Birthday year wine for me! Might not be the best Tig vintage, but nothing to scoff at. The ‘88 is getting to be almost last prime, this time bottle showing well. Rusty red with strong aromas of cigar box, leather, and pencil shavings. Drinks slightly thin, and im not getting much fruit. Still, it’s tasty and a special vintage to me. — 8 months ago
A combination of nutty and citrus zest . Beautiful wine in her youth. I would keep this baby deep in the cellar for at least 5, maybe 10, years. Brilliant even by Cristal standards and may be among their best ever — 10 months ago
Iron and blackberry right off the nose. There is airy clove and black current quality to it that seems to disappear on the tongue. It reminds me of super fine, dark chocolate. The image that comes to mind is a living oak tree— it tastes alive. Pair with pets for a Beauceron, a loyal, intelligent, devoted dog breed that is known for guarding livestock. Sit in front of a fire, drinking this wine while eating some dark chocolate. Or better yet, a hearty filet mignon that you can share with your new Beauceron best friend. — a year ago
Takes the reins as best ever Dunn Cabernet for me…needed 45 mins out of Magnum, nose all Bordeaux of cedar and cigar box with a touch of cassis. Velvety palate, layers of red cherry and chocolate espresso bean, long, long finish. Find and drink now if you can. — 5 months ago
Flight #2 of our 1997 Retrospective and these were the thoroughbreds. Presented single-blind; no formal notes. Wine #2 had great color, was developing, fresh, focused, balanced; great structure. One of those glasses of wine you didn’t want to end and, for me, a tough call for favorite of the flight along with Wine #1. I vacillated between this being Dominus or Monte Bello; ultimately calling the former. This is in a beautiful phase of life. Monte Bello is one of those wines that needs decades to show its best. Drink now through 2040. — 9 months ago
Leoville Barton is one of my favorite St. Julien producers and still one of the best values upon release of Left Bank Bordeaux’s. If my memory is correct, I think this was WS’s wine of the year a few years ago.
I haven’t had this since the release at UGC. It was so fresh then. It has definitely put on weight and showing some nice evolution. But, Anthony made his wines for the ages. This will rise 2-3 points with 20 years bottle age.
It is round and lush. Blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, purple fruits, blueberries, some creamy raspberries & dark cherries. Anise, light graphite, tobacco ash, leather, dark, rich earth with dry leaves, dry river stone, limestone marl, dark spice, dry herbaceous notes, hints of black olive, black licorice, dry stems, mix of dry & candied dark flowers, very nice round acidity and a well; balanced, structured, tensioned and polished finish that last minutes.
Would open this in 2032 and beyond. — 8 months ago
Happy New Year to all! Still catching up on my notes from the holiday season. I was pretty spot on in this blind - basically pointed to the wine on the display shelves. Lucky guess? The wine itself was delicious. To me, it was showed true varietal typicity and was rather pure. Juicy red fruits, floral, melange of herbs, and some pepper. High acidity and tannins, yet has a suppleness that made it highly approachable at this stage. Best red of the night for me. — 10 months ago
Bob McDonald
An absolutely alluring nose with cloves, spice, dried meat and a trace of pepper. Barely medium weight on the palate. Barb loved it for that. Very different to Barossa or McLaren Vale Shiraz. Without a doubt the best Shiraz Viognier blend in Australia although Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 2 (with a few other Rhone varieties in the blend) would give it a run for its money. Really very good with a few years to go but pretty much at its peak. — 18 days ago