It took about 2-hours of air to really show its stuff, but what a treat. Good acidity, resolved tannins, forest floor, mushroom, dusty rock, and hints of cherry and blackberries.
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Complex bouquet of ripe cherries and plums, old leather, graphite, thyme, lightly toasted cumin and oak. Lots of stone fruits and earthy notes on the palate. Nice balance between fruit, acidity and tannins which are still evident towards the back of the dry finish. Would expect the finish to be deeper and longer.
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Great Bordeaux profile full of funk and pomerol goodness in a medium body. At peak, and nothing left to shed, has well integrated age along with freshness. Lacks depth to make it a great wine, but has the tannins to make it expressive and interesting. DRINK
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Distinctive merlot fruit with hints of cab franc--cherries, tobacco, graphite, and a little cayenne. Velvet texture with some structure and a long delightful finish. This is a really nice Pomerol in it's prime.
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Mid garnet, browning to edge. Definitely mature. Great plum and red berry fruits. Some warm spices. Cedar wood. Slight smokiness. Epitome of velvety tannins. Decent acidity. Medium length. lovely balance.
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A private dinner at a friend's (Waver, Ouder-Amstel, NL): Fully mature, ripe and elegant, wonderful crushed red Merlot fruit, harmonious, mature and almost resolved tannins, refreshing acidity, delicious hint of spice, peppery Cabernet Franc, medium weight, clean flavours, lovely length. Excellent Pomerol.
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a little bit over the edge but still very very pleasant and enjoying. Garnet color witnessing the vintage, still intense hints of oaked bordeaux at the nose, powerful ripe red fruit at the palate. Smoothed acidity and round faded tannins. Top QPR at 25 eur. 91+
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Very pleasant surprise. Strawberry, wild red cherry, milk chocolate, cedar box nose with just a touch of mineral note. The palate is balanced with very fine tannins still present. Good mid-palate and decent finish. Very enjoyable now. Time to drink up.
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Deb bought this in Pomerol in 1997, but this bottle did not hold up. Rather thin black fruit, little tannin, not much of a presence in the mouth, and not much reason to drink it. Disappointing, but perhaps bottles that had been stored better will still show well.
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Showing some age in the colour with a distinct mahognay band at the rim, set against a claret core. Enticing nose, with leafy blackcurrant richly decorated with meaty/gravy aromas. Likewise on the palate, there's meatiness but allied to some still quite pure fruit (reminiscent of cherry with a hint of raspberry) that suggests cab franc, but I'm not sure if there is much of that in the blend. No tannins to speak of and acidity supports without being noticed. Really good, and no reason not to drink up.
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Took to dinner at AOC in the West Village and paired with a NY Strip. Classic Bordeaux both on the nose and on the palate. Tannins resolved, decent acidity with well developed secondary flavours. A very wine
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Wow! After a fifteen year wait, this wine was terrific. It featured brilliant cherry flavors, some oak in the background, and excellent purity. This wine just now seems to be coming out and showing its true nature.
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Remarkable maturity and development. Powerful nose of leather, wet forest floor and vintage books, intermingled with notes of black currant and cassis. Utterly balanced, well integrated and silky smooth on the palate. Finish is not as long as desired. An absolute pleasure to drink.
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More red than maroon in colour and with a narrow band at the rim that shows more than a hint of mahogany. Attractive, slightly earthy nose showing rich essencey plum, coffee and a subtle background leafiness. Very appealing. The palate isn't as rich as the nose suggests, as whilst the fruit is rich and mouthfilling, the tannins and acidity ease the wine into line on the finish. Indeed acidity and tannins are sufficient for a few more years aging. If retaining some primary fruit is important then I wouldn't take chances on further aging, but I reckon this could still be charming in 5-10 years time.
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This bottle is the first we've tasted from our case that we purchased on a futures contract way back when. We found the wine quite remarkable for its subtlety and understatement. We especially appreciated its relatively low alcohol level (12.5%) for the absence of any hint of heat in the mouth. This bottle evolved rather dramatically over the evening and constantly revealed new aspects of its personality. It tasted just fine after an overnight stay in the fridge with a pumped down Vacuvin stopper stuck in the neck. The mouth feel and long, lovely aftertaste are noteworthy attributes. This wine will appeal to those who appreciate balance, finesse, and complexity. Wine Spectator's review suggested the wine ought to be well past its prime. I can only wonder what it was like ten years ago because it is drinking very nicely now without any suggestion of being over the hill.
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Amber, very nice well balanced. Nice mature fruit and some earthy notes. Nice bottle of wine, enjoyable. Wouldn't appeal to those looking for a blockbuster. Elegant. Drink over the next five years.
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Tasted on 11/5/2004. Still has pretty stringent tannins. Took almost 1/2 hour to fully open up. Very well rounded, a touch fruity and pleasant bouquets. To be tasted in another year.
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12/28/2022 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still holding up well. This was PnP and was drinking great right from the start.
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12/25/2020 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 92 Points
It took about 2-hours of air to really show its stuff, but what a treat. Good acidity, resolved tannins, forest floor, mushroom, dusty rock, and hints of cherry and blackberries.
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2/16/2019 - Psdycp wrote: 88 Points
Complex bouquet of ripe cherries and plums, old leather, graphite, thyme, lightly toasted cumin and oak. Lots of stone fruits and earthy notes on the palate. Nice balance between fruit, acidity and tannins which are still evident towards the back of the dry finish. Would expect the finish to be deeper and longer.
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12/29/2017 - Purple Tooth wrote: 91 Points
Great Bordeaux profile full of funk and pomerol goodness in a medium body. At peak, and nothing left to shed, has well integrated age along with freshness. Lacks depth to make it a great wine, but has the tannins to make it expressive and interesting. DRINK
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10/18/2017 - lolo66 wrote: 93 Points
fully mature and in a great place. earth, black currants, sweet smoke, hearty stew notes. just lovely and my kind of profile.
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8/19/2017 - Sean Tay wrote:
The wine looks garnet colored. It smells like blackberry, blueberry, red currant, forest floor and toast.
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2/19/2017 - davergny Likes this wine: 92 Points
Distinctive merlot fruit with hints of cab franc--cherries, tobacco, graphite, and a little cayenne. Velvet texture with some structure and a long delightful finish. This is a really nice Pomerol in it's prime.
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12/28/2016 - cannym Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mid garnet, browning to edge. Definitely mature. Great plum and red berry fruits. Some warm spices. Cedar wood. Slight smokiness. Epitome of velvety tannins. Decent acidity. Medium length. lovely balance.
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12/26/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
A private dinner at a friend's (Waver, Ouder-Amstel, NL): Fully mature, ripe and elegant, wonderful crushed red Merlot fruit, harmonious, mature and almost resolved tannins, refreshing acidity, delicious hint of spice, peppery Cabernet Franc, medium weight, clean flavours, lovely length. Excellent Pomerol.
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2/10/2015 - Dibby Likes this wine: 92 Points
solid Bordeaux holding up nicely
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12/12/2014 - olracx62 wrote: 91 Points
a little bit over the edge but still very very pleasant and enjoying. Garnet color witnessing the vintage, still intense hints of oaked bordeaux at the nose, powerful ripe red fruit at the palate. Smoothed acidity and round faded tannins. Top QPR at 25 eur. 91+
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8/31/2014 - Two Winos wrote:
Faded. not bad, but no 'punch' left in it. A little flat, but still enjoyable.
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8/3/2014 - Milos wrote: 91 Points
Very pleasant surprise. Strawberry, wild red cherry, milk chocolate, cedar box nose with just a touch of mineral note. The palate is balanced with very fine tannins still present. Good mid-palate and decent finish. Very enjoyable now. Time to drink up.
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12/28/2013 - Pknut wrote:
Deb bought this in Pomerol in 1997, but this bottle did not hold up. Rather thin black fruit, little tannin, not much of a presence in the mouth, and not much reason to drink it. Disappointing, but perhaps bottles that had been stored better will still show well.
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2/10/2013 - danstrings Likes this wine: 90 Points
Showing really nice, youthful... Loads of herbal, chocolate, espresso, black olive notes. Nice developing Pomerol
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2/9/2013 - Ian S wrote:
Showing some age in the colour with a distinct mahognay band at the rim, set against a claret core.
Enticing nose, with leafy blackcurrant richly decorated with meaty/gravy aromas.
Likewise on the palate, there's meatiness but allied to some still quite pure fruit (reminiscent of cherry with a hint of raspberry) that suggests cab franc, but I'm not sure if there is much of that in the blend. No tannins to speak of and acidity supports without being noticed.
Really good, and no reason not to drink up.
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1/17/2013 - JeremyQ wrote: 91 Points
Took to dinner at AOC in the West Village and paired with a NY Strip.
Classic Bordeaux both on the nose and on the palate. Tannins resolved, decent acidity with well developed secondary flavours. A very wine
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10/1/2012 - lvjohn wrote: 94 Points
Wow! After a fifteen year wait, this wine was terrific. It featured brilliant cherry flavors, some oak in the background, and excellent purity. This wine just now seems to be coming out and showing its true nature.
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9/30/2012 - DoubleMagnum wrote: 92 Points
Remarkable maturity and development. Powerful nose of leather, wet forest floor and vintage books, intermingled with notes of black currant and cassis. Utterly balanced, well integrated and silky smooth on the palate. Finish is not as long as desired. An absolute pleasure to drink.
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6/18/2012 - Ian S wrote:
More red than maroon in colour and with a narrow band at the rim that shows more than a hint of mahogany.
Attractive, slightly earthy nose showing rich essencey plum, coffee and a subtle background leafiness. Very appealing.
The palate isn't as rich as the nose suggests, as whilst the fruit is rich and mouthfilling, the tannins and acidity ease the wine into line on the finish. Indeed acidity and tannins are sufficient for a few more years aging. If retaining some primary fruit is important then I wouldn't take chances on further aging, but I reckon this could still be charming in 5-10 years time.
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8/29/2011 - lvjohn wrote: 94 Points
Wonder wine with subtle, but very pure complexity. Floral nose; tastes of red fruits.
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12/15/2009 - lvjohn wrote: 90 Points
This bottle is the first we've tasted from our case that we purchased on a futures contract way back when. We found the wine quite remarkable for its subtlety and understatement. We especially appreciated its relatively low alcohol level (12.5%) for the absence of any hint of heat in the mouth. This bottle evolved rather dramatically over the evening and constantly revealed new aspects of its personality. It tasted just fine after an overnight stay in the fridge with a pumped down Vacuvin stopper stuck in the neck. The mouth feel and long, lovely aftertaste are noteworthy attributes. This wine will appeal to those who appreciate balance, finesse, and complexity. Wine Spectator's review suggested the wine ought to be well past its prime. I can only wonder what it was like ten years ago because it is drinking very nicely now without any suggestion of being over the hill.
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10/12/2009 - fandj wrote: 90 Points
A better bottle this time. I put it down to bottle variation.
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11/16/2007 - fandj wrote: 82 Points
Pleasant enough, drinking well right now.
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4/5/2007 - moguls wrote: 86 Points
Amber, very nice well balanced. Nice mature fruit and some earthy notes. Nice bottle of wine, enjoyable. Wouldn't appeal to those looking for a blockbuster. Elegant. Drink over the next five years.
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7/14/2006 - Rupert wrote: 90 Points
Blind tasting of vintage pairs (Alba Restaurant, London): Big, long, volatile claret which I liked a lot, mouthfilling. Thought it was right bank, but don't remember guessing the year.
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11/5/2004 - jolly wrote:
Tasted on 11/5/2004. Still has pretty stringent tannins. Took almost 1/2 hour to fully open up. Very well rounded, a touch fruity and pleasant bouquets. To be tasted in another year.
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12/13/1998 - Zweder wrote: 88 Points
Juicy and supple, but enough body and tannin to keep for at least 10 – 13 years.
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