Medium deep brick red. Aromas of coffee, hawthorn, blackberry jam, thyme, juniper wood and baked earth. Rounded delicate tannins. Blackcurrant vital acids and beautiful walnut bitterness. Palate of juniper berry, chocolate, truffle, cassis, rose and wood fire. A mature, utterly complex and elegant wine with vivacious delicate fruit, bittersweet tertiary aromas and a long classy smoky finish. Drink within 10 years. Tasted alongside Jaboulet, Chapelle 1989 and the present wine is not as powerful but even more complex and with livelier fruit than the matched wine.
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This has all the basic qualities I want in a very well aged LaLa but is a bit underwhelming. Doesn’t have the kaleidoscopic flavor profile of a really good aged LaLa where the tongue just tingles w energy and a new experience. But this is still really good aged Syrah. Bouquet a bit more flamboyant whereas on the palate a somewhat muted while still delivering enough. Glad I had with a meal at Dogwood, Blackberry Farm rather than on its own.
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Rhône or Nôwhere 2.0 (Malcolm, NE): Believe it or not, this is my first La-La and what a way to do it with a 1994 no less! Flintstone vitamins, gym socks, pomegranate, purple flowers, minerals like crazy…and what seemed like an impenetrable wall of granite. Tons of baking spices. Modern? Yeah of course but my goodness the quality is indisputable and this worked really well with Iberico pork cheek, mushroom ragu with lavender and thyme. The reality is, even at 30 years old, this is youthful. Drink now through, I dunno, 2044? Merci Matt!
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French theme, brought by SH, dark coloured & deep in complexity, thought a late 90s GC Burg, a northern Rhone, layers of layers of fruits, elegant & rich, a treat 95
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Initially an acidic bomb with little on the nose and no tannins.
After letting it sit open, in the bottle for two hours, finally showed some life.
Blackberry, earth, and spice Fine tannins mesh nicely with strong acidity A brief and slightly sweet finish Even after all of this time, not that much bricking
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Decanted for a good 30mins, we deliberated a bit on it but chose to as the wine was a bit muted. Frankly for a Mouline this is underwhelming as the nose is not there. Lacks that smoky , roast meat feel we cherish in this wine . Nose aside the wine is classic Mouline, elegant, soft and full of charm. Granted 94 is a so so vintage ( Chave made a spectacular Hermitage though , Papies 95-96) and this shows in the energy and nose but that aside this is a wine to cherish! 93+
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Even better than the previous bottle, this is showing just great today. The nose, with its lilacs, smoked cherries, Asian spice, thyme and barbecue brings you in. The soft, luscious, elegant, fresh, crisp, red cherry and spicy plum and black raspberry palate, with all that tingly fruit, seals the deal. This is probably right in its peak drinking period.
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This was absolutely delightful. Given the vintage, i wasn't necessarily expecting too much, but an incredible wine. Still very dark, a classic rhone nose of blood and meat, such a round, lush and fluffy mouth feel. In its prime drinking window. Shared by Ayub in Langkawi
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DR T̶u̶e̶s̶d̶a̶y Thursday Night Zoom Tasting (Vancouver, BC): Drank blind next to the 1994 Guigal La Turque. There was something off about this bottle. VA, raisin, and some lactic notes dominated the nose. Better on the palate but still not reaching the heights I would have expected from this wine. Tart red berries with a spicy black pepper core. What a shame, especially since the the La Turque tasted along side was showing so well. Judgement reserved.
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Perhaps this suffered served next to the'95 but it seemed somewhat muddied by comparison and just didn't have the precision and cut of the best vintages of this great wine. The finish was round and concentrated with deep flavors of black fruits and slate minerals with hints of animal fur and smoky campfire. Savory and mature but the ‘95 is in a different league.
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Great Wine Dinner with Friends (Sepia - Chicago IL): Completely enticing and balanced for current enjoyment with mostly black fruit and both sweet plus savory spice. I enjoyed this so much tonight, but others enjoyed it even more tonight, even more than the 1999.
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HDH auction at Spiaggia; 6/22/2018-6/23/2018 (Chicago, IL): Just a brilliant nose and palate -- better than my last experience of this. There's great power and intensity here, with tons of sweet fruit. It is black fruited and shows tons of spice. Not too much brine and olive, but the earth, mineral, and black fruit are all there. This has always been one of my favourite northern Rhone vintages, and this bottle is yet another example of why.
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Straddling the fence between sensuous and strict, the wine is more interesting on the nose, with its concoction of earth, spice, espresso, licorice, cherry griotte and floral notes. Full bodied, and on the way to softness, the wine retains a firm, almost nature in the finish.
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Guigal LaLa Dinner II (Chef's Club NYC): This nose has an explosive blueberry ripeness and syrupy extraction. Surprisingly more youthful and modern than the ‘94 Landonne in the next glass. Vanilla and spice in the blackberry fruit. On the palate this is still dark and intense and the oak has not integrated. This is too modern and I don’t like it.
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Acker Guigal La La dinner (Chef's Club - 275 Mulberry Street): A personal favorite for me perhaps because it was the wine that got me to recognize the specialness of these wines and get more active in collecting. A big wine, but also a great one and with a very well set up structure. Lots of rose petal and lavendar and maybe hints of fruit underneath. I really enjoyed it. CT drinking window doesn't do it justice - this is still going strong.
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Drank all three La Las blindly from the same vintage side by side. Thanks Achim.
Turque This one shows pungent black berries, mighty and still a baby even from this not perfect vintage, the acidity is enormously powerful, sometimes you feel the fruit behind this structure, no hurry to finish your bottles, 94-95
Landonne More elegant and finer than the La Turque. More structured, longer finish, the nose is the same, beside the fruit, oriental spicieness, 95
Mouline The spiciest of all 3 Lalas, very etherical with lovely eucalyptus, sweet cherry, very balanced, for me the most impressive, 96
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Acker Holiday Auction (A Voce Madison): I am convinced this is a wildly under-rated vintage of La Mouline. This wine is just spectacular. Opened and decanted (and the decant really does help it). Red fruits and pepper and cigar and constantly evolving in the glass. Was a table favorite. Lovely.
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This has really developed well. Over the years, the wine has filled out, softened and added layers of aromatic complexity. If I had to quibble, there is a minor note of green in the finish, but there was so much sensuous, ripe, dark red fruits, flowers, fresh herbs, earth, thyme and kirsch, with freshness and length, it did not matter. With about 30 minutes of decanting, the wine really fleshed out. It continued improving in the glass until we polished off the bottle, about 2 hours later.
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I continue to love these and am sad to see that our rather large collection is quite a bit smaller now. Opened and decanted and poured prob about an hour later. The fruit was well faded from this bottle. It's mostly leather and cigar bar and that nice hint of pepper. I esp love the pairing with red meat. Delicious as always.
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Zachys Fine & Rare Wines - Apr 2016 & an evening w/friends (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): This wine is just wonderful. Opened, decanted for a bit while we drank the Rose, and then poured. It's got this wonderful pepper to it and lots of saddle leather and just fun and interesting. Starting to get lower on our bottles of these and will be sad to finish them since it is a wine that is always a pleaser.
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Tampa Spring Break (the abridged version); 3/17/2016-3/18/2016 (Various Tampa locations (Mise en Place, Ocean Prime, etc.)): Wine #10: This won best wine of the tasting although I didn't vote on it as we brought it. Had opened and decanted/filtered prob an hour before the tasting and then rebottled. We also opted to pair it with some peppered roast beef as the first time I had this wine with a steak in peppercorn sauce and the combination was just killer. Here, the pepper may have overwhelmed just a touch although it was a nice one. The wine itself is black pepper, earth, leather, nice and aged. Yummy.
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Drank next to a '96 La Mouline and while the group was split between which was the better wine I liked this a bit more (both were spectacular wines). Opened and stained and decanted and rebottled. This was perfectly aged and in such a wonderful spot. Smokey and meaty and savory and pepper and cherry and plum. Fabulous wine.
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We seem to have figured out the secret to having this wine taste up to when we had it last summer - takes a strain and a short decant. With that, the wine is meaty, spicy, savory, and delicious. Without that can feel like the older wine flavor dominates a bit too much. Was very good last night.
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Opened and decanted for prob 30 minutes before drinking. That might be the trick with these because this was just delicious and almost as good as the first time we had this wine. Savory and briney and maybe like an unripe plum or fig. Ever evolving and always good. I saved a bit of this for my last sip of red for the night.
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Escape from the Cold; 2/12/2016-2/15/2016 (Sunny & Warm Florida (Del Ray Beach, Jupiter)): My favorite red of the night. These are just great wines. This needed some time to open up and show itself. First pour was a bit tighter. Smokiness on the initial sip. Over the course of the night it developed a bit more cigar and then with some time a bit of red fruit poked through. Really like this.
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Zachys Power of Packaging - Jan 2016 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): Opened and poured. Started just a touch more closed down and musty, but it opened up over time. Not the same 'wow' that we had a last summer, but still a very nice, well aged wine that is more herbal and leather and lower fruit, but enjoyable.
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Opulent but not OTT nose. Very seductive. Olives, meat and a darker fruit, almost plum to it along with bloody meats and bacon fat. The wood is there but in this case it adds to the whole. Broad and deep texturally with great depth and balance, this could be called round by a wood free purist but this carries everything well. In a great spot and is very much in the vein of La Mouline. A delcious wine that comes at you but doesn't beat you over the head. In contrast to the Landonne served at its side, it is the more charming and fun sibling. In a great spot right now.
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Wines & Steak in Toronto (Le Select Bistro, Toronto, Canada): My first La Mouline having just tried its sister the La Landonne earlier in the evening. Somewhere in the wine tasting habit, one of the goals became having one of those 'wow' moments. That point where it's just 'how in the world did the winemaker do that'. This is one of those wines. Paired with a peppercorn filet and the spice from the meat and the spice from the wine complimented each other perfectly. It's got many similar characteristics to the Landonne - beef, olive, but most of my notes are the equivalent of speechless - 'I hardly know what to say' 'I can't explain how good'. So I will just leave it as this was pretty spectacular and the WOTN for the group (saying something given the line-up).
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Cellared since release. Perfect cork and fill. Pop and pour, enjoyed over 3 hours. Dark red core, no noticeable lightening at rim. Voluptuous nose of red and black fruits, some earth and leather. Full-bodied, soft smooth palate-coating intensity, ripe fruits, good balance, loooong finish, should drink beautifully for years, outstanding.
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HDH Auction (Tru - Chicago, IL): You can still taste/feel the oak used here. With 20 years, however, it has seemed to have integrated nicely. Definitely a rich, 20-year old Cote Rote, but it's got really good bones. There's some meat, but this is more floral and dark fruit. Pretty nice wine.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru; 6/27/2014-6/28/2014 (Chicago, IL): Screw the haters. I love Guigal. A very, very juicy nose with tons of ripe but tart cherries. So alluring. The palate is a bit empty however, and lacking a bit of depth. There's huge structure here but the palate is what keeps this from becoming a complete package. Nevertheless, the nose on this is just so damn awesome, I'd be a happy camper smelling this all day long.
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Porcelet Dinner with Great Wine (Paris Club - Chicago IL): Open 2-3 hours, not decanted. Mature black fruit with very good spice. Everything here is in balance, making this very charming and pleasurable, with moderate power and length. Very good now, but with the structure to hold.
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Much more of a beast than the 2000 we had next to it. Dark fruit, chocolate, smoked meats and a boatload of tannin on the finish. Full, rich, but this needs much more time to integrate--which I hope it will do.
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Northern Rhone Dinner Part 1 - Cote Rotie (Vancouver, BC): Opened and served two hours later. Modern touches on the nose with riper fruits and oaky notes but there's a good deal of complexity and savory/meaty notes. On the palate this shows its pedigree with a sophisticated and elegant profile with a wide variety of flavours. Got better the longer it sat in the glass (if opening now give 3 hours in the decanter). Best of the flight and the most potential, though the oak is definitely there. Give this at least 5 years before trying again. Excellent. 91+
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Farewell, Peter (New Rochelle, NY): A lovely wine and not as oaky as I would have expected. Nice job achieving balance in a more challenging vintage. Floral, feminine and savory. A bit of sweet red fruit, olives and herbs.
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I admit to being negatively biased because of the excessive new oak treatment here but this bottle was not bad, neither was it great by any means. Does come across as slightly polished and modern but not in a bad way. Lacks character.
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Rhone dinner: You know, this was pretty awesome. But it was so different than the others, with a very firm beam of very ripe fruit, though without any blowsy richness. The more classic Syrah characteristics expressed themselves on the finish; olive especially. Some oaky drying tannins clamped off the very end. This seemed very young to me. Of the 4-wine flight of this, the Jamet, the Verset, and the Chave, this was the least interesting to me.
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(Mostly) Rhone/farewell dinner: This is quite compelling; the oak does show itself (especially on a table with several very traditionally styled Northern Rhones), but at the same time there's fantastic depth and complexity with rich dark fruited flavours tinged by savoury meaty, leathery and earthy elements, and higher toned floral and spicy notes. It's still quite youthful with the fruit rather intense and a touch sweet, but it's well balanced and very enjoyable.
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Textbook Northern rhone nose. Rare roasted lamb with rosemary, dark fruits, sagebrush and earth. The palate is drying out a touch and would have been better with food, but I could smell this glass all day long.
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Lovely red-garnet. Nose of roasted meat, tobacco, pepper, a hint of bacon, and a hint of black cherries. Taste was smooth, rich, every edge of the mouth filled to the brim, a wine both light on its feet and heavy in its flavors. Great.
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Casual Rhone Dinner (Storefront Company - Chicago IL): Lush fruit, very forward with good balancing spice and. Everything came across in perfect harmony, even if it only had moderate length and power. I bought several bottles earlier this year and this was from the same source, so I'm excited to have a few in my cellar. Drinking great now.
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With three hours of air, the wine developed much softer textures, without losing the beautiful aromatics of bacon fat, baked cherry pie, brown sugar, earth, garrigue, kirsch, peach and spice. Silky red cherries, spice and white peach is found in the sultry finish. Drink it now, or age it. But it needs more air than you might think. Working my way slowly through a case bought on release. This is the best showing yet. But I am convinced some of that has to do with the decanting, as I normally do not give many wines this much air. The wine began to fade a bit after 4 hours in the glass or decanter.
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Very spicy. Muted black fruits and floral notes. Meaty, more robust Mouline. Approaching maturity but still benefits from time open. Good balance. Nice.
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Dark red to rim. Dark fruits, cherries, spice, pepper, bit of earth on the nose. Full body, ripe fruit, smoky peppery nuances, nice complexity, excellent balance, medium-long finish, outstanding-extraordinary.
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Bill's Monthly Lunch - March 2012 (Vancouver, BC): Medium to dark red, bricking at the rim. At first this had a dark and tarry nose with aromas of white pepper and dark fruits. In the mouth more dark fruit, hints of sweetness (oak) with soft but apparent tannins and solid acidity. This was served to us in a smaller Bordeaux style glass and most of us decided to switch to a Burgundy style glass which seemed to open up the nose quite a bit with notes of violets, sweet fruit, hints of meat and earth. This was much better than my last bottle, which I thought was flawed, but this one still didn’t hit the heights of my first two bottles. Either way, it's drinking well now. Excellent.
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Bill's Monthly Lunch - December 2011 (Vancouver, BC): Decanted for sediment then returned back into the bottle and served 3 hours later. Tired colour with a strong reddish-brown hue throughout. While the nose some signs of life with decent red fruits and some hints of bacon, it was nowhere near as youthful and expressive as my last bottle 2 years ago. In the mouth there wasn’t much fruit left and it was fairly acidic and tart. Based on my previous bottles and other tasting notes I’ve read on this wine I’m going to assume this was an off bottle and (hopefully) not representative of my remaining stash. This was a major disappointment.
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Licorice, kirsch liqueur, jammy black cherries, flowers, peaches, truffle, earth, smoke and espresso bean aromas grab your attention and keep it there. On your palate, this concentrated, rich, intense wine fills your mouth with exotic textures and ripe, powerful, masculine, red with black fruits. This beautiful Cote Rotie ends with a fresh, black cherry, black raspberry, spice and tart kirsch finish. Fully mature, there is no reason to wait to open a bottle.
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From a pristine looking bottle, this wine showed a deep red/purple center with just a touch of orange at the rim. Early on, the nose was facinating but relatively low intensity. Then the nose turned floral, showing intense, high-toned violets and crushed raspberries. As it aired further, the nose developed darker flavors including coffee, aged beef, pepper, and soil in addition to the aforementioned flavors. It really needed 4+ hours to show its best.
Very light and refined from the start, the mouth followed an evolution similar to that of the nose. After 4 hours it had a magnificent silky texture but the intense fruit flavors, light rounded tannin, and moderate acidity caused it to make a big impression in your mouth. The balance was stunning. I would hold off on drinking this wine for a least 5 years (maybe 10) to let it evolve further. At that point, my score should improve by a point or two. Very impressive.
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Taste at Elysian. Color shows some nice age. Medium dark brick red with hints of molasses brown at the rim. Lovely reductive qualities on the nose with strong floral and earth components. Some rich black pepper and lightly smoked meat with a viscous molasses aroma that's unique to this region. A refined palate with perfectly integrated tannins that comes across light on its feet but still sporting a long complex finish. This is less of a tour de force than other Guigal Cote Roti I've sampled. I like the finesse in this bottling - age has done this juice well. I prefer the more in your face styling and maybe this was displaying that more ten years ago, but this is still a confidently well made elixir.
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Served with an amazing dish of rabbit lapin which was a perfect pairing. Wine decanted several hours early and displayed exceptionally youthful nose and a forever finish. Classis LaLA!
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Very compelling and complex, hot oaky syrah nose that mellows. Layer on layer of red and dark fruit and damp earth and a long lingerng dry finish. Terrific now and will get better.
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Purchased off the wine list at Daniel. Decanted about 1 hour prior to consumption; the fill was good and the cork was pristine. A dark red core turning to ruby at the rim; no signs of browning. The bouquet offered up notes of sweet red fruit, flowers, oak barrels and spice. Medium to full bodied -- Nicole noted the sweet and ripe dark fruit once again -- but without the velvety texture and expansive mid-palate that I was hoping for. Over the course of the dinner I thought the acid and wood flavors became more and more prominent, which can't be a good sign. In hindsight, I would have not decanted this wine, or only right before consumption. Better yet, I would have ordered the '03 Chave!
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This grabbed my attention...and never let go. First whiff is burnt rubber, woodsmoke, and creosote - somebody put out the fire in here! On the palate, very little evidence of any viognier. My theory is that the syrah was roaring so loud that the viognier could not possibly be heard. This was a real ripper. Huge in the mouth. Seemed younger than its age, for sure. More towards the black fruit side of things, but distinctly French syrah. Barbecue spice and beef blood. Kick-ass wine.
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Deep red. Hints of rubber, charred meat, pepper, black fruit and that lifted quality the Viognier adds. Earthy nose and flavours. There is a sweetness both in the nose , sweetness and finish. Keeps getting better in the glass. Outstanding wine.
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WineFanatic Northern Rhone Offline (Vancouver, BC): Tasted blind. Decanted for 3 hours. Very earthy nose giving rubber, charred meats and red fruits. Medium acidity and medium body. Long finish with some spicy hints. Resolved tannins. Balanced and soft in the mouth. Wasn’t showing as much floral as I remember from the last bottle. Drink or hold. Outstanding. 93+
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No formal notes. Decanted and drank over 2 hours. Notes of barnyard at first moving to floral and grilled bacon over time. Solid acidity and tannin with lots of life left. It’s developing nicely, but far from mature. Nose was quite expressive after an hour in the decanter but the palate remained somewhat tight. Ill wait 3-5 years before trying another bottle. Drink or hold. Outstanding. 93+
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My 40th at Daniel (Daniel NYC): A great recommendation from Ian McFadden and a second by our Sommelier, Christy, made this an easy choice. I was blown away by the sweet blueberry creosote nose, that was intermixed with white flowers, and smokey dark berry spices. The first sip lasted for a good minute and the wine beckoned my mouth the whole night while it sat on the table. This is a big syrah based wine but it is so balanced, and so long, and so fine. Sorry for lack of nuance in my description as the notes are from memory.
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First bottle of 94 Mouline. Great nose. Not a bad note on the nose or palate. Overall, a good wine, but a bit diffused, almost mushy. Also, extremely sweet, and cloyingly so. But still, a medium good Mouline is still a very good bottle of wine. I would be in the very low 90's if I was a numbers rater, versus the apparent high 90's of other reviewers.
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A very young appearing very dark wine. Black and green olives, meat, blood, and at minimum PG-13 level of flat out sexy fruit. I love this bottling with its seductive nature, and thi syear does not disappoint. Lush rich and ripe without any hints of flab. Dense and beautiful, still very primary , with more asphalt, lilacs and olive tapenade coming out with time. Really a beautiful bottle of wine that I drank too young AGAIN.
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N. Rhone dinner: Deep garnet. Elegant, lush, syrah aromas. Aromas of blackberry, coffee, vanilla, leather .. very together. Very balanced, seamless body. Clean bodied, ripe tannins, reasonable acidity all lend themselves to a well drinking wine that is very integrated and proper .. very silken texture. Oak/vanillan tones present to lend a frame to ripe blackberry fruits. Good but not great concentration. This is elegant, lush, extremely pleasant wine. Ready for buisness.
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CFTG Dinner at Mark Pecken's (Mark Pecken's): Full red/purple color. Towering nose of black fruit, coffee, and black pepper. Killer aplate of spicy black pepper, coffee, and black fruit. The most balanced integrated and grip of the three.
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Decanted for an hour and consumed over 2 hours. Deep ruby with no thinning at rim. Nose of ripe black fruits, hints of pepper, hints of spice; After several hours open, nose much more intense and interesting with aroma of black fruits bursting from glass. Never any definitive bacon fat or meaty aromas noted. Palate reflective of nose with acidity and tannins balanced in background. Moderate to long finish. A very nice bottle of wine but not the near religous experience that some other vintages have provided. Wait 2 years for next bottle or decant several hours in advance.
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A decadent evening (Sydney, Australia): Incredible, intense floral and violet aromatics are the centrepiece of a brilliant, layered nose that also shows five spice, white pepper, cherry and bacon fat. Completely seductive and elegant on the palate - lush and velvet-textured with incredible depth and complexity of flavour, while maintaining excellent structure, balance and stunning length. Brilliant, glorious and certainly my favourite red wine tonight.
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With Bob and Klara. Dark strawberry. Nose: Grenadine syrup, spices, leather, hints of truffles, violets. But truely soars on the palate, with layered, multidimensional fruit that reveals layer upon layer of complexity. Lifted by lively acidity and framed by gentle, soft tannins. Mature now.
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Pretty much popped and poured- The nose had be a bit worried- very strong vanilla scent with some plums- I was fearful of an oak bomb, but the palate was completely different- well balanced, light on its feet and silky- right on the edge of red and black fruits. very good- great with some more time if the nose gets rid of the overwwhelming vanilla.
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Wonderful wine...ready to drink or save for another decade. Wine group strongly preferred vs head to head against SQN Just for love of it in blind tasting
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The nose exploded from the glass with mint, spearmint, flowers, red and black fruits, herbs and pepper. The palate is best described as syrup of Syrah. This is a very sophisticated, elegant wine that continued improving in the glass. Is any wine more exotic than one of the La La's? Great stuff!
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Gorgeous, savory, beefy, peppery nose; great beefy, bacon fat and pepper palate with a little blueberry and black fruit with good structure; long finish
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Dark reddish colour. Butcher shop notes and a hint of a medicinal quality. Superbly intense, coupled with great complexity and struture - with razor-sharp precision in the attack and a lovely tinkling, tactile sensation that suggests some un-resolved tannins. The balance and harmony is excellent, and the finish goes on for 40+ seconds. In short, a delicious wine of superb quality.
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vy good nose, not yet ready, somewhat closed, not as much concentration as expected, esp compared to zins, lots of soft tannins, high hopes for 5 more years
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4/6/2024 - Araldinho Likes this wine: 97 Points
Medium deep brick red.
Aromas of coffee, hawthorn, blackberry jam, thyme, juniper wood and baked earth.
Rounded delicate tannins. Blackcurrant vital acids and beautiful walnut bitterness.
Palate of juniper berry, chocolate, truffle, cassis, rose and wood fire.
A mature, utterly complex and elegant wine with vivacious delicate fruit, bittersweet tertiary aromas and a long classy smoky finish. Drink within 10 years.
Tasted alongside Jaboulet, Chapelle 1989 and the present wine is not as powerful but even more complex and with livelier fruit than the matched wine.
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3/10/2024 - Nontaco Likes this wine: 94 Points
This has all the basic qualities I want in a very well aged LaLa but is a bit underwhelming. Doesn’t have the kaleidoscopic flavor profile of a really good aged LaLa where the tongue just tingles w energy and a new experience. But this is still really good aged Syrah. Bouquet a bit more flamboyant whereas on the palate a somewhat muted while still delivering enough. Glad I had with a meal at Dogwood, Blackberry Farm rather than on its own.
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3/7/2024 - thesternowl wrote: 94 Points
Rhône or Nôwhere 2.0 (Malcolm, NE): Believe it or not, this is my first La-La and what a way to do it with a 1994 no less! Flintstone vitamins, gym socks, pomegranate, purple flowers, minerals like crazy…and what seemed like an impenetrable wall of granite. Tons of baking spices. Modern? Yeah of course but my goodness the quality is indisputable and this worked really well with Iberico pork cheek, mushroom ragu with lavender and thyme. The reality is, even at 30 years old, this is youthful. Drink now through, I dunno, 2044? Merci Matt!
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8/22/2023 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 95 Points
French theme, brought by SH, dark coloured & deep in complexity, thought a late 90s GC Burg, a northern Rhone, layers of layers of fruits, elegant & rich, a treat
95
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7/21/2021 - flah00 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Initially an acidic bomb with little on the nose and no tannins.
After letting it sit open, in the bottle for two hours, finally showed some life.
Blackberry, earth, and spice
Fine tannins mesh nicely with strong acidity
A brief and slightly sweet finish
Even after all of this time, not that much bricking
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12/25/2020 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for a good 30mins, we deliberated a bit on it but chose to as the wine was a bit muted. Frankly for a Mouline this is underwhelming as the nose is not there. Lacks that smoky , roast meat feel we cherish in this wine . Nose aside the wine is classic Mouline, elegant, soft and full of charm. Granted 94 is a so so vintage ( Chave made a spectacular Hermitage though , Papies 95-96) and this shows in the energy and nose but that aside this is a wine to cherish! 93+
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9/23/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Even better than the previous bottle, this is showing just great today. The nose, with its lilacs, smoked cherries, Asian spice, thyme and barbecue brings you in. The soft, luscious, elegant, fresh, crisp, red cherry and spicy plum and black raspberry palate, with all that tingly fruit, seals the deal. This is probably right in its peak drinking period.
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7/12/2020 - Wine_lvr wrote: 95 Points
Simply stunning. Now in a perfect drinking window. Long life ahead.
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7/2/2020 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 96 Points
This was absolutely delightful. Given the vintage, i wasn't necessarily expecting too much, but an incredible wine. Still very dark, a classic rhone nose of blood and meat, such a round, lush and fluffy mouth feel. In its prime drinking window. Shared by Ayub in Langkawi
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6/11/2020 - MattTM wrote:
DR T̶u̶e̶s̶d̶a̶y Thursday Night Zoom Tasting (Vancouver, BC): Drank blind next to the 1994 Guigal La Turque. There was something off about this bottle. VA, raisin, and some lactic notes dominated the nose. Better on the palate but still not reaching the heights I would have expected from this wine. Tart red berries with a spicy black pepper core. What a shame, especially since the the La Turque tasted along side was showing so well. Judgement reserved.
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3/6/2020 - ricknat1 wrote:
really unimpressive. i have mot had this vintage before but it was tannic with little fruit, not at all like the 91s
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12/10/2019 - hprphf wrote: 93 Points
Acker BYO 2019 (Tribecal Grill): Very nice freshness and sweetness. 93+
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7/27/2019 - fclarity wrote: 93 Points
A bit strong on the acidity but still excellent
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6/20/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 90 Points
Perhaps this suffered served next to the'95 but it seemed somewhat muddied by comparison and just didn't have the precision and cut of the best vintages of this great wine. The finish was round and concentrated with deep flavors of black fruits and slate minerals with hints of animal fur and smoky campfire. Savory and mature but the ‘95 is in a different league.
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10/23/2018 - aquacongas wrote: flawed
Cellar Devils with Jeff Leve; 10/23/2018-10/24/2018 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Off bottle, no power, no concentration, volatile acids
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8/22/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Great Wine Dinner with Friends (Sepia - Chicago IL): Completely enticing and balanced for current enjoyment with mostly black fruit and both sweet plus savory spice. I enjoyed this so much tonight, but others enjoyed it even more tonight, even more than the 1999.
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6/23/2018 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
HDH auction at Spiaggia; 6/22/2018-6/23/2018 (Chicago, IL): Just a brilliant nose and palate -- better than my last experience of this. There's great power and intensity here, with tons of sweet fruit. It is black fruited and shows tons of spice. Not too much brine and olive, but the earth, mineral, and black fruit are all there. This has always been one of my favourite northern Rhone vintages, and this bottle is yet another example of why.
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5/30/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Straddling the fence between sensuous and strict, the wine is more interesting on the nose, with its concoction of earth, spice, espresso, licorice, cherry griotte and floral notes. Full bodied, and on the way to softness, the wine retains a firm, almost nature in the finish.
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3/20/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 89 Points
Guigal LaLa Dinner II (Chef's Club NYC): This nose has an explosive blueberry ripeness and syrupy extraction. Surprisingly more youthful and modern than the ‘94 Landonne in the next glass. Vanilla and spice in the blackberry fruit. On the palate this is still dark and intense and the oak has not integrated. This is too modern and I don’t like it.
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3/20/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Acker Guigal La La dinner (Chef's Club - 275 Mulberry Street): A personal favorite for me perhaps because it was the wine that got me to recognize the specialness of these wines and get more active in collecting. A big wine, but also a great one and with a very well set up structure. Lots of rose petal and lavendar and maybe hints of fruit underneath. I really enjoyed it. CT drinking window doesn't do it justice - this is still going strong.
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3/21/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank all three La Las blindly from the same vintage side by side. Thanks Achim.
Turque
This one shows pungent black berries, mighty and still a baby even from this not perfect vintage, the acidity is enormously powerful, sometimes you feel the fruit behind this structure, no hurry to finish your bottles, 94-95
Landonne
More elegant and finer than the La Turque. More structured, longer finish, the nose is the same, beside the fruit, oriental spicieness, 95
Mouline
The spiciest of all 3 Lalas, very etherical with lovely eucalyptus, sweet cherry, very balanced, for me the most impressive, 96
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12/14/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Acker Holiday Auction (A Voce Madison): I am convinced this is a wildly under-rated vintage of La Mouline. This wine is just spectacular. Opened and decanted (and the decant really does help it). Red fruits and pepper and cigar and constantly evolving in the glass. Was a table favorite. Lovely.
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11/1/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
This has really developed well. Over the years, the wine has filled out, softened and added layers of aromatic complexity. If I had to quibble, there is a minor note of green in the finish, but there was so much sensuous, ripe, dark red fruits, flowers, fresh herbs, earth, thyme and kirsch, with freshness and length, it did not matter. With about 30 minutes of decanting, the wine really fleshed out. It continued improving in the glass until we polished off the bottle, about 2 hours later.
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7/20/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
I continue to love these and am sad to see that our rather large collection is quite a bit smaller now. Opened and decanted and poured prob about an hour later. The fruit was well faded from this bottle. It's mostly leather and cigar bar and that nice hint of pepper. I esp love the pairing with red meat. Delicious as always.
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4/16/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Zachys Fine & Rare Wines - Apr 2016 & an evening w/friends (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): This wine is just wonderful. Opened, decanted for a bit while we drank the Rose, and then poured. It's got this wonderful pepper to it and lots of saddle leather and just fun and interesting. Starting to get lower on our bottles of these and will be sad to finish them since it is a wine that is always a pleaser.
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3/18/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Tampa Spring Break (the abridged version); 3/17/2016-3/18/2016 (Various Tampa locations (Mise en Place, Ocean Prime, etc.)): Wine #10: This won best wine of the tasting although I didn't vote on it as we brought it. Had opened and decanted/filtered prob an hour before the tasting and then rebottled. We also opted to pair it with some peppered roast beef as the first time I had this wine with a steak in peppercorn sauce and the combination was just killer. Here, the pepper may have overwhelmed just a touch although it was a nice one. The wine itself is black pepper, earth, leather, nice and aged. Yummy.
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3/10/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Guigal Côte-Rôtie Mostly From the 1990s (RPM Steak - Chicago IL): Mature black berries with a hint of cocoa, nicely spiced with hints of dried flowers. Moderate weight and length, but so nicely balanced. Very good now, I wouldn't cellar much longer.
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3/5/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Drank next to a '96 La Mouline and while the group was split between which was the better wine I liked this a bit more (both were spectacular wines). Opened and stained and decanted and rebottled. This was perfectly aged and in such a wonderful spot. Smokey and meaty and savory and pepper and cherry and plum. Fabulous wine.
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3/2/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
We seem to have figured out the secret to having this wine taste up to when we had it last summer - takes a strain and a short decant. With that, the wine is meaty, spicy, savory, and delicious. Without that can feel like the older wine flavor dominates a bit too much. Was very good last night.
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2/26/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Opened and decanted for prob 30 minutes before drinking. That might be the trick with these because this was just delicious and almost as good as the first time we had this wine. Savory and briney and maybe like an unripe plum or fig. Ever evolving and always good. I saved a bit of this for my last sip of red for the night.
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2/15/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Escape from the Cold; 2/12/2016-2/15/2016 (Sunny & Warm Florida (Del Ray Beach, Jupiter)): My favorite red of the night. These are just great wines. This needed some time to open up and show itself. First pour was a bit tighter. Smokiness on the initial sip. Over the course of the night it developed a bit more cigar and then with some time a bit of red fruit poked through. Really like this.
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1/30/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Zachys Power of Packaging - Jan 2016 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): Opened and poured. Started just a touch more closed down and musty, but it opened up over time. Not the same 'wow' that we had a last summer, but still a very nice, well aged wine that is more herbal and leather and lower fruit, but enjoyable.
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10/17/2015 - cct wrote: 95 Points
Opulent but not OTT nose. Very seductive. Olives, meat and a darker fruit, almost plum to it along with bloody meats and bacon fat. The wood is there but in this case it adds to the whole. Broad and deep texturally with great depth and balance, this could be called round by a wood free purist but this carries everything well. In a great spot and is very much in the vein of La Mouline. A delcious wine that comes at you but doesn't beat you over the head. In contrast to the Landonne served at its side, it is the more charming and fun sibling. In a great spot right now.
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8/15/2015 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wines & Steak in Toronto (Le Select Bistro, Toronto, Canada): My first La Mouline having just tried its sister the La Landonne earlier in the evening. Somewhere in the wine tasting habit, one of the goals became having one of those 'wow' moments. That point where it's just 'how in the world did the winemaker do that'. This is one of those wines. Paired with a peppercorn filet and the spice from the meat and the spice from the wine complimented each other perfectly. It's got many similar characteristics to the Landonne - beef, olive, but most of my notes are the equivalent of speechless - 'I hardly know what to say' 'I can't explain how good'. So I will just leave it as this was pretty spectacular and the WOTN for the group (saying something given the line-up).
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8/2/2014 - dbg wrote:
Cellared since release. Perfect cork and fill. Pop and pour, enjoyed over 3 hours. Dark red core, no noticeable lightening at rim. Voluptuous nose of red and black fruits, some earth and leather. Full-bodied, soft smooth palate-coating intensity, ripe fruits, good balance, loooong finish, should drink beautifully for years, outstanding.
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6/27/2014 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
HDH Auction (Tru - Chicago, IL): You can still taste/feel the oak used here. With 20 years, however, it has seemed to have integrated nicely. Definitely a rich, 20-year old Cote Rote, but it's got really good bones. There's some meat, but this is more floral and dark fruit. Pretty nice wine.
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6/27/2014 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH auction tasting at Tru; 6/27/2014-6/28/2014 (Chicago, IL): Screw the haters. I love Guigal. A very, very juicy nose with tons of ripe but tart cherries. So alluring. The palate is a bit empty however, and lacking a bit of depth. There's huge structure here but the palate is what keeps this from becoming a complete package. Nevertheless, the nose on this is just so damn awesome, I'd be a happy camper smelling this all day long.
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5/22/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Porcelet Dinner with Great Wine (Paris Club - Chicago IL): Open 2-3 hours, not decanted. Mature black fruit with very good spice. Everything here is in balance, making this very charming and pleasurable, with moderate power and length. Very good now, but with the structure to hold.
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4/15/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 89 Points
Much more of a beast than the 2000 we had next to it. Dark fruit, chocolate, smoked meats and a boatload of tannin on the finish. Full, rich, but this needs much more time to integrate--which I hope it will do.
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9/24/2013 - godx wrote: 91 Points
Northern Rhone Dinner Part 1 - Cote Rotie (Vancouver, BC): Opened and served two hours later. Modern touches on the nose with riper fruits and oaky notes but there's a good deal of complexity and savory/meaty notes. On the palate this shows its pedigree with a sophisticated and elegant profile with a wide variety of flavours. Got better the longer it sat in the glass (if opening now give 3 hours in the decanter). Best of the flight and the most potential, though the oak is definitely there. Give this at least 5 years before trying again. Excellent. 91+
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9/14/2013 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
Farewell, Peter (New Rochelle, NY): A lovely wine and not as oaky as I would have expected. Nice job achieving balance in a more challenging vintage. Floral, feminine and savory. A bit of sweet red fruit, olives and herbs.
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9/14/2013 - pbaek wrote:
I admit to being negatively biased because of the excessive new oak treatment here but this bottle was not bad, neither was it great by any means. Does come across as slightly polished and modern but not in a bad way. Lacks character.
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9/14/2013 - Chomsky wrote:
Rhone dinner: You know, this was pretty awesome. But it was so different than the others, with a very firm beam of very ripe fruit, though without any blowsy richness. The more classic Syrah characteristics expressed themselves on the finish; olive especially. Some oaky drying tannins clamped off the very end. This seemed very young to me. Of the 4-wine flight of this, the Jamet, the Verset, and the Chave, this was the least interesting to me.
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9/14/2013 - salil wrote: 91 Points
(Mostly) Rhone/farewell dinner: This is quite compelling; the oak does show itself (especially on a table with several very traditionally styled Northern Rhones), but at the same time there's fantastic depth and complexity with rich dark fruited flavours tinged by savoury meaty, leathery and earthy elements, and higher toned floral and spicy notes. It's still quite youthful with the fruit rather intense and a touch sweet, but it's well balanced and very enjoyable.
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5/10/2013 - bongos Likes this wine:
Textbook Northern rhone nose. Rare roasted lamb with rosemary, dark fruits, sagebrush and earth. The palate is drying out a touch and would have been better with food, but I could smell this glass all day long.
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1/23/2013 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 96 Points
Lovely red-garnet. Nose of roasted meat, tobacco, pepper, a hint of bacon, and a hint of black cherries. Taste was smooth, rich, every edge of the mouth filled to the brim, a wine both light on its feet and heavy in its flavors. Great.
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12/19/2012 - keithgg wrote: 94 Points
Best showing yet for this. Powerful and classic but with a sweetness and elegance.
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8/28/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Casual Rhone Dinner (Storefront Company - Chicago IL): Lush fruit, very forward with good balancing spice and. Everything came across in perfect harmony, even if it only had moderate length and power. I bought several bottles earlier this year and this was from the same source, so I'm excited to have a few in my cellar. Drinking great now.
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6/16/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
With three hours of air, the wine developed much softer textures, without losing the beautiful aromatics of bacon fat, baked cherry pie, brown sugar, earth, garrigue, kirsch, peach and spice. Silky red cherries, spice and white peach is found in the sultry finish. Drink it now, or age it. But it needs more air than you might think. Working my way slowly through a case bought on release. This is the best showing yet. But I am convinced some of that has to do with the decanting, as I normally do not give many wines this much air. The wine began to fade a bit after 4 hours in the glass or decanter.
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6/2/2012 - beezer6 wrote: 95 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Lots of unique funk spice drive. A little meaty and savory. Cured bacon fat. Such an intoxicating nose.
Palate is more subtle. Crazy anise, road tar and more of that rich cured bacon fat.
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6/2/2012 - psmith wrote: 90 Points
Very spicy. Muted black fruits and floral notes. Meaty, more robust Mouline. Approaching maturity but still benefits from time open. Good balance. Nice.
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4/1/2012 - dbg wrote:
Dark red to rim. Dark fruits, cherries, spice, pepper, bit of earth on the nose. Full body, ripe fruit, smoky peppery nuances, nice complexity, excellent balance, medium-long finish, outstanding-extraordinary.
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3/9/2012 - godx wrote: 91 Points
Bill's Monthly Lunch - March 2012 (Vancouver, BC): Medium to dark red, bricking at the rim. At first this had a dark and tarry nose with aromas of white pepper and dark fruits. In the mouth more dark fruit, hints of sweetness (oak) with soft but apparent tannins and solid acidity. This was served to us in a smaller Bordeaux style glass and most of us decided to switch to a Burgundy style glass which seemed to open up the nose quite a bit with notes of violets, sweet fruit, hints of meat and earth. This was much better than my last bottle, which I thought was flawed, but this one still didn’t hit the heights of my first two bottles. Either way, it's drinking well now. Excellent.
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12/4/2011 - David J Cooper wrote: 88 Points
Bit cloudy purple colour. Funky black cherry and bacon nose. Kind of tired actually. Decent red fruit and pepper flavours and a soft finish.
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12/2/2011 - godx wrote: flawed
Bill's Monthly Lunch - December 2011 (Vancouver, BC): Decanted for sediment then returned back into the bottle and served 3 hours later. Tired colour with a strong reddish-brown hue throughout. While the nose some signs of life with decent red fruits and some hints of bacon, it was nowhere near as youthful and expressive as my last bottle 2 years ago. In the mouth there wasn’t much fruit left and it was fairly acidic and tart. Based on my previous bottles and other tasting notes I’ve read on this wine I’m going to assume this was an off bottle and (hopefully) not representative of my remaining stash. This was a major disappointment.
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9/11/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Licorice, kirsch liqueur, jammy black cherries, flowers, peaches, truffle, earth, smoke and espresso bean aromas grab your attention and keep it there. On your palate, this concentrated, rich, intense wine fills your mouth with exotic textures and ripe, powerful, masculine, red with black fruits. This beautiful Cote Rotie ends with a fresh, black cherry, black raspberry, spice and tart kirsch finish. Fully mature, there is no reason to wait to open a bottle.
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4/10/2011 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
From a pristine looking bottle, this wine showed a deep red/purple center with just a touch of orange at the rim. Early on, the nose was facinating but relatively low intensity. Then the nose turned floral, showing intense, high-toned violets and crushed raspberries. As it aired further, the nose developed darker flavors including coffee, aged beef, pepper, and soil in addition to the aforementioned flavors. It really needed 4+ hours to show its best.
Very light and refined from the start, the mouth followed an evolution similar to that of the nose. After 4 hours it had a magnificent silky texture but the intense fruit flavors, light rounded tannin, and moderate acidity caused it to make a big impression in your mouth. The balance was stunning. I would hold off on drinking this wine for a least 5 years (maybe 10) to let it evolve further. At that point, my score should improve by a point or two. Very impressive.
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12/25/2010 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Taste at Elysian.
Color shows some nice age. Medium dark brick red with hints of molasses brown at the rim.
Lovely reductive qualities on the nose with strong floral and earth components. Some rich black pepper and lightly smoked meat with a viscous molasses aroma that's unique to this region.
A refined palate with perfectly integrated tannins that comes across light on its feet but still sporting a long complex finish.
This is less of a tour de force than other Guigal Cote Roti I've sampled. I like the finesse in this bottling - age has done this juice well.
I prefer the more in your face styling and maybe this was displaying that more ten years ago, but this is still a confidently well made elixir.
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11/30/2010 - PatrikO wrote: 94 Points
Really benefitted from a long decant. Some very sweet red fruit and toffee, felt the viognier was more pronounced than last time. terrific!
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11/28/2010 - Melli wrote: 98 Points
Served with an amazing dish of rabbit lapin which was a perfect pairing. Wine decanted several hours early and displayed exceptionally youthful nose and a forever finish. Classis LaLA!
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9/8/2010 - PatrikO wrote: 94 Points
Very compelling and complex, hot oaky syrah nose that mellows. Layer on layer of red and dark fruit and damp earth and a long lingerng dry finish. Terrific now and will get better.
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5/29/2010 - tbabes wrote: 90 Points
Purchased off the wine list at Daniel. Decanted about 1 hour prior to consumption; the fill was good and the cork was pristine. A dark red core turning to ruby at the rim; no signs of browning. The bouquet offered up notes of sweet red fruit, flowers, oak barrels and spice. Medium to full bodied -- Nicole noted the sweet and ripe dark fruit once again -- but without the velvety texture and expansive mid-palate that I was hoping for. Over the course of the dinner I thought the acid and wood flavors became more and more prominent, which can't be a good sign. In hindsight, I would have not decanted this wine, or only right before consumption. Better yet, I would have ordered the '03 Chave!
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5/23/2010 - HenryW wrote: 95 Points
Elegant and mature expression of syrah. Nose of bright red fruit. Palate was more complex with earthy and savory notes. Slightly dry on the finish.
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10/11/2009 - Blair Curtis wrote: 93 Points
This grabbed my attention...and never let go. First whiff is burnt rubber, woodsmoke, and creosote - somebody put out the fire in here! On the palate, very little evidence of any viognier. My theory is that the syrah was roaring so loud that the viognier could not possibly be heard. This was a real ripper. Huge in the mouth. Seemed younger than its age, for sure. More towards the black fruit side of things, but distinctly French syrah. Barbecue spice and beef blood. Kick-ass wine.
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10/7/2009 - David J Cooper wrote:
Deep red. Hints of rubber, charred meat, pepper, black fruit and that lifted quality the Viognier adds. Earthy nose and flavours. There is a sweetness both in the nose , sweetness and finish. Keeps getting better in the glass. Outstanding wine.
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10/6/2009 - godx wrote: 93 Points
WineFanatic Northern Rhone Offline (Vancouver, BC): Tasted blind. Decanted for 3 hours. Very earthy nose giving rubber, charred meats and red fruits. Medium acidity and medium body. Long finish with some spicy hints. Resolved tannins. Balanced and soft in the mouth. Wasn’t showing as much floral as I remember from the last bottle. Drink or hold. Outstanding. 93+
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5/1/2009 - godx wrote: 93 Points
No formal notes. Decanted and drank over 2 hours. Notes of barnyard at first moving to floral and grilled bacon over time. Solid acidity and tannin with lots of life left. It’s developing nicely, but far from mature. Nose was quite expressive after an hour in the decanter but the palate remained somewhat tight. Ill wait 3-5 years before trying another bottle. Drink or hold. Outstanding. 93+
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3/20/2009 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 97 Points
My 40th at Daniel (Daniel NYC): A great recommendation from Ian McFadden and a second by our Sommelier, Christy, made this an easy choice. I was blown away by the sweet blueberry creosote nose, that was intermixed with white flowers, and smokey dark berry spices. The first sip lasted for a good minute and the wine beckoned my mouth the whole night while it sat on the table. This is a big syrah based wine but it is so balanced, and so long, and so fine. Sorry for lack of nuance in my description as the notes are from memory.
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2/19/2009 - BradE wrote:
First bottle of 94 Mouline. Great nose. Not a bad note on the nose or palate. Overall, a good wine, but a bit diffused, almost mushy. Also, extremely sweet, and cloyingly so. But still, a medium good Mouline is still a very good bottle of wine. I would be in the very low 90's if I was a numbers rater, versus the apparent high 90's of other reviewers.
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9/20/2008 - cct wrote: 97 Points
A very young appearing very dark wine. Black and green olives, meat, blood, and at minimum PG-13 level of flat out sexy fruit. I love this bottling with its seductive nature, and thi syear does not disappoint. Lush rich and ripe without any hints of flab. Dense and beautiful, still very primary , with more asphalt, lilacs and olive tapenade coming out with time. Really a beautiful bottle of wine that I drank too young AGAIN.
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6/12/2008 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 94 Points
Surprise Birthday Party for David Niederauer (The Plumed Horse Restaurant, Saratoga, California): Dark red violet color; ripe plum and berry nose; pepper, tart plum and berry palate; medium-plus finish
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6/7/2008 - antiwood wrote:
N. Rhone dinner: Deep garnet. Elegant, lush, syrah aromas. Aromas of blackberry, coffee, vanilla, leather .. very together. Very balanced, seamless body. Clean bodied, ripe tannins, reasonable acidity all lend themselves to a well drinking wine that is very integrated and proper .. very silken texture. Oak/vanillan tones present to lend a frame to ripe blackberry fruits. Good but not great concentration. This is elegant, lush, extremely pleasant wine. Ready for buisness.
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1/20/2007 - winefool wrote: 95 Points
CFTG Dinner at Mark Pecken's (Mark Pecken's): Full red/purple color. Towering nose of black fruit, coffee, and black pepper. Killer aplate of spicy black pepper, coffee, and black fruit. The most balanced integrated and grip of the three.
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1/16/2007 - teekayfl wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour and consumed over 2 hours. Deep ruby with no thinning at rim. Nose of ripe black fruits, hints of pepper, hints of spice; After several hours open, nose much more intense and interesting with aroma of black fruits bursting from glass. Never any definitive bacon fat or meaty aromas noted. Palate reflective of nose with acidity and tannins balanced in background. Moderate to long finish. A very nice bottle of wine but not the near religous experience that some other vintages have provided. Wait 2 years for next bottle or decant several hours in advance.
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12/7/2006 - CamWheeler wrote: 96 Points
A decadent evening (Sydney, Australia): Incredible, intense floral and violet aromatics are the centrepiece of a brilliant, layered nose that also shows five spice, white pepper, cherry and bacon fat. Completely seductive and elegant on the palate - lush and velvet-textured with incredible depth and complexity of flavour, while maintaining excellent structure, balance and stunning length. Brilliant, glorious and certainly my favourite red wine tonight.
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10/1/2006 - KPB wrote: 96 Points
With Bob and Klara. Dark strawberry. Nose: Grenadine syrup, spices, leather, hints of truffles, violets. But truely soars on the palate, with layered, multidimensional fruit that reveals layer upon layer of complexity. Lifted by lively acidity and framed by gentle, soft tannins. Mature now.
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8/15/2006 - winenutnyc wrote:
Pretty much popped and poured- The nose had be a bit worried- very strong vanilla scent with some plums- I was fearful of an oak bomb, but the palate was completely different- well balanced, light on its feet and silky- right on the edge of red and black fruits. very good- great with some more time if the nose gets rid of the overwwhelming vanilla.
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3/16/2006 - Melli wrote: 95 Points
Wonderful wine...ready to drink or save for another decade. Wine group strongly preferred vs head to head against SQN Just for love of it in blind tasting
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2/15/2004 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
The nose exploded from the glass with mint, spearmint, flowers, red and black fruits, herbs and pepper. The palate is best described as syrup of Syrah. This is a very sophisticated, elegant wine that continued improving in the glass. Is any wine more exotic than one of the La La's? Great stuff!
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2/11/2004 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 96 Points
Gorgeous, savory, beefy, peppery nose; great beefy, bacon fat and pepper palate with a little blueberry and black fruit with good structure; long finish
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11/7/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 96 Points
Dark reddish colour. Butcher shop notes and a hint of a medicinal quality. Superbly intense, coupled with great complexity and struture - with razor-sharp precision in the attack and a lovely tinkling, tactile sensation that suggests some un-resolved tannins. The balance and harmony is excellent, and the finish goes on for 40+ seconds. In short, a delicious wine of superb quality.
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7/17/1999 - dbg wrote:
vy good nose, not yet ready, somewhat closed, not as much
concentration as expected, esp compared to zins, lots of soft
tannins, high hopes for 5 more years
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