Dark red color, no signs of ageing. Cow barn on the nose that even doesn't disappear after 2 hours of air. It is light weighted on the palate, but in a good way. Enjoyable with food, but no complexity nor structure in the wine. Barnyard is overpowering everything else. You couldn't even place it on the right bank, it tastes very "neutral". Nice, but nothing special and not enough quality for the price (got it for 63,- second hand, but the valuation here on CT shows auction prices at about 85,-). Bad QPR, light weighted Bdx that left me a bit confused and disappointed...without the barnyard it would earn maybe 1 or 2 points more, but all in all 89 pts.
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Had this at Antrim 1844 in Taneytown, MD. Its in a great spot right now and I'm not sure how much better its going to get. Great representation of right bank Bordeaux from a great vintage.
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The great ‘98 vintage gives this a bit more oomph than usual Gaffeliere, this is in a nice spot - herbal, elegant, and surprisingly complex with a cigarbox profile that is totally ready. Not really very long, but a very good showing. B++
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Double decanted 3 hrs prior. Medium garnet color. Pencil shavings, light cherry, thyme on the nose. Cherries and mint and cedar on the palate with 40-45 sec finish. Subtly complex but light on its feet.
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Une nouvelle bouteille de ce très beau millésime 1998 sur la Rive Droite ouverte ce soir, une semaine avant Noël et quel vin ! Contrairement à celle ouverte en 2018, cette bouteille affiche un vin d’une belle jeunesse (le bouchon était comme neuf avec 4 mm d’imbibés seulement). Une belle émotion avec un jus sapide, aux notes de tabac, de cèdre, menthol, avec tannins sous-jacents … superbe ! 93/100
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Fully mature, the nose, with its truffle, thyme, herb and smoke accents which accompany the fresh, sweet cherries is a bit more interesting than the soft, but not overly interesting or long palate presence.
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red colour with just a hint of orange at the rim Classic nose, pencil shavings and leather, plus orange peel and hot earth Savoury palate with quite firm tannins, this is a touch austere, so different to the nose which promised something a little more hedonistic. This needs a serious decant.
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Popped and poured with Xmas dinner. Nose of cigar box and earth. Elegant, mature fruit, good length and tannins mostly resolved. Lots of cigar, lead pencil, some mocha or chocolate. Lovely wine that still has fruit and elegance 20 years on...
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clear, deep purple-brown clean, intense mature fruits tertiary aromas with oak-vanilla notes dry, high acidity, medium tannins, excellent balance & harmony, elegant structure, round and fine complexity, pencil lead, fungus, leather, light spiciness, oak-vanilla, long elegant finish. at peak.
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75% Merlot 25% Cabernet Franc Robe évoluée rouge orangée avec frange aqueuse. Nez sur notes tertiaires tabac, cèdre et réminiscences de pruneau et menthol. Palais suave et classique, finale chaude. Vin sur son plateau d’apogée, déclinant, à boire. 90+/100
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I’ve had several bottles of this in the last year. This most recent one one was just tired. Decanted over 3 hours and drank with dinner. It never reached the smooth silky texture that I like about this wine. 3 more left. Will drink in the Next 6 months.
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We have had several bottles of this wine over the last 10 years or so and enjoyed them all. We now drink our last bottle and find it to be in great shape. The color is dark red with a 2-3 mm clear edge, almost no bouquet upon opening and a quick taste indicated some air time was needed. Started to open up after 60-75 minutes and really blossomed after 2.5 hours of air in a decanter. Dark plum and blackberry fruit, tannins smoothed out, lost all of the initial woodiness, a touch of acidity, and a medium length finish. Can't complain about this mature wine.
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drank with Tove in 2015. forgot to remove from cellar and take notes. i remember it had pretty wide tannins, not as much aroma as i had hoped, but beautiful mouth feel and very structured.
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Bottle had one glass gone via coravin. Opened and decanted and passed through vinturini. After about two hours it warmed up, opened up and became silky smooth. There is a nice balance of cedar, tobacco box, and light fruit on the nose. On the plate it is notably smooth with a nice balance of acidity and ripe plum. I'm tempted to put the rest of these in the refrigerator to keep them right where they are right now. If my wife won't let me, we'll plan to drink these over the next 6-12 months.
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Assemblage dominante merlot 80% et cabernet franc 20%. Superbe, sur son plateau... menthol, cèdre, tabac, cuir, suave et gourmand voir onctueux et riche. Finale sur la fraîcheur avec légère astringence. 91/100 Avec des lasagnes maison, cela devrait aller... Service : déboucher et servir de suite... mis à rafraîchir pour gain de tension.
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Concentrated and a bit heavy, dried fruit, tobacco, leather. Quite evolved, lacking a bit of freshness and vibrancy on the palate. Drying finish. Drink up. 87-89
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What a dirty wine. And I mean that as a compliment, for I speak of earth, of local flavor, and distinct terroir. After 15 years of settling, now is the time to open, decant and pour. Probably not the best ever, but hey it's the holidays so why not show the love. PS. It went well with BBQ chicken and beans.
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Medium plus ruby core, fading to slightly brickish, watery rim. On the nose, bright and fresh cherry, both black and red, herbal, such as oregano, thyme, etc, hint of gaminess, meaty note. On the palate, similar to the nose with medium plus length, velvety tannins. Medium (plus) acidity. Well-balanced. Elegant and somewhat understated. Drink it up. At peak. 90% Merlot / 5% Cabernet Sauvignon / 5% Cabernet Franc.
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Holding up reasonably well but won't get better. Drink now. Improved with 30 minute decant. Tannins almost gone. It was a good year. Onward and upward.
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Bouquet developed over the first hour after decanting. Several years ago this was a big, harsh wine. It is now light, elegant, and persistent. If you like New World style, this is not for you. This is a well-balanced classic Bordeaux. I would pay $30-40 for a wine like this. It is currently listed on www.wine-searcher.com at $50-103. Not a great QPR, but a good wine with food. Very pleasant, even discrete. Drinking quite well now and will probably continue to do so for another 10 years or so. I base the prediction of the future on two observations: there was little or no bricking at the edge of the wine in a tipped glass, and the tannins left a detectable trace on my cheek after the aftertaste faded.
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90- Decanted 3 hrs- fragrant nose of dried rose pedal, leather and blackcherry. On the palate, med weight, blackcherry again and initially a touch of green pepper on the finish that faded with time. The finish was dry but smooth-classic Bordeaux.
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Some older Bordeaux's and a few more: Another bottle probably opened when we didn't need more wine. Solid showing though if not outstanding. Cherries and earth on the nose. Moderately complex. Easy to drink. Lots of cherries and hints of cocoa. Smooth texture. Went well with food.
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comment by Balassis is right on. Not as much fruit as expected from from a St. Emilion of this age. Tasted and smelled more alcohol than printed on the botle
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Decanted for 3 hours, which it needed for the tannis to recede. I tasted on opening and at each hour with a tasting glass. Nose is dark fruit, cherry, blackberry, cola and smoke. Nice balance, but still drying on a 20 sec. finish which is a good thing with the right meal. Lamb chops and rosemary roasted fingerlings. Nice but no rush to drink with the tannis still in the mid, I will wait another 2-3 years to have the remaining bottle I have cellared. 91 points for the value.
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Full bodied with smooth and rounded silky tannins. Beautifully balanced this classy gem is a surprise treat. Delicious black cherry and plum with spice notes.
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Popped and poured into the glass. The cork was in very good condition, with a nice cedary smell. Deep red color with a dark core. Raw nose with a heavy smell of oak lot of alcohol. First impression: Low level of fruit. Some hints of cedar, black olives, iodine and dust. After some aeration the fruit was emerged. Yes, needs aeration prior drinking for at least two hours. On the palate is medium - bodied, with soft tannins and medium acidity. Flavors of currants and oriental spices. Not very complex wine with medium aftertaste. To pair with roast lamb served with rice - pilaf.
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Balanced, well-made; old-world rustic style that is a pleasant reminder of the bygone days before winemakers were compelled to use concentration steroids to satisfy parker rating requirements; leather, lead; drink up - tannins mostly gone.
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As with the Chasseur earlier in the night, was concerned that this might be tainted. With a good two and a half hours to decant it really opened up and gave all the lush fruit you expect in Bordeaux. Was really coming into its own. Would recommend it. Tannins had settled down once oxidized a bit. Not much in terms of barnyard.
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Jcubed brought this to Haggis' house last week. Surprisingly integrated tannins for its age. This was drinking well but surely could use more bottle time. An elegant wine with supple berry notes. 90+ points.
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This was opened by jcubed at happy hour. Deep garnet color. The nose is loaded with dark fruit, blackberry and earth notes. Nicely balanced, with abundant sweet dark fruit and approachable tannins.
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2/13/2024 - Chrysostomus wrote: 89 Points
Dark red color, no signs of ageing. Cow barn on the nose that even doesn't disappear after 2 hours of air. It is light weighted on the palate, but in a good way. Enjoyable with food, but no complexity nor structure in the wine. Barnyard is overpowering everything else. You couldn't even place it on the right bank, it tastes very "neutral". Nice, but nothing special and not enough quality for the price (got it for 63,- second hand, but the valuation here on CT shows auction prices at about 85,-). Bad QPR, light weighted Bdx that left me a bit confused and disappointed...without the barnyard it would earn maybe 1 or 2 points more, but all in all 89 pts.
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11/27/2023 - msf6msf6 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had this at Antrim 1844 in Taneytown, MD. Its in a great spot right now and I'm not sure how much better its going to get. Great representation of right bank Bordeaux from a great vintage.
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9/5/2023 - DaleW wrote:
The great ‘98 vintage gives this a bit more oomph than usual Gaffeliere, this is in a nice spot - herbal, elegant, and surprisingly complex with a cigarbox profile that is totally ready. Not really very long, but a very good showing. B++
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3/25/2023 - Asull2k Likes this wine: 92 Points
Double decanted 3 hrs prior. Medium garnet color. Pencil shavings, light cherry, thyme on the nose. Cherries and mint and cedar on the palate with 40-45 sec finish. Subtly complex but light on its feet.
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12/19/2020 - stefad Likes this wine: 93 Points
Une nouvelle bouteille de ce très beau millésime 1998 sur la Rive Droite ouverte ce soir, une semaine avant Noël et quel vin ! Contrairement à celle ouverte en 2018, cette bouteille affiche un vin d’une belle jeunesse (le bouchon était comme neuf avec 4 mm d’imbibés seulement). Une belle émotion avec un jus sapide, aux notes de tabac, de cèdre, menthol, avec tannins sous-jacents … superbe ! 93/100
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2/9/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Fully mature, the nose, with its truffle, thyme, herb and smoke accents which accompany the fresh, sweet cherries is a bit more interesting than the soft, but not overly interesting or long palate presence.
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2/7/2019 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
red colour with just a hint of orange at the rim
Classic nose, pencil shavings and leather, plus orange peel and hot earth
Savoury palate with quite firm tannins, this is a touch austere, so different to the nose which promised something a little more hedonistic.
This needs a serious decant.
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12/26/2018 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured with Xmas dinner. Nose of cigar box and earth. Elegant, mature fruit, good length and tannins mostly resolved. Lots of cigar, lead pencil, some mocha or chocolate. Lovely wine that still has fruit and elegance 20 years on...
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10/4/2018 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
clear, deep purple-brown
clean, intense mature fruits tertiary aromas with oak-vanilla notes
dry, high acidity, medium tannins, excellent balance & harmony, elegant structure, round and fine complexity, pencil lead, fungus, leather, light spiciness, oak-vanilla, long elegant finish.
at peak.
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7/9/2018 - stefad Likes this wine: 90 Points
75% Merlot 25% Cabernet Franc
Robe évoluée rouge orangée avec frange aqueuse.
Nez sur notes tertiaires tabac, cèdre et réminiscences de pruneau et menthol.
Palais suave et classique, finale chaude.
Vin sur son plateau d’apogée, déclinant, à boire.
90+/100
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1/28/2018 - Gen NY wrote: 87 Points
I’ve had several bottles of this in the last year. This most recent one one was just tired. Decanted over 3 hours and drank with dinner. It never reached the smooth silky texture that I like about this wine. 3 more left. Will drink in the Next 6 months.
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12/20/2017 - broadband013 wrote: 89 Points
Bon mais probablement passé son apogée
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11/9/2017 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
We have had several bottles of this wine over the last 10 years or so and enjoyed them all. We now drink our last bottle and find it to be in great shape. The color is dark red with a 2-3 mm clear edge, almost no bouquet upon opening and a quick taste indicated some air time was needed. Started to open up after 60-75 minutes and really blossomed after 2.5 hours of air in a decanter. Dark plum and blackberry fruit, tannins smoothed out, lost all of the initial woodiness, a touch of acidity, and a medium length finish. Can't complain about this mature wine.
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8/30/2017 - winejow wrote: 93 Points
drank with Tove in 2015. forgot to remove from cellar and take notes. i remember it had pretty wide tannins, not as much aroma as i had hoped, but beautiful mouth feel and very structured.
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8/10/2017 - Gen NY Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bottle had one glass gone via coravin. Opened and decanted and passed through vinturini. After about two hours it warmed up, opened up and became silky smooth. There is a nice balance of cedar, tobacco box, and light fruit on the nose. On the plate it is notably smooth with a nice balance of acidity and ripe plum. I'm tempted to put the rest of these in the refrigerator to keep them right where they are right now. If my wife won't let me, we'll plan to drink these over the next 6-12 months.
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7/14/2017 - stefad Likes this wine: 91 Points
Assemblage dominante merlot 80% et cabernet franc 20%. Superbe, sur son plateau... menthol, cèdre, tabac, cuir, suave et gourmand voir onctueux et riche. Finale sur la fraîcheur avec légère astringence. 91/100
Avec des lasagnes maison, cela devrait aller...
Service : déboucher et servir de suite... mis à rafraîchir pour gain de tension.
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3/25/2017 - rossi.wine wrote: 88 Points
Concentrated and a bit heavy, dried fruit, tobacco, leather. Quite evolved, lacking a bit of freshness and vibrancy on the palate. Drying finish. Drink up. 87-89
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3/13/2017 - RayOB wrote: 89 Points
Drank at P&G
Drinking beautifully at the moment. Lovely.
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11/9/2014 - Rhenry wrote: 91 Points
Still has some tannins with fruit, however, not long in the mouth. Good to drink now. Do not keep
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10/11/2014 - Szwilling wrote:
Had with al. Past its prime. Fruit was almost dead. Glad we had now and not a year later.
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5/25/2014 - Topper wrote: 87 Points
It is what we thought it would be. A nice, almost good wine reminiscent of Bordeaux. Pleasant but dilute.
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12/23/2013 - MaximusT wrote: 90 Points
What a dirty wine. And I mean that as a compliment, for I speak of earth, of local flavor, and distinct terroir. After 15 years of settling, now is the time to open, decant and pour. Probably not the best ever, but hey it's the holidays so why not show the love. PS. It went well with BBQ chicken and beans.
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10/4/2013 - davidspieker wrote: 85 Points
Dark ruby with some bricking. Cherry must aromas. Muted fruit with herbal characteristics. Heavy acidity with medium body and moderate length finish.
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7/15/2013 - Libiamo! wrote: 88 Points
Medium plus ruby core, fading to slightly brickish, watery rim. On the nose, bright and fresh cherry, both black and red, herbal, such as oregano, thyme, etc, hint of gaminess, meaty note. On the palate, similar to the nose with medium plus length, velvety tannins. Medium (plus) acidity. Well-balanced. Elegant and somewhat understated. Drink it up. At peak. 90% Merlot / 5% Cabernet Sauvignon / 5% Cabernet Franc.
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7/1/2012 - alamoave wrote: 90 Points
Holding up reasonably well but won't get better. Drink now. Improved with 30 minute decant. Tannins almost gone. It was a good year. Onward and upward.
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1/21/2012 - rho wrote: 89 Points
Over the hills. Drink up.
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6/3/2011 - alamoave wrote: 89 Points
Good on Day 1 after 30 minutes or so; earthy; oxidized on Day 2. Drink up.
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5/1/2011 - aikane wrote: 88 Points
Bouquet developed over the first hour after decanting. Several years ago this was a big, harsh wine. It is now light, elegant, and persistent.
If you like New World style, this is not for you. This is a well-balanced classic Bordeaux. I would pay $30-40 for a wine like this. It is currently
listed on www.wine-searcher.com at $50-103. Not a great QPR, but a good wine with food. Very pleasant, even discrete. Drinking quite well
now and will probably continue to do so for another 10 years or so. I base the prediction of the future on two observations: there was little
or no bricking at the edge of the wine in a tipped glass, and the tannins left a detectable trace on my cheek after the aftertaste faded.
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4/1/2011 - Arcturus wrote: 90 Points
90- Decanted 3 hrs- fragrant nose of dried rose pedal, leather and blackcherry. On the palate, med weight, blackcherry again and initially a touch of green pepper on the finish that faded with time. The finish was dry but smooth-classic Bordeaux.
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9/26/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 88 Points
Some older Bordeaux's and a few more: Another bottle probably opened when we didn't need more wine. Solid showing though if not outstanding. Cherries and earth on the nose. Moderately complex. Easy to drink. Lots of cherries and hints of cocoa. Smooth texture. Went well with food.
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1/31/2010 - jbro wrote: 86 Points
comment by Balassis is right on. Not as much fruit as expected from from a St. Emilion of this age. Tasted and smelled more alcohol than printed on the botle
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12/18/2009 - wfdeacon wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 3 hours, which it needed for the tannis to recede. I tasted on opening and at each hour with a tasting glass. Nose is dark fruit, cherry, blackberry, cola and smoke. Nice balance, but still drying on a 20 sec. finish which is a good thing with the right meal. Lamb chops and rosemary roasted fingerlings. Nice but no rush to drink with the tannis still in the mid, I will wait another 2-3 years to have the remaining bottle I have cellared.
91 points for the value.
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8/22/2009 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Nice proportion and balance with sweet chewy fruits and good structure. Very smart.
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7/31/2009 - gsquireh wrote: 91 Points
Full bodied with smooth and rounded silky tannins. Beautifully balanced this classy gem is a surprise treat. Delicious black cherry and plum with spice notes.
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5/21/2009 - balassis wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured into the glass.
The cork was in very good condition, with a nice cedary smell.
Deep red color with a dark core.
Raw nose with a heavy smell of oak lot of alcohol.
First impression: Low level of fruit.
Some hints of cedar, black olives, iodine and dust.
After some aeration the fruit was emerged.
Yes, needs aeration prior drinking for at least two hours.
On the palate is medium - bodied, with soft tannins and medium acidity.
Flavors of currants and oriental spices.
Not very complex wine with medium aftertaste.
To pair with roast lamb served with rice - pilaf.
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5/17/2009 - alamoave wrote: 89 Points
Balanced, well-made; old-world rustic style that is a pleasant reminder of the bygone days before winemakers were compelled to use concentration steroids to satisfy parker rating requirements; leather, lead; drink up - tannins mostly gone.
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4/8/2009 - kenthargis wrote: 90 Points
As with the Chasseur earlier in the night, was concerned that this might be tainted. With a good two and a half hours to decant it really opened up and gave all the lush fruit you expect in Bordeaux. Was really coming into its own. Would recommend it. Tannins had settled down once oxidized a bit. Not much in terms of barnyard.
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2/21/2007 - Wop wrote: 88 Points
Nice enough but didn't quite do it for me.
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11/3/2006 - Vino Me wrote: 90 Points
Jcubed brought this to Haggis' house last week. Surprisingly integrated tannins for its age. This was drinking well but surely could use more bottle time. An elegant wine with supple berry notes. 90+ points.
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11/1/2006 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
This was opened by jcubed at happy hour. Deep garnet color. The nose is loaded with dark fruit, blackberry and earth notes. Nicely balanced, with abundant sweet dark fruit and approachable tannins.
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