Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Ruby core still , thin garnet rim . A bit of development , quite cool spicy black fruits , touch of earthy , mineral notes , tobacco. After a while more red fruit , floral notes , elegant . Quite linear and cool on the palate , dark cedar blackcurrant fruits . Nice balanced acidity and quite gritty tannins still . Ok length , with mineral and saline finish . Good to drink now and over the next 10 years — 3 days ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1978 vintage. Great fill with a fully saturated cork. Used a Durand to remove and cork held up but big cork splinters shedding upon removal. Decanted and tasted over the course of an hour. Super silky, not chunky, sed. Light-medium body. Had to coax the nose out a little but revealed cassis, tobacco, dark plum, sandalwood and cherry pits. All these plus a slight, beef broth touch in the flavors. Not improving but can sustain another half-decade in this incarnation. Gorgeous, old BDX. Drink now till 2029. 12.8.23. — 2 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Pretty deep ruby , quite narrow still ruby /garnet rim . Quite masculine , slightly high toned , grafite , cassis nose , blackberry, tobacco . Cool blackcurrant , mineral , quite strict acidity and gritty tannins. Good length , quite foursquare , grafite finish . From now , though will improve over the next 5-10 and hold possibly a further 5-10 — 3 days ago

Big Wave Dave

9.0

At Brane tasting. Acid and tannin still untouched but the fruit is on the wane, giving an overall slightly disjoined whole. Still - at almost 40yo, still an amazing effort. — 10 days 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. — 25 days ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2000 vintage. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Pristine, top shoulder fill and immaculate cork. Still tons of color. Medium body. Some bramble fruits in the nose along the usual damp earth, cassis, graphite/minerals. Consolidated power and grip with a 35-40 second finish. In the zone and worth seeking out now until 2035. Should be more affordable than most comparably performing 2000 vintage BDX online, retail or in restos. Hit it. You won't regret it. 12.8.23. — 3 days ago

Robert Ahlstrom

9.3

Chocolate, well balanced, licorice, great pairing with thanksgiving turkey — 18 days ago

Todd Anderson

9.3

Drinking very nicely. Still good fruit combined with good dirt. Unclear benefit to further cellaring. — 23 days ago

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9.4

The 2005 Palmer, picked from September 9 to October 10, remains deep in color. It has a lovely, intense bouquet with blackcurrant pastilles, raspberry, violet and juniper. It blossoms in the glass, gaining vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, structured and dense, strangely Pomerol-like in style, with touches of black pepper and truffle furnishing the finish. Robust and muscular, it lacks a bit of flair and precision (like many wines of this vintage). I would afford this another couple of years in the cellar. Tasted at the Palmer vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, August 2023)
— a month ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

8.9

1989 vintage. 375 ml format. Good fill but cork had some red streaks all the way up to the top and it was difficult to remove the top part of the "fused" foil. Decanted and tasted over the course of three hours. Expected sed. Light-medium body. Nose on point with the vintage/age and didn't seem abused/mistreated. Flavor profile a mishmash of chunky and resolved. Ultimately, came in slightly short on the balance ledger side. Lean, judicious fruit okay but not totally reconciled with the final exam. If enjoyed from a 750 ml format, thinking it might climb up to a 9.1 currently. Maybe. A maggie format (or larger) might reveal a revelation. 12.9.23. — 2 days ago