First Step

Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1997

From the Downs Club First Growth Lunch last Saturday. Very brief notes. Mid crimson in colour - some bricking at the rim. A meaty note - a lovely red fruited perfume - unmistakably first growth. Just medium weight - a lesser vintage. — 7 days ago

Shay, Ira and 23 others liked this

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1995

5/25 with Howard. Lotsa power. Hard edged at first with lots of structure. Mellowed beautifully. Complex. Became port like. 90 — 9 days ago

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2010

Even more fantastic than the previous bottle of 2010 I enjoyed a year ago. Decanted and enjoyed over 7 hours. This was good from first pour but became great and then magnificent over the next 3.5 and 7 hours. It was still full of verve on the last sip! Early only it was more dark fruit but over time the wines softened and became a bit sweeter and rounder. Tremendous length and complexity. — a month ago

Tom, Shay and 20 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1985

All leather and cigars at first, and then the fruit showed up after an hour. Delicious. — 2 months ago

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1982

This was actually the first wine we had at the Bordeaux first growth lunch last Saturday (which wasn’t a First Growth). No notes taken but it did show the quality of the 1982 vintage particularly from Paulliac, and was still going strong. — 7 days ago

Serge, Ceccherini and 21 others liked this

Dom Pérignon

Brut Champagne Blend 2008

Medium lemon colour . Persistent and fine perlage. This is quite restrained at first with lemon oil , toasty baked pastry and oyster shell hints . On the palate this is really quite intense , honied lemon , ginger, toasty yellow fruits , toasted nuts and quite mineral, oyster shell hints. Long and complex on the finish , fresh acidity , intense and complete . Needs a little more time, will show even better in 5 -10 years or so and over the next 10-15 years . — 14 days ago

Jeroen, Tom and 18 others liked this
Somm David T

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Have a couple of these and figured it was still a hold. Nice notes and score. Might have to open one. Cheers!🥂
Andrew Cullimore

Andrew Cullimore Premium Badge

Thanks @Somm David T , yes if you have a few certainly open one , but it’s best days are certainly a few years off ! Enjoy !

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1966

My first experience with a bdx with this type of age. It had a note of green pepper on the nose and had a lot of life left. — 2 months ago

Ron, Jay and 7 others liked this

Château d'Yquem

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 1984

The final wine at the First Growth Bordeaux Lunch at the Downs Club last Saturday…. and what a great way to finish a wonderful lineup. I recall Apricot and Pear on a palate of profound intensity which delivers on the powerful nose. An obviously sweet palate with enough racy acid to keep things interesting and fresh. Will last until the late 2030s at least. Terrific! — 7 days ago

Serge, Ceccherini and 23 others liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1983

Château Latour is an iconic estate in the Pauillac commune on the left bank of Bordeaux, achieving coveted ‘First Growth’ status in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.

The estate has roots dating back to the 14th century and derives its name ‘La Tour’ from a fortress tower built during the Hundred Years’ War, which no longer exists but is prominently featured on the label in recognition of its history.

We weren’t sure what to expect, as many have predicted these 1983s are likely past their prime, but this wine was a masterpiece. 🤩

It was medium garnet in color with expressive notes of cedar box, cigar, clove, peat, leather, forest floor, fig, prune, dried black cherry, plum, cassis, blackberry compote, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, dried violet, potpourri, kalamata olive, pencil shavings, graphite, & bacon fat.

It had the most velvety, fine-grained tannins that washed across the palate with ease, with a gentle but notable acidity that maintained lift and balance. It was concentrated, complex, and had a long, elegant finish.
— 4 days ago

Deked1
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Ted, Jay and 10 others liked this
Jay Kline

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Already said it on Insta but Happy Birthday again @Vanessa ! Great choice to celebrate too!
Vanessa

Vanessa

@Jay Kline Thank you very much, Jay!! It definitely hit the spot. 🎯 It was tasting beautifully!!
Paul K

Paul K

Happy Birthday @Vanessa way to celebrate in style!

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2012

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2012 pours a deep ruby/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Montmorency cherry, blackberry, dill, toasted coconut, olive, zatar, and a touch of vanilla. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This only got better with air and might be my favorite young Tondonia since I first drank the 2006 vintage. Really good stuff already! Drink now with some patience and through 2042. — 2 months ago

Daniel, Peter and 12 others liked this