Flight 2 , wine 1 . Quite deep garnet , less terracotta rim . This had a whiff of oxidation about it at first which seemed to somewhat dissipate with time . Some dark spiced fruits , liquorice and menthol hints , cedar and sous bois . On the palate good ripeness and spiced dark cherry hints . Good acidity and rounded tannin . Nice length also , offering some spiced black fruits and menthol hints . Don’t think this is a pristine bottle but was enjoyable none the less , I was unsure at first if this was Napa , but coming back to it … and reading my notes , it became quite obvious . However I had this down as the Ch Montelena , not the Dominus — 17 days ago
It's Open That Bottle Night(last Sat in Feb), and thought this would be a nice pull to celebrate the occasion.
1 hour decant(decent sediment). A striking still dark garnet with some bricking. On the nose: perfumed stewed cherry/plum, smoked meat, worn leather, cigar ash,milk chocolate, rich soil, some band-aid(brett) Taste: smooth, polished, vibrant wine with plum, tobacco, bitter chocolate, worn leather, earth, and a long graphite coffee ground finish. YUM!!!! — 15 days ago
(Two previous 1983 wine reviews never made it on here, so copying from my CT).
Continuing a run of ‘83s over the last 3-6 months, this not only showed quite well, but it was at its best after almost two hours in the bottle. Whereas the ‘83 Pichon was clean and elegant, this was a bit more dense and powerful. Beautifully expressive aromatics of potpourri, espresso, fig and leather with a flavor profile mostly on the red/black fruit side of the spectrum. The mid-palate showed good weight and continued to bulk-up during the evening. Old cherry-tobacco note at the finish. Honestly, this drank like it was more early ‘90s than it was early ‘80s. Good. — 20 days ago
Enjoyed with a Cantonese beef stew, dad's recipe. Decanted 3 hours before dinner and it still held tight graphite, cedar, and black fruit notes. A touch closed up or young right now, will revisit my next bottle in 5 to 10 years — 12 days ago
Was looking forward to this wine the most but sadly this bottle had seen better days. Very tertiary with mushroom and leather. Was still pleasant but suffered from the high expectation... — a month ago
Cathi Swanson
Gifted this delightful bottle. Smooth and not too spicy. — 11 days ago