Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I haven’t had a Bordeaux in a while. Especially, with a Ribcap. So, why not an 82? The vintage Robert Parker made his career as the only critic who called it correctly.

Very good 80’s Bordeaux were my first true wine love. Their style & 12-13% ABV will always be my cherished infatuation. Wished it had never changed.

Bought this Calon Segur on the secondary market several yrs ago. Tricky cork. Used my Durand. All good. Fill line perfect, no bottle neck tannin burn but plenty of velvety sediment.

If any of you ever wondered why there is a heart on the label. Here is the interesting reason…

It symbolizes the estate's deep-rooted history and the affection of its former owner, the Marquis de Ségur. Despite owning prestigious estates like Château Lafite and Château Latour, he famously declared, "I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon." His sentiment is immortalized by the heart emblem on the label.

Opened it and let it breathe from the bottle for 45 minutes. Tasted it and decanting it in stages. Then, stopped 1/2 way through and poured the bottom half of the bottle from the bottle.

82 is such a grand, classic vintage. For the most part, I drink Calon Segur’s too early, even at 20 yrs of age. I don’t want to say it is a long in tooth as its neighbor, Montrose, but it is close. This 82 is drinking perfectly w/ 41 yrs in bottle and will hold another 5 yrs. Such soft, perfectly darkish spices with elegantly ripe fruits.

This 82 glides over the palate. There is only beautiful elegance, nothing bites back. The fruits are older (not old or past their prime), ripe fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, both plums but lean plum vs black, dark cherries, crazy, outstanding, hoovering raspberries with notes of blueberries & shades of freshly picked rhubarb. Some black cherry cola, anise to understated black licorice, dark chocolate pudding, caramel, layered, gentle baking spices-nutmeg, clove, cinnamon & vanillin, touch of sun tea, old leather, dryish to fresh tobacco w/ash, charcoal, elegant graphite, dry limestone powder, dry river pebbles, black, rich earth w/ dry leaves, magical, dark spices, grey volcanics, dry stems, just a hint of dry herbs, dry top soil, fresh & withering dark, red flowers, red roses, grand acidity with perfect; balance, tension, structure and a grand, gentle finish that goes on & on and eventually lands on an amazing soft buffet of earthiness.

This is a wine that is technically a 94, but w/ evolution & style a 97. Amazing bottle that you don’t want to end.

$500 a bottle today through the app. Somewhere around $10 upon release. — 5 months ago

Robert Dufort

9.6

Purchased12+ years ago, drank it last week with family and friends. Steak and risotto dinner. Initial tasting at bottle opening gave me concerns, was
afraid it had peaked long before, whiff of vinegar, no fruit. Decanted, tasted again after 30 minutes, had begun to open up. Started drinking after another 30 minutes and wow, what a difference! Have never experienced that great a change in a wine. So superb. The sommelier just smiled. Fruit rose up, very fine tannins,so smooth, loved it. Wish I had another bottle. Drink now. — 3 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.5

There are a few producers in the world about which I can say unequivocally that I adore every wine they make. Domaine Marcel Deiss is one of them. @domainemarceldeiss. I managed to get ahold of some older vintage wines recently and I’m trying very hard not to drink them too fast, but they’re just so darn good. Decided to open this one over dinner with friends last night and it was glorious. Crystallized honey, parchment, dried orange peels, and herbs, all welded to a core of crushed stone. Fantastic. This is a most unusual (though not for Deiss) field blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Beurot, Muscat, and Pinot Noir. — 4 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.3

Vintage 1989 | When and with who you taste can influence your appreciation tremendously. After a blind tasting with terrific wines I poured this wine (blind) in the glasses with sourdough bread and goose rillette. Combination made in heaven. The well known tension between sweet and acids completed it. A treat. With wine friends @Liselotte Brouwers @Berry Marinussen Maarten Drop. — a year ago

Jeremy Pollard

9.4

First taste of the 1er after having collected a few different vintages over the years, along with consuming plenty of their bargain priced Hoddles Creek Estate pinot noir. It’s a cracker. Drinking gorgeously now, having had a few years to integrate. Was having too much fun wolfing down tasty pizza with friends to make detailed notes, but it was certainly a pleasure to drink. — 3 years ago

with Sam

Jay Kline

9.4

This bottle of 2010 Pecchenino “Le Coste” was pulled from my cellar on a “school night” and brought to a fun little gathering of service friends after their shift. Opened, splash decanted and consumed over three hours; served side-by-side with the 2010 Roberto Voerzio “Brunate”. The Pecchenino “Le Coste” was locked down pretty hard for the first 30 minutes but shifted dramatically before the hour mark. At that point, it was singing with bright, red and dark fruits, roses, tar and wrapped up in the most elegant package. Compared to the Voerzio, this was lithe and open-knit. A lovely, traditional expression of Barolo that, while endowed with the classic structure of 2010, is just beginning to offer up more of its charm. It’s probably worth noting that Pecchenino actually resides in the Dogliani commune, just across the boarder from Monforte d’Alba. Dogliani is where some of the highest expressions of Dolcetto are produced under the Dogliani Superiore DOCG classification. Pecchenino’s Dolcettos are lovely examples and super reasonable…but I digress. Back to this wine, “Le Coste” is a small-ish MGA in the Barolo commune that sits directly south of the town of Barolo and said to share some similarities with the Cannubi MGA just to the north. While I don’t have enough experience drinking wines made with the fruit from "Le Coste", I can certainly draw some parallels. Anyway, on this night, the "Le Coste" by Pecchenino wiped the floor with the "Brunate" from Voerzio, which couldn’t seem to really get out of the gate and even after 3 hours in a decanter. The Voerzio is gonna need forever to come back around. Drink now with at least 30min of air. Otherwise, this will continue to drink well through 2030+. — 3 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.8

This comes across as ridiculous must drink now Pinot. Raspberry driven as the 2009. Definitely cut from the same cloth. The powerful tannins will carry this for 10’years but boy is this good right now. Cherry, Za’atar, lemon zest, orange juice, unlike any other Pinot on the Market. I am a fan but it is a wine for folks who know and appreciate E&M. — 4 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.8

Another amaaazing wine here in Down Under. The Basket Press only available to the ‘in’ members of Rockford winery. Rich flavors expressing from beginning to end in layers of dark, ripe fruits but firmly anchored by well rounded, soft tannins that carried the experience to a long lingering, pleasant finish. We had lunch with our friend who happened to ‘in’ 😊 with Rockford hence our opportunity to taste this wine and share it with other friends who had been admiring Rockford wines for 40 years. — 3 years ago

with Gareth, Andrea and 1 other

Ellen Clifford

9.4

Palmer turned my head in general at a recent tasting—if you can get your hands on the 1996 vintage my gosh…but for exceptional Champagne at (if not everyday) more frequently do-able prices lean in. Toasty white bread with these citrus notes that…can I be honest? It reminds me when as a teen vegetarian in St Louis I’d do late night runs to Steak and Shake where my friends got burgers but I’d order toast and butter with a lime freeze. Those toasty but piquant and refreshing notes. Expect like that on a platter with even more nuance. Obvi it doesnt taste like that precisely but its toast and citrus vibes don’t let go and cream and apple butter are backup singers. Do drink Palmer. — 3 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.2

Tasted blind with friends who thought more in the Alsatian dry Riesling or Pinot Blanc spectrum. I can taste why: has a thick mouthfeel & density of that area, & the Sauvignon Blanc Is a bit of a Zelig as it warms up. Very, very good. — 4 years ago

with Owen