted for ~ 4h. Clear, deep ruby color with even some purple reflexes. Very youthful! Pronounced, developing and powerful nose. Violets, black currant, fine oak, spices. Very dense and youthful nose! After 35 years it has not even fully developed much tertiary notes and just has some reminiscent smell of pencil shavings.
On the palate wonderful acidity, the mellow and ripe tannin is still very high and gives the wine a youthful grip. Wonderful pure red and dark fruit. Great tension, pressure and depth, very good texture. This is unbelievably young! And it could very well earn a perfect score once the tannin has been fully integrated and it develops a bit more complexity through tertiary notes and some more elegance. Nevertheless already a brilliant wine! 96++
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11/11/2021 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 95 Points
Vivid crimson red color with no sides of having faded. Unbelieveably nose resplendent with violets and raspberries and deeper in black pepper and a confectionary note - probably the best nose I’ve ever had the pleasure of inhaling. The immediate impression is shocking discombobulation at the intensity and virile youth of the wine - the tannins have a fierce grip and the fruit is reticent. The nose gets 100 points and the wine itself 93. This was a transformative wine experience.
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10/31/2021 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lean with light blackberry and earth; balanced and elegant with finesse; light fully integrated finish.
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10/25/2021 - Goodwine4ever wrote: 92 Points
Dégustation de 24 millésimes de Mouton Rothschild
1986
Le fameux 1986....Premièrement, cette bouteille n'était clairement pas le Mouton 86 typique. Un nez d'écurie, fermier avec du tabac comme j'en ai jamais autant retrouver dans un vin. C'est beaucoup plus évolué autant au nez qu'en bouche. La matière est intéressante avec une belle fraîcheur et une longueur respectable, ce n'était pas un mauvais vin loin de la mais aucunement ce qu'il devrait goûter. Un vin qui nous laisse un peut sur une impression de " Past prime " Malheureusement pas une bouteille a point.
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10/24/2021 - aquacongas wrote: 97 Points
not blind
Today after two bottles of cork a singing bottle. Decanted over a few hours and drink over one hour. Still very tight but great nose of black currant and roasted coffee beans. Some ethereal notes. Still many years ahead. 97 today
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10/16/2021 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Light and elegant with finesse; lean blackberry; smooth and long; elegant finish.
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10/15/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Firm, fiercely tannic, strict, and young, this bottle remains stubbornly adolescent. Incredibly concentrated, powerful, long and intense, this is a modern-day version of the 1928, which took 50-60 years to come around. Younger consumers with patience should take a good look at this. Provided that youth and patience can get along.
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10/14/2021 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened in Knightsbridge. Decanted for some air, but drank immediately.
This was in a much better place than when I had this wine back in 2017, when it was still absolutely monolithic. Lovely primary flavours still there - a mix of black, blue and red fruit coming through, but the tannins were much better integrated and this had some softness and tertiary characteristics that were befitting of a wine that is over 35 years old!
We had two bottles of the same this evening, and both were showing well. Mouton has never quite been my favourite but can't deny that this was in a good spot. Will probably keep at this level for a while, but definitely don't hesitate to drink up. Don't worry about giving it some air as well - an hour or two to loosen everything up won't hurt!
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9/28/2021 - aquacongas wrote: flawed
Corked
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9/23/2021 - DJMeehan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Happily it was a good bottle after purchasing duty paid. Took around 4 hours to really come into it's own. Very satisfying and complex. Was worth the gamble.
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8/20/2021 - fcxj wrote: 88 Points
From magnum. Not perfect condition, smells nutty, not my favorite.
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8/12/2021 - LB88 wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful seductive nose of sandlewood, spices, needed to be decanted and drank well in the first half of the evening but then started to fade a little as it got warmer. Still some grippy tannins present and could potentially cellar but doubt it will improve any more. Delicious
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8/7/2021 - jwalkuro Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep dark ruby color with rim variation.
Ripe red and black fruits, mint, licorice, pepper.
Great balance with proper acidity and lots of silky tannins.
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7/17/2021 - MarshallLi Likes this wine: 100 Points
Deep garnet,pronounced rose,raspberry,red cherry,blueberry,black cherry,green bell pepper,ripe fruit,vanilla,coffee,leather,dry,medium(+) acidity,smooth medium tannin,medium alcohol,medium(+) body,long finish,outstanding wine,suitable for bottle ageing
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7/16/2021 - Costes76 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Deep ruby almost purple color. Elegant persistent rush of symphonically balanced notes of blackberry, vanilla, graphite, dark chocolate and forest floor. Dry, rounded acidity, surprisingly chewy tannins, palate follows through. Full body. Great balance (albeit with a short tannin wall at end). Long finish. A masterpiece, but admittedly not transcendent.
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7/1/2021 - short and confused wrote:
In great shape. Everything was in the right place. Did not hit any transcendent notes but was awfully good.
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6/27/2021 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
blind
In perfect shape. Still young, decanted for a few hours, iron, graphite, some black currant, great acidity, reluctant in fruit but powerful in concentration and length. Far away from his peak. 98+, nailed it
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6/15/2021 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Not a great bottle. Cork was 80% wet and came out in two pieces. The wine itself seemed reticent upon decanting and didn't show betterment during it's six-hour decant. Good color and aromatics, but closer to ordinary than possessing the essence of a first growth quality or Mouton personality on the palate and finish.
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5/3/2021 - Benoit Hardy wrote: flawed
Considering the legend around this wine, mine was unfortunatly an off bottle. Good, but not wow.
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5/2/2021 - Guy Des Rosiers Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep garnet core, semi-opaque. The bouquet simply leaps from the glass: lead pencil, cassis, plum, cherry, coffee. Dry, balanced acidity, medium-bodied, with largely resolved tannins. The palate mirrors the nose in all its symphonic glory: Cab Franc/lead pencil upfront (brass), dark fruit on the midpalate (strings), and more mature notes of coffee, toast and oak on the finish (woodwinds). The length is very long. The overall experience is best captured in the famous stanza from Baudelaire: “Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté / Luxe, calme et volupté." No hurry at all (as there is still plenty of fruit left), but the wine is definitely well in its drinking window. Outstanding.
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4/23/2021 - rcg62 Likes this wine:
Double decanted and took to a restaurant. No tasting notes, but it was really drinking well. Tannins have softened, and just beautiful right now. Nice nose. Maybe on the downward slope of drinking window but barely. Lost some of the lucious-ness I recall from years ago, but hardly tastes “old”. For sure >95 type, but I didn’t spend time on that.
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4/4/2021 - Caruso Likes this wine: 100 Points
Base neck. Imported from Bordeaux in the late 1980ies and stored under perfect conditions since then. Cork hasn't been leaking, but is fully soaked. No decant. Pnp. Deep deep ruby garnet coulour of a young wine in the center and maybe a minimal hue of orange to the rim. The nose is open and with warming up from cellar temperature is gaining more and more intensity. Blackberries, tea, pencil shavings, menthol, a bit of black currants with swirling. Cigarbox, blood, dark cherries, inscence and scents I could not name. Soy. Very complex, extraordinary intensity, though not as intense as the 1989 Lynch Bages, I had last week. On the palate the first impression is one of high concentration and acidity, the tannins are there but not in the forefront. Great balance of all components. The fruit takes the backseat now in contrast to the wines bouquet. On the palate it seems a bit closed now, what is confusing given its bouquet. Then I've been waiting an half hour with the wine standing in a cool room to avoide to high drinking temperatures. It gains in intensity on the palate and gets more and more length. The tannin becomes more prominent, but it is smooth and round. No hardness here. This Mouton has a long aftertaste first showing more of its tertiary notes and then with the fruit components striking back. Finishing on an iron note. 5/15/20/10. This is going to age well for another 35 years, well if the cork is in better condition or if the bottle is recorked. Though still quite young and with more tannin that other bordeauxs with more than 30 years of age, this is ready to drink with airation in bottle and glass without decant, which takes the nuances possibly. With more time it changes and delivers white chocolate with coffee notes. 100 points, -2055+
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3/19/2021 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 99 Points
Kleur: Diep donkerrood met een dunne oranjebruine rand. Aroma / bouquet: Delicaat en rijp, maar minder expressief dan ik had gehoopt. Na enige tijd beluchting komt het delicate en verfijnde bouquet los. Gedroogde dadels, verfijnd hout / zoethout, zwarte peper en theeblaadjes. Na enige tijd komen er meer gebrande aroma's los die doen denken aan koffieboontjes en bittere chocola. Smaak / Afdronk: Wow. In de mond maakt deze klassieke grootheid direct een verpletterende indruk.Krachtig, met uitgesproken zuren en krachtige, prachtig gerijpte tannines. Een meer dan voortreffelijke balans tussen zuren, tannines, vulling en alcohol en dat met een superieure concentratie. Algemeen / potentieel: Stoere wijn met nog volop reserves die nog een lange toekomst voor zich heeft. Maar deze fles niet ;-). 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 99/100
Color: Deep dark red with a thin orange-brown edge Aroma / bouquet: Delicate and ripe, but less expressive than I hoped. After some time aeration, the delicate and refined bouquet is released. Dried dates, refined wood / liquorice, black pepper and tea leaves. After some time, more roasted aromas are released that are reminiscent of coffee beans and bitter chocolate. Taste / Finish: Wow. On the palate, this classic greatness immediately makes a smashing impression. Powerful, with pronounced acidity and powerful, beautifully aged tannins. A more than excellent balance between acids, tannins, filling and alcohol and that with a superior concentration. General / potential: Tough wine with plenty of reserves that still has a long future ahead of it. But not this bottle ;-). 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Taste / Finish: 20 + Overall / potential: 10 = 99/100
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3/13/2021 - Old Vino Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wonderful. Marcel's DC. At peak
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2/28/2021 - eschaefer Likes this wine: 97 Points
Going on 35, had base neck fill. I was underwhelmed by my last couple bottles of this, but this bottle was on point. Nice teritiary earthiness along with cedar, mint, black tea. Black currant fruit, slightly dried. Hint of anise. Great texture with a solid solid acid/tannin backbone feels like another 15 years is possible. Thoroughly enjoyed and looking forward to my last couple bottles in next few years. Highly recommended if you can get it.
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2/26/2021 - Kim Gerner wrote: 94 Points
1986 vertical Bordeaux Grand cru Classé etc (19 wines) - Wine tasting dinner semi blind (Nordsjaelland): Eucalyptus and mint on the nose, Very fruity compared to the others in the flight - proves high quality. Outstanding wine. 94+
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2/26/2021 - cct wrote: flawed
It seems pretty closed on opening earlier in the day during decanting. After several hours, the wine seemed a little stripped. Nothing overt, and very good, but nothing like it should have been. After several hours in the decanter it became evident this was corked not just closed. Two in a row for me with this wine. Ouch.
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2/13/2021 - RGardner wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful, very nice long finish.
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2/11/2021 - ilee Likes this wine: 100 Points
Bearing in mind the weight of expectations that accompany the opening of any 100-point wine, I was fully prepared to be disappointed. Or to go against the grain. After all, I remember 10 years ago when I opened one, I was somewhat underwhelmed.
But such skepticism proved unwarranted. Decanted for a mere 30 minutes while the chicken was busy browning in the oven, the wine's nose was a rich bouquet of cassis, crushed rocks, iron shavings and pig's blood. On the palate, the wine is simple unfussy perfection: fruit and tannin are perfectly balanced, meshed finely together in complex velvety layers of intense yet restrained dark berry flavors. There is not a hair out of place, not a flaw to be found. No drama, no drumrolls, just 100 points.
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2/8/2021 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium garnet. Nose of ripe cherry and raspberry, and some savoury spices and Chinese medicinal herbs. Somewhat lean on the palate, with strong biting tannins, and ripe red fruits, tar and herbs. Long finish, mostly of the herbal flavours and greens
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2/2/2021 - alanr wrote: 92 Points
Dark, dark weathered garnet color, I get some light dried tobacco notes, bit of old wood; the last time I tried this was probably 15 years ago, when it was starting to be drinkable, but still pretty severe, with razor wire tannins. The tannins have softened considerably, dropping into a fair amount of blackberry colored sediment, still leaving some mouth coating grip; the fruit is still fairly strong, with a purple violet note, a bit faded but still good intensity. Seems like this will always retain its 86-ness, like a rustic piece of unfinished furniture burnishes with time. I think it’s in a good drinking window, which should last for many years.
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2/1/2021 - glou.sf wrote:
Tasted blind. This was nothing like previous bottles I've had of this wine. Menthol dominated nose that was hard to get past. There some fruit and cherry notes behind the menthol. Good acidity with strong tannins, but little fruit and quite harsh on the palate. I've had this wine a few times over the past 15 years and have to think this was a bad bottle.
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1/23/2021 - Euoinos wrote: 100 Points
This is the second time I had the 1986 Mouton and this was the best showing so far. Still incredibly dense and tannic. After four hours in a decanter a truly astonishing wine appeared. Nose of menthol, pencil shavings and cigar box. The palate is loaded with mature dark fruit with a silky texture and enormous concentration. Still tannic after decanting but the tannins did not in any way obscure or hide the mature fruit and tertiary flavours. Compared to the flamboyant 82 had in the same evening the 86 offers a more austere Latour like style. It is not at its peak yet but is already an amazing wine. The Mouton 86 embodies everything that a first growth from Pauillac should be.
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1/23/2021 - kr522 wrote: 92 Points
A mercurial wine that never consistently or thoroughly satisfies me, and tonight was no exception. For context it’s a bottle i cellared for 20+ years, it was a base neck fill, a mostly soaked cork, but not all the way through and no seepage. a beautiful garnet color.
The aromas are not explosive but prominent, plummy, minerals, cherry syrup, pencil, and spice. The palate as always is old school Bordeaux with black currants and flashes of cherry Luden’s in the mid palate, then dark chocolate, licorice, and tar taking over the finish....descriptively it’s a home run but the fruit is a bit dry, lacking magic and even charm. I have 1 bottle left from my half case and I’ll probably wait a few years to try it, but at 35 y.o. have to question if this really gets any better
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1/11/2021 - Malarky997 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Needs a long time in the decanter
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1/8/2021 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great bottle, significantly benefiting from a 2.5 hour decant. 95+
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1/2/2021 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine: 100 Points
Well, every now and then you pull a wine and it has everything. This was surely one of those times. When I first pulled the cork, I was taken aback by the gobs of bright red fruit reeking from the bottle. I mean it was like I was at a cherry and raspberry packing house. Then beautiful impressions of earthy soil wafted out. I did a quick taste, and grinned from ear to ear. "This is gonna be great!" I proclaimed. Then I decanted into Grassl decanter. Over the next few hours the wine relaxed from its storage. What it left was a most compelling melange of bright red fruit, earth/soil, green tobacco, and a hint of cedar box. I was wondering if the wine would be a little too youthful, before I pulled the cork. Well, that thought was easy dispelled with each sip. While it is "young for its age," it is so great to drink right now. The fruit, acid, and tannins were so in step with each other, with never a thought of austerity, but more like a glowing, buzzing, beckoning to drink this perfect juice. I drank this bottle with my immediate family, and we were all raving about this through the whole meal. This was a quintessential power without weight wine, and one that will surely make it to 100+ years!!!
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12/31/2020 - potates Likes this wine: 93 Points
After 90 minutes decanted, this dark red beauty had a lovely fruity, albeit subdued nose. The body was of a medium full Pauillac promising future greatness. The finish was fine. This wine needs more cellar time.
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12/31/2020 - englishman's claret wrote:
Followed over the course of about 6 hours, this bottle of 86 Mouton seemed to weave in and out of accessibility. At its best, a virile expression of Mouton, showing pure blackcurrant, pencil shavings, and hints of mineral and smoke. At moments this seemed intense and pure, only to quickly retreat back a moment later. Clearly a wine years from its apogee, a rough rating would look something like mid to high 90s, though I am not struck as obviously by superlative greatness as I am with the 1982.
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12/29/2020 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
[Blind] Nose is a little muddled up front and it is initially difficult to get a clear read. Dense and heavy. Palate is similarly dark and stormy but showing nice age and development too. Secondary in terms of fruit character but dense and absolutely stuffed palate. More forest floor and forest fire smoke showing up. Round at first but also showing a more herbaceous edge. Still massive and excellent, but I have had a number of these, many hit and miss and many frustratingly youthful and stubborn, and I think there are fresher examples than this out there. See e.g., 2017 note.
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12/25/2020 - AlanM68 wrote: flawed
Not the Christmas gift I was expecting. This bottle, last of the case, was very badly corked. Such a disappointment versus the last bottle, drunk 6 years or so ago. Given the range of tasting notes I was hoping to be able to contribute to the debate but sadly not.
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12/23/2020 - Sanlucar Likes this wine: 96 Points
Lacking fruit and nearing death; proceeding into a slow decline. Still impressive structure of tannin and acid but not providing much flavor or scents. Very clean - virtually no sediment.
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11/30/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Powerful, firm, concentrated, tannic and deep, this is classic Bordeaux at its best. Not showy, but suggestive, this is a wine of contemplation. It takes time in the glass to unfurl. Complex, but not at forward, with patience and coaxing the wall of fruit opens to leather, soy, spice, tobacco, cedar chest, bright red cherries, cassis and cigar box sensations. Yes, the wine is tannic, but the tannins are ripe, firm, delivering you a stoic, refined, multi-layered experience. Give it 2-3 hours of air, or wait 5-10 years, else gift it to your children, if they are young. I am certain this is going to be one of the 100 year wines.
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11/28/2020 - DrZett wrote: 95 Points
This needs a proper decanting or a decade more in the cellar. Quite closed down and even a little boring after uncorking. With an hour it starts singing. Beautiful ripe red fruit notes paired with amazing tertiary notes like mushrooms and forest floor. Firm tannins. If tasted blind I would have put this somewhere in the late 90s. Very good structure and depth. Not as good as my past two bottles but still absolutely enjoyable.
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11/12/2020 - Choop wrote:
Past its prime but very enjoyable.
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11/7/2020 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 100 Points
Last bottle in 2018 scored 100. Opaque mahogany appearance. Classical aged nose with iodine blackcurrant blackberry mint spice and nutmeg. Beautifully balanced. Soft mouthfeel. Has the Mouton masculine extroversion. Has the Pauillac pencil shavings. Flavours include blueberries olives cherries milk coffee coffee grounds eucalyptus. In Tetsuyas. Best after 30 minutes in the decanter. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. 18 deg C. Should be good to 2050. One more bottle left.
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10/25/2020 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 100 Points
not blind, Magnum
Opened a day before, decanted for 4 hours. Perfection. 100
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10/24/2020 - jordanj Likes this wine: 97 Points
A Zoom tasting of decent wines. An excuse to be social. (Zoom): First bottle from a purchase of an OWC. Bottles still had the tissue. Beautiful explosive nose of cigar, meat, dirt, smoke, and almost like burning rubber. Very seductive. However, it’s flaw is that it lacks fruits. This is not drinking as young as other notes suggest. While it doesn’t present typical of 1986s, it does show its age. The palate is a bit lean and lacking fruit and weight. The tan is are bit on the dusty side. Finish is tart with a higher level of heat and acid than the rest in this flight. I am being critical though, this is a great wine.
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7/24/2020 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 93 Points
A mature bordeaux but still retains a tannic structure...needs more time
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6/28/2020 - BROpus One Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful and still very young even at 34 years old.
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6/26/2020 - isbjoern wrote: 96 Points
A very complex Bordeaux nose. This is incredibly young, fresh and elegant, amazingly silky polished tannins that are still very present and provide structure, a pretty dark berry fruit, cassis, lots of depth for such an old wine, black tea flavors, hint of dark chocolate, salty, cedar notes and cigar box, no brett flavors here. A truely great bottle of wine, especially considering its age. Will likely be longer lived than the equally fantastic 1982 Mouton tasted alongside, but maybe it is a hint less complex. - 96+ points
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6/22/2020 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 96 Points
The first words out of my mouth when I tasted this was “showing very young.” I didn’t think I needed hours to let this open up so we drank it right away, which was a mistake. Improved a lot after an hour or so, but even then it was still very closed for a 34 year old wine. I would highly recommend giving this a few hours in a decanter if you open now, otherwise I would revisit again in 10+ years. I can’t remember ever having a wine this old that seemed so young before, just massive.
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5/10/2020 - Fid Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank over two days. Beautiful wine. Hits all the spots and deserving of its reputation.
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5/10/2020 - Wine MOB Likes this wine: 99 Points
This is a beast. Out of a half bottle that was double decanted and open for 4 hours before serving. The wine is massive, concentration is over the roof, the acids are vicious. Tannins are soft and very intergrated. Black fruits, spice, cedar, graphite, are all that this baby will offer up. I cannot get over the youthfulness.
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4/5/2020 - Verb Likes this wine: 94 Points
consistent with my last note: dark red with brick rim - aromatic nose of cassis, graphite, tobacco and white flowers - very nice forward flavors, but fell off markedly in the middle of the mouth with insufficient body to compliment the up-front flavors - medium length finish - ripe tannins moderate, acid balance good - would rate this a 96 for the nose and forward flavors, but a 92 for the body afterward - reasonably mature now, but clearly will last for another 10-20 years, hopefully with the possibility of continued development of more complex flavors - tasted alongside with the 86 Chateau Margaux, which was much more open and accessible at this time - so drink the Margaux and hold the Mouton!
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3/3/2020 - Wine by Bok wrote: 97 Points
This 86 is a huge wine, it was so huge it’ll take another 2-3 decades of aging to mellow down and ready to be drank. We decanted it for 2-3 hours, and it was like fresh out of the bottle! Very opulent nose, extremely smokey and a huge nose overwhelm most wines on the table. Its a fruit bomb on the mouth, still hugely tannic and overwhelming amount of fruits. I would like to revisit this bottle in 20 years time!”
more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
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2/11/2020 - schan109 wrote: flawed
Slightly corked otherwise (and still) very good nose, full body and long finishing.
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2/9/2020 - J_Smallwood Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank this from a half bottle and you could have still fooled me that this wine wasn’t from the last decade. Still a wall of tannin and a beast of a wine even after several hours. Honestly one of my faves in recent memory but still has considerable upside and this wine May very well outlive me (1986 is a birthyear wine for me). Tons of cassis but also violets, cedar, balsam, tobacco leaf, dark cherry with herbal / caramel finish. Phenomenal wine that has somehow made time stand still....
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2/6/2020 - willthethrill Likes this wine: 94 Points
Green! I cant believe how young thia tastes.Thanks SF
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2/2/2020 - leecon Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent. Cork in perfect shape and great fill on a bottle shared with friends for the superbowl.
12hours of slow oxidation and this was still a monolith. Decanted and it opened up over the course of several hours over dinner.
All the classic pauillac notes, gravel, pencil, earth, black cassis and violets. Very fine tannins well integrated. A long finish but perhaps a bit thin on the palate.
Showing some tertiary notes and the baby fat has been shed. Still developing
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1/16/2020 - Verb Likes this wine: 94 Points
dark red with brick rim - aromatic nose of cassis, graphite, tobacco and white flowers - very nice forward flavors, but fell off markedly in the middle of the mouth with insufficient body to compliment the up-front flavors - medium length finish - ripe tannins moderate, acid balance good - would rate a 96 for the nose and forward flavors, but a 92 for the body afterward - reasonably mature now, but clearly will last for another 10-20 years, hopefully with the possibility of continued development of more complex flavors
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1/11/2020 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
“Best Bottle” tasting in Fitzgerald, Rotterdam. (By JvT @ Fitzgerald): Beautiful dark berries and impressions of earth in the bouquet. On the palate the same impressions, autumn forest, firm acidity and length. Lacks some refinement at the moment, but I think that is because the wine is still too young. Nevertheless a great experience again. 96+
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1/3/2020 - dbenglis Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank for new years day. Opened and decanted for about an hour. Overall excellent bottle of wine. Tertiary notes. Still powerful fruit. Ability to age longer. In no way nearing its end.
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1/2/2020 - cct wrote: flawed
Corked. A shame as the underlying material was impressive.
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12/24/2019 - Som-Geo Likes this wine: 97 Points
Massive wine, tannins bold, fruit powerful — 10-20 years still ahead (reminded me of 2000 Lafite). Needed 2 hours+ to open but nose amazing, gorgeous mouthfeel and spectacular finish. Need more of this to lay down for next decade of enjoyment. Special treat to myself for Xmas eve dinner in Paris. Cheers!!
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12/20/2019 - Eric wrote: 96 Points
Eastside Tasting Group End of Year Extravaganza (Newcastle, WA): This was decanted for 12 hours and needed it. Dense, powerful, brooding and smoldering with black fruit and intensity. This is remarkable, a freak of a wine.
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12/6/2019 - the player Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tremendous Pauillac and a clear reminder why this is my favorite appellation. Bright ruby red, decanted and aerated for an hour then drank over 2. Nose of cassis concentrate, ink, black pepper, and some black currants all fully reflected on the palate. Powerful wine, very complex structure and built to last another 20 years. Tannins coated by the richness of the fruit and texture of the wine that finishes very long on hints of pepper. Simply delectable. I need to buy more of this beauty!
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12/3/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still quite structured with good crisp intensity of flavor with notes of black fruits and Asian spices. Quite structured and a bit lean for Mouton but very finely etched with incredible class and breed. Just showing some maturity with hints of roasted nuts and truffles on the classic, complex finish. Well-stored bottles still need time. 95+
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12/3/2019 - The Vines That Bind wrote: flawed
Faintly faintly corked. The type that you can't really smell but which manifests in a muted and thin fruit. A massive wine cut short. Inky concentration and tannin that still strikes.
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11/29/2019 - Ravi Deshpande Likes this wine: 94 Points
Showing signs of tertiary development, with funky rounded aromatics. There is plenty of fruit left. A little less structured than Moutons I’ve had around the same vintage.
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11/23/2019 - Urodoc4 wrote: 95 Points
Great wine needed more time to open than 2 hours Still young
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11/21/2019 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 94 Points
Like the spaceship leaving the solar system when this will be ready? Dark, opaque and brooding, with olives on the entry. Pure and monolithic with fabulous fruit. Even though it has not really developed much complexity I do enjoy drinking this. But it remains a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. My fifth rated wine.
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10/21/2019 - sdsull wrote: 98 Points
Phenomenal bottle, perfect place in its maturity, deep dark color, long finish - in short, a spectacular wine.
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10/6/2019 - Verb wrote: 94 Points
moderate red with brick/orange rim - beautiful aromatic nose of cassis, graphite, tobacco and white flowers - very nice up front flavors, but fell off markedly in the middle of the mouth with insufficient body to compliment the forward flavors - nice medium length finish - tannins moderate, acid balance good - would get a 97 for the nose and forward flavors, but a 91 for the body afterward - fully mature, though maybe some continued development possible
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8/18/2019 - Eriklainen wrote:
Cap intact. Slightest of mould underneath. Opened using blade-opener but cork broke in two. Last part came out allright. Tight nose on PnP but after 6h decant great improvement and some of the aphorisms regarding better Pauillac wines were indeed honored. Let's take "fist in a velvet glove" - the nose is inviting, seductive almost. Violets, roses, cassis and beautiful cedar wood. All multilayered and inviting. Then, on drinking, you are treated to a wide array of exotic raw tobacco, luxurious leathers and interspersed here you find coffee, rose petals, green peppers. "Like lighting up a Marlboro in autumn rain". Aftertaste lingers for a long while - in fact I could still feel the aftertaste of the wine after having had a mouthful of another wine (a reference wine). Good bottle, no signs of tiering. What was a rather good reference wine at the outset - it turned into cranberry juice after having had the Mouton. Such are the powers of this wine. Power and elegance at the same time.
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8/15/2019 - kr522 wrote: 93 Points
The wine has fragrant aromatics, dark sweet berries and flowers, which I find are evolving more seductively than the flavors. This wine has never been opulent and I suspect it never will, but there is good depth to the dark fruit and a savory beef blood element which come together nicely. It’s just the darn dryness of the tannins that own the finish.
I like it, and it’s young enough (still!) that I’ll take my time with my last few bottles, but I do think there are better 86s (LLC, Gruaud Larose)
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8/15/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
I am sure old-timers tasting the 1928 in its youth grew tired of waiting for full-maturity and made similar comments to this note. Clearly, all the elements for a great wine are here. Powerful, deep, full-bodied, complex, youthful, energetic and multi-layered, the wine remains stubbornly holding on to its youth. The wall of tannin remains, as does the ocean of fruit, but the tannins are quite present, even with 4 hours of air. Yet, it is impossible not to see that when this hits its stride, it is going to be one of the great vintages of Mouton. But when is that going to happen?
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8/8/2019 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 Points
not blind
Today not in best shape, opened 6 hours before, not decanted. A bit tired, not the typical Mouton nose and missing the black currant. 94
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8/8/2019 - DrZett wrote: 97 Points
Once again a perfect bottle from this amazing vintage. Still very youthful - could easily age another few decades.
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7/7/2019 - Trickyone wrote:
Decanted around 9 a.m. for an after lunch tasting. This bottle was pretty much identical to the one I opened 7 years ago (!). Still somewhat immature; a monumental wine on the nose and palate.
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7/6/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
This great wine remains chiseled and so pure with an incredible streak of graphite running through it. Definitely an old style of Bordeaux (not a bad thing) that’s not opulent nor smooth as silk but still amazingly focused, layered and fine! There are flavors of deep black fruits and carbon minerals to go along with the liquid graphite that flows over the tongue like holy water and there is a freshness, succulence and intensity that is incredible for a 33 year old wine. Will go for decades and keep improving in my opinion. 96+
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6/2/2019 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Just a tinge of bricking at the edge with a garnet core.
PnP.
Smells beautiful. Concentrated red fruit, some cassis, raisin and other dried fruit, cigar, and dusty earth. There’s a lot going on but it is so pure.
In the mouth it is medium body with an incredible silkiness that flows around the palate. Flavors are concentrated like the nose and tannins still have some grip. The acidity frames everything nicely and only offers a bit of bitterness on the back end. This should open up beautifully. Drink now or hold for another 10-15 years.
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5/10/2019 - jkoenen wrote: 89 Points
Mouton-Lafite Battle (Restaurant Zarzo, Eindhoven - NL): What a deception.... :o(
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5/10/2019 - coteamor wrote: 96 Points
Very primary, blackcurrant, graphite; true to type. Tight but real promise and there is a core of minerality, beyond that wait 20 years.
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5/3/2019 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
young dark purple color, massive nose, cassis, fruitcake, dark plums, pepper notes, on the palate a voluptuous and piercingly pure core of ripe fruit on a scale rarely seen in a wine that is also properly balanced and fully showing its breed, the palate a near-mirror of the nose with cassis, fruitcake and cherry notes, white mineral streaks with time, still incredibly tannic but with time in glass these softened to a sufficient degree to reveal an excellent balance that convinces me at long last that this wine will go the distance and unfurl as may of us had dreamed it might, a glorious wine with a purity the 1982 will never have, and at this point my personal favorite of the two great titans of Bordeaux's Golden Decade.
***(**), 2031-2075
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5/3/2019 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
4 Decades of Mouton Rothschild (Andre and Sabine's House, Mountain View, CA): Nose: B++/A- Palate: B++
My #10, Group's #11 (109 pts). Tasted blind.
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4/21/2019 - C40rider wrote: 92 Points
Classic cab fruit and nose
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4/5/2019 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 98 Points
Amazingly young in all respects, decanted over 4 hours and could have gone much longer. Great tannins will carry this through another 25 years easily. Beautiful balance, classic nose of stone fruit and leather and minerals, and a wonderfully alive palate of dark fruit and forest. Wow!
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3/30/2019 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 99 Points
Wine Monuments Man Chapter 4 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Drank it side by side with Sassicaia 1985. 3 hours of double decantation. A baby monster. Tremendous, typical Pauillac. Graphite, black currant, power, roasted aromas, some hints of coffee, even after 3 hours of drinking the wine feels closed and not reached his peak. At least 2 more decades. The wine needs maybe 10 hours of air. 99(100)
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3/4/2019 - Burgnick wrote:
Shame on me to call this a vega after a glorious bottle last friday. This one was not decanted long enough in the decanter. It still got that tannic bite. Very deep and concentrated but still a bit tight. Not showing the layers.
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3/1/2019 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 95 Points
Slow oxed for 2 hours and decanted for 2.5 hours. Great structure with so much power. Cherry, black fruit, tobacco, earth and truffle. The depth and finesse were spectacular. It still showed some tannins because of the vintage. Very good. My fav mouton along with 82.
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2/14/2019 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Mouton Rothschild vertical 1878-2002 (Old Swiss House, Lucerne): A chameleon showing different colours every time you revisit the glass. More earth and leather than in the 82 overall. Full bodied with an interesting herbal touch on the palate. Tannins are still tangible and add to an overall muscular structure. This feels like there is still decades of aging potential left in the bottle. There were comments around the table highlighting a faint oxidation, but if so it was not noticeable to me. 82 and 86 were a toe to toe race at this vertical but if you put a gun to my head the 86 was just a whisker better.
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2/14/2019 - Cailles wrote:
Mouton Vertical (Lucerne): This wine left me a bit puzzled. I expected a rather closed, painfully young bottle but that was not the case. The wine was open (our expert called it “a more communicative example of the ‘86”) even though the tannins had some rough edges. But after 20 minutes in the glass I suddenly had oxidative aromas only to disappear and come back a few times. I guess overall, not the perfect and most representative bottle. The best moments were a 95 points experience (missing the laser-sharp precision of the also very young ‘89 Lynch but with lots of power and stuffing which is very promising). No rating.
TN: More tertiary development than the ‘82 drank alongside, slight sweet oak aromas, dark fruit underneath. Same on the palate with more minerality and hints of dried herbs. Some granular, noticeable tannins which need to further integrate, good well integrated acidity. Less complex and showing compared to the ‘82. Medium+ finish.
Decanting: Double decant & slow-ox for 2 hours. Hard to give any advice after this volatile bottle.
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2/3/2019 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Super Bowl 2019 (Alpharetta, GA): Dark core with garnet rim; incense, green pepper, currants, cigar, chocolate, iron, dense, compost, graphite; fat and rich on the palate, chewy, deep and layered, currants, pretty to a degree but very firm tannins; Leoville...Mouton- called '86 Mouton; 95+.
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2/3/2019 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
2nd Annual Sommelier Appreciation Dinner (Undisclosed Location): Mouton vs. Lafite flight pits the legendary '86 Mouton against the less-legendary '90 Lafite... but the Lafite was the winner on my scorecard. The aromas here were sweet, with some figginess surfacing with air, but still holding things close to the vest. The palate is still very, very tannic, the tannin practically reverberating into more tannin, but it does show some nuttiness and dark fruit with that sur-maturite on the nose manifesting in some pruniness on the back end. I let this sit to see what develops and it did start to show some more classic Pauillac pencil scents, albeit faintly, but didn't budge much.
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2/3/2019 - dcwino wrote: 100 Points
Sommelier Appreciation Dinner 2019 (The Brown Residence): Explosive nose displaying intense black fruit, crème de cassis, blueberry concentrate, blackberry jam, ink, licorice, lavender, liquid smoke, dark spices, strong cedar, lead pencil and earth. Unbelievable concentration, layers upon layers of concentrated crème de cassis, dense yet silky and concentrated, perfect amount of acidity and mineral and the never ending finish. Despite being incredibly youthful, it is now unbelievably expressive and drinking magnificently in a very youthful way. It can easily develop for another two or three decades and will remain perfect for a century or more. I have been preferring this to the monumental 82 for the past five years also and now am convince that this is the best Mouton for the past fifty years, perhaps the 10 being equal.
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2/3/2019 - Andice Likes this wine: 99 Points
Almost the perfect wine. Soft yet assertive, harmonious yet compelled. At the sweet spot of its development. Great length
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2/2/2019 - liber Likes this wine: 97 Points
Chez W, decanted an hour, perfect level, travelled cork, possibly the best bottle yet (purer and with more to it than last in March 17) and ready at last to drink though the cassis led fruit retains youthful energy, Mouton at its best increasingly edging the attractive 95 as the evening progressed. VF+ (19).
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1/28/2019 - ntanik Likes this wine: 98 Points
Still young but there is a lot of pleasure if you taste it now.A typical great mouton with herbs, pencil, black fruits. Very silky and well ballanced withgreat aftertaste.Sadly it was my last bottle but if i had one i will keep it for 5-8 years more.
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1/19/2019 - LWI wrote: 98 Points
1986 Left Bank Bordeaux: Serious and deep nose with classic combination of graphite and black currants, also most complex, some bonfire; wonderful fullish fruit in the mouth, youtful, a lot of swirling brings out a complex finish.
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1/17/2019 - GuWin wrote: 98 Points
Bordeaux 1986 Stock, Oslo: Utrolig delikat duft med eksotiske toner, et herlig preg av krydderbasar og mørke bær. Forførerisk. Enorm konsentrasjon i anslaget. Hinsides intensitet. Dette er magisk. Kompakt, massiv frukt, flere minutter lang ettersmak.
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1/5/2019 - Ericsson wrote: 94 Points
5 ans depuis ma dernière bouteille et pas beaucoup d'évolution…
Bouteille et bouchon parfaits. Epaulé durant 60 minutes, puis carafé durant 90, puis bu sur 120.
Couleur prune avec quelques traces d'évolution, assez brillante.
1er nez sur le cassis, puis roses, un peu de sous-bois aussi, puis retour aux fruits noirs, en fait les arômes faisaient le yo-yo, primaires, secondaires et tertiaires, puis retour, etc.
En bouche, le vin se montre légèrement plus aimable qu'il y a 5 ans, mais en restant assez austère et monolithique.
Il y a de la matière mais elle est prise dans une gangue de tanins et a de la peine à procurer du plaisir.
J'ai eu beaucoup plus de satisfaction à le boire au début des années 2000.
Se fera-t-il un jour?... Peut-être!
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12/31/2018 - Euoinos wrote: 99 Points
Incredible. Still fiercely dense with a brick wall of tannins that soften after a couple of hours. Elegant dark fruit, cedar and tobacco Just fantastic. Still needs a lot of air to come to its right.
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12/27/2018 - englishman's claret wrote: flawed
Sadly, this was off. A little oxidative but not totally masking the big, rich wine underneath.
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12/25/2018 - La Grappe wrote: 93 Points
A deep colour, showing little age; quite intense blackcurrant fruit, with a fairly thick texture; elegant, full, nicely mature but not old, although the finish is perhaps starting to fade a bit. Looking at earlier notes, I see that I was giving this 97 or 98 six or seven years ago, so perhaps it has started to decline (not surprising after 32 years). Even so, it is still a very fine wine.
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12/21/2018 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Big Bordeaux XV (Kevin and Vicki's house): 4 hour decant. This wine had drying tannins and seemed to be brooding. There are components to suggest that it may be a great wine someday, but the components do not add up to a great experience.
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12/15/2018 - Bellissimo wrote:
4 hour decant and it never got to its hype or potential. Tobacco, scorched earth, blackberry with heavy tannins. Interesting to try but doesn't come close to justifying the price.
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12/15/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Big Bordeaux XV: Featuring '86 Mouton and Margaux (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 4 hours. Drank a glass over 2 hours. This just feels like it wants to unwind, but instead it teases you with potential. The nose is a mix of high toned spice, blackberry, blackberry liqueur, purple flowers, tobacco, and cassis. The palate is full of big dark fruit mid and back, lots of graphite, gravel, more subtle oak, and moderate tannins. A good sound bottlle, very solid; promising, if one can say that about a 32 year old wine, but nowhere near meeting expections. The '86 Margaux blew its doors off. Hopefullly I'll get another shot at this sometime.
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11/11/2018 - europat55 wrote: flawed
Platinum Tasting - First Growths from the 80's (with two 2nd growth ringers) (Andre and Sabine's House, Mountain View, CA): My #9, Group's #9. Tasted Blind
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11/8/2018 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 99 Points
A Special 40th Anniversary Celebration (Restaurant Daniel, New York City): Let me start by saying that when this was poured, I was sure my first perfect wine rating was going to be given. The nose was as explosive as it was enticing, with loads of graphite, cedar and pepper. The first sips were powerful and pure, adding tastes of soy, mocha and pastille to the tastes indicated by the aromas, all delivered in a compact, creamy manner along with a ton of structure. In fact, the wine is still quite primary and could easily require a decade or more before showing real development. After a few more minutes of its supernova-like brilliance, the wine quickly became closed and unyielding, as if to say that we mortals today can only get a glimpse of future glories (hence my withdrawal of a single point, to be held in reserve should I ever get a second chance at this beauty).
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11/3/2018 - dbenglis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sent from merchant in Connecticut to NYC. Brought to dinner at Le Cou Cou. Somm stated was not corked but off. I disagree with her. I felt was a good representation of this year. Cassis, lead pencil. Softening tannin. Plum on the nose.
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10/19/2018 - canan wrote: 98 Points
10Y Weekend (Day 1) (Søllerød Kro): Huge potential. Still very young and needs more time. Packed with young fruit and a tightly wound frame. Loved it! 98+
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10/13/2018 - hsacks Likes this wine: 96 Points
This bottle was ( correctly) rejected from my auction lot by HDH of Chicago and returned to me due to a pushed in cork ( even though the fill level was excellent). I decided to drink the wine with my wife and some friends at Pumpkin Restaurant. I gingerly removed the cork in two pieces and poured. Wow! The inky black wine showed absolutely no signs of oxidation and was, in fact, a stunner on many levels. Ripe, beautifully integrated fruit in the mouth with outstanding depth and length. Silky, complex and incredibly suave on the palate. Interestingly, the wine grew richer and more youthful with every sip. A truly monumental wine.
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9/22/2018 - ericindc Likes this wine: 95 Points
Marc's 70th Birthday Dinner in DC (Oval Room in DC): Nice wine. The nose was strong black fruits with some dirt, and light green note. This was a bit simple on opening but opened up with alot, alot of air. After it opened this had strong and complex black fruit, earthy/truffle, light sharp green/bitter components. Medium body, good acidity, moderate drying tannins. Still mostly primary. Great bottle tho.
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8/15/2018 - kbtemp2004 Does not like this wine:
No happy with this wine; it was bland; disappointing. LEARNED afterwards, of all the first growths this one travels the worst and does not stand up to "being moved around". I also learned this is not a consistent wine from vintage to vintage.
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8/6/2018 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - top 80s Bordeaux (360 Bar & Dining, Sydney): {cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] Drinking this alongside the Grange tends to just highlight the differences between the wines and runs the risk of distracting from their greatness. The nose is has moved a little from overt youth, but it’s a long way from an aged wine. Instead, it’s essence of currants, or cabernet (despite being 20% merlot & franc). Cedar, malt, and rich black fruit coat the tongue. It’s full-bodied, with plenty of fine chalky tannin on offer, with richness of texture, depth, and concentration. A magisterial wine, with a long even finish. Might just be one of the longest-lived dry wines of all time. Double-decanted a few hours earlier.
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5/11/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
Tasted in a flight of '86 1st growths. There was some discussion of whether this one might be corked - I did not get this at all. The nose was classic old library and leather, but the palate was plush and plummy with leather and spice cabinet and a very long finish. On initial tasting this one was my favorite, but over the course of the evening the Margaux edged it out. This one also still tasted great from the bottle remains on day 2.
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5/11/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
My Super Secret Surprise Birthday Celebration Extravaganza (Friends apt): This was a wine that was perhaps the most closed when we first poured and so didn't give the best first impression. Had been decanted for about 1.5 hours before pouring, but opened up a lot in the glass. Black fruits (cassis), hint of violet. Touch of smokiness to it. It was a very nice wine when it got going.
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5/9/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
Masculine, powerful and concentrated beyond belief, the wine is stubbornly holding on to its youth, refusing to soften up its wall of tannin. Still, it is impossible not to be overwhelmed by the endless layers of exotically textured, dark, dense fruit. The nose, with its Asian spice, mint, tobacco, cigar box and earthy component is off the hook. And as hard as it is too believe, the experience of the wine on the palate is even better. But it will need another decade to truly come together.
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5/5/2018 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 100 Points
This bottle was purchased at auction Its level was very low neck. The wine was expertly decantered by a sommelier in Tetsuya's restaurant in Sydney. It was best after 45 minutes to when it was finished at 90 minutes. Served in Riedel glasses at an estimated temperature of 17 degrees C on average. The appearance was an inky opacity with a mahogany rim. At its best, the nose was intense with a sense that the bouquet was being pumped out. The aromas were blackcurrant, blackberry, pencil shavings, cigar box, tobacco leaves, charcoal, cherries, licorice, pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, menthol, vanilla, smoke, wet earth, manure, minerals and coffee. The palate was full bodied and elegant. Initially, there was some slight sourness and bitterness, but this resolved by 45 minutes. The length was exceptional. The wine was beautifully integrated with a sense of a single flavour/aroma entity based on an iconic aged bordeaux cabernet spine. The wine was changeable from sip to sip. The wine’s personality would be best described as extroverted. This bottle is drinking well now at 32 years. I would be drinking the two companion bottles bought in the next few years to avoid the risk of being too old though who’s to say they may not last decades and even improve further.
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5/3/2018 - aquacongas wrote: flawed
corked
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5/3/2018 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
First unfortunately corked. 2nd bottle, just opened without decantation. Again a mistake. So tight and closed in the beginning. You feel the panzer around the wine. The fruits try to come out but are prisoned in the gorgeous structure of the wine. Killing acidity and firm tannins. After one hour in the glas you feel the greatness of this endless gem. A scent of black currant, leather, black coffee and dark chocolate with cedar wood. At least 30 more years. 98+. It needs at 4-5h of decantation, better 12-24h.
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4/17/2018 - Vinum Deorum wrote: 94 Points
Drunk from magnum (a first mag was corked so this one was opened and decanted about 2 hours before pouring). The wine is very nice, but not quite as impressive as I would have thought. More evolution traces than expected from magnum. It is quite deep and balanced, but lacks a bit of freshness and tension. Medium length, smooth tanins. Overall a delicious wine, but far from what can expect from a 1st growth in a glorious vintage. On this occasion, it was completely overshadowed by the 1989 Angelus (magnum too).
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4/7/2018 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still a monster. Only partially opened after 1.5 hours.
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4/7/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Acker Auction - April 2018 (Marea in NYC): A lot younger than I'd have thought. This wine was still fairly tight. bright red fruits and spice and some woodsy. Very crisp note to it. May be the better wine in the long term, but today preferred the '86 Cheval tried alongside.
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3/13/2018 - d'Auvenay Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 hrs and consumed in 1.5 hrs. Wine still have tannin. Berries, lot of fruits, a little earth and mint. Still a long way to go and can last at least another 5-10 yrs before hitting peak.
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2/18/2018 - MJReb wrote: 90 Points
Chez JPL: JP said when he opened it 4 hours before drinking, it was totally closed. When we tasted, it was ok, but without a real personality, disappointing for me.
We tasted the wines with a group of friends. The wines were in flights of 2 to accompany 7 dishes, means 14 wines altogether and with the exception of the host JP, all were served blind to us.
The Mouton was served with the Clos de Tart 2004, which was far more interesting I have to say. This was the impression of the whole group.
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2/12/2018 - Purple Tooth wrote: 96 Points
This big boy is still as thick as a brick, and probably about 15 years away from its apogee. Feels almost immortal in its firmness. Nose was a bit shy for the first 60 to 90 minutes and it finally started to unfold and release char, roasted cured meat juice, and flowers. Very powerful, very dense, and still as dark as the night. Follows in the footsteps of the 86 Lafite, but I think this one has more give. Lets hope that it maintains freshness while it sleeps. HOLD or decant for 4 to 6 hours.
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1/25/2018 - xzwine wrote:
Elegant and complex on the nose, fully matured yet still a long way to go. Soft and velvety tannins, great balance and depth. Best example of a great 100 points wine.
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1/14/2018 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Second Sunday Group: 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Barb's): Courtesy of MaY, popped and poured. Initially there's a slight hint of something musty, perhaps TCA, but it eventually blew off rather than worsened, so just a little bottle funk...fears allayed. Crimson core though showing some age at the meniscus. Floral and black currant notes with a slight earthy tobacco quality. Nice red berry fruit on the palate with softened tannin and nice balancing acidity. Finishes with nice length.
I'd have loved to have spent an evening with this to follow its development. We have been lucky/fortunate enough to be with MaY for the first two of his three bottles, and hope to be around for the last. Thank you, M. 93+ pts, with some room for improvement with additional complexity.
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1/4/2018 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about two hours.
Garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of leather, smoke, berries and cherries. Flavors of berries and raspberries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink with a little air to blow off bottle funk and help awaken the wine after a long sleep or continue to hold. In theory plenty of years ahead for this bottle just now emerging from hibernation.
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1/3/2018 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ruby red color with some brick on the edge, slight translucency. Smells are currants, barnyard, pyrazine, blackberry, leather, and iodine. Tastes are currants, earth, tobacco, cherry, stone, and peppery spice. Light body and long finish with soft tannins.
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12/23/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 96 Points
Broken cork, gave this one hour of decanting before approaching and drank over another three. The nose is initially brooding with purple and blue fruit, currant and blackberry. There seems to be more opulence here than I’ve experienced in past bottles, but still dense. There is lead pencil, forest floor, and dark chocolate on this nose too. Whiffs of red cedar, cigar tobacco, coffee, and a distinctive exotic spice. Big showy and bold perfume. The palate still has a major wallop of blackberry and currant fruit, and overall this is dark and intense, but, again, this one is more lush than recalled on past bottles, including from this case. The tannin is firm but is not unduly intense. A mild Concord grape sweetness to the fruit. With more air the bouquet really begins to show a variety of intricacies and the palate yields more terroir. The lead pencil shavings are particularly pronounced. Mouth coating and persistently flavorful finish. Have been fortunate to taste this wine a number of times, and obviously there is something to be said about drinking a single bottle in isolation as opposed to in a massive vertical, but this is the first bottle of ‘86 that has been very impressive and truly lived up to the hype. Bottle bought on release and cellared since. Very fine indeed.
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12/7/2017 - parkerbj Likes this wine: 100 Points
No surprises here. I’ve had this before and at that time it was the best Bordeaux I had ever had. It still is. This is an incredibly youthful wine with the classic left bank notes of cassis, leather, pencil lead, but it still has powerful dark fruit and integrated tannin that coats the entire mouth giving a velvety long finish. Still youthful and nowhere close to its end. Another 50 years at least. Definitely a 100 pt wine.
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12/2/2017 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Heritage Blind Tasting in Vegas (Jean-Georges Restaurant, Aria Hotel Las Vegas): Moderate purple-ruby; notes of earth, barnyard, brett, black fruits, and berries, stwed fruits and prunes, band aid and licorice with gravel minerality. Almost thought this was an old CdP but it was too dry, too structured and too dark, but guessed 2000 St. Ducru-Beaucaillou. Glad I did! I liked this but really very bretty. Good brett, but bretty! Heritage Auction Blind Tasting line-up.
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10/25/2017 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 99 Points
Tasted along Lafite 1986. Complex nose of dark plums, forest floor, dark berries, black cherries, and some pencil shavings on the nose. Drying, powerful tannins with more plum, dark fruit, and blackberries on the palate. Very long finish. It was interesting to see that the Lafite started stronger but declined a bit during 1.5 hours, whereas the Mouton started harsh but kept improving throughout the night. This tasted like a much younger wine. Phenomenal!
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10/11/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dense as always although gained in magnanimity after 2.5 hours of air time. As dark as it is, this was not particularly harsh in this bottle. 94+
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10/8/2017 - mhudes Likes this wine: 99 Points
Decanted and served blind to us at the Wolf restaurant in Oakland. Wow! Without knowing what this is, I'm thinking this may be the best wine I've tasted this year. It almost screams Bordeaux. Dark red in color. The nose seemed almost intense, and although decanted, it still takes a while to completely open into something beautiful. On the palate, many layers of dark fruit (Dark plums, black currants, blackberries, black cherries etc.) Certainly cedar and chocolate, minerals and perhaps licorice. Concentrated, yet delicious with a long finish. I'm thinking a great 1990 Bordeaux, but it seems too young for that, so I guess a great 1996 left banker. I may have gone the wrong direction in time, however, this wine is likely to remain monumental for another quarter century. (I suspect the reason I gave this "only" 99 points, is that I've never given any wine 100 points.)
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9/29/2017 - dharrison93 wrote: 99 Points
Ethereal. Notes identical to my previous notes on this brilliant wine.
Mature but vibrant: Easily 7-10 more years of wonderful perfect drinking ahead.
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9/7/2017 - tom_wine Likes this wine: 98 Points
I don't think I've ever tasted a better wine. We opened it as we were ready to flee our Naples home in advance of Hurricane Irma. I didn't know if I would ever see my collection again and this was one bottle I didn't want to miss. As it turned out, we decided to stay. But the Mouton gave me strength. Incredibly sublime with dense, dark fruit, cassis and classic Mouton character. Floral, cedar nose with hints of lead pencil. Cedar and rosemary on the palate. Long in the finish. Fruit still strong, tannins are fine and almost untraceable. Glad I opened it.
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8/31/2017 - dcwino wrote: 98 Points
Dinner with Charles M - 06 CdC, 86 Mouton, 86 Lafite and etc. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): Unbelievably intense youthful nose displaying cremes de cassis, blueberry concentrate, ink, liquid smoke, incense, lavender, bitter chocolate, caramel, lead pencil and cedar. There is a hint of old barrel smell that makes the nose from being perfect. Once again, incredible concentration, unctuous, yet unbelievably layered polished fruit gives exceptional silkiness, intense cassis and caramel driven palate impression, bright acidity, tannins are completed masked by opulent fruit and a long intense cassis and liquid smoke driven finish. A slight hint of the old barrel/dirty smell prevents from perfectly pure hence my rating. Another incredible showing. For my palate, this has been showing beautifully for the past few years. It is fascinating exercise to compare with the 86 Mouton. Although both wines are incredible concentrated and formidably structured, the 86 Mouton shows incredible opulence where the 86 Lafite displays sheer elegance and sophistication.
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8/3/2017 - oldwines Likes this wine: 97 Points
Enjoyed with my wife at the Black Bass Hotel restaurant in Bucks County PA for our anniversary-eve away from the kids. Decanted at about 3pm, allowed to breath until about 6:30pm before pouring back into the bottle for transit to the restaurant and drunk from about 8-9:30pm. As we were drinking this with our main course it suddenly transformed in our glasses and just "blew up" with rich fruit and chocolate. The wine is dark garnet with no sign of age, looks like it could be 10 years old or less. The nose is complex and full of earthy forest floor, graphite, black fruit and a hint of mint and spice. Palate is smooth, rich and chewy with some blackberry, black plum, anise, mint, mocha and leather amid an endlessly long finish. Exquisite!
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7/20/2017 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened in London. Decanted for 1+ hours before enjoying.
Absolutely monolithic wine, and still very primary. Though there was powerful fruit coming through with a bit of coaxing in the glass, the tannins were still very present, and it came across as dark, brooding and very serious. Definitely needed a bit more air - but ultimately I think this was a case of 30 year old infanticide!
Revisit in 5+ years to see how it's doing.
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7/8/2017 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Mesmerizing near perfection. Drank with friends at our local french restaurant after a splash decant. Haunting nose of black cherry, raspberry and spice with a dash of creme de cassis liqueur. Seamless in the mouth with a finish sailing on and on...
If a date, this was a 35 year old Sophia Loren who happens to have a masters degree in geopolitics, so fascinates you all evening with layers of intelligent insight in addition to captivating sex appeal.
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6/18/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
Über den Mouton 1986 möchte ich nicht viele Worte verlieren. Es ist eine Legende und bleibt eine Legende. In Top Flaschen Kondition wird dieser Wein mich sicherlich überleben. trotz 6 Stunden Karaffierung glänzte die schwarze Johannisbeere als Primärfrucht. 98+. In Zukunft ohne Wenn und Aber 100 Punkte.
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6/8/2017 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
Requires decanting a good hour minimum better 2. It took a few swirls too in order to develop the nose too.
We have tried this wine a good 6 times now with our fair share of great and bad bottles and the scores for good bottles have been in the 95-98 range.
The testament to this wine is really the fact that our friend who tried this blind said this is a 2000 Bordeaux! And indeed the wine is so young, dark in colour, bright, full of energy. Lots of presence here but its delivered effortlessly, not heavy and the fruit albeit very much there is not over ripe or forced. Its a solid and a class act of wine and an experience. Very elegant. 95+ and will wait another 2yrs minimum for our next bottle
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5/16/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 93 Points
Mouton Rothschild Vertical Dinner (Vaucluse): Nose is intense, tannic, dense, dark. Hot asphalt and tar. Chiseled and laser like on the palate. Tannins are actually integrating quite nicely, but where is that opulent Mouton fruit, loamy soil, and forest floor? Some of these '86s that are supposed to be just perfect seem to have all the structure without the roundness of the fruit to go the distance. Have had the same impression of this wine a few times. Doesn't provide a ton of pleasure right now relative to 'lesser' vintages of comparable age, but holding on to these for the long haul.
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5/16/2017 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Complex and rich. Really nice. Classic and mid fairway wine. From a good vintage. This speaks to me as a classic example of BDX, with age thats showing well.
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5/10/2017 - dcwino wrote: 100 Points
Mouton dinner with Philippe Dhalluin and Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): I am not going to lie. I love the 86 Mouton and consider it one of the greatest Bordeauxs. Explosive nose displaying intense creme de cassis, subtle floral perfume, liquid smoke, ink, caramel, cedar, milk chocolate, lead pencil and mineral. Mindboggling concentration, layers upon layers of cassis and ink driven fruit, silky and polished, a hint of sweet tannins and the finish that subtly resonates. This particular bottle is incredibly youthful yet perfectly hedonistic. A couple tasters mentions this being tight and young. Though youthful, I find the wine to be perfect. Phillipe mentions that there was no selection at Mouton in 1986. I wonder what would have happened if the Chateau had a second label.
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4/30/2017 - Honeyburst Likes this wine: 96 Points
(MR vertical) Opened 3 hours in advance and decanted before serving. More than 30 years old and still too young. Fascinating. The density is immense and this may yield an even higher score later. Don't get me wrong : it is an absolute delight to taste now packed with everything you'd expect from the greatest Bordeaux wines. It just seems like it's still holding back and the colour show no signs of ageing.
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3/25/2017 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chez W, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, not as fresh as last Feb's bottle, lovely though no better than Cos '89 on same night! VF (18.5).
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3/18/2017 - Zweder wrote:
Occasional dinner group: 100 Parker points (red) wines (@ the Librije in Zwolle, Netherlands.): Beautiful and luxurious bouquet with red and dark forest fruits. On the palate autumn forest, and although there is fresh acidity, I had the impression the wine was not exactly what it should be. I thought it was a bit musty. Most tasters thought it was a superb wine. Anyway, I did not score it this time.
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3/10/2017 - odds Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank along side about 9-10 Bordeaux with some age on them. I would have been a very happy person 'parking' on this one all evening as it kept evolving. It was my WOTN (fwiw). Long finish. I agree with others tasters' notes here (aka CT) that the wine deserves some nice decanting (2-3 hours or so). But that time point, it does evolve and shows even greater and better. Along side the '86 Margaux it was a winner, but not by a larger margin. Over the course of the evening, the 'gap' did expand in favor of the Mouton. I'd get back to my notes for more details. A great treat to try this one.
(95+ to 96)
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3/8/2017 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Consistent to several previous showings. Still a hard, closed, compressed Bordeaux. So tight, so young, reductive, dense fruit, lactic, just like a wine that was bottled a few months ago, dry finish. I don't think this will ever turn around, they totally over extracted it and Parker went for it (see also my my earlier tasting story on 66x Parker 100 pointers). Hands off, especially at the 750 USD price tag.
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3/3/2017 - burgcamel wrote: 98 Points
This is about potential. Although drinkable today, the upside is significant. The best is clearly to come. Looks like a 10 year old wine.
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1/15/2017 - oldwines Likes this wine: 97 Points
Six courses on short notice with some great football: Decanted 3-4 hours before the course was served but tasted over that time. The wine is deep dark garnet with no hint even of bricking...this wine looks less than 10 years old rather than 30!! The Nose is classic, with lots of barnyard, earthy mushroom, graphite, Black plum, currant, cedar and tar. The mouth feel is rich and dense. It is somewhat unyielding though delicious with plenty of flavor only slightly hidden in the remaining tannins. The finish is long and so balanced. Lots of life left and still probably far from peaking. Last tasted 10 years ago. This was very good with the grilled venison.
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12/30/2016 - Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine: 97 Points
Tasted single blind from a half bottle against a half bottle of 1986 Lafite.
Third time with this wine and I'm pleased that it was not corked this time as the first time. Even from a half bottle, the wine shows a lot of youth. Decanted only to remove sediment, this wine initially had a quite a bit of cherry and raspberry fruit with a very tight palate and grippy tannins. I thought it was the Lafite because it was full of red fruit.
The best part of this wine, as it was last time, was the massive evolution over the course of the 3+ hour dinner. Last time the bottle was decanted for a number of hours, so what was cool was that this wine started in a totally different place but after 3 hours was similar to how the wine drank last time at the beginning. The red fruit of the wine evolved into having more oak, and the fruit moved to blackberry and plum, later cigar came out, some menthol, and toasty notes. The tannins broke down and the finish lengthened. By the 3 hours mark, the wine had transformed. The nose grew into this haunting combination of earth, black fruit, a little brett, and stinky oak. At this point, the Lafite paled in comparison.
The wine has great intensity and presence but yet is so easy and effortless to drink. It was not obvious initially, but after an hour this was so clearly superior to the Lafite, both more hedonistic and more intellectual. Truly and exceptional experience. Despite all the evolution in the 3+ hours, the wine clearly had so much more to say if we had had a full bottle and more time. I'd say it's a 97+ point wine and may still get better yet. It doesn't require decanting, but it repays extended time in the glass.
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12/25/2016 - wineordeath Likes this wine: 91 Points
Belated note. Classic Bordeaux nose. Good but not great on the palate. Still a little tough and probably not fully mature, but I wonder if there is enough fruit to outlast the tannin.
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12/16/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Firm, set in its ways, powerful and tannic, yet, even though it's set in its ways, there is movement here. One of the more youthful bottles I recall tasting, the nose is there, with its cassis, cedar, Asian spice, tobacco and forest floor glory. The body is full, in fact, this is massive in its concentration, equaled only by its tannic structure. With air, 4-6 hours, the wine softened, opened and showed its stuff. The wine was made from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
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12/8/2016 - dcwino wrote: 98 Points
Holiday Dinner - Champ, Burg, Bordeaux, Rhone and etc. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): Explosive nose displaying crème de cassis, lead pencil, ink, cedar, dark chocolate and mineral. Excellent concentration, unctuous, incredibly layered, silky and polished, nicely integrated tannins and an incredibly long cassis driven finish. For my plate, the 86 Mouton is reaching the first stage of the youthful peak.
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11/19/2016 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Dark black cherry with slight brown hues; Sweet tobaco, sweet red cherry fruit with some exotic spice; Fruit is nicely apparent even at 30 yrs. A touch of cocoa powder and cherry on the palate. Good entry, moderately silky, but with ample fine tannins with good grip; Quite acidic, tangy, but balanced by the structure. This was underwhelming for all the hype. Very solid, built, maybe slightly elevated acidity, but certainly somewhat closed/sleeping at this point. Try again in 10 years (92-95 at that point?). Compare with the '82 which was stunning and showy ( and still cruising along).
Ultra Rare Bordeaux Tasting-Class at Monopole.
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11/19/2016 - willthethrill Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dark fruit and cherry; medium dark color, but light rim; earthy and balanced throught the tasting. Lovely. Thanks SF
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11/16/2016 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ranjan's 113th Birthday Dinner (Members' Lounge, Happy Valley Racecourse, Hong Kong): (From a 5.0L decanted for a couple of hours prior to serving.... way not long enough). Very slightly browning purple-red at the outer of a bright opaque core. Nose is quite closed, which is typical of the vintage but was overly so with this wine because of the format. Palate is lovely plump fruit then a very dry finish. Surprisingly subdued in terms of length or resonance on the finale. People were somewhat confused by this and were drinking the label rather than the wine......the 1986s are still very closed and it especially showed in this very big format bottle. Come back in 10+ years.
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11/11/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Young, primary, and dark with tannin and oak requiring at least another 10 years to become even initially balanced. White pepper emerging on this bottle. 94+
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11/10/2016 - llink wrote: 97 Points
Rich cassis, cedar, clove, chocolate and some smokey funk to complete the awesome nose. The palate is rich, perfectly ripe with good grip, still young and showing some tannin and energy on the back end. This wine has the perfect balance between concentration and structure with a lovely layering of flavors and texture that is so compelling.
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11/5/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: flawed
First dinner of the L.A. wine trip (The Bazaar at SLS, Beverly Hills, California): An off-bottle, unfortunately. There may have been a hint of TCA, though it wasn’t obviously corked. There was an overpowering marine quality to it. Certainly drinkable, but it’s hard to describe or rate this wine that is so obviously not a typical 1986 Mouton. Still could detect the enormous structure this wine is known for. I will not give this a score, as this was obviously an off-bottle and not a good representative of the 1986 Mouton.
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10/14/2016 - PEKB Likes this wine: 96 Points
Bordeaux 1986 single blind tasting at Grappe, Stockholm. With Mr Carl-Jan Granqvist and Mr Johan Edström.
Highly concentrated. Very long and weighty aftertaste. Still young and tight.
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10/12/2016 - FamilyLarsson Likes this wine: 98 Points
Utan tvekan kvällen vin!
Ren elegant frukt, cigarrlåda, tryffel, kaffe, otrolig koncentration i kombination med underbar lätthet, elegans och struktur. Ett mörkt men ändå silkeslent vin som upplevs som avsevärt mycket yngre. Riktigt bra.
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9/25/2016 - aChave Likes this wine: 97 Points
1980s Bordeaux at Riverbend (Oregon): Lovely wine not yet in its prime. Perfect balance with clean, pure fruit in a fresh, velvet glove. Not a rich or big wine, just everything in its proper place. Remarkably young in spirit for its age; plenty of time ahead, for sure. Double decanted 90+ minutes ahead; needed all of it. It should yet improve.
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9/16/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 88 Points
66x Parker 100-Pointers from Bordeaux 1947-2010 tasted blind (Switzerland): Tasted blind. Medium-dark garnet. Mute nose of clay, wood, some blue fruit, not much going on. Medium-full bodied palate with lots of tannins and a drying finish. Rustic, where is the pleasure here? Same as the Lafite 1986, not an impressive wine and it and confirms my numerous previous experiences with the charmless, over-rated 1986 vintage. Consistent with my previous tastings of 86 Mouton. Group score: 17.06, group rank: 40/64
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9/15/2016 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 98 Points
Deep dark reddish-purple in color; still almost opaque with just ever-so-slight clearing at the edges. Forward, attractive & fragrant nose of still evolving yet complex ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, plums & figs with overtones of classic cigar box notes of cedar & tobacco, some floral notes of violets, earthy/dusty, tea, leather, herbal notes of eucalyptus & sage, spice notes of pepper, anise & allspice, truffles & a hint of dark cocoa in the background. Full bodied with very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, deep, lush & complex, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries, plums & cassis with earthy, herbs, spices, dark cocoa, mushrooms, minerals & a touch of vanilla in the background. Long, lingering finish. Drinks well with decanting & extended airing but has the fruit & structure to continue development for many years to come at which time it will easily be a 100 point wine. Incredibly concentrated Bordeaux delivering layer upon layer; possibly one of the best Moutons!
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8/16/2016 - Marc wrote: 99 Points
1986 Bordeaux and Related 1986 and 1987 Cabernet Merlots (Villa Maria Winery, Mangere, Auckland, New Zealand): Very dense hue. Classic Bordeaux nose of French oak and cedar. Very tannic, gorgeous balance. The wine is in perfect condition, and is superb. Miles ahead of the other wines in the tasting.
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8/13/2016 - nywine68 Likes this wine: 95 Points
A beautiful wine. It starts with a phenomenal nose and then you get an incredible structure with beautiful tannins that are still very much present after 30 years. The wine was very slow to open up and requires at least 2 hours of air. The fruit is still very young and vibrant with great acidity and some secondary flavors. No doubt this will last another 10 years at least
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8/12/2016 - dcwino wrote: 100 Points
Mostly Bordeaux dinner with Bob (Magdalena restaurant at the Ivy Hotel, Baltimore): I decanted this at home. The nose displayed intense crème de cassis. Slightly less intense compared to earlier. Nevertheless intense cassis, ink, clove, cedar, wild flowers, bitter chocolate, lead pencil and strong presence of mineral. Incredible concentration, layer upon layer of intense cassis, silky and polished texture, surprisingly none noticeable tannins and lovely long finish. Just like the 86 Lafite, the polished palate masks the opulent concentrated fruit. Perfectly focused and harmonious. Incredible wine.
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8/6/2016 - fizz wrote: 92 Points
Still deeply coloured. Smoke, tomato leaf, cedar and chocolate. The palate is remarkable youthful still, with good intensity and tannins to burn. Didn't quite live up to expectations though. Probably would have benefitted from a longer decant, or a few more years in the cellar to gain more complexity.
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8/6/2016 - CamWheeler wrote: 91 Points
SLDS Reunion Tasting (Bentley, Sydney, Australia): Graphite, musk, licorice and slate on the slightly closed down nose. The palate has nice composure, with a good balance of fruit and structure. There is a little bit of a lack of interest for me tonight, the complexity still has time to develop, but it isn't there yet. A wine that needs more time before it can show what it is holding back.
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7/5/2016 - JJB007 Likes this wine: 100 Points
wow- well worth the side by side with the 1989
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7/3/2016 - obmoen wrote: 100 Points
C Byklum om denne flaska: 1986 Château Mouton Rothschild
Ruby. Scented, cassis, leather, tobacco, cassis, some figs, intense, layered, dark berries, spices, exotic notes, deep. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, red berries, spices, some cherry stones, cassis, plums, some figs, leather, nuanced, detailed, ads and ads, incredible length. 100
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5/16/2016 - ricknat1 wrote:
dryer than the 82, tight, big but it may be ready in 5 years. all of this talk of beating the 82 seems like crap after 3 head to heads. Maybe Mikes bottles are advanced.
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5/11/2016 - 82Latour Likes this wine: 98 Points
Backward, youthful, tannic. Dense, loads of fruit, mouthwatering. Fruit is indistinguishable if only because it's so well integrated and hiding. Decant for ages, hold it more. Whatever you do, be patient.
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5/4/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
This really showed its class and pedigree tonight and was clearly the best wine of all the fine 86's and '96's we drank. Still an infant but it is revealing enough to be enjoyable tonight with a long decant. Exquisite texture akin to liquid granite given its chiseled intensity and precision. Delicious flavors of black fruits, graphite and smoky minerals lead to a penetrating finish with fantastic depth and sleekness. Very fine and deeply layered with a wonderful graphite and mineral complexity just beginning to develop. 96+
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4/11/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
A challenging start for this bottle as it was quite closed and primary, even for this wine. Opened after one hour. Good acid, low fruit expression, somewhat dirty. Consumed over two hours. 94+
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3/11/2016 - jamie24 Likes this wine: 96 Points
showing very well tonight although I still think a couple of points upside potential. will return in 2020.
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3/6/2016 - jarola wrote: flawed
oxidized
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3/5/2016 - cooberp wrote: 92 Points
A touch of pleasant brett. Leather, cassis, chocolate, rhubarb, earth, graphite. Middleweight, healthy acidity, with the feared 1986 tannin relatively in check. I don't have any real nits to pick here, and I didn't find it as backwards as I expected, but nor was it as magical as I hoped it would be.
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3/2/2016 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 95 Points
Ren elegant frukt, otrolig koncentration i kombination med underbar elegans och struktur. Ett mörkt men ändå silkeslent vin som upplevs som avsevärt mycket yngre. Riktigt bra.
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2/25/2016 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Extraordinary. Drank with friends after a brief decanting. Fully mature and offering a kaleidoscopic nose of cherry, spice and dark fruits. Palate coating with a finish lasting a full minute.
If a date, this was a 35 year old Latina beauty who has you sitting on the edge of your chair in anticipation of a kiss after dinner.
Highly recommended extraordinary juice
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2/20/2016 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 95 Points
30th Wedding anniversary with dear friends (INTRO Chicago): Great color, decanted for 2 hrs and could have used 4 more. Initially tight tannins but clearly was ready to open over the course of lamb chops. Cedar box, earthy, mushrooms. Great finish and still a baby.
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2/18/2016 - dcwino wrote: 100 Points
Mostly FGs Bordeaux dinner - 82 & 86 Mouton, 00 Pavie, 86 & 95 Lafite, 96 Margaux and 95 Latour (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): The best showing of this wine I had. Explosive nose displaying intense cassis, liquid smoke, ink, cedar, perfume, chocolate and lead pencil. Unbelievable concentration and beautifully layered. So think yet so polished and silky. Such a big scale wine. It is just mind bogglingly good.
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2/15/2016 - Tkokko Likes this wine: 100 Points
Was like drinking magic. Great flavor but could have still aged for several more decades. One of the best I've ever had. Decanted 3.5-5 hours.
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2/13/2016 - liber wrote: 96 Points
Chez W, decanted an hour, a small step[ up on April 14 note, multi layered, classy fruit covering residue of fine grained tannin, long and persistent as ever, still plenty of energy and life. Very fine plus (19/20).
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2/4/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Significant reserves of dark fruit, earthy notes and dark spice, but all still quite primary yet of very high quality. And all three of those currently in a balanced standoff. Stating the obvious, in its present state this wine benefits from a long decant. Frequently awkwardly young and tight-fisted, this wine's best days are still at least a decade in the future. 95+
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1/30/2016 - BSA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfect filling and bottle looked in really good condition. Foil removed the cork did not look healthy at all. Broke in two when pulled (even with a Durand). It was soaking and stained all around. After 2,5h decant it was really youthful. Color was deep garnet. Lovely concentrated nose, but surprisingly primary. Mouth was great of course, but could not help thinking that it was drunk way too early. We put it aside and turned to neighbouring glass with 2001 Azelia Riserva Voghera Brea that really overshadowed the CMR. Revisited 1+h later the nose had picked up more complexity, as had the mouth but tannins were still gripping and dry and wine overall felt restrained. The finish was incredibly long though. Of course an outstanding wine but we all knew this would be so so much better in 6-10 years time (if not more).
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1/22/2016 - kr522 wrote: 88 Points
I've had this wine a few times and unfortunately just haven't had great luck with it. It's never charming and usually a bit austere as was the case last night.
Poured to a beautiful ruby red color, both the bouquet and flavors are a bit subdued. Definitely softens with aeration, but the tannins mainain a hard edge that's more powerful than the fruit.
I've not come across that magical bottle yet, and I'm starting to wonder if I will. Not a friendly wine. For me the LLC, Gruaud and even PL are better.
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1/1/2016 - maw246 wrote: 98 Points
Upon removing foil cork was discolored and molded. It pulled in one piece but stained all around. Color was deep garnet with hints of brown at rim. Nose was normal and wow. On the palate lots of red fruit, cassis, leather and tobacco. Slightly acidic with lots of tannin remaining. A good two minute finish. One of the best ever tasted.
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12/28/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
Stunning in every sense of the word. With 4 hours of decanting, the regal fruit truly showed of its royal bearing. Mouth filling, but not heavy, the fruit coated your palate. Probably more athletic than brawny, the tannins, while present are ripe giving the wine a polished, masculine personality that is hard to beat. You can drink this stunner now, but you'll get even more out of the wine if you give it another 5-10 years. It's going to be worth it. Made from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the late harvest took place from October 2, finishing October, 16.
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12/25/2015 - La Grappe wrote: 93 Points
Opened about half an hour in advance. Medium red/brick colour; elegant, slightly perfumed nose; rather restrained on the palate, with blackcurrant fruit, good balance, and some dusty, smoky tannin on the finish. This seems rather subdued compared to earlier bottles, with the tannin hiding the fruit to some extent. Perhaps we should have given it more air and more time at the outset. Nevertheless, a classy wine by any standard.
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12/9/2015 - Aglenardi wrote:
Less than ideal bottle or defective? Not really memorable for the evening. Tasted during the 1990 Bordeaux horizontal dinner in HYATT C's Jakarta
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12/3/2015 - jusuf Likes this wine: 98 Points
Big but not a blockbuster. Blackberry, black cherry, tobacco, leather. Wide play of aromas on the palate. Very complex. Very long finish. 9/9
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11/9/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Some bottles of this wine with air, have been quite enjoyable. This bottle tasted like it was 10 years old. Tannic, tight, powerful, dense and full bodied, there was an ocean of fruit. But the tannins and closed character of the wine made it all about the promise, and not about the present.
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11/6/2015 - Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine: 98 Points
The Super Platinum Tasting - Highest Rated 1982 - 1990 Left Bank Bordeaux (Platinum Tasting Group): Tasted single blind in a flight of 100 point Parker wines, all 1982-1990 Left Bank Bordeaux.
This was a nice change from a corked bottle we had last year. This wine was clearly the most youthful of the flight. It had lots of oak on the nose, but still an incredible amount of fruit, really shining through, with dark blackberry and raspberry. The terroir was really there, as for me it was clearly a Pauillac with such masculinity, pencil lead, austerity, and spicy oak. The youth showed through on the palate with some really nice tannic grip along with a lot of black fruit and oak. I enjoyed the structure on this wine but others felt it too tannic. The finish was long and dry and the power and alcohol was present in a good way.
My #5, the group's #8
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10/30/2015 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
The nose is simply gorgeous now on this wine with notes of black fruits, allspice and some eucalyptus. On the palate, it's still quite dense and closed but the breed and class are readily apparent. The texture is akin to black steel which accompanies flavors of very dark fruits along with graphite and smoky eucalyptus. The finish is very fine and intense at the same time with unreal concentration and complex notes of a fabulus violet spice. All this needs is time and tons of it. 95+
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10/26/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
8 Great Bordeaux
1.Flight Latour 1990 MG vs Lynch Bages 1989 MG
2 Flight La Mission Haut Brion 1989 vs Haut Brion 1989
3.Flight Mouton 1982 vs Latour 1982 MG
4 Flight Mouton 1986 vs Lafite 1986
opened 24 hours before, tight, young, tart acidity, feels younger but very different to Mouton 1982, but not so elegant, fruity side beside some mints, chocolate and pencil, 98-99 this time
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10/10/2015 - Argrath wrote: 93 Points
(BYO Blind tasting)
A bit muted nose, that never really came around. Some guessed cork, but I never agreed. Subtle hints of dark fruit, cherries and black currant, oak, spices and meat. Very dense and not very charming.
Medium-fullish, elegant and austere palate. Old-school Bdx. Black currant, oak, cedar. Slightly more tannic than fruit in structure. Very, very austere, and not much happening after two hours or more. An off-bottle?
Classic left-bank Bdx, that became a matter of discussion. With the raving ratings here, this should have shown better. Not corked, but some problem there was. Probably worth a higher rating than my 93.
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10/8/2015 - Dvogt wrote: 97 Points
Decanted for two hours. Should have decanted for four to eight. Kept getting better with time. Lots of fruit, very impressive and elegant.
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10/3/2015 - parkerbj Likes this wine: 100 Points
This is an absolutely beautiful wine. Tasted side by side with 1990 Beaucastel Hommage Jaques Perrin and 2003 Scarecrow, this was hands down the best wine of the night. Stunning in its complexity and finish but also soft and sexy. This is in my top three wines ever tasted.
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9/11/2015 - SimonG wrote: 94 Points
Keith's Blind Challenge 2015 (The Medlar, London): Blind. Dense ruby. Herbaceous. Very left bank. A touch of Brett but more heft and surliness than anything else. 86 and Mouton? It does start to relax but still so dense and unyielding. **(**1/2)?
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9/7/2015 - vivt Likes this wine: 98 Points
Kept the wine out of the wine vault and up for 12 hours opened it 4 hours before the meal redblack berries aroma popped out of the bottle with spice earth,tobacco amazing. light rim purple color. Complex, elegant, tobacco , black fruit, layers and layers of silky flavors. with long finish. absolutely Delicious I share it tthe bottle through tihe whole meal and it was alive , elegant , silky and volumtious. with still a long finish. the best Mouton I have had so far
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8/25/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Clearly, this is the most concentrated wine of the vintage. This is incredibly dense, with so much fruit and tannin, it's hard to believe. Overcoming the hard qualities many wines from 1986 share, the is elegant and powerful all at once. It has the unique ability to combine grace and refinement with massive levels of fruit. The wine is tannic, but not in a bad way, as the tannins are ripe and have polished, soft textures. Still young, drink this now with 4 hours of air, of wait another decade. In this case, patience is a virtue.
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8/21/2015 - vivt Likes this wine: 98 Points
Aromas of black fruit and cherry and prune popped out of the bottle when I opened it. dark color. light rim, started to close but layers of complex fruit earth totally balanced and ethereral for the entire meal. extremelyy long finish . it was spectacular. lush. and deep. with many years to go but I am so happy I enjoyed it now.
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7/12/2015 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Ethereal sublime potion of stewed prune and red fruit with an Asian spice backdrop. Long, long scintillating finish. Hard to say how perfection improves with further age so why wait any longer?
If a date, this was a shapely 29 year old PhD student/ novelist who spends dinner discussing 19th century Russian history before bringing you back to her flat and keeping you awake until 6am with erotic play
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7/11/2015 - Meneley wrote:
Stewed red berries, slightly closed nose. Tannins are grippy. Savoury, med+ finish. LO
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6/2/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Still young, this offers so much promise, once you look below it tannic shell. Intense, fresh, massive, powerful and mouth filling, the wine grabs you, keeping you focused on what's in your glass. Another 5-10 years add even more complexity and softness to the wine.
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4/26/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
An almost perfect Bordeaux, still young with alot of potential. Decanted 3 hours before. Best at the end 6 hours later, cassis, graphite, cedar wood and cigar box, cinnamon, mint, dark berries, elegant with a brialliant long finish, tannins are like chewing gum, smooth and silky. 98-100, next time 6-8h decantation, thanks Thomas
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4/17/2015 - Kim Gerner Likes this wine:
Wine tasting dinner - HQ Bourg, Bord, Ribera del Duero (Bernstorrf slot - Tehuset (kg arr.)): Among others tasted against Mouton Rothschild 1986. Crazy idea but never the less what we did. Both wines have again and again scored 100 points at WA and other places. Very Different wines as expected:
Mouton'86 is a lot more savoury and mature with more tertiary notes than Pingus, which is more fruity with even higher intensity and tannins off course (but not too much), Pingus is a much younger wine but also another grape and region. Both wines have many years ahead but can both definitely drink now.
Subjectively I liked Pingus '04 better than Mouton '86. Around the table, opinions were fairly evenly distributed. Both wines were without doubt outstanding
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3/27/2015 - hkbob Likes this wine: 92 Points
Purple-black color. Decanted for 3 hours and needed all of that and more for the nose to start coming through. Pencil lead, cassis, smoke, blackberry, leather and meat on the nose. Very deep. This was a massive wine and not delivering much on the palate. It was without a doubt good - very Paulliac - but not great as it really needs about another 10 years of cellar time. The structure and concentration seems to be all there for a phenomenal evolution. Just too damn young still - at 29!!
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3/15/2015 - NavyGrog wrote: 100 Points
I have been drinking 1st Growths for many years. This was the best Mouton, I have enjoyed. Even at 29+ yrs it was deep red and youthful. I decanted for 3 hrs. The perfect balance of silky smoothness and complexity. A real full bodied palate full of flavor. Worth every penny of the price. I wish I had a case of this wine.
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3/7/2015 - etyc Likes this wine:
1st Vivino Int'l chapter in Singapore (Sat. evening/night), Part-2 (Park Regis restaurant): What a fabulous (first) Vivino Int'l outing/gathering, & perhaps it was only fitting that it ended on a high, with the last pair of '86 Mouton & '82 Margaux! And what a "baby" this was. Oh boy, it sure was evolving at glacier-pace; However the stuffing it had was obviously evident. Nose of spice & cigars. Just incredible on the palate - depth of fruit, powerful and intense, still fairly tannic but yet, extremely classy. Superb! Can only imagine what a legend this will be when it hits its drinking window!
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3/7/2015 - mwanasheria Likes this wine: 96 Points
Mouton-Rothschild Tasting (Kronenschlösschen, Eltville): Cassis, licorice, raisins. Unbelievable concentration and depth but a bit forbidding at the moment. Long long finish.
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2/27/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
I get to taste this wine a lot, as I own it, and so do many of my friends. While some bottles are more open and expressive than others, it never fails to impress with its massive wall of ripe, intense fruits, nose of Cuban Cigars, cedar chest, truffle, Asian spice, and long, powerful, tannic,yet, polished finish. This is still young and will only get better and better for decades.
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2/19/2015 - ricknat1 wrote: flawed
corked, so no comparison
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2/9/2015 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - top 86 Bdx (mostly) with Grange (360 Bar & Dining, Sydney): {cork, 13%} (Gordon) Amazingly dark for thirty year old. Rivals the Grange. Surprisingly youthful nose of coconut and oak. And black fruit. You’d pick this as five years old, not thirty. Brooding and intense. You could fall into this and be lost forever. You’d swear the palate has some sweet new-world fruit in there; it’s almost jammy in its fruity richness. The wine appears to have lived in some kind of stasis for a quarter of a century; it’s still tight, with medium/high chalky tannins, medium acid; absolutely full-bodied in weight, and a long finish. Massive and impressive, but really far too young to drink. I guess this will be quite something in another quarter-century or more; how’s the 1945 drinking these days? This is all about potential still. Drink in, oh, I dunno, 2060 or so?
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2/7/2015 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Dark garnet and fully mature, the wine gave aromas of black cherry, dark fruit and Asian spice.
Tasting was seamless from the fruit up front, through the complex mid palate and long, long finish.
Lots of stuffing still but I doubt it improves from here. Perfection in a glass.
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1/25/2015 - piebald80 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Life-changing
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1/19/2015 - Eric wrote: 92 Points
Pre Davos Wine Forum tasting (Zumikon, Switzerland): Much darker than the other wines in the flight, an obvious candidate for the Mouton. Brooding and unforgiving, this just doesn't yield much on a very clamped down palate. Perhaps I am influence by the fact that I have had some stellar (albeit very heavily decanted) bottles.
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1/8/2015 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 98 Points
Holiday dinner with Washington DC Winos (Ripple Restaurant in Washington D.C.): This could go to 100 but for the comparisons with Latour 62 and notably 59, I will stick to a 98 points wine. Don't you hate numbers? I do, too, but then again, what the heck. Correction! This was NOT "popped and poured" as I had previously indicated, but rather opened the day before, which proves just how slow its evolution is... With black cassis, dark fruits in its enveloping and pronounced aromatics that grew more and more complex as the wine sat in glass. The palate is full bodied without being so in a "New World" fashion, that is to say, elegant and refined and yet so tannic and powerful at the same time. Going back to the Margaux, Mouton just seems to have so much more "going on" in this vintage. It is a beguiling wine that will reward further aging (and it has the tannin to age for a loooooong time) in your cellar, but can certainly be thoroughly enjoyed today. I would suggest decanting. It was interesting to return to it, after tasting Latour 1959 and 1962, and sense its sheer youthfulness and vigor by comparison - and what holds such promise for further cellaring.
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1/8/2015 - Peliot Likes this wine: 96 Points
(Tres Ninos '86 Bdx Horizontal). Thanks to the studs at Tres Ninos for putting this together. The Mouton had to battle the Lafite and Leoville - all RP 100 wines.
This took two hours to show its best. Deep purple color with a youthful character. Complex and compelling nose of blackberry, leather, black pepper and many other subtleties evolving in the glass. On the palate this wine had the most pure power of all three wines. Intensity in the mid palate and a long finish.
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1/6/2015 - noppakit s. wrote: 100 Points
This time it is very elegant, mild licorice, complex nose, deep and vibrant. Medium-bodied, everything is set to be perfect in balance and structure. Linger and beautiful long finish.
This stage has quite a same scent as 1945. So glad to meet it in 1986. Cheers...
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12/18/2014 - dcwino wrote: 99 Points
Holiday Bordeaux Dinner with Eric - 82, 89 & 90 FGs among others (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Initially cassis dominates, plum, ink, cedar, mineral and lead pencil. Exceptional concentration, cassis driven palate impression, polished and silky palate and nice integrated tannins. Some found this to be still shutdown. I thought the wine was open with very youthful fruits. It is quite precise and linear. A long life ahead. I believe only a couple of us went crazy over this. YMMV.
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12/18/2014 - Eric wrote:
A great dinner at Capella in DC (Washington DC): Deep and sultry but just not giving a ton right now. All of the Mouton elements were there, but this just needs a ton of time.
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12/12/2014 - Zweder wrote: 98 Points
Occasional dinner group: Riesling GG and 100 RP point wines: Impressive bouquet with dark fruits, ink, minerals etc. On the palate still backward with a lot of cassis and other dark forest fruits, youthful tannin with a good bite. Still reserved, but spreading through the mouth beautifully. Many in the group gave the wine the perfect score, which it probably deserves, but for now I think the wine needs another 10+ years to show its full beauty. 98++ for tonight.
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12/12/2014 - jkoenen wrote: 100 Points
White GG's and Red 100PP's (Restaurant Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam): Truly unique, inspiring and emotional stuff... Warranting the 2nd perfect score in my wine-life...
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12/8/2014 - Amugica wrote: 91 Points
Epitome bordeaux. Nose fantastic, wine just normal, as it has always happened to me with these wines.
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11/27/2014 - hehimm wrote: 100 Points
An absolutely remarkable wine. To last 26 years in my uncontrolled cellar and be this good, it deserves a 100 point rating from me! Opened at 4PM Thanksgiving and to celebrate our 40th anniversary. Took maybe an hour to begin to open. Still ruby in the center and a slight claret on the edges. A symphony of flavors and aromas: earth, leather, cedar, berries. Very soft tannins and a slightly dry finish. Finished the next night over three hours. Just as wonderful.I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy this level of wine. One left!
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11/25/2014 - Neecies Likes this wine: 100 Points
100 pts too much? Not to my tastes. Flawlessly chiseled, with a dense core of complex high acid fruit and everything that makes a Bordeaux legend. Will of course be even more rewarding later on, but it's nonetheless a thrill to taste right now.
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11/23/2014 - godx wrote: 94 Points
Drew's 40th: Nose still youthful but still showing classic Mouton nose of currants, dark cassis and rubber/tar/smoke. Not as open and approachable as the 86 Cheval Blanc, but continued to open up in the glass for hours. Chiselled profile with condensed fruit balanced by incredibly energetic acidity. Needs another decade but wow this is good now. Insane potential. 94+
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11/15/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 97 Points
"International Business & Wine Society Mouton Dinner at Nomad, NYC." Really a fabulous ageless Bordeaux made in a classic old style but that doesn't take anything away from the chiseled class and breed this wine shows. Still so young but showing perfect balance between the grippy intense black fruits and the high-acid, high tannin style. The wine is full but also very fine like cut granite. The density and fine complexity to be found on the finish, to me at least, are legendary. 97+
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11/14/2014 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
4 Days 4 Great Events and lots of Parker Points; 11/14/2014-11/18/2014 (Paris & London): Double decanted for about 2 hours and observed over a good hour. Needs a lot of decanting. We should have done more as it only showed its true face at the end of our dinner.Side by side with Cos 90( Papies 96) and las cases 1985(Papies 95).
Amazingly it felt still very young! We have tried this wine a few times and have had a lot of bottle variation too. Smoky side on the nose, still good core of rich dark fruit, elegant and very balanced. Light leathery side, light pepper but still a healthy and solid core of dark fruits ,good acidity and impressively fresh.always a great experience albeit not the best we have had with this great wine. 95 on the day and has a loooong life ahead
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10/25/2014 - fcxj wrote: 98 Points
Wow, better than 82? Open for debate
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10/17/2014 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 96 Points
White Truffle Lunch (Otto e Mezzo, Alexandra House, Central, Hong Kong): Opened for 7 hours and decanted for another 2 hours. Dark, brooding, semi-transparent black-red colour......it looks like a 2005 and definitely looks much youunger than the preceding 1996 La Conseillante. Nose is GOSH!.......classic, perfectly linear pencil lead and graphite, high-toned, incredibly elegant, lean, sleek, pedigreed......just in a higher league to all the preceding wines. Palate is sublime - austere, aloof, tightly wound, incredibly linear, black fruit blackened by black shoe polish, a blackberry reduced to an atom of super-concentrated essence. Incredible finesse. Angular. Lean-faced. Beautiful in a 'glance but don't stare' way that is a perfect epitome of the vintage. Has hardly yielded at all since we last drank this together in 2009........but just wonderful and everyone's wine of the lunch. Almost 97. Thanks, Jason!
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10/4/2014 - UPL wrote: 89 Points
very tannic--no fun at this stage
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9/27/2014 - WildeMeeuw wrote: flawed
Paris Tasting in Zwolle (again... at last) (De Librije - Zwolle): Cork...... aaaaargh
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9/21/2014 - mwanasheria Likes this wine: 99 Points
High shoulder, but still an excellent bottle. Nose of mint, smoke, dark fruit. On the palate cassis, herbs, tea and so long. Great juice.
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9/21/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
Clearly the wine of the vintage. At almost 30 years of age, this is fun to drink. But its best days are well into the future. There is an exotic texture to the massive wall of fruit, ripe, coupled with powerful, but tannins and attention seeking aromatics.
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8/20/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 96 Points
Mouton Dinner (Ritz Chicago): Decanted and drank over two hours. This really took some time to come around and only really did once we dug into our Wagyu cheeseburgers…as you do. Once the nose came around there was more spice, cinnamon and spearmint along with coffee and chocolate on the nose and palate. Rich dark fruit with serious, but obtrusive tannin. Very long finish.
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8/8/2014 - KoalaHK wrote:
Drunk at the HK Club - this was the best example I have had of this wine, but it still doesn't jump out at you. It took almost all night for the wine to show what it can do and even then I'm convinced it had more potential. I am guessing the wine is still too young and I also suspect that if we had decanted it hours before (maybe even in the morning) it would have benefited. Well, only one thing to do I guess; keep on trying it!
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8/4/2014 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Nose was very shy. Almost nothing after an hour.
Palate was dense, deep, dark and brooding. It took quite a bit to get anything out of this. All the components were there but they were doing a good job of staying in the background. It definitely needs many more years to show its stuff but there are definite signs this has what it takes for perfection. Would love to revisit in 20 years.
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7/30/2014 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 97 Points
A Bordeaux wine of high calibre showing amazing youthfulness at 28 years of age - I would say it needs some time to reach the plateau of its maturity. Nose was classic Pauillac, savoury with cedar notes and animal.
Still there was a hint of greeness as if it was a touch corked - which it wasn't. Palate is fluid, muscular, vibrant and classic, but if this was a perfect bottle of Mouton '86 then the wine although fabulous is not perfect and will not get perfect because of the slight greeness on the nose. Splitting hair, I know...
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7/29/2014 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 97 Points
Served blind right after a 2007 Domaine de la Janasse CdP Vielles Vignes. Immediately guessed as a left bank Bordeaux and most probably Pauillac, possibly first growth but I failed to guess the age since I thought it was much younger. Dark garnet. Expressive nose with melted graphite, cedar, cassis, barnyard, florality, licorice and spice. Medium to full-bodied, with rich, vibrant fruit, firm tannins and balancing acidity. Very long aftertaste with a sence of dryness. Very enjoyable but could benefit from another 5 years of cellaring. Classic Mouton at its best!
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7/20/2014 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
drank it 28/05/2011 my best red wine so far, menthol, mintchocolate, casis, pencil, dark berries, minerality, fullbodied, firm and soft tannins, still very young, very long aftertaste after fruit jam, won against Unico 1991
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7/14/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Big, powerful, rich, tannic and packed with layer after layer of fruit. The wine coats your palate, the nose offers complexities, but the wine is still young at close to 30 years of age. There is a bit of grit to the tannins that was overwhelmed by the fruit, but you could feel a bit. If you can wait a decade, this should be even better as it is has all the raw materials for a long life.
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7/12/2014 - MikeZ Likes this wine:
A hint of dryness and still significant tannins on the finish, but an excellent wine.
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6/24/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 96 Points
Birthday Celebration (Abigail's American Bistro - Highland Park IL): Open and decanted an hour+ before serving. Black plum and currant with liqueur, cigarbox and intense savory spice. Long minute+ finish with extreme concentration. Keot getting better and better in the hour in glass. My WOTN in a close, 4-horse race.
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6/15/2014 - King JR wrote: 98 Points
This was sensational! Incredible burst of aromas when the bottle was first opened. Then shut down a bit for a couple of hours, and then ... WOW! It exploded with taste and flavor. Much more round and substantial than the Lafite (90 and 95). By the 4th-5th hour this baby had blossomed into what we were all hoping it would be. For sure WOTW (week), against some pretty stiff competition (Palmer 89, Lafite 90/95, Gaja Sperss 1997, Montrose 2000). Great nights, lots of fun.
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5/31/2014 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
Great one. I think close to his highest level. I had it twice. At the first time more impressed. Everything a fantastic red wine needs. Silky, elegant, eternal finish. (50+5+15+19+9). Will have it again in 2 month
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5/24/2014 - canan wrote: 98 Points
KYD - The Killing Fields (Søllerød Kro): What a crazy wine!! Insane flavors depth and huge backbone for a wine with this amount of age.
Loads of fruit but also packed with a harsh and tight tannin structure. Still needs a lot of time before it will be a real pleasure to drink.
However, the wine is very impressive and shows how good Mouton can make wine. This will keep for a very long time!
Consuming the wine over 3 hours didn't really evolve the wine but it could perhaps have been better with 6-9 hours of air before consumption.
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5/15/2014 - Midde wrote: 98 Points
had with nick in paradise valley
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4/8/2014 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chez W, decanted 2 hours, splendid as usual and continuing to develop at glacial pace, tannins now fully absorbed, fruit beautifully round and almost unctuous, but at the price of nuance...I'm not sure I didn't prefer the Las Cases 88 3 days later....it's certainly better than the Latour in 86, but my recollection is that Lafite and Margaux and possibly Las Cases are more interesting at this exalted level - time to look at them again! Very fine (18.5/20).
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4/6/2014 - Grenik Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep purple and youthful looking in the glass. Nose of graphite, metal, and loam. Minimal fruit when first opened, but a couple hour decant started to coax out some blue fruit aroma. The palate had nice depth and balance. Blue fruits, tobacco, pine, pencil lead were present. The palate shifted a lot and provided interest. Give it time to open up if drinking now. I think my score may have been higher if I had let it rest a couple more hours. It is an excellent wine.
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3/13/2014 - d'Artagnan wrote: 95 Points
Dégustation Bordeaux 1986 Chez Christophe: Un nez encore un peu boisé, avec du café, de la viande, très jeune.
La bouche est très élégante et jeune, dans un style moderne. Il est peu expressif, mais possède la texture d’un grand vin. Il affiche une très grande longueur structurelle, mais pas sans la complexité attendue d’un vin de cet âge et de son rang. Il se comporte en fait comme un très jeune vin encore fermé et marqué par son élevage. Je crois qu’il intégrera le tout car il possède une grande finesse de tanins et n’a rien d’asséchant. Si ce ne fut pas le coup de cœur attendu, il me reste l’impression d’une promesse de grandeur. Je n’ai pas de doute en fait qu’il sera très grand, mais pas avant une dizaine d’années voire davantage. 95 (++) pts
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3/12/2014 - lifebreath Likes this wine:
After a 1.5 hour decant, this wine was still stubborn and unyielding. It was simply not willing to give anything. I was surprised and disappointed. The structure was elegant and refined, and hints of glory peered out. Color was deep and dark. With time during the prime rib meal, the wine began to reveal its fruit, but it never really opened up. Needs a good 3-4 hour decant. The 1990 Pichon Baron outshone the Mouton. I hesitate to give a score, since I think with more decanting time, the wine would have come alive. It's a 92+ wine, I just can't evaluate further.
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3/2/2014 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
1970s Bordeaux Horizontal (Golden Gate Yacht Club, San Francisco): Deep, deep ruby color, cannot see through; nose has very deep black fruit, blackberry, very balanced, nice component of green but mostly black fruits, very young nose; full bodied, black fruits, tannins don't kick in until midpalate, great acid throughout; finish is medium length. This is just far too young, difficult to evaluate, but has great balance. 93-95+++
30 min air: starts to wake up on the nose, palate is still tight, tannic. A menthol component comes out on the nose. Lovely wine with great silky texture and obviously dense layers waiting to mature, but not yet at a point where it is enjoyable to drink. If you have any, wait 5-10 years minimum. 94
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1/25/2014 - AlanM68 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanting this you would never take it as a wine that's 28 years old. It's still beautifully, richly red. On the nose there is still some red fruits. Tasting it, it's smooth, silky, very together with great length. People aren't kidding when they given this another 30+ years of life. Sadly, I have only one bottle left. I will have to lose it at the back of the cellar.
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1/19/2014 - Wink Likes this wine: 97 Points
Served with braised beef cheek at a Society of Bacchus dinner. This was my favorite red wine of the evening. I did not take notes. From memory: fully mature Bordeaux with all the elements: power, complexity, length, & balance. Incredibly silky texture. A wonderful companion to food. Outstanding.
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1/17/2014 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 99 Points
"Best of the Best" Tasting (Switzerland): Tasted blind out of 0.75 bottle, decanted for 2hours back in original bottle:
Clear deep red. Nose of leather, walnut, currant, mint, coffee and smoke. A wine where the perfect harmony of opposites create the masterpiece...acidity and sweetness, opulence and elegance, length and complexity. Flavors of dark berries, coffee and black currant. Still young and a wine that can be easily stored for the next two generations. Drink now - 2050.
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12/19/2013 - tbabes wrote: 96 Points
The fill was base neck and the cork was sound. Very dark color, with some ruby at the rim. Pretty reserved still, but with coaxing revealed notes of cassis, currant, truffle, and hints of tobascco. Full-bodied, with good depth; enjoyable mouthfeel, but just lacking in terms of texture. A very serious wine, this should last for another 30 years where properly cellared!
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12/14/2013 - Ericsson wrote: 93 Points
Bouteille et bouchon en parfaite condition. Bouteille achetée en primeurs. Passée en carafe durant 90 minutes. Couleur prune violette, très peu évoluée. Nez sur le cassis, puis la fumée, le bois noble. En bouche, on remarque la constitution colossale, avec le bémol que ce vin, à ce stade, manque de finesse. La longueur n'est pas exceptionnelle non plus, même si les tanins sont bien présents.
La matière est là, c'est du costaud, mais nous n'avons pas réellement eu du plaisir. Il me fait penser à Montrose 1986.
A revoir dans quelques années, mais je le préférais il y a 10 ans, je le trouvais plus harmonieux.
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11/23/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
More earth, a bit of funk and a grittiness I didn't get with the first bottle we had today at lunch. Nice when you get to have this wine back to back. Still a powerful experience.
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11/23/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 96 Points
Another great bottle. Massive concentration, although this did not need as much time as the last bottle to really get going. A wonderful and complete wine that has loads of time left.
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10/29/2013 - Biglama Likes this wine: 94 Points
wat een wijn, hij blijft zich nog terugtrekken, geeft zich niet over, heeft zijn tijd nog nodig, donkere kleur, veel dikte, intens, veel indrukken, blijven volgen!
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9/30/2013 - burgburgburg Likes this wine: 95 Points
The Mouton 86 is truly the most outstanding Mouton out of dozens vintages I tried. It's so powerful and muscular. Tannin is still very strong with big big big structure. It's only half-opened even after 2 hours in decanter. Cellar it.
Drank side-by-side with a HB 89, which is more silky, balanced and approachable at this moment.
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9/29/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
Needed 3+ hours in a decanter to begin to show itself. Then a gorgeous classic mouton nose of blackberries and cassis with notes of roasted nuts and dark minerals. On the palate the wine shows an incredible concentration of blackberry and dark rasberry fruit in a very crisp and tight package. Extremely fine and refined with immense depth of flavor which leads to a finish with ripe but steel-like tannins with notes of dark graphite minerals And Asian spices. Drinking very well now with roasted meats but its as clear as day that this is a wine that will only show it's best after 50+ years and will live as long as any modern day Bordeaux ever produced. 96++
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9/1/2013 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Slow-O 2 hours, served non-blind. Medium toward dark ruby with gentle fading to the rim, cork in exc. cond. Youthful, exuberant and wholly different than the 1988, this is a wow-wine, or at least it's destined to become one since the best is still a decade or two (or three) away. Seriously endowed, but in an elegant, sophisticated way. I think someone used the word regal, I couldn't agree more. I'll likely be haunted by this beauty for some time to come, and I'm ok with that. highly recommended
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8/28/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Power, purity, refinement and intensity. This incredibly concentrated wine remains the wine of the 1986 Bordeaux vintage. With 4 hours of air, the wine began to open and reveal tobacco, Cuban cigars, truffle, cassis, blackberry and Asian spice notes. On the palate, the wine is huge, but perfectly balanced with all the right elements leading to a pure, clean finish that builds in the mouth for close to 60 seconds! You can pop a cork today with 3-4 hours of air, but if you have the patience, another 5-10 years in the bottle will only add more complexity to this stunning wine.
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8/2/2013 - S1 Likes this wine:
Still at the Mountain House--Tim Strikes Again: Soft and saturated cork, but still extracted in one piece. We had worries at first but the wine was OK, just perhaps a little tired fruit. Still shows firm tannins with leather/tobacco, pleasant herbaceous qualities and tart red fruit with just a hint of black fruit. Perhaps a bit of soy near the finish.
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7/31/2013 - dream wrote: 96 Points
Still built like steel but this wine is at least finally starting to show what it has in store. The nose has scents of cedar and black spices and on the palate it's showing flavors of black currants and graphite minerals. Rich, big and deep and perfectly balanced and elegant. I would say of all the '86's, this will be the longest-lived and perhaps ultimately the best. Really regal and sure of itself. 96+
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5/26/2013 - G_H Likes this wine: 97 Points
Richter Raritäten Degu (Restaurant Farnsburg, Switzerland): Collectively all tasters in the room had this wine many many times over the past years, most have followed the wine since release, many also had it recently, some just 3 days before, me personally 3 months before. Yet all of us, absolutely all of us, agreed that this was the first time that the wine was really open and felt ready.
A spectacular bottle, tons of blackberry, blackcurrant and many more type of dark berries most of which I don't even know exist. Then follow the classic Mouton pencil shavings and graphite notes. The palate then has so much power yet remains elegant.
A legendary wine!
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5/8/2013 - obmoen wrote: 96 Points
Dekantert og luftet 6 timer. Tilbake på flaska et par timer og tilbake på karaffel i et par timer. Fillen var i bunn av hals og korken gjennomtrukket. Dyp mørk, bred kjerne. Tung frukt kombinert med floralitet. Etter hvert krydder, solbær og den framstår ganske heftig. Dette forsvinner og den framstår mutt igjen. Parfyme kommer. Nesen kom og gikk og var lite til å stole på. Tanninene biter bak (fat) og foran på overleppa (frukt). God lengde og flott syre. Den drar seg mot mentol før den blir litt mutt igjen. Ikke topp flaske og muligens for lang lufting.
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4/29/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 93 Points
MNSC - Alex (Amuse Bouche): decanted for 2 hours. still incredibly tight and young. some asian spice and mint, but a little too masculine for me.
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4/17/2013 - eBoB wrote: 88 Points
Wino w doskonałej kondycji ale kompletnie bez charakteru. Pijac mialem wrażenie ze jest to wino niedonczone, ze brak mu zapachu, owocu ...
W kieliszku Riedel CS nabrało trochę głębi. Nos: tytoń, ziemia. W ustach delikatne wygladzone z mała ilością tanin.
---
Eric botels
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4/14/2013 - DavidF90210 wrote: 100 Points
One of my favorite wines. Crushed the competition @ Mistral in the valley. Ringle and Leve.
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4/5/2013 - mwanasheria wrote: 100 Points
This is the only challenger to the 1945. Incredibly youthful with a wild nose of cherries, spices, tobacco. On the palate more spice, dark plum, smoke, silky texture, but the tannins are still quite forbidding. Open up after about an hour to become more charming.
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4/4/2013 - sdr wrote: 88 Points
Difficult to rate this wine. Even after a 9 hr decant, it was bruising and tough. It's dense, meaty, powerful and long, but I wonder if it will ever come into balance. The fruit is clenched and tight.
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3/28/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
The wine of the vintage strikes again! From a difficult year, known for tough, tannic wines, 1986 Mouton Rothschild is a true gem. Asian spice, coffee bean, smoke, blackberries, over ripe cherries, earth, tobacco and stone notes come alive. Powerful, intense and packed with more layers of fruit than I'd want to count, the wine is massive. It tastes and feels like a full bottle was poured into a magnum. The wine is masculine, but refined, structured and graceful. At close to 30 years of age, it wants another decade or more before it really starts to deliver its goods. This wine clearly coats your mouth, palate and tongue with the essence of Bordeaux.
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3/9/2013 - FransS Likes this wine: 95 Points
My friend Richard surprised me yesterday evening with this (well stored) wine. The nose was very elegant not very Pauillac (more like Léoville-Las Cases); the midtaste was very sophisticated, balanced and refined, no hard edges, as '86 can offer.
The final was nearly sublime, although showing ripeness there was no sign of age in the wine. This bottle was really 'à point'.
In total, the wine was not the equivalent of the '59, but this '86 Mouton-Rothschild was worth his reputation.
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2/3/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Rapidly approaching 30 years of age, this is still an adolescent! While fun to drink now, at maturity, which could come in another 10-15 or 20 years, this is going to be a stunning wine! It’s got it all starting with smoke filled bouquet, complicated with lead pencil, cigar box, spice, dark chocolate, cassis and dark berries. Still tanninc, the tannins are ripe, but there is a light chalky quality feel in the incredibly long, intense, structured finish. The 4 hour decanting was about right.
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1/22/2013 - G_H Likes this wine: 98 Points
My 30th Birthday Tasting; 1/20/2013-1/22/2013 (Martin's House): Tea leaves, still a lot of black berries and fruit left. dense, suuper dense with massive reserves left. This needs air. At this point it scored 94 and was just behind the Haut.
After 4 hours decanting this baby opened up and WOW!! THis had a creamy texture, nose of chocolate, banana and coconut. What a wine!!!
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1/1/2013 - MC wrote:
Base neck/top shoulder. Remaining bottles have slightly higher fill. Dark, concentrated, tannic wine. Plenty of spice, earth, coffee on the nose. This wine is still a baby. Three hours later it still had not opened up. I understand how it could be stunning, but needs time. A-/A
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11/23/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Friday after Thanksgiving (FAT) (Palm Beach Gardens FL): Tasting, brief note. Massive black fruit, great spice aromas. Still firm, dense and masculine, this would clearly have benefited from some decanter time, but continues to give clear signs of how great it will be in the future. 96-98 points.
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11/23/2012 - psmith wrote: 94 Points
Friday after Thanksgiving II (Palm Beach Gardens, FL): Finally rounding out a bit. Black fruits. Bold, masculine styling. Well built.
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11/23/2012 - sdwineguru wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for one hour. Darkest purple, looks young; complex nose of terroir, tobacco, cedar, mint, rich Cabernet fruit; mid-body to big; mid-to-high viscosity; becoming more approachable as tannins soften; hints of wood, chocolate and berries in the finish; almost chewy. Two couples enjoyed with filet mignon, rack of lamb and wild boar. Wine a match for them all. Taste again in five years!
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10/24/2012 - obmoen wrote: 99 Points
Luftet 15 timer. Krydder, lær, tobakk og mørk frukt. Monumental men frisk i munn. Masse frukt, tannin og frukt gjør den ungdommelig og rank. Lang, selvsagt. Den er opphøyet over ordet "godt", men det er det. Utrolig godt!
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10/19/2012 - LWI wrote: 97 Points
Mature and Maturing Bordeaux (Oslo): 15 h decant. Same cold cellar from release. Very, very dark; lots of black currants and other dark berries ; very fruity in the mouth, fresh, full, lots of tannin behind the fruit. Long and balanced. More up front than expected, perhaps helped by the long decant.
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10/8/2012 - svdheijden wrote:
Again a poor performance of this famous wine, this time from different provenance than the bottle from January this year. Am I misinterpreting this wine? Is is still so closed that we cannot taste through it? But tasting it blind, we came across unripe, grassy notes, drying tannins, very little complexity in nose or taste and a very short finish. These are not the characteristics of a young top wine. Drank along Cos and Leoville las Cases 1986, both with star performance. I'll try again in 10 years.
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9/23/2012 - johnh1001 wrote: 96 Points
Double decanted and drank over 2 hours. My second time with this wine this year. It is so incredibly huge I still can't get over it. Giant black and red fruit aromas on the nose along with wood, leather and some spice an smoke. More red fruit and dark fruit on the palate with a mocha background. Huge in the mouth. Big tannin but easily matched by the fruit. Even after a few hours this was still holding back. Super long finish with strong tannin and fruit. I want to drink this again tomorrow but waiting 10 years to do it again is the right call.
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9/10/2012 - jamie24 wrote: 95 Points
decanted for 7 hours and consumed over the following 6 hours. still improving at the end. still deep purple with very little sign of ageing at the rim... incredibly youthful for a 26 year old wine. wonderful sense of symmetry and precision but i still feel something is being held in reserve. won't touch any of my remaining 9 bottles for a few years
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9/5/2012 - dicehk wrote: 89 Points
This was wine at the current stage was a disappointment. The bottle was a magnum and was decanted for three hours before tasting. As described by Dbrane in his tasting not on 9/1/11, this wine is just way too primary still. Extremely tight, didn't open even after 5 hours. Maybe one for 10 years time....
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8/20/2012 - PBM wrote:
Well I'd never be one, and I say that sincerely, to contradict Jeff but we definitely had a different experience with a '86 Mouton that we opened Saturday night. Before saying anything it's important to note that after quickly opening up this wine was singing. Such a beautiful expression of Bordeaux. A bit off the shoulder on the fill but not much. No decant at all. So vibrant in the glass. Like it had been bottled yesterday. Smoke and earth and dried red fruit and all things one looks for. Kept improving to the point where we set it aside for less than an hour just to make sure we could experience anything it had to offer as it progressed. It was not to be. When we went back to it the nose and taste had faded. Clearly we got the best of it and fortunately only reserved a few glasses. I realize storage and bottle variation counts for a lot with these wines but be careful. We would have been very disappointed if we had decanted for any length of time. Of course, it's possible that it could have reappeared after a spell but we weren't able to find out so we just finished her off.
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8/18/2012 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
We overnighted at our friends' lake cottage overlooking Lake Wabamun - about 45 minuts West of the City. Four couples joined in the fun.
In the afternoon we had a blind wine tasting of four California Pinot Noirs - 2008 Rochioli Estate Russian River Valley,
2008 Kosta-Browne Sonoma County, 2008 Rivers-Marie Summa Old Vines, and 2009 Failla Sonoma County.
I only managed to identify one of the wines - the KB - although I have tasted all of them in prior settings.
Sat on the screened deck overlooking some sailing and water skiing on the lake. Terrific weather -calm, clear and sunny 86F.
Each of the Pinot Noirs was most attractive and gained additional nuances and complexity as they sat open. Group favorite turned out
to be the Failla wine. The group liked its balance and elegance on the palate. But this posting is not about the Pinot Noirs. At dinner
our host offered up a Magnum of the 1986 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild to accompany some grilled venison tenderloin.
This venison was from a deer our host shot last Fall. Turned out to be an exceptional matchup.
High fill level - two inch cork removed intact and in excellent condition; decanted a few hours prior to dinner; deep black color,
opaque with a thin edge of purple; the aromas were incredible, with massive sweet black currant fruit, some spices and a slight
smoky element; a cedar note struggling to get by the fruit; the fruit carries, however, and continued to shoot well into the nostrils -
almost breath taking in its depth; layer upon layer of fruit on the palate that extended well into the back and just wouldn't stop;
with all of that fruit it took a bit of time to bring out the peppery nuances; acidity frames a solid structure, and there remain some
soft tannins to resolve over more time; the finish would not quit as the fruit remained for what seemed an exceptionally long time.
I suspect this wine had more years to reach its peak of maturity, whenever that might be, but it was a great experience to drink it now.
Many thanks to Bob, our host on this occasion.
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8/6/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Smoke, cassis, truffle, brown sugar, lead pencil, cherry blossoms, smoke, Asian spice, caramel and light chocolate with mint create the perfume. Big, powerful, full bodied with dense textures, chalky tannins and the structure to age for several more decades without trouble, there is a lot of intense, spice and cassis meshed with tannins remaining to be resolved. The wine was decanted 4 hours prior to serving. I am not a fan of long decants. But 1986 Mouton Rothschild demanded it. In fact, it continued improving in the glass for the next few hours. Even though the wine is 26 years old, another 5-10 years is required before it begins to show its best.
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7/25/2012 - jlgnml wrote: 95 Points
Mouton Vertical Tasting & Dinner (JW Marriott Chicago Il): Initial funk on the nose, opened beautifully over the course of the meal, dark color, lasting on the palate.
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6/9/2012 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 98 Points
A very deep colour; intense, concentrated, with a very smooth, velvety texture; there is blackcurrant fruit, cigar box and cedar, and mineral notes; a very deep and long finish. A top class claret, hard to beat.
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6/8/2012 - latimer wrote: 89 Points
We were all excited about this wine, and the 86 Lafite, supposedly the perfect pair. Sadly not so. The Lafite was corked, and the Mouton, well, was it faulty? There were no signs of being corked or any visible faults, but despite decanting and pouring over for hours, the wine remained tannic, closed and forbidding, utterly charmless. I do not know what to score it. As a drink today it's maybe around 88+, lots of structure but not enough fruit to cover it. In 10 years time, who knows, maybe it will be great and come out of its shell, but on this bottle showing I doubt it. Sadly I dont have one to test out in 2022! Hugely disappointing.
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6/2/2012 - Milos wrote: 95 Points
Drank at dinner with Heinz and the gang. Although the bottle still had a very high level the cork was fully soaked. Very dark red colour; almost opaque; no hint of brick. The nose was intense and forward dark red fruit, black cherry but not as fresh as I expected. Mineral notes and herbs. The palate is as intense as the colour suggests, maybe even more, low acidity, balanced and tannins are ripe and in balance. Overall I think this bottle did not do the wine justice, but still very enjoyable.
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6/2/2012 - cab blends wrote: 98 Points
100 Point Wine Dinner: Second time having this in a month! Consistent rating at 98 and had this with the 1982 tonight. Very similar although the 1982 has some fruity sweetness coming through. Classic Mouton.
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5/4/2012 - cab blends wrote: 98 Points
AHA - A dinner with Mouton (Washington DC - Mellon Auditorium): Smooth and velvety with moderately heavy tannins. This was the best of the night.A light hint of berries on the nose.
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4/26/2012 - Chainthroer wrote: 97 Points
Tasted blind with wine friends at our annual NFL Draft get together. Fragrant aromas of blackberry, black current, black cherry, cigar box, a touch of graphite, chocolate, cedar and an ever so slight touch of pleasant barnyard - highly complex. Great structure and balance. A creamy/velvety texture in the mouth. Highly concentrated. A long silky finish. Monumental stuff.
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4/25/2012 - jeff nowak wrote: 95 Points
dinner @ ann colgin's home. i'm a mouton fan, and this vintage hits me in the right place. i am only sparingly gaga over wines 25+ years of age, preferring the 15-20 year range because...i don't usually have access to perfect provenance, so why wait? well, this bottle is why you wait if you can. complex and simply lovely, it only lacks super depth of fruit.
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4/25/2012 - kstoddard wrote: 94 Points
"The Dinner" Featuring Six Bordeaux Luminaries (Ann Colgin's and Joe Wender's Home): Dark ruby color. Nose of black currant and earth. Tastes of blackberry, cherry, currant, cedar, and pencil lead. Well balanced. Fine grained tannins. Rich powerful finish with very nice complecity and depth. A wine for the ages. Actually could use more time to blossom.
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4/18/2012 - davidwhitedc wrote: flawed
Epic Wine Dinner at Bourbon Steak (Washington DC): Corked!
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4/15/2012 - Trickyone wrote:
Over 25 Tasting (Home): In comparison to the slightly flawed Ch. Margaux that preceded it at our tasting, this bottle was glorious from the beginning. It was also decanted about 3 hours before the event, and the scent went from wonderful to spectacular. Beautiful deep color to the rim, with no indication of its age. No earthiness that can show up in older wines--just soft, clean, clear fruit with a finish that went on forever.
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4/5/2012 - Papies wrote: 98 Points
Mouton 86 vs Lafite 89 and some other friends (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): Decanted for 2 hours and decanting is advisable as definitely it helped the wine open up.
Good bottle and cork and this time in singing mode.
I think our earliest TN reflects this wine 100%
"Class, Eleganse and complexity. We could really stop the TN here. The nose is really a journey into a complex set of red fruit, little earth and floral elements. The palate is velvety, layers and layers of beauty.
Wine is still very much alive and vibrant but tannins are well integrated and post 1.5 hours the wine was fully singing. Nothing out of sync or out of balance, purity to the limit. Complex and kept on improving, never loosing any of its vribrancy. Truly magnificent. maybe 98 is low."
Vs the Lafite 89. Outshone the Lafite but anyway the LAfite was never a match for this behemoth.
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2/6/2012 - DRob wrote:
INTENSE color, with earthiness in the nose. Amazed by the intensity of flavors, acidity and strength. This wine should easily last another 25 years. Best wine of the night for me. One of the best wines I've ever had. EVER. Came back for more.
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1/13/2012 - svdheijden wrote: 93 Points
level into neck, perfect provenance, cold cellar. Colour very dark ruby, rather youthfull, nose one-dimensional at first; so sweet that it could be from Italia, a little later tobacco, dusty, almost Graves. Taste not very interesting at first. Overly sweet, massive, not very complex. Rather abrupt finish. Not living up to its reputation. Mediocre bottle or just not near matureness? We'll find out in 10+ years time.
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12/6/2011 - d'Auvenay Likes this wine: 96 Points
It's a 86 Bordeaux event including other great wines such as Mouton and Lafite. Unfortunately, the wines were opened and decanted late. Fantastric structure and nose, but too young for consumption. Let's wait for another 5-10 yrs before trying again.
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12/5/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
This is a huge, giant of a wine. There is so much fruit packed into this wine, the bottle seemed to be bulging and the seams straining to hold all the ripe cassis, black fruit and Asian spice in place. This is an amazing wine demanding at least another 15/20 years in the bottle. This might be the most concentrated Bordeaux I have ever experienced. Unfortunately, it remained for the most part tight. A long decant is the way to go for those lacking patience.
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11/12/2011 - dream wrote: 95 Points
BW bottle. Fill into neck. Still primary color with a tight nose of ripe black rasberries and allspice. This bottle is quite tight and unforgiving but the fruit and mineral cut are so pure and classy that you can tell this will blossom into something special. It has deep black rasberry fruit with great underlying graphite and mineral notes. The tannins are firm but very fine and this particular bottle needs another 10+ years. Great class and breed is quite evident. 95+l
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10/11/2011 - St Paul wrote: 98 Points
This has got so much potential with its packed dark rubin fruit. Almost a bit Latour like. Many people think this can be as good as 1945. Maybe, if the fruit can deliver. Its not there now but you can feel its somewhere underneath. Very hard to judge at this point. A sleeping beauty.
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10/6/2011 - Amerique wrote: 96 Points
Beautifully fresh, full-bodied black cherry fruit with cedary, leather, tobacco, cassis, and slightly cigar box flavors, superb structure, elegant with some age, long finish, texture of wine wasn't as rich as I would have hoped, many years left to go but wine seems at it's peak
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9/1/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 93 Points
2011 Simple Series 9: Sean BOD (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck @ Paragon): Alcohol :: 12.5%
Opened for about 7hrs and decanted for 2hrs. Such dark color, this magnificent Mouton seems never aged, on the color itself everyone think this could be as young as a 2000! Nose was quite tight and shy, but it was deep and intense. Cedar, pencil shaving, capsicum, earth with sweet dark fruits underneath. The palate is as youthful as the color may suggest, still terribly tight despite such long hrs of aeration. Formidable structured dominated the palate and the underlying sweet dark fruits were struggling to surface. Large scale, expansive with mouth coating intensity but this is well delineated, focus and precise. Massive tannin here, provide good grip and depth but this is very ripe and fine grained with no sense of heaviness. The finish is unreal with wonderful freshness! The last sip is getting sweeter and juicier. This is no way near the its drinking window. Hand off for at least another decade. Today I prefer the completeness of the Turque but I believe the Mouton will be eventually overcome the Turque 10yrs down the road. 93-95+
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9/1/2011 - Dbrane wrote: 89 Points
Sean Birthday (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck): Not drinking so well at the moment due to the tightly knit structure and tannins. Unbelievably primary even from the color from the rim. Probably will be outstanding in 10-20 years time but at the moment, not yet. A wine of pedigree but needs much time to shine.
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9/1/2011 - yeoman wrote:
Super young this does not taste like a 86 just like the margaux 86 I had recently. When will this one be peaking, another 20 years
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9/1/2011 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
2011 Simple Series VII: Sean's Birthday (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): Opened 6 hours before and decanted another 3 hours, yet this was so, so closed. It had a beautiful flowery bouquet, with dried violet petals floating like a halo over a lovely noseful of dark fruit, tobacco smoke and dried earth. A glorious Pauillac nose. The palate was so very tight though, so this drank like a wine at least a decade younger, with super fresh, super primary cassis fruit at the fore precious else beneath but for a graphite-like nuance. So pure, yet so tightly clenched and barely showing. Still though, this was clearly a First Growth, with great depth, superb balance and a lovely, ringing transperancy to its dark fruit as it moved into a finish of effortless power and subtle length. So obdurate, so clenched, so young. This needs decades yet. At the moment, it was intellectually great, but rather less pleasurable. Some said that the quality here was greater than that of the 1966 Latour we had together. Perhaps so, these things are hard to tell, but the older wine was just drinking so much better on the night. I would recommend locking bottles of these away in the cellar and forgetting about them for a long, long time.
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8/30/2011 - jamie24 wrote: 98 Points
tasted at maxim's in paris. mind blowing wine. subtle and well integrated tannins. so much depth. blackcurrant and cassis with an underlayer of graphite. i've just ordered a whole case and will drink 1 a year from here on in. will be fascinating to see if it continues to evolve. love it
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8/25/2011 - noppakit s. wrote: 100 Points
Succulent, the sweetness of the vintage's style, beautiful texture with a very long long finished. 100/100 from the start. (first 10 minutes)
This wine is special, I try to deduct the score but can not. The wine seems better and better with time. It doesn't like any Mouton because of its fruity.
After 3 hours, the promising, lead pencil appears, Typical scent of Mouton just shows up. Can you imagine ?
The beautiful fruits combined with Mouton's fragrant, ohhh... Lovely full-bodied, perfect in structure, great balance, round and vibrant.
Aftertaste is still breath-taking....more easy to enjoy than the 1982...
Drink now - 2030+ ....................This wine is too good for me.........................
ps. I think I prefer the 1983 Cheval Blanc and 2002 Ausone tasting together.
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8/20/2011 - dcwino wrote: 97 Points
2000 Pavie and 1986 Mouton, three friends: This particular bottle was amazingly youthful. Two hours double decanted, initially a bit shy nose of luxurious oak, plum, and mocha. Very polished palate and tannin was nicely integrated.
The wine got better, gaining incredible amount of weight and sweet fruit. Some cassis with a hint of redder fruit, cedar, mocha, lead pencil and noticeable oak that to me is pleasing. This bottle displays silky and polished texture, excellent concentration and although noticeable but integrated tannins. Next to the 00 Pavie, the wine is more polished and delineated and better structured but not as expressive and hedonistic. A long life ahead much more room to improve. The last drop was the best as it was really getting jammier and sweeter!
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7/13/2011 - jlgnml wrote: 96 Points
1986 First Growth Dinner (Sofitel Hotel, Chicago IL): Soft, smooth, great color, still tanins to be had, opened up in the glass and so young and unevolved. Lots of potential and could be the longest lived.
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7/3/2011 - jbroich wrote: 98 Points
needs another 5 to 10 years before it scores 100. Wonderful almost black color. black currant cedar pencil in the nose. on the palate secondary nuances start to develop.
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5/29/2011 - KVM wrote: 97 Points
a VERY small pour but incredibly fragrant and fresh on the nose - cherries plus tobaco. velvety and firm and fruity. Incredibly long. Outstanding!
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5/15/2011 - mariano42 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine was very nice but i felt like it should have been decanted for a day before consumption. It was closed and monolithic i’d be interested in trying a bottle now
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5/8/2011 - Zweder wrote: 97 Points
Mature but still powerful bouquet with luxurious toasted oak, cedar, lead pencil and cassis. On the palate good cassis juice and very harmonious with the bouquet. Still firm tannin with a lot of good bitterness. Powerful and also elegant. In this stage not worth the 100 Parker points, but there still is a future of at least another 5 - 10 years and when everything is in perfect place he might be right.
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4/26/2011 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Was expecting more as a whole from this bottle. Long awaited a taste. Acid driven - almost too acidic.
Rustic barnyard dusty cherries, and briary bramble berries. Subtle qualities. Kind of lacking a mid palate.
As a whole it was a very well made wine. I was just ready to be Wowed big time. Still some really nice soft aromatics and flavors.
After looking at other respected CellarTracker user reviews, I believe this bottle may have been off.
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4/25/2011 - rromain wrote: flawed
There was a soapy scent and flavor that may have been due to a fault in the cleaning of the glasses. There was plenty of Mouton underneath but what a disappointment in context! NR
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4/16/2011 - Papies wrote:
Papies LWE - Mouton 86 vs Cos 86 and some other friends (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): The bottle variation in this wine is massive to the point that it makes us worried a bit. We had our share of pain in the past with Mouton 86 and its brittle corks etc. But this is a proper full case. Complete in great shape and even with the original wrapping papers from the chateau ( If anyone collects these drop us an email and will send you one as we have a couple extra). In general cork condition has always been a let down with moutons in our mind even the 1990 had issues. We wonder if its just our luck
The one we opened in November ( pls see previous tasting note) was light years better than this one. Back to the one in question, bottom of neck, fully wet but solid cork with a bit of rot(?) just under the capule.
Wine is a youngster still and is still tight and reserved with good level of tannins. Maybe just coming out of its sleep. 2 hours of decanting minimum. For tasting note and grade pls see out previous TN from 16 Nov 10. This bottle wasnt up to speed.
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4/11/2011 - KenK wrote: 98 Points
1986 Bordeaux @ EWS: 1986 Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac) (100WA, 95IWC, 99WS)
A big momma. Dark dense black minerals with a deft touch of classic older Bordeaux funk. Aromas feature blackberries with a deep dense dark chocolate component. Sweet rich almost jammy blackberries and cherries. A dense ripe showy wine. Toasty elements and long finish that packs a real punch. Iron fist in velvet glove here. Great wine, dense sweet ripe solid wall of dark fruits with dry mineral extract. Comes across much younger and therefore seems a long, long way to go. This is special stuff. 98
Drinking beautifully. Classic Pauillac. 10 first place including mine.
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3/9/2011 - La Grappe wrote: 97 Points
A deep colour, mature but not old. The nose is classic Pauillac - blackcurrant/cedar/cigar box, and fairly intense. The palate is very smooth and rich, with good intensity and excellent balance. A myriad of flavours. There is perhaps a slight dryness on the finish; otherwise, this is hard to fault.
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12/21/2010 - Dubie wrote: 94 Points
It's its depth and intensity that most struck me. It was hypnotizing, and one could get lost in it. I generally think this wine is too young still, but last night it should well. This bottle's tannins had melted nicely, and it was very fruity and expressive. Perhaps it is opening up for a year or so, to let us enjoy it?
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12/12/2010 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Annual Grand Cru Tasting (Wijnhandel De Gouden Leeuw, Voorschoten, NL): Rich and powerful, fabulous tannins, but seems much more evolved than the half bottle I had a few years ago.
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11/16/2010 - Papies wrote: 98 Points
Mouton 86 vs Las Cases 86 at the Papies:
Needs decanting, 2-3 hours to hit the peak. We opened and monitored it along with LLC for 1.5 hours and the wine kept on getting better and better. Dont rush it, dont filter and no aerators here please.
The wine is just entering its drinking window in our mind. From a perfect case still in the original wrapping papers. Cork was solid and well wet, levels were very good.
Class, Eleganse and complexity. We could really stop the TN here. The nose is really a journey into a complex set of red fruit, little earth and floral elements. The palate is velvety, layers and layers of beauty.
Wine is still very much alive and vibrant but tannins are well integrated and post 1.5 hours the wine was fully singing. Nothing out of sync or out of balance, purity to the limit. Complex and kept on improving, never loosing any of its vribrancy. Truly magnificent. maybe 98 is low.
VS the LLC.... the LLC is much more powerfull more meaty with a bigger nose. But MR beats the LLC with a velvet glove and a class of its own. Now if you adjust vs price... the LLC at 1/3 of the price is the one to buy.
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11/14/2010 - BigRed1000 wrote: 93 Points
This bottle still needs time. I think in the long run this wine was overscored by the citics. Time will tell.
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11/6/2010 - Godstears wrote: 96 Points
I love Mouton
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11/3/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
1986 Mouton Rothschild remains an adolescent. That is quite an accomplishment for a wine that is approaching 25 years of age! Asian spice, tobacco, cigar box, cedar, smoke, black cherry and cassis, This special wine is packed and stacked with dense, powerful, layers of exotic fruit. But it remains almost primary. There is a lot to like about this expression of Bordeaux wine, but it requires another 5-10 years before it finally opens up to reveal its magic 97 Pts
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10/31/2010 - Wink wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at the Cincinnati Mondiale du Vin "cellar treasures" event. This was my WOTN. Dark garnet. Nose of dark, dark fruit, earth, leather and some burnt rubber. Medium to full palate of ripe dark fruit with wonderful mineral character and amazing length. Focused acidity and light tannins. This wine is really singing.
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10/22/2010 - Godstears wrote: 96 Points
24 years and this wine does not show any sign of deterioration. Strong nose with flower like fragrances. Very elegant.
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10/12/2010 - JulienGraves wrote: 95 Points
Incredible bottle; velvety on the tongue, perfectly balanced with just enough tannin still left to provide backbone. Nose complex; long lingering finish.
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8/11/2010 - MatthewF wrote:
Powerful red currant, plum, sweet tobacco and cedar aromatics. I could smell this all night and not get tired of it. Youthful palate, full of sweet red fruits and sweet and savory earth notes. Medium plus body with great grip on the long finish. The tannins have started to round out, but are still present. Fantastic wine.
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8/5/2010 - gondrik wrote: 96 Points
Wine was decanted for an hour, which was not enough. Over the next two it improved and changed from a masked beauty to reveal toasted tobacco fragrance. Great wine.
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7/31/2010 - DoubleMagnum wrote: 98 Points
My wine of the night. After the '59 and the '82, this definitely did it for me. What a night!
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7/8/2010 - dream wrote: 96 Points
Absolutely no hint of fading in the color - in fact as sits in the glass it looks like an '07 Napa Cabernet. The nose is expressive though with ever-changing smells of lavender, cassis, smoke, sweet tobacco and eucalyptus. On the palate, this bottle at least, remains impenetrable with a backbone of steel and clamped shut tannins. But the tannins are ripe and I can sense the balance and power that I think will still make this one of the longest-lived and greatest Bordeaux's produced in recent times. Open again when I have my first great-grandchild! 96+
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6/24/2010 - JulienGraves wrote: 99 Points
Decanted for 45 minutes, would have benefited with more time. Lovely garnet color without browning. Complex subtle nose of lightly toasted almonds and cherries. Complex finish with wave after wave on nuanced tastes. Long long finish.
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5/9/2010 - KHILL wrote: 99 Points
Popped and poured for Mothers Day. No need to decant. This just sang out of the bottle. It is time to drink. No sure if this will last another 10 years.
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4/18/2010 - DKelly wrote: 100 Points
outstanding
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4/4/2010 - Eleven Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had two bottles with Easter brunch of leg of lamb and rosemary oven browned potatoes. First bottle decanted for only 30 minutes--not long enough. Although it wasn't bad, it was tight and stiff. Deep purple and looking very young in the glass. Nose of dark fruit and some leather and coffee. The second bottle sat for over an hour--vastly improved. It really blossomed in the glass. Still dark purple, nearly black in the glass, but more spice on the nose than bottle one. It was complex with a long and succulent finish. Smooth and velvety on the tongue. Next time around, will let it sit for several hours. Should last a lifetime.
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3/22/2010 - kr522 wrote: 94 Points
my first encounter with this wine. i'd been reading in the wine press that it finally had moved after a long dormant stage, if that's true i'm glad i hadn't tasted it sooner. the wine is still a deep inky color with no signs of aging, it looks like 5 year old Bordeaux. The nose is still restrained, I decanted for a couple hours, and it was very primary still, lots of black fruit. In the mouth I found it to still be very backward. There's no question the fruit is quite concentrated, and there's long glycerin legs when you swirl, but the hefty tannins are still fighting the fruit. Quite rustic, and it made me think I was drinking a St Julien. It is nowhere near it's remarkable sibling, the 1982, in terms of pleasure and magnificence. I have more bottles in my cellar which I don't plan on drinking for a few years.
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3/7/2010 - Umay Ceviker wrote: 97 Points
Fresh and clean looking in intense ruby-garnet with brown highlights. Soft and gentle claret nose with a bouquet of forest ground and barnyard under the mainframe of medium intensity red fruit, blackberries, prunes and plums. This is gentle and round backed by tannins clearly from the high Cabernet content, soft and gracious. Easily drinking at its best while all the flavours are lingering long as it finishes.
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2/26/2010 - Ltim BE wrote: 98 Points
Simply stunning, soo fresh and still soo young for 23 years in the bottle. Unbelievable. Will this age for 100+ years. I think so. A really divine wine.
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2/17/2010 - St Paul wrote: 100 Points
One of my all time top Bordeaux
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2/14/2010 - vibaby wrote: 95 Points
When first opened it was tight and lean. After one hour of decanting it blossomed into what we all expect from Mouton. Great youthtful color, showing no age, and moderate fruit with balanced acid and tannin. The mouth feel was round and jewel-like. There was anise on the finish with strawberry hints. Some cedar and tobacco.
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1/24/2010 - taipanli wrote: 97 Points
Purchased from Marketplace - no decant. Medium/deep garnet - still vibrant and youthful in appearance. Nose didn't give away very much but typically Mouton fruit and floral notes. In mouth, what struck me was how youthful and fresh this tasted yet showing the balance of a well aged claret. Medium bodied, balanced, refreshing and well defined. This obviously kept evolving in glass and although it didn't disappoint in the least bit, I wasn't blown away. Compared with the 95 which I know well, this is very similar but a step up in balance, structure and expression. The Mouton for Mouton lovers? 50+9+8+20+10=97
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12/19/2009 - BigJul wrote: 94 Points
Non carafé. L’appréhension était à son comble lors du service de ce vin, sacré mythique lorsque Parker lui a conféré la note de 100 sur 100. Un nez à prime abord fermé à double tour – et qui ne m’offre aucun plaisir –, qui se transforme après une trentaine de minutes en un nez d’une pureté exceptionnelle et rarissime, aérien, précis et détaillé comme on en voit si peu. La bouche est aristocratique, fine, délicatement minérale, puissante et parfaitement équilibrée. La grande classe. Il lui manque cependant un petit je-ne-sais-quoi qui aurait rendue l’expérience magique. Un grand vin. Merci Bordeaux70. 93-95.
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12/16/2009 - evo76 wrote: 93 Points
Classic mouton nose and palate. Restrained fruit but nicely integrated tannins. Shut down after a few hours but still perfectly balanced and improved over 2 days. Might be going through an ackward phase.
(edited to correct typos from corkz app)
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12/10/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Tightly wound, but with coaxing, begging and pleading, along with long decanting, black currant, Asian Spice, Cuban cigar, minerality, leather and soy could be found. Packed and stacked with spicy, dark fruit, round, firm tannins and opulent textures, this exotic, sublime requires until at least 2020 before opening.
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12/7/2009 - Biglama wrote: 98 Points
kleur is nog paars rood, geur is duidelijk cederhout, licht getoast, nog duidelijk fruit bessen kersen, veel details en erg subtiel, mooie diepgang, je blijft ruiken, verleidelijk, smaak is elegant en soepel, zacht in de mond, alles in prachtige verhouding, gezien de leeftijd komt de wijn nog jong over, heeft nog erg veel inhoud, zeer speciaal. eerdere fles al langer geleden gedronken kwam krachtiger over met meer tannines
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11/13/2009 - Harrypotter wrote:
(Dinner @ Terra- Decanted gently) Aromatically - very intense and open immediatly with profound aromas that were very complex and somewhat difficult to pin-point with common descriptors but it presented sweat floral aromas dingy cave like fungal aromas with tobacco, cedar and a complex yet elegant spice all hightened by around 20 years of life in the bottle. This wine was dense and ripe with full lasting flavor and lengthy silky tannin. Fantastic wine paired with great food. WOTN 97
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11/12/2009 - johnl wrote: 97 Points
Beautiful nose of dark cherry, violet, earth, with a slight hint of stink bug. Mouth tannin and acidity is perfectly in balance and harmonious. Flavors of sour cherries, plums, wet earth and stone. Flawless finish. A perfect wine.
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10/4/2009 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 92 Points
Did not live up to expectations - must have been the bottle. There were some heavy unpleasant aromas behind the cedar, black fruit, tar, animal, scorched earth and smokey aromas. In 2009 still quite young and tannic on the finish although initial mouthfeel was silky.
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8/6/2009 - Goldstone wrote: 92 Points
1986 Dinner (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Drank 9.5 hours after decanting. Very deep red colour and totally opaque except for the slightest transparency at the edges of the glass. Incredibly restrained and aloof nose....pencil lead and just the merest sense of the dense unfurled fruit that lurks in the dark corners. The palate is very similar - still inky, graphite, granite, tart blackcurrant/blackberry and disconcertingly fresh-sawn wood for a wine that is 23 years old. Very long aftertaste but too closed to be called "length" or "resonance".
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7/25/2009 - Samantha wrote:
Double decanted, and tight as a rock. It shut down even more in the glass as the evening progressed until I couldn't taste anything, but while I could I loved the dark cherry fruit profile and the pretty floral cedar aromatics. RK thinks it will be better than '45 Mouton. No point in drinnking it now.
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7/9/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
1986Cali Cabs and Bordeaux, 1989 Bollinger Grande Annee (Skinner's Loft, Jersey City, NJ): Really nice with many, many years to go. Dry and chalky tannins that felt like black tea in the mouth. This may have been too young too open, but it was pleasurable now. I had the 1996 and 2003 and enjoyed them, but this was the best of the three now. Really glad to have had it.
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6/28/2009 - 60ouvrees wrote:
Surprisingly, this was less tannic and more open than the '86 Cos but it's still a bruiser of a wine that will last forever. To me not worth the tariff, though.
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6/25/2009 - JJL wrote: 90 Points
Brought to Zachy's auction at Daniel - this was good, but not as good as it can be. A bit thin and acidic relative to other bottles that I have had. The nose was better than the palate this time.
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6/10/2009 - La Grappe wrote: 98 Points
One of the best wines we have had for a long time: ripe, rich, intense, silky smooth, elegant and long. It has all the hallmarks of classic claret: profound blackcurrant fruit, with cedary, spicy ovetones. The fruit is still fresh and there is a little tannin. Will keep.
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6/4/2009 - kenv wrote: 95 Points
WCC First Growth Bordeaux Tasting @ Provence (Provence Restaurant, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted at 8am.] Loads of cedar and red currants. Thick, backward. Hard to judge. Hard to believe this is 1988 or older. Is this a ringer? Still has loads of upside potential. 95-? points.
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5/26/2009 - keelegl wrote: 94 Points
Inky black color was the darkest of the first growth flight. Nose was tight giving hints of blackberries and an odd iodine note. Juicy dark plums on the palate but surrounded by big, burly tannins. This is a beast and won’t wake up for a long time. Great wine, but lacks the elegance of the Lafite. 94++
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5/26/2009 - reichken wrote: 92 Points
1986 Bordeaux Night @ The Hawksmoor: dark color on the wine. some gamey nose to go with the cedar. very well balanced in the mouth , not as big as i expected and a bit one dimensional , showed some purple fruit and a bit of smoke. i do not think this was a great example of 86 Mouton
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5/13/2009 - JJL wrote: 96 Points
Brought to Zachy's auction at Daniel - slight mustiness upon opening with cedar, mushroom, and little eucalyptus, very much like '82 Latour. Tasted immediately after opening with big tannins, blackberries and dark cherries in the background. There is enough acidity to keep this wine fresh for a long time. After a couple of hours decant, more tobacco flavors appeared. By the last sip of the bottle 6 hours after opening, espresso and a touch of cocoa. Unlike the bottle I served blind a couple of weeks, I had the pleasure of watching this evolve during the night as opposed to tasting it just once a few hours after opening.
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5/9/2009 - Vindeciel wrote: 97 Points
Decanted for several hours, this monster STILL at 23 years of age tastes like a young wine. The decanting took the tannic edge off, however, and black cherry and a sort of floral minerality was apparent to me first. As the night went on, a strong tobacco took over.
I probably could have waited another 23 years to drink this one, but alas I am an impatient man! Also drank a 1967 d'Yquem this night. A magical evening.
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5/7/2009 - Mondial wrote: 95 Points
The aroma was quintessential Bordeaux. It seemed wound tight and did not open up until 2 hours into the decant. Classy taste but somewhat restrained. We were moved by a 2004 Contador quaffed later that same evening. The audience was split on a preference between the two, and considering the CMR pedigree, it shouldn't have been that close.
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5/2/2009 - JJL wrote: 96 Points
The Big "Four-O": 40+ Wines for 40 Years: This bottle showed really well tonight. Still has big tannins, smoky, cherry, blackberry fruits, with a long finish. This should still age effortlessly for many years to come. Group #2 of the blind tasting.
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4/21/2009 - BuzzLightyear wrote: 100 Points
This may have been one of the most sublime bottles of wine I have ever drunk. While Robert Parker in his last tasting note (1996) describes it as massive and enormously concentrated, now 13 years later it has mellowed nicely. Perfectly balanced, lingers on the tongue wonderfully. Decant it, give it some time to open up the bouquet.
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4/2/2009 - zimmy07 wrote: 95 Points
still a very young wine capable of aging many more years. Graphite and tobacco are the first things I got on the entry, rounded out by a blast of cherry, mint, and mineral through the mid palate. Very balanced and seductive. Still a somewhat chewy wine. Really great bottle of wine
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4/2/2009 - psmith wrote:
Dinner with the Lees and Zimmers (Columbus, OH): Characteristic Mouton dark fruits and tobacco notes. Masculine styling. Giving on the nose, but still quite tannic, high pitched, and wrapped up on the palate, even with several hours decanting. Big Bordeaux. Still quite young, but very enjoyable.
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2/3/2009 - nvandyk wrote: 97 Points
From 375. Only a brief decant and it needs more, for sure. Deep garnet color with quite a bit of sediment. Nose dominated by cedar and graphite with a little bit of red and black fruit. Rich classis, smoke, and cedar on the palate. This needs either time or a very long decant, but no question this is a brilliant wine. Score probably understates how good it would be if served after an 8 hour decant.
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12/13/2008 - Burgundy Al wrote: 97 Points
Popped, poured, consumed over a couple of hours. Aromas of ripe blackberry, cassis cocoa. Massive blackberry and black cherry flavors on palate, still almost entirely primary with great minerality. Once the bottle was open for a while and aerated a bit in glass, the tannins and acid emerge in middle and finish, really provide extra texture and layers to this wine. Showing very, very young today, not even close to its peak.
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9/19/2008 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
Not sure if the bottle was damaged as the Cork was fully wet. Tried 2 bottles and they were both the same. Was Flat with no magic for what is supposed to be a 100RP wine
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7/3/2008 - Tony Poli wrote: 98 Points
So this is what all the fuss is about...
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4/28/2008 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Double Blind Tasting and Dinner (David Burke's Primehouse - Chicago IL): Corked.
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4/28/2008 - winefool wrote: flawed
Weber's Blind Tasting Competition (Primehouse): What a shame, another off bottle of this great wine. This one was badly corked, which again, made it very difficult to identify blind.
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4/13/2008 - Acohen wrote: 98 Points
As close to perfect as i could imagine. Smooth, almost gliding on the palate with great fruit and finish that went on and on. At Excelsior in Boston
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3/22/2008 - dream wrote: 99 Points
Deep blackish color. Phenominal nose of charred cedar, tobacco and complex blackberries. Incredibly deep, thick and silky and still quite primary. A huge Bordeaux with fabulous flavors of rich cassis, smoky blackberries and burnt cedar. Intense and deeply tannic but also beginning to show a great complexity with charcoal and cedar dominating the incredibly long finish. I've had some bottles of this wine that were virtually impenetrable but this bottle is so opulent and singing tonight. Still way young and seems to have the backbone to go 50 more years in its sleep. Just about the pinnacle of Bordeaux. 99
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1/15/2008 - kstoddard wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Otto (Backstreet): Blackberries, black cherries and earth. Very firm tannins. Well balanced with good acidity. Built to last. Rather rustic in style. Nice complex finish. Not the best bottle I've ever had.
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11/21/2007 - Eric wrote:
A decadent 30th birthday for Justin Wells (Sammamish, WA): Tasted from 375ml. Offered up double-blind I correctly guessed Bordeaux thinking that maybe this was the 1989 Lynch Bages or a great Montrose. Not a terrible guess. Without glasses handy we might have sampled a few furtive sips straight from the decanter, on right on pop and pour this wine was at peak, just pure syrup of Pauillac. The color is black as night. A wine of sickening (in a good way) intensity. Loaded with those Mouton minerals. But after this brief flash of glory, this clamped down HARD and fell sound asleep. With a lot of swirling you could get that black, Pauillac tobacco, but the palate locked up tight. Let 'em sleep or decant the holy living heck out of these.
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7/23/2007 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 98 Points
Half. Superior Cabernet. Deep, young appearance; wonderful aroma of blackcurrant, cedar, hint of eucalyptus; muscular, masculine, tannic, enormous length. A truly great wine, too young still.
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6/8/2007 - G SQUARED wrote: 94 Points
Raid the Cellar Party at BWB. This was a brute. Hard to really know when this wine is going to settle down. I'm sure I"m underscoring it now, but it's competition was so fierce and so many of the other wines were drinking so well I had no choice but to rate this a little farther down the scale. Perfect potential? Hmm, maybe in about 10 years.
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4/24/2007 - vinum wrote:
Unbelievable! Decanted for five hours, the wine changed so much during the hour we drank it. By the end it was huge, but still delicate and fine. The finish lasted forever! Amazing.
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1/29/2007 - kstoddard wrote: 95 Points
G7 (Jock): Nose of blackberries. Tastes of cherries and blackcurrant. Complex mid palate and elegant finish. This wine needs much more time to start showing its full potential. Fantastic.
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12/9/2006 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Opened at Rich & Dana's chili & caroling party. This was a popped & poured so I set my glass aside for a couple of hours before tasting. Deep inky garnet color, this looked like it had just been bottled. Still very tight. Notes of pencil lead and cedar dominate, with a leathery/meaty note barely discernable. Firmly tannic, with just some dark fruit flavors apparent before the tannins clamp down hard. Maturity is nowhere in sight for this wine, and I would hold for at least 10 years, if not longer, before opening a bottle.
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10/22/2006 - moutondoc wrote: 91 Points
Brought to tasting and went up against Colgin, Harlan and Maya, did not do well in this company. Seemed a bit light on the midpalate. Would not have believed this was a 100 point wine.
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10/13/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Pre-Harlan Warm-up at Brad England's House: The color is a dense black/red. This is extremely closed on the nose. With coaxing you can sense brooding black fruit. I didn't detect any barnyard funk that I traditionally get with Mouton, this smells very clean. In the mouth this is extremely concentrated but compact and structured with more brooding black fruit. Decent length on the finish. I would guess this needs about 20 years just to get to the point where it starts to drink well at all.
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10/13/2006 - Siggy wrote:
Harlan Warm-Up Dinner (Brad's House, Minneapolis): Fragrant nose. Still very tight, with a core of rich black fruit, caramel, and licorice. Needs a lot more time.
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10/4/2006 - phenricsson wrote: 91 Points
Big tough wine. Not enough fruit. Very dark flavors. Even after 4 hours decanting it is not opening up. either keep for 10 more years or sell it.
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9/2/2006 - mrhowie5 wrote: 93 Points
drank at tastng last week. was suprisingly young with good fruit; still has llife blut not as rich and big as the 82
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5/30/2006 - cos82 wrote: 96 Points
Consumed after being decanted for 2 hours with friends during a Mouton vertical ( 94, 90, 89, 86[my cellar], and 85) celebrating my 60th birthday. Wasn't as good as the 82 (100 points) consumed on my 50th, but nonetheless an exceptional wine. Seemed ready, but probably a long life ahead. Subtle yet very complex at the same time. Hard to put into words. Not fruit driven, but minerals and tobacco with a great nose and a long finish. Each sip had me searching for something more which it didn't deliver yet was totally satisfying. The wine of the night, although the 89 came close in a fruit driven California style. Would love to try both again in 10 years. The 85 and 90 were hollow and disappointing and the 94 a lot better than I would have anticipated, but faded quickly.
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4/14/2006 - ubercuvee wrote: 100 Points
Certainly one of the wines of the decade, let alone vintage (no contest there). Alongside the other first growths from 86 it still was absolutely imperious and untouchable (Lafite 1986 [a Parker 100 too], seemed like a step down). The wine has everything you could really want: menthol, tobacco, pain grille all surround the, incredibly tightly wound, sledgehammer cassis core. So much complexity, so much texture, such beauty. The one serious worry is that this is a 50 year wine; and 750ml bottles may succumb to oxidation before this wine is at its peak - Magnum drinkers will sleep easy, although they'll have to outlive this wine!!
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4/8/2006 - Eric wrote: 100 Points
First growth Bordeaux at Michael Gordon's (Bellevue, WA): Unreal color. Far more dark than any other wine this evening. Jeeze this is dense, loaded with charcoal, tobacco, just pure liqueur of Pauillac. This was clearly the best 1986 Mouton I have ever tasted. Simply unreal. Perfect and earth shattering on every single sip and my clear wine of the night.
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2/17/2006 - Eric wrote: flawed
More Bordeaux with Leve at Providence (Los Angeles, CA): Corked!
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2/9/2006 - MRichman wrote:
Mouton Vertical at Hearth in NYC (Hearth Restaurant): A bit light. Woody. Tight. Some people at the table loved this wine, but I just couldn't get much out of it.
B/B-
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2/5/2006 - hrdtsk wrote:
Super Bowl Sunday with M's chile and 14 guests.
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2/1/2006 - winefool wrote: 95 Points
eBob Tasting - Full saturated deep purple black to the rim. full rich black coffee fruit. Big bright blackcurrant fruit with typicall paulliac pencil lead notes. Still very tight and young. Mid 90s. 2/06
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1/31/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 95 Points
Good Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone Dinner (Custom House - Chicago IL): Spicy start with dense black fruit. Decanted for several hours, but needed more. Sensational concentration, power and density but still a bit backward. Great wine now...even better perhaps after 2015?
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1/1/2006 - winefool wrote: flawed
HDH 85 v 86 tasting - Full red. A bit funky/musty red fruit aroma. Muted palate - may have been a off bottle. 90 pts. 1/06
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11/25/2005 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
A step down from the 1983. This was not decanted. A fine wine but it did not have the depth of the 1983. Sweet fruit with notes of black currant and lead pencil. Firm tannins. Medium bodied with some pepper on the finish. 92-93 points.
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11/6/2005 - buckeye76 wrote: 95 Points
STILL NEEDS TIME, CURRANTS AND BLACKBERRIES IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR WITH A BIT OF EARTHINESS AND TOBACCO. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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9/24/2005 - Eric wrote: 96 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 and older Bordeaux (Seattle, WA): When I first decanted this about 4 hours earlier in the day, the aromatics screamed of Pauillac, and the wine was like syrup with unreal concentration. When we revisited it at the tasting it was more controversial with one taster finding it over the top and unratable. The other tasters all scored it 95 or 96. For me this was am OMFG wine, loaded with sweet tobacco, much more ripe than I expected, with two minute tannins that seize your palate, a freak of a wine. Wow!
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9/24/2005 - Jason wrote: 95 Points
STG does 90 or older Bordeaux (Ballard, WA): Once again LeVine brings a crappy wine. :) The nose showed leather and sweet black fruit. It, however, seemed to be hiding much more. The palate was very sweet and lush. I thought for sure that Jason had slipped in a California ringer. I felt a bit vindicated when later on Jason pointed out that Parker made a similar comment in his tasting note.
This wines is decades from being ready. It still shows the searing tannins of a barrel sample. This wine will outlive us all.
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5/21/2005 - Burgundy Al wrote: 97 Points
Tasting. Huge black fruit aromas with some cedar, tobacco, licorice. Black plum, black cherry on palate with great density and concentration. Amazingly structured - tannins are large scaled but silky and integration, acidity is elongated but always in background. Long, elegant and powerful finish. Perfect integration.
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5/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
HDH Tasting - Black/red. Bright black fruit with acidity and tannin. 5/05
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7/29/2004 - Eric wrote: 98 Points
My trip to Napa, Part 1: The Prelude (San Francisco, CA): I picked this up at Dee Vine Wines in the afternoon and thought, what the heck... We decanted this for four hours. It could have easily used twenty-four. At first this was dark, forbidding, and massive, very closed, but it slowly opened to reveal an alluring nose of spice cake, graphite and dense, dusty layers of fruit. Eventually mint and sweet plums started to peek out. The palate is intense, dense and massive with amazing structure and power. Dusty, stunningly powerful. Wow, this kept opening and gaining weight and complexity. By the final sips I was nearly speechless and my scribbled tasting notes had devolved to a series of profanities and exclamations. Wow! This is at 98 points now with so much potential for the future that it is scary. I have never tasted something so tightly wound and patiently waiting to pounce.
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7/25/2004 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 92 Points
Dark red with some browning at the rim. Smells like rotten water. In the mouth the wine had a nice and spicy vanilla-like taste with a good delivery, and charm. This was a very stylish wine, but the nose was off-putting. With air the “rotten” character blew off, and the wine could be enjoyed a bit more for what it is. I believe this would de very well with food.
92 points
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6/5/2004 - Tom_B wrote: 100 Points
this was my favorite Bordeaux tasted (tasted blind). This wine still looks like a baby. Ruby red in color with purple hints, the color intensity is deep and clear. Aromas of tasted coffee, black currants and cloves fill the nose with pleasures. Still lots of acidity in the fruit here, with a glycerin edge and black fruit and spice flavors. Still plenty of tannins, but perfectly balanced. A true treat to experience.
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6/3/2004 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
June 3, 2004 : Decanted in mid-afternoon. A 2" cork, in very good condition. Also brought back some fond memories of our visit to the Chateau in May, 1987, where we had some barrel samples to taste.The wine is impenetrably opaque, black in colour with just a thin rim of purple, easily one of the darkest wines imaginable; hugely aromatic, with endless waves of black currant pouring forth from the decanter, even as you pass the table; in the glass the aromas were more focused, offering up an excess of black currant fruit, some light smokey oak, and hints of black pepper; the aromas push forth with great intensity, extending well up the nostrils; very full bodied, with great concentration; there are some significant tannins, but there is so much fruit riding over them; with all of this fruit, the tannins seem softer, almost agreeable on the palate; flavours are principally sweet black currant, with notes of black pepper; it finishes remarkably long, seemingly still full on the palate after several minutes; the finish is all about the massive fruit.The wine appears very young, in spite of its 17 years, and clearly needs much more time to fully evolve. At this point it seems like the wine would have no trouble lasting 40 or 50 years. The remaining bottles in my cellar are not going to be put to that test, however. Unless I get overanxious, I'll probably be looking at opening the next one in 4 years time. HRG
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12/15/2002 - Henman wrote:
N: cassis,tobacco,toffee,a little potatocellar.
P: full bodied,nice concentration of fruit,cedar,perfect balance.
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6/29/2002 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 97 Points
Perhaps my favorite Bordeaux from 1970 to the present, this giant is starting to rumble from its sleep. Although still somewhat closed, the incredible depth and complexity are starting to peer from behind the curtain, and it is already long and nuanced. I’m not opening one of my few bottles for 5 – 10 years, but I hope to drink bottles from others to keep an eye on its progress.
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11/1/2001 - mnh wrote:
Medium deep ruby. Little brick. Cedar, wood shavings, classic mouton nose. Black fruit, with big tannins to go on, but great now.
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2/1/2001 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very good dark color. Very tannic too, but drinkable. The tannins are well integrated and not harsh at all. Excellent future, but not another ‘82.
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2/11/2000 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 97 Points
Tasted at vertical Mouton tasting at the Belgian Lion. The light was suboptimal, but the color is definitely dark and likely is ruby. The rim is still red. The bouquet is intense and extremely youthful for a 14-year-old wine. It shows currants, oak, vanilla, cedar and mineral scents. The palate is huge, elegant and youthful, with similar flavors as nose, with the addition of blackberry. The finish is somewhat tannic and seems to last forever. This wine is extremely well-balanced and should continue to get better for at least another decade. It was the star of the vertical, which was a tasting where many of the wines showed beatifully.
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9/18/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 85 Points
Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ 1994 Harlan (NYC): Tough environment to taste this wine in (a crowded pre-auction tasting), but I couldn't help feeling dissapointed in this wine. Some interesting spice on the palate, but overall a very thin, weak wine. Perhaps this wine is in a dumb phase? Perhaps poor storage conditions?
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3/1/1998 - sdr wrote:
Extremely dark color. Closed in but promising. Very tannic. Difficult to judge at this early stage. Obviously intense and needs lots of time, at least 10 years. No score.
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6/1/1996 - mnh wrote:
Aspen: Classic structure. Quite unevolved
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9/11/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 94 Points
With MPL, BLR and Amy at MPL's house. Incredibly attractive. Rich, viscous, concentrated black ruby-purple. Gorgeous. Perfect nose, packed with all the fruit you could want, and soooo complex. Great palate too, well-balanced, though still tannic, closed and hard. Excellent potential. 5-15-15-9: 94/100.
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3/17/1990 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 94 Points
Robert Mondavi Sponsored Tasting of 3 Bordeaux and 4 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons. Had a nearly perfect score for nose as it was chocolate, cigr box nose, that was slightly closed, mouth feel was superb with rich, luscious fruit, medium soft tannin full of what the nose promised, a great finish and aftertaste.
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1/19/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 96 Points
With MPL and BLR at Singer & Foy survey of '86 Bordeaux. Incredible dark ruby-purple color. Wow! Almost as dark as the Sociando-Mallet. Very complex nose emphasizes fruit and roasted coffee beans, freshly ground. On the palate, it is an absolute revelation. So complex, deep, rich, concentrated. Veery complex finish. Long, long, long. Wow! Time will polish this into perfection in a glass. 5-12-19-10: 96/100.
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11/28/1989 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 95 Points
6 Wines 1986 Bordeaux vs. Cabernet Sauvignon.
Second darkest red in glass, big, earthy, fruity nose, best nose of group, fruity, balanced in mouth, slight acid on finish.
My #1 and Group #1 of 6.
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6/22/1989 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 96 Points
The Second 1986 Vintage Tasting of 6 Bordeaux This Month.
Fantastic nose with berries, wood, trifle hot, concentrated taste of cherries, elegant, long finish.
My #1 of 6.
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6/7/1989 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 97 Points
1986 Vintage Tasting of 6 Bordeaux.
Great color, fabulous nose, fabulous fruity mouth, great finish.
My #1 and Group #1 of 6.
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