Brought out by Jim Cahill for our tasting at Black Salt. Mature golden color, attractive nose with some signs of age. Could have been premox. In spite of that the wine attractive and when tasted alongside a dish of raw oysters, it came to live. I liked it; but it did not quite live up to its illustrious provenance and the QPR for this wine might be a bit loop-sided.
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I know there are a lot of bad bottles of 05 Leflaives out there but I have had mostly good luck with this vintage. Absolutely no prem-ox on this stunning bottle just entering its prime drinking window. Extremely elegant and simply delicious. Still going strong after 3 hours. I don't think it will improve much more with age.
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Advanced. Not full on oxidization but much farther along than this should be. Disappointing, especially when compared to the '04 Chevalier and Pucelles alongside which were were proper fresh.
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quite a pale yellow and not even a hint of oxidation on opening - fresh, complex and long - wonderful - just maybe lacking in a bit of acidity to balance the fruit
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Drank against some good bottles (Bouchard Montrachet, ‘12 Dauvissat Les Preuses, etc.) and the Leflaive was tops. A fresh, unoxidized specimen. Gorgeous color, a little more oak than I expected but all in balance.
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Theme: funky wine. This is surprisingly not premox! (according to my friend who said the chance is 50/50, if premox, indeed a funky wine!) .
Quite pretty and complex, with powerful, oily buttery mouthfeel. Getting better at the end of the night but still not the best example of a Leflaive BBM, maybe due to the vintage, lacks a bit of tension and elegance. .
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My last. A superb showing to finish. Concentrated exotic stoned fruits and bell pepper; viscous. Vanilla and cedary notes integrated in the mix. Perfectly judged core acidity. Complex. Finest possible accompaniment for white meats and robust fish dishes. As good as it will get but should hold for 5-6 years or so for those who like a very mature style.
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Nothing to add to my recent note. Superb. I like my burgundy, even at this exalted level, relatively young but would keep for those who like old favourite aunts up to 20-25yrs fom vintage.
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Mothering Sunday dinner. Remains packed with white stoned fruit, minerality, integrated cedary oak, viscous citrus oil nuances and bell pepper. Long finish. Perfect with our roast chicken. Well up the excellent scale. I prefer to drink my fine white burgundies younger than some so will drink my remaining bottles by 2020 although those who prefer a maturer style can safely allow for 20 years from vintage.
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Dark gold, urine-like; a very big, extroverted fragrance profile, with various sweet flowers, corn, sweet citrus, mint, and Viognier-like mixture of floral notes and spicy richness; lots of acidity and a delicious, big Burgundy bite at the back of the throat; this is a big wine that needs a full flavored dish like roast chicken; very long.
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Nice white Burgundy, even if not hugely complex. Might have opened this too early because of premox fears, but there was no evident oxidation in this bottle. Needs time in glass and intense swirling to show secondary flavors, but doesn't open up that much even over 2.5 hours.
Toasty nose with stone fruits, pear, and some unripe green apple. A little bitter lemon curd. Eventually, notes of smoky ginger and Asian spice impress. Nice acidity and some minerality on the palate. After time, the ginger and spices become evident on the palate, which significantly adds to the otherwise limited complexity. Slightly buttery flavor but medium-bodied texture. Still very fresh. A bit hot on the medium-plus finish. Alcohol is a bit high. Wouldn't mind seeing some more oxidative flavors, so I think this could last for at least five and likely eight more years.
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45 minute decant. I can only repeat my last note from 14 months ago: "Toasty; white stoned fruits almost tending to the exotic, a viscous layering of citrus oils, minerality. Full bodied - almost off-dry but with plenty of core acidity to prevent any blowsiness. Complexity in spades. On a long plateau of excellence." 2023 remains my "best before" estimate. Fabulous concentration.
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Annual gathering with Chicago winos in Chicago - Burgs, old Bordeauxs and SQNs (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL): Just like the last two times, not so inspiring. Shy ripe nose displaying candied grapefruit, cooked apple, caramel and mineral. Excellent concentration, rich, coiled, medium acidity, strong presence of mineral and a medium finish. Certain not premoxed but a bit dull and cloying. Will this ever improve, gaining more detail and precision, with time? I am not so sure.
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Weird dusty cotton candy aromas, bubble gum aromas. Nice sweetness, dry with a bitter apple slim quality. Bit hard. Stengel wine, seems advanced on the margin.
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Wines of Good Hope: Summer 2016; 7/9/2016-8/31/2016 (River's Inlet, British Columbia): [Magnum] Drank over two days and unfortunately didn't take proper notes, but this was a fantastic bottle of white burg. Reductive aromatics of sulphur, matchstick, white flowers, and bright yellow and white fruit. Very fresh. Expansive and mouthcoating on the palate. Long and pronounced finish.
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La Paulée de San Francisco - Gala Dinner (The Fairmont - San Francisco CA): Small glass, brief note. Much like the 2008 just tasted, this has orchard fruit, spice and floral character in good harmony. This wine comes across as slightly more dense, so correspondingly longer and more pleasurable. Still nicely fresh, particularly vs many other 2005 white Grand Cru bottles I have tasted recently.
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Three bottles drunk at friend's dinner party. Opened two hours in advance before resealing and (short) transportation to consumption venue. Drunk 3-4 hrs from initial opening. Toasty; white stoned fruits almost tending to the exotic, a viscous layering of citrus oils, minerality. Full bodied - almost off-dry but with plenty of core acidity to prevent any blowsiness. Complexity in spades. On a long plateau of excellence. ?6-7yrs.
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Majestic - read previous note. This wine will hold up over many years - it will probably evolve - but it cannot get any better than the perfect place it is in now.
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Many of the elements of my 2013 note but the most notable change was in the middle palate where an exotic fruit element explodes in the mouth. The oak is now integrated with the whole and this great wine has now hit its plateau. Personally I don't believe in over-ageing fine white Burgundy and I will be drinking my remaining ten bottles over the next five years max - however for those of you who like it aged this should hold up (but not improve further) for up to twenty years from vintage. Fabulous. 95+
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Deep yellow color, which turned out to be surprising because by the end of the evening we were convinced that this wine has a decade + of greatness ahead of it. Huge and pleasing nose, which gave many different fruits and floral notes over two hours. Really opened up with decanting. Big buttery flavors, great Burgundy bite, viscous, almost sweet, a hint of light citrus honey or syrup. extremely long. Others at my table gave it even higher notes.
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Another lazy Sunday gathering with 95 Latour, 98 Rayas, 90 BDL, 11 the stone terrace and etc. (Table Restaurant - Washington D.C.): A wine that I really looked forward to try but a disappointment. Ripe yellow fruits, ginger, mineral and spicy spices. Very tight, mineral, bright acidity and medium finish. At this stage of development, it should still show some white fruits like pear and white peach. Seems a bit too ripe, lacking freshness. The 92 Leflaive Chevy, Batard and BBM are three of my favorite white Burgundies. Caveat Emptor. I am in complete agreement with JONALLEN on this wine.
The 2005 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard is really beginning to open up, soaring from the glass with an expressive and detailed bouquet of honeysuckle, lemon oil, peach, beeswax and red apple, becoming borderline tropical in its exoticism with decanting. The palate impression is a little more reserved, with a precise core and a chalky finish, but here too the wine is opening up, with lovely, layered, expansive fruit and great intensity and balance. This is maturing very nicely indeed.
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Deliberate infanticide to assess when to drink my other 11 bottles. Closed nose of exotic oils, balsa, spargel. Fabulous flavours (after a two hour decant) of tropical fruits, linseed and balancing acid hidden to an extent by the oak veneer that is still the dominant feature in the mouth although not detracting from the overall experience. I could sniff this wine for hours without drinking it; I could enjoy the taste as it is anytime; 94 now - would expect it to be 95+ when I open the next bottle in 2015. Must be good for 10 years from now. Splendid and very great wine indeed - just needs patience to show its full array of majesty.
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Med yellow. Apple, acacia flower, wet stone nose, muted. Apple fruit with medium body. The acid is soft but a real spiciness holds this together. Medium long and excellent. thanks to PK
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slightly darkening, nose was rich and promising with caramel, palate was a little tired with less acid than i like - no surprise with the vintage, palate was light on fruit unfortunately and in that sense out of balance with oak (tho integrated) and mineral elements... not worth the price of admission unfortunately
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3/13/2022 - Bandreas Likes this wine:
Brought out by Jim Cahill for our tasting at Black Salt.
Mature golden color, attractive nose with some signs of age. Could have been premox. In spite of that the wine attractive and when tasted alongside a dish of raw oysters, it came to live.
I liked it; but it did not quite live up to its illustrious provenance and the QPR for this wine might be a bit loop-sided.
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5/6/2021 - cortoncharlie wrote: 95 Points
I know there are a lot of bad bottles of 05 Leflaives out there but I have had mostly good luck with this vintage. Absolutely no prem-ox on this stunning bottle just entering its prime drinking window. Extremely elegant and simply delicious. Still going strong after 3 hours. I don't think it will improve much more with age.
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4/3/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote: flawed
Advanced. Not full on oxidization but much farther along than this should be. Disappointing, especially when compared to the '04 Chevalier and Pucelles alongside which were were proper fresh.
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2/19/2021 - fcxj wrote: 88 Points
Bit dishwater aromatics, not super. Palate works, good acidity. (RE 09838)
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12/27/2020 - hargy Likes this wine: 94 Points
quite a pale yellow and not even a hint of oxidation on opening - fresh, complex and long - wonderful - just maybe lacking in a bit of acidity to balance the fruit
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2/23/2020 - MJReb wrote: 91 Points
Chez JPL: a bit oxidized, structured, lemon.
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10/20/2019 - AValdes Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank against some good bottles (Bouchard Montrachet, ‘12 Dauvissat Les Preuses, etc.) and the Leflaive was tops. A fresh, unoxidized specimen. Gorgeous color, a little more oak than I expected but all in balance.
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3/28/2019 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Theme: funky wine.
This is surprisingly not premox! (according to my friend who said the chance is 50/50, if premox, indeed a funky wine!) .
Quite pretty and complex, with powerful, oily buttery mouthfeel. Getting better at the end of the night but still not the best example of a Leflaive BBM, maybe due to the vintage, lacks a bit of tension and elegance. .
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2/28/2019 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 95 Points
My last.
A superb showing to finish. Concentrated exotic stoned fruits and bell pepper; viscous. Vanilla and cedary notes integrated in the mix. Perfectly judged core acidity. Complex. Finest possible accompaniment for white meats and robust fish dishes.
As good as it will get but should hold for 5-6 years or so for those who like a very mature style.
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6/24/2018 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nothing to add to my recent note. Superb.
I like my burgundy, even at this exalted level, relatively young but would keep for those who like old favourite aunts up to 20-25yrs fom vintage.
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6/12/2018 - steinersing wrote: 94 Points
a few rather evolved bottles. the ones that were not showed very well.
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3/11/2018 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
Mothering Sunday dinner.
Remains packed with white stoned fruit, minerality, integrated cedary oak, viscous citrus oil nuances and bell pepper. Long finish. Perfect with our roast chicken. Well up the excellent scale.
I prefer to drink my fine white burgundies younger than some so will drink my remaining bottles by 2020 although those who prefer a maturer style can safely allow for 20 years from vintage.
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2/12/2018 - PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dark gold, urine-like; a very big, extroverted fragrance profile, with various sweet flowers, corn, sweet citrus, mint, and Viognier-like mixture of floral notes and spicy richness; lots of acidity and a delicious, big Burgundy bite at the back of the throat; this is a big wine that needs a full flavored dish like roast chicken; very long.
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1/28/2018 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
Family Sunday dinner with daughters and grandson.
Stunning, earlier notes say it all.
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9/9/2017 - MaxSiegel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice white Burgundy, even if not hugely complex. Might have opened this too early because of premox fears, but there was no evident oxidation in this bottle. Needs time in glass and intense swirling to show secondary flavors, but doesn't open up that much even over 2.5 hours.
Toasty nose with stone fruits, pear, and some unripe green apple. A little bitter lemon curd. Eventually, notes of smoky ginger and Asian spice impress. Nice acidity and some minerality on the palate. After time, the ginger and spices become evident on the palate, which significantly adds to the otherwise limited complexity. Slightly buttery flavor but medium-bodied texture. Still very fresh. A bit hot on the medium-plus finish. Alcohol is a bit high. Wouldn't mind seeing some more oxidative flavors, so I think this could last for at least five and likely eight more years.
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5/1/2017 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
45 minute decant.
I can only repeat my last note from 14 months ago:
"Toasty; white stoned fruits almost tending to the exotic, a viscous layering of citrus oils, minerality. Full bodied - almost off-dry but with plenty of core acidity to prevent any blowsiness. Complexity in spades.
On a long plateau of excellence."
2023 remains my "best before" estimate. Fabulous concentration.
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4/21/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Wine Dinner Extravaganza; 4/21/2017-4/22/2017 (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL): Open 15-20 minutes before serving. Ripe stone fruits with good concentration, but somewhat mature and just modest complexity.
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4/21/2017 - dcwino wrote: 91 Points
Annual gathering with Chicago winos in Chicago - Burgs, old Bordeauxs and SQNs (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL): Just like the last two times, not so inspiring. Shy ripe nose displaying candied grapefruit, cooked apple, caramel and mineral. Excellent concentration, rich, coiled, medium acidity, strong presence of mineral and a medium finish. Certain not premoxed but a bit dull and cloying. Will this ever improve, gaining more detail and precision, with time? I am not so sure.
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4/21/2017 - KenK wrote: 91 Points
Weird dusty cotton candy aromas, bubble gum aromas.
Nice sweetness, dry with a bitter apple slim quality. Bit hard.
Stengel wine, seems advanced on the margin.
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3/17/2017 - canan wrote: flawed
Misc Tasting - Terkel Style (Birkerød): Unfortunately, this wine seemed a bit off..
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2/24/2017 - A.Hansen Likes this wine: 95 Points
A terrific Leflaive. Peaches and other exotic fruits. Racy minerality and good acidity. A great wine.
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9/30/2016 - dcwino wrote: 89 Points
Annual Chicago winos visit - Pearl Clutcher, coche, drc, rousseau, D'Yquem and etc. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): In line with the bottle drank two years ago. Not premoxed but no energy and cloying. Ripe yellow fruits, lemon curd, matchstick and sweet spices. Good concentration, medium acidity, good mineral presence and medium finish. Just not doing much for me.
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9/30/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Wine Dinner Extravaganza (Rosewood Hotel Dining Room - Washington DC): Amazing when tasted 6 months ago, not so amazing tonight. Very good richness and concentration, but tonight's bottle was clearly much longer in the tooth.
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7/31/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
Wines of Good Hope: Summer 2016; 7/9/2016-8/31/2016 (River's Inlet, British Columbia): [Magnum] Drank over two days and unfortunately didn't take proper notes, but this was a fantastic bottle of white burg. Reductive aromatics of sulphur, matchstick, white flowers, and bright yellow and white fruit. Very fresh. Expansive and mouthcoating on the palate. Long and pronounced finish.
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3/5/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
La Paulée de San Francisco - Gala Dinner (The Fairmont - San Francisco CA): Small glass, brief note. Much like the 2008 just tasted, this has orchard fruit, spice and floral character in good harmony. This wine comes across as slightly more dense, so correspondingly longer and more pleasurable. Still nicely fresh, particularly vs many other 2005 white Grand Cru bottles I have tasted recently.
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2/20/2016 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
Three bottles drunk at friend's dinner party. Opened two hours in advance before resealing and (short) transportation to consumption venue. Drunk 3-4 hrs from initial opening.
Toasty; white stoned fruits almost tending to the exotic, a viscous layering of citrus oils, minerality. Full bodied - almost off-dry but with plenty of core acidity to prevent any blowsiness. Complexity in spades.
On a long plateau of excellence. ?6-7yrs.
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9/10/2015 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 95 Points
Majestic - read previous note.
This wine will hold up over many years - it will probably evolve - but it cannot get any better than the perfect place it is in now.
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7/2/2015 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 95 Points
Many of the elements of my 2013 note but the most notable change was in the middle palate where an exotic fruit element explodes in the mouth. The oak is now integrated with the whole and this great wine has now hit its plateau.
Personally I don't believe in over-ageing fine white Burgundy and I will be drinking my remaining ten bottles over the next five years max - however for those of you who like it aged this should hold up (but not improve further) for up to twenty years from vintage.
Fabulous. 95+
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6/10/2015 - PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep yellow color, which turned out to be surprising because by the end of the evening we were convinced that this wine has a decade + of greatness ahead of it. Huge and pleasing nose, which gave many different fruits and floral notes over two hours. Really opened up with decanting. Big buttery flavors, great Burgundy bite, viscous, almost sweet, a hint of light citrus honey or syrup. extremely long. Others at my table gave it even higher notes.
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9/21/2014 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
Another lazy Sunday gathering with 95 Latour, 98 Rayas, 90 BDL, 11 the stone terrace and etc. (Table Restaurant - Washington D.C.): A wine that I really looked forward to try but a disappointment. Ripe yellow fruits, ginger, mineral and spicy spices. Very tight, mineral, bright acidity and medium finish. At this stage of development, it should still show some white fruits like pear and white peach. Seems a bit too ripe, lacking freshness. The 92 Leflaive Chevy, Batard and BBM are three of my favorite white Burgundies. Caveat Emptor. I am in complete agreement with JONALLEN on this wine.
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6/9/2014 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 95 Points
The 2005 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard is really beginning to open up, soaring from the glass with an expressive and detailed bouquet of honeysuckle, lemon oil, peach, beeswax and red apple, becoming borderline tropical in its exoticism with decanting. The palate impression is a little more reserved, with a precise core and a chalky finish, but here too the wine is opening up, with lovely, layered, expansive fruit and great intensity and balance. This is maturing very nicely indeed.
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10/12/2013 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deliberate infanticide to assess when to drink my other 11 bottles.
Closed nose of exotic oils, balsa, spargel. Fabulous flavours (after a two hour decant) of tropical fruits, linseed and balancing acid hidden to an extent by the oak veneer that is still the dominant feature in the mouth although not detracting from the overall experience.
I could sniff this wine for hours without drinking it; I could enjoy the taste as it is anytime; 94 now - would expect it to be 95+ when I open the next bottle in 2015.
Must be good for 10 years from now. Splendid and very great wine indeed - just needs patience to show its full array of majesty.
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9/23/2013 - KVM wrote: 94 Points
Med yellow. Apple, acacia flower, wet stone nose, muted. Apple fruit with medium body. The acid is soft but a real spiciness holds this together. Medium long and excellent. thanks to PK
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3/30/2013 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needed time in the glass, very fine indeed, floats on the palate.
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12/24/2012 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 90 Points
slightly darkening, nose was rich and promising with caramel, palate was a little tired with less acid than i like - no surprise with the vintage, palate was light on fruit unfortunately and in that sense out of balance with oak (tho integrated) and mineral elements... not worth the price of admission unfortunately
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6/2/2011 - lepetitchateau wrote: 94 Points
Yeasty nose. On the palate, this is not yet showing much, but it is smooth with a sense of gravel ... but not much fruit yet. Good balance here.
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