1998 Château Quinault L'Enclos

Community Tasting Notes (167) Avg Score: 90.9 points

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  3/31/2024 - Wamrod wrote: 91 Points

  Cellared from release. Medium dark, now, ruby, slightly bricking throughout. On POP, give this at least 15 to 20 minutes in glass to blow off. After that, lovely. Oak, juniper, blackberry and black cherry to nose. This translates to palate, although more tannins than fruit now. A great performance, but drink up - she’s on the way to Valhalla.

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  1/25/2024 - Odedis.Wine.reviews Likes this wine: 89 Points

  Dark ruby in color with a wide brick rim.
  
  The nose is simpler than I expected right out of the bottle, but beautiful once it opens up.
  
  Medium plus in body and elegant, with medium acidity.
  
  Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
  
  Showing black plums, cooked cherries, light oak, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, espresso, earth, light forest floor and black pepper.
  
  Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
  
  This Merlot based blend from Bordeaux is drinking nicely now, and feels young, especially on the nose.
  
  Good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime. I did not decant it and left it in the bottle. I was actually worried that it will die sooner, but it still has a lot in it. Love to see that. Only after 2 hours, the nose opened up and tannins showed up.
  
  This 26 years old is easy drinking and good by itself or with food. I had the 2010 vintage, five years ago, and I liked it better this time.
  
  Robert Parker 94 points.
  
  Paired nicely with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.
  
  13.5% alcohol by volume.
  
  89 points.
  
  $100.

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  10/1/2023 - SpenceP wrote: 95 Points

  I've had this wine four previous times and loved it--but this bottle was even better! Perhaps it was this specific bottle--but my best guess is that this wine needed just a little more time in the cellar. Either way, this was spectacular from the moment the bottle was opened: Pipe tobacco, black olives, black cherries, autumn forest, coffee, melted unsweetened chocolate, a distinct touch of pleasing bitterness, followed by an extremely long and lovely aftertaste with a barely detectable hint of cinnamon. After about 40 minutes in the glass, baked black plums and and a touch of nutmeg join in (but this is a subtle change). Just a gorgeous wine. Vividly and immediately present. In the past, I've always slightly preferred the 1999 vintage, but, if this bottle is typical, the 1998 has now fully caught up with the 1999. I look forward to revisiting the 1999! [Tasted over 2 hours from the Jancis Robinson glass. I gave this bottle a week upright to allow the sediment to settle out.] Previously tasted 7/19/23, 7/2/23, 11/24/21, and 11/22/19. No hurry.

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  7/19/2023 - SpenceP wrote: 94 Points

  Ever so slightly different from the previous bottle (see my note of 7/3/23, as well as 11/24/21 and 11/22/19), but equally lovely. Rich baked plums, black cherries, bitter chocolate, tobacco, coffee. With time in the glass, the tobacco and coffee became much more prominent. LONG long long aftertaste. Just a wonderful wine! [Tasted over more than an hour from the Jancis Robinson glass. I gave this bottle a full week upright for sediment to settle out.] {As you may have gathered from the description, this bottle seemed "older" than the bottle of 7/3/23, although still in great shape--if this bottle is the typical one, I'd expect this wine to remain wonderful for three more years (not 5 as I earlier estimated), and probably longer.}

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  7/3/2023 - SpenceP wrote: 94 Points

  I really love this wine! Cork in very good condition. Immediately after opening, beautiful ripe raspberries, cocoa, smoke, tobacco, coffee, cherries, but only a medium-length aftertaste. After about 25 minutes in the glass, the aftertaste lengthens dramatically, with tobacco, cherries, and coffee becoming much more prominent--gorgeous. No hurry--this should continue to be a treasure for at least another 5 years and probably longer.
  
  Best after 25 minutes in the glass (the score reflects this), but I would be sorry to have missed those first 25 minutes! [I gave this bottle a little over a week upright to allow the sediment to settle out. Tasted over more than an hour from the Jancis Robinson glass.] Previously tasted 11/24/21 and 11/22/2019.

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