Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Flight 4 , wine 2. This was quite a difficult wine to read at first , again quite closed , mineral and tobacco edged . Dark fruits. On the palate rounder than expected , good richness and balance , dark cherry , blackberry fruit . Good rounded tannin and ok length . Quite obviously Bordeaux in the context of this tasting , though I had this as the Lynch Bages 1982 when it was actually the Brane Cantenac 1986 …..I give up ! 90

This was an interesting , though challenging tasting , all served blind in flights of 2 wines , 3 flights of 1 Napa and 1 Bordeaux and 1 of 2 Bordeaux; served in a random sequence . The fact that at least a couple of wines were not pristine didn’t help , though if you will taste 8 , 40 year old wines that is probably par for the course . I found it relatively easy to spot whether what was in the glass was Napa or Bordeaux but didn’t actually get a single wine completely correct ! Probably overall the winner of the tasting was Napa (won the 3 rounds 2-1) as they had more suave polished , rounded personalities. Many put the wines the wrong way round , imagining that Napa was Bordeaux etc. The 1982s in general showed poorly too much funk and brett on the Lynch and Talbot but the Duhart showed surprisingly well . The 86s both showed pretty well and equalled the Dominus (even though I didn’t think we had a pristine bottle) . The Montelena was enjoyable , though was the first to oxidise whilst the Inglenook was the biggest positive surprise , still drinking surprisingly well at 47 . — 10 days ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.6

Soave e morbido in ingresso coglie l’essenza di Margaux. La trama tannica ancora presente e persistente declina un potenziale evolutivo enorme. Se si avrà la pazienza di attenderlo. — 20 days ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.4

Lacking finesse on the closing but overall a very nice wine — 20 days ago

Paul K

9.2

Day 2 after having a small glass day 1 and thinking really needs time. Family over and drank after two easy Napa cabs. Rhubarb, strawberries, cherry, tobacco, flint earth, chocolate dusted raisins, and moist earth. Others reacted negatively to this on first taste but came around after half a glass. I loved this from go today. Really different style. Guessing it will be a great 25 year wine. — 2 days ago

Rufus King

9.4

Very acceptable Margaux with medium tannin and acidity (Star) — 4 days ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.1

No specific notes but a rather excellent Margaux in a fine register. — a month ago

with Jose, veronique and 1 other

Vnz

10

Incredible balance — 14 days ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1996 vintage. Really nice specimen. Opened (not decanted) and tasted after two hours. Unified earthy, funky, lived in BDX nose paired with medium body. Surprisingly, still a splash of baby fat evident on the cheeks along with a blue fruit accent. Ripe plum, cassis and leather followed. Drinking great currently with extensive follow-through on the finish and should hold as such till 2030. 02.28.25. — 3 days ago

Paul J

9.5

1hr+ decant. Nice red color with maroon edges. Classic Bordeaux nose with flowers, cedar, and cherries. Similar on the palate with a lovely texture. Not super deep, but solid finish. — 2 days ago

with Brooke

Kate

9.2

Pairs nicely with escargot. Nice blend. Spice and peppery notes. Tastes even better after it opens. — 12 days ago