Cellared from release. Medium dark, now, ruby, slightly bricking throughout. On POP, give this at least 15 to 20 minutes in glass to blow off. After that, lovely. Oak, juniper, blackberry and black cherry to nose. This translates to palate, although more tannins than fruit now. A great performance, but drink up - she’s on the way to Valhalla.
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The nose is simpler than I expected right out of the bottle, but beautiful once it opens up.
Medium plus in body and elegant, with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing black plums, cooked cherries, light oak, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, espresso, earth, light forest floor and black pepper.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This Merlot based blend from Bordeaux is drinking nicely now, and feels young, especially on the nose.
Good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime. I did not decant it and left it in the bottle. I was actually worried that it will die sooner, but it still has a lot in it. Love to see that. Only after 2 hours, the nose opened up and tannins showed up.
This 26 years old is easy drinking and good by itself or with food. I had the 2010 vintage, five years ago, and I liked it better this time.
Robert Parker 94 points.
Paired nicely with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
89 points.
$100.
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I've had this wine four previous times and loved it--but this bottle was even better! Perhaps it was this specific bottle--but my best guess is that this wine needed just a little more time in the cellar. Either way, this was spectacular from the moment the bottle was opened: Pipe tobacco, black olives, black cherries, autumn forest, coffee, melted unsweetened chocolate, a distinct touch of pleasing bitterness, followed by an extremely long and lovely aftertaste with a barely detectable hint of cinnamon. After about 40 minutes in the glass, baked black plums and and a touch of nutmeg join in (but this is a subtle change). Just a gorgeous wine. Vividly and immediately present. In the past, I've always slightly preferred the 1999 vintage, but, if this bottle is typical, the 1998 has now fully caught up with the 1999. I look forward to revisiting the 1999! [Tasted over 2 hours from the Jancis Robinson glass. I gave this bottle a week upright to allow the sediment to settle out.] Previously tasted 7/19/23, 7/2/23, 11/24/21, and 11/22/19. No hurry.
Ever so slightly different from the previous bottle (see my note of 7/3/23, as well as 11/24/21 and 11/22/19), but equally lovely. Rich baked plums, black cherries, bitter chocolate, tobacco, coffee. With time in the glass, the tobacco and coffee became much more prominent. LONG long long aftertaste. Just a wonderful wine! [Tasted over more than an hour from the Jancis Robinson glass. I gave this bottle a full week upright for sediment to settle out.] {As you may have gathered from the description, this bottle seemed "older" than the bottle of 7/3/23, although still in great shape--if this bottle is the typical one, I'd expect this wine to remain wonderful for three more years (not 5 as I earlier estimated), and probably longer.}
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I really love this wine! Cork in very good condition. Immediately after opening, beautiful ripe raspberries, cocoa, smoke, tobacco, coffee, cherries, but only a medium-length aftertaste. After about 25 minutes in the glass, the aftertaste lengthens dramatically, with tobacco, cherries, and coffee becoming much more prominent--gorgeous. No hurry--this should continue to be a treasure for at least another 5 years and probably longer.
Best after 25 minutes in the glass (the score reflects this), but I would be sorry to have missed those first 25 minutes! [I gave this bottle a little over a week upright to allow the sediment to settle out. Tasted over more than an hour from the Jancis Robinson glass.] Previously tasted 11/24/21 and 11/22/2019.
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Deep garnet. Nose of mocha, touch of dried herbs. Taste of mellow chocolate, some Asian spice. Medium length. Best Quinault I’ve tasted. Will go a few years more.
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Bricking at the edges. Subdued aroma of mature plum. Medium body, round and smooth with fading fruit. Stewed plum followed by earthy, mineral notes of pencil lead/graphite. Soft tannins balanced acidity. Very drinkable, but well beyond its best drinking window in terms of fruit. Definitely better with food such as charcuterie.
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Decanted. Opened with a nose of earth, anise, pepper and light petroleum notes. Slowly evolved to include green pepper, mild dark fruit with integrated tannis that softened nicely after an hour or so. Interesting blend with 5% Malbec. Heavy sediment, much of which clung to the side of the bottle. Overall a very nice wine that strays from your typical Bordeaux in an intreguing way. Could likely survive several more years in the cellar but, in our opinion, didn’t need it to be enjoyable.
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A really lovely wine, now at its absolute peak. Initially after opening, smoke, tobacco, cherries, flowers, coffee, and a hint of cocoa. Still a touch of tannin. After about 20 minutes, the smoke vanishes and the cherries become more prominent, and a wisp of mint appears. Gorgeous long aftertaste with a slow fade. Graceful. This should remain a joy for at least 3 years, maybe longer. (I gave this bottle three weeks upright to make sure that the massive sediment had time to settle out.)
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Leather, dark fruits and some violet on an evolved nose. Lovely mature palate with plums and leather, some graphite. Everything well integrated with resolved tannins. Delicious.
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Violets, dried herbs and leather on the nose and on the palate. The fruit is plum and red raspberry. Very earthy. A bit rustic because of the dusty tannins, yet there is some elegance and class to the wine. Likable, but i remember it being more lively and full of class when it ws younger. I guess i preferred it younger.
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Ruby with a bit of bricking on the rim. Beautifully aromatic. Potpourri, violet and mossy undergrowth. Good acidity but little body, fruit or tannins remaining. I far prefer the 2000, but this vintage is no slouch either.
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Our third bottle in like 6months and this is a consistent wine and a great find. Granted being from a ripe year this has the weight fo fruit and definitely benefits from decanting. Bright and energetic , full of character, soft spice, light leather, lots of dark fruit. 91-92 and given the life in this we will keep the last bottle to be enjoyed in years to come. Let’s see how this evolves
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Deep ruby almost opaque, looking extremely young with no bricking on the rim. That aged Bordeaux perfume was compromised of barnyard, aged cheese, mushrooms, vanilla, black currants, anise, truffles notes kept pulling me back for more. On this night, this bottle was singing in harmony and was the best example of Quinault l’Enclos I have had to date. Everyone agreed, it was the highlight of the night. I continue to believe that the greatest Saint-Emilion’s in the nineties were produced in 1998. An amazing accomplishment. Still an infant, this will last another 15 years
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From Magnum, first from a case. I really think this is quite the over-achiever for 98. Although 98 RBs are drinking well. This is no exception. Attractive developed bouquet of pyrazine, ripe berries (blue and raspberry)leather and earth. Medium resolving tannins, round and slightly plush. A little heat on the finish. Magnums have a few years to improve yet.
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Another great show, consistent to a few weeks ago ( Papies 93) just a touch less impressive maybe . Very fresh still, herby and with a good dollop of ripe fruit still, dark fruited and just drinks very nicely now and with lots of life ahead here. Very solid 92
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Red ruby in color, nose of currants, plum sauce, anise, tobacco and vegetal note. Palate is medium body, currants, plums, cherries on the palate along with licorice, tobacco, vanilla. Very fine tannins and in total harmony with the rest of the wine. Finish is medium to long. Excellent and fully mature
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The wine is open from the word go but some decanting will definitely help it. This is a beautiful wine and much like their 2000 vintage ( Papies 92) we had a few month back confirms our view that this si a producer to go to fro good and mature vintages ( Haven't tried 1995 yet but its on the target list) . To us this is the Lagrange of St Emilion, an arbitrage of quality vs price and a must buy n good vintages. Andreas who tried this blind went straight to a merlot focused wine, 10yr or less St Emilion most likely. His guess was Figeac 2007 or 2011 ( Papies 92-93 for both) . Herby , dark fruited and with an excellent and welcoming nose full of charm and elegance. A really impressive nose actually , not an overly expressive one, of classic style right bank. On the palate it is still very much youthful , bright and full of energy and still fruit driven. 1998 vintage comes out very well in the balanced form of the wine they made which although not overdone the quality of the fruit kept the wine feeling so youthful at 22y. Excellent. 93 and has easily 10yrs more of top plateau.
much different experience than the bottle a couple weeks ago. Roasted red fruit nose mixed with notes of sauteed mushrooms, a hint of smokiness (think camp fire), Paine grille. The palate is brooding and still relatively weighty. The finish is spicy and long. If you have em, drink em! This particular showing was at its apex.
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Mature right bank. Nose of sappy dried flowers, herbs, some meat. Not much primary profile left. The nose is certainly enjoyable and the age leaves a smooth palate but some excess bitterness remains. Probably as good as it is gong to get.
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Initially, blackberries dominated both the aromas and flavors, but with a disappointingly bitter aftertaste. Gradually, over the next 20 or 30 minutes (I wasn't looking at a clock), roses and cedar emerged in nose and mouth, and the blackberries faded away. The bitterness in the aftertaste vanished, but it remained disappointing, now a bit watery. After maybe 45 minutes in the glass, this wine was at its best, with blackberries, roses, and cedar all working harmoniously together, and a pleasant medium-length aftertaste. My best guess is that, if this bottle was typical, this wine is already fading and that it probably should be finished in the next 3 years or sooner. (Used Coravin, and tasting the wine again the second day, I'd add iron, licorice, and leather to the aromas. Aftertaste seemed a bit longer than on the first day. My guess now is that the wine will be fine for maybe four or five years. No change to the score.) [One final tasting--the same bottle--and possibly the most interesting. The previous time I tasted this bottle, I pulled the cork--it was in perfect condition--and then I left the bottle stoppered, three-quarters empty, at cellar temperature for more than 24 hours. And then I tasted it one final time. This time, gentle aromas and flavors of blackberries, blueberries, and leather, with the overall effect being richer and, surprisingly, more youthful than in the earlier tastings. The wine now easily deserved 93 points (reflected in the score above). My sense is that, if other bottles are like this one--as I said, the cork was in perfect condition--they're probably not quite at their peak yet (!), but very close, and that the wine would remain in good shape for at least 5 more years. Don't hesitate to open it now, but you don't need to be in any hurry. My guess is that it will hit its peak in the course of the next year, but again this assumes that other bottles are in the same good shape that this one was in.]
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Drinking great now. Cork looked brand new. Decent bit of sedinemt but it was settled after a week of standing upright. Silky smooth and elegant, as a great bordeaux should be. Tannins were lingering at the end, and had a little bite to them, but just a little. 3 hour decant. Paid $40 at auction, would buy all I could find at this price, very very high QPR. Should still be good for 3 more years.
14OCT19 BOTTLE 2 - exact same as #1. Love it.
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In great shape today but feels like this is as far as it goes (it’s come a long way - this is the last of a case of 12 and it’s been a rollercoaster ride). Beautifully smooth and together, slightly peppery taste, great length.
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Bordeaux Night in the Santa Ynez Valley (An Anonymous Winery's Gorgeous Cellar Table): A somewhat divisive wine, with a few haters being outweighed by enthusiasts such as myself. I thought it merited WOTN consideration in fact. Distinctly modern in style, with well integrated oak, ripe red fruit, some smoke, an iodine note and a gentle finish wrapped in sweet tannins. The acidity is a bit lacking at this stage -- drink up.
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Riley's 1st Birthday (Botanic, Raffles City): A garragiste merlot-dominated wine at 20 years old, this has held up really quite well. There was an attractive nose on it - modern but pretty alluring, with sweet, ripe aromas of cassis and blackberries, even plums, along with some earthy herbs and powdered spices, and then a waft of cigarette smoke on the sides. The palate was as big and ripe as the nose suggested, with large scale, broad-shouldered flavours of black cherries, cassis and plums interlaced with a good bit of mineral and spice. There was certainly some alcohol on this, but thankfully everything was decently brought into decent enough balance by soft acidities and velvet tannins into a slightly smoky finish. Enjoyable - even with its modern stylings, this had the clarity and balance that drew it back to Bordeaux. Almost fully mature, this should be drank soon. Certainly speaks well of the quality on the right bank in 1998 though.
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From double magnum. Lovely deep ruby. Nice plum, stewed strawberry nose with only a very little spice/soil note. Very fruit driven but in a good way. Lovely healthy fruit on the palate, more plummy Merlot but all in good balance with freshness and uplift. Medium plus body and length. Can’t see it getting any better but plenty of life in it. Prior double magnum from 2 years ago was like drinking oak chips so very pleased to see this has resolved itself. Very enjoyable with the select Wed night swim crew!
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This adult merlot has held up well, unmoved and cellared since release. At peak drinking with another 10 years of life. Beguiling aromas of chocolate mint fondue, roasted tomato, bay leaf, and wild strawberries. Lots of plum, black cherry skins and pits, and spearmint in the mouth. On the downside, that spearmint evolves to camphor, and the wine is very “dusty” from attack to finish, dry, and rather short. I served it with a shredded duck confit and shiitakes mushroom risotto; the salty richness of the duck hid those dusty tannins, and the mushrooms (sautéed first w shallot, duck fat, and some of the wine) brought out the hidden earthiness and tobacco contributed by the 10% cab sauv in the blend.
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Quite vegetal on popping. Complex nose of tomato, asparagus, anise, raisins, chocolate and peppers. The more vegetal elememts blow off quite a bit with time in the glass suggesting reduction which seems odd. Good acidity, pleasant palate, body on lean side. Good length with lingering, civilized tannins. A interesting and civilized red that went well with broiled lamb chops: but what doesn’t? Decanting for 2 hours gets rid of the vegetal aroma.
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Weekend in Minneapolis; 8/17/2018-8/18/2018 (Various Locations): Ok, officially officially by the super tasters in the group this was corked. But I'll admit I didn't totally get it. I'd be more inclined to say bottle variation and maybe this wasn't as good as a previous bottle. But there's still lots of sour red currants and it started to open in the glass and the mustiness that was there right at the beginning blew off pretty quickly.
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Decanted 4 hours before drinking. 80% Merlot and 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. From a 37 acre walled vineyard in the city of Libourne. Crimson red color. Notes of grape skins, plum, cocoa powder and leather. Firm tannins. 91-92 points.
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2nd of 12. Elegant round plum fruit with some leather and more complex than previous year. Still has noticeable soft tannin giving a dry note on finish. Drunk with Toulouse sausage and would have been better to have chosen a more robust wine to counter the spiciness of the sausage. 4/5
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Complex and layered nose. Tomato jam, tomato leaf, smoke, leather, dried strawberry, dried raspberry, cedar, tobacco. Very appealing. Palate was still wound tightly, with the tannins not really showing any signs of resolution. Many years left until that happens. Lots of flowers on the palate--rose petal really shone through. The nose wins the day here, but an enjoyable wine overall.
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The fruit and oak has faded with time. Medium bodied, fully mature, soft, round, and a bit short, but the black cherry, licorice and earthy notes that remained were easy to drink. Still, if I owned any of this wine, I'd drink it sooner than later.
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3 years ago I gave this wine 97 pointos. I remember that bottle vividly. Tonight it's oak, oak, oak. Open 3 hours. Nice enough leather cassis nose. I still get that sense of density and concentration, but oakiness > fruitiness. Wow, that last three sips, the oakiness was in recession, the tar and density and mouth-coating black fruit. Ah, still too much oak. I'll stick with the 92.
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1st of 12. Rich and silky mellow plum fruit with some smoky tobacco and some undergrowth. Medium bodied and nice balance, some acidity on finish but balanced by the fruit. 4/5
This was a surprisingly good wine. Had with seasoned grilled chicken. Let open for about 30 minutes and drank over the course of 1.5 hours. Good nose of must and dirt (classic Bordeaux). Licorice, root, and plumb on the palate.
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This bottle was a tad past peak for me, but still very enjoyable. Well balanced primary fruits and secondary flavors on initial open, but the fruit faded very quickly over a couple hours. Red fruits, tobacco, old leather, dust. Structure still holding up very nicely with a silky balance of tannins, acidity, and a medium + body. I'd personally recommend drinking up sooner than later.
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Terrific right from the get-go on PNP. Paired beautifully with some grilled lamb chops and vegetables. A somewhat more modern-styled bordeaux, but that just means it drinks really nicely on its own as well as with food. Well-balanced. Notes from malibuwino, devraj and joshabramson below all sound just right. Kinda bummed that I sold some of mine - only have a couple left, now!
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Delicious. Decanted for 2 hours before dinner. Bright, with plenty of backbone, showing red fruit, tobacco, and currant. Should last a few more years at least, but seems to be at/near its peak now. A very enjoyable experience, no obvious flaws. For the money....really great.
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It has been 2 years since I last opened a bottle of this. I gave this 94 points then, I'm giving in 94 points now. We just opened two bottles for a dinner party and both were drinking very well right out of the bottle. It's showing its age very well -- still holding on to a lot of fruit, and there is still plenty of backbone & structure, but it's very silky and the tannins are fully resolved. I imagine this will be good for a few more years, but I don't see it getting any better. Right now it's great though!
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A little hot to start but that seemed to burn off over time. A little too much young wood aromas and flavors for my palate. Not particularly well knit, but certainly drinkable, just not the wine for me. For those that this does appeal to, there is still some upside over at least a few years. 86-87
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Very nice St Emillion with nice bouquet of cedar, floral and hints of leather. Ripe fruits with well integrated tannins and a long finish. Excellent for the QPR. Today, I am giving this wine 1 point higher than th '95 Monbousquet consumed yesterday.
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Deep ruby red in color. Classic and impressive aroma of cedar, blackish red fruits (plums, cherries), tobacco and hint of violets. Lovely and well integrated medium bodied palate reveals sweet plum liqueur, kirsch, ripe pipe tobacco, medium acidity, melting tannins and long finish redolent of cedar. Quite lovely and aging well.
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A fairly ordinary Saint Emilion sipped on Boxing Day. Although not a “special” or “buy every year” example of The Noble Grape, we will happily sip this bottle with the guest who likely brought it to share at dinner or as a satisfying alternative to the higher-level wines that for many reasons should not be sipped everyday. Good color, pleasant nose, varying degrees of appropriate niceties (depends on the varietal or blend) on the palate and the sort of finish that politely responds, “Yes, I would be happy to sip another glass, thanks.”
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Vindredi (Jeff's): Tasted blind. Dusty and earthy, with some wood and riper fruit on the nose. Lush, ripe cherry, raspberry and plum. Finishes with very fine tannins and great acidity. 92+
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St. Emilion with Vindredi (Home): Deep ruby-crimson. Bouquet of sweet cherries, brown sugar, orange (!). Flavors of cedar, leather, tobacco, ripe strawberries. High acid. Long finish, slightly prickly. Very well integrated. Surprising: slight hints of green pepper. More earthy, drying than the 2000 tasted on the same night.
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Mature deep ruby with no sediment, plum, berries, black cherry.
Deep penetrating powerful wine giving satisfaction++
If a date, this was a 25 year old beach volleyball pro who keeps you wondering all night "What if" before taking you home and showing you what a powerful masterpiece looks like disrobed
Drink up if you enjoy Bordeaux for the fruit
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N: cherry, soy sauce, violets, just a touch of caramel and vanilla. P: smooth and even with a strong initial wave of plum and cherry backed by some tacky tannins, transitioning to leather. A little window of cleaner cherry flavor as the mid palate transitions to a lingering toasty note. This is much better than my first bottle, very nice.
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Disappointing showing overall; Decanted for 2 hours, and the nose revealed some pleasant aromas of plums, blackberries and spice; The palate, however, was rather monolithic and was overtaken by a big wave of oak that was overly intrusive; I'll age my remaining bottles and hope everything comes together more seamlessly down the road
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This bottle was much more vibrant than the past 3 I've had. Smokey game nose and palate, cedar, dark fruit, and finishing fairly long but with some mildly bitter tannins. Definitely pronounced bottle variation present here so cross your fingers.
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I think this may need more time; The wine was nice and elegant, with a palate of blackberries, plums and baking spices, but it never really felt fully integrated to me; My other bottles are going to stay in the cellar
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Very similar to the Chateau Kirwan drunk the day before, and just a bit better. It had a purple color with no brown in the rim. It also started with some herbals notes shifting to moderately sweet tobacco toward the end. It was nicely balanced with some nuance and a nice finish. This could be the stand-in Bordeaux much of the time--a very nice wine, but without the fireworks of the very best wines.
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This bottle was singing. Right out of the bottle, lovely floral nose, even better flavors. I couldn't stop tasting it. I swear I had more bottles. Now I will have to scour the cellar in search of them. This was the best Bordeaux I have had in years. Nothing intellectual about it-- just delicious. Once my wife got on to it, we finished it quickly. Great juice!
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You think 1998, you think right bank. But somehow this wine just never wowed me. It strikes me as a nice, competent, mellow Merlot based wine with good balance I suppose - but in this case 'good balance' is sort of a euphemism for 'somewhat boring.'
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Claret color with a very herbal bouquet and flavor with some underlying oak. Good balance with moderate finesse and a nice finish. Not one of the tobacco crowd at this point.
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This was an astonishing drink. I had no idea what I was pulling out of the cellar. Fortunately tonight was grilled lamb chops. Cedar, pencil, black currant on the nose. On the palate, it's straight black currant jam but with the cedar notes, tar, and maybe a little coffee and an eternal finish. The density! The density! The concentration defies belief. This is 3 years short of peak and will live ten more--if not longer. (added) I think the average score of this wine is weighed down by several low scores that may have reflected bottle variation.
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This is an overachiever from a small St.-Emilion plot. This has aged gracefully to show lightly macerated raspberries in a herb infused cocktail with fully integrated velvety tannins. The alcohol is very low at 13% which makes it irresistible not to finish the entire bottle. Great job.
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Relatively restrained nose. Pleasant. Fresh. Beautifully developing mouth. Quite long, in balance. No harsh side. It is now on its way to tertiary aroma's. It is now a mature Bordeaux. A too large glass is not adequate.
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At the top of its game - really smart; earthy rich, but loaded with juicy plummy fruit. Some tertiary elements, mid weight, and well balanced with an all round sumptuous finish.
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Reddish with purple highlights. Expressive nose that opens up with time to reveal candied & dried red-blue fruits, soy, hints of dark chocolate and graphite. A silky palate follows through with sweet plum liquer, supple tannins and low acidity on a lengthy, earthy and mildly savory finish. This is drinking nicely.
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Decanted and let rest for an hour. Beautiful wine right now with deep cherry and earthy tones. Nose of smoke and spice. Evolved all night with each sip being a bit different from the last until I couldn't restrain myself and drank it down. Too bad we drank the other 5 bottles so soon.
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This Quinault has evolved beautifully- lengthy finish, structured- balanced- confused our friends by opening this at an Italian restaurant but it paired up well with a dinner of chicken scarpariello ( on the bone) Quinault has always been a value, and the 1998 has shown us the wisdom of patience.
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Excellent bottle: roasted plums, coffee, beef boullion, chocolate and soy flavors. Seductively velveteen at first with silky tannins and low acid, and though both show adequately in time I would drink remaining bottles sooner than later if I had them.
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This is a beautiful wine. Very round, silky smooth and velvety tannins. Easy to drink on its own, but big enough to hold up to any red meat. I love how much fruit is here, but it's still very restrained and balanced. I'm buying more right now while I can still find it...
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Wednesday Night at Domaine Wine Storage (Domaine - Washington, DC): Drank from a magnum. Aromas of beef broth, pickles, olive tapenade, backed up with plum and fig fruit. Lots of soy sauce mixes with plum fruit and fine-grained tannins. Solid stuff, and the wine evolved a lot over the evening. If I had a stash of this, I'd probably drink them over the next two or three years.
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Over dinner. Leather, roasted plums, spice on rich nose. Palate was sweet, with ripe black fruits, tar, leather. Tannins were excellent, very smooth, with elongated finish. A little over the top for my palate, as I prefer the more restrained '98 Figeac.
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Spicy, brown sugar and plum nose. Quite expressive. Palate was quite round and soft initially, showing some coarse tannins later. Finishes with smoke, earth, bt of leather. Seemed fully mature, with a bit of leather mixed in. Quite nice. Guessed '98 Pomerol.
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Popped and poured. Still a young color. Nice nose. Over two hours, this was good and similar to my previous notes, but feels like it is drying out a bit. B+/A-
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This wine is getting better and better- open, no hard edges, plum, olive tapenade, good body, everything integrating nicely including sweet tannins and a long finish- absolutely lovely... Equally as good on day 2 too...
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From magnum, decanted 2 hrs before serving with Cheese Course. Slight, but good brett(NOT IN ELLEN's Opinion). Musky claret, merlot flavors. Drank well, but not as memorable as 2 years ago. 2/3 bottle left in capped decanter overnight. Tasted even better in the am. Vacuvinned and will try again Sunday.
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Similar to last note but drinking well and enjoyable for the big ripe fruit and can only complain about the wood and a bit of a dry finish. Just don't drink if you are in the mood for a traditional Bordeaux. A-
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This is nice wine but nothing exceptional. In fact, I believe I like the 99 slightly more. Anyway, light bricking in the glass and somewhat subdued nose and palate that shows some dark fruit and hints at secondary and tertiary components like toast, oak, cedar, and maybe even a touch of mint. A fine wine but somewhat less than I was expecting from a 98 right banker of this regard.
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Solid right out of the bottle, this showed plenty of fruit, nice concentration, and the expected oak on the finish. On the riper, New World side, but still enough Bordeaux shows and really enjoyable wine that will please a lot of crowds. A-
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This wine (a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) was tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. The bottle was kindly provided by Marshall Banker. The robe is deep red and the nose shows moderately intense aromas of red and black currants, as well as minerals and slight stemminess. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, medium dry tannins and well-integrated alcohol. The flavors are red and black fruit-dominated but there is a green element which carries through to the middle palate. Medium-length, tart finish. While not unpleasant overall, the green element detracts from this wine's otherwise nice attributes. Drink now-12/18.
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I popped another of these yesterday and have been drinking it over the past 24 hours. I have to confess I'm struggling more with this than on first taste. It's over-worked, over-extracted and over-oaked. Very hard to get past the massive wall of oak and I do wonder if it's being used to mask a rather mediocre wine beneath. I do have some admiration for a producer that is trying to over-perform, but the over-riding impression here is that these folks were chasing Parker points (and successfully if you look at his ratings for this wine). Somewhere under the oak there is some simple but tasty fruit, it's just not getting the chance to express anything.
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Short decant. Medium crimson in the glass - looks nicely mature but no signs of bricking yet. Nose is very oaky. VERY oaky. A little smoky Joe and some lifted red fruit. Unsurprisingly more oak tramples on the palate a little, although it is probably as integrated as it is ever going to be. I've had trad Rioja with less oaky palates. However, it may seem like a barrel-per-bottle in here but the treatment is high quality. Really creamy and supple texture with hints of spiced plum and mint. Tannins still remarkably firm, and not sure if the fruit is going to hang in there for the time it will take for these to fully soften. Big extraction. Overall the oak absolutely saturates and dominates the wine, but if you like them this way ou'll probably be in hog heaven. I like a bit of oak myself but this is probably too much. Comes acros as rather manufactured, albeit to a high standard. Have tried to score objectively on quality, but this will really polarise opinion. I'm in two minds myself! Part of me loves the rounded and easy-going nature, and another part is having a tiny tantrum over the overt (and probably over) manipulation. Would be tempted to drink over the next couple of years rather than hold out for those tannins to resolve.
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Opened it in the morning and let it sit in cellar for 12 hours. Noticed the cork had a good quarter inch of dark fruit, poured a bit and sampled excellence. Medium to full color all the way to the edges, highly complex nose of rasperry, currants, graphite, clay, barnyard and forest floor, entry was balnced, elegant and tannins round, body was supple with layer after layer of fruit, glycerine and finish was long and delicious. This was my very first Bordeaux, and quite the impression it made (very hedonistic).
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This was drinking a bit better than previous bottles, but I did not stay with it all night like some others did. Still on the ripe side and modern, but seemed more complete and more Bordeaux. A-
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Deep ruby color and not showing much age. Very nice nose of roasted nuts, bitter chocolate and this wonderful red cassis. Does not quite deliver on the palate yet as the tannins are a bit astringent but the fruit underneath is lovely with this dark red rasberry/cinamin/beef blood thing going on. Finishes tight and lacks great complexity at this point but the nose would suggest further development. We'll see. 89+
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Magnum Double decanted in am. Redecanted an hour before serving at dinner. Excellent cassis notes, merlot dominance results in a smooth enjoyable wine at or near its peak.Extended finish.Paired well with braised short ribs.
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i like this wine. parker wasnt wrong here. A bit of a surprise as we'd put these down for a bit. Tasted first of 6 tonight. Drinking nicely now. And will go for more years.
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Had with Christmas lunch with pork and turkey. Dark red with purple. Very fragrant nose. Also get some coffee and tobacco. Ripe fruit and tannins are well integrated at this time. Really enjoyable. A very good 98 St Emilion.
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Offering mature, oak, earth and fruit aromas, ending on a plush, plum and cherry note. Fully mature. There is no reason to hold this easy to like wine any longer. In fact, it might have been a little more fun to drink a year or two ago.
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Dark red, slight lightening at rim. Forward nose of dark fruits, leather, tar, medium body, ripe fruits on palate with a bit of complexity, tannins mellowed out and integrated, medium long finish, excellent.
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This wine certainly has softened in the past few years. The tannins are not overpowering the fruit...ah but the Merlot dryness, will it ever be overcome? As St. Emilion's go this is much better than most and overall a very good wine. There is fruit mixed in with a tobacco , leather taste that is quite complex on the mid-palate and the finish. The dryness shows up just prior to the finish, and unlike other Merlot based wines, it is not overpowering, but sill a distraction from the fruit.
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What a difference almost two years makes! Cork popped four hours before dinner, then poured into and severed from a decanter. This has come together so nicely and is now an outstanding wine. Dark muddy red color with lightening at the edges. The nose says this can't be anything but bordeaux. Dark red fruit, leather, tobacco, a kind of tarriness. In the mouth the balance is terrific. Tannins in the resolving phase with good acidity come together to create a medium mouth feel with no glaring holes. Flavors of dark currant, mocha, spice and earth. Finish certainly improved from two years ago. This is drinking well and should hold for some time.
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Decanted for an hour. Dark red, but not brown. Nose of tobacco and black fruits. Still tannic, with dusty cherries, tobacco and gravel on the palate, with minor notes of coffee, bay leaf and star anise. Nice finish. This is starting to come into its own.
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An excellent St. Emilion bdx grand cru enjoyed earlier tonight with the second flite of wines at the Hickory Wine Club tasting at Lake Hickory CC. RP rated 94. Heavier barnyard then it's lateral stablemate for this flight, the '98 Angelus. Dark purple, big and still tannic with good mouth feel. Nose of barnyard with almost floral tones as well as black pepper and blackberry. Primary flavors included cassis, anise, coffee and blakc pepper. Surprisingly hot alcohol but did not ruin wine in any way. Highly recommend this wine.
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Robert Parker was right about this wine. What a lovely right bank Bordeaux this has turned out to be. It has really rounded out nicely, displaying nice layers of complexity, with tobacco, leather, and even an appealing shittyness. Last time I drank this I was concerned whether the fruit would outlast the wood. I'm concerned no more. And I do not consider this to be "new world." The cherry notes integrate beautifully with the wood to produce a classy medium-to-full-bodied effort.
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Dark red colour throwing a lot of fine sediment in the bottle and glass. Big nose showing intense black fruited flavours over smoke, tobacco, coffee and oak. In the mouth it's just a mass of oak and ash-like flavours at first. The oak/ash flavours subside slightly with air to show some dark fruits, coffee and herbs underneath, but the oak still dominates and obscures the fruit and other flavours. Most of the pleasure in this comes only from the aromatics.
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Beautiful ruby/garnet – still youthful. Explosive nose – blackberry, voluptuous spice with a mineral streak. Just a hint of dust tickles the nose. Lovely perfumy complexity in a sultry kind of way. The palate has calmed down over the past couple of years. The initial attack is pure, forceful, modern Saint Emilion. Incredible. But, unfortunately, like past bottles, there is just something missing in the middle and on the finish – almost a bit metallic. Not in a big way, but enough to turn an otherwise sumptuous experience into just a very good one. Lovely medium to full texture that is not at all overpowering. (90?)
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Not as rich or full as I had hoped. Some chocolate and cherry but going through a perhaps closed phase. If we have more won't open for a while. SS w/ D
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Plums, spicy redcurrant, leather, anise, a citrus note. A lot of interest to the nose. On the palate it shows a dense profile but without heaviness. The finish is the one downside – rather drying and herbal. Hopefully few more years will smooth it out.
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again takes an hour to open up, nice leather, floral, anise, black berry and dark fruits, medium body and richness, medium finish, still some tannins - at peak but not in decline
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Dark fruit with charred oak on the nose. Tastes of blackberries, black cherry, tobacco, earth and green bell pepper. Full bodied with plenty of extraction. Well balanced. Lots of green tannin on the finish. Needs time.
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Earthy, with leather and tobacco. Dark cherry fruit. Amazing nose. Dark purple with little sign of bottle age. smooth and full body. An inspired pick by Sarah.
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A Jekyll and Hyde wine. The nose was occasionally marred by a herbaceous streak, but was quite nice when that streak was absent. The palate was better,with some meaty and earthy overtones. A bit of a hole in the mid palate.
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Deep ruby to pink at rim. Big nose of sweet black cherry fruit mixed with vanilla and a whiff of toast. Ripe, modern DNA, but still Bordeaux. Wonderful mouthfeel – layered flavors – fruit, with the structure beginning to appear. I think the best time to drink this is now – the fruit will fade yet I think the structure is here to stay. This has lost its baby fat and I don’t think it will mature in a graceful way. Enjoy its well balanced adolescence while you can. Nice, but not as great as I thought it would be. (92)
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TNs: Alex Gambal bourgogne C. Prestige '04, Quinault '98, Krohn Colheita '66: The bottle was uncorked about 4 hours before dinner, and put in a decanter about half an hour before dinner (then poured back in the bottle to serve). I was interested on how it would perform given some conflicting notes recently. Color was a dark, somewhat dull ruby. On the nose we first noticed a roasted coffee element along with very dark cherries, tobacco, leather and earth. One the palate it is medium-bodied, with very fine tannins (not a distraction for current drinking), but a slight oak element along with earthy flavors are perhaps a touch too in front of the fruit. Acid is good, and the wine went beautifully with dinner. The finish was on the short side. To be sure, we thought this wine was outstanding even though this TN may not reflect it.... I guess I am being more critical in this description given RP's rapturous review yea these many years ago. :) I am unsure whether or not this will improve somewhat with more bottle time. Maybe it will given that it's bordeaux, and to our taste most good ones just begin to enter their prime drinking window only after a minimum of ten years. But we do wish it had more of that opulence described in TNs of several years ago.
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From first look and smell - something very special. Colour deep, clear, brilliant. Aroma - full and fruity, but not fruit juice - real crisp complex St Emilion nose. Taste - even better, just perfect balance, smooth, round, mellow: good start, but even better an elongated finish. Was surprised by how good this was; perfect now and for the next few years. Have a further bottle which I await with anticipation.
Perhaps RP isn't wrong about Château Quinault L'Enclos!
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Decanted for two hours. Powerful spicy berry fruit combined with anise, roasted coffee, damp earth. Excellent density on the palate with a little remaining tannin. Very drinkable at this stage but a few more years will hopefully integrate the strong oak influence. Much better than the last bottle.
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takes an hour to open up, nice leather, floral, anise, black berry and dark fruits, medium body and richness, medium finish, still some tannins - at peak or perhaps capable of more complexity?
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This wine was dominated by wood through most of the evening, quite unappealing. Unfortunately, we pulled the cork and poured. All this needed was some air. By the end of the night it had developed some on the nose and palate, the oak went away, and we were left with a wine of finesse and some lovely complexity. Lighter ruby colored. An interesting wine. Spicy, with cherries coming forward, particularly at the end. I think this is my first experience with this wine. I disliked it at first, but I think I got it by the end. It really evolved dramatically-- in a positive way-- over a couple hours. Rating: 90 points.
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Nice wine. Decanted in glass for about an hour before dinner. Huge smoke on the nose with lesser accent of coffee. Not a wine tending towards the fruit side of the equation. Touch of earth on the palate and the wine hints at not showing all it has to offer. Will improve. The tannins, though clearly present, did not detract from the enjoyment of the wine with grilled london broil.
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Served with Prime Rib on Easter. Decanted two hours before dinner. Dark red/black color. The nose is intense but a little one-dimensional giving a strong expresso/tobacco smell with very little fruit or other aromas. In the mouth this is a structured and compact wine with good dark fruit and chocolate, but again somewhat one-dimensional. The finish is fairly long and still pretty tannic. My impression is that this has the goods to develop with additional bottle age, and if this happens it will be a very good wine.
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Good color with a potent smell of spicy tobacco snd black rasberry fruit. Still young and fairly lean with subdued flavors of dark chocolate, black rasberries and tobacco. Shows some classic St. Emilion earthiness with notes of leathers and fresh beef. Seems to need more time.
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Valentine's Magnum Massacre (Triomphe, NYC): Very nice, full bodied. Good burnt oak, leather, menthol. A bit young, but drinking fine. Dark notes. Oaky with full fruit and some sweetness. B/B+
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Soft, almost alarmingly so. Earthy, mint, some wood notes. Seems like a rather insubstantial wine. Fruit seems to be fading as well. Good enough but not what I expected. Perhaps a bad bottle?
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Dark, purple, ruby with very slight pinking at the edges. Jammy blackberries, vanilla, super ripe cherries, licorice and coffee notes. Lush, full-bodied, decadent, mouth feel. Red and black fruits coat the palate. Some tannin remains. Very sexy and crowd pleasing style of wine.
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This bottle was very light in color - could be mistaken for a Pinot. Dark currant fruits on the nose along with lots of oaky anise and tobacco leaf. Medium bodied with licorice and some cherry fruit. Moderate length on the finish. Nice enough but the last bottle was much better.
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Black core; brilliant ruby to the rim. Enticing, intense nose of crushed blackberries and cherry liquor. On the palate, lush, ripe, sweet black fruits, balanced by good minerality and acidity. Some interesting coffee and leathery flavors. The tannins are well integrated, but still grippy on the finish. Put on weight in the glass. Definitely made in a riper style that is more reminiscent of a high-end Napa Cab than a traditional St. Emilion. Excellent stuff.
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Nice wine with very interesting aromatics, good concentration and good if somewhat overripe fruit. To my taste it is not a refreshing glass of wine and lacks enough acidity and does not marry all that well with food.
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On the nose, lots of dense berry fruit, a wonderfully sweaty, leathery edge and citrus element. Nicely layered fruit on the palate. The finish has great length with excellent minerality and substantial tannin. This wine started very tight but opened over a couple of hours. Compared to some other right bank wines this shows a lot of precision, may be explained by the fairly high level of Cab Sauvignon and Cab Franc (25% total). Will be even better in 3-5 years.
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Opened and decanted for two hours with dinner. Nice black cherry color to the rim with no bricking. Nose of red currant, truffle and tobacco leaf. Good acidity on the mid palate. Finish about 25 seconds. Nice solid wine.
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Nice, classic right bank BDX. It could of used a hint more sweetness upon opening, but the slight bitterness soon went away. A lot of nice beeswax flavor, signaling the presence of the merlot. All in all, extreely enjoyable.
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this is a delicous wine very well balanced excellent fruit with well integrated tannins. this wine will age. lots of berries blue and black looking forward to enjoying this wine over the next 12 plus years.
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Consumed over 2 nights. First ever bottle from this chateau. Seemed fairly open from the beginning, but the fruit was slightly muted. Lots of charred chocolatey, coffee aromas with some spices and red and black fruits. More fruit presence on the mid palate would make this much better balanced. Perhaps this is due to the oak treatment? Overall, a solid right bank wine, but pales a bit in comparison to similar wines such as Pavie Decesse and Monbousquet in my limited experence.
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Dark red. Scents of nuts, truffles, and soil. Also faint notes of cranberries. Seems a touch narrow in the mouth. There's a bit of a dark hole where all the fruit should have been. And possibly somewhat "green" in flavour. Over the course of about an hour the elements seemed to find some measure of harmony.
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Bottle appeared to be corked with a soapy aroma and slightly stinky sock odor. Beneath that, the wine seemed concentrated with lots of fruit and moderate tannins.
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3/31/2024 - Wamrod wrote: 91 Points
Cellared from release. Medium dark, now, ruby, slightly bricking throughout. On POP, give this at least 15 to 20 minutes in glass to blow off. After that, lovely. Oak, juniper, blackberry and black cherry to nose. This translates to palate, although more tannins than fruit now. A great performance, but drink up - she’s on the way to Valhalla.
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1/25/2024 - Odedis.Wine.reviews Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark ruby in color with a wide brick rim.
The nose is simpler than I expected right out of the bottle, but beautiful once it opens up.
Medium plus in body and elegant, with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing black plums, cooked cherries, light oak, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, espresso, earth, light forest floor and black pepper.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This Merlot based blend from Bordeaux is drinking nicely now, and feels young, especially on the nose.
Good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime. I did not decant it and left it in the bottle. I was actually worried that it will die sooner, but it still has a lot in it. Love to see that. Only after 2 hours, the nose opened up and tannins showed up.
This 26 years old is easy drinking and good by itself or with food. I had the 2010 vintage, five years ago, and I liked it better this time.
Robert Parker 94 points.
Paired nicely with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
89 points.
$100.
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10/1/2023 - SpenceP wrote: 95 Points
I've had this wine four previous times and loved it--but this bottle was even better! Perhaps it was this specific bottle--but my best guess is that this wine needed just a little more time in the cellar. Either way, this was spectacular from the moment the bottle was opened: Pipe tobacco, black olives, black cherries, autumn forest, coffee, melted unsweetened chocolate, a distinct touch of pleasing bitterness, followed by an extremely long and lovely aftertaste with a barely detectable hint of cinnamon. After about 40 minutes in the glass, baked black plums and and a touch of nutmeg join in (but this is a subtle change). Just a gorgeous wine. Vividly and immediately present. In the past, I've always slightly preferred the 1999 vintage, but, if this bottle is typical, the 1998 has now fully caught up with the 1999. I look forward to revisiting the 1999! [Tasted over 2 hours from the Jancis Robinson glass. I gave this bottle a week upright to allow the sediment to settle out.] Previously tasted 7/19/23, 7/2/23, 11/24/21, and 11/22/19. No hurry.
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7/19/2023 - SpenceP wrote: 94 Points
Ever so slightly different from the previous bottle (see my note of 7/3/23, as well as 11/24/21 and 11/22/19), but equally lovely. Rich baked plums, black cherries, bitter chocolate, tobacco, coffee. With time in the glass, the tobacco and coffee became much more prominent. LONG long long aftertaste. Just a wonderful wine! [Tasted over more than an hour from the Jancis Robinson glass. I gave this bottle a full week upright for sediment to settle out.] {As you may have gathered from the description, this bottle seemed "older" than the bottle of 7/3/23, although still in great shape--if this bottle is the typical one, I'd expect this wine to remain wonderful for three more years (not 5 as I earlier estimated), and probably longer.}
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7/3/2023 - SpenceP wrote: 94 Points
I really love this wine! Cork in very good condition. Immediately after opening, beautiful ripe raspberries, cocoa, smoke, tobacco, coffee, cherries, but only a medium-length aftertaste. After about 25 minutes in the glass, the aftertaste lengthens dramatically, with tobacco, cherries, and coffee becoming much more prominent--gorgeous. No hurry--this should continue to be a treasure for at least another 5 years and probably longer.
Best after 25 minutes in the glass (the score reflects this), but I would be sorry to have missed those first 25 minutes! [I gave this bottle a little over a week upright to allow the sediment to settle out. Tasted over more than an hour from the Jancis Robinson glass.] Previously tasted 11/24/21 and 11/22/2019.
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5/21/2023 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep garnet. Nose of mocha, touch of dried herbs. Taste of mellow chocolate, some Asian spice. Medium length. Best Quinault I’ve tasted. Will go a few years more.
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1/29/2023 - robmatic wrote: 92 Points
Ripe, mature, powerful. In excellent condition.
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8/4/2022 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Clear light red. Lots of cedar box, cassis, broth and berry. Dry earthy berry flavours and a very lively tannic finish.
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7/29/2022 - winepaw Likes this wine: 88 Points
Bricking at the edges. Subdued aroma of mature plum. Medium body, round and smooth with fading fruit. Stewed plum followed by earthy, mineral notes of pencil lead/graphite. Soft tannins balanced acidity.
Very drinkable, but well beyond its best drinking window in terms of fruit. Definitely better with food such as charcuterie.
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6/18/2022 - The Wine Monkeys Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted. Opened with a nose of earth, anise, pepper and light petroleum notes. Slowly evolved to include green pepper, mild dark fruit with integrated tannis that softened nicely after an hour or so. Interesting blend with 5% Malbec. Heavy sediment, much of which clung to the side of the bottle. Overall a very nice wine that strays from your typical Bordeaux in an intreguing way. Could likely survive several more years in the cellar but, in our opinion, didn’t need it to be enjoyable.
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2/13/2022 - dankgummy wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic! Purchased via KL auction and drank side by side with 07 Quilceda and this was WOTN.
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11/24/2021 - SpenceP wrote: 94 Points
A really lovely wine, now at its absolute peak. Initially after opening, smoke, tobacco, cherries, flowers, coffee, and a hint of cocoa. Still a touch of tannin. After about 20 minutes, the smoke vanishes and the cherries become more prominent, and a wisp of mint appears. Gorgeous long aftertaste with a slow fade. Graceful. This should remain a joy for at least 3 years, maybe longer. (I gave this bottle three weeks upright to make sure that the massive sediment had time to settle out.)
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11/6/2021 - Adrian Wood Likes this wine: 94 Points
Leather, dark fruits and some violet on an evolved nose. Lovely mature palate with plums and leather, some graphite. Everything well integrated with resolved tannins. Delicious.
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11/4/2021 - chbeaumont wrote: 87 Points
Browning at the rim; meaty, unflattering nose; rich fruitcake notes, spoilt by an astringency. Best drunk up.
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6/17/2021 - Jay A wrote: 90 Points
Violets, dried herbs and leather on the nose and on the palate. The fruit is plum and red raspberry. Very earthy. A bit rustic because of the dusty tannins, yet there is some elegance and class to the wine. Likable, but i remember it being more lively and full of class when it ws younger. I guess i preferred it younger.
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5/15/2021 - Papies wrote: flawed
Corked... shame.. was a 92-93 wine in previous TNs, last beign in Dec 2020
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2/26/2021 - SpitzNV wrote: 91 Points
Ruby with a bit of bricking on the rim. Beautifully aromatic. Potpourri, violet and mossy undergrowth. Good acidity but little body, fruit or tannins remaining. I far prefer the 2000, but this vintage is no slouch either.
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12/23/2020 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Our third bottle in like 6months and this is a consistent wine and a great find. Granted being from a ripe year this has the weight fo fruit and definitely benefits from decanting. Bright and energetic , full of character, soft spice, light leather, lots of dark fruit. 91-92 and given the life in this we will keep the last bottle to be enjoyed in years to come. Let’s see how this evolves
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10/24/2020 - deveaux69 wrote:
Freezing dinner with Brad and Betsy
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9/29/2020 - Ara Kafafian Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep ruby almost opaque, looking extremely young with no bricking on the rim. That aged Bordeaux perfume was compromised of barnyard, aged cheese, mushrooms, vanilla, black currants, anise, truffles notes kept pulling me back for more. On this night, this bottle was singing in harmony and was the best example of Quinault l’Enclos I have had to date. Everyone agreed, it was the highlight of the night. I continue to believe that the greatest Saint-Emilion’s in the nineties were produced in 1998. An amazing accomplishment. Still an infant, this will last another 15 years
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7/6/2020 - jordanj Likes this wine: 93 Points
From Magnum, first from a case. I really think this is quite the over-achiever for 98. Although 98 RBs are drinking well. This is no exception. Attractive developed bouquet of pyrazine, ripe berries (blue and raspberry)leather and earth. Medium resolving tannins, round and slightly plush. A little heat on the finish. Magnums have a few years to improve yet.
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6/28/2020 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Another great show, consistent to a few weeks ago ( Papies 93) just a touch less impressive maybe .
Very fresh still, herby and with a good dollop of ripe fruit still, dark fruited and just drinks very nicely now and with lots of life ahead here. Very solid 92
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6/5/2020 - advinm41 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Red ruby in color, nose of currants, plum sauce, anise, tobacco and vegetal note. Palate is medium body, currants, plums, cherries on the palate along with licorice, tobacco, vanilla. Very fine tannins and in total harmony with the rest of the wine. Finish is medium to long. Excellent and fully mature
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6/4/2020 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
The wine is open from the word go but some decanting will definitely help it. This is a beautiful wine and much like their 2000 vintage ( Papies 92) we had a few month back confirms our view that this si a producer to go to fro good and mature vintages ( Haven't tried 1995 yet but its on the target list) . To us this is the Lagrange of St Emilion, an arbitrage of quality vs price and a must buy n good vintages.
Andreas who tried this blind went straight to a merlot focused wine, 10yr or less St Emilion most likely. His guess was Figeac 2007 or 2011 ( Papies 92-93 for both) . Herby , dark fruited and with an excellent and welcoming nose full of charm and elegance. A really impressive nose actually , not an overly expressive one, of classic style right bank. On the palate it is still very much youthful , bright and full of energy and still fruit driven. 1998 vintage comes out very well in the balanced form of the wine they made which although not overdone the quality of the fruit kept the wine feeling so youthful at 22y. Excellent. 93 and has easily 10yrs more of top plateau.
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1/12/2020 - jordanj wrote: 93 Points
much different experience than the bottle a couple weeks ago. Roasted red fruit nose mixed with notes of sauteed mushrooms, a hint of smokiness (think camp fire), Paine grille. The palate is brooding and still relatively weighty. The finish is spicy and long. If you have em, drink em! This particular showing was at its apex.
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12/25/2019 - Bromie Likes this wine: 91 Points
A little bricking, perfumed nose and medium length. Still drinking well
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12/24/2019 - jordanj Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mature right bank. Nose of sappy dried flowers, herbs, some meat. Not much primary profile left. The nose is certainly enjoyable and the age leaves a smooth palate but some excess bitterness remains. Probably as good as it is gong to get.
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11/22/2019 - SpenceP wrote: 93 Points
Initially, blackberries dominated both the aromas and flavors, but with a disappointingly bitter aftertaste. Gradually, over the next 20 or 30 minutes (I wasn't looking at a clock), roses and cedar emerged in nose and mouth, and the blackberries faded away. The bitterness in the aftertaste vanished, but it remained disappointing, now a bit watery. After maybe 45 minutes in the glass, this wine was at its best, with blackberries, roses, and cedar all working harmoniously together, and a pleasant medium-length aftertaste. My best guess is that, if this bottle was typical, this wine is already fading and that it probably should be finished in the next 3 years or sooner. (Used Coravin, and tasting the wine again the second day, I'd add iron, licorice, and leather to the aromas. Aftertaste seemed a bit longer than on the first day. My guess now is that the wine will be fine for maybe four or five years. No change to the score.) [One final tasting--the same bottle--and possibly the most interesting. The previous time I tasted this bottle, I pulled the cork--it was in perfect condition--and then I left the bottle stoppered, three-quarters empty, at cellar temperature for more than 24 hours. And then I tasted it one final time. This time, gentle aromas and flavors of blackberries, blueberries, and leather, with the overall effect being richer and, surprisingly, more youthful than in the earlier tastings. The wine now easily deserved 93 points (reflected in the score above). My sense is that, if other bottles are like this one--as I said, the cork was in perfect condition--they're probably not quite at their peak yet (!), but very close, and that the wine would remain in good shape for at least 5 more years. Don't hesitate to open it now, but you don't need to be in any hurry. My guess is that it will hit its peak in the course of the next year, but again this assumes that other bottles are in the same good shape that this one was in.]
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10/17/2019 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Delicious, smooth, elegant dark fruit, plum and some tar and earth. Drinking beautifully.
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9/27/2019 - jonboy74 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking great now. Cork looked brand new. Decent bit of sedinemt but it was settled after a week of standing upright. Silky smooth and elegant, as a great bordeaux should be. Tannins were lingering at the end, and had a little bite to them, but just a little. 3 hour decant. Paid $40 at auction, would buy all I could find at this price, very very high QPR. Should still be good for 3 more years.
14OCT19 BOTTLE 2 - exact same as #1. Love it.
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8/5/2019 - AlanM68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
In great shape today but feels like this is as far as it goes (it’s come a long way - this is the last of a case of 12 and it’s been a rollercoaster ride). Beautifully smooth and together, slightly peppery taste, great length.
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7/18/2019 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bordeaux Night in the Santa Ynez Valley (An Anonymous Winery's Gorgeous Cellar Table): A somewhat divisive wine, with a few haters being outweighed by enthusiasts such as myself. I thought it merited WOTN consideration in fact. Distinctly modern in style, with well integrated oak, ripe red fruit, some smoke, an iodine note and a gentle finish wrapped in sweet tannins. The acidity is a bit lacking at this stage -- drink up.
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6/23/2019 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
Riley's 1st Birthday (Botanic, Raffles City): A garragiste merlot-dominated wine at 20 years old, this has held up really quite well. There was an attractive nose on it - modern but pretty alluring, with sweet, ripe aromas of cassis and blackberries, even plums, along with some earthy herbs and powdered spices, and then a waft of cigarette smoke on the sides. The palate was as big and ripe as the nose suggested, with large scale, broad-shouldered flavours of black cherries, cassis and plums interlaced with a good bit of mineral and spice. There was certainly some alcohol on this, but thankfully everything was decently brought into decent enough balance by soft acidities and velvet tannins into a slightly smoky finish. Enjoyable - even with its modern stylings, this had the clarity and balance that drew it back to Bordeaux. Almost fully mature, this should be drank soon. Certainly speaks well of the quality on the right bank in 1998 though.
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1/30/2019 - dchain wrote: 91 Points
From double magnum. Lovely deep ruby. Nice plum, stewed strawberry nose with only a very little spice/soil note. Very fruit driven but in a good way. Lovely healthy fruit on the palate, more plummy Merlot but all in good balance with freshness and uplift. Medium plus body and length. Can’t see it getting any better but plenty of life in it. Prior double magnum from 2 years ago was like drinking oak chips so very pleased to see this has resolved itself. Very enjoyable with the select Wed night swim crew!
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1/11/2019 - OenoEd Likes this wine: 92 Points
This adult merlot has held up well, unmoved and cellared since release. At peak drinking with another 10 years of life. Beguiling aromas of chocolate mint fondue, roasted tomato, bay leaf, and wild strawberries. Lots of plum, black cherry skins and pits, and spearmint in the mouth. On the downside, that spearmint evolves to camphor, and the wine is very “dusty” from attack to finish, dry, and rather short. I served it with a shredded duck confit and shiitakes mushroom risotto; the salty richness of the duck hid those dusty tannins, and the mushrooms (sautéed first w shallot, duck fat, and some of the wine) brought out the hidden earthiness and tobacco contributed by the 10% cab sauv in the blend.
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12/15/2018 - Taronti wrote: 92 Points
Quite vegetal on popping. Complex nose of tomato, asparagus, anise, raisins, chocolate and peppers. The more vegetal elememts blow off quite a bit with time in the glass suggesting reduction which seems odd. Good acidity, pleasant palate, body on lean side. Good length with lingering, civilized tannins. A interesting and civilized red that went well with broiled lamb chops: but what doesn’t? Decanting for 2 hours gets rid of the vegetal aroma.
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8/17/2018 - MC2 Wines wrote: flawed
Weekend in Minneapolis; 8/17/2018-8/18/2018 (Various Locations): Ok, officially officially by the super tasters in the group this was corked. But I'll admit I didn't totally get it. I'd be more inclined to say bottle variation and maybe this wasn't as good as a previous bottle. But there's still lots of sour red currants and it started to open in the glass and the mustiness that was there right at the beginning blew off pretty quickly.
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5/20/2018 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 4 hours before drinking. 80% Merlot and 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. From a 37 acre walled vineyard in the city of Libourne. Crimson red color. Notes of grape skins, plum, cocoa powder and leather. Firm tannins. 91-92 points.
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5/14/2018 - nstow Likes this wine: 90 Points
2nd of 12. Elegant round plum fruit with some leather and more complex than previous year. Still has noticeable soft tannin giving a dry note on finish. Drunk with Toulouse sausage and would have been better to have chosen a more robust wine to counter the spiciness of the sausage. 4/5
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3/4/2018 - billynorris wrote: 90 Points
Complex and layered nose. Tomato jam, tomato leaf, smoke, leather, dried strawberry, dried raspberry, cedar, tobacco. Very appealing. Palate was still wound tightly, with the tannins not really showing any signs of resolution. Many years left until that happens. Lots of flowers on the palate--rose petal really shone through. The nose wins the day here, but an enjoyable wine overall.
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2/15/2018 - Cikgoo Likes this wine: 91 Points
Oaky but lots of black cherries and licorice
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12/17/2017 - Axelpeter wrote: 93 Points
(Xmas C-H, Doppel-Magnum, 3L)Wunderbar! Feiner, milder StEmilion, schön „verbacken“ und elegant, mittlerer Abgang, am Ende der Hochphase.
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11/14/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 87 Points
The fruit and oak has faded with time. Medium bodied, fully mature, soft, round, and a bit short, but the black cherry, licorice and earthy notes that remained were easy to drink. Still, if I owned any of this wine, I'd drink it sooner than later.
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7/13/2017 - oncocyte Likes this wine: 92 Points
3 years ago I gave this wine 97 pointos. I remember that bottle vividly. Tonight it's oak, oak, oak. Open 3 hours. Nice enough leather cassis nose. I still get that sense of density and concentration, but oakiness > fruitiness.
Wow, that last three sips, the oakiness was in recession, the tar and density and mouth-coating black fruit. Ah, still too much oak. I'll stick with the 92.
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3/27/2017 - nstow wrote:
1st of 12. Rich and silky mellow plum fruit with some smoky tobacco and some undergrowth. Medium bodied and nice balance, some acidity on finish but balanced by the fruit. 4/5
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9/20/2016 - Frank Schneider wrote: 80 Points
2 bottles dump and dead !!! Undrinkable
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9/1/2016 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 91 Points
This was a surprisingly good wine. Had with seasoned grilled chicken. Let open for about 30 minutes and drank over the course of 1.5 hours. Good nose of must and dirt (classic Bordeaux). Licorice, root, and plumb on the palate.
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7/24/2016 - VinCrush Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle was a tad past peak for me, but still very enjoyable. Well balanced primary fruits and secondary flavors on initial open, but the fruit faded very quickly over a couple hours. Red fruits, tobacco, old leather, dust. Structure still holding up very nicely with a silky balance of tannins, acidity, and a medium + body. I'd personally recommend drinking up sooner than later.
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7/3/2016 - mdvino63 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Terrific right from the get-go on PNP. Paired beautifully with some grilled lamb chops and vegetables. A somewhat more modern-styled bordeaux, but that just means it drinks really nicely on its own as well as with food. Well-balanced. Notes from malibuwino, devraj and joshabramson below all sound just right. Kinda bummed that I sold some of mine - only have a couple left, now!
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3/23/2016 - Malibu wino Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious. Decanted for 2 hours before dinner. Bright, with plenty of backbone, showing red fruit, tobacco, and currant. Should last a few more years at least, but seems to be at/near its peak now. A very enjoyable experience, no obvious flaws. For the money....really great.
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1/30/2016 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 94 Points
It has been 2 years since I last opened a bottle of this. I gave this 94 points then, I'm giving in 94 points now. We just opened two bottles for a dinner party and both were drinking very well right out of the bottle. It's showing its age very well -- still holding on to a lot of fruit, and there is still plenty of backbone & structure, but it's very silky and the tannins are fully resolved. I imagine this will be good for a few more years, but I don't see it getting any better. Right now it's great though!
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1/18/2016 - tinybubbles wrote: 86 Points
A little hot to start but that seemed to burn off over time. A little too much young wood aromas and flavors for my palate. Not particularly well knit, but certainly drinkable, just not the wine for me. For those that this does appeal to, there is still some upside over at least a few years. 86-87
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1/13/2016 - Aglenardi wrote: 93 Points
Very nice St Emillion with nice bouquet of cedar, floral and hints of leather. Ripe fruits with well integrated tannins and a long finish. Excellent for the QPR. Today, I am giving this wine 1 point higher than th '95 Monbousquet consumed yesterday.
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1/12/2016 - devraj Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep ruby red in color. Classic and impressive aroma of cedar, blackish red fruits (plums, cherries), tobacco and hint of violets. Lovely and well integrated medium bodied palate reveals sweet plum liqueur, kirsch, ripe pipe tobacco, medium acidity, melting tannins and long finish redolent of cedar. Quite lovely and aging well.
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12/26/2015 - BuzzzzOff Likes this wine: 85 Points
A fairly ordinary Saint Emilion sipped on Boxing Day. Although not a “special” or “buy every year” example of The Noble Grape, we will happily sip this bottle with the guest who likely brought it to share at dinner or as a satisfying alternative to the higher-level wines that for many reasons should not be sipped everyday. Good color, pleasant nose, varying degrees of appropriate niceties (depends on the varietal or blend) on the palate and the sort of finish that politely responds, “Yes, I would be happy to sip another glass, thanks.”
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9/11/2015 - dpolivy wrote: 92 Points
Vindredi (Jeff's): Tasted blind. Dusty and earthy, with some wood and riper fruit on the nose. Lush, ripe cherry, raspberry and plum. Finishes with very fine tannins and great acidity. 92+
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9/11/2015 - Jeffsta Likes this wine: 93 Points
St. Emilion with Vindredi (Home): Deep ruby-crimson. Bouquet of sweet cherries, brown sugar, orange (!). Flavors of cedar, leather, tobacco, ripe strawberries. High acid. Long finish, slightly prickly. Very well integrated. Surprising: slight hints of green pepper. More earthy, drying than the 2000 tasted on the same night.
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8/30/2015 - dharrison93 wrote: 92 Points
Mature deep ruby with no sediment, plum, berries, black cherry.
Deep penetrating powerful wine giving satisfaction++
If a date, this was a 25 year old beach volleyball pro who keeps you wondering all night "What if" before taking you home and showing you what a powerful masterpiece looks like disrobed
Drink up if you enjoy Bordeaux for the fruit
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8/1/2015 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Dark fruit, tar, plum earth and a hint of glycerin. Smooth and medium bodied, drinking very nicely.
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5/10/2015 - GA Old World Guy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent wine and still very young. Loads of cherry on the nose.
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4/17/2015 - Bumbanian wrote: 92 Points
N: cherry, soy sauce, violets, just a touch of caramel and vanilla. P: smooth and even with a strong initial wave of plum and cherry backed by some tacky tannins, transitioning to leather. A little window of cleaner cherry flavor as the mid palate transitions to a lingering toasty note. This is much better than my first bottle, very nice.
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2/1/2015 - eluebchow wrote: 85 Points
Disappointing showing overall; Decanted for 2 hours, and the nose revealed some pleasant aromas of plums, blackberries and spice; The palate, however, was rather monolithic and was overtaken by a big wave of oak that was overly intrusive; I'll age my remaining bottles and hope everything comes together more seamlessly down the road
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1/15/2015 - bullmrkt wrote: 92 Points
This bottle was much more vibrant than the past 3 I've had. Smokey game nose and palate, cedar, dark fruit, and finishing fairly long but with some mildly bitter tannins. Definitely pronounced bottle variation present here so cross your fingers.
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12/14/2014 - eluebchow wrote: 89 Points
I think this may need more time; The wine was nice and elegant, with a palate of blackberries, plums and baking spices, but it never really felt fully integrated to me; My other bottles are going to stay in the cellar
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12/11/2014 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very similar to the Chateau Kirwan drunk the day before, and just a bit better. It had a purple color with no brown in the rim. It also started with some herbals notes shifting to moderately sweet tobacco toward the end. It was nicely balanced with some nuance and a nice finish. This could be the stand-in Bordeaux much of the time--a very nice wine, but without the fireworks of the very best wines.
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11/29/2014 - rojoloco Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle was singing. Right out of the bottle, lovely floral nose, even better flavors. I couldn't stop tasting it. I swear I had more bottles. Now I will have to scour the cellar in search of them. This was the best Bordeaux I have had in years. Nothing intellectual about it-- just delicious. Once my wife got on to it, we finished it quickly. Great juice!
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11/16/2014 - Saint Stephen wrote: 89 Points
You think 1998, you think right bank. But somehow this wine just never wowed me. It strikes me as a nice, competent, mellow Merlot based wine with good balance I suppose - but in this case 'good balance' is sort of a euphemism for 'somewhat boring.'
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8/30/2014 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 92 Points
Claret color with a very herbal bouquet and flavor with some underlying oak. Good balance with moderate finesse and a nice finish. Not one of the tobacco crowd at this point.
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7/3/2014 - Tylerben Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still lots of fruits. Not too late to drink.
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6/29/2014 - capacious Likes this wine: 94 Points
PNP at Fork in Philly who make amazing Bronzino en croutes. The quinault was spectacular. Got to find more.
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4/21/2014 - oncocyte Likes this wine: 97 Points
This was an astonishing drink. I had no idea what I was pulling out of the cellar. Fortunately tonight was grilled lamb chops. Cedar, pencil, black currant on the nose. On the palate, it's straight black currant jam but with the cedar notes, tar, and maybe a little coffee and an eternal finish. The density! The density! The concentration defies belief. This is 3 years short of peak and will live ten more--if not longer.
(added) I think the average score of this wine is weighed down by several low scores that may have reflected bottle variation.
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4/6/2014 - sooper65 wrote: 93 Points
rich, mid-weight, good juice, plenty o fruit, and nicely integrated throughout
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3/1/2014 - farinas Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is an overachiever from a small St.-Emilion plot. This has aged gracefully to show lightly macerated raspberries in a herb infused cocktail with fully integrated velvety tannins. The alcohol is very low at 13% which makes it irresistible not to finish the entire bottle. Great job.
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2/12/2014 - Grand Amateur Likes this wine: 92 Points
Relatively restrained nose. Pleasant. Fresh. Beautifully developing mouth. Quite long, in balance. No harsh side. It is now on its way to tertiary aroma's. It is now a mature Bordeaux. A too large glass is not adequate.
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1/23/2014 - sooper65 wrote: 94 Points
At the top of its game - really smart; earthy rich, but loaded with juicy plummy fruit.
Some tertiary elements, mid weight, and well balanced with an all round sumptuous finish.
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10/22/2013 - devraj Likes this wine: 92 Points
Reddish with purple highlights. Expressive nose that opens up with time to reveal candied & dried red-blue fruits, soy, hints of dark chocolate and graphite. A silky palate follows through with sweet plum liquer, supple tannins and low acidity on a lengthy, earthy and mildly savory finish. This is drinking nicely.
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9/22/2013 - jonnyoro wrote: 94 Points
Funky, lovely fruit, nice mid palate, great finish - fully mature- wonderful, balanced wine...
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5/11/2013 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted and let rest for an hour. Beautiful wine right now with deep cherry and earthy tones. Nose of smoke and spice. Evolved all night with each sip being a bit different from the last until I couldn't restrain myself and drank it down. Too bad we drank the other 5 bottles so soon.
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5/5/2013 - capacious Likes this wine: 91 Points
This Quinault has evolved beautifully- lengthy finish, structured- balanced- confused our friends by opening this at an Italian restaurant but it paired up well with a dinner of chicken scarpariello ( on the bone) Quinault has always been a value, and the 1998 has shown us the wisdom of patience.
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4/16/2013 - Neecies wrote: 91 Points
Excellent bottle: roasted plums, coffee, beef boullion, chocolate and soy flavors. Seductively velveteen at first with silky tannins and low acid, and though both show adequately in time I would drink remaining bottles sooner than later if I had them.
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3/28/2013 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a beautiful wine. Very round, silky smooth and velvety tannins. Easy to drink on its own, but big enough to hold up to any red meat. I love how much fruit is here, but it's still very restrained and balanced. I'm buying more right now while I can still find it...
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2/2/2013 - MC wrote:
Similar to my last note. B+/A-
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12/14/2012 - soyhead wrote: 93 Points
4th Annual Best of Bordeaux vs Kings of Kalifornia (Yan's China Bistro): tasted blind
nose- savory
mouth - delicious and tannic, full bodied, lively red fruit
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11/28/2012 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 90 Points
Wednesday Night at Domaine Wine Storage (Domaine - Washington, DC): Drank from a magnum. Aromas of beef broth, pickles, olive tapenade, backed up with plum and fig fruit. Lots of soy sauce mixes with plum fruit and fine-grained tannins. Solid stuff, and the wine evolved a lot over the evening. If I had a stash of this, I'd probably drink them over the next two or three years.
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8/30/2012 - macker100 wrote: 91 Points
Over dinner. Leather, roasted plums, spice on rich nose. Palate was sweet, with ripe black fruits, tar, leather. Tannins were excellent, very smooth, with elongated finish. A little over the top for my palate, as I prefer the more restrained '98 Figeac.
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8/30/2012 - Nutty08 wrote: 93 Points
Spicy, brown sugar and plum nose. Quite expressive. Palate was quite round and soft initially, showing some coarse tannins later. Finishes with smoke, earth, bt of leather. Seemed fully mature, with a bit of leather mixed in. Quite nice. Guessed '98 Pomerol.
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8/10/2012 - MC wrote:
Popped and poured. Still a young color. Nice nose. Over two hours, this was good and similar to my previous notes, but feels like it is drying out a bit. B+/A-
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7/9/2012 - jonnyoro wrote: 94 Points
This wine is getting better and better- open, no hard edges, plum, olive tapenade, good body, everything integrating nicely including sweet tannins and a long finish- absolutely lovely... Equally as good on day 2 too...
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7/1/2012 - Saint Stephen wrote: 90 Points
Mellow as a Jack Johnson song. Note to self: wife seems to like the Merlot-based wines.
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3/11/2012 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Plum, dark fruit and licorice flavors, lots of glycerin and body. This could use a little more time, but it drinks nicely now with a decant.
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1/20/2012 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
From magnum, decanted 2 hrs before serving with Cheese Course. Slight, but good brett(NOT IN ELLEN's Opinion). Musky claret, merlot flavors. Drank well, but not as memorable as 2 years ago. 2/3 bottle left in capped decanter overnight. Tasted even better in the am. Vacuvinned and will try again Sunday.
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11/13/2011 - MC wrote:
Similar to last note but drinking well and enjoyable for the big ripe fruit and can only complain about the wood and a bit of a dry finish. Just don't drink if you are in the mood for a traditional Bordeaux. A-
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10/17/2011 - MC wrote:
Very good in a modern style with plenty of oak but feels like it will start drying out and would not hold - drink up. A-
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10/4/2011 - AtoZ wrote: 91 Points
Better nose than taste to me. Still very Bordeaux. Got kind of tart after a while.
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9/3/2011 - Saint Stephen wrote: 90 Points
This is nice wine but nothing exceptional. In fact, I believe I like the 99 slightly more. Anyway, light bricking in the glass and somewhat subdued nose and palate that shows some dark fruit and hints at secondary and tertiary components like toast, oak, cedar, and maybe even a touch of mint. A fine wine but somewhat less than I was expecting from a 98 right banker of this regard.
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8/29/2011 - MC wrote:
Solid right out of the bottle, this showed plenty of fruit, nice concentration, and the expected oak on the finish. On the riper, New World side, but still enough Bordeaux shows and really enjoyable wine that will please a lot of crowds. A-
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7/15/2011 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 87 Points
This wine (a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) was tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. The bottle was kindly provided by Marshall Banker. The robe is deep red and the nose shows moderately intense aromas of red and black currants, as well as minerals and slight stemminess. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, medium dry tannins and well-integrated alcohol. The flavors are red and black fruit-dominated but there is a green element which carries through to the middle palate. Medium-length, tart finish. While not unpleasant overall, the green element detracts from this wine's otherwise nice attributes. Drink now-12/18.
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4/16/2011 - Flavito wrote: 89 Points
Very tight, still tannic and a bit rustic. Quite a notch below the 2000, perhaps a more difficult, long term vintage...
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4/7/2011 - PeterH wrote: 92 Points
Tasty Juice
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4/3/2011 - sooper65 wrote: 90 Points
w Holmes's, Abinger Rd., showing some age - very mellow.
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4/1/2011 - hoos90 wrote: 89 Points
No signs of oak that others have noted. Has mellowed considerably. Enjoyable, but won't blow you away.
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3/11/2011 - Khamen wrote: 83 Points
I popped another of these yesterday and have been drinking it over the past 24 hours. I have to confess I'm struggling more with this than on first taste. It's over-worked, over-extracted and over-oaked. Very hard to get past the massive wall of oak and I do wonder if it's being used to mask a rather mediocre wine beneath. I do have some admiration for a producer that is trying to over-perform, but the over-riding impression here is that these folks were chasing Parker points (and successfully if you look at his ratings for this wine). Somewhere under the oak there is some simple but tasty fruit, it's just not getting the chance to express anything.
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2/23/2011 - Bumbanian wrote: 90 Points
Classy, smooth and tasty, but totally oak dominated. That said, we enjoyed it...
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1/23/2011 - Khamen wrote: 87 Points
Short decant. Medium crimson in the glass - looks nicely mature but no signs of bricking yet. Nose is very oaky. VERY oaky. A little smoky Joe and some lifted red fruit. Unsurprisingly more oak tramples on the palate a little, although it is probably as integrated as it is ever going to be. I've had trad Rioja with less oaky palates. However, it may seem like a barrel-per-bottle in here but the treatment is high quality. Really creamy and supple texture with hints of spiced plum and mint. Tannins still remarkably firm, and not sure if the fruit is going to hang in there for the time it will take for these to fully soften. Big extraction. Overall the oak absolutely saturates and dominates the wine, but if you like them this way ou'll probably be in hog heaven. I like a bit of oak myself but this is probably too much. Comes acros as rather manufactured, albeit to a high standard. Have tried to score objectively on quality, but this will really polarise opinion. I'm in two minds myself! Part of me loves the rounded and easy-going nature, and another part is having a tiny tantrum over the overt (and probably over) manipulation. Would be tempted to drink over the next couple of years rather than hold out for those tannins to resolve.
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1/13/2011 - farinas Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened it in the morning and let it sit in cellar for 12 hours. Noticed the cork had a good quarter inch of dark fruit, poured a bit and sampled excellence. Medium to full color all the way to the edges, highly complex nose of rasperry, currants, graphite, clay, barnyard and forest floor, entry was balnced, elegant and tannins round, body was supple with layer after layer of fruit, glycerine and finish was long and delicious. This was my very first Bordeaux, and quite the impression it made (very hedonistic).
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1/2/2011 - MC wrote:
This was drinking a bit better than previous bottles, but I did not stay with it all night like some others did. Still on the ripe side and modern, but seemed more complete and more Bordeaux. A-
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9/24/2010 - dream wrote: 89 Points
Deep ruby color and not showing much age. Very nice nose of roasted nuts, bitter chocolate and this wonderful red cassis. Does not quite deliver on the palate yet as the tannins are a bit astringent but the fruit underneath is lovely with this dark red rasberry/cinamin/beef blood thing going on. Finishes tight and lacks great complexity at this point but the nose would suggest further development. We'll see. 89+
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9/11/2010 - MC wrote:
Big and ripe for a Bordeaux. Would not pick it blind as Bordeaux - would guess California. Only flaw is a short finish. A-
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7/4/2010 - MC wrote:
Short answer is very good, with dark fruit and very open right now. New World in style, but very good. Long story - see tasting note for the '99. A-
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6/11/2010 - MC wrote:
Elegant, no hard edges, nice earth. Drinking well right now and although it will hold, unlikely to improve. A-
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5/22/2010 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Magnum Double decanted in am. Redecanted an hour before serving at dinner. Excellent cassis notes, merlot dominance results in a smooth enjoyable wine at or near its peak.Extended finish.Paired well with braised short ribs.
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5/5/2010 - wnichol wrote: 92 Points
Well balanced, good structure. Good fruit with smooth tannins. Ate with fondue and lamb cutlet.
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2/13/2010 - Clarke wrote: 94 Points
i like this wine. parker wasnt wrong here. A bit of a surprise as we'd put these down for a bit. Tasted first of 6 tonight. Drinking nicely now. And will go for more years.
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12/25/2009 - typh wrote: 92 Points
Had with Christmas lunch with pork and turkey. Dark red with purple. Very fragrant nose. Also get some coffee and tobacco. Ripe fruit and tannins are well integrated at this time. Really enjoyable. A very good 98 St Emilion.
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12/18/2009 - soyhead wrote: 90 Points
Best of Bordeaux vs Kings of Kalifornia (prima): nose - cedar, cinnamon, spice
mouth - tobacco and tannins. Again, my performance slightly marred by palate fatigue.
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12/14/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Offering mature, oak, earth and fruit aromas, ending on a plush, plum and cherry note. Fully mature. There is no reason to hold this easy to like wine any longer. In fact, it might have been a little more fun to drink a year or two ago.
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12/8/2009 - dbg wrote:
Dark red, slight lightening at rim. Forward nose of dark fruits, leather, tar, medium body, ripe fruits on palate with a bit of complexity, tannins mellowed out and integrated, medium long finish, excellent.
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11/17/2009 - ed-d wrote: 98 Points
Rost coffee & Asian spice on the nose. Great plum sweetness with beautiful depth. An awesome wine that is drinking spectacular right now.
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11/15/2009 - Highlander wrote:
This wine certainly has softened in the past few years. The tannins are not overpowering the fruit...ah but the Merlot dryness, will it ever be overcome? As St. Emilion's go this is much better than most and overall a very good wine. There is fruit mixed in with a tobacco , leather taste that is quite complex on the mid-palate and the finish. The dryness shows up just prior to the finish, and unlike other Merlot based wines, it is not overpowering, but sill a distraction from the fruit.
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11/14/2009 - dd wrote:
awesome really beautiful
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10/21/2009 - Bromie wrote: 93 Points
Just beautiful - long, intense, a little rough round the edges but a lovely bottle of wine
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9/26/2009 - DougLee wrote: flawed
Never opened up.
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9/11/2009 - TheOtherPoster wrote: 92 Points
What a difference almost two years makes! Cork popped four hours before dinner, then poured into and severed from a decanter. This has come together so nicely and is now an outstanding wine. Dark muddy red color with lightening at the edges. The nose says this can't be anything but bordeaux. Dark red fruit, leather, tobacco, a kind of tarriness. In the mouth the balance is terrific. Tannins in the resolving phase with good acidity come together to create a medium mouth feel with no glaring holes. Flavors of dark currant, mocha, spice and earth. Finish certainly improved from two years ago. This is drinking well and should hold for some time.
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8/23/2009 - GSW wrote: 92 Points
Decanted briefly before going back in the bottle and off to a BYOB restaurant. Lovely wine. Drinking beautifully.
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3/20/2009 - Fielding wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for an hour. Dark red, but not brown. Nose of tobacco and black fruits. Still tannic, with dusty cherries, tobacco and gravel on the palate, with minor notes of coffee, bay leaf and star anise. Nice finish. This is starting to come into its own.
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2/9/2009 - ikkaariainen wrote: 92 Points
An excellent St. Emilion bdx grand cru enjoyed earlier tonight with the second flite of wines at the Hickory Wine Club tasting at Lake Hickory CC. RP rated 94. Heavier barnyard then it's lateral stablemate for this flight, the '98 Angelus. Dark purple, big and still tannic with good mouth feel. Nose of barnyard with almost floral tones as well as black pepper and blackberry. Primary flavors included cassis, anise, coffee and blakc pepper. Surprisingly hot alcohol but did not ruin wine in any way. Highly recommend this wine.
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2/4/2009 - JimHow wrote: 92 Points
Robert Parker was right about this wine. What a lovely right bank Bordeaux this has turned out to be. It has really rounded out nicely, displaying nice layers of complexity, with tobacco, leather, and even an appealing shittyness. Last time I drank this I was concerned whether the fruit would outlast the wood. I'm concerned no more. And I do not consider this to be "new world." The cherry notes integrate beautifully with the wood to produce a classy medium-to-full-bodied effort.
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1/16/2009 - salil wrote: 73 Points
Dark red colour throwing a lot of fine sediment in the bottle and glass. Big nose showing intense black fruited flavours over smoke, tobacco, coffee and oak. In the mouth it's just a mass of oak and ash-like flavours at first. The oak/ash flavours subside slightly with air to show some dark fruits, coffee and herbs underneath, but the oak still dominates and obscures the fruit and other flavours. Most of the pleasure in this comes only from the aromatics.
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11/17/2008 - dbkitc wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful ruby/garnet – still youthful. Explosive nose – blackberry, voluptuous spice with a mineral streak. Just a hint of dust tickles the nose. Lovely perfumy complexity in a sultry kind of way. The palate has calmed down over the past couple of years. The initial attack is pure, forceful, modern Saint Emilion. Incredible. But, unfortunately, like past bottles, there is just something missing in the middle and on the finish – almost a bit metallic. Not in a big way, but enough to turn an otherwise sumptuous experience into just a very good one. Lovely medium to full texture that is not at all overpowering. (90?)
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11/2/2008 - AtoZ wrote: 90 Points
Not as rich or full as I had hoped. Some chocolate and cherry but going through a perhaps closed phase. If we have more won't open for a while. SS w/ D
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9/26/2008 - pgordon62 wrote: 91 Points
Plums, spicy redcurrant, leather, anise, a citrus note. A lot of interest to the nose. On the palate it shows a dense profile but without heaviness. The finish is the one downside – rather drying and herbal. Hopefully few more years will smooth it out.
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8/3/2008 - dd wrote:
beautiful
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6/14/2008 - MRichman wrote:
1998 Bordeaux horizontal POURED BLIND (Morton's NYC): Soft, sweet, lush. Some nice herbs. Good integrated fruit with a long finish.
B+
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5/17/2008 - dbg wrote:
again takes an hour to open up, nice leather, floral, anise, black
berry and dark fruits, medium body and richness, medium finish, still
some tannins - at peak but not in decline
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5/13/2008 - npdev wrote: 86 Points
not flawed, just flavors not to my taste.
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4/15/2008 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
French Bakery BYO 2000+prior Bordeaux Right Bank(Libournais) (French Bakery, Kane concourse, Bay Harbor Islands, Florida): MY wine from Magnum. Eclipsed by my Gomerie, but extremely youthful from magnum, despite 2 hour decant. Ellen's favorite of the night, for which I'm glad as we have 3 more Mags. Reticent nose, deep dark fruits. Needs time.
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3/30/2008 - jivey wrote: 90 Points
Big fat cherry, oak, vanilla, leather and some cedar on a new world styled wine. Needs a few years.
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3/30/2008 - kstoddard wrote: 89 Points
Dark fruit with charred oak on the nose. Tastes of blackberries, black cherry, tobacco, earth and green bell pepper. Full bodied with plenty of extraction. Well balanced. Lots of green tannin on the finish. Needs time.
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1/28/2008 - efc wrote: 92 Points
Earthy, with leather and tobacco. Dark cherry fruit. Amazing nose. Dark purple with little sign of bottle age. smooth and full body. An inspired pick by Sarah.
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1/25/2008 - HenryW wrote: 87 Points
A Jekyll and Hyde wine. The nose was occasionally marred by a herbaceous streak, but was quite nice when that streak was absent. The palate was better,with some meaty and earthy overtones. A bit of a hole in the mid palate.
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11/17/2007 - dd wrote:
nice wine give it some time to open
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11/16/2007 - dbkitc wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby to pink at rim. Big nose of sweet black cherry fruit mixed with vanilla and a whiff of toast. Ripe, modern DNA, but still Bordeaux. Wonderful mouthfeel – layered flavors – fruit, with the structure beginning to appear. I think the best time to drink this is now – the fruit will fade yet I think the structure is here to stay. This has lost its baby fat and I don’t think it will mature in a graceful way. Enjoy its well balanced adolescence while you can. Nice, but not as great as I thought it would be. (92)
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11/2/2007 - TheOtherPoster wrote: 91 Points
TNs: Alex Gambal bourgogne C. Prestige '04, Quinault '98, Krohn Colheita '66: The bottle was uncorked about 4 hours before dinner, and put in a decanter about half an hour before dinner (then poured back in the bottle to serve). I was interested on how it would perform given some conflicting notes recently. Color was a dark, somewhat dull ruby. On the nose we first noticed a roasted coffee element along with very dark cherries, tobacco, leather and earth. One the palate it is medium-bodied, with very fine tannins (not a distraction for current drinking), but a slight oak element along with earthy flavors are perhaps a touch too in front of the fruit. Acid is good, and the wine went beautifully with dinner. The finish was on the short side. To be sure, we thought this wine was outstanding even though this TN may not reflect it.... I guess I am being more critical in this description given RP's rapturous review yea these many years ago. :) I am unsure whether or not this will improve somewhat with more bottle time. Maybe it will given that it's bordeaux, and to our taste most good ones just begin to enter their prime drinking window only after a minimum of ten years. But we do wish it had more of that opulence described in TNs of several years ago.
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9/18/2007 - Colonel Lawrence wrote: 95 Points
From first look and smell - something very special.
Colour deep, clear, brilliant.
Aroma - full and fruity, but not fruit juice - real crisp complex St Emilion nose.
Taste - even better, just perfect balance, smooth, round, mellow: good start, but even better an elongated finish.
Was surprised by how good this was; perfect now and for the next few years.
Have a further bottle which I await with anticipation.
Perhaps RP isn't wrong about Château Quinault L'Enclos!
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9/5/2007 - pgordon62 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for two hours. Powerful spicy berry fruit combined with anise, roasted coffee, damp earth. Excellent density on the palate with a little remaining tannin. Very drinkable at this stage but a few more years will hopefully integrate the strong oak influence. Much better than the last bottle.
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9/3/2007 - dbg wrote:
takes an hour to open up, nice leather, floral, anise, black berry
and dark fruits, medium body and richness, medium finish, still some
tannins - at peak or perhaps capable of more complexity?
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7/20/2007 - JimHow wrote: 90 Points
This wine was dominated by wood through most of the evening, quite unappealing. Unfortunately, we pulled the cork and poured. All this needed was some air. By the end of the night it had developed some on the nose and palate, the oak went away, and we were left with a wine of finesse and some lovely complexity. Lighter ruby colored. An interesting wine. Spicy, with cherries coming forward, particularly at the end. I think this is my first experience with this wine. I disliked it at first, but I think I got it by the end. It really evolved dramatically-- in a positive way-- over a couple hours. Rating: 90 points.
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5/7/2007 - MikeCW wrote: 89 Points
Nice wine. Decanted in glass for about an hour before dinner. Huge smoke on the nose with lesser accent of coffee. Not a wine tending towards the fruit side of the equation. Touch of earth on the palate and the wine hints at not showing all it has to offer. Will improve. The tannins, though clearly present, did not detract from the enjoyment of the wine with grilled london broil.
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4/8/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 90 Points
Served with Prime Rib on Easter. Decanted two hours before dinner. Dark red/black color. The nose is intense but a little one-dimensional giving a strong expresso/tobacco smell with very little fruit or other aromas. In the mouth this is a structured and compact wine with good dark fruit and chocolate, but again somewhat one-dimensional. The finish is fairly long and still pretty tannic. My impression is that this has the goods to develop with additional bottle age, and if this happens it will be a very good wine.
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3/30/2007 - winefool wrote: 91 Points
HDH 1998 Right Bank Tasting (Tru): Full red color. Medium forward nose of sweet red fruit. Tightish red fruit with some spice. Needs time.
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2/18/2007 - dream wrote: 88 Points
Good color with a potent smell of spicy tobacco snd black rasberry fruit. Still young and fairly lean with subdued flavors of dark chocolate, black rasberries and tobacco. Shows some classic St. Emilion earthiness with notes of leathers and fresh beef. Seems to need more time.
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2/15/2007 - MRichman wrote:
Valentine's Magnum Massacre (Triomphe, NYC): Very nice, full bodied. Good burnt oak, leather, menthol. A bit young, but drinking fine. Dark notes. Oaky with full fruit and some sweetness.
B/B+
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10/21/2006 - dd wrote:
excellent wine brought to a friends house and they really loved it dark fruit and sweet tannin drank to fast to really open up.
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10/6/2006 - winesteward wrote: 86 Points
Soft, almost alarmingly so. Earthy, mint, some wood notes. Seems like a rather insubstantial wine. Fruit seems to be fading as well. Good enough but not what I expected. Perhaps a bad bottle?
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9/3/2006 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Dark, purple, ruby with very slight pinking at the edges. Jammy blackberries, vanilla, super ripe cherries, licorice and coffee notes. Lush, full-bodied, decadent, mouth feel. Red and black fruits coat the palate. Some tannin remains. Very sexy and crowd pleasing style of wine.
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8/31/2006 - pgordon62 wrote: 89 Points
This bottle was very light in color - could be mistaken for a Pinot. Dark currant fruits on the nose along with lots of oaky anise and tobacco leaf. Medium bodied with licorice and some cherry fruit. Moderate length on the finish. Nice enough but the last bottle was much better.
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8/5/2006 - Siggy wrote: 92 Points
Black core; brilliant ruby to the rim. Enticing, intense nose of crushed blackberries and cherry liquor. On the palate, lush, ripe, sweet black fruits, balanced by good minerality and acidity. Some interesting coffee and leathery flavors. The tannins are well integrated, but still grippy on the finish. Put on weight in the glass. Definitely made in a riper style that is more reminiscent of a high-end Napa Cab than a traditional St. Emilion. Excellent stuff.
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5/7/2006 - lbosche wrote: 90 Points
Nice wine with very interesting aromatics, good concentration and good if somewhat overripe fruit. To my taste it is not a refreshing glass of wine and lacks enough acidity and does not marry all that well with food.
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2/15/2006 - pgordon62 wrote: 92 Points
On the nose, lots of dense berry fruit, a wonderfully sweaty, leathery edge and citrus element. Nicely layered fruit on the palate. The finish has great length with excellent minerality and substantial tannin. This wine started very tight but opened over a couple of hours. Compared to some other right bank wines this shows a lot of precision, may be explained by the fairly high level of Cab Sauvignon and Cab Franc (25% total). Will be even better in 3-5 years.
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1/3/2006 - gasman wrote: 91 Points
Opened and decanted for two hours with dinner. Nice black cherry color to the rim with no bricking. Nose of red currant, truffle and tobacco leaf. Good acidity on the mid palate. Finish about 25 seconds. Nice solid wine.
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12/5/2005 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
'82s at Lola: Now for something different. Lovely, concentrated and hedonistic. Lush black fruit and mint or menthol flavors. I enjoyed this.
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10/22/2005 - PStella wrote: 92 Points
Nice, classic right bank BDX. It could of used a hint more sweetness upon opening, but the slight bitterness soon went away. A lot of nice beeswax flavor, signaling the presence of the merlot. All in all, extreely enjoyable.
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4/22/2005 - dd wrote:
this is a delicous wine very well balanced excellent fruit with well integrated tannins. this wine will age. lots of berries blue and black looking forward to enjoying this wine over the next 12 plus years.
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4/16/2005 - Wineosseur wrote: 92 Points
Consumed over 2 nights. First ever bottle from this chateau. Seemed fairly open from the beginning, but the fruit was slightly muted. Lots of charred chocolatey, coffee aromas with some spices and red and black fruits. More fruit presence on the mid palate would make this much better balanced. Perhaps this is due to the oak treatment? Overall, a solid right bank wine, but pales a bit in comparison to similar wines such as Pavie Decesse and Monbousquet in my limited experence.
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3/7/2004 - gasman wrote: 93 Points
Bottle opened and allowed to decant for 1 hour. Great nose of dark fruit and cassis. Nice cedar aroma and good length.
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4/26/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 89 Points
Dark red. Scents of nuts, truffles, and soil. Also faint notes of cranberries. Seems a touch narrow in the mouth. There's a bit of a dark hole where all the fruit should have been. And possibly somewhat "green" in flavour. Over the course of about an hour the elements seemed to find some measure of harmony.
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4/19/2002 - JeffJo wrote: 75 Points
Bottle appeared to be corked with a soapy aroma and slightly stinky sock odor. Beneath that, the wine seemed concentrated with lots of fruit and moderate tannins.
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