Tom Garland

9.3

+3 hour decant(some chunky/fine sediment). A remarkable dark garnet color. On the nose: dark plum/currants, forest floor, touch of mint and leather, smokey brisket. Taste: layered, structured, dry wine with plum, cassis, tobacco, cedar, currants and a tangy spiced raspberry medium plus finish. YUM! No hurry, time to go. — a month ago

with Brenda

"Odedi"

9.4

Let's go out with a bang!
Byeee 2023!

Deep purple in color with a short purple rim.

Strong fruity nose, bold and fruit forward.

Full bodied and dry on the palate, with medium acidity.

Showing blueberries, blackberries, black currants, black cherries, raisins, dried fruits, figs, dark chocolates, cedar, coffee, vanilla, earth, spices, pencil lead, eucalyptus, cola, light mint, bell pepper, herbs and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Napa Valley Bordeaux blend. Very fruity on the palate with great complexity and mouthfeel.

This 14 year old feels and drinks like a young wine. Rich and extracted. Opulent and very complex already.

Fruit forward with lots of earth and green notes. Very interesting stuff. Feels like a blend of Napa Cabernet and Left Bank bordeaux.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour of air time, when tannins come in and show more structure. After 2 hours of airtime the tannins become very grippy.

I tried the 2001 vintage a few years ago, and it was so much better. A good quality wine that will continue to age nicely in the next 20+ years.

Robert Parker 97 points. Wine Spectator 96 points.

A great wine to share with friends and talk about.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$1000. — 4 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Celebrating with a couple nice wines tonight

2 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). An imposing dark magenta color. On the nose: very aromatic with dark cherry, currants, herbaceous, smokey earth, floral, pencil shavings. Taste: soft, silky, dry tannin wine with black fruit, pencil lead, cedar, tar, crushed rock, and a minerally mocha dry medium plus finish. YUM! More time to go. — 8 months ago

with Brenda

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Finished the tasting with my go to N/V Rose’. Always get the creamsicle.

@K&L Rose’ Champagne tasting lead up to V-day. — 3 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.4

Still remarkably youthful, it’s rich, dense and dark fruited, layered with classicism of cigar box, cedar and spices. The palate is concentrated and powerful with a silky texture and incredible length. 95 is nowhere near its peak. Many more years to go. And while I’ll never be a real Bordeaux lover, it’s clear what makes these first growths special. — 5 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Celebrating with a couple of fun bottles tonight. 2 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A stunning dark garnet with bricking. On the nose: lightly fragrant notes of stewed red fruit, cassis, floral, little cigar box, herbaceous. Taste: silky, elegant, soft wine with a great mix of dark plum, currants, iron, scorched earth, tobacco, and cedar/bitter chocolate medium plus finish. YUM! Drinks well with the decant and more time to go. — 7 months ago

Chris A

9.0

A perfectly smooth and well balanced new world red to enjoy with new friends at a nice old school New York City swanky hotel. Had this first as my float into a Devil’s Margarita which opened into a lovely discussion with some bar mates - and the end of which I made 2 new friends. A normal standalone glass of this is also quite wonderful and can stand by itself or go well with an accompaniment: snacks, cheese or a meal! — 9 months ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.5

The 2008 Cheval Blanc is one of the go-to wines of the vintage. Now at 15 years old, it has retained the energy and focus it displayed from the outset: black fruit, crushed stone, wilted violet petals and touches of forest floor cohere wonderfully in the glass. The Cabernet here is more expressive. The palate has a slight chewiness on the entry, but it "relaxes" in the glass. It shows off its delicate lattice of tannins and perhaps a bit more backbone than I have observed on previous bottles. It's very intense on the finish where, as before, the Cabernet Franc takes charge. Superb. Keep it another three to four years if you can. Tasted at the Lia's Wings/book dinner at Medlar restaurant. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2023)
— 4 months ago

Victor Hsu

9.0

1949 vintage (!!!). Very special half bottle, but more than half the volume lost to evaporation. Opened this gem at Totoraku yesterday to go with two full bottles of Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1996 and 1952 (!!). This Temple of Beef demands special occasion wines. Cork fell apart in the bottle so we poured it all in a decanter but did not wait to sip. Pale strawberry-orange color, surprising tart fruit nose, supremely delicate taste with just a bit of fruit and life left. Not the best bottle on the table but certainly not the undrinkable. Interesting experience. Would gladly do it again in the name of science. Oldest Red Bordeaux I have ever tasted. — 5 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2000 vintage. Decanted and tasted over the course of 1.5 hours. Expected amount of sed. Chunky, unresolved nose. Medium body. Still too youthful. Would try to give it another 7-10 years if possible. Initial tree branches/greenery dipping into morning fresh water morphed into classic graphite/lead pencil after 45 mins in the decanter. There was a slight metallic streak on the finish that appeared about 20 minutes in and still hadn't dissipated after 1.5 hours. More nimble than the og bad boys from this estate ('86, '88, '89, '90) and a bit less weighty. Mostly positives along with a few (mostly) minor quibblings. A ways to go, tho, before hitting the summit this estate established four decades ago. 9.24.23. — 7 months ago