USER,DATE,TITLE,VINTAGE,PRODUCER,REGION,COUNTRY,SCORE,NOTE
"stefan",1990/12/9,"1983 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1983,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",91,"With rock Cornish hens, and acorn squash stuffed with wild rice. The '83 Lafite has a minty nose, firm structure, tastes of black currents, and good acid.  I felt it might be too young as the tannins are still strong and secondary flavors have not yet developed.  stefan 90.  stefanJr 93."
"Roberto",1999/9/19,"1997 Gallo, Barrelli Creek,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1997,"Gallo","","USA",90,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=498<br>O.K., I know that Gallo is not exactly the Enthusiast's homeland.  But I have to tell you that this wine is a great value for the money ($18).  I would go as far as to say that this wine outdrinks a lot of California Cabs at 3-4 times the price.  It is a fruit-forward, sweet, oaky wine built along the lines of Silver Oak at a fraction of the price.  What it lacks in class it makes up for in pure fun.  I'm 3 bottles into a case and I have to admit that I really love it for what it is.  I know critics will argue that it is too simple, monolithic and Parkerized.  My point is that for the money this is about as deep as many need get into California.  Perhaps a great stocking-stuffer for Christmas?<br> <br>Dennis (Setab) deserves credit for introducing this wine to BWE.  I'm just a lemming here.  Roberto"
"DavidL",2000/1/5,"1999 Falesco, Vitiano,  Other Italy , Italy",1999,"Falesco","","Italy",0,"I still feel happy with the '99, although it's still noticeable young compared with the '98. I didn't bother to decant but pulled the cork an hour ahead. The first impression was of the purple hue in the glass; not much nose initially but not bad. An hour later the nose had developed nicely and the wine seemed to be coming together with pretty good fruit and acid with soft tannins behind. Not yet really ready to drink IMHO but definately better than your average plonk, with a nicely developing finish. In its price range I still feel it is good stuff now and is probably going to become excellent in another six months."
"Whuzzup_",2000/3/26,"1996 Leoville Las Cases, Clos du Marquis,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1996,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",88,"In a vintage like 96, only 30% of the juice made it into the LLC, so there was presumably a lot of stuff left over with which to craft a good Clos du Marquis. The color is very dark ruby with those great looking purple bubbles you get when you pour a good Bordeaux wine. The nose was mildy oaky but very intensely Bordeaux dark fruits. Where this wine falied was on the palate. There was some tannin but not much considering the vintage and the finish was medium SHORT, not medium long. I would have to rate this thing an 88, maybe."
"Cabfan",2000/3/29,"1988 Pape Clement, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux",1988,"Pape Clement","Bordeaux","France",0,"I pulled out a bottle last night after the kids were in bed, poured a couple of ounces, waited about 15 minutes.  My oh my, very fragrant indeed.  Gawd, Graves wines really are where it's at, for me, when it comes to Bordeaux aromatics.  There is an unusual aspect to some of the them that can only be described as smelling like wet rocks, or minerally.  Also some have a wonderful woodsy, smoky quality. Anyway, I think this is the best '88 Bordeaux I've had.  I understand Lafite is also superb but I've not had it.  Besides the fragrance, this Pape-Clement is full-bodied for Graves and has deep, dark fruit with tannins that are very present but don't get in the way.  Very warm ""mouthfeel"", really coats the tongue, long complex finish.  I believe it's about 60% Cab, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cab Franc. ""Very flavoury"" as Michael Broadbent would say.  This really should go another 5-6 years before I open another bottle.  Unfortunately, I think I only have one left. Highly recommended, and if you ever see it, it likely will be for a very reasonable price."
"Whuzzup_",2000/4/1,"1995 Cheval Blanc,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1995,"Cheval Blanc","","France",93,"I have never had Cheval before. I understand why they say that a lot of Cheval is coinsumed before its time. This was a lovely, distinctive wine, with an intense nose, a dark color, and lush on the palate. I think RP has under rated it. When I was drinking this wine all I could think of was &quot;balance&quot;. Is it the burliness of a wine that makes it great? Only if it has the fruit to stand up to it. this wine was intense but understated. Beautiful. My score: 93+"
"JScott",2000/4/2,"1995 Corbin Michotte,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1995,"Corbin Michotte","","France",87,"Fruit.  And lots of it.  On the nose, mid-palate and finish.  The bouquet is vaguely pastural, grasses and strawberry.  It is softly structured (probably to a fault for my taste) and lush with everyberry, hints of spice.  One of those kind of wines that gains a point or two as you analyze it, just hard to hate a wine with flavor.  But it's a bit lacking of structure and not terribly complex.  I don't see it lasting more than another 4 or 5 years.  I can't make it more than an 87 or so."
"JScott",2000/4/5,"1995 Fontenil,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1995,"Fontenil","","France",87,"My first experience with Fronsac, this seems to be a solid QPR wine, available widely in the $14-16 range.  Bought this one mostly on the strength of the reputation of the proprietor, the everywhere-at-once Mssr. Michel Rolland.  A simple but balanced wine both on the nose and palate.  Medium bodied and soft over the edges.  Shows nice structure and fruit concentration, not complex but just enough in the background to hold a little interest.  I give this one a solid 87 and a thumbs up on the P/P ratio (price/pleasure).  "
"Cabfan",2000/4/8,"1995 Smith Haut Lafitte, Rouge, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [90]",1995,"Smith Haut Lafitte","Bordeaux","France",90,"Opened another now, with identical impressions.  Not showing much complexity yet, as you might expect, but has real Graves character. Not overwhelmingly fruity, but typically ripe for a '95.  Woodsy characteristics in the nose after some breathing.  Good stuff seething down deep.  Solid 89-90, check back in five years."
"JScott",2000/4/8,"1995 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [86]",1995,"Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge","Bordeaux","France",86,"Drank this one over two days. On Day 1, my wife proclaimed she hated it. She found it bitter, but I would describe it more as backward. Quite tannic and intense, and I think that's the problem. In many ways a stark contrast to the La Tour HB for those of us pursuing extra credit. We both agreed it had softened substantially the next day. Anyway, it's much darker and intense than the La Tour in every way. Initially, with air, the nose seemed to change from one moment to the next - at various times mineral and spice, coffee and grasses the next. At one point I swear I got a whiff of cannabis (flashback to the Dead concert of '79 - help me on this one Dennis!). This also suggests to me it needs to unwind a little.  Medium-to-full body but the fruit, I thought, was a bit lost in all the tannin. Much less aggressive on Day 2, but I still didn't get the depth of flavor I'd hoped for, perhaps a bit closed at this stage? I think this one was plucked a bit early. There is definitely a density to this wine that suggests it will evolve. Check back in 5 years or so. I'm terrible at grading a young wine predictively, so I can only score it based on today. (I'm not the guy to go barrel tasting with.) Overall I was surprised to prefer the La Tour this week, so I'll score this an 86 at present, but I'm left feeling it's a probably a better wine than that."
"JScott",2000/4/8,"1994 La Tour Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [86]",1994,"La Tour Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",86,"I'm scratching my head over this one. On the nose, it's all there - smoke, earth, tobacco, cedar. On the palate I can find some fruit and smoky overtones off in the distance but this seems a bit dilute. I almost wish there were a way to boil it down. The finish is interesting if a bit attenuated. Maybe my thoughts are colored by pre-conception, expecting a bigger wine.  Where is the '94 monster tannin? Is this the winery with the rep for austerity and harshness? Is my penchant for big wines preventing me from appreciating finesse, subtlety and restraint? I don't think so. I have no idea how harvest went at La Tour, but I'm left with the impression they were picking with umbrellas, and this would have otherwise been something very special. 86."
"Whuzzup_",2000/4/8,"1994 La Tour Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [86]",1994,"La Tour Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",86,"The nose on this sucker was really forward and very beautiful immediately upon opening the bottle. I was suprised at how forward, as a matter of fact, especially considering the vintage. This was a wine that you didn't have to ""coax"" out of the glass aromatically. The color was a nice ruby. I wouldn't call it dark. On the palate, the wine was pleasing but not very long… this is all my very first impression. I drank the wine from 6pm until 11pm on Friday night so I tried to give it plenty of time to show me something. It actually seemed to decline with time. I think it was just the 94 vintage… we have already identified this vintage as one to cherry pick. This is a nice wine but with aeration, I found it got a little bit astringent and I noted a little bit of the green pepper note that probably means unripe grapes. I'm not sure they had enough ripe fruit to really keep this thing going, and the tannins were medium bodied but rustic. All in all a good wine, but not enough fruit for very good. I score it an 86."
"Whuzzup_",2000/4/8,"1995 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux, France [90]",1995,"Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge","","France",90,"Well… when I opened this I was struck by the fact that this clearly was a lot more backward (not as openly showy) as the Latour Haut Brion. The nose is reticent but some concentrated dark fruits in there. The wine had a nice deep ruby color to it upon opening. I let the wine sit awhile and it really started to show me something. The aromatics started to slowly develop. The color actually seemed to get darker to me with time… is that actually possible,or was I just getting drunk? On the palate it is medium bodied with ripe fruit and yummy ripe tannins and a promising medium finish. I think I remember reading a note somewhere about this wine being a little harsh, but I don't find that at all, yet I do find it concentrated. I think this wine has a fantastic life ahead of it and it was great to drink with my ""bordeaux"" sandwich."
"Cabfan",2000/4/10,"1992 Hess, Collection,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1992,"Hess","","USA",92,"'92 Hess Collection.  The best wine of the weekend, perhaps tying with the La Dominique.  This is probably the best Hess of the '90's.  Extremely concentrated Cabernet flavors, impeccably balanced, showing no signs of age.  Loooong finish.  Great match for the hearty beef stew.  Easily could go another five years.  God I love this stuff, I really don't think cabs get much better than this unless you spend a ton of money. Solid 92 points, very impressive!"
"Cabfan",2000/4/10,"1994 Arrowood,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [89]",1994,"Arrowood","","USA",89,"The '94 Arrowood cab is really drinking well.  Arrowood's regular bottlings are probably one of my favorites year in and year out.  Nice concentration, no rough edges, difficult to find problems with this one. Silky smooth.  My wife Victoria loves this style.  89 points. "
"Johan55",2000/4/11,"1996 Pontet Canet,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Pontet Canet","","France",0,"By instructions from my newly found wine merchant I poured a bottle of Pontet-Canet '96 into a decanter yesterday afternoon. I tested it and it was very tannic, very acidic, closed and tight but promising, showing lots of fruit. Today, 24 hours later, I tried it again. My gooooood. What a transformation. I could hardly believe what I had in my glass. I STRONGLY suggest you make this experiment. This rugged beauty has suddely transformed into a slick, racy, lean, slick masterpiece. The nose is incredible, showing at least a 100 per cent more lovely fruit 24 hours later. I didn't even have to stick my nose down there to feel its bouquet. Concentrated, boy that's a laugh. Open, showing all sorts of wonderful complex flavours. I could go on and on but now I have to get back to my glass."
"Hansen",2000/4/13,"1982 Calon Segur,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1982,"Calon Segur","","France",92,"The next wine was a little more acidic than the previous bottles, but still with nice fruit and good overall balance. I found it to be fully mature, rated it 92, and would not keep it for much more than 5 years before drinking it as I felt the acidity was &quot;tackling the fruit from behind&quot;."
"Hansen",2000/4/13,"1982 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [96]",1982,"Gruaud Larose","","France",96,"Now the next wine was completely different. Massive, concentrated, but still very well-balanced and complex with lots of ripe fruit and not that far away from full maturity. I love this style of wine and simply had to rate it a 96 due to the incredible balance. I guessed it to be Leoville Las Cases, but was wrong again. It was Gruaud Larose '82. What a pleasant surprise. Actually we had this wine from Magnum on New Years Eve and although it was quite closed at that point in time there was no doubt it was a great wine. Back then I rated it 94."
"Hansen",2000/4/13,"1982 La Conseillante,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1982,"La Conseillante","","France",94,"The next wine was a bit disappointing at first, but after app. half an hour it really started to show what it had to offer. Getting better and better in an extremely elegant way I had to uprate my initial score of 91 every 15 minutes and my score finally stopped at 94."
"Hansen",2000/4/13,"1982 Figeac,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1982,"Figeac","","France",95,"When the tasting started I barely had to sniff at the first wine to know this was something extraordinary. Fantastic sophisticated bouquet of sweets and flowers and a taste that was so complex it was hard to believe. Maybe a Cos? I rated it a 95."
"Hansen",2000/4/13,"1982 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1982,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",94,"The next wine was extremely concentrated, somewhat closed and typically Bordeaux with lots of black currants and other berries, but definitely not fully mature at present. I had absolutely no idea what this could be, but never had a doubt that it was a great wine. I ended up rating it 94."
"Hansen",2000/4/13,"1982 La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [97]",1982,"La Mission Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",97,"The next wine was a monster. Perfectly balanced with a fantastically perfumed bouquet and tons of ripe fruit, yet super-concentrated. Although it was drinking extremely well I have no doubt that this baby will last for 20 - 30 years, maybe even longer. I rated it 97."
"JScott",2000/4/15,"1996 Teofilo Reyes, Spain",1996,"Teofilo Reyes","","",0,"Ruby in the glass and a blast of fruit on the nose.  Gobs of cherry and red berry with some oak and spice.  A little hard tannin at the back door tells me I should wait a bit on the next ones.  A different style and nice departure, recommended.  I'm having fun with Spain lately.  "
"JScott",2000/4/15,"1993 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, Ornellaia,  Tuscany , Italy  [88]",1993,"Tenuta dell'Ornellaia","","Italy",88,"The wine is a deep purple, opaque.  Floral bouquet with some grasses and peppers.  Delicate and soft with a lighter style and structure.  Some hints of nice raspberry and mint with a longer finish than I expected given the style.  A bit monochromatic at the end, though, to mix three or four metaphors.  Improves from one glass to the next, but I'd give it an 88 tonight.  I believe the '95 is a better vintage."
"JScott",2000/4/15,"1987 Tenuta San Guido, Sasssicaia,  Tuscany , Italy",1987,"Tenuta San Guido","","Italy",0,"Decided to pour this one with filet mignon, sauteed mushrooms, corn on the cob and french bread.  Good weekend to fire up the grill.  A deep garnet with really not the slightest hint of rust over the edge.  The nose is earthy with muted berry and spice.  A little thin in the middle and overall lacking a bit of structure.  A pleasant wine but not spectacular.  I think the color is holding up better than the fruit as this one just seems a little tired and no match for my steak.  If you've got 'em, drink 'em, if you don't, pass."
"Cabfan",2000/4/20,"1986 Chateau Montelena,  Napa,  California , USA",1986,"Chateau Montelena","","USA",0,"WOW, a monster in the glass.  This seemed like a '94 or '95 California cab. Purple all the way to the rim, thick but not a sense of heaviness.  Rich, just a baby in terms of aging ability.  Significant tannins were hidden by the fruit."
"Cabfan",2000/4/20,"1986 Diamond Creek,  Napa,  California , USA",1986,"Diamond Creek","","USA",0,"Very good levels of fruit, dense, tasted like a younger wine to me.  Slight rust color at the rim, characteristic Cabernet nose but no Bordeaux-like complexity.  Could go longer.  "
"Cabfan",2000/4/20,"1986 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux",1986,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",0,"Intensely aromatic, really just leaps out of the glass, cedary/woodsy/wet stone characteristics, what we all love about Bordeaux.  Medium bodied but not light in any way.  Could age longer.  Seamless on the palete."
"Cabfan",2000/4/20,"1986 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1986,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",0,"I felt this was the weakest, but still good.  Extremely tannic, and I felt the fruit wasn't quite there to balance it.  Very closed nose, really nothing aromatically.  Tannins were harsh."
"Johan55",2000/4/20,"1990 Cos d'Estournel,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1990,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",95,"Do I have to say more. After the first sip I said to myself:&quot;God, I got to have more of this.&quot; Lovely, sweet tannis, and wonderfully balanced. And that famous Cos bouquet that everybody is raving about. Incredibly, concentrated fruit that almost made my head spin. I would say this is a seductive wine. Sexy. Medium dark ruby color. In my limited experience this is certainly a 95 point wine. At least."
"Cabfan",2000/4/24,"1987 Beringer, Private Reserve,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1987,"Beringer","","USA",93,"The Beringer was very different in character, of course, but not different in quality.  Amazingly youthful for a 13 year-old cab, I could have mistaken it for a '94 or '95, really.  Deep ruby color all the way to the rim.  One of the best aromas I've had recently in a cab, typical cabernet characteristics wafting out of the glass.  This really could age more.  Just a tad too much tannin, but everything was still balanced and I really think cab doesn't get much better than this unless you get into some of the cult stuff.  Then again, this bottle would probably retail for $120, and for that money I'd go Bordeaux for sure.  But, this is a damn good bottle of wine."
"Cabfan",2000/4/24,"1988 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1988,"Lynch Bages","","France",93,"For an '88 the Lynch is very impressive.  Deeply fruity, very ripe, loooong finish.  Just about ready to drink now, but could hold longer.  Typical Paulliac nose of pencil shavings, that cedary quality that you just do not find in cabernets.  Very slight lightening around the edge of the glass.  Very typical Bordeaux character, not a profound blockbuster but nevertheless extremely enjoyable and I would definitely buy more if I came across some.  Balanced, elegant, they did very well in '88.  I wouldn't give it 97 points like WS, but it wasn't too far off, either."
"JScott",2000/5/1,"1996 Jadot, Pommard,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [87]",1996,"Jadot","","France",87,"Clear, healthy ruby color.  Typical Burgundian nose of musty wet earth dominated by cherry and floral hints of lilac.  Loads of fruit which seem to evaporate a bit through the middle into a moderately tannic finish.  I'm looking for a bit more nuance.  I suppose this will improve with age but I'm not quite as enthusiastic as Spectator's 92, which I think is about 5 too high.  I have a few more in the cellar, we'll see what kind of teenagers they become..."
"Hansen",2000/5/3,"1989 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1989,"Lynch Bages","","France",91,"The next wine was almost impossible to evaluate. It had a beautiful deep colour, but the bouquet was very closed and too dominated by acidity and tannins to show any elegance at present. The taste could be described in the same way, but don't get me wrong, the wine still had great structure and potential, so I rated it 91."
"Hansen",2000/5/3,"1982 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1982,"Lynch Bages","","France",92,"After this great experience we had another greatly balanced and mature wine that was reaching full maturity, but still had lots of fruit, freshness and a super-elegant acidity that gave it that extra little something. I rated it 92."
"Hansen",2000/5/3,"1990 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1990,"Lynch Bages","","France",92,"The wine that followed was much more sweet, with a bouquet that could inspire the invention of cassis chewing gum (at least I know of no such thing), but a taste that was less nuanced, although the potential was still obvious. I ended up rating the wine 92."
"Hansen",2000/5/3,"1985 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1985,"Lynch Bages","","France",94,"With an almost mature colour and a great, intense fruity bouquet combined with a taste of wooden cigarbox and berries this wine did not only reveal drinkability now, but also potential for another 10 - 15 years of cellaring. I rated it 94."
"Hansen",2000/5/3,"1986 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1986,"Lynch Bages","","France",90,"Nice, very &quot;clean&quot; bouquet and a taste that started out somewhat thin, but gained sweetness and velvety fruit with time in the glass. At first I did not like it, but then changed my opinion and ended up giving Lynch Bages 1986 a 90 point score."
"Hansen",2000/5/3,"1970 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1970,"Lynch Bages","","France",94,"The last wine was fully mature, but it still had brillant fruit and a bouquet that made me think of raisins. The combination of this extravagant fruit, well-integrated acidity and alcohol surely convinced me, and I gave it 94 points without hesitation."
"Hansen",2000/5/3,"1988 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1988,"Lynch Bages","","France",93,"A dark, very intense ruby colour and a bouquet with all sorts of black berries and chocolate combined with great balance. The taste was less intense and a little more acidic than expected, but it still had good structure. I rated the wine 93. "
"Hansen",2000/5/4,"1982 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1982,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",95,"A ripe, woody bouquet with lots of sweet fruit and tar combined with a multi-layered, fruity, flowery taste made this wine very special and I simply found it extraordinary. It was the Grand Puy Lacoste 1982 and I had to give it 95, just to make a point. In my opinion this is also a wine to haunt down at auction if you are able to get it at a fair price."
"Hansen",2000/5/4,"1985 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1985,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",91,"The next wine was a pleasant surprise and at this point in the evening it was nice to have a wine that seemed fully mature, with nuances like earth and wood, but also enough fruit to give a nice balance. It was Grand Puy Lacoste 1985 and with the wine showing so well, I would recommend to drink it over the next few years. My score was 91."
"Hansen",2000/5/4,"1989 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1989,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",85,"I was disappointed with the next wine, as it was quite hollow, a little green and quite hard. It did have some structure, but it was very dry and this is not my style of wine so I gave it 85 points and was disappointed to find out it was Grand Puy Lacoste 1989."
"Hansen",2000/5/4,"1990 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1990,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",94,"A fantastic, classic cassis bouquet, loads of ripe fruit and a superb balance made this wine extraordinary and the the only thing that kept me from rating it higher than 94 points was the fact, that the aftertaste got a little too dry after app. 30 seconds. The wine was Grand Puy Lacoste 1990 and if you find this at auction you should not hesitate if the price is right."
"Hansen",2000/5/4,"1983 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1983,"Gruaud Larose","","France",87,"The first wine in this tasting was kind of backward, although it had a nice little strawberry-sweetness and some anis in the bouquet, medium body and an almost oily-textured, but quite dry taste. It was Grand Puy Lacoste 1983 and I gave it 87 points and would recommend to drink this wine now, as the fruit will otherwise disappear completely."
"Hansen",2000/5/4,"1988 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [82]",1988,"Gruaud Larose","","France",82,"The next wine was kind of backward, almost dusty and it had some kind of chemical nuances in both bouquet and taste. It had a well-defined structure, but the lack of finesse made me dislike it, so I ended up giving it 82 points."
"Hansen",2000/5/4,"1986 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [84]",1986,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",84,"This wine resembled the 1989 with its dry style and lack of nuances, so I simply found it boring and gave it 84 points. I was somewhat surprised when it was revealed that it was Grand Puy Lacoste 1986 and my imidiate conclusion was, that the quality of Grand Puy Lacoste differs extremely from year to year."
"JScott",2000/5/6,"1995 Pavie Macquin,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1995,"Pavie Macquin","","France",0,"Really didn't give it the air a young pup like this deserves, but I'm sitting and swirling.  Deep, dark garnet.  It is a little closed I think, a little shy on the nose.  Is there such a thing as a tannic bouquet?  It has all the stuff, tremendous extraction, fruit, mineral and earth still cloaked in a blanket of tannin.  Wow, is this really Merlot?  This one definitely needs some time, but I'm a patient man.  My kind of wine.  Big, full palate to match the firm backbone.  Just needs a cozy place to grow up.  This will be killer in 5-10 years and makes me salivate over the '98.  I'm clearing well-deserved cellar space for both."
"Johan55",2000/5/6,"1982 Leoville Poyferre,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1982,"Leoville Poyferre","","France",0,"I didn't decant the wine which was obviously a mistake. Very dark ruby color and a HUGE nose that almost made me dizzy. The lack of air made the wine taste a little bit closed but it still showed lots of sweet black fruit. Quite well balanced but the tannins seemed a little hard. A medium to full-bodied wine, I'm still happy to have 11 more of these at 95 US. And next time I'll let it breathe for a couple of hours."
"Hansen",2000/5/7,"1988 La Fleur de Gay,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1988,"La Fleur de Gay","","France",90,"The last wine had a personality that was not that far from the 1989, but it had more wood and seemed a little tougher. It was well structured and nicely balanced, but although I could not find any real flaws, I could also not find the finesse or elegance that would make this wine really great. Maybe I was a little conservative in my score as I only gave it 90 points and maybe it was still kind of closed."
"Hansen",2000/5/7,"1989 La Fleur de Gay,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1989,"La Fleur de Gay","","France",91,"quality I was a little disappointed by the wine that followed. It had a relly nice colour and a nice taste with raspberries and strawberries, but the bouquet was somewhat one-dimensional and the taste quickly got too dry. It was not a bad wine at all, but it just lacked the intensity to be really special so I gave it 91 points. This was the 1989 La Fleur de Gay and I must add, that I have previously had bottles that were at least two points better."
"Hansen",2000/5/7,"1986 La Fleur de Gay,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1986,"La Fleur de Gay","","France",93,"At this point in time I was getting used to better wines all the time and I was not to be disappointed by the next bottle. It had a fully mature, very sophisticated bouquet and an elegant, sweet taste with just a hint of dryness. It was La Fleur de Gay 1986 and I liked this one so I rated it 93."
"Hansen",2000/5/7,"1990 La Fleur de Gay,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1990,"La Fleur de Gay","","France",92,"Now it was getting better all the time as the next wine was almost mature and had a very elegant, almost meaty bouquet. The taste was nicely structured and it had lots of ripe fruit, so I really liked it, had to give it a 92 point score."
"Hansen",2000/5/7,"1995 La Fleur de Gay,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1995,"La Fleur de Gay","","France",90,"A nice, elegant bouquet that seemed almost creamy combined with an elegant acidity and a taste with elements of raspberries and earth impressed me, but it was a little &quot;light&quot; and I in my opinion it lacked a little body to be really great so I gave it 90 points. This was the 1995 La Fleur de Gay and I would not recommend to store it much longer than 10 years."
"Hansen",2000/5/7,"1993 La Fleur de Gay,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1993,"La Fleur de Gay","","France",88,"The next wine had the same (lack of) personality, but the bouquet was a little nicer, fruitier and with a hint of liquorice and even some cassis. The taste was quite different, more astringent and a little hollow, but there were still some nice berries to be found. It was the La Fleur de Gay 1993 and I gave it 88."
"Hansen",2000/5/7,"1994 La Fleur de Gay,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1994,"La Fleur de Gay","","France",87,"Nice colour, but a alcoholic, minty bouquet and taste without much fruit to back up. After half an hour in the glass the fruit emerged, but only weakly and the wine never got really balanced so I rated it 87."
"Hansen",2000/5/9,"1995 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [95]",1995,"Dominus","","USA",95,"The next wine was younger and even better. A super-intense bouquet with candy, chocolate and lots of flowers was combined with a delicious, fruity taste that was very well structured. I really liked this one and simply had to give it 95 points, just to find out that this was a vintage Mr. Parker is not that hysterical about."
"Hansen",2000/5/9,"1990 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [94]",1990,"Dominus","","USA",94,"The wine that followed had a superb and very complex bouquet with coffee, tobacco and even Coca-Cola. The taste was less complex, but it was delicious and had a long, well-defined aftertaste that did not get dry. Again there were a lot of different opinions, but I rated this one 94, where others went as low as 88 (95 was the highest score given)."
"Hansen",2000/5/9,"1989 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1989,"Dominus","","USA",93,"The next wine was a real beauty. Mature colour, super-charming bouquet with tons of cassis, anis a little mint and a just as charming taste with good structure made me like it a lot and consequently i gave it 93 points. I was very surprised to find out that it was Dominus 1989 as this was not the best vintage in California."
"Hansen",2000/5/9,"1987 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1987,"Dominus","","USA",90,"The next wine was very similar with a very charming bouquet with some nice fruit, but also a acidity that I found too astringent. It tasted a little &quot;light&quot; and dried out on the palate after app. 20 seconds, so I gave it 90 points. It was Dominus 1987 and I have to comment on my score as several other tasters did not agree with my point of view and rated the wine as high as 96 (or as low as 88)."
"Hansen",2000/5/9,"1986 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [91]",1986,"Dominus","","USA",91,"It was a mature wine with lots of alcohol and a bouquet with elements of cherries and wood that I almost found Bordeaux-like. The taste was very dry and earthy and in my opinion it lacked finesse so I rated this one 91."
"Hansen",2000/5/9,"1991 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [96]",1991,"Dominus","","USA",96,"The last wine was another superb bottle. Approaching maturity this wine still had incredible strength and an almost crisp acidity I really liked. It also had several layers of fruit, cassis and flowers in the taste and last, but not least an aftertaste that kept getting sweeter, rather than drier. What a wine. My score was 96 and the Dominus 1991 really impressed me. After this tasting it is still my opinion that Parker is too generous when rating Dominus, but that does not mean, that this is not an excellent wine."
"Hansen",2000/5/9,"1994 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [94]",1994,"Dominus","","USA",94,"If I had not known we were tasting American wine I would have guessed the next wine to be a Bordeaux. Very concentrated, yet with sweetness and enormous strength combined with pure, well-defined tannins I would have guessed at a young, closed Bordeaux like Pichon Lalande, but in fact it was Dominus 1994. Due to the closed appearance I found it difficult to evaluate, but ended up giving it 94 points as the wine was very well balanced and showed lots and lots of potential."
"Hansen",2000/5/10,"1986 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [94]",1986,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",94,"Slightly mature, very intense ruby colour. Great bouquet with spices, strawberry, oranges and tobacco and an acidity that contributes a lot to the superb balance. The taste is a little more backward and dry, with well-defined tannins. After some time in the glass the nuances are emerging, but this wine is still quite closed at this point in time. I gave it 94 points."
"Hansen",2000/5/10,"1990 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [95]",1990,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",95,"Superpure colour with just a hint of maturity. The bouquet is fat, almost oily and heavy, but also incredibly sweet due to tons of ripe fruit. Earth, cedar and some acidity, but the acidity is extremely well-balanced and makes the wine even more intense. The taste is a little lighter and oh, so elegant, but it also has great concentration and a raspberry-like sweetness. Amazing potential, I would not be surprised to see this wine receive two points more in ten years time, but for now I ""only"" gave it a 95 point score."
"Hansen",2000/5/10,"1982 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [95]",1982,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",95,"The colour is just as intense, but marginally more mature than the previous wines. The bouquet is superb, with enormous concentration and layers and layers of sweet, ripe fruit and a perfumed complexity that made me think of both flowers and Valrhôna chocolate. The taste is so pure it is hard to believe. It is also strong, well-balanced and crammed with elements of truffles and mocca and it has an aftertaste that lasts for more than a minute. I just had to give this wine 95 points."
"Hansen",2000/5/10,"1989 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [97]",1989,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",97,"Fantastic deep, elegant colour. The bouquet is so ""thick"" it is hard to believe and after a few minutes in the glass the overwhelming complexity of this wine emerges. Earth, wood, tar, liqourice and coffee were just a few of the nuances I found. The taste is a little more closed, but with a lot of swirling it gets almost just as profound as the bouquet. Big, challenging and strong with elegant nuances of wet earth and berries, but also impeccably balanced, this is a wine with enormous potential. In my opinion it is a 97 point wine."
"Dawson",2000/5/10,"1996 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [97]",1996,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",97,"The LLC was enormous, dark, murky, black fruits, pencil and leather, and yet not heavy at all-- instead it was incredibly well-integrated and smooth.  The glass was absolutely brimming with fruit, which seemed to float above the oak and the tannins, which are polished and soft.  I would rate it a 96+, and probably closer to a solid 97.  I agree that the aromatics were not mind-blowing, but if they do develop more intensity, the wine could merit a near perfect rating.  It is the ultimate Pauillac/ St. Julian hybrid.  However, nothing about the wine steps up and slaps you in the face, except for the incredible depth of fruit flavor in the midpalette, which assures you that this wine will taste exquisite for at least 30+ years.  That, in and of itself, is a feat.  Although quaffable now, I would not recommend pulling a cork for another four years, although I am tempted to update my notes on this wine."
"Hansen",2000/5/11,"1959 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [96]",1959,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",96,"Mature, deep and very beautiful colour. Amazing bouquet with lots of meat, truffles, smoke and a clean, metallic element. Again creamy (like the Lafite), but this time the acidity is a little less elegant, although the balance is still close to perfect. The taste resembles the bouquet with elements of grilled meat, coal and even spices combined with enormous strength and an elegant style that gets a little dry towards the end. It is still a fantastic wine, but the the aftertaste was a little shorter than the Lafite and it got a little more dry on the palate, so I ended up rating this wine 96. This was the first time I have tasted Mouton Rothschild 1959 and I must mention, that I have friends who claim to have tasted better bottles of this wine, but I was still very, very impressed."
"Hansen",2000/5/11,"1959 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [98]",1959,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",98,"Mature, very elegant colour with nice intensity. Fantastic bouquet, tons and tons of opulent, totally ripe fruit and an elegance that is hard to believe, but also massive and with a great structure that would have made me think of a 1982 if I had tasted the wine double blind. The taste is actually better than the bouquet. Apple, cedar and an overwhelming softness that made me think of cream. The aftertaste lasts for more than a minute and it does not get the least bit dry, but just keeps up the intensity the whole time. The combination of full maturity and perfect balance and intensity made me go totally wild, so I gave this fantastic wine a 98 point score."
"JScott",2000/5/11,"1997 Mariah,  California , USA",1997,"Mariah","","USA",0,"Deep garnet color, but a bit lighter than I typically expect for zin.  Refrained bouquet of peppery berry, something a bit stale?  The attack fades quickly to a thin middle and a hot and tannic finish.  Not enough fruit to balance the acid and alcohol, and really not much fruit on the whole. An overall disappointment, don't plan to finish the bottle.  Not recommended."
"Roberto",2000/5/13,"1985 Leoville Barton, St. Julien, Bordeaux, France [85]",1985,"Leoville Barton","","France",85,"Ruby color.  The bottle was in good shape. Moderately expressive nose of it's terrior.  Four-square to the taste it tastes quite rustic to me.  A paucity of fruit in the middle and a dusty finish.  Not a wine I'll be chasing."
"JScott",2000/5/13,"1994 Remirez de Genuza, Rioja, Spain  [92]",1994,"Remirez de Genuza","","Spain",92,"A Tempranillo-based blend, dark purple and a bit opaque (unfiltered, unfined) with a beautiful bouquet of dark berries, spice and gunpowder/mineral.  It is full with layered dark fruits, spice toward the back end and a long, sweet finish.  Recommended for current consumption although I'm sure it will age nicely for at least a decade.  "
"Dawson",2000/5/14,"1996 Chateau St. Jean, Cinq Cepages,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [94]",1996,"Chateau St. Jean","","USA",94,"It was too damn dark in the restaurant, so I couldn't make a dispositive coloration analysis; at a minimum, I think its fair to say the wine is a deep garnet-purple.  The aromatics are without a doubt characterizd by sweet, ripe, upfront fruit-- reminscent of stewed strawberries, cherries, Hawaiin Punch (in a good way) and boysenberries (ala Dannon's Boysenberry Yogurt); subtle floral, chocolate, mint and nutmeg aromas also were detected.  With aeration a subdued Groth-like bell pepper element is detected, and the fruit becomes less sweet.  The flavors follow the fruit profile, and while the fruit is definitely &quot;upfront&quot;, hints of leather, minerals, herbs and spice on the long finish provide sophistication to what is in my opinion an otherwise flashy, decadent bottle!!!  The myriad flavors explode on the palette, and make this wine a very, very compelling offering.  However, it lacks a certain depth and structure that I consider the hallmarks of a &quot;classic&quot; wine. It is medium-full bodied, and, for lack of a better word: scrumptuous.  It's the kind of wine you want to drink at least two bottles of at a sitting, as it is not heavy at all, and that's saying a lot.  However, IMHO, this is not a wine to lay down for extended cellaring.  Drink now and from 2000-2006, as the structure is questionable at this stage.    Compared to another 96 classic, the Leoville Las Cases, this wine is an unadulterated california showstopper, while the LLC is a regal, intense and overpowering legend.  The Cinq Cepages gets a solid 94 points."
"Roberto",2000/5/21,"1983 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1983,"Gruaud Larose","","France",85,"Neil (Rightbrain) and I opened this one at his place.  Light garnet in color with some brown at the rim. The nose was just so pretty.  It spoke of mature St. Julien with soil, pine and spice.  Just smelling this one was a pleasure.  The taste was not as good as the nose.  It was dilute and barely holding it's fruit.  The finish was just plain dry - a turn off.  This wine has passed it's peak and should be consumed."
"Dawson",2000/5/21,"1982 La Lagune,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1982,"La Lagune","","France",91,"rich ruby coloration at the core, slight lightening at the edge.  Aromas of sweet plums, slight mineral/cedar.  The wine is very concentrated and intense, but velvety.  Soft cherry, coconut and chocolate flavors emerge as the wine breathes.  Good level of glycerin.  Throwing some sediment.  Can be held for another 4 years easily;  I would wait another two years before trying again."
"Dawson",2000/5/22,"1996 Harlan Estate, Estate,  Napa,  California , USA  [98]",1996,"Harlan Estate","","USA",98,"I never had Harlan before.  I'll say this much: sell all your 1996 LLC and Lafite to get a bottle of this wine.  It was the greatest young american wine I have ever had-and one of the greatest wines I have ever had, period.  The wine has an intensity, seamlessness and focus unlike anything else-- the only way to describe it is imagine a laser beam of sweet dark fruit flavors and chocolate that's beamed onto your palette.  Brown sugar aromas and flavors, and a high alcohol content and acidity round out the taste profile.  It is liquid crack.  It is serious stuff.  I rated it 98 points.  Will it last more than 5-7 years?  Not sure, but it doesn't matter."
"Dawson",2000/5/22,"1996 Shafer, Hillside Select,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1996,"Shafer","","USA",93,"High alcohol, meaty, a touch earthy, and very complex flavors.  Ripe dark fruit.  Better in 2-4 years, and will last another 10-15 years.  But glass to glass against the Harlan, I thought it was left in the dust.  Rated this 93 points."
"Dawson",2000/5/22,"1996 Araujo,  Napa,  California , USA  [91]",1996,"Araujo","","USA",91,"Earthy-slight leather, briary fruit, bacon fat and meat, high alcohol.  The finish is very short, and uneventful.  91 points. "
"Claret",2000/5/23,"1880 Ramos Pinto, Vintage Port, Portugal",1880,"Ramos Pinto","","Portugal",0,"The color was a light brown tawny, but very much still alive.  This pre phylloxera beauty had lots of  caramel and toffee on the nose and palate.  It was very intense and reminded me of an old Madeira with lower acidity.  Unfortunately it is not available for sale, but came direct from the wineries cellar."
"JScott",2000/5/24,"1998 Beaux Freres,  Oregon , USA",1998,"Beaux Freres","","USA",0,"My initial impression is that it will be the best I've had stateside, though this is admittedly not saying much.  My humble opinion is that we Yanks are closer in quality (if not character) to the Old World with Cab and Merlot than Pinot.  Burgundy still gets the heavy edge.  In any case, it has the typical earthy, mushroomy Pinot nose with a floral complexity.  Many of the same notes on the palate, though it's still tight as a drum.  Has more power than any domestic I've yet sampled, will be fun to watch this evolve and unwind"
"JScott",2000/5/24,"1996 Dominico Clerico, Arte,  Barolo,  Piedmont , Italy",1996,"Dominico Clerico","","Italy",0,"Dark red color, slightly opaque.  Nose dominated by dark fruits, simple, hints of spice and tar.  Again, dark fruits and modest spice heavily obscured by dense and ferocious tannin.  Opened this one way too soon.  If you've got 'em, hold 'em.  I'd give it five years before another look.  Seems to have the fruit to hold balance, and I think it will be a nice one.  I'm not sure it will be terribly complex but it's always hard to tell behind this mouth puckering wall.  Judgement reserved, though I believe it will be a 90+ wine."
"Johan55",2000/5/25,"1990 Montrose,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France",1990,"Montrose","","France",0,"The wine is extremely dark purple, almost black. The nose at this point seems a little closed but still very promising. Dark fruit, earthy, very heavy. Perfume, as someone said. ... The color is very intense. The nose is huge, earthy, barnyard, black berries. My friend said: &quot;This wine smells like a full meal&quot;. This came from the meaty odours that I found in there somewhere, yes like grilled steak or something. Lovely legs in the glass, very thick wine. In the mouth this wine is very concentrated and has high levels of alcohol. I found violets together with sweet black fruits. Tannic but pleasently so. In my limited experience, the finish is extremely long."
"JScott",2000/5/28,"1996 Couhins Lurton, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux France [88]",1996,"Couhins Lurton","","BordeauxFrance",88,"Lovely transparent, golden color.  Bouquet mostly citrus, a hint of lemon, maybe honey, but I mostly got Mandarin orange.  Somewhat closed on the palate, I thought, surprised to find less there initally than I had on the nose.  Finished this I believe a day (or two? - see above) later, more open and showy with time and air.  More complexity with some layers of apple with citrus, and reasonable length.  I will admit some disappointment on day one, but liked it better on second look.  Although I have no real business giving this a numerical score based on my lack of experience, I will grade it purely on a pleasure scale.  88"
"JScott",2000/5/28,"1994 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1994,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",0,"Decanted about two hours (not enough - showed best after hours and better the next day) which was a striking  contrast.  Lovely sweet bouquet and full palate.  The Chasse is a fading old soldier and this one bursts from the bottle with new fruit and still heavy tannin (a '94 hallmark?).  The fruit here is up to the tannic challenge, though.  Suffice to say, this is a beauty.  For those of you not inclined to spring for the '95 or '96, this is still available in the comparatively reasonable $65-70 range.  With sufficient decanting it can be approached now and will easily go 10-15 more at a minimum.  Recommended."
"JScott",2000/5/28,"1989 Chasse Spleen,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1989,"Chasse Spleen","","France",87,"Some greenish slight corrosion inside the capsule, though the cork is intact and the fill level is mid-neck.  Always a bit of a risk with provenance on these local, older bottles.  Decanted about an hour.  Strikingly orange to brick in color throughout.  Nose dominated by heavy earth, some mustiness, spice.  Muted dark fruits, heavy spice on the palate to an attenuated but warm finish.  No wine on earth has the warmth of red Bordeaux.  Something relaxing and reassuring, like sitting near a camp fire.  I think this one (at least this bottle) is fading, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.  I would love to hear others notes on this one as I suspect this one suffers Progeria due to a harsh upbringing.  Can't score this bottle higher than a generous 87, but I have no regret with the purchase."
"Cabfan",2000/5/31,"1989 Château de Beaucastel CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône, France [98]",1989,"Château de Beaucastel CdP","","France",98,"I poured two glasses and let them sit for about 20 minutes.  Not much aromatic development immediately, but the first sip told me that this is not an ordinary wine. The flavors are so concentrated, so intense, that it's hard to describe.  You might get the same feeling when you suck on a strong breath mint, like an Altoids, and you need to suck air into your mouth to lessen the intensity.  Victoria said it was like making frozen orange juice and only putting half the water in. Every pore in your mouth is coated and the finish seemingly goes on for minutes.  But all of this happens without harsh tannins or heaviness. The nose really started to pick up at this point with all the leathery/barnyardy characteristics of a great Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  I have to use a typical Parkerism here and say that this wine is the stuff that legends are made of!  It will age forever. In my opinion, the only wines in the world that can stand up to Bordeaux in terms of quality are great Hermitage and CdP's like this one.  Until somebody shows be a Burgundy that doesn't taste watered down, I suppose. I regretted not decanting it because the sediment could have plugged up a sewer drain, making the last glass too ""chewy"".  No filtering here! A solid 97-98 points, for sure. Wow."
"Johan55",2000/6/1,"1989 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"Palmer","","France",0,"Right after opening the bottle the nose was rather closed with smokey, meaty, barnyard odors. Almost black color. 4 hour later, in the glas, the fruit and flowers had just exploded. Quite a show. Wonderful nose and lots of Whuzzup bubbles. In the mouth, sweet black fruit, harmonius with lean tannins. Very concentrated, medium to full bodied, easier to drink than the 1990 Montrose, although I think this is also quite a mouthful. Couldn't find any licorice as Parker did, though. I enjoyed this wine tremendously and if you find a bottle don't hesitate."
"JScott",2000/6/2,"1996 Pahlmeyer, Red,  Napa,  California , USA",1996,"Pahlmeyer","","USA",0,"Inky purple to the edge, opaque.  The bouquet is dominated by dark berry and chocolate, with hints of mint and smoke.  Similar notes on the palate, which is about as dense as they come.  Huge layers of black cherry, tar and currant.  It takes a half second or two for everything to even register.  Beyond huge - intense.  What makes these wines so compelling is that this massive extraction is still in near perfect balance.  It is satiny smooth while being stunningly compressed with fruit.  I was through a half bottle before I blinked, in part because I kept going for another sip to catch up to the middle, and in part because this slides down almost involuntarily.  Fabulous wine."
"DavidL",2000/6/2,"1983 Rieussec,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1983,"Rieussec","","France",93,"The label's a bit faded from the dampness of my cellar and something's had a chew at the capsule but the bottle shone like a gold bar as I carried it to the house. A good long cork came out easily with my Screwpull but I noticed quite a deposit of tartrate along the side of the bottle so I lit a candle to make sure of two perfect ISO glassfulls. (I'll decant the rest when we finish it tomorrow.) The golden colour was even more marked in the glass, of course, but the most marked feature was the intense bouquet of apricots with balancing botrytis to remind me this was serious stuff. On the palate the notes were honey and tropical fruits but with a beautiful clean acidity that complemented the strawberries perfectly. Elegance with a tremendous length would be the summary.The second half of the bottle had developed a richness that was a bit lacking yesterday, which was why I emphasised the elegance then. The improvement was a clear half a point UK or a couple of points US, so I'll be decanting the next bottle into two halves before I taste it. <br><br> "
"Claret",2000/6/4,"1985 Cheval Blanc,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1985,"Cheval Blanc","","France",0,"Tobacco, cedar, menthol and red cherries on the nose.  Flavors of cedar, tobacco, earth, dried cherries and vanilla. Silky smooth tannins and medium length."
"Claret",2000/6/4,"1985 Krug,  Champagne , France",1985,"Krug","","France",0,"The best champagne I have ever had.  Rich and fat bready notes on the nose.  Smooth and creamy with an endless stream of fine bubbles. Very rich."
"Claret",2000/6/4,"1992 Louis Latour, Corton Charlemagne,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France",1992,"Louis Latour","","France",0,"Powerful earth and oak notes in the bouquet.  Rich and persistent flavors of earth, apple and subtle oak.  Very long finish."
"Claret",2000/6/4,"1991 Caymus,  Napa,  California , USA",1991,"Caymus","","USA",0,"Aromas of ripe currant and oak.  Lots of ripe red and black currant with full body.  This was the group favorite, although not mine.  Much better than the bottle I had 3 years ago."
"Claret",2000/6/4,"1954 Henriques & Henriques, Bual Madeira, Portugal",1954,"Henriques & Henriques","","Portugal",0,"Aromas and flavors of toffee, caramel and chocolate, with a lovely lemony acidity for balance.  The finish was at least a full minute."
"Whuzzup_",2000/6/6,"1983 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France",1983,"Palmer","","France",0,"This wine was the subject of disagreement in our group. Tony found it to be over the hill. My girlfriend thought the Ducru was better. I, personally, was in heaven just smelling the thing. It has a hauntingly intense bouquet that reminded me a little of the 83 Margaux. The wine was still dark in color and still had many years left to evolve (if you ask me). I think drinking the Pahlemeyer right before this wine may have wreaked havoc upon our palates, but I found it to be the most profound wine of the night aromatically and the most delicate and complex."
"Whuzzup_",2000/6/6,"1996 Pahlmeyer, Red,  Napa,  California , USA",1996,"Pahlmeyer","","USA",0,"This is a really intense, fruit packed red. I think Dennis and my girlfiend both found blueberry. There was some kind of intense spice in the nose and also in the palate. The contrast between this and the Bordeaux wines couldn’t have been more stark. No subtle complexities here… just BAM! It clubs you over the head. I think this wine ruined the next wine for some of the group. The 96 Pahlemeyer is surely as intense and as great as the 95. Just don’t serve it in the middle of a Bordeaux tasting."
"Whuzzup_",2000/6/6,"1989 Brane-Cantenac,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"Brane-Cantenac","","France",0,"the nose was slightly mature and nicely intense. The color was still dark and it was quite large on the palate. I remember that 89 was a very good year for Palmer (according to other posts on this site), so perhaps the Margaux appellation as a whole had success that year. A very good wine and a great value."
"Whuzzup_",2000/6/6,"1989 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",0,"Well, we were all anticipating that musty, wet cardboard stench, but were all really impressed instead. There may have been a hint of funk, but then again it could have been our imaginations. This was a very good wine, deep on the palate with lots of dark fruits, and whatever might have been wrong with the nose undoubtedly blew off. If you come across this one for a cheap price (thanks to RP’s cautionary comments, no doubt) grab a few. "
"Whuzzup_",2000/6/6,"1997 Huet, Cuvee Constance,  Loire , France",1997,"Huet","","France",0,"I think this was the wine of the night (or at least the most enlightening). This stuff is on the same level as Yquem. And I’m serious. Dark gold color, thick looking. Beautiful citrus fruit on the huge finish. This stuff is spectacular and will age forever. "
"Dawson",2000/6/7,"1994 Matanzas Creek,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [91]",1994,"Matanzas Creek","","USA",91,"The cork had a ton of crystals on it and the wine threw a lot of sediment in the bottle, and some in the glass.  This is a very subtle wine- well balanced, the fruit, tannins and acidity are all even.  Slight chocolate.  Not as plump as you would expect.  More restrained than most cali merlot.  Slighly herbal, almost green pepper quality about it.  Medium-short finish.  A well-crafted and refined wine all around--imagine a merlot made by Lafite, minus the lead pencil. (91).  Drink now, as the fruit probably won't keep up with the structure."
"JScott",2000/6/10,"1997 Peter Michael, Les Pavots,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [95]",1997,"Peter Michael","","USA",95,"Dark, inky and opaque purple.  Seriously interesting nose that almost seems to change and drift from earthy brush and tar to mocha, lilac, spice, blackberry and back.  Dense mid-palate with dark fruits in layers, intermingled with spice, chocolate and earth, floral notes in the background.  Velvet in the mouth. Though well-structured, it's surprisingly accessible as the tannins are covered in thick, fruity extract.  Finishes long and warm.  A deeply pleasing wine I'll be hunting for and recommend highly.  95"
"JScott",2000/6/10,"1990 Filhot,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1990,"Filhot","","France",87,"My first experience with this estate.  Golden color, nose of apple, honey and peach with similar notes on the palate.  Not terribly deep or complex.  Medium body, texture and finish.  Nicely balanced and pleasant but missing any real excitement.  One for the patio.  87"
"Roberto",2000/6/12,"1985 Cos d'Estournel, St. Estephe, Bordeaux, France [89]",1985,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",89,"Immaculate bottle with a high fill and only the bottom of the cork wet.  Dark purple color.  Nose of youthful Bordeaux with pine aromas and some Cos spice.  The wine was tight and tasted of young primary cassis with mouth puckering tannin in the finish. In retrospect, it would have benefited from decanting as the last glass started to open and develope some comlexity. This bottle suggests that the wine is not ready for prime time.  Wait."
"Cabfan",2000/6/18,"1985 Diamond Creek, Volcanic Hill,  Napa,  California , USA",1985,"Diamond Creek","","USA",0,"Really, only a decent glass of 15 year old cabernet. Seems straitforward and I fear the fruit is starting to go. Not much happening here, drink up. My last bottle of this and I won't lose any sleep over it. The '86 is way better."
"Cabfan",2000/6/18,"1995 August Clape,  Rhone , France",1995,"August Clape","","France",0,"This is a wine for macho wine drinkers only. Let's call it the Charles Bronson of wines. This is a Northern Rhone Syrah based wine with lots of potential. Kind of a rough-and-tumble style with lots of tannins, but the fruit is definitely there to balance it out. Somewhat of a subdued nose right now, but some hints of the typical leathery/barnyardy characteristics. I don't have a lot of experience with Cornas, but I like this one. I would call it similar to Hermitage without the classiness."
"Cabfan",2000/6/18,"1995 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux",1995,"Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc","Bordeaux","France",0,"I bought some of this at the big sale at the Wine House in San Francisco that we were all drooling over. Very tasty white Graves. This is mostly Sauvignon Blanc, so there is some grassy/weedy characteristics. Aromatics are really nice, with some smoky overtones. Quite full bodied with almost an oily feel in the mouth. This baby has definitely spent some time in oak but it's not overpowering. My father noticed some slight vegetal characteristics but I didn't see that at all."
"Cabfan",2000/6/18,"1996 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Pichon Lalande","","France",0,"Wildly aromatic in kind of a grapey/floral way. Really leaps out at you. Doesn't look really dark purple in the glass, almost medium-bodied in appearance. Quite closed at this point but the potential is clearly there. Has an almost medicinal quality, iodine-like, but I don't mean that in the pejorative sense. This is clearly a good glass of juice, but I still think the '95 edges it out. The '95 is just a bit &quot;warmer&quot; in the mouth, more lush. Probably one of the reasons is that Lalande usually has about 35% to 40% Merlot, but the '96 only has about 5%. I'm sure this makes it more stern and unforgiving."
"JScott",2000/6/20,"1997 Culler, La Palette,  Napa,  California , USA",1997,"Culler","","USA",0,"Very deep, opaque garnet.  Not much of a nose initally, very reluctantly develops with time, more earth and mocha-tainted berry, spice on day two.  Similar deep berry and coffee notes on the palate, but rather monochromatic.  Finish is a bit hot and moderately tannic.  Only slightly more revealing on the second day.  Rather tight and disjointed, really, which is surprising since the party-line on '97 is generally ageworthiness but early accessibility.  Can't really recommend this in its current state but my intuition tells me this is a better wine than it is currently showing.  I have another, will give it a couple of years."
"Cabfan",2000/6/20,"1989 La Dominique,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"La Dominique","","France",0,"This is another St. Emilion that has the help of the legendary Michel Rolland in the making of the wine. It's 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. I've had this one bottle for about five years and was intrigued by the high score (93 points) from RP and the fact that La Dominique's wines seem a good value. I opened it up and let it sit in the open bottle for about three hours before pouring a glass and letting it sit awhile longer. It is still a very dark color all the way to the rim. The nose was not giving much for about an hour but then it really opened up with some wonderful Bordeaux nuances that seemed to change as time went by. At one point I swear I smelled smoked ham. It is very smooth on the palate, with a wonderful mouth-filling richness, ending with a very, very long finish. Tannins were present but did not get in the way. I would let this sit another five or more years. A very, very, impressive wine that I will be looking for more of."
"Dawson",2000/6/20,"1989 Meyney,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"Meyney","","France",0,"Dark blackish-garnet colored wine.  Tannic.  Noticeable oak aromas.  Slight leather; briary blueberry flavored fruit, some plum as well, and a touch of pepper in the mid-pallette.  Not much flesh, but a very satisfying wine with lamb chops ala Giovanni at Fratelli's Ristorante in New Rochelle New York. I rate this a 90+ pointer, with a window of optimum drinkability of at least 10 years.  Reminiscent of certain 95's I have tasted (Clerc Milon, La Cardonne), except more tannic than the Clerc and not as much body as the La Cardonne."
"Claret",2000/6/22,"1992 Clinet,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France",1992,"Clinet","","France",0,"After letting the bottle breath for 2 hours, we poured the first glass.  The color was showing some garnet lightening along the rim.  The nose revealed decadent aromas of truffles, plum and earth.  On the palate, truffles again, along with toasty oak and earth.  The texture was smooth and rich and drinking really well now.  I feel that it should continue to hold up for at least another 5 years."
"Roberto",2000/6/24,"1985 Michel Lafarge, Volnay Clos Des Chenes, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France [92]",1985,"Michel Lafarge","","France",92,"1985 Michel Lafarge Volnay Clos Des Chenes.  This bottle was given to me by a dear friend.  It has say since release in his passive cellar.  Immediately after pulling the cork the nose spoke of  maturity:  cedar chips, moist soil, dried fruit and flowers.  The color was light red in the middle and orange at the rim.  Very thin texture.  In the mouth it was so delicate and silky.  Diametrically opposed to the big Bordeaux I have been weaned on lately.  The wine coats the palate well and while not overpowering it stays with you and gives nice flavors of cherry, raspberry and a touch of minerality.  The wine was quite dry but really matched up well with a peasant stew.  Overall, this was a thought-provoking wine for me.  It is also a  nice case study in aging a Volnay 15 years."
"DavidL",2000/6/24,"1990 Rouget,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France",1990,"Rouget","","France",0,"It shows a deep purple-ruby in the glass with just a hint of an amber rim, which I take as the first sign of the plateau of maturity. There was but a faint nose of red fruits on the nose on decanting with a hint of leather but the usual Pomerol lightness and elegance on the palate. Too much lightness in fact until time and air had played their parts. An hour later the nose had developed more fruit and seemed to have lost the leather tones and the palate was distinctly fuller and well but not perfectly balanced as there was still not quite enough fruit to balance the soft tannins. It continued to develop in the glass throughout the meal but never really got the weight of fruit to lift it to the top rank."
"Dawson",2000/6/26,"1997 Barde Haut,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1997,"Barde Haut","","France",90,"This is the second time this year I've drunk the 97 Barde-Haut; the notes are very consistent for both occassions.  Dark ruby color, toasty oak nose, spicy oak, and cassis aromas.  Soft tannins, medium bodied, very smooth.  Plummy flavors and aromas emerge with time in the glass. Slight mineral flavor.  Shortish finish.  Overall, a very smooth merlot based wine, although this has more cab franc I think than many of the new wines from St. Emilion (maybe 25% Cab franc?), and integrates that cab franc in an almost seemless manner with the merlot; whereas many wines from St. Emilion can be disjointed, especially at a young age, this wine is very together.  I definitely think this is worthy of a solid 89-90 points.  Compared to another 90 point wine, say the 95 La Cardonne, this wine lacks the backbone of the former, but is way more svelte and supple.  I think this is delicious, easy drinking, and easily comprehensible bottle of swill, and at $27.00 US a bottle, is about right in price.  This is a good young wine to introduce people to bordeaux with."
"Johan55",2000/6/26,"1995 Costers del Siurana, Clos de L'Obac, Spain",1995,"Costers del Siurana","","Spain",0,"This wine has a dark purple color with beautiful intensity. Good amount of fruit, both on the nose and palate. Medium to full bodied. Impressingly concentrated. The finish, however, is marred with overpowering dry tannins and its quite acidic. I my opinion this wine is out of balance right now. I'm not sure if this wine will improve much more but I have two more bottles in my small cellar. I'll try another in five years."
"Whuzzup_",2000/6/27,"1994 La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [93]",1994,"La Mission Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",93,"Ahhh, the beautiful, ever changing nose of black fruits, tobacco, a little oak. The supple feel on the palate. The long long complex finish. I've had this wine in the past and I loved it more this time than ever before.... It was a long, complex, beautiful Graves that really impressed me. I would rate it a 93 and I was tempted to give it more.... I had to calm myself down."
"Whuzzup_",2000/6/27,"1997 Pahlmeyer,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1997,"Pahlmeyer","","USA",93,"Well, the Pahlmeyer Merlot (I'm going to abbreviate it PM from now on so I don't have to keep writing it out) is a very dark, obviously serious wine. The nose is FULL of ripe dark fruits. On the palate, this thing is huge, especially for a Merlot. Black licorice and a spicy twang is very evident. This thing is like getting hit over the head with dark, ripe wine concentrate. The finish was long and spicy, but I could notice the alchohol. I don't know if any of you, in your youth, ever experimented with spit tobacco, but if you did you would know that unpleasant burning tobacco spiceness that hits you when you accidentally swallow a bit. I haven't stuck any chew in my mouth since I was a stupid high school tyke, but the memory came back crystal clear on the finish."
"JScott",2000/6/30,"1995 Chave, Blanc,  Hermitage,  Rhone , France  [93]",1995,"Chave","","France",93,"Another testament to my lack of respect for Napa Chard.  Bright golden color, floral nose of citrus and a touch of honey and lemon.  Tropical fruits on the palate, but with terroir - minerals and flint undertones (the part that's missing from Napa).  Full and long.  A winner. Recommended.  93"
"JScott",2000/6/30,"1995 Montrose,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1995,"Montrose","","France",91,"Dark black purple, opaque.  Very fruit driven, on the nose and palate, but unmistakably Bordeaux.  Dark fruits and earth, saddle, leather and game.  Deeply extracted, could use a little unwinding but the tannin is friendly.  I'm sure this will evolve but is very accessible and enjoyable now.  For those with patience, let it sit a little longer; for those without, this is one to drink while your monster '96's sleep.  91"
"JScott",2000/7/1,"1997 Barde Haut,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1997,"Barde Haut","","France",87,"I think we can all agree that ten years from now no one will be fondly remembering any of the '97's.  With that as a starting point, I would say that I was not displeased with the Barde Haut.  A pleasant, if unspectacular, nose and palate of black cherry, pepper and leather.  Monochromatic and not terribly complex but balanced and supple.  I found the tannin mostly well-integrated, though the finish is rather attenuated.  I would probably score this 87 or 88.  For the money and vintage I think this is a reasonable Bordeaux."
"JScott",2000/7/3,"1995 La Gomerie,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1995,"La Gomerie","","France",92,"Violating my previous vow to make more use of my decanter, this one was poured straight away as the cork was pulled.  Deep garnet-purple.  Nose initially closed (my fault for rushing it), but opened noticeably over an hour.  Berries and mocha from the get-go, some spice in the background.  Round and full on the palate, complete on each end with a long, lingering finish of cherry, currant and blackberry, chocolate undertones.  Well-structured but very soft and hugely fruit-driven.  It's impossible not to like this intensely extracted wine which packs a wallop but slides down like silk. Completely blind, I might have difficulty saying with certainty this isn't a Napa effort; the only clue is the smoky earth it rides on.  For this reason, those of us who strongly prefer subtlety or traditional earthy, pencilled Bordeaux (and you know who you are, Jim!!) may not be swayed.  Personally, I am delighted to have the '98 en primeur.  While thoroughly approachable now, the initial reticence suggests it can go another eight or ten, though I'm not certain it will substantially change its stripes.  Recommended at the right price, 92.  "
"Claret",2000/7/4,"1994 Plince,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1994,"Plince","","France",88,"The ruby color extended to a garnet rim.  The nose revealed scents of light cedar and earth.  On the palate, chocolate and a touch of cedar were most apparent.  The texture was silky. The body was light to medium, with medium length.  Drink now to 2003.  88 points."
"JScott",2000/7/13,"1997 Domaine Dugat Py, Gevrey Chambertin VV,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [89]",1997,"Domaine Dugat Py","","France",89,"Clear and dark cherry-colored in the glass, rather closed on the nose and palate initially.  Evolved gracefully over hours and on the second day with violets and red berries, mostly cherry.  Round and full but largely lacking nuance at this stage, rather tannic.  Lingering finish.  This needs time but will improve, I think, into a very nice quaff.  I have a few others cellared, will try again in 2 or 3 years.  In its current form, 89."
"JScott",2000/7/15,"1997 Huet, Moelleux Clos de Bourg 1er trie,  Loire , France",1997,"Huet","","France",0,"An outstanding Vouvray in a once-in-a-generation kind of vintage.  Bought this (and others) based on the always solid advice of Whuzzup.  Deep straw colored with sweet, flowery citrus perfume on the nose.  Even with pouring this wine it has a visually softer, succulent texture.  This is matched by the mouth-feel, which is velvety and thick.  Lemon and hints of orange dominate, but honeysuckle and tropical fruits are hovering.  Sweet, full and long.  While the first syrupy sip suggests that a little will go a long way, I find myself pouring another.  Certainly a bottle to share, but difficult to resist."
"Hansen",2000/7/19,"1992 Caymus, Special Selection,  Napa,  California , USA  [95]",1992,"Caymus","","USA",95,"The second wine had a ruby, very intense colour. The bouquet was very perfumed and stuffed with wood, liquorice, strawberries and even a little tobacco. The taste was just as complex as the bouquet and it was extemely elegant with lots of raspberry and a little earth. I must admit that I really liked this wine, although some might find it &quot;too easy to understand&quot; and consequently I gave it a 95 rating. It was Caymus Special Selection 1992."
"Hansen",2000/7/19,"1995 Caymus, Special Selection,  Napa,  California , USA  [95]",1995,"Caymus","","USA",95,"The next wine had a young, thick purple colour. The bouquet had enormous quantities of fruit and it was super concentrated with the acididity and alcohol balancing it off well. I almost found it oily. The taste was a little less intense, but it had layers and layers of ripe, raisiny fruit and lots of flowers and perfume. Once again I would find it difficult not to like this wine and just had to give Caymus Special Selection 1995 a 95 score."
"Hansen",2000/7/19,"1990 Caymus, Special Selection,  Napa,  California , USA  [94]",1990,"Caymus","","USA",94,"The first wine had a mature, very elegant colour. The bouquet was almost silky with elements of ripe berries, meat and a hint of dill and so complex it was difficult to describe. The taste resembled the bouquet, very complex and elegant with cassis, chocolate cake and a very well defined acidity to balance the wine off. It was Caymus Special Selection 1990 and I just had to give it 94 points. This wine was fully mature and in my opinion it was the perfect point in time to drink this charmer, although it will last for 5 - 10 more years."
"Roberto",2000/7/19,"1990 Laboure-Roi, Charmes Chambertin,  Cote de Nuits,  Burgundy , France  [86]",1990,"Laboure-Roi","","France",86,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1828<br>1990 Laboure-Roi Charmes-Chambertin.  $45.  Mature nose of the barnyard with a touch of a few musky notes.  Medium bodied and semi-smooth but not silky from start to finish.  With air the wine actually became a bit hard-edged.  Nice dried cherry fruit with some oak noticeable.  Dry finish suggests this wine has peaked.  An OK producer in a great vintage.  A good but somewhat disappointing."
"Hansen",2000/7/20,"1996 Chapoutier, Ermitage Le Pavillion,  Hermitage,  Rhone , France  [94]",1996,"Chapoutier","","France",94,"It had a deep, purple colour, a bouquet with tones of liqourice, herbs and even flowers and several layers of fruit although they were a little hidden behind the acidity. The taste was closed at first, but after about half an hour in the glass the fruit started to show and the wine got a lot more interesting. Chocolate, vanilla, raisins and sweet berries made it more approachable. This was Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 1996 and I gave it 94 points."
"Hansen",2000/7/20,"1996 Chapoutier, Ermitage l'Ermite,  Hermitage,  Rhone , France  [98]",1996,"Chapoutier","","France",98,"The next wine was deeper, almost black in colour. It also had lots of glycerin, in fact it made me think of a young Vintage Port. The bouquet was stuffed with berries, foie gras, earth, tobacco plus lots and lots of other things and it also had a great fruit structure to balance out enormous quantities of tannin and alcohol. The taste was almost better. Some thought it was a little closed, but for me it revealed prunes, raisins, coffee and raspberry. The aftertaste seemed to last forever, I would say almost a minute and it neither lost in intensity or got dry. This was Chapoutier Ermitage l'Ermite 1996 and I found it absolutely spectacular and ended up with a 97 - 98 point rating."
"Hansen",2000/7/20,"1996 Chapoutier, Ermitage Le Meal,  Hermitage,  Rhone , France  [92]",1996,"Chapoutier","","France",92,"Big, burly, tough, strong and very well built, but also a little less intelligent and certainly more agressive. The first wine in this flight had a deep, intense ruby colour. The bouquet was closed and dry at first, but after 15 minutes in the glass it opened up and revealed some earthy, almost dusty tones and a hint of wood. It had lots of alcohol and acidity, but the fruit was also there (even if the balance was not close to perfection). The taste resembled the bouquet. Earth, grass, oak and lots of (ripe) tannins, but also high levels of glycerin and alcohol. An almost austere wine, but I still liked it and believe in its potential."
"Johan55",2000/7/21,"1990 d'Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1990,"d'Yquem","","France",0,"The 1990 d'Yquem is almost beyond words. The concentration of flavours in this vintage, rated 99, makes me question the 97 points given to the 1989 which I had three weeks ago. I also wonder what this wine will be like when it is fully mature, because they way it drinks today is just awesome. The balance between the sweet and the fruit is perfect with a heavy, saturated noble rot fragrance and taste. This is liquified gold and a little little sip is enough to put an end to all conversation around the table. You just KNOW that when the 1990 hits the palate you have something in your mouth that is out of this world, almost supernatural. Is it really possible to make something taste this good, you ask yourself? It is the same feeling of humbleness you get from standing in front of a masterpiece by Picasso, Kandinsky or Mondrian. I urge everyone on this board to try this wine at least one time in your life. It just doesen't get better than this. I had the Huet Constance 1997 a month ago but - in my taste - the 1990 d'Yquem blows it off the table. The Huet just isn't in the same league."
"JScott",2000/7/22,"1989 Pichon Baron,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"Pichon Baron","","France",0,".  Decanted three hours prior to service, could have used more than that.  The color is still a very youthful opaque, dense purple.  I think I'm trying to talk myself into a bit of lightening at the edge that isn't there.  The nose is heavenly and very Bordeaux.  You have your floral, perfumy bouquets, your aggressive spicy noses, and your ball of fruit show, all of which can be appealing.  But this is that stately, evolving blend of deep earth, melded fruits and overtones and undertones which just define breeding.  This just begs to be noticed, studied, and wrapped around every olfactory fiber.  Initally still quite closed, over more hours began to display the same sensations on the palate, with impeccable balance and profound depth and complexity.  A perfect interplay of earth and the products of it, dark aged fruits and minerals.  Still left with the feeling it was gone before it really had a chance to show its wares.  I won't touch another for 3-5 years, but I look forward to it with great anticipation."
"Hansen",2000/7/23,"1990 Tertre Roteboeuf,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [98]",1990,"Tertre Roteboeuf","","France",98,"The colour was quite mature and very elegant, but the bouquet was simply extraordinary. Flowers, vanilla, herbs, figs and prunes in an ultra-ripe style that was supported by layers and layers of fruit. For me, this is as good as it gets. The taste resembled the bouquet and due to a fantastic sweetness and soft structure it was just as profound. The aftertaste lasted for more than 40 seconds. This was Le Tertre Rôteboeuf 1990 and as my note may suggest I found it absolutely brillant, so consequently I rated it a 98."
"Hansen",2000/7/23,"1990 Troplong Mondot,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1990,"Troplong Mondot","","France",0,"The second wine of the flight had a fantastic, very intense ruby colour, but at the edge of the glass it also revealed some maturity. The bouquet was kind of strange. Earthy, very withholding and with a little too much alcohol. I thought it would get better with a little airing, but in fact it only got worse. In my opinion the wine was corked. The taste was better with a hint of vanilla, but it still did not reveal much, although it had a little more structure and fatness than the bouquet. What a shame as it was Troplong Mondot 1990."
"Hansen",2000/7/23,"1990 Magdelaine,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1990,"Magdelaine","","France",94,"The first wine had a classic ruby, slightly mature colour. The bouquet was very pleasing, nicely structured and quite sweet, with lots of fruit and berries. The taste was a also approaching maturity, but in a rich, fat kind of style that made the wine quite intense. Again lots of sweet berries and a nice structure due to fresh acidity. It was Magdelaine 1990 and I would not hesitate to drink this now, although I am convinced it will still be a great wine ten years from now. I gave it 94 points."
"JScott",2000/7/27,"1997 Joseph Phelps,  Napa,  California , USA",1997,"Joseph Phelps","","USA",0,"Inky, very deep and dark.  Nose is reluctant, but mostly a mocha-tinged deep berry.  On the palate, a blast of chocolate-covered blackberry, quite full, heating up toward the finish.  Over hours and on day two, the alcohol becomes more dominant and increasingly distracting for my taste."
"JScott",2000/7/27,"1997 Joseph Phelps, Insignia,  Napa,  California , USA",1997,"Joseph Phelps","","USA",0,"Deep garnet-purple and almost opaque, but lighter than its little sister.  Nose is more engaging, with floral elements and some earth.  Full, round and softer, with layered dark fruits, coffee, hints of mineral.  No one will confuse this with Bordeaux, but it does have more character.  Initially warming up on the finish again, but this is transient.  Settled down over hours and gained its feet.  Nicely balanced, actually.  I am not yet ready to compare it to the '95 or '94 but I found this to be a very nice wine.  This one won't see day two."
"Dawson",2000/7/30,"1996 Duhart Milon,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Duhart Milon","","France",0,"This is CLASSIC bordeaux.  From the cassis to the cedar, to the black fruits and tannins, the earth and minerals, this wine embodies the best the medoc has to offer for under $35 U.S.  A solid 90+ point wine, that will last 10 to 15 years."
"alchemeus",2000/8/5,"1992 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [82]",1992,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",82,"Decanted (just do this for wines over 5 years of age because it may need it and it never hurts).  Immediately poured a small glass as I generally do with wines new to me.  Placed the decanter in the fridge to cool it a little (74F in the house, 64F in the cellar.  Cool outside due to the weather and the airconditioner isn't running).  Initial impression:  leather and mushrooms!  Old cured leather...more like a well used briefcase than an oiled baseball glove.  The earthy mushroom aroma...closest thing I've had experience with is morels (no idea what a truffle smells/tastes/looks like).  Some fruit (typical cab-sauv...semi-sweet berry) sneaking around underneath.  Not much woodiness here (oak, ceder, whatever).  Some herbal quality... menthol/mint/something.  Deep deep ruby red/garnet which lightens around the rim.  The color reminds me of the 89 Gran Reserva Riojas less the slight browning found on these older Spanish wines.  'Claret'...yes. Second glass came about an hour later.  Decanter removed from fridge.  Ah...less leather and more fruit, some wood (very slight) showing now.  Mushrooms still present. Another hour goes buy and I'm hungry.  Cheese!  Let's check out cheese with this Pauillac.  I love gouda.  Smoked gouda.  Wrong choice by far.  The wine looses all but some acidity with the smoked gouda and tastes very dilute.  Heck with it, love this cheese.  Finish it and get some good vintage Irish cheddar. Drink water to cleanse the palate some.  The fruit comes back a little with more 'smokiness' from the oak? cedar?  Definite smokiness beginning to overwhelm other aromas.  Seemed better cooler..."
"alchemeus",2000/8/7,"1996 Lafon Rochet,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1996,"Lafon Rochet","","France",88,"Popped, decanted, and left to sit for about 90 minutes. Initial thoughts:  leather and mushrooms and earth.  Different leather than the 92 GPL.  Not sure.  More glove or like my chairs.  Mushrooms still like a good dried morel.  Earth...fresh heavy wet  nutrient rich topsoil. Next hour a full glass.  Some fruit seems to be toying with me around down there.  30 minutes later much the same.  Some drying tannins but not much wood. at all.  It seems closed and I'm thinking I f'd up or maybe Bordeaux just isn't for me.  Still, only 4 years from the vintage, patience. Had another small glass with my bison/portwine sauce concoction.  The wine kept it's own and improved.  Respect building for this one.  Bison is much 'heavier' than beef and any wine than can keep up with my port sauce (includes olive oil, real butter, fresh garlic, mustard, balsamic vinegar, port, and scallions) is a big flavorful wine.  (so I pushed the limits...)  Some fruit now shows with some wood/smoke and the mushroom/earthiness still there. I let it rest in the decanter in the cellar overnight.  No 'refridgeration'.  Prove to me you're a good wine I demand of it.  It seems to laugh. Next day after work it's now been over 25 hours since opening.  I go down to get a glass and pour from the decanter.  The fruit slaps me in the face!  Not a caressing of fruit from a 10 year old amarone but a slap!  Grapey scents.  Now I'm worried.  Take it upstairs to the deck and sit to watch the birds eat and bathe and chase each other while the rabbits jump around to find the best grass or whatever and the squirrels look to see if I'm there before raiding the bird feeder.  I take a sniff from the glass after about 30 minutes and am pleasantly greeted with more of a gentile raspberry scent.  Ahh...concentration in the decanter was the grapiness.  Some oak showing.  Still very nice drinking even if the tannins are more pronounced.<br>Last glass is slightly larger than normal.  It's finished. Berry flavors still there (still thinking raspberry), wood slightly stronger, earthiness just a whisper, and the mushrooms much more mellow.  This seems a wine that will be excellent in about 3-6 years. The best I can describe it is when your wife is getting ready for a nice night out on the town and you walk in on her before she's ready.  Harsh, aloof, and hiding things.  But when she walks down the stairs all perfection you know why.  This is what you wanted?  Here it is.  (Sorry for the women in the audience, I'm a man and think and talk in a man's terms.) I'd give this wine an easy 86-88 now.  Probably a 89-90+ wine in 4 or so years.  Open it in the morning when you wake up and you can enjoy it for dinner that night.  Better yet, give it some years and open it an hour or so before dinner.  I've got another one and will definitely buy more.  It's still around and I'll probably buy 1 or 2 or 3 every  time I go on a shopping trip until they're gone.  "
"JScott",2000/8/9,"1997 Forman,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1997,"Forman","","USA",93,"Distinctly different than the other Cab I've had so far from this highly touted vintage.  Deep, opaque purple (of course I couldn't see across the table with the lighting, though!).  Nice perfume of berries and spice.  Really vivid blackberry/raspberry on the palate - unmistakably Napa-styled.  Not hugely extracted or dense, though.  Medium-bodied but complete with a lingering finish.  Very nicely balanced.  This was the most positive '97 experience I've had thus far, and I'm scoring it a 93, though this may be in part my elation and finally finding a '97 that didn't fry my tonsils."
"Roberto",2000/8/9,"1990 Leeuwin Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia  [89]",1990,"Leeuwin Estate","","Australia",89,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1739<br>1990 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.  Mature medium-red color.  A soft nose reminiscent of Bordeaux.  This wine is a nice example of ready-to-drink, mature, Aussie Cabernet.  It tastes of chocolate, tobacco and spice.  No tannin present in the finish.  I don’t know how much longer this wine will last.  Cross-posted."
"Cabfan",2000/8/12,"1989 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"Lynch Bages","","France",0,"Yes Jim, I have spoken to God and he told me to open a bottle. I have quite a bit stashed away but have never opened one. I decanted it and let it sit in a closed decanter for about 2-3 hours. The first thing I noticed when pouring it was the tremendously dark color - like ink, really black. Very &quot;forward&quot; aromatics, really blasts out of the glass, but I didn't get a lot of complexity which I'm sure will come with time. Boy, you talk about fruit! I felt like I stuffed my mouth with blackberries and then crunched down. No subtlety here, it seemed like Bordeaux, California style. But I don't mean that in the pejorative sense. Extremely concentrated fruit with a warm feeling of ripeness in the mouth. Very well-integrated tannins and no rough edges. I thought this would be more of a tannic monster but it's drinking very well right now. Really very impressive wine, no disappointments here, looking forward to drinking the rest of it over the next 10-15 years."
"Cabfan",2000/8/12,"1982 Cadet-Piola,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1982,"Cadet-Piola","","France",0,"Bottles arrived in perfect condition. This is a very tiny producer in St. Emilion (only 17 acres). Standards are high, and they have a second wine even with that small production. 51% Merlot, the rest Cab, Cab Franc, and Malbec. What a nice surprise! A very decent, enjoyable '82 with some nice complexity that almost 20 years of bottle age will bring. No sign of going downhill at all. Would hold it's own with some bigger names, that's for sure."
"Cabfan",2000/8/12,"1983 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1983,"Pichon Lalande","","France",0,"This continues to be for me just the essence of what Bordeaux should be like. It is medium to full bodied and has those wonderful aromatic qualities I love, kind of a woodsy/cedary quality. Smooth as silk, and I forgot that the last time I had it I didn't wait long enough for it to really come around. I did the same thing this time even though we polished off the bottle over a couple of hours, it really started to rev up only at the end. Lovely, ethereal but not wimpy, ooh la la. Probably at it's peak but showing no signs of fading."
"Cabfan",2000/8/12,"1986 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1986,"Pichon Lalande","","France",0,"I also had this about two years ago and had the same impressions. The nose was strangly mute and never really came around. Defintely concentrated with great fruit, but I didn't get a sense of any complexity developing yet. More tannic than the '83, but not overly so. Seemed a bit tougher and not as generous, but I'm thinking it's just a matter of time before it comes around. The only '86 Medoc I've really liked, and felt was ready, was the Cos d'Estournel. The Las Cases I had earlier in the year was completely closed up and tight, very tannic, not much fun to drink right now. I know that Jim thought the '86 Lafite was spectacular (should be for 100 points). Maybe this year is just not my style of wine."
"Claret",2000/8/13,"1982 Poujeaux,  Bordeaux , France",1982,"Poujeaux","","France",0,"The wine exibited a garnet rim, with no browning.  The nose offered aromas of cedar, sweet oak and raspberries and that Bandaid thing.  On the palate more cedar and smooth ripe flavors of cigar box, and black fruits.  Well balanced and drinking very well now and for the next five years."
"Whuzzup_",2000/8/17,"1993 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1993,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",0,"On initial opening, the same unique aroma that the 92 possesses is instantly apparent. The color is dark ruby but far from opaque and the edges are a bit watery... but hey, we're talking about 1993 here, so I'm not stressing it. I'm not sure how to describe the nose, it's a falshy oak mixed with some mint... I find it very attractive. It's maybe a little too overpowering for the vintage. Like the 92, the fruit is hidden on the nose. Initially, this wine has more to it than the 92 on the palate, but I am also getting a bitter green pepper taste than I'm not really liking. Hopefully that will dissapate with age, but this doesn't have the fruit to sit around for ten years. Hmmmm. I'm gonna let this one sit awhile."
"JScott",2000/8/18,"1996 La Spinetta(G. Rivetti&Figli), Vursu Vigneto Gallina,  Barbaresco,  Piedmont , Italy",1996,"La Spinetta(G. Rivetti&Figli)","","Italy",0,"A deep, dark purple, nearly opaque.  Dark fruits and pepper on the muted nose.  It is fruit-packed and interesting but rather intensely tannic at this point.  Only had one bottle and wish I'd let this one go longer.  WS, of course, proclaims it ready now.  I think this will be better in five years or so, probably 90+, but judgement reserved."
"Roberto",2000/8/18,"1979 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1979,"Palmer","","France",86,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1745<br>Word is that this wine was a success in a difficult vintage.  I've not had any other '79's to date.  The bottle had a base neck fill and looked good.  The cork was saturated through.  The nose was classic Palmer with a nice floral component - rose pedal perhaps - with a touch of sweet red fruit.  As often happens with older Bordeaux, the wine has little fruit and lots of tannin.  It tasted dry and probably would have been ok with food but did not stand well on it's own tonight."
"stefan",2000/8/18,"1994 d'Armailhac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1994,"d'Armailhac","","France",88,". It had a closed in nose with some cedar and currents that carried over to the palate. It had lots of tannin and acids but was pleasant to drink. We continued to drink this wine with the plum tart, which proved to be more acidic than the wine. J [Stefan's wife] used no sugar in the tart filling; this may have helped to bring out the fruit in the D'Armailhac. Anyway, we were all impressed and surprised that the D'Armailhac went well with the dessert. My guess is that this D'Armailhac will improve for 5-10 years. I gave it an 88. NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"stefan",2000/8/18,"1990 d'Armailhac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1990,"d'Armailhac","","France",92,"When I tasted it early it had a nice but restrained nose with smoky anise overtones and a chocolate plum taste with a hint of licorice. With dinner the licorice taste became more pronounced while the richness and good texture was more apparent. Well balanced and well structured, this wine went well with the food (which, as expected, was delicious). Many Pauillacs would have overpowered the food, I think. The D'Armailhac should improve for 4-5 years and be good for 10 more. I gave it a 92."
"Cabfan",2000/8/20,"1995 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1995,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",95,"I had quickly decanted it (if you can call it that) to give it some air, into a large clean pyrex measuring cup, then poured it back into the original bottle. Nice dark color as you'd expect, surprisingly forward nose at this point. Pretty typical Pauillac, similar to the '95 Pontet Canet but more friendly and not as backward.  I really got a sense of complete ripeness, very &quot;warm&quot; in the mouth with tannins present but everything is very well balanced.  Not terribly complex at this point, but you can tell there is plenty of intensity which bodes well for the future.  Another good sign is the finish which goes on and on and on. This is a very serious wine.  I think RP gave this 95 points and I'd have to concur.  I've seen this priced at around $55-$60 and that's a significant drop from what it used to be."
"Dawson",2000/8/20,"1966 Ch. Musar, Lebanon  [91]",1966,"Ch. Musar","","",0,"Light garnet-rose colored.  Flavors and aromatics: Leathery, green olives, rosemary, black cherry, and rose hip tea.  Medium-length finish.  Elegant in a burgundian fashion.  A &quot;fine&quot; wine. Still drinking very well at 34 years of age, but I wouldn't hold it a day longer.  (91).  "
"Roberto",2000/8/21,"1982 Pichon Baron,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [96]",1982,"Pichon Baron","","France",96,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=570<br>1982 Pichon Baron.  A volcanic nose of  cedar wood, spice and grandpa’s musty old cigar box.  This wine is what mature Bordeaux is all about.  Concentrated and powerful but balanced and elegant at the same time.  A wine that keeps changing as the bottle airs.  Plenty of cassis in the finish which seems to go for a minute.  I hope this wine keeps singing like this for years to come.  For the numerically inclined this is a 95+ pointer if I’ve ever had one.  Cross-posted."
"alchemeus",2000/8/25,"1983 Graham's, Vintage Port, Portugal",1983,"Graham's","","Portugal",0,"Yes, too early for this wine by far. But it's a beauty. Aromas of plums and berries and nuts and band-aid and earth and smoke. Tannins and alcohol are high (near searing) but the fruit will soften them into enjoyability. Oh baby, this will be nectar in about 10 to 15 years. HIGHLY recommended. I've got to get a few more bottles of this so I can 'try it' every few years until the others have reached maturity."
"Johan55",2000/8/25,"1994 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1994,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",0,"This time I found the nose much more evolved than on the palate. The bouquet is wonderful black fruit, cassis and very present. In the mouth the wine is rather pale, with much less fruit and a short, rather dry and tannic finish. I decanted six hours before serving but this medium bodied wine needs time. If I remember correctly Hansen doubts the '94 vintage in the long term wondering if the fruit will hold up against the tannin. At this point it is not. Having spoilt myself lately with some awesome '89's and ´90's I ask myself the same question. I'm quite frankly a bit dissappointed, but just a tad. 24 hours later I had the second half of the bottle and noted a BIG improvement. The fruit was much more evident than the day before. The wonderful bouquet still intact. Still quite tannic but more pleasently so. I'd give it a rating a few points under 90 or so."
"JScott",2000/8/26,"1994 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1994,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",86,"Opened this last night, as I previously mentioned, with my 'GTI decanter', trying to do the right thing.  Had less trouble than usual not draining the decanter prematurely as this one is a real puckerer.  Ruby/garnet colored, reluctant nose of jammy fruits and some brush.  Rather thin and a little hollow followed by a wallup of tannin, even after a four hour stint in the decanter.  Now and again a bit of berry peeks out and makes this worth re-assessing.  Even on day two, the fruit can't quite stand up to the tongue-blistering tannin.  The optimist in me wonders if this is just closed now.  Will it re-emerge with enough gusto to match the backbone?  I'm left with the sense that this will be a better wine in 5-10 years, much as I felt about the '95 Smith-Haut-Lafite, but I'm not certain it will achieve greatness.  I have one glass left, and I may let it sit 24 hrs in the Reidel for day three (!), in my capacity as Science Officer.  Hard to score this more than 86 or so now, I believe it will add a few points with time.  "
"Claret",2000/8/27,"1994 Kistler, Durell Vineyard,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [95]",1994,"Kistler","","USA",95,"This is one six year old Chard that is still going strong.  Kistler really is the Burgundy of California.  I have had Dutton Ranch, Cuvee Catherine and Durell before, and my first impression is, wow, this is so Burgundian.  From the nose of light earth, roasted hazelnuts and a touch of earth, to the rich paltate of honey, smoke and more hazelnuts, I would almost swear that I was drinking a Meursault.  The finish is really long and the balance nearly perfect.  No butterballs here, just major intensity.  95 points easily."
"alchemeus",2000/8/28,"1970 Forcas Hosten,  Bordeaux , France",1970,"Forcas Hosten","","France",0,"Decanted it carefully as the cork all but disintegrated.  This threw WAY more solids than the 83 Port (hey, the thing's 30 years old).  Left over half a glass in the bottle.  Anyway, took my half glass immediately and the first aroma was a definite 'bandaid'.  Now I once thought I knew a bandaid smell in wine but I obviously didn't have a clue.  Now THIS is bandaid!  Very smooth drink with not much on the pallate at first.  Later (hours and the next few glasses) the bandaid seem to switch between a much less prounced note and a flowery-sweet aroma.  Slight cedery notes also and what may be a hint of the cigar box I've seen in Bordeaux notes.  Almost no tannins and a light-medium body (seemingly, but I'm just not used to Bordeaux).  Not much fruit unless what was left was mostly the bandaid/sweet flower."
"DavidL",2000/8/29,"1983 Raymond Lafon,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1983,"Raymond Lafon","","France",0,"It has been consistently lovely over the last 12 years that I have known it: a deeper gold now than it was a few years ago but still crystal clear and still the full, creme brulee botrytis nose. In fact a fuller nose than either the Coutet or Rieussec I wrote about a few weeks ago, a bigger wine altogether on the palate but not quite the length of those wines as I remember them. But perhaps the nectarines were more of a challenge than the strawberries had been then."
"JScott",2000/8/30,"1997 Pahlmeyer,  Napa,  California , USA",1997,"Pahlmeyer","","USA",0,"Deep purple, heavy deep, dark berry and alcohol on the nose.  Intense deep fruit and alcohol on the palate.  A broken record for this vintage.  Hot, tonsil-searing finish with dense dark fruits but not much else.  I continue to be perplexed by the high praise these wines and this vintage has gotten with so many similarly styled (flawed?) wines.  I can only assume they were showing better at bottling and perhaps are going through an awkward, unflattering stage.  I hope theses re-emerge with more grace (since I have a few cellared) but I cannot recommend their current purchase."
"Dawson",2000/8/30,"1998 Ferrand Lartigue,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Ferrand Lartigue","","France",0,"Great plummy fruit in the bouquet, nice use of oak, good concentration, palette coating juice that glides down your throat.  The problem is the finish evaporates a bit too soon.  The wine is a solid 90 pointer, but we both felt the body was a little lighter than we would expect.  Granted, it's too early to tell, but based on the force of superripe velvety concentrated fruit in the attack, I wouldn't be surprised to see this fill out a tad, in which case it could maybe reach 92 points.  Cause for concern is the absence of a substantial tannic profile;  I guess I'll just have to buy more and reassess this wine.   I suggest you try a bottle, if you can get it for less than $45 U.S.   90+ points"
"Dawson",2000/8/30,"1996 Sociando Mallet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1996,"Sociando Mallet","","France",93,"if you liked the Duhart 96, you'll love this wine.  Straight up classic claret: cassis, wood and leather.  Very elegant and balanced, but still masculine.  The tannins are there, but they are in complete harmony with the fruit.  The kind of wine you should purchase by the case instead of laying down a case of a first growth.  I suggest you buy 4-12 bottles, if you can get it for less than $37 US a piece..  92-93 points."
"stefan",2000/9/1,"1993 Ridge, Lytton Estate,  Sonoma,  California , USA",1993,"Ridge","","USA",0,"'93 Lytton Estate is 88% Zin and 12% Petite Sirah. The '93 has a creamy, fruity nose and tons of sweet fruit (grapes, mixed berries, and more) that flows across the tongue, making the bouquet not even recognizable."
"stefan",2000/9/1,"1997 Haut Batailley,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1997,"Haut Batailley","","France",87,"Ordinarily I don't drink classified Pauillac this young, but the '97 Medoc I have had previously was quite approachable; Haut-Batailley is known for maturing quickly; and RP gave it 86-87 in '98, saying that it should be drunk in the first 7-8 years of life. The H-B was dark ruby. The bouquet was full of blackberries, black currents, and dark cherries. The wine was calling for a steak, but unfortunately my steak days are over. Lots of fruit, especially cherries, in the front of the mouth, but then the tannins take over. Maybe this wine is OK with a steak now, but I will wait several years before drinking it again. Parker's rating looks reasonable."
"stefan",2000/9/1,"1994 La Louviere,  Graves,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1994,"La Louviere","","France",89,"While rich up front, in the mouth it was hard to work through the pronounced tannins, especially after the two Giscours. If I had any of this, I would not touch it for at least five years. RP gave it 89 in '94, calling it a &quot;sleeper&quot;. He recommended drinking it 2000-2012. WS gave in 83 in '97, saying it was &quot;drinkable now&quot;. Having no crystal ball, I say 83-89, depending on whether the fruit holds up as the tannins soften."
"stefan",2000/9/1,"1982 Giscours,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France",1982,"Giscours","","France",0,"Ruby-garnet; no browning at the edges. Inviting, rosy perfume. Silky entry. Good fruit with residual tannin. This is a wine to drink and enjoy rather than to analyze. 91 The ratings above are mine. The two women tasters preferred the '90, although neither sucks or smokes cigars, while both men preferred the '82."
"stefan",2000/9/1,"1990 Giscours,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1990,"Giscours","","France",89,"Decanted for 20 minutes before tasting. Dark ruby. Attractive but restrained bouquet with grassy overtones. Velvet texture. Pronounced grassy taste with hints of caramel; noticeable acid. With time in the glass, the grass evolves into licorice that stays after the finish. With still more time, the grass morphs into tobacco both in the nose and mouth to such an extent that one might as well suck on an unlighted cigar. 86-89?"
"Claret",2000/9/2,"1990 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1990,"Lynch Bages","","France",0,"After airing for one hour, the bouquet of lightly roasted and sweet red cherries and raspberries was something to behold. The flavors of red cherry and black raspberry were repeated on the palate.  Moderately rich, smooth and sumptous describe this medium bodied wine, that culminated in a long finish.  It is drinking beautifuuly now, and for the next ten years."
"JScott",2000/9/3,"1996 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Lynch Bages","","France",0,"Deep garnet in color, with a bright ruby edge.  Uncharacteristically, I choose to give it a little time..... Ten minutes should do it!  (I can feel David, Bages and every other right-thinking Bordeaux lover cringing!).  Similar notes on the palate.  Plenty of ripe dark and plummy fruits, mineral, funky earth and the bandaid character.  Cedar and brush, still can't place the other dominant tone, what is it?  Round and full with ample finish and structure, heavy tannin to ripen but this will be a beauty.  Need to take a look at this again tomorrow for a hint at the future.  Will definitely need to add this one to the stash."
"Cabfan",2000/9/4,"1994 Mondavi, Reserve,  Napa,  California , USA",1994,"Mondavi","","USA",0,"Very deep aromatics of the typical California cab style, but no real nuances of any type at this point. Appears very dark in the glass, but not really an opaque, jet-black look.  As you might expect for this sensational year in California, it is lovely in the mouth, very ripe with a long, long finish.  Well balanced."
"stefan",2000/9/6,"1989 Haut Batailley,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1989,"Haut Batailley","","France",89,"Ruby. Wispy bouquet of cedar and blackberries. Firmly textured with balance of fruit and tannins; some cedar flavor. Very good finish and staying power. This wine strengthens in all respects in direct proportion to the amount consumed. Fully mature and should hold for 7-10 years. 89."
"stefan",2000/9/6,"1993 Clerc Milon,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1993,"Clerc Milon","","France",89,"Still ruby-purple. Mature Pauillac bouquet; black currants smoked with cedar and mild tobacco. Smooth entry with tamed tannins. Yummy grape flavors throughout the mouth. Just a bit watery as it rolls off the tongue. Good staying power. This is the first time I have drunk this wine that I thought it was fully mature. It should hold steady for 4-6 years (before this tasting I thought more like 7-9). 89."
"stefan",2000/9/8,"1988 Cos d'Estournel,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1988,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",88,"RP 87 in '96). Ruby-purple. Cedarberry nose. Spice dances across the tongue. Good structure, but acid more noticeable than tannin. 88."
"stefan",2000/9/8,"1989 Calon Segur,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1989,"Calon Segur","","France",90,"Ruby-garnet. Solid berry nose with some licorice. Sweet fruit at the tip of the tongue; earthy tannins in the middle with a leathery roll-off; smoked mesquite on the tonsils. Firmly textured. 90."
"JScott",2000/9/9,"1997 Pahlmeyer, Jayson,  Napa,  California , USA",1997,"Pahlmeyer","","USA",0,"This is a meritage of Merlot, Cab, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, and is essentially a second wine to the Pahlmeyer Red, which is a similar blend.  Very dark, opaque purple, nose of intense blackberry, mocha mostly.  Again, not a subtle wine.  Highly extracted and intense dark fruit completely dominates, with only faint tones of mocha and earth off in the distance.  Pretty warm on this finish as well, but seems somewhat more integrated than the Merlot.  "
"stefan",2000/9/10,"1989 La Gaffeliere,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [84]",1989,"La Gaffeliere","","France",84,"Ruby-garnet. Slight cherry nose. Noticeable dirt on entry. Soft in the mouth with no discernible tannin and little acid. Turns watery at the finish. 84."
"JScott",2000/9/11,"1997 Domaine des Sablonnettes, Rablay les Erables,  Loire , France",1997,"Domaine des Sablonnettes","","France",0,"Another fabulous sticky from what must be one of the best Loire vintages in a generation.  Golden, straw colored.   Honeysuckle and lemon on the nose, velvety mouth-feel with dried citrus, lemon and minerals through a perfectly balanced finish.  It ain't Yquem, but dollar for dollar and pound for pound it's tough to beat.  A very fine dessert, and another fine find from Ben."
"Roberto",2000/9/14,"1982 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1982,"Pichon Lalande","","France",92,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=153<br>Deep ruby red in color - not showing it's age.  Great Bordeaux nose of cedar, underbrush, anise and spice.  In the mouth the wine quite honestly did not live up to my expectations.  It was clearly elegant but did not have the expansiveness or depth of fruit I would expect of such a legendary wine.  It also seemed that the finish was clipped a bit.  The wine is elegant and cleary of great breeding but it was not a 100 pointer on this night."
"DavidL",2000/9/16,"1985 Croft, Vintage Port, Portugal",1985,"Croft","","Portugal",0,"A good deep youthful colour was a good sign to start with as I started to decant, but my doubts began almost immediately as I've never seen another vintage Port with so little sediment. On the nose there was fruit aplenty but it seemed simple fruit with no complexity and no real spirity hints. And I'm afraid the palate just confirmed that impression: very sweet fruit, little grip, no weight, little spirit to lift it and a short, flat finish. "
"DavidL",2000/9/19,"1996 Guiraud,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Guiraud","","France",0,"A bright gold in the glass with a big nose of honey and Charentais melon, a relative light to middle-weight on the palate but a sublime balance of elegant fruit with spice, honey again and guava (?) leading to a really long but gentle finish as the acidity faded away. Obviously still young, and I wonder if any botrytis will show through as it ages to give it a bit more weight. So perhaps 17.5 or high 80s now with prospects of 18.5 or low 90s with time. And my wife approved!"
"DavidL",2000/9/22,"1996 Rieussec,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Rieussec","","France",0,"Deeper in colour, a much fuller nose with botrytis notes that had been lacking with the Guiraud; a bigger mouthfull with honey and mixed fruit flavours. But less elegance, less complexity and a slightly shorter finish. Very Rieussec in fact."
"alchemeus",2000/10/14,"1997 Greysac,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France",1997,"Greysac","","France",0,"Should have known better. Opened it. Nothing there. Flat, tasteless, not even a nose. Examined the cork but didn't note anything. Tried a second full glass about an hour later and the same. Actually ended up pouring most of it down the drain Retried the Greysac the next day, half glass. Same impression. NOTHING. Poured most if it down the drain On Sunday, The wine was worse by far. Candied tasting. Tart. Just left a bad taste. Rechecked the cork. Sides OK but the end (dry end) had a definite 'cardboard' aroma. OCH! No wonder the wine was trash! Even though it was 'cheap' methinks it was corked."
"Cabfan",2000/10/15,"1982 Cadet-Piola,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1982,"Cadet-Piola","","France",0,"This bottle was even better than the first one I opened. This is a 20-year (almost) old wine from an unheralded producer that is still rock-solid, not terribly complex aromatically but aging very gracefully and a joy to drink. Very ripe fruit holding up well. I am perplexed why the best winemakers in California cannot make a Merlot that will age half this long. Is terroir REALLY the only reason?"
"Cabfan",2000/10/15,"1988 Rieussec,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1988,"Rieussec","","France",0,"This is really dynamite and everything you would expect in a top-flight Sauternes in an outstanding vintage. Kind of a thick oily feel in the mouth, with all kinds of strange nuances like melons and other fruit that always amaze me how they can emanate from grapes. Long finish, sweet without being cloying."
"Cabfan",2000/10/16,"1988 Magdelaine,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1988,"Magdelaine","","France",0,"This must be one of the better wines from that miserable year. Nicely aromatic, and fairly soft as you might expect, but with sufficient backbone to make it interesting. Tannins seemed a little pronounced in the beginning but seemed to melt away. Altogether a respectable wine."
"Johan55",2000/10/18,"1986 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux",1986,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",0,"I decided to decant the '86 at noon. I immediately poured a small glass and noticed an incredible aroma jumping out of the glass. Ahhhhh, my first contact with Graves. I cannot even begin to describe all the nuances that came out of those few drops of wine. I took a little sip but the wine felt quite muted right out of the bottle so I poured a little more and decided to wait four hours for the next taste.... Four hours later the tannins that were so extremely present in the beginning has subdued somewhat. Very concentrated wine but it is indeed still backward and the structure tells me, as with the '86 Cos, that this wine has long to go before it reaches full maturity. It is a backward wine and in my opinion it raises questions about the whole vintage of '86. When will they shed their tannins? It got better and better as the evening progressed. The last glass was the best, some ten hours after decanting. The tannins slowly melted away to a manageble level. Very impressive and as you say quite an experience."
"jal",2000/10/19,"1988 La Lagune,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France",1988,"La Lagune","","France",0,"We just finished the bottle, although aromatic, it was really closed at first and the fruit had trouble coming out of the tannins, but after about an hour in a decanter, just as the lamb chops were ready, it exploded. Very forward. Cassis everywhere, berries and spices, especially rosemary. The finish was not that long, which is why I kept reaching for another taste."
"Claret",2000/10/21,"1993 Latour a Pomerol,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France",1993,"Latour a Pomerol","","France",0,"The fat nose is starting to show secondary nuances of light cedar, blackbery, black cherry, earth and toasty oak. The palate displays moderate richness, smooth tannins with more notes of cedar and black fruits. Drink now through 2008."
"Johan55",2000/10/25,"1988 Montrose,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France",1988,"Montrose","","France",0,"It immediately opens up [in the decanter] and shows a wonderful bouquet of ripe jammy fruit, minerals and God knows what else. I wish I was a better and more experienced taster. This wine has not closed down yet and I wonder if it ever will. All my bottles from this year are a delight to drink right now. The Montrose is no exception. Extremely concentrated, thick, brimming with fruit, sweet tannins and meats."
"jal",2000/10/31,"1986 Vieux Chateau Certan, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France",1986,"Vieux Chateau Certan","","France",0,"Decanted, ruby colored, a little brick on the edge, no nose whatsoever, first taste reveal strong bitter tannins with no fruit, I thought this one will need a long time. After an hour in the decanter, it started turning around; the fruit was getting more assertive, the tannins friendlier, still no nose, I don't have a cold, so this lack of aroma was strange. Very smooth, almost silky; more Pauillac than Pomerol, jammy flavor with a hint of vanilla. Long long finish."
"DavidL",2000/11/4,"1989 Cos Labory,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1989,"Cos Labory","","France",89,"Decanted an hour ahead of time it had thrown a substantial but fine sediment and showed beautifully on the nose from the first moment, with a good balance of fruit on the palate too. It had more elegance than I expected from a minor St Estèphe and less of the tannins than I was expecting from RP's note of ten years ago. At table though I began to have my doubts; maybe this is a wine that doesn't need the hour I tend to give everything I don't know. Where had the nose gone? There was nothing like the rich almost pungent perfume that greeted me on pulling the cork, just a simple and elegant hint of the flowers and spices that I was expecting to experience again. There was no sign af ageing on the rim - but a bright youthful ruby that suggested maturity might not quite have arrived. On the palate it was a lightweight, but one with real elegance and a complexity of red fruits and spice that finished well. But it seemed to lack the power to match the beautiful beef."
"Roberto",2000/11/8,"1985 La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [94]",1985,"La Mission Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",94,"Well, this wine did not need any time to show it's stuff. It was brilliant from the first sip to the last. We did wait about an hour to drink from our decanter but of course I took the official first sip just after decanting. This wine had a surprisingly floral nose with the expected black currant and barnyard which tells you immediately that you are in the company of Bordeaux. I could not, however,detect the telltale road tar of Graves. Probably a fault of my nose. On the palate the wine was almost sweet with plenty of fruit showing through the properly balanced tannins. The midpalate was full and the length more than enough. The wine had an almost fat mouthfeel and a glycerin-like coating. This wine was larger-framed than I expected but is definitely in the ""zone."""
"Zachary Pearson",2000/11/11,"1996 Sociando Mallet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1996,"Sociando Mallet","","France",92,"($34) - Decanted 2 hours prior. Slightly musty tasting glass blew off to reveal *tons* of blackcurrant, some spicy bell pepper (which I associate with Bordeaux now), and beautiful spicy, oaky vanilla. Gained depth in decanter nicely. First glass with dinner has an inky-black core, completely opaque, with dark ruby/purple overtones at rim. Nose of currants and spicy bell pepper. On palate, it's almost sweet, incredibly concentrated, with a beautiful segue between the bell pepper notes and spicy oak tannins. It's amazing that this wine is so etherially tannic for how monstrous it is. 25+ second finish, just fantastic. On a whim, I refrigerated the last glass with no cover on the decanter. 17 hours post-opening, the thing was still going, with the wine now showing less bell pepper, and more silky-smoothness. Drinking wonderfully now, will be better in 10ish years. Amazing."
"Hansen",2000/11/13,"1990 Robert Mondavi, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1990,"Robert Mondavi","","USA",93,"A deep, very nice, mature colour. The bouquet was quite classic with cassis, licorice, wood and vanilla. The taste appeared slightly &quot;burned&quot; and at first it was very harmonious and resembled the bouquet, but it soon got a little too dry on the palate. It appeared to be near full maturity."
"Hansen",2000/11/13,"1990 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1990,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",92,"A classic, ruby colour that appeared a little more mature than the previous wines. The taste showed good intensity and nice balance between acid, alcohol and fruit, but it also had a metal-like dryness that some tasters found flawed the wine. The taste was very charming and elegant, but not as intense as the two Leoville's (both from '90). The fruit was also evident, but although the wine had a nice, spicy complexity the aftertaste appeared a little short."
"Hansen",2000/11/13,"1990 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1990,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",95,"A classic ruby colour that was also slightly mature. The bouquet was very nice with vanilla, flowers, raspberry and just a hint of wood. The taste was more backward, green and mineral-like than expected, but it had nice intensity although it did appear a little dry. However after about an hour in the glass it started to reveal its true self and got much sweeter and complex. At this point in time there was earth, truffles and tons of sweet fruit."
"Hansen",2000/11/13,"1990 Leoville Poyferre,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1990,"Leoville Poyferre","","France",93,"A very pure and slightly mature colour. The bouquet was sweet, classic Bordeaux with lots of ripe fruit and elements of coffee and sweets combined with a very elegant acidity. The taste was also starting to show signs of maturity and although the acid and alcohol seemed to outweigh the fruit just a little at this point in time, I had no doubt that this was a great wine. Mocha, flowers and hay emerged with airing and the aftertaste lasted for more than 30 seconds."
"Zachary Pearson",2000/11/16,"1995 Cantemerle,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1995,"Cantemerle","","France",85,"Ruby red with slight purple overtones, thinning at rim. Very meaty/sweet at first, which mellowed over 2+ hours. Fairly dilute on the palate, even a watery attack with sweet, spicy, gamy plum flavors. Notes keep popping out and resubmerging. The finish is slightly unbalanced (in favor of acid over tannins), then vanishes in >5 seconds. This is Haut-Medoc? Where's my currants and spicy bell pepper??"
"Claret",2000/11/18,"1990 Pape Clement, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [95]",1990,"Pape Clement","Bordeaux","France",95,"A nose of cedar, currant, black fruit and oak.  The palate revealed more cedar and black fruits.  The texture was velvety and long.  The most complex nose of the tasting.  95 points."
"Claret",2000/11/18,"1990 Opus One,  Napa,  California , USA  [89]",1990,"Opus One","","USA",89,"Light cedar and mint on the nose.  Eucalyptus and currants.  Soft, light and past its peak.  California for sure.  89 points."
"Claret",2000/11/18,"1990 Montrose,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1990,"Montrose","","France",92,"Ripe red and black fruit on the nose.  Pepper and black fruit on the palate. High but ripe tannins.  92 points."
"Claret",2000/11/18,"1990 Joseph Phelps, Backus,  Napa,  California , USA  [94]",1990,"Joseph Phelps","","USA",94,"Black currant and salt on the nose.  A smooth currant palate.  Somewhat closed with a medium to long finish."
"Claret",2000/11/18,"1990 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1990,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",93,"Red cherry and raspberry on the nose along with light cedar.  Soft cherry on the palate with the most velvety texture.  Long finish.  93 points."
"Claret",2000/11/18,"1989 Pichon Baron,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1989,"Pichon Baron","","France",91,"Black currant and oak on the nose. Light to medium body with black fruits. Medium finish."
"Claret",2000/11/18,"1988 Pape Clement, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [95]",1988,"Pape Clement","Bordeaux","France",95,"A nose of cedar, currant, black fruit and oak. The palate revealed more cedar and black fruits. The texture was velvety and long. The most complex nose of the tasting (including 90 Montrose, 91 Dominus, 88 LLC, 89 Pichon Baron)."
"Claret",2000/11/18,"1991 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1991,"Dominus","","USA",90,"Very ripe and sweet nose with a touch of cedar.  Not too intense.  A palate of black currant.  A smooth and soft finish of medium to long duration.  Clearly new world.  90 points."
"Claret",2000/11/18,"1988 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1988,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",93,"Red cherry and raspberry on the nose along with light cedar. Soft cherry on the palate with the most velvety texture. Long finish."
"Johan55",2000/11/18,"1989 d'Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"d'Yquem","","France",0,"Medium golden colored, sweet, this '89 is a delight to drink right now. Full of marzipan, tropical fruit, pinapples and noble rot. Almost oily texture. YUM."
"Johan55",2000/11/18,"1990 Pichon Baron,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1990,"Pichon Baron","","France",0,"The nose was rather muted despite airing for three hours. Very dark color, with lots of minerals, earth and black currants. Very long slightly tannic finish. Its a thick wine, and very concentrated."
"mikecase00",2000/11/18,"1997 Justin, Isosceles,  California , USA  [92]",1997,"Justin","","USA",92,"Good dark ruby color all the way to the rim of the glass, nose started out a bit closed... didn't decant it... but the wine opened up over the meal offering up aromas and flavors of cherries and ripe red raspberries.  It had light acidity and light tannins and HUGE fruit.  While it was certainly a pleasant wine it lacked the heft needed to balance the loads of fruit it offered up.  I've read elsewhere on here that this seems to be a rather common problem with the 97s.  While it was certainly a very youthful wine I would have expected fuller tannins and more acidity to give this wine some more weight.  I give it 92 points."
"Zachary Pearson",2000/11/22,"1996 Panther Creek, Reserve,  Oregon , USA  [87]",1996,"Panther Creek","","USA",87,"Ruby red w/ very slight thinning. The nose opened up over 45 minutes or so to a lot of cherries and a nice smoky component. On the palate, this is echoed, with cherries, smoke, and sort of a blueberry/sea air thing that I find in a lot of Pinot. The tannin and acid come together at a point in the midpalate that's slightly harsh, so this may need a bit more time. Finish is medium length, and tastes of hazelnuts? Interesting, but not quite my cup of tea."
"JScott",2000/11/23,"1997 Zind-Humbrecht, Brand,  Alsace , France",1997,"Zind-Humbrecht","","France",0,"Straw-colored and intensely fragrant.  On the palate an array of orange peel, citrus and minerals over a frimly acidic backbone.  This one will last and is delightful.  I think I was more impressed than any of the other drinkers, though I'm not sure why.  Highly recommended for Reisling lovers."
"jal",2000/11/23,"1986 Arrowood,  Sonoma,  California , USA",1986,"Arrowood","","USA",0,"Delicious, deep purple color all around, faint aromas, all the fruit is on the front, predominently blackberries. Long finish.  I was surprised how well it aged."
"jal",2000/11/23,"1990 Guiraud,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , Fra