Commanderie de Bordeaux MN: First Growths at Demi (Demi, Mpls): Light medium gold color. Drank a glass over an hour. There's a lot going on here, with baked apple, Grand Marnier liqueur, slate and caramelized aromas on the nose. The palate offers up baked apple, sweet gold fruits, minerals, butterscotch, lanolin, citrus oil, with hints of iodine and a finish of citrusy bitters. Excellent - but I'll hang my hat on the ethereal 2010 tonight versus the aged nuances of the '85. 92+ to 93pts.
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Another good looking bottle of old Haut-Brion Blanc that didn’t stay the course. Medium dark gold. Not inappropriately oxidized or spoiled and not corked but it’s all one note honeycomb without sufficient acidity or minerality. It quickly becomes boring and no one could finish their small glass. I’ve had very poor luck with Haut-Brion Blanc beyond age 15 or so and much better experiences with old Laville Haut-Brion or even Ygrec.
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Although this, my second bottle of '85 Haut Brion Blanc, lacked the dazzling magic of the first, it was still quite tasty and very interesting. This is a perfectly bright yellow, clear wine without any browning or much darkening. When I stuck my nose in the glass I was hit with -- get this -- gorgonzola and pineapple. The moldy cheese funk blew off with time, and the pineapple faded a touch too. Underneath those scents was also a muted hit of ginger. Whereas my previous bottle of this had an amazing, grippy texture (on a white!), this was far more mellow. It's worth noting that I had deep concerns about this bottle, as every bit of ink except the vintage had completely faded to white on the label. (What, did someone store this bottle in the sun?!). But once I got into drinking this wine like a beverage, it was totally enjoyable. The palate was pineapple, inflatable pool raft, lemon curd, and mellowed out ginger. The texture was a little flacid, but oh well. In this condition, the wine was more interesting that amazing, but it was still quite delicious. And it was the perfect pairing for tuna au poivre, doing a marvellous job standing up to all that pepper cut with lightly pickled veggies. A perfect bottle of this is as good as wine gets. A bottle that has been through the ringer, like this one had been, was nonetheless really interesting, complex, and fun.
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5/19/2023 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Commanderie de Bordeaux MN: First Growths at Demi (Demi, Mpls): Light medium gold color. Drank a glass over an hour. There's a lot going on here, with baked apple, Grand Marnier liqueur, slate and caramelized aromas on the nose. The palate offers up baked apple, sweet gold fruits, minerals, butterscotch, lanolin, citrus oil, with hints of iodine and a finish of citrusy bitters. Excellent - but I'll hang my hat on the ethereal 2010 tonight versus the aged nuances of the '85. 92+ to 93pts.
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11/8/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Wow, second round and its just right perfect. Totally harmonious.
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11/8/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Lovely and depp and mellow note many tasters. To me lanolin. Old on the nose but very lovely. Still alive. Languid, powerful with its expression.
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6/25/2022 - sdr Does not like this wine: 75 Points
Another good looking bottle of old Haut-Brion Blanc that didn’t stay the course. Medium dark gold. Not inappropriately oxidized or spoiled and not corked but it’s all one note honeycomb without sufficient acidity or minerality. It quickly becomes boring and no one could finish their small glass. I’ve had very poor luck with Haut-Brion Blanc beyond age 15 or so and much better experiences with old Laville Haut-Brion or even Ygrec.
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9/28/2021 - misterstarre Likes this wine: 93 Points
Although this, my second bottle of '85 Haut Brion Blanc, lacked the dazzling magic of the first, it was still quite tasty and very interesting. This is a perfectly bright yellow, clear wine without any browning or much darkening. When I stuck my nose in the glass I was hit with -- get this -- gorgonzola and pineapple. The moldy cheese funk blew off with time, and the pineapple faded a touch too. Underneath those scents was also a muted hit of ginger. Whereas my previous bottle of this had an amazing, grippy texture (on a white!), this was far more mellow. It's worth noting that I had deep concerns about this bottle, as every bit of ink except the vintage had completely faded to white on the label. (What, did someone store this bottle in the sun?!). But once I got into drinking this wine like a beverage, it was totally enjoyable. The palate was pineapple, inflatable pool raft, lemon curd, and mellowed out ginger. The texture was a little flacid, but oh well. In this condition, the wine was more interesting that amazing, but it was still quite delicious. And it was the perfect pairing for tuna au poivre, doing a marvellous job standing up to all that pepper cut with lightly pickled veggies. A perfect bottle of this is as good as wine gets. A bottle that has been through the ringer, like this one had been, was nonetheless really interesting, complex, and fun.
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