2009. Opened beautifully — a month ago
Double-decanted prior to service. The 1988 pours a garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some fine sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with beautiful notes of cassis, brambles, tobacco, capsicum, leather, inorganic earth and a mix of herbs and fine spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin (integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is medium+. The label is beat to hell but the condition of the wine inside the bottle was perfect. Classic, old school Bordeaux from a classified growth. Drink now through 2043. — 8 days ago
+1 hour decant(some sediment). A gorgeous dark garnet with bricking. On the nose: mesmerizing areomatic notes of dark red fruit, currants, forest floor, floral, cigar wrapper, pencil shavings. Taste: velvety, vibrant, fresh wine with brambly dried blackberry/cherry, earth, graphite, wet stones, and a cedar gamey raspberry long finish. YUM! What a treat to drink, and a success for 03...not too ripe, hot, or roasted. — 21 days ago
Writing about this wine because of the uniqueness of the bouquet on the nose. the dominating profile is of decayed flowers. Even the fruit that shines through comes in through that. it smells like walking through a cemetery in europe, quite pleasant if you forgive the morbid analogy. Wet decaying red flowers, and petrocore. Then it gives way to pleasant grippy and rustic tannins on the palate. — 25 days ago
I do love Musar. The bottle variations can throw you for a loop, but this one came out with a beautiful nose and a great palate. I sampled it by CoraVin the morning before taking it to Eulalie in Tribeca for dinner with old mates visiting from London who love Musar as much or more than I do. It had beautiful color and was translucent. I must have jostled it too much on the subway downtown because when we opened it, it was cloudy and had some fine sedement. Did not decant but allowed it to evolve over a couple of hours. I have a couple more bottles and will look forward to trying them. Enjoyed with lamb dishes and quail stuffed with foie gras and other offal. Delicious! — 14 days ago
Lots of sediment, more evolved than we expected at the tasting group — 8 days ago
Exactly what I want from Zin. Fruit with restraint and finesse. Not hot or jammy. — 7 days ago
My last of three.
The 05 vintage is basically perfect fruit etc…
This started a bit slow from an hour decant. It really pick up steam w/ the Waygu Ribcap.
The Bordeaux elegance & earth profound. The fruits are floral-laden. Dry blackberries, raspberries, both plum, with skin, dark cherries, dry strawberries, baked rhubarb, hints of raspberry, dark chocolate bar, light caramel, dark spice with a little heat, dry limestone. topsoil, dry riverstone, cigar box with ash, old used leather, dark forest floor with leaves, clove, touch of cinnamon, vanilla and a pinch of nutmeg sweet graphite, used charcoal, black tea, mid berry cola dark wuthering flowers, hence of lavender and old violets, perfect around acidity with a well-balanced structured, evenly tensioned finish that last minutes and lands on dry earth and spice with florals — a day ago
Strange….
Evolved bouquet, plummy, balsamic notes, mocha, touch of sweetness, dark fruit, low acidity. Made me think 07 chateauneuf.
Although this was certainly enjoyable and intriguing, I couldn’t get past the impression that this was not a representative bottle. — 9 days ago
Just o.k., a prototypical Bordeaux-style CA wine that didn’t impress in any major ways, but didn’t have any flaws either — 15 days ago
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego
2011 vintage. Opened with a Durand without incident and decanted. Not much sed. Tasted immediately. Can’t find the notes but tasted same wine and vintage roughly 3 years ago and it was much more unapproachable then. Now? It’s in the running to be your new bestie. Tremendous length of finish. Medium body but heavy intensity. 10.19.26. — 5 days ago