Karen Lowenstein

9.6

Dinner at Cafe Panache. Perfect wine for dinner. Notes of lemon and pear,clean and fresh. — 2 months ago

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9.7

The 1990 Lynch-Bages has a precocious nose, utterly captivating with intense black fruit suffused with iodine and seaweed scents. There is something old school about this Lynch Bages, perhaps not quite as precise as the previous vintage, yet still multi-dimensional. It gains cohesion with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with more structure than expected. There's fine delineation with chiseled tannins. Cedar and tobacco are interwoven through the layered black fruit, and it fans out with panache on the finish. This continues to fire on all cylinders. Tasted at the château in bottle and double-magnum formats. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2023) — a year ago

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9.3

The 2015 Cantenac Brown displays more red fruit compared directly with the 2016: raspberry and wild strawberry intermingled with sous-bois and tobacco, violet aromas emerging with time. Lovely focus here, though not the panache of the following vintage. The palate is beginning to loosen up with lithe tannins, fleshy and harmonious, tart red cherries, allspice and clove with a grippy and quite persistent finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a wonderful Margaux that should drink a little earlier than the 2016. Tasted at the Cantenac Brown vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, October 2022)
— 2 years ago

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9.3

The 2020 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru doesn't possess the delineation and panache of Tollot-Beaut's on the nose at first, though it coheres nicely with aeration. Peach skin, linseed and wilted white flowers eventually come through. The palate is well-balanced with a viscous entry, a little more honeyed in style than previous wines in this flight of Corton-Charlemagne, though it deserves applause for the precision and detail on the finish. It needs a little more time in the bottle compared to others because there is a lot of coconut-ty new oak. My score is based on this being assimilated with bottle age. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2024)
— 4 months ago

Ericsson

9.2

Still going with the Pinot trend/craving... New world with old world panache. Palate better than the nose: cherry, mushroom and hints of game. Fuller, meatier than an old world Pinot on the palate, not oaky (which is a pleasant surprise), 14 yo wine and alcohol still feels medium, high acidity, low and velvety tannins, earthiness takes center stage; long sour cherry finish. Pulled this on a whim to pair with Lamb Chops and rosemary potatoes and Parmesan squash, worked wonderfully! First time I decant Pinot, due to broken cork. Probably only helped the wine since it was so full. Cheers. — 2 years ago

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9.5

The 1995 Ducru-Beaucaillou, matured in two-thirds new oak, has a very refined bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, rose petal and cedar aromas, very focused and sophisticated. The palate is well balanced with sour red cherries, balsamic and cedar notes, vibrant and full of energy, though you might well argue it doesn’t quite have the panache and complexity of ensuing vintages on the finish. But it is certainly ageing well and is drinking perfectly now. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2022)
— 2 years ago

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9.6

The 2014 Montrose has an engaging and complex bouquet with black fruit, a pencil box, pressed violet and warm earth scents, gaining intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with excellent tannins that frame the mineral-rich black fruit (in fact, this is one of the most mineral-laden 2014 Left Banks I tasted.) The oak is seamlessly integrated, and the finish has real panache. Beautifully, and it's just entering its drinking window. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year-On tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, March 2024)
— 8 months ago

Karen Lowenstein

9.7

Richard gives this bottle a 9.8. He loves it with his pork chop at Cafe Panache. — 2 years ago

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9.0

The 2012 Les Carmes Haut-Brion was the first vintage with whole bunches (40%) and 18 months in barrel. It was the introductory vintage under current winemaker Guillaume Pouthier. This is much more enticing on the nose after the 2011: well-defined black cherries, cola, peppermint, light rose petal scents and a hint of marmalade that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, more freshness and tension than the 2011, and frankly, you would never be able to tell there was whole bunch here. This appears to be maturing with style and panache, but it will give another decade or more of drinking pleasure. Tasted at the Les Carmes Haut-Brion vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, October 2012)
— 2 years ago

Patrick O Driscoll

9.0

I just had too………..
A Full body, bursting with energy, has panache and sophistication, plenty of patter and a good nose what more could you want or you expect, that’s our Mr P. 😂🤣😝 — 3 years ago