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 , France",1990,"Guiraud","","France",0,"Nice deep yellow color, great nose, smells and tastes of ripe peaches, onctuous, comes on strong without any of the subtlety of an Yquem or even a Suduiraut, will only get better."
"Cabfan",2000/11/24,"1995 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux",1995,"Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc","Bordeaux","France",0,"I've already commented a lot on this really nice white Graves, it's 95% Sauvignon Blanc and has also spent some time in oak (50% new each year).  This is a full-bodied white with a lot of stuff going on, rich almost to the point of feeling oily, could use more aging time.  I don't know if Parker has rated this but I believe WS gave it a 91, if you're interested in finding out more about white Bordeaux this is a great one to try without breaking the bank."
"Cabfan",2000/11/24,"1989 La Dominique,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1989,"La Dominique","","France",93,"this has always been one of my favorites as a sure crowd pleaser, and it didn't let me down this time.  This juicy St. Emilion is 80% Merlot, 15% Cab Franc and 5% Cab Sauvignon.  This chateau uses 70%-80% new oak barrels each vintage, and it shows, but the oak in no way overpowers the fruit. Appears fairly dark in the glass, but not &quot;inky&quot;, and on the palate it's medium to full bodied.  Really nice, complex aromas with woodsy/earthy overtones. Has that luscious, sexy fullness in the mouth that only Merlot has.  Long spicy finish with ripe tannins.  Pretty label, too . . . the whole package.  I will concur with RP at 93 points."
"Cabfan",2000/11/24,"1985 Château de Beaucastel CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône, France",1985,"Château de Beaucastel CdP","","France",0,"The last one I had, about six months ago, was what you'd expect from this great estate in a good year.  Full-bodied, unbelievable nose with all of that barnyardy stuff swirling around in the glass as you swirl it, seriously long finish.  This bottle just seemed a bit tired, with all of the characteristics I remember still there, but the intensity was just turned down a notch or two.  Pardon my analogy, but it was like sex with a condom.  An enjoyable glass, still the same."
"stefan",2000/11/25,"1996 Rieussec,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Rieussec","","France",0,"Medium yellow. Honeyed citrus nose. Good sweetness. Some bitterness at the sides of the tongue, with time the bitterness is everywhere. High in acid, but the taste is balanced. Quite a lot of glycerin, so there is good staying power. Few if any overtones. "
"stefan",2000/11/25,"1997 Lamothe-Guignard,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1997,"Lamothe-Guignard","","France",0,"Golden hue. Good sweetness with sufficient acid. Nice bitterness in the middle of the tongue. A little green in taste. Balanced and attractive for current drinking, it has the structure to improve for several years. "
"stefan",2000/11/25,"1986 Climens,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [96]",1986,"Climens","","France",96,"Golden hued; nose and taste of flowers, honey, oranges, pineapple-peaches, and everything under the rainbow. It is moderately sweet, medium bodied, and still has good acid which suggests further improvement. Definitely a classic and one of the best Sauternes we have had in years. Also a great value; I paid less than $50 for this less than a year ago. 96."
"stefan",2000/11/25,"1997 Bastor Lamontagne,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1997,"Bastor Lamontagne","","France",0,"Very light color. Medium sweetness and body. Not very complex. Sufficient acidity, but just barely. This wine is OK but not as good as I expected it to be after drinking the much better '90 B-L. We'll drink our remaining three bottles over the next few years with dessert. Having said this, I can't think of a non Sauternes/Barsac dessert wine that has as high a QPR."
"stefan",2000/11/27,"1989 Cantemerle,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1989,"Cantemerle","","France",91,"Dark ruby. Currants and black cherry nose and taste. Quite fruity. Some spice at the front and slight pepper on the roof of the mouth. Firm but tame tannins. 91.&quot; "
"Zachary Pearson",2000/11/27,"1994 de Ste. Helene,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1994,"de Ste. Helene","","France",89,"Pretty v. pale gold color. Tasting glass probably a mistake. Wild and crazy rot/bread dough/botrytis, that only blew off after 15 minutes in the glass. In the mouth, however, unctious, full of botrytis, v. neutral/grapey, some hints of coconut. Pleasant acids kick in towards the midpalate, and make the 15 second finish wonderful. Much better the next day. Very round in the mouth, much less botrytis. Pleasant. 89."
"JScott",2000/11/29,"1996 Guiraud,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Guiraud","","France",0,"One of the darker Sauternes I've encountered, past yellow into amber.  On the nose it is citrus-tinged butterscotch.  Full, sweet (perhaps a bit too much?) and long, with more orange and honey, slightly herbal in waves.  On the whole a very solid sweetie."
"alchemeus",2000/11/29,"1997 Farguet Montagne,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [83]",1997,"Farguet Montagne","","France",83,"Oak, chocolate, cherry nose.  Deep purple color.  Much better nose than the taste.  Taste comes off astringent and dry.  Plenty of tannins here.  Never opened up really.  Methinks this was one of the $17-$20USD Bordeaux I'm experimenting with.  Just not much there. Fair to quite good.  OK.  81-83."
"alchemeus",2000/11/29,"1996 Rieussec,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1996,"Rieussec","","France",87,"Deep yellow-gold color.  Some strange oakiness with sweet honey/caramel/butterscotch and pear nose.  Taste has some pear and much sweetness (clover honey?).  Velvety...lots of bulbous slow moving legs.  Must be high in glycerins.  Not bad.  Doesn't taste anything like the 97.  The 96 is from a 375ml, the 97 was from a 750ml.  Dunno how much difference that makes.  Jammy pear fruits, chewy.  Having it with no food, may be better with nuts or cheese or something."
"Claret",2000/11/30,"1990 Clerc Milon,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1990,"Clerc Milon","","France",91,"Much to my likeing the wine has now transformed into an elegant and smooth creature.  The nose of pencil lead in the 1990 Pauillacs was apparent along with  sweet red cherry ,currant and earthy, cedary flavors.  The finish was medium to long in this elegant, yet beautifully ripe wine.  Most enjoyable and a nice surprise!  It is now a solid 91 points."
"alchemeus",2000/11/30,"1997 Chateau St. Jean, Cinq Cepages,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [95]",1997,"Chateau St. Jean","","USA",95,"Brought up from cellar and popped.  The cork was in excellent shape (duh...3 whole years from the vintage) but surprized me in being totally neutral in smell.  A wonderful cork.  Probably the best cork I've smelled.  Color was a deep red-purple. Immediate impression:  Cassis.  Nothing much else.  HUGE cassis.  Just a hint of other fruit and wood. A couple of hours later (didn't decant, just left the bottle open in the kitchen at 71F) the cassis is still there.  Now some definite cherry aromas and more wood.  Sweet wood.  Something else I can't get ahold of.  Tannins are evident but not overpowering.  Dries your mouth without making you thirsty. 3 hours.  Cedar!  That's the strange aroma.  A hint of florals rising.  Cherry fruits lingering.  Something else I can't determine...reminds me of lead in gasoline...but just lead...no gasoline/petrolium.  Couldn't be the lead pencil?  Tannins makes your gums dry without making you thirsty. 4 hours.  Some kind of coffee/expresso notes?  This should have been left half for tomorrow.  Oh well, too late.  This is a VERY good wine.  Lots of potential.  It actually seems closed now.  I hate to say this but 2 more years will determine it (5 years from the vintage). OK.  This wine opens hourly.  A mark of a great wine IMHO.  Fine Plus to Very Fine. 92-95 now.  This is a wine that has a potential to go over 95 in a few years.  Ageable.  Best in 2005+."
"DavidL",2000/12/2,"1977 Taylor Fladgate, Vintage Port, Portugal",1977,"Taylor Fladgate","","Portugal",0,"A perfect cork under a thick metal capsule; an explosion of toffee-apples and burt sugar as it came out cleanly; almost black as it curled down the funnel into the decanter and a thick glutinous deposit on the filter paper I used for the last few drops. Nosed immediately in one of my ISOs the apple notes had been replaced by liquorice and toasted fruits with a spirit overtone that followed through into the mouth with what I think is probably the longest finish I can ever remember. <br>It had all the power one hopes for in Taylor but in a drier, almost Dow-like style than I was expecting. I would say it is not quite up to Fonseca's '70 at the moment, but maybe another five or ten years will help it towards that pinnacle - especially if it softens a bit more with time. Clearly a mid to high 90s score now and every possiblity of making the top 90s."
"DavidL",2000/12/9,"1992 Albert Belle, Cuvee Les Pierrelles,  [89]",1992,"Albert Belle","","",89,"Decanted only half an hour ahead of carving time - in case it was falling apart- it was bright ruby as I poured it and greeted me with a much better nose than I had expected; the fruit, spice and a bit of alcohol gave no hint of age. There was a medium-to-heavy but fine-textured grainy sediment. In the glass for my quick sip to test, the rim was solid colour to the edge, the nose was nicely concentated and harmonious; not a heavy-weight but a lovely elegance. A good bit of tannin still on the palate and a bit of acid so I think RP was probably a bit cautious in his estimate of its life. To me it showed no signs of age at all so I'm in no hurry to have the other one. I think his score was a bit mean too, probably because it wasn't the monster we know he likes best. 88/89 would seem better today. "
"Cabfan",2000/12/10,"1995 Troplong Mondot,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1995,"Troplong Mondot","","France",0,"While I agree this wine has excellent potential, I can't recall having a wine that seemed more backward and brutally tannic that this one.  It has mouthpuckering intensity but the tannins would dissolve the chrome off a bumper.  Truly, not pleasant to drink at this time.  Absolutely jet-black in the glass.  Aromatically, it's not expressing much yet but you can tell there's a lot going on, it's just kind of hiding right now.  Brush your teeth and floss after this one."
"Cabfan",2000/12/13,"1998 Domaine du Pegau Cuvée Reservée CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France",1998,"Domaine du Pegau Cuvée Reservée CdP","","France",0,"Very impressive! Especially at $26.99/bottle.  Very intense fruit with the nose understandably muted at this early stage, but this is very serious Chateauneuf du Pape.  Extremely long finish with firm but not overpowering tannins.  Just a hint on the nose of some nice typical CdP leathery/earthy notes.  For you Southern Rhone fans this is a very good wine in a great year - you won't be disappointed especially if you nail some down for less than $30."
"Johan55",2000/12/16,"1982 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1982,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",0,". The color was very dark with perhaps a slight lightening at the edge which may suggest that this wine is still very young. On the palate though, the tannins have melted away making it wonderfully smooth and sweet to drink. Very concentrated and the finish seemed to last forever. The nose gave up aromas of black fruit, earth, minerals and some other stuff I can't pinpoint. This wine is much more evolved, mature and ready to drink than the other '82 I've had, the Poyferré, which needed several hours in the decanter before it opened up. In this respect the '82 GPL is one of the most enjoyable wines I've ever had, and I will continue to drink bottles from this case until it is finished."
"Zachary Pearson",2000/12/18,"1999 Falesco, Vitiano,  Other Italy , Italy  [85]",1999,"Falesco","","Italy",85,"Deep purplish-red to the rim. Nose of dark plum, shading over into cassis, milk chocolate, and some slight balsamic vinegar and oak tannins. Nice. On the palate, some good concentration, but the midpalate loses the sweetness of the fruit, leaving a vinegar note that extends into the finish, which is dilute, dilute, dilute.... not my favorite by a long shot, and I have no idea where Parker et. al. got his notes.... 85 charitably."
"Johan55",2000/12/20,"1990 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1990,"Gruaud Larose","","France",0,"Decanted for two hours this wine gave up a huge, very complex nose of licorice, tar combined with copious amount of black fruit. Good length, but I found it to be the most backward of all the '90's that I've tried. I also found it to be very un-Saint Julien-like. Quite leggy, this wine will be terrific someday but it will take many years before it reaches maturity."
"Zachary Pearson",2000/12/21,"NV Emilio Lustau, Pedro Ximinez, Spain  [90]",NV,"Emilio Lustau","","",0,"Beautiful warm medium brown color. Sweet sweet nose of molasses, some rancio, and Steen's syrup (it's a Southern thing). Palate follows through, it swirls like a 34 proof maple syrup... mouthfilling, warm, no weight at all. Finishes with no bitterness, just floats away (in 15 seconds), leaving sugary, caramelly flavors all over the palate. Beautiful. 90."
"stefan",2000/12/25,"1978 Prieure Lichine,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1978,"Prieure Lichine","","France",92,"Dark ruby. The nose and entry is full of red cherries and more cranberries than are in J's relish. Very good fruit for a wine of this age. Strong, earthy licorice with some minerals at the side and in the back. Soft tannins provide good structure. 92."
"stefan",2000/12/25,"1985 Mumm, Rene Lalou,  Champagne , France  [92]",1985,"Mumm","","France",92,"Very fresh. Yeasty with zillions of small bubbles. Medium bodied, yet tastes rich rolling off the side of the tongue. Flavors of lemon and apples that linger long after swallowing. 92"
"Cabfan",2000/12/26,"1995 Arrowood, Reserve Cabernet,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [94]",1995,"Arrowood","","USA",94,"A bit more overtly fruity than the [95] Pahlmeyer, this comes close to the [95] Pahlmeyer but didn't quite have the sheer elegance and class.  I think this one needs a few more years before it really sings, but nevertheless this is an outstanding cabernet.  Very &quot;berryish&quot; fruit that goes on and on.  The 1994 is supposed to be even better; this wine sees a lot of extended aging in small French and American oak barrels and is released later than most other cabs of the same vintage.  94 points in my book. NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"Cabfan",2000/12/26,"1996 Pahlmeyer, Cab,  Napa,  California , USA  [96]",1996,"Pahlmeyer","","USA",96,"This wine is very Bordeaux-like and is actually a blend so I suppose that's not too surprising.  Supremely elegant, and wildly aromatic, the nose just seemed to keep changing with all sorts of exotic floral overtones and other things I just couldn't really identify.  This wine has got to be close to the &quot;cults&quot; in quality if not their equal.  Very intense flavors, and everything was extraordinarily balanced and in harmony.  Very, very impressive.  Scott, if you like the '96 even more, I'm amazed and will have to try some, and I think RP gave the 1997 a grand 99 points. I'm buying more of this, I only have another bottle or two. For you non-cabernet believers this is the one to try! This night, I'd give it 95-96 points."
"Cabfan",2000/12/26,"1989 Grand Mayne,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1989,"Grand Mayne","","France",90,"It's about 2/3 Merlot with the remainder mostly Cab Franc.  Quite similar to the [89] L'Angelus in basic structure, but the biggest difference was that the Grand Mayne aromatically couldn't keep up. But, no doubt about it, this is impressive with concentrated flavors and a long finish.  I believe RP has this at 92 or 93 points but this night it was more like a 90.  NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"Cabfan",2000/12/26,"1989 l'Angelus,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [96]",1989,"l'Angelus","","France",96,"This wine is just about 50/50 Merlot and Cabernet Franc and it had a huge smoky/earthy nose, very rich and fat mouthfeel with an extremely long finish. This juice sees 100% new oak barrels every year, and there were firm tannins present but the fruit just soaked them both up. I thought it could use at least another 2-3 years of cellaring but my brother thought it was ready right now.  As is usually the case, I'm right and he's wrong.  This is an absolutely fabulous full-throttle wine, worthy of every one of Parker's 96 points.  Big-time Bordeaux."
"alchemeus",2000/12/27,"1999 Falesco, Vitiano,  Other Italy , Italy",1999,"Falesco","","Italy",0,"This time the Falesco gave an earthy nose and not much if any fruit.  The taste seemed to be dumbed down.  We left this corked in the fridge and opened something else (can't remember).  I finished the Falesco the next day and it seemed to be the same.  I'd say it actually seemed to be closed.  I didn't (nor my friend) note any of the vinegar Gilglin noted but the wine definitely seemed closed.  Dunno if this is a good sign (will last a few more years than I thought) or a bad sign (it's on the way downhill already).  One thing for sure, I've had two bottles and there is either a) extreme bottle variation; or b) a great wine closed for the moment; or c) a wine only good for 6 months from bottling."
"jal",2000/12/28,"1995 Chateau St. Jean, Cinq Cepages,  Sonoma,  California , USA",1995,"Chateau St. Jean","","USA",0,"Dark purple color, very forward fruit. all cassis, good, but no complexity or structure, did not evolve over the course of the dinner. Good California cab (same class as Beringer Knight Valley)"
"jal",2000/12/28,"1997 Chateau St. Jean, Cinq Cepages,  Sonoma,  California , USA",1997,"Chateau St. Jean","","USA",0,"Weird, had everything, fruit, color nose, but lacked balance somehow.  Seemed out of whack and I could not put my finger on why.  Every one else liked it though and thought it just a notch below the 1996."
"jal",2000/12/28,"1996 Chateau St. Jean, Cinq Cepages,  Sonoma,  California , USA",1996,"Chateau St. Jean","","USA",0,"Obviously the best of the three, Deep dark inky color, good nose, layers of blackberry and cassis with long a finish.  Very good right now, will probably improve even more over the next 3-4 years."
"mikecase00",2000/12/28,"1982 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [98]",1982,"Pichon Lalande","","France",98,"I picked this wine to go with my graduation dinner at the 5 Crowns in Newport on the recommendation of several of you on the board.  Never having had a mature Bordeaux, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  The wine was decanted and I tasted a sip immediatly after, it tasted soft and supple with nice tannins, but hollow and lacking fruit.  I chalked it up to not being open yet and let it sit for about an hour before coming back to it... Wow, the next time I tasted it it lived up to my expectations.  A HUGE bouquet of red and black berries backed up with an expansive mouthful of fruit and enough acidity and sweet tannins to hold it all together.  A beautiful wine that I would rate 97-98 points, and due to its dark color I would say it could go for several more years."
"stefan",2000/12/29,"1992 Hess, Collection,  Napa,  California , USA  [88]",1992,"Hess","","USA",88,"Medium red. Nose of red cherries and cassis. Attractive mid palate tastes of cranberries and red cherries. Fairly light bodied with little tannin but reasonable staying power and enough acid to suggest that it will hold for a few more years. This wine was more attractive as an infant. I am not sorry that this was the end of my case. 88."
"stefan",2000/12/29,"1988 Rayne Vigneau,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1988,"Rayne Vigneau","","France",90,"Honeysuckle fragrance. Sweet, honeyed entry; some minerals in the middle; lemon bitters on the side. Better balanced than the '86. 90."
"stefan",2000/12/29,"1988 Prieure Lichine,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1988,"Prieure Lichine","","France",88,"Darker than expected. Margaux berry-flower perfume. Boysenberry & cassis taste. Still fairly tannic. Needs more time, IMO. 88."
"stefan",2000/12/29,"1986 Rayne Vigneau,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1986,"Rayne Vigneau","","France",90,"Honey, apricot, and jasmine bouquet. Sweet, honeyed entry; turns to bitter steel on the sides and in back. Finish nice all the way to the tonsils. 90."
"stefan",2000/12/29,"1989 Paul Jaboulet Aine, Parallele 45,  [79]",1989,"Paul Jaboulet Aine","","",79,"Doesn't taste too old or dried out even if it no longer has identifiable Rhone characteristics. An acceptable quaff while playing poker with the guys. 79."
"stefan",2000/12/29,"1985 Chapoutier La Bernadine CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône  [87]",1985,"Chapoutier La Bernadine CdP","","Rhône",87,"Darker than the  [97] VT with mature nose and fuller body. Still has fruit little spice and dirt. Tannins are gone but it does not taste old. 87. NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"stefan",2000/12/29,"1997 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe CdP La Crau, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône, France [86]",1997,"Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe CdP La Crau","","France",86,"Pretty pink color. Nice Rhone nose. Light bodied, decent fruit with spice and clean dirt. Little tannin. 86."
"JScott",2000/12/29,"1998 Château de Beaucastel CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône, France",1998,"Château de Beaucastel CdP","","France",0,"Opened a split night before last.  If you don't have any of this yet stop reading and go get some.  At the moment quite closed and very firmly tannic, but a boatload through the middle with currant, pepper, leather and earth.  Let an ounce sit in a Reidel about 28 hours after opening, the glass absolutely filled with heavy, deep berry and earthy perfume.  A sip shows much more of the fruit.  I'm not prepared to say it will be in the league of the '89 (I'm not that clairvoyant), but I think it will be the best since then and last 30 years.  A great CDP and alot of wine for the money."
"DavidL",2000/12/29,"1963 Dow, Vintage Port, Portugal  [88]",1963,"Dow","","Portugal",88,"The '63 showed a not-unexpected amber tawny colour throughout and had a toffeeish nose that I wasn't too excited about - but my son and daughter-in-law loved. I think the '63 was probably 5 or so years past its best so I wouldn't go higher than a 88 now."
"DavidL",2000/12/29,"1970 Dow, Vintage Port, Portugal  [92]",1970,"Dow","","Portugal",92,"The '70 seemed many years more youthful with a deep ruby showing virtually to the rim. The nose was much fruitier, with liquorice  and black cherry notes among the spirit. A bigger wine altogether than the [Dow]'63, but not as popular with the family though - which suited me just fine! The '70 seemed just at its peak and will probably last at least another 5 so is clearly 92+, to put it just behind Fonseca. NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"Johan55",2000/12/29,"1989 d'Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"d'Yquem","","France",0,"He was astonished over how mature it is and how well it is drinking right now, contrary to the others. This wine is a dose of wellrounded, oily nectar, brimming with tropical fruit and marzipan and tremendous amounts of noble rot. The finish is endless and would have been longer still had I been smart enough to serve it at the right temperature."
"Johan55",2000/12/29,"1978 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1978,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",0,"Pale color with one of the strongest and most complex bouqets I've ever experienced. WOW.<br>BUT, the flavour was a whole different story. Good amount of fruit and licorice, medium-bodied but with a shortlived, tannic, dryish finish."
"JScott",2000/12/30,"1982 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1982,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",0,"Low neck fill, capsule and cork intact.  Some saturation to the top but a good seal.  Immediate perfume of dark berries and earthy funk.  Decanted two hours prior, throwing some sediment but already apparent is a much more vigorous color of opaque purple with only a hint of rust at the edge.... First sip not showing too much, but the aroma is much more enticing that my last experience.... This is an undeniably great wine.  Refined and rich, this has years yet to go as it continued to improve all night.  The bouquet still fills my unfortunately empty decanter.  I am deeply impressed with this chateau on the whole, and very glad to have cellared some of the '95 and '96.  This is one I may also look to in '00, along with a few others, as the real sweet spot in Bordeaux for quality relative to price.  Fine, fine stuff."
"JScott",2000/12/30,"1983 Dow, Vintage Port, Portugal",1983,"Dow","","Portugal",0,"The bottle was high shoulder (never know what this means in a split, but another in the cellar has a fill to mid-neck).  A bit rusty at the edge, lots of heavy sediment.  Cherry, fruitcake and some menthol on the nose.  Plummy, raisins, spirity and round with a lingering warm finish.  A very complete port, probably at prime from this example, so those with a full 750 can wait a while.  Low 90's."
"JScott",2000/12/31,"0 Egly Ouriet, Brut Rose,  Champagne , France  [90]",1983,"Dow","","",0,"Certainly opened these in the right order.  A bolder bottle.  The color of diluted Grenadine (ala Shirley Temples!) with a much more intense nose of cherry, strawberry and citrus.  Again a fine display of fine bubbles with more intensity on the palate as well.  I'm of no use judging the longevity of champagne, but this is definitely worth a look.  90."
"JScott",2000/12/31,"1995 Lasalle, Brut 1er Cru,  Champagne , France  [93]",1995,"Lasalle","","France",93,"Pale yellow, endless streams of fine bubbles.  Classy, nutty, subtle almonds with a crisp finish.  Very smooth and soft across the palate.  Really like this one, and would love to have another downstairs.  93."
"jal",2000/12/31,"1989 Latour Carnet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"Latour Carnet","","France",0,"Nice uniform dark ruby color, very pleasant nose of cedar and olives.  Pleasant fruit, soft tannins, nice easy drinking, well structured.  Finishes for about 20 seconds.  Very pleasant surprise.  I liked this wine a lot."
"stefan",2001/1/1,"1995 Jadot, Beaune Boucherottes,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [88]",1995,"Jadot","","France",88,"On removing the cork I got a whiff of Domain Pigsty. Fortunately, that smell went away quickly. After airing for a couple of hours I decanted a half hour before serving. This Beaune has a pleasant red cherry bouquet and tastes of red cherries and red currants. It is medium bodied and soft in the mouth-surprisingly good for a modest Burgundy. 88."
"stefan",2001/1/1,"1990 Ayala, Blanc de Blanc,  Champagne , France  [90]",1990,"Ayala","","France",90,"It has a toasty nose and a tongue-tickling mouse. It tastes of sweetened apples with a twist of lemon and has a light, dry finish that holds. This is one of the many good '90 Champagnes. 90."
"alchemeus",2001/1/3,"1995 Carbonnieux, Blanc,  Graves,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1995,"Carbonnieux","","France",87,"One of Kathryn's favorite wines.  I thought it a little to oaky.  Pear, citrus, oak.  Medium finish.  I gave it an 86-87 but everyone else gave it a point or two higher."
"alchemeus",2001/1/3,"1991 Ferrari-Canaro, Reserve (Artist Label),  Sonoma,  California , USA  [92]",1991,"Ferrari-Canaro","","USA",92,"Ahhh.  Near epiphany for mid-aged California wines.  Fruit.  I mean fresh.  Cherry/raspberry fresh fruits with notes of mint and morel...just a hint of coffee.  Slight oak enough to balance the fruit.  Crisp acidity with no tartness.  Wonderful. Wine of the night for me.  92+, fine plus easily.  May be the vintage but a good Cal wine can be aged mid-term for the better.  Ahhh...the FRUIT!"
"alchemeus",2001/1/3,"0 Charles Lafitte,  Champagne , France  [88]",1991,"Ferrari-Canaro","","",0,"Just about the best Champagne I've had...albeit I've had few carbonated wines.  Fresh bread is the major nose/flavor I got.  Thoroughly enjoyed it.  88 for me."
"Dawson",2001/1/8,"1994 Leoville Barton,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1994,"Leoville Barton","","France",92,"Ripe grape purple color.  Aromas: sweet unsalted butter, slightly floral, minerals, cassis, cedar/tree bark and smoke. Very tannic on the attack, noticeable acidity.  Tres puissant.  Long 20 second + finish.  Too young for present consumption.  I would open this again in about 3 years time, no sooner.  (91-92).  (The following day, with 30 hours of breathing, the wine mellowed out, demonstrating mint and licorice flavors, but was not as satisfying as the first day)."
"Roberto",2001/1/9,"1978 Latour,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1978,"Latour","","France",91,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1288<br>I recently had the '78 Latour. I have had this wine twice previously and have been blown away by it on both occasions. In fact, this was my 'epiphany wine' and I have been using it as the standard to which I compare mature Bordeaux (funny how our own personal wine development works). My previous notes have been mid-nineties.<br>The wine was decanted for 1 hour with a small amount of sediment noted. The cork on this bottle was in good shape and the moisture line was about 2/3 the way up (I think Latour has the longest corks in Bordeaux). The color was dark red with a small amount of amber at the edge. The nose was extremely fragrant, the kind of nose that says mature claret: cedar, leather and spice. It filled the room. Although I am a beginner, this is the smell that I have only experienced in well-aged Bordeaux. <br>On the palate this wine opened up with abundant black currant fruit laced with smoke. Unfortunately, the nose outdid the palate, almost to the point of disappointment. Interestingly, the wine had a slippery mouth feel which I have noted before (perhaps this is what Parker means by the 'iron taste' and 'vitamin supplement'). This wine is clearly at full maturity as evidenced by a lack of tannin and softness. The problem, as happens with mature Bordeaux, was a loss of fruit in the midsection and finish. In fact, it had the dry finish that, for me, signals the beginning of the end. I say drink it now. I gave it a generous 91."
"mikecase00",2001/1/10,"1997 Leoville Barton,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1997,"Leoville Barton","","France",87,"Found the 97 Leoville Barton for $19.99 at trader joe's.  They seem to have *Lots* of marked down '97s, including Ducru for $29, Clinet and l'Angelus for $39.  I know this isn't really a stellar year, but since Parker seemed to think this would be a good year for early drinking I thought I would give it a try.  It tasted young, but not really all that closed, medium tannins, not to course, and an excellent fruit/acid balance.  The aromas and flavors weren't all that complex but it was pleasant, and did even improve over a few hours in the glass.  If this wine had been in the $10-15 range it would make an excellent everyday red.  Certainly not what a second growth sets out to be, but nice all the same.  I give it 87 points, but don't think it will improve more than a point or so."
"stefan",2001/1/13,"NV Lanson, Demi-Sec,  Champagne , France  [89]",NV,"Lanson","","",0,"It has a toasty almond &amp; pecan nose, an explosive entry that shoots nuts around the mouth, and a tight, dry finish. It is not much sweeter than most bruts, but is fine as an after dinner drink or an aperitif. 89."
"JScott",2001/1/14,"1997 Chateau Montelena,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1997,"Chateau Montelena","","USA",90,"Deep blood colored and cherry and tar on the nose.  This one is wound tight and rather tannic right now.  Has a sharp and angular midpalate but a long finish and plenty of fruit.  Better on day 2, with a marked mellowing, though still plenty tannic.  There is a rich, focused quality to the cherry/tar character, but not alot of depth.  Still, one of the better Cal Merlots I've had, probably about 88-90 if forced to score it though I think it really needs a few years."
"stefan",2001/1/15,"1988 Duhart Milon,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1988,"Duhart Milon","","France",85,"'88 Duhart-Milon (RP 88, WS 88) Ruby red. Closed nose; some black currants. Medium bodied, mild tannins, fairly acidic. Tastes mostly of cranberries; slurping brings out flavors of musty cow patties (this bottle may have been slightly corked). This Duhart has some Bordeaux character but is not a serious Pauillac. Not recommended."
"Roberto",2001/1/18,"1970 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1970,"Lynch Bages","","France",92,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=148<br>My expectations were not high after reading Parker's most recent review as he described the wine as an old style Bordeaux which to me means dry finish and lacking fruit in the middle.  I was quite pleasantly surprised.  <br> <br>The fill on this bottle was very high shoulder and the cork was moist all the way through with signs of seepage below the foil.  Of course this depressed me instantly.   In fact, as I inserted the corkscrew the corks slipped deeper into the bottle and in my frenzy of trying to recover it it slipped into the bottle completely.  Things were not going well at this point but I managed to decant around the cork.<br> <br>The color was surprisingly dark and young in appearance only showing the slightest red at the edge. A moderate amount of sediment was present after decanting. The nose was very expressive with cedar notes.  In the mouth this wine reminded me of the '82 Lynch Bages just a bit leaner.  The midsection was relatively full and I was impressed by the amount of cassis fruit still remaining.  The finish was just a touch dry but not at all off-putting with a nice spiciness.  A bit monolithic but I would buy more of this wine."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1989 Clos L'Eglise,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1989,"Clos L'Eglise","","France",88,"Good currant nose. Medium light body. Tastes of chocolate covered currants and licorice with bitter endive. 88. Good QPR."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1990 Jadot, Corton Pougets,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [93]",1990,"Jadot","","France",93,"Classy pinot nose and entry. Very good body. Chocolate fruit taste. Good structure. Still has lots of tannin and acid. 93. This is a fine Burgundy but needs more time, IMO. "
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1997 Jadot, Clos de Couchereaux,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [90]",1997,"Jadot","","France",90,"Undeveloped pinot nose. Lots of acid and tannin, but pinot character, spice, and pepper comes through. Good staying power. 90. This should be very good in 4-5 years."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1997 Jadot, Beaune Bressandes,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [88]",1997,"Jadot","","France",88,"A bit more depth in the nose & mouth than the [97]Boucherottes; less fruity but more powerful. A little dirt is mixed in with black pepper. Nice aftertaste. The tannins are more aggressive than those in the Boucherottes. 88. Needs 2-3 years. The Boucherottes is better for current drinking. NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1997 Jadot, Beaune Boucherottes,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [86]",1997,"Jadot","","France",86,"Nice pinot nose. Really fruity without being jammy. Has some dirt. Light bodied but enough tannin and acid to have balance structure. 86."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1985 Sociando Mallet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1985,"Sociando Mallet","","France",89,"Nose of currants with a trace of dirty motor oil. Flavors of red cherries and cranberries. Very soft; very tasty. Slightly watery, but good holding power nevertheless. 88-89. This wine grows on you as you drink. At the end we all wanted a second bottle, but my other six were 1500 miles away. Good QPR."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1978 Brane-Cantenac,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1978,"Brane-Cantenac","","France",85,"Inviting floral Margaux nose. Light bodied for a '78, but decent structure. Tastes of sweet red cherries and unripe red currants. A bit watery finish. Not big, not complex, but pleasant nonetheless. 85. Good QPR."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1998 Ferrand Lartigue,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Ferrand Lartigue","","France",0,"Dark purple. Solid nose. Chocolate and licorice flavors. The fruit is completely masked by the tannins. No rating. Four of us could not finish a half bottle, so there was some left to try the next day, but we still could not fight through the tannin after 24 hours of air."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1996 Suduiraut,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1996,"Suduiraut","","France",90,"It smells of honey, apples, and citrus. Pure sugar on the front of the tongue but has minerals on the side. Good staying power."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1988 Troplong Mondot,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1988,"Troplong Mondot","","France",88,"Cherries, red currants, and cocoa. Soft in the mouth. Fairly light. Very smooth. 88. I was not much taken by this wine, though it is much more elegant than vintages from the '70s. Below average QPR."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1983 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1983,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",90,"Red currants and sweet red cherries with some lead pencil. Smooth entry that gets leathery on the side. Slight grassy tobacco spice with fennel that lingers past the finish. Light bodied. 90. D liked this best of the wines we drank on Tuesday. Good QPR"
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1988 Calon Segur,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1988,"Calon Segur","","France",91,"Tight black currant nose. Concentrated currants with licorice the mid palate and back. Lip-smacking finish. 91. Very good QPR."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1983 Larmande,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1983,"Larmande","","France",92,"Strong black currant with anise nose. Licorice and tobacco add to the peppery cherry-cranberry taste. Great staying power. Firm tannins and acidity suggest further improvement. 92. Fantastic QPR."
"stefan",2001/1/27,"1985 Larmande,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1985,"Larmande","","France",87,"Cherries and cranberries both in bouquet and taste. Medium bodied, consistent throughout the mouth. Soft tannins. Good, but not very complex. 87. Not a very good QPR."
"DavidL",2001/1/27,"1985 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1985,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",94,"A perfect bottle - an oddment from an auction years ago - with a high fill and unblemished capsule, I had every confidence as I pulled the cork an hour and a half before lunch. A long, tight cork with deep staining, and a heavy deposit after a couple of days standing on the sideboard but easy to decant.<br><br>The LLC had opened beautifully by the time I came to it again. A slight fading at the rim but a deep ruby/garnet otherwise suggested maturity, but only just. The nose had opened nicely with notes of leather and bonfires appearing behind the more complex forest fruits than I'd noticed initially.<br> <br>On the palate one saw the feminine side of LLC. A delightfully complex wine with just a hint of the '85 lightness. Many-faceted flavours, soft and well-integrated tannins and a good length of finish but not quite the power of some other years. I didn't notice any real development in the glass so I either guessed right at an hour and a half or it needs far longer.<br> <br>There seems no rush to finish the few remaining bottles and I'd be happy to pick up any more I come across - at the right price.<br> <br>RP thought 93 when he tasted it in 1997 and I might be slightly more generous now; say 94."
"Cabfan",2001/1/28,"1998 Ferrand Lartigue,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Ferrand Lartigue","","France",0,"It was very dark purple in the glass, not surprising given the outstanding vintage that 1998 is.<br> <br>I find it very hard to judge a wine this young.  It reminded me of the most recent other &quot;big&quot; Right Banker I've had -  the '94 Clinet. It was extremely dense and extracted and very tannic and unforgving.  Two words that Tanzer uses to describes wines similar to this are &quot;extremely primary&quot; and &quot;monolithic&quot;.  There was almost a medicinal quality that I sometimes get from a super-young Merlot."
"Roberto",2001/1/28,"1982 Beychevelle,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1982,"Beychevelle","","France",93,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1407<br>The bottle was is good shape with a base neck fill.  Cork intact and wet about half the way up.  The color was dark and suggested a young wine.  The nose also suggested youth: restrained, a bit musty but did yield fruit after some swirling.  Initially in the mouth the wine was monolithic and a bit grapey with an noticable amount of tannin.  This was in marked contrast to the typical elegance I expect from St. Juliens.  A good comparison would be the '82 GPL which is also drinking like a wine younger than it's stated age. After an hour of airing the wine really opened up in terms of complexity and started to reveal many of the wonderful qualities of the cabernet grape.  I noted hints of leather, pepper and asian spice. This was my third experience with this wine in the past year and this bottle was by far the most youthful.  The previous two were ready to go and really impressed me.  Hard to say if a few more years would improve the wine. I would give this bottle 93 points."
"DavidL",2001/1/28,"1983 Raymond Lafon,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1983,"Raymond Lafon","","France",0,"My last Raymond Lafon '83 was one of the best of this case of 24 halves and I only wish they had all been as good. Deep gold but none of the browning of age that I think I commented on before. A full creme brulee nose; lots of peaches and tropical fruits on the palate and a big wine with real balance and class and a lovely clean finish. Well into the 90's, or easily &quot;fine&quot;."
"DavidL",2001/1/28,"1994 Clos du Clocher,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France",1994,"Clos du Clocher","","France",0,"Another perfect bottle from an auction, with a good level and perfect cork. Only a slight sediment but enough to justify my decanting habit.<br> <br>A full spicy but slightly rustic nose on opening that developed to show Pom chocolate notes after 45 minutes, but with spicy fruits predominating. Good ruby colour throughout with just a hint of amber at the rim. A nice gentle lightweight on the palate; now fully mature with a perfect fruit/tannin balance and an extended finish. Not a competitor for the [85] LLC but a surprisingly similar style on a smaller scale. A mid-80s wine in anyone's book. NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"mikecase00",2001/1/28,"1998 Quinault l'Enclos,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1998,"Quinault l'Enclos","","France",91,"After an hour in the decanter I found it to be a deep deep ruby color with a warm nose of cherries.  In the mouth it had searing tannins, but there was certainly lots of fruit burried in there too.  Being my first experience with Bordeaux this young I think I finally learned the meaning to &quot;backward,&quot; as this wine would seem to exemplify this characteristic.  On the whole I'd say it has lots of potential, but is still a long way from regular consumption.  I give it a preliminary score of 91, although it could certainly improve over the next 5 years or so."
"alchemeus",2001/1/29,"1998 du Bousquet,  Bordeaux , France  [82]",1998,"du Bousquet","","France",82,"Chateau du Bousquet Cotes du Borg.  Cork was 'cork'.  Full into the neck (like hey, what'd you expect?).  Poured my regular half-glass.  Dark but nothing special.  More garnet than red or purple.  Light nose of basil? most dominate.  Light bodied.  Some mineral. Hour later some sage(?) instead of the basil?  A little chocolate.  Tad of some smoke but I swear it was more hickory than anything else.  Still very light body. Another hour nothing has changed except the 'smoke'.  Much lighter and undistinguishable.  Oh well, good experiment.  Overall....not bad, 80-82.  Cost was $11 or thereabouts.  Not recommended. "
"Cabfan",2001/2/1,"1985 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1985,"Pichon Lalande","","France",92,"I decanted it about one hour before sitting down with my three daughters (all under the age of 11, so needless to say they weren't adding anything to the wine evaluation) for a dinner of beef stroganoff.  <br> <br>Color was a nice healthy purple with just the slightest hint of a rusty color around the edge.  The nose was a little mute at first, but then really opened up and showed that wonderful mixture of pencil shavings/cedar/cigar box.  Really very nice aromas with this one that didn't seem to deteriorate even after a lengthy dinner.  This wine (at least this bottle) is very close in quality to the '83, with a long finish and lingering flavors.  Very ripe and balanced flavors.  Based upon the vintage, I would have expected more of an &quot;elegant&quot; medium-bodied wine but this really had some backbone.  I suppose you could call it similar to the '81 but with a bit more stuffing.  I did not get a sense of degredation in any way and in fact, I'm going to wait a few more years before opening up another. A solid 91-92 points."
"jal",2001/2/4,"1994 Zind-Humbrecht, Goldert VT,  Alsace , France",1994,"Zind-Humbrecht","","France",0,"Bright yellow color, fresh nose of flowers - orange blossoms perhaps, tatses of fresh pears.  This is my kind of dessert wine.  I am more partial to late harvest gewurtz, rieslings and muscat, and less to heavily botritysed Sauternes."
"jal",2001/2/4,"1989 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"Gruaud Larose","","France",0,"Cork and fill were good, color ruby, not as dark as I expected.  great nose of cedar and earth, classic Bordeaux taste of cassis and blackberries, long finish.  This was a delicious bottle, I am not familiar with a lot of St. Juliens, having had only Talbots and Leoville Bartons, and was happy to note it was very similar to a good Pauillac. (Went to the map later, now I know!).  I will try to get a case this week."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/2/4,"1987 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [85]",1987,"Lynch Bages","","France",85,"I opened (decanted 1 hour before the meal) a bottle of Lynch-Bages 87 yesterday evening. The color is surprisingly deep with some slight orange fringe. Still looks rather young. A very interesting vanilla, oak and cinnamon nose, a bit ripe with vegetal tannins which tended to fade after a while to a more rounded, fruity and elegant mouth. If one had to rate it, it could easily be worth 85/100. My conclusion was that there's no hurry at all to drink that wine at this point. It is surprising because when I purchased these bottles (at a bargain price) at the Bordeaux futures in 1988, the consensus over tasters (Parker and so forth) was that the 87 vintage was a mediocre vintage with little potential. Advice was to drink them before 1995! <br><br>Don't allways listen to those smart guys..!"
"Roberto",2001/2/5,"1997 Poujeaux,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1997,"Poujeaux","","France",88,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=58<br>For the value conscious consumer this is a good bet.  Typical for the '97's this wine has a deep red color.  The nose offers up red fruit, baconfat along with a touch of Bordeaux mustiness.  The nose reminded me of the '97 Falesco Umbrian Merlot. Again typical for the '97's this wine has a forward grapey/fruity quality and does not require much thought.  You definitely will get a mouthful of cherries intermixed with cassis with a nice firm body and finish.  This is an easy drinking wine, goes well with food, in some aspects like an Italian table wine.  It actually held up to garlic bread which would have burried most mature Bordeaux - not a bad thing.  I  bought a case of this wine at release and it seems to be a bit more mature now than it was last year.  After 3 hours of air there is just a touch of spiciness.  I have not been a big fan of the '97 vintage (I only bought this and the Lafite) but this one might be worth buying if the price is right."
"JScott",2001/2/8,"1983 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1983,"Lynch Bages","","France",0,"Bottle externally in fine shape, some old wine staining on the minor labelling, though clearly not from this bottle.  Low neck fill.  A fixed capsule so I wasn't surprised to find some grunge on the cork.  The wettest cork I think I've ever pulled.  Absolutely drenched along the length, almost fell out, causing some early panic.  Earthy, rich vapors immediately ensued, allowing the return of a normal resting pulse.  Poured off a small glass immediately, again with a reassuringly dark red-purple color.  Some age-appropriate bricking throughout over the course of the evening.  Based on first sniff and sip, I bypassed the decanter for the first glass.  My wife initially says it &quot;smells like mud.&quot;  She has a cold, so her less flattering description is forgiven.  Does have a deep, earth-dominated bouquet, but there is definitely a spice and dark fruit as well, opening progressively over hours.  <br>Intended to do this with dinner, but it's the weekend and I'm impatient.  With rest, a more assertive bouquet develops, though the character remains very earthy.  Rich earth, brush and almost caramelized berry on the palate, enough depth for interest though not profoundly complex.  A bit warm on the finish with alcohol dominating.  Tannins are managed better than the alcohol, really.  A little distracting, but not off-putting, and overall a very nice example of an aged Bordeaux.  Drink now.  Solidly upper 80's."
"stefan",2001/2/9,"1988 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1988,"Lynch Bages","","France",92,"Upon opening, the Lynch Bages had a classy currant nose and soft taste but not the power I expected.  The nose of the LB has nice tobacco overtones with a currant base. It is full bodied and tastes of blackberries and charred cedar. On the side there is peppery licorice. The wine has good grip, as CC might say, but is not a blockbuster. It is definitely a classy Pauillac. I prefer older Bordeaux and expected to find this one too young, but no, it is fine for drinking now even if it will continue to evolve. I think The Sucker gave the 88 LB a 97. I would give it a 92"
"stefan",2001/2/9,"1988 Grand Puy Ducasse,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1988,"Grand Puy Ducasse","","France",87,"The nose of the Grand Puy Ducasse is mostly red currants with a trace of bark that, with time, matures into tobacco. It tastes of currants and cedar. A bit watery on the side and slightly astringent at first, both defects vanished with air. The GPD is medium bodied with mature tannins that provide good staying power and chewiness. This is a good Pauillac."
"DavidL",2001/2/9,"1980 Taylor Fladgate, Vintage Port, Portugal",1980,"Taylor Fladgate","","Portugal",0,"Not a great deal on the nose: a bit of liquorice on top of winter fruits with a slight spiritous overtone. Not much in the mouth either: medium sweetness with balancing fruit and soft tannins; a short but quite elegant finish. Nothing wrong with it but simply boring and more like a Cockburn or decent LBV than I was expecting from Taylor."
"Johan55",2001/2/9,"1985 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1985,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",90,"Wonderful bouqet, medium bodied, elegant with well integrated, velvety tannins. Typical lightness of St Julien compared to the heavier Pauillacs. Color showed some age but was very vibrant and fresh. I would say that RP 90 something is about right. This wine is drinking very nicely now."
"Claret",2001/2/11,"1982 Bodegas Faustino Martinez, I Gran Reserva, Spain  [89]",1982,"Bodegas Faustino Martinez","","Spain",89,"Aromas of smokey oak, red cherry and tree bark.  Elegant and medium bodied, with well burnished tannins.  Flavors of red cherries and light oak.  Medium to long finish.  Probably better a couple of years ago, but still alive and interesting. 89 points."
"Claret",2001/2/11,"1991 Bodegas Campillo, Reserva Especial, Spain  [91]",1991,"Bodegas Campillo","","Spain",91,"This blend of 70% Tempranillo and 30% Cabernet is aged in both French and American oak, and made in a modern style.  Exhibiting aromas of sweet oak, red raspberries and cherry, with very pure fruit .  Smooth tannins with medium to full body.  Flavors of red cherry and light toasty oak.  More intense than  the 1982[Faustino I Gran Reserva]. 91 points. NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"Claret",2001/2/11,"1977 Fonseca, Vintage Port, Portugal  [98]",1977,"Fonseca","","Portugal",98,"Wow, what a blockbuster.  Okay David, you can put both of your oars back in the water now.  Aromas of creamy red raspberry, violet and sweet spices.  It was so smooth and layered with tastes of red berries and cherries.  After 4+ hours of airing it developed the iron fist in a velvet glove sensation.   The tannins were so refined and the overall balance impeccable.  Very long, intense finish of at least one minute.  A very long life ahead.  I am glad I have 2 more bottle left. 98+ points."
"jal",2001/2/13,"1989 Pichon Baron,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"Pichon Baron","","France",0,"Dark purple color, great aroma of cedars and blackberries, amazing fruit with a long long finish.  I don't really know if this wine would have improved during the evening, it was so good, we gobbled it up too quickly."
"jal",2001/2/13,"1989 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1989,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",0,"Lighter color, more ruby.  Totally different smell, more earth and cassis, fruit also more subtle and more cassis than blackberries.  This wine was very good but a little austere, I think it would have benefited from a few hours of decanting  It had more complexity than the Pichon Baron, which is more &quot;in your face&quot; great fruit."
"Roberto",2001/2/14,"1998 Grand Pontet,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Grand Pontet","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1495<br>The color was almost black with a touch of ruby at the edge.  This wine looks concentrated.  The nose reluctantly offered up black fruit with a floral edge - maybe roses.  In the mouth the wine was chunky, full of ripe black fruit and extremely concentrated.  Awesome.  In fact, I thought I was drinking a &quot;blockbuster&quot; Australian Shiraz.  It had that lardy, fat, succulent mouthfeel you get from a good Shiraz in a hot year.  The wine had an impressive length with a solid buttery oak underpinning.  There was a lot of tannin concealed behind the fruit.  My wife, who had only a sip, offered up immediately, &quot;new world.&quot;"
"stefan",2001/2/18,"1998 Domaine de Beaurenard CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône, France [87]",1998,"Domaine de Beaurenard CdP","","France",87,"The Beaurenard has an inviting strawberry nose. Its taste is balanced with soft tannins and red fruit seasoned with black pepper. The finish is long and slightly foxy. This is a good '98 CdP to have while waiting for the more serious ones. 87 and should improve to 90 in the near term."
"Claret",2001/2/18,"1994 Plince,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1994,"Plince","","France",89,"Initially it was closed on the palate, but did open up after about one hour.<br><br>The wine was showing a garnet center with light bricking on the edge.  Aromas of red raspberry, currant and a little whiff of sweet oak started to emerge from the Reidel.  This mostly Merlot blend, from the Right Bank had a light to medium body.  Red raspberry and red cherry flavors, along with some cedar, developed. Some leafy forest floor creeped into this medium intensity wine, which concluded with a smooth finish.  89 points.  Drink now."
"stefan",2001/2/21,"1995 Calon Segur,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France",1995,"Calon Segur","","France",0,"The color is dark red; almost purple. After decanting I sniff and taste. Why all the fuss about this wine? The Sucker gave it a 96 and Parker a 92+. It has a nice berry aroma and decent structure but is quite closed.<br>Now the wine has been opened about 20 minutes. Maybe the experts are right. The cassis now comes through strongly and there is some cranberry at the edge. It is hard not drink more, but clearly the wine needs more air. Time for another sip. This Calon-Segur is definitely the real thing. Why did I only buy four bottles and a couple of 375s? Maybe I can find some more at a reasonable price. Time for another sip. This Calon-Segur is definitely the real thing. Why did I only buy four bottles and a couple of 375s? Maybe I can find some more at a reasonable price."
"Roberto",2001/2/24,"1996 Louis Belle,  [92]",1996,"Louis Belle","","",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1508<br>Deep red color.  Wonderful nose of leather, spice with a touch of underbrush.  Seamless passage on the palate.  Silky texture with fine concentration of dark fruit, meaty-tarry overtones with a touch of something sweet.  Enough structure to make it a great wine for food but impeccably balanced.  Great length.  This is an excellent wine destined to be consumed in the next year or so. My only regret is that I don't have more.  Score: 92."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/2/26,"1988 Suduiraut,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [95]",1988,"Suduiraut","","France",95,"Dark gold colour, extremely powerful nose dominated by almond, mango, apricot. Perfectely balanced and long in mouth, lots of botrytis, evoluting very nicely for the 40 minutes we still had some wine left in our glasses - a complex and beautiful wine. Desserves a 95 / 100 rating. I wouldn't hesitate one minute to buy such a bottle if I was you!"
"stefan",2001/3/2,"1988 Talbot,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1988,"Talbot","","France",88,"'88 Talbot (89 RP; 82WS) Ruby with brownish tint. The nose is quite forward with cassis and currants. It surprised me by being rather soft in the mouth for an '88. It has good structure and tastes of cherries, cranberries, and licorice on the side. <br><br>After we finished the soup the Talbot turned harsher. So this '88, like most of the others we have had, goes better with food than by itself."
"Claret",2001/3/3,"1993 Michel Ogier,  [87]",1993,"Michel Ogier","","",0,"The color was showing a little browning around the edge.  The highlight of this wine is the pretty nose of bacon, red cherry and a little bit of herbs, but in a good way.  It is lighter bodied with well resolved tannins.  On the palate, flavors of bacon fat, dark fruits and some prune appeared.  The finish was short to medium.  Not a blockbuster for sure. Overall a decent effort from a poor vintage.  Not too complex, but the nose alone is worth the price of admission, albeit not at full markup.  87 points, but drink it now, as it began to fade in the glass after the bottle was open for 1.5 hours."
"Roberto",2001/3/6,"1994 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA",1994,"Dominus","","USA",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=503<br>Brought by a friend this wine was absolutely spectacular.  This was my first experience with Dominus and I was duely blown away.  What surprised me most was how old world it tasted (Bages).  Wonderful earthy notes and roses on the nose, copious but not overdone fruit but definitely in balance.  Nice finish with very little alcohol or tannin present.  The wine of the trip.  Is this representative of other vintages for this wine?"
"Roberto",2001/3/6,"1996 Dosiy Vedrines,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Dosiy Vedrines","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1539<br>I have a tough time judging sweet wines but this was very nice.  Apricot, pear and green apple on the nose.  Expansive sweet mid-palate and a sweet finish buttressed by nice acidity.  A fine way to end a meal."
"Roberto",2001/3/6,"1980 Dow, Vintage Port, Portugal",1980,"Dow","","Portugal",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1538<br>A fine specimen of vinatage port.  A real crowd pleaser.  I had reservations about this bottle as I purchased it in portugal several years ago and the cork raised and leaked during a hot day of motor touring.  Port is fastidious!  Classically textured, thick and chewey.  To me, a vintage port tastes like Vick's Formula 44, as did this one.  By the third day  after opening it was fading but fine."
"Roberto",2001/3/6,"1998 Majella, Australia",1998,"Majella","","",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1537<br>This was much more along the lines of the prototypical &quot;Blockbuster Shiraz.&quot;  Thick, juicy (perhaps to a flaw) and viscous there is no shortage of sweet shiraz fruit.  It had a chocolately tinge to the midsection.  This wine seemed to be bordering on vintage port and packs a punch with a huge amount of alcohol (no boating after this one!)."
"Roberto",2001/3/6,"1996 Sociando Mallet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Sociando Mallet","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1536<br>Our beloved child had a bad day.  My sense is that it might just be beginning to shut down.  Don't panic, it is still the same wine we all know and love.  It just seemed a bit thinner than the fruit bomb I recall from a few months ago.  This was actually the second bottle I have had recently that raises concern.  Such is the evolution of great wine."
"Roberto",2001/3/6,"1998 Australian Domaine Wines, Hattrick, Australia",1998,"Australian Domaine Wines","","Australia",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1535<br>Surprisingly subdued I suspect this wine is still evolving.  This was my first experience with this &quot;Blockbuster Shiraz.&quot;  It did not have the &quot;pie in the face&quot; character that many other 98 Shiraz have which I consider a positive.  I think it emulates a more classically made wine.  It still has a lot of tannin to deal with but the fruit is there and is by no means unenjoyable.  I think it will have a great future.  Try again next year."
"Roberto",2001/3/6,"1998 Ridge, Dusi Ranch,  California , USA",1998,"Ridge","","USA",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1534<br>I have worked though a case of this wine over the past 6 months and this bottle was the best by far (I think I drank the others too early).  It had a spicey, leathery nose followed by an explosion of dark fruit concealing a firm backbone.  Finish was long and sweet.  This wine was rated first by a few others in our party."
"Roberto",2001/3/6,"1982 Beychevelle,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1982,"Beychevelle","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1407<br>As I have posted before, this wine is drinking wonderfully.  To me this is fine, well-aged Bordeaux.  Nice cedary nose, fine casis fruit and nice finish.  Still not drying out."
"alchemeus",2001/3/8,"1997 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1997,"Pichon Lalande","","France",0,"Popped it and decanted.  HUGE oakiness just decanting.  The cork was in good condition.  Just about the deepest ruby color I'd ever seen.  Took my half glass and was overwhelmed by the oak.  Nothing else, just oak.  The taste was overwhelmed by the oak.  Some astringency on the finish that seemed inordinately short.  Fine, needs to air. About an hour later I poured a glass.  Oak.  Nice oak, but wood oak.  Glad I at least now can definitely tell the difference between new French Oak and other oak. Next glass about an hour later.  Yes, that is definitely new French oak.  Isn't there supposed to be some fruit here ala Coates and Parker and Suckling? <br>Another hour another glass.  Oak.  Some perfumey notes seems there but can't work their way past the oak.  Still slightly astrigent on the finish which still seems short.  Tannins noticeable now as my mouth starts to 'tingle' (my term).  Drink a glass of water to cleanse. Last glass and nearly 5 hours from decanting.  Oak.  Perfumey notes a little stronger and an odd aroma (does Comtesse have the 'lead pencil'?).  Confused as hell.  Coates put this at 'fine' and methinks Parker gave it high eighties (around 88).  Suckling put it at 87 or so.  Coates did say basically give it a few years but Parker and Suckling indicated it could be drank now.  No Way!  If I had another bottle I'd leave it overnight and then try it.  I've NEVER had a wine over $20 with more overwhelming oak than this one.  This may be a very good indeed wine but it isn't for drinking anytime soon."
"alchemeus",2001/3/8,"1997 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1997,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",87,"Popped and decanted.  Cork in fine condition and a MUCH nicer aroma wafting from the pouring than the [97] Comtesse.   Also deep deep ruby colored.  Took my half glass and relaxed.  MUCH less oaky but the new French oak is there.  Some cassis noted immediately.  Tannins there and a little tight on the finish which is about twice as long as the [97] Comtesse. Next hour next glass.  Ahh.  Cassis mixed with oak mixed with some fruit.  Full bodied.  I'd put the finish at 20+ seconds.  Tannins are there but not harsh.<br>Next hour again another pour.  The fruit seems to be blackberry (do I even know blackberry in wine?).  Cassis is definitely present.  Something else I can't place.  Oak is much less noticeable than previous.  Now, I LIKE this.  I bought them mainly on Coates (Fine) and Parker (high eighties).  Suckling gave this an 81 (well, you must know by now what I think of a WS review).  I honestly think it was a good buy, and though this one can be consumed early it seems it can last for years.  Two more glasses to go but this 'ain't bad'."
"Dawson",2001/3/8,"1996 Pontet Canet,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1996,"Pontet Canet","","France",93,"It affirmed my  sincere belief that this wine is better than the Mouton 1996.  The oak (light vanilla-toast), tannins, concentration (classic claret), and fruit (cassis) are all working together quite nicely.  Surprisingly good drinking at present.  The color is gorgeous, the mid-palette solid, and the wine improved the second day.  A solid 93+ point wine.  I believe this is the absolute buy of the vintage."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/3/9,"1997 Lagrange,  St Julien,  Bordeaux, France",1997,"Lagrange","","France",0,"Nice ruby colour. Oaky nose too (but not as much as [the 97] Pichon Comtesse presumably... with an interesting evolution towards humus, blackcurrant fruit and vanilla. Long and fruity mouth, slight acidity but lacks a little bit of tannins to be a great wine (maybe the trademark of the vintage?). Extremely nice to drink now and certainly for the next 10 years. NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"Roberto",2001/3/10,"1990 Trapiche, Medalla, Argentina",1990,"Trapiche","","Argentina",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1550<br>Nice mature nose of cassis, cherry with a little underbrush.  On the palate this wine was clearly mature, possibly a touch thin, but oh so nice.  The tannins were well integrated with the fruit.  Beautiful balance.  Awesome finish.  In short, a great mature bottle of Cabernet that, to me, emulated an old world style.  The price was $13 per bottle."
"JScott",2001/3/12,"1990 La Cardonne,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1990,"La Cardonne","","France",88,"An immediate mustiness on the nose, this time much more transient.  Color with a bit more rust this time, reaching further in.  Also less sediment this time.  Interesting how each bottle can vary.  Nose is earthy, tobacco, a bit of currant and faint spice.  This is a simple wine on the palate still, without great depth but with nice balance and supple fruit remaining.  Especially in this format, this is a 'drink now' wine, likely only to decline from here.  I can't make this more than maybe 87-88 at best because of its lack of great depth, but it is a charming wine, as they say, and is unmistakably Bordeaux."
"alchemeus",2001/3/14,"1997 Catena, Alta, Angelica Vineyard, Argentina",1997,"Catena","","Argentina",0,"Gave this an hour in decanter prior to my half-glass.  Cork in nice condition.  Deepest purple I've seen in a long time.  Nice oakiness (not too much).  Earthiness mixed between mushroom and leather.  Fruit there but I just can't distinguish.  Finish is good (30 seconds plus).  I didn't think it was full bodied but who am I?  Tannins noticeable mostly on the finish."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/3/14,"1997 Greysac,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux, France  [84]",1997,"Greysac","","France",84,"Purple colour, a delicate floral - blackcurrant, raspberry, vanilla nose - not very powerful though. Rather alcoholic with some kind of acididy imbalance. Very little tannins and somewhat diluted by the end. A wine with some evident fineness, but clearly lacks of power. I rated it 82 - 84 / 100"
"stefan",2001/3/15,"1996 Meyney,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1996,"Meyney","","France",87,"Dark ruby. Nose of blackberries and black currants. Very grapy, sweet fruity, CA entry. Surprisingly soft. A hint of charcoal in the midpalate, red currants on the side, and rasberries when squishing through the teeth. Good taste but not complex. Lacks grip, as CC would say; almost flabby. This is not like any Meyney I have ever drunk previously. Neither Lucie nor I are confident we would identify this as a Bordeaux (let alone a St Estephe) in a blind tasting. Stefan: 87. Lucie: 85."
"JScott",2001/3/15,"1997 Casa Lapostolle, Clos Apalta, Chile",1997,"Casa Lapostolle","","Chile",0,"Huge nose immediately on opening of mocha, blackberry an cherry.  Dark purple, opaque.  Silky smooth, low acid, round and fat on the palate.  Essence of Merlot, chocolate cherries.  This is a rich, dense and extracted wine with intensity and broadness and a healthy finish.  If we're trying to find the definition of silky tannin, here it is.  Only the die-hard lovers of finesse and subtlety will fail to be impressed, as this is a Parker-styled power wine.  It is well-balanced, though, and everything is in place.  Amazing to me that this relatively obscure little estate has managed to run right past virtually all of Napa Merlot in its brief existence.  For Merlot fans, it shouldn't be missed, gives me reason to explore further in South America.  A thank you to Bages for pointing it out."
"alchemeus",2001/3/15,"1996 Mondavi, Napa,  Napa,  California , USA  [80]",1996,"Mondavi","","USA",80,"Initial impression was good.  Oak and leather and cassis and cherry.  Tartness on the finish.  Strange drying noted but it was just poured.<br>Unfortunately the first glass was the best.  This wine is getting worse over time.  Much astringency(?) due to to much acidity (?).  The smoke lessens greatly and the leather comes and goes.  The cassis has almost disappeared.  Any other fruit is non-existant.  It's getting briary in the bad sense.  Never thought this a full bodied wine it's now hard to call it medium bodied.  This is 'flabby' if I understand the term.  Not much of anything there."
"DavidL",2001/3/16,"1992 Beaux Freres Pinot Noir, Oregon, USA  [90]",1992,"Beaux Freres Pinot Noir","","USA",90,"It showed the typical garnet hues of a mature Burgundy; it had the rich Pinot nose of a mature Burgundy; it opened on the palate with the sweet fruit, balanced by oak, acidity, soft tannins and alcohol of a mature Burgundy. (Others felt that ""over-maturity"" would be a better description. Tough! I like mature Burgundy and I liked this wine a lot.) Call it 90 points, but with no basis for that other than that is what I'd have given it if it had been a Premier Cru Burgundy."
"DavidL",2001/3/16,"1996 Turley, Moore Earthquake Vineyard,  Napa,  California , USA  [84]",1996,"Turley","","USA",84,"This was the first high-dollar Zin of my experience and I'm sorry to say it was an experience I have no wish to repeat. There was much chat around the table about which superlatives would be used first, but my neighbour at the table just whispered &quot;horrid&quot; to me as we both nosed our glasses. I don't think I'd go that far but I cannot remember a more disjointed mix of fruit, oak, spice and alcohol in any wine. It was almost like drinking through four straws at once. I have no idea if these flavours will integrate over time; if they do the wine will evolve into a massive wine and will be called an alcoholic fruit-bomb in some circles."
"Roberto",2001/3/17,"1997 Casa Lapostolle, Clos Apalta, Chile",1997,"Casa Lapostolle","","Chile",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=448<br>Uncorked to a dense boquet of red fruit.  Color is young -almost purple.  Initally this wine had a Shiraz-like mouth feel with dense volume and a caressing texture.  Scott's description of overripe red cherries is on the money.  Moca, chocolate and carmel accent beefy, Parkerized-style.  Initally there is an unmistakable sense of concentration which I found appealing albeit new-world.  This density did mellow out a bit after decanting for 1 hour and the structure of this wine emerged.  This is definitely a baby!  The tannin and alcohol are well concealed by the fruit early on, again reference to the '98 Southern Rhone vintage from a textural perspective.  Sipping the wine now about 2 hours after decanting reveals a different animal.  Much more balanced and hinting at European design.  The in-your-face fruit has backed off making me hopeful that this wine will have a nice future."
"Hansen",2001/3/21,"1979 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [91]",1979,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",91,"This was a very nice wine with an elegant, mature colour and a bouquet with lots of finesse, a hint of spice and an almost flowery touch that made it very appealing. The taste was a little more dry and a little more hollow than the bouquet had made me expect, but it still had some nice fruit and elements of red berries, tobacco and liquorice. A very nice wine that is drinking very well and I ended up rating this one 91 points."
"Hansen",2001/3/21,"1989 Roederer, Cristal,  Champagne , France  [95]",1989,"Roederer","","France",95,"What a brilliant Champagne. Approaching maturity it had a deep, yellow-golden colour, a very elegant mousse and a fantastic bouquet filled with citrus and apple fruit, dark bread and a superb acidity that made it very suiting for a meal. The taste was also superb, with lots of body and fruit that balanced out the acidity nicely plus an aftertaste that just lasted and lasted. For me Cristal is what Champagne is all about and although i still think the 1990 is slightly better I ended up rating this one 95."
"Hansen",2001/3/21,"1990 d'Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [97]",1990,"d'Yquem","","France",97,"I have tasted Yquem 1990 two times previously and have not been impressed on either occasion and accordingly I was afraid, that we were in for a closed Yquem. I was wrong. From the very first sip this was a truly astonishing wine. A light golden, deep colour and a bouquet that was so fascinating it was almost impossible to think of the nice food. All kinds of exotic fruits like mango, abricot and lime combined with a sweetness that was just right. The taste was perfectly balanced, with all the fruit elements that were evident in the bouquet and a nice, but not overwhelming botrytis plus a superb acidity that I liked very much. The texture of the wine was also fantastic, the palate was simply coated with this superb drink and it was almost impossible to taste anything else. This was a great Yquem which I ended up rating 97, but again I would still give the edge to the 1988, which in my opinion is marginally better than both 1989 and 1990."
"stefan",2001/3/25,"1997 Penfolds, Bin 389, Australia  [81]",1997,"Penfolds","","Australia",81,"Deep purple. Inviting, fruity bouquet of little distintion, althought with time Lucie claims that a nice fennel smell comes out (stefan detects only a hint of kerosene). Very soft on the tongue. Tastes of berry syrup (black currants--stefan; black rasberries--Lucie). All the taste is up front. Middle is flat. Finnish leaves the tongue tingling with no flavors holding."
"mikecase00",2001/3/25,"1997 Penfolds, Bin 389, Australia  [84]",1997,"Penfolds","","Australia",84,"My notes show it had a fairly dark purple color with a straight forward bouquet.  It had some nice fruitiness but was medium bodied and had rather scratchy tannins on the finish.  I rated it 84, nice but nothing special."
"stefan",2001/3/26,"1989 Clos L'Eglise,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1989,"Clos L'Eglise","","France",88,"Opened and decanted about a half hour before dinner.<br><br>Inviting cassis nose, with anise and tobacco overtones developing with time. Tastes of cassis, bitter dark chocolate, licorice, and, with time, tobacco. Soft tannins and sufficient acid to hold for a few years, but at its peak now. Long finnish. Lucie: 91. Stefan: 88.<br><br>I paid $25 for this wine a couple of months ago. What a bargain! Why was it so cheap when recent vintages are so expensive? "
"mikecase00",2001/3/29,"1998 Faugeres,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1998,"Faugeres","","France",90,"I picked this wine up from the wine club about 2 months ago for about $24.  Tonight I opened one in the name of science to see if it was worth buying a few more.  Parker rated this 89, Suckling 91.  Opened and decanted for 2 hours before tasting.  Beautiful dark purple color almost black.  2 hours from opening it was still quite tannic, but there was lots of fruit up front and a nice medium length finish.  The nose was rather restrained and the flavors were typical merlot, quite plummy, but lacking any vegital or diluted qualities.  All in all a solid value wine.  I give it a preliminary score of 90 with the potential for perhaps 92 or 93 in 5 years or so.  Certainly on the buy again list"
"stefan",2001/3/31,"1982 Leoville Poyferre,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1982,"Leoville Poyferre","","France",94,"The fill was almost to the top and the cork extracted easily. The nose was tight on opening (quite unlike the '83 La Lagune we had the previous night, but a full report on that wine must wait for the last Sunday in September) and the taste was restrained. After an hour in the decanter, the Leoville joined the souffle, spinach, Lucie, and me in front of a silent TV. By then the nose was very attractive but not big. The wine was as smooth as satin. Actually, for the first time in her life Lucie called a wine &quot;velvety&quot;. I told her that word was barred and she settled for &quot;satiny&quot;. The early taste was mostly of sweet red cherries. Later sticky chocolate coated our tongues and remained long after swallowing. The finish on this wonderfully balanced wine was fine. Both Lucie and I scored it 94. It will certainly live for fifteen or twenty years. Maybe in five the bouquet will be more exciting; if so, this wine will merit an even higher rating."
"JScott",2001/4/6,"1993 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [93]",1993,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",93,"Deep, opaque crimson-purple, per expectation no evidence at all of age.  Initially not much on the nose, but a perfume developed over hours, mainly hints of earth, pencil, bandaid and blackberry.  Something I can't quite place over alcohol vapors, I suppose an earth or ashy aroma.  A soft entry and full, rich palate.  This defines the notion of 'seamless,' and is impeccably balanced with a sensual mouthfeel.  Deep, dark berry dominates, with just a hint of mocha over a background of smoke, tar and earth.  Beautiful lingering finish.  An ideal match for the dinner.  Real class and breeding, one would never call this an 'off year' in a blind tasting.  Something humbling about what can be accomplished in the right hands.&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;I'm a huge sucker for this style, and I really enjoyed this wine.  I simply can't pick a favorite Bordeaux or even First for that matter, but tonight my favorite is Haut Brion.  I have only one left and wish I had picked up more of these.  A solid 93-94 on the Parker scale.  Recommended."
"Cabfan",2001/4/7,"1976 Beaulieu Vineyards, Georges de Latour Private Reserve,  Napa,  California , USA",1976,"Beaulieu Vineyards","","USA",0,"The label was torn, but the fill was high and the cork was in absolutely perfect shape.  No date on the cork, except for the name Beaulieu and the word &quot;portugal&quot;.  Immediately upon removing the cork, I could smell the wine.  In the glass it was slightly brownish around the rim, but still purple, although didn't appear especially dense or full-bodied.  I let it sit for about 10 minutes before the first swirling.  Extremely aromatic, with some wonderful smoky overtones mixed with the cabernet fruit.  The most complex nose I've ever experienced in an old cab. It had that special fragrant quality of some wines where they seem to change as the evening goes on.  I was reassured that there was nothing wrong with the bottle, even before tasting. I was really floored after tasting it.  Seemingly still very young, this wine blends power with an elegance that I've never seen in a cab before.  Very intense flavors, complex woodsy/cedary notes along with an exquisitely long finish, this wine is an absolute killer.  Tannins melting away with the fruit not even beginning to fade.  I'm not exagerating when I say this wine has another 15-20 years of life, although it's drinking superbly now."
"Roberto",2001/4/9,"1998 Torbrek, The Steading, Australia  [90]",1998,"Torbrek","","Australia",90,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1564<br>‘98 Torbreck The Steading.  One cannot help but get excited after reading Parker on this wine:  ‘….Seductive, voluptuously-textured flavors unfold on the palate, and the texture is so plush that the taster feels his palate is resting on a water bed of overripe black fruits….’  This is a Rhone-style blend from down-under.   It smells like a Southern-Rhone wine without the funk.  Dark fruit and anise.  The palate is full and rich.  It tasted juicy and soft on release but a year later it is a bit more masculine while still being very inviting.  Great length.  I wonder how this wine will age?  It is great now.  (Cross Posted). Tasting note 4/10/01"
"Cabfan",2001/4/10,"1989 La Dominique,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1989,"La Dominique","","France",93,"1989 La Dominque.  NOW we're talking.  Ripe, ageworthy Grand Cru Classe St. Emilion. Tannins still significant but not overpowering.  Very warm, sexy mouthfeel you get from Merlot. It's 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Mouthcoating rich fruit with that lovely woody/cedary bouquet that you ONLY get from aged Bordeaux, and that is utterly absent from Califonia cabs. Definitely worth the 93 points from Parker.  Ooooooh baby."
"JScott",2001/4/11,"1993 Domaine Michel Lafarge, Volnay,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France",1993,"Domaine Michel Lafarge","","France",0,"Cork intact and wet but with a good seal.  Initial typical Burgundian funk dissipates quickly, floral though reserved nose intially.  No decanting, but let it sit in the glass two hours after a first sip or three.  Color is early bricking throughout.  Initially very light and simple, but a real intensity of fruit.  Over hours developed more heft and depth, still most striking for a purity and intensity, very focused cherry flavors.  Heavily tannic. It certainly seems it has the fruit to outlast the tannin.  I wish I had another of these, as I'm sure I opened it too soon.  This will be a beautiful wine in five years or so, I think.  Day 2, confirms the previous evening's impressions.  The perfume explodes from the bottle and glass tonight, and the rich fruit is more expressive, nuanced and deep.  Tannins a little tamer on the back end, this just needs time.  A very pretty wine."
"Roberto",2001/4/12,"1995 Bourgneuf,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1995,"Bourgneuf","","France",88,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1890<br>Deep red/purple color.  No signs of lightening on the rim.  Aromas of young Bordeaux with a touch more earthiness/soil than expected.  Wood but not oak is detectable.  Overall, a rustic mouthfeel and taste.  Still quite tannic on the palate but there is enough fruit in the middle.  After a few hours this wine was much better.  This wine is just too young to get a handle on now.  I suspect it will turn the corner someday."
"Roberto",2001/4/13,"NV d'Arenberg, Nostalgia Rare Tawny Port, Australia  [95]",NV,"d'Arenberg","","",0,"This was released about a year and a half ago ($26) and I’ve had it several times with consistent notes.  The back of the bottle lists some interesting history behind this wine.  It has been around for over 70 years and comes from very old (50 year) Grenache vines.  It is blended to an average age of more than 15 years.  The wine is red-orange in color.  Prune and fig on the nose with a touch of cinnamon.  The wine is thick and smooth with cascades of dark fruit buttressed by vanilla and coffee.  Great stuff!  Roberto"
"Claret",2001/4/13,"1996 Bel Air,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [84]",1996,"Bel Air","","France",84,"On the nose light smoke and black fruit.  Not much fruit on the palate, with light body and a short finish.  Unremarkable.  84 points"
"Claret",2001/4/13,"1994 Meyney,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1994,"Meyney","","France",86,"Plum, violet and light oak on the nose.  Flavors of black plum and earth.  Medium body with softening tannin.  I was hoping for more from Meyney, which was a good performer throughout the 80's.  86 points"
"Claret",2001/4/13,"1982 Poujeaux,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1982,"Poujeaux","","France",89,"Secondary aromas of red cherry, a touch of leather and light toast.  The texture was smooth with medium body.  A touch vegetal with some Band Aid.  At peak now.  89 points"
"Claret",2001/4/13,"1983 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1983,"Gruaud Larose","","France",89,"Black fruits, cedar, smoke, red cherry, Band Aid and other secondary nuances.  On the palate, leather, cedar,and black fruit.  A smooth, medium textured body.  89 points"
"Claret",2001/4/13,"1978 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1978,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",90,"Vanilla, dill and cedar on the bouquet.  Full bodied, with light herbs and black fruit.  Long finish.  90+ points"
"Claret",2001/4/13,"1978 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1978,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",92,"Lots of cedar with a little oak on the nose.  Smooth and rich, with medium tannins.  Lots of red currant flavor.  92 points"
"Claret",2001/4/13,"1975 Montrose,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1975,"Montrose","","France",87,"Light cedar on the nose.  Good body, with light cedar  and currant.  Fruit fading.  87 points"
"Claret",2001/4/13,"1970 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1970,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",91,"A fat nose of secondary aromas of prunes and currant.  A long and smooth wine, with flavors of cedar and prune.  91 points"
"Claret",2001/4/13,"1970 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1970,"Palmer","","France",91,"This wine took 2 hours in the decanter to really open up.  A really nice nose of cedar, currant, mocha and cassis.  The flavors were cedar and currant, with a medium to long finish.  This wine will hold for a while longer.  91 points."
"DavidG",2001/4/14,"1994 Domaine Schoffit, Rangen de Thann 'Clos St. Theobald' SGN,  Alsace , France  [94]",1994,"Domaine Schoffit","","France",94,"Medium yellow color.  Moderately intense nose of fruit, citrus, some honey.  Intense, bright fruit on the palate, super concentration, marked crisp acidity, followed by another wave of fruit and a moderately long finish. Personal preference, but tasted next to another glass of the [88] d'Yquem, this was a close second.  I found it a bit less intense, rich, and honeyed, but definitely crisper and more acidic. 94 NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"DavidG",2001/4/14,"1995 Château de Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône, France [95]",1995,"Château de Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin CdP","","France",95,"We asked for it to be decanted immediately, and had a chance to watch it develop over the course of the evening.  Dark purple in the glass.  The nose was initially muted.  On the palate there were hints of great things to come, with massive fruit hiding under some heavy duty ripe tannins.  We waited an hour or so, and it started to open.  It kept opening, and opening, and opening, and 3 1/2 hours later was still improving.  The final glass had an intense, complex meaty, gamey nose with spices, smoke and herbs.  I would have been happy to keep smelling it all night long.  In the mouth, it became massive, with rich layers of fruit and meaty, earthy overtones giving way slowly to ripe tannins.  This was an outstanding match to my venison, as well as my wife's lamb and my mother's veal. 95"
"DavidG",2001/4/14,"1988 d'Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [96]",1988,"d'Yquem","","France",96,"Golden yellow color.  Intense sweet nose of citrus fruits (oranges), lots of honey/botrytis, and smoky notes.  Wave after wave of rich, palate-coating sweet fruit and honey perfectly balanced by firm acidity, and a finish that went on for a minute.  This was an outstanding match for a huge lobe of foie gras.  96"
"mikecase00",2001/4/14,"1996 Monbousquet,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1996,"Monbousquet","","France",88,"I was quite interested in this wine's performance since there was a fairly large descrepancy between Parker's and Suckling's notes.  Parker scored it 90 and said while it was an outstanding wine, it would need several years of cellaring to be ready (maybe till 2008).  Suckling scored it 88 and said it was ready to drink in 2000.  I tasted the 96 Monbousquet 4/15/2001 and found it closer to Parker's notes than Suckling's.  We opened the wine and I immediately had a sip.  It was closed and hard, for the first time I understand what they mean when a wine critic says a wine is &quot;monolithic&quot; as this wine fit the description perfectly.  2 hours after opening it still wasn't showing much and I was starting to write this off as just being in a dumb phase.  I think about then I would have scored it 85-87 range.  Then at about 4 hours the wine transformed completely.  The nose opened up to show off beautiful sweet fruit and the tannins and acidity had calmed enough to let the delicious flavors of rasberry and chery show through.  The wine was still tannic, but much more balanced now with a beautifully long finish.  In the end I found myself wishing I hadn't touched the wine until it had decanted for 4 hours or so.  I would then have scored it 92 points, but wouldn't try another one for 4+ years.  Quite a delicious wine though considering the 96 right banks were supposed to be a relative failure.<br><br>Final analysis:  now 88pts, potentially 92 in a few years."
"JScott",2001/4/15,"1995 Trotanoy,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France",1995,"Trotanoy","","France",0,"Long, full and intriguing, with game and earth underneath a solid core of kirsch and dark berry. Won't open another for at least five years as it is only hinting right now. For those betting on the next Parker revision, take the 'over' as he really low-balled this one. A great, great wine."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/15,"1990 Pape Clement, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Brodeaux, France  [87]",1990,"Pape Clement","","France",87,"I was slightly disappointed.... The colour is very intense, youthful compared to the previous wines of this tasting session. An aromatic floral nose with almonds and nuts scents. In mouth, the wine appears to be very accomplished with rounded tannins and very fruity, not very powerful though (a bit short in mouth). A Pape Clement quite close to a right bank style of wines. Looks almost ready to drink now! (87/100)."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/15,"1990 Roc de Cambes,  Bordeaux, France  [84]",1990,"Roc de Cambes","","France",84,"Rather light strawberry colour. Nice floral and grape fruits scents. Fruity in mouth with discrete tannins. Close to its best - drink 2001 - 2003. (82 - 84 /100)"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/15,"1990 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux, France  [88]",1990,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",88,"Nice bright ruby colour. Interesting nose (raspberry, violet, liquorice). Nice and balanced, this is an elegant and rather feminine wine. Lacks a bit of structure to compete with the top wines of the vintage. Drink 2001 - 2008. (88 / 100)"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/15,"1990 Senejac,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux, France  [85]",1990,"Senejac","","France",85,"Slight orange fringe. Vegetable nose with vanilla notes. Stringent with lots of tannins fairly short in mouth - opens up a bit after 30mn. Drink 2003 - 2006. (83 - 85/100)"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/15,"1990 Haut Marbuzet,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux, France  [85]",1990,"Haut Marbuzet","","France",85,"Nice bright red colour. The nose is rather complex and closed - vegetable, cedar and tobacco notes. Nice balanced impression dominated with blackcurrant. Low acidity. Unfortunately this wine clearly lacks of power and seems in the middle of an evolution phase according to MB's comments. Needs to be reviewed in 6 - 12 months time. Drink 2003 - 2006. (83 - 85 /100)"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/15,"1990 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [94]",1990,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",94,"Very youthful purple aspect. Floral (jasmine), vanilla and sugarish scents, not quite open yet. On the palate, the wine appears to be very fruity, balanced and elegant. A very nice wine, but somewhat &quot;low profile&quot;, especially after Mission. Drink 2005 - 2010 (92 - 94 / 100)<br> "
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/15,"1990 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [92]",1990,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",92,"Very deep ruby colour. Intense nose dominated by floral notes. Impressive structure with lots of tannins, very powerful. Not the most elegant wine at this point, but has a huge potential for the next 10 years or more. (90 - 92 / 100)"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/15,"1990 La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Brodeaux, France   [96]",1990,"La Mission Haut Brion","","France",96,"Dark and deep garnet colour, Very intense nose with liquorice, leather and ""animal"" flavours, very impressive concentrated frame, extremely long. Great wine! I can only recommend to keep it quiet in your cellar for the next 10 years. (94 - 96 / 100)"
"Claret",2001/4/16,"1998 Haut Maillet,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1998,"Haut Maillet","","France",91,"98 Haut Maillet, from Pomerol.  Suckling rated it a 93, and a sleeper of the vintage. Well, the potential here was so clear that even Suckling could not miss it.  A beautiful ruby color led to a nose of sweet, ripe red cherry, red raspberry and vanilla.  Flavors of red cherry, with lots of depth and medium to long length.  Really opened up after 4 hours in the  decanter. On sale for $21.99 locally, and a definite buy.  91 points"
"Claret",2001/4/16,"1991 Phillip Togni,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1991,"Phillip Togni","","USA",90,"Initially had an aroma of sweaty socks and black fruits.  Flavors of oak and more black fruit.  Full bodied, very spicy, rich and long.  Held up well the next day.  90 points."
"Claret",2001/4/16,"1834 Barbieto, Malvasia Madeira, Portugal  [92]",1834,"Barbieto","","Portugal",92,"Mahogany color, with a green rim.  Vibrant lemony acidity, with flavors of caramel and nuts.  Intense, with a long finish.  92 points."
"Claret",2001/4/16,"1990 Cos d'Estournel,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1990,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",93,"A beautiful nose of both primary and secondary aromas of ripe red cherry, red currant, cassis, blueberry with smokey oak lurking in the background.  Lots of intense ripe red and black fruits.  Excellent balance.  Drinking well now with 3+ hours of decanting and for the next 10 years.  Medium bodied with round tannins and good aciidity.  Long finish."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/17,"1987 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [85]",1987,"Lynch Bages","","France",85,"The colour looks pretty dark and nice. The nose is fruity (plums), menthol but turns into more &quot;earthy&quot; tones after a while. Nice rounded mouth but showing a slight imbalanced acidity. I decanted this wine and it was an error. It turned to be much better just after opening than after decanting. A nice charming wine at the beginning, but quickly showing signs of exhaustion. Before decanting, I rated it 85 / 100. One hour later, 80 / 100."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/17,"1981 Canon,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux, France  [83]",1981,"Canon","","France",83,"Dark ruby colour. Nice spicy nose with scents of wet earth and mushroom. Round and balanced wine, but not very long. Has matured. Drink now and for the next couple of years. (a nice 83 / 100)"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/4/17,"1976 Margaux,  Margaux,  Bordeaux, France  [81]",1976,"Margaux","","France",81,"I never was very impressed by Margaux 76 and this time wasn't an exception. The colour is light ruby with a slight orange fringe on the edge. Dominated by floral tones, the nose is pretty discreet. Rounded tannins and sweet in mouth, rather short and a little bit dry at the end. This wine has started to decline. No regrets."
"Roberto",2001/4/18,"1997 Monsanto, CCR 'Il Poggio',  Chianti,  Tuscany , Italy  [94]",1997,"Monsanto","","Italy",94,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1653<br>Color almost black, like the color of the few '98 right bankers I have had.  Nose was closed at first but offered up some typical Chianti aromas- smoke, spice and tar.  Initially the wine was closed to taste but clearly very concentrated.  Dense in the mouth.  After about an hour it really started to open up and had nice layered fruit with a touch of Oak but not too much.  The tannins started to show through but were very well balanced by ample fruit and the finish was almost sweet - anise."
"DavidG",2001/4/21,"1975 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1975,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",94,"The bottle has a good fill, low neck, though it's probably been stored for at least some time at room temp.  Color is still dark red, hard to tell if there's any bricking in the restaurant light.  What a nose - intense, sweet, silky cassis fruits with minerals and gravel, a classic!  In the mouth the wine is full bodied, beautifully balanced, concentrated, rich and muscular, with resolved tannins and a sweet smooth finish.  An excellent match with cassoulet, short ribs, and lamb, and paired nicely with duck confit as well.  94 points."
"AKR",2001/4/24,"1990 Simard, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France [72]",1990,"Simard","","France",72,"Avoid.  There is some weird flavor on the back palate.  72 pts"
"alchemeus",2001/4/28,"1993 Woodhall,  Other USA , USA",1993,"Woodhall","","USA",0,"Nice citrus nose of grapefruit/orange.  Slightly smokey.  Crisp on the palate with citrus acidity.  Some mineral.  Medium bodied.  Oak well integrated.  Slightly sweet aftertaste.  This thing has some life left in it."
"mikecase00",2001/4/29,"1998 Raymond, Reserve,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1998,"Raymond","","USA",90,"The wine had a deep purple color (though I wouldn't describe it as inky or black) and a nice plummy nose.  In the mouth the wine was fruity, and typically low acid for a california wine.  The finish was long and chocolaty.  This wine was nowhere near as complex as any top Bordeaux, but at $25-30 it's still a good deal.  Best of all this wine is ready to drink tonight, though it should last atleast 5 more years before fading."
"mikecase00",2001/4/29,"1978 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1978,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",91,"Found this at premiere-cru a while back and couldn't resist trying one of the top wines from my birth year.  This was my first experience with a wine this old (previous oldest was the 1982 Pichon Lalande) and this estate, so I wasn't really sure what to expect.<br><br>The condition of the bottle didn't lend me a whole lot of hope for it either.  The label was a bit faded and the fill level was top shoulder at best along with a slightly depressed cork.  After removing the capsule I discovered the cork was slightly moldy at the top, and saturated all the way through.  Needless to say none of this made me very optimistic.  In the decanter the wine was a medium ruby color showing a bit of amber at the edges.  The nose was a bit muted, showing less than I would have expected for a 22 year old St. Julien, and the first sip the wine tasted a bit cooked.  Lots of alcohol, but there was enough fruit hiding in there to encourage me to let it sit for a while and open up.<br><br>Tried the wine again about 20 min later and it was already a much improved wine, the nose showing some nice cassis and blackberry notes.  It continued to improve over the next 30 min and then plateaued for about another hour while it was consumed.  This wine typified delicate.  The finish was medium-long and multi-layered and the nose had opened up nicely by the end.<br><br>Overall I'd score it 91 points.  A beautiful wine, but not as concentrated as I would have liked."
"Roberto",2001/5/3,"1982 Meyney,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1982,"Meyney","","France",94,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=117<br>This is a beautiful wine.  The bottle was in excellent condition with a fill well into the neck.  I bought this about a year ago for about $50. Cork was wet about 90% of the way up but in good shape.  Color garnet with a touch of amber at the rim.  It took about an hour to open up.  The nose was so nice with musty earthy notes, some of the '82 asian spice and the old cigar box.  Palate was what well-aged Bordeaux is all about.  Balanced with a solid midsection of dark fruits.  It had the weighty feel of a great wine.  Finish was long and fruity with surprisingly firm but balanced tannins.  This wine is in no danger of being over the hill.  I would score it 94.  This wine would easily hold up in a horizontal of '82 classified growths."
"ebaum",2001/5/11,"1990 Rauzan Segla,  Margaux,  Bordeaux, France",1990,"Rauzan Segla","","France",0,"Garnet, pain d'epices, sour cherries, vegetal on the nose. Big start, short finish. Very tannic. Licorice, decaying reduced notes. Much yummier than these notes sound."
"ebaum",2001/5/11,"1990 Grand Mayne,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux, France",1990,"Grand Mayne","","France",0,"a personal fave of mine. Ruby, buttery, oily nose. Very long, smoky, balanced, classic. I've had more expressive bottles, but this is very good St. Emilion."
"ebaum",2001/5/11,"1990 La Louviere,  Graves,  Bordeaux, France",1990,"La Louviere","","France",0,"Garnet, VA on the nose with cedar, stewed red fruits, sweet, hot. Long, balanced acids and copious fine tannins. Drying, not much fruit. Very good with food."
"ebaum",2001/5/11,"1990 l'Angelus,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux, France",1990,"l'Angelus","","France",0,"as I wrote in my notes, &quot;just sick.&quot; Purple, gamey, lavender, Asian five spice nose. Unbelievably huge, long, so full it's almost compressed. Violets and venison. It changes and shows a different facet very sip. My fiancee loved it and drank too much of it, which is always a sign of quality ;-)."
"ebaum",2001/5/11,"1990 Leoville Barton,  St Julien,  Bordeaux, France",1990,"Leoville Barton","","France",0,"Ruby red. Sweet oak, plum, spice, molasses on the nose. Tasted thin after the [90] Montrose, but an unfair comparison. Reduced flavors of cassis and plum, but balanced and ready to go. Kept improving as the evening went on. NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"DavidG",2001/5/12,"1994 Kuentz-Bas, VT,  Alsace , France  [88]",1994,"Kuentz-Bas","","France",88,"A little mute at first, probably because it was served at refrigerator temperature, it developed a nice gewurtz nose once it had a chance to warm up a bit.  Nice floral notes and just a hint of lychee. Excellent acidity to balance the sweetness and fruit.  88 points."
"DavidG",2001/5/12,"1995 Domaine Weinbach, Schlossberg, Germany",1995,"Domaine Weinbach","","Germany",0,"Light golden color, rich, oily, hint of honey (botrytis?), outstanding depth, length, balance and acidity.  Probably has years to go.  90 points.  This paired nicely with a foie gras appetizer."
"DavidG",2001/5/12,"1991 Harlan Estate, Estate,  Napa,  California , USA  [96]",1991,"Harlan Estate","","USA",96,"Also impenetrably dark purple, with slightly more restrained fruit, a hint of earth and forest floor on the nose in addition to the somewhat more subtle mocha/coffee notes.  Definitely more &quot;Bordeaux-like&quot; than the '96.  Even richer and denser than the '96 in the mouth, with a silky feel on the front and mid-palate, giving way to dusty tannins on the back palate.  The '96 was more enjoyable at first, but after an hour or two the '91 kept getting better and better and ultimately overtook it.  The tannins smoothed out, the finish lengthened out with added complexity, some nice tobacco notes started to develop on the nose, and the wine became more and more balanced - an amazing feat for such a concentrated wine.  And something even a Bordeaux-lover could warm up to. 96 points."
"DavidG",2001/5/12,"1993 Araujo, Eisele Vineyard,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1993,"Araujo","","USA",92,"Not quite impenetrably purple, this had a sweeter nose than either of the [96 and 91] Harlans, and the oak was a little more in evidence.  Excellent depth and concentration, hints of cherry along with the cassis and dark berries, and a long smooth finish with lingering hints of the vanilla/mocha oak effects.  92 points. NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"DavidG",2001/5/12,"1996 Monbousquet,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Monbousquet","","France",0,"Dark crimson, intense complex nose of dark berries, cherries, mocha, truffles, violets, roasted meats, hint of tar jumps from the glass. Medium-full bodied, good balance, nice fruit concentration, drops off a bit on back palate, finishes with fairly big tannins, but not harsh or green, which overtake the fruit at the end. Second night, nose still intense but not as complex, fruit holding well, tannins softer.  Should continue to improve over the next 2-3 years and hold for 1-2 decades."
"DavidG",2001/5/12,"1997 Sine Qua Non, Imposter McCoy,  California , USA  [92]",1997,"Sine Qua Non","","USA",92,"Dark purple, sweet intense nose of dark fruits, vanilla, mocha, hints of spice and pepper jump out of the glass.  Rich, concentrated, mouth-coating, velvety and smooth, not a harsh tannin in sight, with a sweet, lingering finish.  Some might label this a confection of a wine, with complexity from the oak rather than the fruit, but there's plenty of fruit there and I love the style.  92 points"
"DavidG",2001/5/12,"1996 Harlan Estate, Estate,  Napa,  California , USA  [94]",1996,"Harlan Estate","","USA",94,"Impenetrably dark purple, intense concentrated cassis and berry aromas, mocha and vanilla (those oak barrels) nicely integrated, tremendous body and mouth filling fruit, ready to drink from the start with gentle tannins and a moderately long, smooth finish.  Held nicely over the course of about 4 hours.  For those who are partial to the traditional Bordeaux style, this would seem to be a confection of a wine.  94 points"
"alchemeus",2001/5/12,"1977 Quarles Harris, Vintage Port, Portugal",1977,"Quarles Harris","","Portugal",0,"Decanted 5 hours prior.  Deep black/purple.  Immense cherry and plum and 'bandaid' aromas.  Mushroom/earth also.  Tannins have integrated very nicely here but they're plentiful enough for several more years.  This was better than the bottle I had last year.  Noticeable alcohol but not 'hot'.  Excellent with stilton."
"JScott",2001/5/15,"1998 Abadia Retuerta, Rivola, Spain  [88]",1998,"Abadia Retuerta","","Spain",88,"Deep opaque, almost chalky purple.  Distinct boysenberry on the nose, full and rich with a grapey, blackberry palate.  Finishes with a flinty, earthy note and sweet tannin.  Nicely structured and probably can go 6-8 years but the appeal is the bright fruit so drink it now.  Not a profound wine but if there's such a thing as a full-bodied summer wine, this is it.  Best part - 9 bucks.  Probably an 87-88."
"Roberto",2001/5/17,"1997 d'Arenberg, Dead Arm Shiraz, Australia  [92]",1997,"d'Arenberg","","Australia",92,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1563<br>‘97 d’Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz.  A big Shiraz but not out of control.  This wine has mellowed a bit from initial release which hopefully is a positive omen for the future.  The color is like ink.  The nose boasts shiraz-pepper, dark fruit, coffee bean with sufficient oak.  This wine has the creamy texture that Shiraz lovers will appreciate.  It has plenty of fruit but has tightened-up a bit since release which I think is a positive development.  Still, no shortage of alcohol or density here.  I really like this producer for this style of wine.  (Cross-Posted).  Tasting note 5/18/01."
"stefan",2001/5/21,"1990 Pavie Decesse,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1990,"Pavie Decesse","","France",92,"Big, all-fruits bouquet. Nice licorice up front. Full bodied with very soft tannins. Good grip; even leathery. Good staying power. This one needs time, though."
"stefan",2001/5/21,"1970 Lamarzelle Figeac,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1970,"Lamarzelle Figeac","","France",87,"Light red with a touch of brown. Still has some fruit, tannins, and vibrant acids. Fairly rich with cherry and cranberry flavors. Good staying power. Very slightly oxidized. S 87"
"Roberto",2001/5/22,"1997 Leoville Barton,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1997,"Leoville Barton","","France",86,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=137<br>1997 Leoville Las Cases.  Purchased at the recent Sam’s blowout.  A young and primary nose of cassis with a touch of earthiness.  It tastes young as well but is softer in the midele than expected with fresh black fruit as it crosses the palate.  The finish was a bit hard and dry."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/5/23,"1997 Clerc Milon,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [84]",1997,"Clerc Milon","","France",84,"I tasted Clerc Milon 97 yesterday (5/24/2001) at a restaurant in Geneva. Nice bright colour. Fresh aromas of black fruits, berry, very charming. Unfortunately, I found this medium bodied wine slightly imbalanced with excessive acidity, vegetal tannins and a bit short. Drink 2003 - 2006 - 84/100."
"stefan",2001/5/26,"1997 d'Armailhac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1997,"d'Armailhac","","France",88,"Red ruby color. Red currants and cassis nose and taste. A slight vegetable taste on opening goes away with air. Lucie finds the bouquet attractive and likes that it does not disappear. There are some mineral notes along with the fruit on the front palate. Lucie says that the wine has more &quot;oomph&quot; toward the back. This D'Armailhac is medium bodied and has good structure with soft tannins."
"stefan",2001/5/26,"1998 Domaine de la Charbonniere, Cuvee Mourre des Perdrix,  [87]",1998,"Domaine de la Charbonniere","","",87,"Nose closed. Cherry and cranberry flavors. Good structure, but a bit flat. Only a hint of pepper. No dirt. Good staying power, but aftertaste a bit foxy. I like best the cranberry flavors you get when swishing the wine toward the front."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1974 Petrus,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France",1974,"Petrus","","France",0,"This showed slight bricking at the rim. The nose was weedy and green, the palate feel somewhat sharp and astringent. If there is something noble in there, it is covered up, and some are ready to write it off, and it is set aside. But I have remembered Francois’ approach, and made a mental note to go back to the 1974 Petrus. Lo and behold, it has shed its weedy vegetal nature and developed a sweetness surrounding a core of pure fruit. A total transformation, and quite enjoyable, perhaps because my expectations have been transformed as well."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1991 Silver Oak,  Napa,  California , USA  [75]",1991,"Silver Oak","","USA",75,"Medium-dark red. Nose of mint, dill, oak, pickle juice. Not enough fruit to balance the acid, short finish. 75 points."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1991 Shafer, Hillside Select,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1991,"Shafer","","USA",92,"Dark red-purple. Creamy, rich, lush berry and cassis nose. Full body, soft lush ripe fruit, velvety finish."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1998 Lamborghini, Campoleone,  Other Italy , Italy  [85]",1998,"Lamborghini","","Italy",85,"Dark red-purple. Shy nose at first, then some forest floor, bacon fat, grilled meats. Medium body and richness, good balance, moderate finish. 85 points."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1995 Constant,  Napa,  California , USA  [83]",1995,"Constant","","USA",83,"Dark red-purple. Dill, not pickle juice, but more than can be couterbalanced by the fruit. Pretty concentrated fruit on the palate, but marred by herbal/vegetal notes, moderate finish. 83 points."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1994 Araujo, Eisele Vineyard,  Napa,  California , USA  [91]",1994,"Araujo","","USA",91,"Dark red. Fine cassis, berry nose with hints of forest floor. Excellent balance but seems somewhat closed. Something’s lurking, but doesn’t want to come out and play right now. 91 points."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1994 Shafer, Hillside Select,  Napa,  California , USA  [95]",1994,"Shafer","","USA",95,"Dark red. Nose jumps out of glass, bright and dark fruits. Huge mouth-filling wine, tons of fruit with great balance, some complexity, and a great lingering finish. 95 points."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1994 Opus One,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1994,"Opus One","","USA",93,"Dark red. Also a big nose, bit riper/darker/plummier than wine 3 [94 Shafer Hillside Select]. Full-bodied but not quite as palate-coating or layered as wine 3. Smooth, velvety finish. 93 points."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1982 Petrus,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France",1982,"Petrus","","France",0,"Dark red, no fading at the rim. Intense primary pure fruit nose. On the palate, incredibly concentrated, seamless, sweet pure fruit, deep, like falling into a bottomless well. Superb balance for such a monster of a wine – a bull on a high wire. Still young, just starting to develop layers of complexity, some chocolate and spices. The wine seems to stay in the mouth forever, but when it is gone it is gone too soon. Back for another sip, it is impossible to resist."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1991 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1991,"Dominus","","USA",93,"Dark red. Tea, tobacco notes mingle with lush fruits on the nose. Mouth-filling full-bodied rich wine with excellent balance, hint of grassy-weediness adds interest, not green, good complexity, excellent long finish. 93 points."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1996 Peter Michael, Les Pavots, Sonoma,  California, USA [95]",1996,"Peter Michael","","USA",95,"Dark red-purple. Also a bit shy at first, but builds to big gobs of fruit and smoky, tarry notes. Superb balance, full body, great complexity, great finish. 95 points."
"DavidG",2001/6/1,"1996 Jones Family, Napa, California, USA [93]",1996,"Jones Family","","USA",93,"Dark red-purple. Creamy, rich, nose with tons of fruit and hints of licorice. Similar on the palate, very concentrated, full-bodied, lively long finish. 93 points."
"jal",2001/6/3,"1999 Turley, Old Vines,  California , USA",1999,"Turley","","USA",0,"Deep dark color, a little grainy, good nose of chocolate, typical in your face fruit, no structure or balance, just concentrated heavy fuit, chocolate and mocca flavors with a long dry finish."
"jal",2001/6/3,"1998 Ridge, Lytton Springs,  Sonoma,  California , USA",1998,"Ridge","","USA",0,"Nice dark ruby color, much smoother than the graininess (for lack of a better word) of the [99 Old Vines] Turley.  Smells like a zin, even tastes like a zin, classy and well crafted, just what I look for when I open any bottles of zinfandel.  NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"DavidG",2001/6/7,"1986 Talbot,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1986,"Talbot","","France",88,"Still dark, with little to no fading at the rim.  Nose a bit shy at first, opens to some nice cassis, minerals, medium body on the palate but not real generous in the fruit department, and not yet really complex.  Pretty tannic finish.  Have seen this do better, hoping it will regain complexity and resolve tanning with more time in the bottle.  88 points. Still a little closed? Perhaps an unrepresentative sample, as the cork was thoroughly stained and the fill was low neck?"
"DavidG",2001/6/7,"1988 Salon, Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs,  Champagne , France  [92]",1988,"Salon","","France",92,"Yellow color, very fine bubbles, nice toasty, nutty aromas and flavors, hints of earthiness, good balance between citrus and apple fruit and acid, delicious now but I think this needs more time.  92 points."
"DavidG",2001/6/7,"1982 Talbot,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1982,"Talbot","","France",92,"Bottle showed almost no ullage, and the cork was almost pristine.  Dark red with some bricking at the rim.  Very effusive nose of cassis, sweet cherries, forest floor, mushrooms, silky palate feel with medium-full body, nice complexity, smooth long finish.  92 points."
"DavidG",2001/6/7,"1990 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1990,"Lynch Bages","","France",93,"Dark red, outstanding nose, richness, nice complexity, good-great finish, got sweeter, more open and more complex with time but retained an intense concentrated pure fruit streak right down the middle, even fuller bodied than the '82 Talbot, but not as complex.  It edged out the Talbot on my card, but not by much, and I suspect it will develop more complexity with time.  93 points."
"Claret",2001/6/8,"1975 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1975,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",91,"The nose offered tar, prune, light spice and a little cedar.  The palate was elegant rather than powerful.  The main flavor was currant, with a smooth, medium length finish.  I was somewhat underwelmed.  91 points."
"JScott",2001/6/10,"1997 Didier Dagueneau, Asteroides,",1997,"Didier Dagueneau","","",0,"This is a micro-production (like 50 bottles) wine in a 500 ml 1700's-style bottle. No way in hell this is Sauv Blanc. Incredible. Grassy and apple nose. Steely, mineral laden palate with citrus and pineapple notes. Long and balanced. One was less impressed, but the rest of us (five at this point) were speechless. "
"JScott",2001/6/10,"1997 Clarendon Hills, Astralis, Australia",1997,"Clarendon Hills","","Australia",0,"Color of crude oil, in Bob's words, completely opaque. Horseradish, grilled meat, Worchester sauce on the nose, huge palate of dark berries, pepper and earth. Intense but not sloppy or jammy."
"mikecase00",2001/6/11,"1998 La Fleur de Bouard,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1998,"La Fleur de Bouard","","France",86,"I wasn't sure what to expect from this wine, never having heard of it until this year. It opened with a beautiful plum color, but had a slightly muted earthy/plummy nose. The wine tasted VERY tannic and acidic. While it had a nice amount of fruit the acidity was just too much for it now. I expected this to be an early drinker but now I think it could stand to sit for a couple years. For drinking now I prefer the 98 Reignac for about the same price."
"mikecase00",2001/6/12,"1998 Faugeres,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1998,"Faugeres","","France",92,"The 1998 Faugeres is drinking wonderfully now. Its beautiful color and nose are followed by tannins and acidity balanced well by the solid core of ripe plum flavors.  It's medium bodies with a medium-long finish.  Delicious now it should be at its best in two years time."
"stefan",2001/6/15,"1988 Pichon Baron,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1988,"Pichon Baron","","France",94,"'88 Pichon Baron (with filet mignon, broccoli, and corn pancakes). Light but distinctly Pauillac bouquet. Rich, sweet, chocolate-cherry taste with licorice. Very soft for an '88. &quot;My kind of wine&quot; says T; &quot;I could drink this every day&quot;. (Maybe she expects a larger inheritance than she will get.) The '88 Lynch Bages we had last Saturday is perhaps a tad better, but the P-B is mature and better for current consumption. These two wonderful wines prove that, at least in Pauillac, it was possible to make outstanding wine in '88. Lucie 93. T 95. Stefan 94."
"stefan",2001/6/15,"1997 d'Armailhac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1997,"d'Armailhac","","France",88,"97 D'Armailhac (with feta and Camembert before dinner). Red ruby color. Red currants and cassis nose and taste. A slight vegetable taste on opening goes away with air. Lucie finds the bouquet attractive and likes that it does not disappear. There are some mineral notes along with the fruit on the front palate. Lucie says that the wine has more &quot;oomph&quot; toward the back. This D'Armailhac is medium bodied and has good structure with soft tannins. T doesn't like the wine; she objects to the minerals in it and says it is &quot;too young&quot;. Lucie 88. Stefan 88.<br><br>The Sucker's 1/2000 description is more accurate than RP's 3/98 barrel tasting note (although Suckling's plums have turned into currants). I would much rather drink this than higher scoring CA cabs that cost a lot more. The D'Armailhac is more or less ready now. Maybe it will get more complex later, but I won't hold mine for long enough to find out."
"stefan",2001/6/15,"1996 Cantemerle,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1996,"Cantemerle","","France",88,"I've been wanting to try this to see if we should buy a case and was fortunate to find a bottle at Berry's Heathrow for 15 pounds. We opened it 4 hours before having it with SuperSol roast chicken, Lucie's ratatouille, and bread with brie. <br><br>The Cantemerle is not at all closed. The bouquet is well developed. It has sweet fruits with soft supporting tannins and flavors of chocolate laced with anise. It holds well with a pleasant aftertaste. It is somewhat hot (high acid-it has only 12.5% alcohol). Surprisingly nice to drink now, it should nevertheless live for 20+ years. <br><br>Stefan 88; should be 90 in 2-4 years. Lucie 90."
"DavidG",2001/6/15,"1990 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux, France [97]",1990,"Haut Brion","","France",97,"Dark red. Funky, earthy, complex nose, very forward, cassis, tar, wow! Great concentration, richness, some nice complexity developing on the palate, and a killer finish. 97 points."
"jal",2001/6/15,"1983 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1983,"Lynch Bages","","France",90,"Decanted 20 minutes (I really didn't need to). The fill on the bottle was excellent, the cork was firm and came out with a slight effort.  This bottle was obviously well preserved.<br> <br>Light purple-red color all around, good nose of cedar.<br> <br>No rough edges on this wine, this is exactly what I had hoped an old Bordeaux to taste like even when it is not from a great year.  the wine is classy and refined with predominantly cassis and a hint of smokiness.  This is not an &quot;in your face&quot; 1982, but it went very well with the meat.  It especially showed well on the middle palate, the finish was long (I can still taste a little of it 12 hours later, but that must certainly be the reminder of a hangover)."
"jal",2001/6/15,"1988 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1988,"Gruaud Larose","","France",90,"Had it yesterday for dinner with the family, with a rack of lamb, ratatouille and simple pasta.<br>1st bottle out of the case.  Extremely well preserved.<br>Pretty color, no fading whatsover, dark ruby all around.  <br>Nose was a little subdued but opened up nicely after 15 minutes (God bless Riedel).<br>Still very young, started a little harsh, but softened considerably after a while, probably because it went really well with the food.   Cassis, blackberries, typical St Julien, fruit was everywhere- front middle and back. <br>This wine was delicious, it will also last for another decade at least,  around 89-90"
"Dawson",2001/6/15,"1995 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1995,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",88,"The 1995 Grand Puy Lacoste was also very disappointing.  The Borie's poured this at Zachy's a long time ago, pre-release, and it was way better than the 1995 Ducru.  Now however, the wine tastes flat and uninspiring.  Blackish-garnet, lower than expected acid and glycerin, slight lead pencil nose and mineral aromas, I let it decant for 24 hours, and although it got better, it was still very monolithic and clumsy.  I have another bottle that I will try in two years time.  The 1993 GPL I had in Bordeaux 3 years ago was altogether a much more enjoyable wine.  87-88 points."
"Dawson",2001/6/15,"1976 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [92]",1976,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",92,"Still quite dark, not much lightening on the edge.  Tobacco and cedar flavors, elegant and refined tannins, and a long smooth finish.  Fruit still holding up very well.  This wine is clearly underrated by the press, as it is the second example that I have tasted in the past 2 years and rated 90+.   I rated this 92 points."
"mikecase00",2001/6/15,"1998 Reignac,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1998,"Reignac","","France",87,"Decanted for an hour.  Beautiful dark purple color.  Aromas of rasberries and wet earth.  Not very acidic, but nice up front fruit giving way to a slightly lean back end with medium tannins.  Not terribly lengthy, but in general pleasant.  Sort of a mix between classic bordeaux aromas and flavors with a 97 cal cab's structure and fruit profile.  If you can find it for $15 its worth it."
"ebaum",2001/6/16,"1988 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux, France  [94]",1988,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",94,"Pure sweet cassis, cedar, with uncompletely resolved tannins, resounding acidity to balance, and a long long finish.  Tasted like quintessential Medoc to me, more like Pauillac than St. Julien (just an impression).  If I were in the habit of giving numeric ratings, I would call this a 93-94.<br> <br>Accompanying a dinner of porcini risotto, this is why I love Bordeaux.  A wine of substance and balance, with purity and length, and nothing out of place.  I usually dis Suckling, but I think I agree with him more on the 1988's than I would like to admit (he likes them a lot more than Parket et al.).  They have more than enough fruit that is getting sweeter every year, and they have a great balance that makes them perfect dinner wines.  And isn't that the point?  Also, while they are still somewhat tannic, they are a point as far as I and my tannin pig financee are concerned."
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1995 Nenin,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1995,"Nenin","","France",87,"Nenin has dramatically ratcheted up their pricing and this is probably one of the last modestly priced decent vintages of theirs still available - I feel it merits acquisition if you can find it for $25 or so.  A bottle consumed in May 01 was a pleasure -- it had good flavor and an above average finish that hinted of more concentration than I had expected.  It was a little bit coarse texturally [Parker calls it chewy and I concur] but it's Good Stuff and will keep for a while longer.  "
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1995 de Sales,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1995,"de Sales","","France",85,"For one of the few fairly priced large production Pomerols this has gathered up a few decent ratings so I figured I had to taste it too.  It's a good wine with [to my taste] a somewhat strange bouquet.  In fact I had the sommellier take a sniff too just to make sure [I never have needed to do that before].  We gave it some air to let the funk waft away and after an hour or so that annoying aspect seemed to disappear.  The flavor was good but the silkiness/lushness that one expects [and pays for] from Pomerol seemed strangely absent.  Perhaps this wasn't a perfect bottle but after consuming this I passed on a case for $280.  I hope others have tastier experiences with this than I because the world needs more high quality fairly priced Pomerol!"
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1994 Langoa Barton,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [83]",1994,"Langoa Barton","","France",83,"The other critics are correct.  This is below average in an average vintage.  I did not note any funky smells [others had mentioned this] but there was a lack of fruit and flavor.  I suppose one could identify it as a wine of Bordeaux typicity but it would not convince anyone after tasting to even jot down the label.  Tasted March 01 without decanting."
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1996 Soudars,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [80]",1996,"Soudars","","France",80,"It's difficult to find decent wines from this region under $20.  Prior vintages had gotten some chatting up from the Critics That Be so I thought a good year for Left Bankers might a safe one to try this.  I was wrong -- I found this thin and unappealing.  It 'soured' up markedly after being out for a few hours.  Bummer.  "
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1994 Lynch Bages, Haut Bages Averous,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [79]",1994,"Lynch Bages","","France",79,"Unfortunately not worth purchase nor consumption.  I'm not sure if I have drank a more 'green peppery' wine in the last few years.  If you have any I recommend giving it as gifts to people you will not see -- nor care to -- again.<br>This is what makes second wines such poor values unless it's a top notch vintage."
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1996 Lafon Rochet,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1996,"Lafon Rochet","","France",89,"I thought this was a + wine.  Great thick viscosity, a dark black eye coloration, and a nice amount of tannin.  Not the ferocious 'it will never come around sell it at auction' kind but the sort that seems to pair up well with a bloody fatty slab of cow.  Decanting will only help it and I'm going to leave my other bottles alone for a while but it was very nice checking in on this wine and being pleased with its taste.<br>It's probably available still at fair prices."
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1996 Pichon Lalande, Reserve de la Comtesse,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1996,"Pichon Lalande","","France",90,"I've drank two bottles of this in the last year; both of them were excellent and convinced me to purchase a case.  The nose is already starting to pick up a hint of a Paulliac and for the modest price it goes for, it's a nice way to enjoy a fine chateaux's handiwork in a very good vintage.  I did not percieve a lushness of fruit in the flavor but for this wine that wasn't a bad thing -- everything else felt well balanced.  It will be educational watching this 96 mature."
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1995 La Gaffeliere,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1995,"La Gaffeliere","","France",86,"Consumed June 01.  From bottle with no decanting.  Notes will be sparse due the drunkeness of the evening.  Dark red color.  Texture still a tad granular.  Flavor and finish of average length.  Nothing vastly unusual about this other than it is quality wine.  I'd like to check back on this in a few years when hopefully more sober."
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1995 Beychevelle,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1995,"Beychevelle","","France",88,"Uncorked June 01 and served from decanter after 30 min of airing.  I enjoyed this and it was to me a nice little example of what St. Julien should taste like.  It had a silky texture that all of our table commented on; I don't know if this is a vintage or chateau feature but it certainly tasted ready to drink to me.  The nose was quite nice as well and the finish was of medium length.  If you have any lurking about, don't feel like it's too early to drink."
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1998 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [91]",1998,"Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge","Bordeaux","France",91,"Enjoyed a bottle of this is May/June 01.  This was decanted for 1/2 hour prior to consumption and kept on improving throughout the course of a 2 hour dinner.  Rich deep dark red color.  Delightful classic smell of graves i.e. tobacco.  Other members of table described it as 'elegant'. Unfortunately the WS review will cause it to either get higher in price or scarce despite their being 10000 cases of it."
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1997 d'Armailhac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1997,"d'Armailhac","","France",88,"An inexpensive entree to Mouton's style i.e. oaky an 'sexy'.  My non Bordeaux geek friends have often picked this blind as their favorite wine of the evening usually in competition with higher priced wines.  I've had two bottles in the last year and I don't particularly think they improve much with airing.  Nevertheless a great value and perfect for consumption now. [T&V had them on sale for $18/bt no tax last fall]."
"AKR",2001/6/19,"1997 Poujeaux,  Bordeaux , France  [84]",1997,"Poujeaux","","France",84,"After reading much glowing praise about this from RP and others I finally uncorked a bottle to serve with a steak Dianne.  I was disappointed.  Perhaps it needed decanting [all we had done was let it sit in glasses for perhaps 20 min prior to beginning consumption] but it tasted hard and uncouth to me.  It didn't have an unusually expressive bouquet.  I have 3 more bottles stashed away so I'm hoping I'm wrong and a few more years will add to it's appeal."
"stefan",2001/6/20,"1996 Kirwan,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [84]",1996,"Kirwan","","France",84,"We had the '96 Kirwan with roast chicken and orso. Lucie and I had different impressions of this wine. My claim is that she was paying more attention to a handsome graduate student who was our guest than to the wine, but she claims not. Anyway, she thought the wine was balanced, had little bouquet, and was not very interesting although it was OK with the meal. I thought that with work you could get some pleasant Margauxberry fragrance. The fruit was OK but not integrated with the tough tannins. The finish was fairly long but rather astringent. Each individual component of the Kirwan was all right but the wine was disjointed. If everything comes together I might rate the wine 88 in five years. For now I score it 84 and Lucie gives it 82."
"Cabfan",2001/6/21,"1993 Phillip Togni Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, California [93]",1993,"Phillip Togni Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon","","",0,"I decanted it about an hour before the meal because I've heard in big vintages these can be tannic beasts.  It was very dark in the glass without any signs of age whatsoever.  Really fabulous nose which surprised me - potent cabernet scents that you could smell with the glass sitting in front of me.  The aromas seemed to get even stronger as the evening progressed; this was one of the more aromatic cabs I've had in quite awhile.  Initially it seemed to have slightly aggressive tannins but these faded away after about an hour.  Full bodied yet silky-smooth, this was a very pleasant surprise considering it came from a mediocre vintage in Napa. My wife Victoria really flipped over it, saying it was the best thing I'd served in six months.  I wouldn't go quite THAT far, but let's just say I'm looking forward to opening the other bottles which are from much superior vintages.  I'd say 92-93 points."
"stefan",2001/6/23,"1993 Dom Perignon,  Champagne , France  [91]",1993,"Dom Perignon","","France",91,"The '93 Dom has a nose that is already developed with notes of peaches, citrus, and spice. After sipping you don't need to swallow; the mousse is that fine. With a bit more liquid you manage to get the full taste and long finish of this Dom. Most surprising to us is that we think this wine is ready to drink. The great '90, on the other hand, will not peak for 5-10 years. Stefan 91. Lucie 91."
"stefan",2001/6/23,"1993 Dom Perignon,  Champagne , France  [91]",1993,"Dom Perignon","","France",91,"The '93 Dom has a nose that is already developed with notes of peaches, citrus, and spice. After sipping you don't need to swallow; the mousse is that fine. With a bit more liquid you manage to get the full taste and long finish of this Dom. Most surprising to us is that we think this wine is ready to drink. The great '90, on the other hand, will not peak for 5-10 years. Stefan 91. Lucie 91."
"jal",2001/6/23,"1985 Dunn, Napa,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1985,"Dunn","","USA",92,"Good level, tight capsule, cork came out without a hitch, though it was 3/4 of the length wet. <br>Poured into a decanter, waited 15 minutes then glasses. Nose was nice but subtle, hint of cassis and cedar. A little clearing around the rim, still dark purple all around. Huge taste of cassis fruit and blackberries with a hint of cedar and leather.  Long finish. Is this California or Bordeaux?  Very similar to the Lynch Bages 1985 we had a couple of months ago.  This is one beautifully made wine.  I've had plenty of mid 80's Dunns, they have all shed their massive tannins and are now  all delicious, this one is no exception. 92!!"
"alchemeus",2001/6/24,"1997 Allegrini, Pallazo della Torre,  Veneto , Italy",1997,"Allegrini","","Italy",0,"The 97 is NOTHING like the 95, it is all fruit and nice acidity.  Huge amounts of something from my childhood...blackberry? and a semi-tart cherriness with nice fresh acidity.  That is about 95% of what this wine is about.  It is good mind you, just nothing like I expected.  It seems it may age nicely due to both the plentiful fruit and acidity but it ain't no Valpolicella."
"Whuzzup_",2001/6/24,"1990 Beausejour Duffau,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1990,"Beausejour Duffau","","France",0,".  Color is dark red with almost no sign of age (maybe just a sliver of amber developing at the rim).  Oh my.  I sat there with my nose in the glass for fifteen minutes before even tasting the sucker.  What a great nose!  There is a little bit of maturity there, but we’re only talking the earliest stages.  So much ripe fruit!  And almost electrically intense.  In the mouth this is a monster.  Really huge and still totally sweet.  The finish literally lasted for two minutes.  What a great wine.  Some might wonder whether it’s worth $300, but it sure as hell is an amazing, huge, monster ripe wine that needs a lot of time but seems to have the balance to win the aging battle."
"Whuzzup_",2001/6/24,"1997 La Mondotte,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1997,"La Mondotte","","France",0,"Hmmmmmmmmmmm.  What is that nose?  We sat around all night trying to figure it out.  We had the kids take a sniff for us to see if they could shed some light on it to no avail.  I think we even had the dog stick his nose in there.  I think licorice was used to describe it by someone.  We all agreed it is very, very different.  This wine is black.  It is a behemoth.  It’s a little over the top.  And while the 97 is hugely rated and touted the 98 is supposed to be even “better”.  I’m afraid of that 98!!!!  The finish is very long and this is hugely extracted and ripe.  It’s like getting hit in the mouth with a Merlot sledgehammer (or would it be sludgehammer).  My question is…well…. I’m not even sure what to question.  Is there balance?  It is 100% totally unevolved.  I guess it will last 40 years or so like they say but what will it be then?  Who knows!"
"jal",2001/6/24,"1985 Dunn, Napa,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1985,"Dunn","","USA",92,"Good level, tight capsule, cork came out without a hitch, though it was 3/4 of the length wet. Poured into a decanter, waited 15 minutes then glasses. Nose was nice but subtle, hint of cassis and cedar. A little cxlearing around the rim, still dark purple all around. Huge taste of cassis fruit and blackberries with a hint of cedar and leather.  Long finish. Is this California or Bordeaux?  Very similar to the Lynch Bages 1985 we had a couple of months ago.  This is one beautifully made wine.  I've had plenty of mid 80's Dunns, they have all shed their massive tannins and are now  all delicious, this one is no exception. 92!!"
"AKR",2001/6/25,"1996 Reignac, Cuvee Speciale,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1996,"Reignac","","France",85,"Had this with grilled lamb.  A modest amount of airing was given.Unfortunately based on this tasting I would not purchase.  It was certainly functional and tastes like a right banker, but the glorious heights that this region can attain did not happen in this bottle.  Decent enough nose, average+ flavor but overall a B- or so type of bottle.  I hope this either improves or I was wrong or I had a got a bum bottle."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1991 Caymus,  Napa,  California , USA  [88]",1991,"Caymus","","USA",88,"Lucie and I had this last night with goat cheese on pita followed by a gorgeous vegetable tart.  The Caymus is still dark red.  It has a firm cassis nose from the moment of opening.  At first the taste is rather dumb, but it opens up with air time.  It still has decent fruit, tasting of blackberries and smoked cherries.  Lucie thought it was perfect with the goat cheese.  It has soft tannins, sufficient acidity, but at times I found it a bit watery.  It is better than most recent $25 CA cabs.  Lucie 89. Stefan 88."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1989 Lalande Borie,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1989,"Lalande Borie","","France",88,"Cracked this for lunch to go with dressing and vegetables leftovers. Fruity red cherry nose with a trace of dirt.  Medium bodied and smooth.  The taste is mostly cherries and cranberries. Thin finish for an '89."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1983 Ramos Pinto, Vintage Port, Portugal  [87]",1983,"Ramos Pinto","","Portugal",87,"This was my first experience with this house.  I guess this is ready to drink but it still has plenty of tannin.  The Ramos Pinto is not as complex as the really good vintage ports and also seems a bit strange in a way that I can't describe.  It is very sweet and fruity with few dark flavors.  We did not finish the bottle (a rare event at my house) and drank more the next night.  I liked it better the second night as the sweetness was muted and the finish softer."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1985 Chapoutier La Bernadine CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône, France [87]",1985,"Chapoutier La Bernadine CdP","","France",87,"Fairly dark for a CdP with mature nose and fuller body.  Still has fruit but little spice and dirt.  Tannins are gone but it does not taste old."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1997 Vieux Telegraphe La Crau CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône, France [86]",1997,"Vieux Telegraphe La Crau CdP","","France",86,"Pretty pink color.  Nice Rhone nose. Light bodied, decent fruit with spice and clean dirt.  Little tannin."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1983 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1983,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",90,"Subdued licorice steeped in currants and seasoned with lead pencil and tobacco.  Medium bodied; good balance; has class. Not a particularly good QPR (90/$69.50, but what can you expect with LLC?)"
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1978 Brane-Cantenac,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1978,"Brane-Cantenac","","France",85,"Inviting floral Margaux nose. Light bodied for a '78, but decent structure.  Tastes of sweet red cherries and unripe red currants.  A bit watery finish.  Not big, not complex, but pleasant nonetheless.   Good QPR (85/$25)."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1988 Mouton Baron Philippe,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1988,"Mouton Baron Philippe","","France",88,"Lucie, our daugher, and I drank this and the '90 D'Armailhac with grilled chicken, grilled vegetables, and couscous.  We drank blind, but after a while it was clear which was which.  The '88 has a good cassis nose and tastes of cassis with leather.  A more classic Pauillac structure and style than the '90.  Tobacco comes out with time in the glass.  It goes particularly well with the garlic mayonaisse Lucie made for the vegetables. <br><br>Lucie and I prefer the '90 but our daughter always goes for the more classic taste.  She says that the '90 is more fun but the '88 is more serious.<br><br>Ë™"
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1996 Grand Corbin,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1996,"Grand Corbin","","France",86,"I opened the bottle an hour and a half before decanting and let it sit another 45 minutes before drinking the wine with pasta and Lucie's tomato sauce.  The nose was closed.  The wine was tightly knit.  It had some licorice and berry flavors with cranberries on the side.  The tannins are quite soft and there is considerable citrus. The finnish was short.  Lucie liked this wine.  I'll probably like it better in 3-4 years. Lucie 90?. Stefan 86.<br><br>
"
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1986 La Lagune,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1986,"La Lagune","","France",90,"Drunk with chicken breast with a mushroom-merlot sauce, baked potato, and green beans.<br><br>Bottle & cork in perfect condition.  Good cassis nose with some chocolate. Initial taste a bit harsh.  After a couple of hours there are still firm tannins on entry but tasty fruit comes out with swishing.  Taste gets much better with the food.  Very well balanced with soft, firm tannins (maybe sounds like a contradiction, but that is how it seemed to us), cassis, good acid, and a fairly long finish.  Lucie: 92.  Stefan: 90, but I expect to score it higher in a few years. For current drinking the '83 La Lagune is better."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1978 La Grave Figeac,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [83]",1978,"La Grave Figeac","","France",83,"Cork in good shape; fill into neck.  Pleasant nose.  Taste a bit flat.  Has fruit, some leather, and quite a lot of dirt.  Short finish.  With air, the dirt becomes more pronounced, making the wine unpleasant to drink.  Hard to rate.  S 69-83.  Put the unfinished bottle in the frig.<br><br>Next day:<br><br>The la Grave Figeac now tastes much younger.  The dirt has migrated to the bouquet, where it now balances the washed dirt taste. Now it is pleasant as well as interesting. Thanks, Françoise, for persuading me to be patient with older bottles. S 83."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1989 Olivier, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [92]",1989,"Olivier","Bordeaux","France",92,"Distinctive Graves bouquet.  Fruit syrup with firm but unaggressive tannins.  Licorice &amp; leather.   Full like a '90 but has the grip of an '89.  Much, much better than I expected it to be.  L 92. D 92. C 91. T 91. S 92.&lt;br&gt;ˆ"
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1985 du Tertre,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1985,"du Tertre","","France",88,"Cork and fill perfect.  Ruby red.  Grass and tobacco bouquet with perhaps a trace of Margaux perfume.  Also quite soft, but the tannins are still detectable. Sweet fruit . Medium-light body.  Minerals in taste and in after-taste.  Lucie says this wine should be paired with roast chicken and bread. L 90. T 88. D 91+. C 91. S 88."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1997 Leoville Poyferre,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1997,"Leoville Poyferre","","France",90,"Purple color.  Space filling aromas of currants, lead pencil, and cassis on opening. But the tastes were disjointed.  So I let it air for 3 1/2 hours, then decanted, and we drank it about a half hour later with a dinner of portebello on bow tie pasta with fresh corn.  The nose was the same, but the flavors of wild cherries, coffee, anise, and currants had integrated.  The texture was good and the finish long. Lucie 88. Stefan 90."
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1988 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1988,"Lynch Bages","","France",95,"Deep Pauillac nose.  Black cassis & leathery licorice flavors.  Still has strong tannins.  Very chewy.  Better than the last time we had the '88.  OK, the '89 is even better, but it costs two and a half times as much.  S 95. D 95+. L 95. C 91. T 94. <br>"
"stefan",2001/6/25,"1988 Beychevelle,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1988,"Beychevelle","","France",87,"Standard cassis/red cherry nose that continues in the mouth. Firm tannins.  Smooth leather.  Good flavor, but lacks power.  Below average QPR <br>(87/$40)."
"AKR",2001/6/25,"1996 Clerc Milon,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1996,"Clerc Milon","","France",92,"This is great stuff.  Solid dense dark wine.  A tremendousnose and long finish.  Had two bottles of this with non wine drinkers and certainly not even clueful to Bdx.  All of themwere amazed and had no idea that grapes could be turned into such a tasty product.  As good as it is now, I would leave it alone for several years.  A tremendous steak wine, BTW.  Sadly for those who've not located any, it's inched up in price after the [rightful] WS writeups as WOTY contender."
"stefan",2001/6/27,"1995 Petite l'Eglise,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [83]",1995,"Petite l'Eglise","","France",83,"The cork had a slightly musty cardboard smell that worried me.  After decantering and airing for about 45 minutes we began to drink.  The nose was closed but in the mouth the wine was balanced with soft tannins and not much to describe--more-or-less like a typical good $25 CA merlot.  After another hour or so there were floral aromas and, unfortunately, a hint of musty cardboard, so I guess this bottle was slightly corked.  You could taste cranberries steeped in kirsch.  Despite a slightly thin finnish,  the wine had good staying power.  <br><br>For current drinking I would rate the Petite Eglise 83-84.  I don't have much experience in predicting the future of young Pomerols. Assuming my bottle really was slightly corked I guess that in five years this one might rate 89 or 90."
"stefan",2001/6/27,"1989 Poujeaux,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1989,"Poujeaux","","France",88,"We drank a bottle of this $20 wine while eating pasta covered with shitake, portobello, and asparagus.  The Poujeaux has an inviting nose of cassis and cherries.  It is medium bodied and has a perfect balance of acid, soft tannins, and fruit.  Not very complex, but wonderful for the price.  It seems to be at its peak but should last for years."
"stefan",2001/6/27,"1990 Olivier, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [91]",1990,"Olivier","Bordeaux","France",91,"We had this with Lucie's delicious filet with bordelaise sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled tomatoes.  Although the WS gives Olivier 90+ ratings for the '82, '83, '85, '88, '89, and '90 vintages, RP says that it was lousy until '94 and gives reviews only since the '91 vintage.  Surprise!  I got a real bargain for $23.  The bouquet is full of chocolate and licorice, as is the taste.  There is a nice contrast of acid, tannin and glycerin."
"stefan",2001/6/27,"1993 d'Armailhac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1993,"d'Armailhac","","France",85,"We had it with leftover Coq au Vin. Textbook Pauillac cassis & currants bouquet.  Thin, even watery, in the mouth with little tannin and, fortunately, no astringency.  Firms up as the meal goes on.  All in all, a decent effort but no distinction.  Lucie liked it more as, unlike many '93s, it has no serious flaws.  Should be good for another three-to-five years.  This is another wine I'll use as a lead in for better Pauillacs."
"stefan",2001/6/27,"1997 Lamothe-Guignard,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1997,"Lamothe-Guignard","","France",88,"97 Lamothe-Guignard (375). Nice lemon, pineapple, and underripe fruit aroma.  Taste is slightly underripe peach with honey and a twist of lemon.  Very good; can drink now in half bottles, but probably better in 2-4 years. 87-89"
"stefan",2001/6/27,"1989 Coutet,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1989,"Coutet","","France",91,"Golden hue. Caramelized apple bouquet.  Luscious caramel in the mouth, with enough citrus for balance."
"stefan",2001/6/27,"1986 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1986,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",93,"The GPL is a classy, balanced, firmly textured wine with a licorice-chocolate taste.  Separating out the components of the GPL is a bit like listening to a Bach fugue note by note, so I won't."
"stefan",2001/6/28,"1990 de Fieuzal, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [89]",1990,"de Fieuzal","Bordeaux","France",89,"The ruby de Fieuzal was a bit lighter in color than I expected.  At first the wine was all fresh, ripe cherries both in the nose and in the mouth.  We noticed the soft tannins only after we realized that they must be there else this fruit juice would be flabby, which it most definitely was not.  With more time, overtones of gravel, tobacco, and cedar could be detected.  Maybe also there are some cranberries in the juice, as RP says, but they are so soaked in cherry juice that they provide only a nuance to the bouquet.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Although the de Fieuzal is lovely to drink currently (well, as long as you like cherries), both Lucie and I felt that its Graves character, masked now by fruit, probably will assert itself in a few years.  Certainly at a blind tasting I would not guess this wine to be a Graves.  Nevertheless, it is hard to rank this wine below 90--I'll knock it down to 89+ for current consumption.  (WS gave it 92 in '93; RP gave it 88 in '97.)"
"stefan",2001/6/28,"1995 l'Enclos,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1995,"l'Enclos","","France",87,"Drunk with linguini topped with chopped fresh tomato, basil,  garlic and parmesan. <br><br>The l'Enclos is ruby-purple and has an attractive cherry/cranberry bouquet.  It is smooth as silk with little acid and soft tannins.  The cherries are ripe and sweet when you crush them with your teeth.  The finish makes you smack your lips.  Not complex, but do you want that in a pasta wine?"
"Roberto",2001/6/28,"1995 Petit Village,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1995,"Petit Village","","France",88,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1889<br>Dense purple in color.  Nice young Bordeaux nose with swirling.  Underbrush and currant.  Tight Merlot-dominated flavors and very tannic on the finish.  This wine has not budged since release and I wonder how long it will need.   Still way to young to drink but it has potential."
"Roberto",2001/6/29,"1999 Ridge, Lytton Station,  Sonoma,  California , USA",1999,"Ridge","","USA",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=336<br>The '99 Lytton Station is a good juicy wine.  It is purple in color with a dense, fruity nose perhaps yielding a little &quot;zinberry&quot; but without the more complicated aromatics that a great zin can offer.  The palate on this wine was relatively straight forward:  sweet, juicy fruit buttressed by new oak.  A good but not great zin.  I will not be buying more but if you have it you may want to wait and it could improve."
"Roberto",2001/6/29,"2000 Falesco, Vitiano,  Other Italy , Italy",2000,"Falesco","","Italy",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=329<br>I tried the '00 Falesco Vitiano the other night as part of my never ending search for good QPR wines.  My advice to those wondering if this wine is worth it: Don't do it.  Flat, thin and empty.  I almost poured it out (which I never do) but luckily had a few of the wife's friend's who like &quot;wine&quot; over to help me with it.  Hard to understand what Parker was thinking.  I am beginning to think that these bodegas do the bait and switch thing more than we realize.  The '99 Vitiano was wonderful and  a nice value for the money by the way."
"Johan55",2001/6/29,"1983 Margaux,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France",1983,"Margaux","","France",0,"Holy Macaroni, what a wine! The nose alone made me speechless and made me regret that I had ordered any food to go with this wine. Roomfilling is the best word to describe it, very exotic indeed and extremely complex. I have never smellt anything like it. Very powerful bouqet. In the mouth the wine was very soft and elegant and feminine with layers and layers of fruit. Very long finish that went on and on. The wine was very elegant but still had a bit of a tannic or dry bite that perhaps suggests that it could take a few more years of cellaring. Anyway, I'll never forget this bottle and I grasped the cork tightly in my hand all the way home."
"JScott",2001/6/30,"1993 Chateau Montelena,  Napa,  California , USA  [94]",1993,"Chateau Montelena","","USA",94,"This is still a monster, and completely closed.  So much so that I almost can't really score it.  It is completely opaque and very dark purple, nothing on the nose for hours.  After a bit of air, some reluctant deep cassis and earth emerges.  The first sip also shows little until hours of air.  Brooding, dark berry and brush, spice.  Firmly tannic.  All the components are there, but it is very unforgiving right now.  I won't anger this one by opening another for at least five more years.  We'll give this a projected range of 92-94, but I have no clue as far as maturity other than to say a long time from now."
"stefan",2001/7/1,"1990 Cos d'Estournel,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1990,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",93,"The nose of the Cos D'Estournel is of black cherries and cassis; developed, attractive, not especially complex, and not at all idiosyncratic (as Cos often is).  In the mouth, the berries are dripping with chocolate and are supported by mature tannins.  Just a sliver of green pepper.  Good flavor in the medium length finish.  This is a polished, balanced, and refined Cos.  Maybe that will disappoint lovers of the other kind of Cos, but I liked this wine a lot.  Likely it will improve for another five years and hold for many more. Lucie 91-92.  Stefan 93."
"stefan",2001/7/1,"1988 Suduiraut,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1988,"Suduiraut","","France",88,"The Suduiraut smells and tastes of pineapple and peaches and has nice mineral notes.  It is smooth, medium sweet, and,  (for those who have read RP's review), the components have come together.  Certainly very good, it is a slight disappointment for this estate, especially since Suduiraut did not produce a Madame in '88."
"Cabfan",2001/7/3,"1994 Arrowood, Reserve Especiale,  Sonoma,  California , USA",1994,"Arrowood","","USA",0,"This reserve cab is just drinking superbly right now.  It is a blend of Cab, Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and one more that I can't remember.  Victoria and I had this with a simple sausage casserole and we both felt like opening another bottle after this one was drained.  For those who like Pahlmeyer or Shafer H.S. or any other trophy cabs, you really must give this a try.  Both the '94 and the '95 are superb, and RP just gave the 1997 97 points so the price definitely isn't going any lower.  <br><br>It has a wonderful very Bordeaux-like nose, is very rich and ripe in the mouth without being heavy, and an exquisitely long finish.  13.8% alcohol that absolutely hidden. The best individual barrels are selected and then aged separately for about 24 months in small french oak barrels.  It's Arrowood's creme de la creme.   The bottle is the same type as the Caymus Special Selection, rather tall and narrow. Victoria said she wanted to drink a wine like this every night.  Perhaps if we rob a bank, I told her. This wine is just seductive as hell.<br><br>Unfortunately it used to be $75 but it's getting more recognition, so the latest release is $100+.  I'm not buying more at that price, but I'm glad I have more to show people what an elegant, ageable cabernet is like. Totally different style than a Montelena, for sure, but equal in quality in this year."
"Roberto",2001/7/3,"1999 Torbrek, The Steading, Australia  [91]",1999,"Torbrek","","Australia",91,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1565<br>‘99 Torbrek The Steading.  As much as I love the ‘98, I like the ‘99 better.  What it lacks in fruit concentration it makes up in terrior.  This wine tastes more earthy and ‘old-world’ to me than the ‘98 version.  Great nose which is very Rhone-like.  Plush and expansive midsection of dark fruit, coffee and licorice.  This wine was not scored as well as the ‘98 so go figure.  At least that means it will be around.  (Cross-Posted).  Tasted 7/4/01."
"JScott",2001/7/3,"1993 Chateau Montelena,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1993,"Chateau Montelena","","USA",93,"This is still a monster, and completely closed.  So much so that I almost can't really score it.  It is completely opaque and very dark purple, nothing on the nose for hours.  After a bit of air, some reluctant deep cassis and earth emerges.  The first sip also shows little until hours of air.  Brooding, dark berry and brush, spice.  Firmly tannic.  All the components are there, but it is very unforgiving right now.  I won't anger this one by opening another for at least five more years.  We'll give this a projected range of 92-94, but I have no clue as far as maturity other than to say a long time from now."
"JScott",2001/7/3,"1996 Lagrange,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Lagrange","","France",0,"I drank through the '96 Lagrange over a couple of days this week.  This wine screams St. Julien.  This is one where you could not only pick it as Bordeaux but also the commune, and probably even the acreage!  Ample cassis and mineral on the nose and palate, medium weight, nice balance and nothing out of place.  If I'm going to be hypercritical, the only complaint is that it might be a little too typical.  It feels unfair to knock a wine for being too true to its terroir, I guess.  Is there such a thing?  Maybe it would be more correct to say it feels a little generic, lacking excitement or something.  Just a little 'correct.'  It will obviously develop.  I'm very happy to have a few more down and it is a very solid wine, 90ish seems about right."
"jal",2001/7/3,"1995 Ferriere,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [84]",1995,"Ferriere","","France",84,"- Good  level <br>- Cork was pushed out a little bit, came out with a splash. <br>- Nose is shy, after a while smells of oxidation. <br>- Light purple color, clearing around the rim. <br>- Taste is disjointed, I can tell the fruit is there but the wine lacks balance, and is a little diluted.  Ihis could be a bad bottle, though it didn't taste corked or cooked.  I still drank it over two days."
"mikecase00",2001/7/3,"1999 Colbert Cannet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1999,"Colbert Cannet","","France",85,"Never even heard of this Chateau, but for 7 bucks it can't be that bad...<br><br>Nice medium purple color with a nose of wet soil and cherries.  Not a blockbuster, but hardly diluted it had a nice core of fruit and finished with some earth and chocolate flavors.  The finish was a bit short and it lacked the complexity of a top chateau, but suprisingly delicious for an unknown estate in an Average+ year.  Not an exciting wine, but certainly better than countless wines costing 3 times more.  Perfect everyday wine, too bad they only had one bottle left.  I score it 85 points and it should be drunk sooner rather than later"
"Roberto",2001/7/7,"1994 Romano Dal Forno, Valpolicella,  Veneto , Italy",1994,"Romano Dal Forno","","Italy",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1870<br>This wine ($40) was decanted into an Ultra Magnum decanter for 1 hour at the recommendation of a friend.  A nose of red fruit and lead pencil.   Deep, rich balanced and complex on the palate, this wine just kept going.  Unmistakably Italian, the wine was striking because of it's acidic mouthfeel and was really hard to drink without food.  Nevertheless, this is a serious food wine and one that is worth giving a try.  The development in the decanter was impressive and it was still improving at hour 3."
"Roberto",2001/7/7,"1989 Marques de Murietta Castillo Ygay, Gran Reserva Especial, Spain  [93]",1989,"Marques de Murietta Castillo Ygay","","Spain",93,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1868<br>.  What a nose!  I could smell this thing all night.  A great old world, musty nose with hints of Grandpa's root cellar and your first Christmas tree.  On the mouth somewhat of a let down relative to the nose (which is typical for me and Rioja) but still great.  Mature, perfumed and somewhat masculine but balanced and not lacking in fruit.  This is not a rustic, bone-dry Rioja.  It is also not the new-world style.  It does; however, remain true to it's pedigree in being a Rioja and really stands up nice to spice and garlic.  After 2 hours on decanter it offered up a carmelized note on the nose and the acidity really asserted itself.  It seemed to grow in weight with time.  I do have a weak spot for this wine as my wife and I met over a Rioja.  93 points."
"Roberto",2001/7/7,"1996 Rottlan Torra, Amadis, Spain",1996,"Rottlan Torra","","Spain",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1864<br>Nose of dark fruits with a touch of Rhone funkiness.  Deep and rich on the palate.  Well concentrated.  Round and soft, very much like a CDP.  Good length.  Notes of meat, leather and tar but a bit more feminine than a CDP.  A nice table wine that improved with air.  89 points for me."
"alchemeus",2001/7/9,"1998 l'Eglise Clinet, La Chenade,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"l'Eglise Clinet","","France",0,"Dark black-garnet colour and the initial nose was of cedar and smoke and tobacco.  Huge amount of legs and no idea quite what this means.  Swished and swirled and chewed the first sip.  Ahhh!  Nice tingly tannins and ripe boysenberry/ blackberry(?) fruit.  At least a medium bodied wine.  Tannins disappear after a few moments, but now on my third 'just a little more' freshened glass some drying."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/10,"1997 Leoville Poyferre,  St Julien,  Bordeaux, France  [86]",1997,"Leoville Poyferre","","France",86,"CHATEAU LEOVILLE-POYFERRE (St Julien) 1997<br>Tasted immediatly after Brane-Cantenac 97, this one is totally different and very enjoyable indeed. Much deeper colour than Brane, fruity, spicy (pepper) nose. This wine is nicely balanced with ripe tannins and a good length. One of the most full bodied sample of the vintage for this category of wine (ex-the First Growths). A very nice wine. Ready to drink now but should develop favourably for another 10 years or more. 86/100 - Winemega July 01"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/10,"1995 d'Issan,  Margaux,  Bordeaux, France  [85]",1995,"d'Issan","","France",85,"CHATEAU D'ISSAN (Margaux) 1995<br>Nice light purple colour, discrete nose with oak, vanilla, red fruits and floral tones. A mouthful of green tannins balanced with acidity and little sweetness. Softens after one hour or so. This wine seems right in the middle of its evolution and doesn't show a very pleasant image right now. Needs to be decanted a couple of hours before drinking. Shows some potential but it obviously needs to be reviewed again within a couple of years to be better appreciated. I scored this wine more on its mid-long term potential than on today's unfriendly status. 85/100 - Winemega July 01."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/10,"1997 Brane-Cantenac,  Margaux,  Bordeaux, France  [81]",1997,"Brane-Cantenac","","France",81,"CHATEAU BRANE-CANTENAC (Margaux) 1997<br>This wine seemed promissing with a charming strawberry nose. Unfortunately, this wine lacks clearly of structure and appears somewhat diluted and shortish. A rather uninteresting wine. Drink now. Not much to expect from it for the coming years. 80-82/100 - Winemega July 01"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/10,"1998 Berliquet,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux, France  [90]",1998,"Berliquet","","France",90,"CHATEAU BERLIQUET (St Emilion) 1998<br>Here again a very interesting wine for an underestimated estate. Berliquet has been gaining in recognition passing from a status of obcure and relatively unkhown Château ten years ago to a quality wine regularly cited within the best wines of the appellation. The appearance is very dark. A remarquable nose of oak, cedar, cherry. Impressive balanced structure, rich and fat taste balanced by ripe tannins and promising acidity. A very fine wine indeed built to age 20 years or more. 90/100 - Winemega July 01."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/10,"1998 Lagrange,  St Julien,  Bordeaux, France  [89]",1998,"Lagrange","","France",89,"CHATEAU LAGRANGE (Pomerol) 1998<br>I finally received this wine a few weeks ago. Lagrange - Pomerol is considered by specialists as one of the good surprises of this right bank's vintage. I was very impatient to taste it. Deep purple colour. Complex nose with lots of vanilla, blackcurrant and mint. A full structured body, well balanced, long and smooth. A very nice wine and a good example of how Merlots in a great year contribute beautifuly to Pomerols. 88-90/100 - Winemega July 01."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/12,"1983 Nicolas Joly, Coulée de Serrant,  Loire, France  [90]",1983,"Nicolas Joly","","France",90,"COULEE DE SERRANT - MADAME JOLY (Loire) 1983<br>Tasted at a restaurant in Geneva with some friends last week-end. Coulée de Serrant is a wonderful estate... Prices are very affordable too (I lately saw bottles of the 1995 vintage for less than 40 Swiss Francs - 23 US$).<br>I had last tasted this wine about two years ago from a bottle I had purchased at an auction among other wines. By then it appeared tired like a marathon runner just after the race. Perhaps this bottle had been kept improperly and had lost most of its legendary qualities. But this week I was delighted to note how really beautiful was this wine. Nice light gold colour. Very rich complex nose of leechee, asparagus, balsamic scents - Very rounded mouth with some delicate reminder of my Grandmother's lace napkins (a very personal feeling I admit). It isn't as powerful as it used to be 10 years ago, but this wine is a superb mature white wine at its best. <br>My friends suggested this wine should have been decanted short before drinking and they were right. Indeed, the aromas expressed much better after half an hour in the glasses. A perfect evidence that Coulée de Serrant ages perfectely well. Maturing - drink now. Winemega July 2001"
"Roberto",2001/7/13,"1999 Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet, Bourgogne Blanc,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [90]",1999,"Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet","","France",90,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1457<br>This is a great wine for the money - $15. In fact, it has become my house wine this summer and I am about 4 bottles into a case. A nice golden color in the glass. The nose offers up pears with a touch of minerality. The palate is where this wine really shows it's stuff. An incredible denisty of fruit, pears, melon, fig with a finish that keeps going. Fresh acidity that goes well with food. This wine is nicely concentrated and I can't believe that it is a bourgogne. It drinks up several classes. Perhaps it is a touch too fruity but this is Burgundian fruit, not California, which I can tolerate. It is a happy, easy to drink summer wine that still challenges the drinker. I detect a little oak but oakophobes will not be bothered. For those of you who are Burgundy curious, this wine, along with the '97 LeRoy Bourgogne would make a nice two-step entry into the wonders of Burgundy without the usual sticker-shock."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Montbrun,  Margaux,  Bordeaux, France  [70]",1983,"Montbrun","","France",70,"Château MONTBRUN (Cru Bourgeois, Margaux) - 1983<br>Rather light and orange colour. High animal and undergrowth / mushroom unpleasant aromas.  Quite sour and short. Clearly declining. A rather disappointing bottle for a start. Rating: 11/20 - 70/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Potensac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [78]",1983,"Potensac","","France",78,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>Château POTENSAC (Cru Bourgeois, Pauillac) - 1983<br>Nice but slightly orange fringe. Leather, animal and smoky. Well structured with quite some tannins remaining. Lacks some depth and complexity. Mature wine. Drink now. Rating: 14/20 - 78/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Pavie,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux, France  [76]",1983,"Pavie","","France",76,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>Château PAVIE (St-Emilion) - 1983<br>Orange fringe. Unpleasant and surprising nose dominated by excessive mouldy / undergrowth aromas. Thin bodied with a short finish. Really not representative of Pavie at all. Needs confirmation. Rating: 13/20 - 76/100."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Trotanoy,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux, France  [83]",1983,"Trotanoy","","France",83,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>Château TROTANOY (Pomerol) - 1983<br>Ruby colour. Fruity, candy fruits, cocoa. Nicely structured with some light acidity at the finish. Elegant, subtle and &quot;feminine&quot; wine characterised by nice and mature Merlot. A real qualitative jump in this tasting. Rating: 16/20 - 83/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Domaine de Chevalier,  Graves,  Bordeaux, France  [87]",1983,"Domaine de Chevalier","","France",87,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER (Graves) - 1983<br>Very deep ruby. Subtle cherry and leather. Full bodied with plenty of soft tannins. Very elegant and youthful bottle. One of the favorite wine of the participants. Lots of potential (2003 - 2005). Rating: 17/20 - 87/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Cos d'Estournel,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux, France  [91]",1983,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",91,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>Château COS D'ESTOURNEL (St-Estèphe) - 1983<br>Impressive red/brownish colour. Full bodied with lovely plum and cherry character. Round and caressing tannins. A well structured &quot;positive/joyful&quot; wine. Close to its peak. Start drinking this wine now and for the next 5 years. Rating: 18/20 - 91/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux, France  [89]",1983,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",89,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>Château DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU (St-Julien) - 1983<br>Deep ruby. Quite complex aromas (candy fruit, leather and animal). Solidly structured with very present tannins. Full bodied wine with lots of potential to come. Wait until 2004 for more pleasure. Rating: 17.5+/20 - 89/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [93]",1983,"Pichon Lalande","","France",93,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>Château PICHON COMTESSE DE LALANDE (Pauillac) - 1983<br>Beautiful deep enlightened colour. Floral and fruity, young and complex aromas. A powerful, beautifully balanced round and fleshy wine. At its best right now! Rating: 18.5/20 - 93/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux, France  [95]",1983,"Palmer","","France",95,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>Château PALMER (Margaux) - 1983<br>Deep red colour. Delicate and elegant aromas representing a mix of cocoa and red fruits. Very impressive structure, wonderful material. Outstanding wine with another 5 to 10 years to reach its full potential. Rating: 19/20 - 95/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [93]",1983,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",93,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>Château MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (Pauillac) - 1983<br>Surprising youthful colour. Powerful scents of tobacco and plums. Quite some tannins remaining with some acidity and a very long finish. A very dynamic wine with a huge potential, but far from its peak. Could be ready by 2005 - 2010. Rating: 18.5/20 - 93/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Haut Brion,  [99]",1983,"Haut Brion","","",0,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>Château HAUT BRION (Graves) - 1983<br>Deep red with a slightly orange fringe. Extremely rich aromas with notes of leather, tobacco, cedar wood, spices. Full bodied and magnificently balanced with loads of soft tannins and some mineral notes. This extraordinary bottle was almost unanimously elected &quot;star of the tasting&quot;. Wonderful to drink now, but can without any doubt last at its best for the next 4 to 6 years. Rating: 19.5+/20 - 99/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1981 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [89]",1981,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",89,"Tasted after the Oct. 2000 horizontal tasting with a black truffle risotto !<br>Château MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (Pauillac) - 1981 (served at supper)<br>Difficult not to compare with the Mouton 83 tasted an hour before. Colour looks deep red and fine. Aromas of toasted bread, ripe fruit and mushrooms. Quite an impressive structure with some tannins slightly drying at the end though, and a long finish. Certainly not as powerful as Mouton 1983, but extremely pleasant to drink at this stage. Rating: 17.5/20 - 89/100."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/13,"1983 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [82]",1983,"Lynch Bages","","France",82,"Horizontal tasting Oct. 2000<br>Château LYNCH BAGES (Pauillac) - 1983<br>Very bright ruby. Asparagus, animal (horse) not really very pleasant. Nice and gentle velvety tannins but lacks a bit of power. Interesting wine but suffers of the comparison with the stars of the vintage. At its peak. Drink now. Rating: 15.5/20 - 82/100"
"Roberto",2001/7/14,"1995 Hacienda Monasterio, Crianza, Spain  [90]",1995,"Hacienda Monasterio","","Spain",90,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1737<br>1995 Hacienda Monasterio Crianza.  $30.  Almost black in color.  Soaring nose of dark fruit, smoke and chocolate.  This wine is round and mouth-filling with no shortage of  sweet fruit.  The wine is a like an Aussie fruit-bomb without all the oak.  It is hard not to enjoy from a sensory standpoint but I think it is a bit over extracted for my taste.  The finish was a touch hot.  I wonder how well a wine this fruity can age.  Cross-posted."
"Roberto",2001/7/14,"1998 Lengs & Cooter, Old Vines Shiraz, Australia  [91]",1998,"Lengs & Cooter","","Australia",91,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1456<br>#1. This is a monster. A classic Parkerized blockbuster Shiraz. #2. If you're in the mood for this style this wine delivers in force. <br>I like to jump around different wine regions (styles). I like change. The contrast in style between last night's hard-as-nails Vieux Telegraphe and tonight's Leng & Cooter could not be more dramatic. <br>The nose on this wine had so much going on that I had to get a pad and paper: Bacon fat, lava, smoke, butterscotch, new oak and pepper. On the palate you get slammed with classic pepper-tinged Shiraz fruit. The finish goes for 45 seconds. The mouthfeel is viscous but the wine is more fresh than the other '98 blockbusters I've had. I don't get much tannin in the finish but it is crisp so I think some is present. No alchohol in the finish at all. It coats your mouth like port. It reminds me of the '97 Astralis. <br>I know that this style of wine is controversial. I can't drink this every day but it does have a place in my cellar. I hope it holds up over time. Roberto"
"Roberto",2001/7/14,"1998 Vieux Telegraphe, Chateauneuf du Pape,  [88]",1998,"Vieux Telegraphe","","",88,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1455<br>I think I blew it and opened this one too early. I don't know what got into me. I had been getting lucky pulling things from the cellar and I thought I was on a roll. <br>Nose initially tight with some nuts and carmel. Became more spicey over the night with just a touch of the telltale wet animal fur. The palate was mouth-puckering and closed with a dry, tannic finish. Where is the fruit? I kept waiting an hour and going back and it just stayed flat. The good news is that today, after 24 hours on decanter, it was opening up and was a totally different wine with some fruit poking through."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/14,"1966 Prieure Lichine,  Margaux,  Bordeaux, France  [78]",1966,"Prieure Lichine","","France",78,"PRIEURE-LICHINE (Margaux) 1966 - Horizontal tasting June 2001<br>Light red-orange colour. Nose dominated by wet straw, earthy, wood tones. Nicer in mouth than on nose with a round soft finish. Must have been better 5 - 10 years ago. 78 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/14,"1966 Margaux,  Margaux,  Bordeaux, France  [88]",1966,"Margaux","","France",88,"MARGAUX (Margaux) 1966 - Horizontal tasting June 2001<br>Dark ruby, fat appearance. Tobacco, pine (resin), cedar nose. Rounded tannins, plum and ripe fruit. Long finish. Very nice. 88 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/14,"1966 La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Brodeaux, France [84]",1966,"La Mission Haut Brion","","France",84,"MISSION HAUT BRION (Graves) 1966 - Horizontal tasting June 2001&lt;br&gt;Dark red with an orange edge. Game animal nose, leather, smoky tones, a typical Mission nose. Powerful with a long but drying finish. A nice wine but certainly not the superstar of the vinatage. 84 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/14,"1966 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux, France  [89]",1966,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",89,"DUCRU-BEAUCAILLOU (St Julien) 1966 - Horizontal tasting June 2001<br>Nice ruby colour. The nose is quite different from the other samples of the vintage: sents of flowers, mint, santal wood. In mouth, the wine appears to be extremely suave, charming and accomplished. The perfect timing to drink it. 89 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/14,"1966 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [87]",1966,"Pichon Lalande","","France",87,"PICHON COMTESSE DE LALANDE (Pauillac) 1966 - Horizontal tasting June 2001<br>Bright ruby colour. Spicy nose with animal tones and ripe fruit. Pichon still has some tannins and ends smoothly for 5 - 10 seconds. A nice example of a maturing Pauillac. 87 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/14,"1966 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [96]",1966,"Lynch Bages","","France",96,"LYNCH-BAGES (Pauillac) 1966 - Horizontal tasting June 2001<br>A bomb! I couldn't imagine Lynch Bages had delivered such a beauty. I thought by mistake that it might be Mouton (we were blind tasting). Very complex and beautiful nose of Habana cigar, cedar, almond, ripe fruit, candied currants. Very fat and long, smooth, rounded, graceful. A real thrill to taste! Close to perfection. 96 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/14,"1966 Latour,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [99]",1966,"Latour","","France",99,"LATOUR (Pauillac) 1966 - Horizontal tasting June 2001<br>The atomic bomb of the tasting! We thought we had reached the summit of the Everest with Lynch-Bages. We were wrong! The colour is dark red. The nose exhales powerful scents of black truffles, flowers and spices. The wine's concentration is fantastic for his age, rounded tannins and a long long finish. I compared Latour with some remaining Pichon Lalande and the difference was incredible! This was with no doubt the superstar of our session. Qualitatively, this wine is pretty close to what I recall from Latour 1961 (I tasted it five or six years ago). Should we dare a 100 / 100 ?"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/14,"1966 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [89]",1966,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",89,"MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (Pauillac) 1966 - Horizontal tasting June 2001<br>Tasted at the same time than &quot;super&quot; Latour, Mouton suffers a bit from the comparison. This wine is certainly great, but not as fantastic as Latour or even Lynch-Bages. The nose is still closed with scents of coffee, truffle (discrete), chocolate. Even if one can taste the wine's material, it still has a harsh structure. The most tannic and austere wine of the tasting. Not very open and pretty difficult to drink and appreciate right now. To be honnest, I don't really know what to think about this wine. If it opens, it should be close to the level of Margaux, even a bit better. But will it open? 89 / 100."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/14,"1992 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [84]",1992,"Pichon Lalande","","France",84,"Tasted this wine with dinner yesterday July 14th with Roastbeef and vegetables.<br>The colour is no more to be compared to a young wine, more the colour of a ripe strawberry. The nose is beautiful, feminine (plum, blackcurrant, basilic). In mouth, the wine is round and nice, but cannot be mistaken with &quot;serious&quot; vintages. 1992 was a rather poor vintage. Hardly no tannins. Well, a pretty wine to drink now and for the next 3 - 5 years."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/7/14,"1966 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [88]",1966,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",88,"GRAND PUY LACOSTE (Pauillac) 1966 - Horizontal tasting June 2001<br>Ruby with an orange fringe. Scents of coffee, candied fruit (cherry), caramel. Very forward mouth, roasted fruits with a long finish. One of the most enjoyable wines of the evening together with Ducru-Beaucaillou. 88 / 100"
"Claret",2001/7/15,"1992 Zind-Humbrecht, Jebsal VT,  Alsace , France  [94]",1992,"Zind-Humbrecht","","France",94,"Amazing scents of vanilla, white fruits and petrol wafted from the glass.  On the palate, sweet, ripe and rich white fruits, red cherry liquer and petrol.  Very intense and a long finish.  ZH is clearly the star of Alsace.  94 points."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/7/15,"1996 Sociando Mallet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1996,"Sociando Mallet","","France",93,"Inky core, purplish-black at edge. Nose is powerful, currant, bell pepper, spicy oak. Even 3 hours in decanter does nothing to tame this. On the palate, these scents become flavors that caress the palate, being both massive and nimble at the same time. I believe someone said 'this just floats off the tongue', which I can understand. Long finish, massive, needs a lot of time, S-M hung the moon on this one. I had about one and a half glasses left, so I refrigerated the decanter with nothing on top, and even after 26 hours of being open, this was still a primary beastie. Wow."
"Roberto",2001/7/16,"1999 Jadot, Givry Clos de la Servoisine 1er Cru,  Burgundy , France",1999,"Jadot","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=383<br>The nose was tight initially but after swirling offered up candied cherries, rasberries and flowers (Roses vs. Lilacs).  The palate on this wine is incredibly concentrated, closed and tannic.  This is not ready to drink by any means.  Anyway, after some airing it revealed classic burgundy red fruit with a crisp, clean mouth feel and great length.  Rovani is on the money when he say that this wine drinks like a Grand Cru (not that I have had that many).  It did remind me of a Chapel-Chambertain I had the night before.  Again, this is a structured wine that will need some time in the cellar but has great potential.  Buy it if you can find it.  A wonderful QPR wine."
"Roberto",2001/7/16,"1998 d'Arenberg, d'Arry's Original, Australia  [88]",1998,"d'Arenberg","","Australia",88,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=382<br>I decided to give this one a whirl secondary to the recent d'Arenberg hype.  Approximately 50/50 blend of Shiraz and Grenache.  A nice peppery nose with hint of blackberry.  Nice body with noticable acidity and alcohol.  The oak is under control.  Not the kind of abundant fruit you would expect for a ripe year like '98.  Finish was a bit short.  Overall, the wine was a bit flat for me.  Perhaps it was the bottle.  Not a wine I will rush out and buy.  Good.  88 points."
"AKR",2001/7/16,"1998 La Fleur,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1998,"La Fleur","","France",90,"Opened bottle on Saturday and drank half without decanting.  Drank balance Monday after being sealed with a VacuVin device on Saturday.  Nice bright ruby color.  Pleasing aroma, improves a bit with time.  The rest of the bottle did not deteriorate at all over the two days -- normally even with these vacuum devices there is a bit of degradation -- so there must be some good antioxidants in here.  A sweet chocolatey type flavor with quite a long finish.  Good concentration was my very first thought and  I don't find this tannic.  In short it's a terrific wine and I can see why RP might call 98 the best La Fleur ever.  It's available for a modest price [$21 in NYC] and since it may have some short/medium term aging ability its definitely a name to consider buying a few bottles of.  90 pts.  AKR"
"DavidG",2001/7/16,"1998 du Cauze,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"du Cauze","","France",0,"This dark red wine has a nose of plum and cassis, with a little hint of tobacco and earthy gaminess to add a touch of complexity.  Light-medium bodied with good ripe fruit on the palate and a good dose of tannin.  The finish is also fairly tannic, perhaps a bit surprising for a mostly-Merlot '98 St. Em.  A mid-upper 80's wine with some room for improvement as the tannins mellow.  Very nice, and if I recall correctly, great QPR."
"Claret",2001/7/16,"1970 Haut Brion, Blanc, Pessac Leognan/graves, Bordeaux [92]",1970,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",92,"This was my first experience with Haut Brion  Blanc.  Apparently it is pretty scarce, with only about 600 cases produced.  Being from the 1970 vintage, the wine had evolved from primary flavors to secondary nuance.  The nose was especially captivating, yielding scents of light oak, honey, caramel and orange.  Evolved yet very much alive.&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;On the palate, slight oxidation was apparent, along with a good shot of acidity, which some people found off putting.  I sensed flavors of lemon and mature notes that are hard for me to describe.  The finish was long and satisfying.  92 points."
"jal",2001/7/16,"1989 Bouscaut, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [84]",1989,"Bouscaut","Bordeaux","France",84,"Bouscaut 89&lt;br&gt;- Good level &lt;br&gt;- Cork was clean, came out smoothly &lt;br&gt;- Nose was subdued, almost nonexistant &lt;br&gt;- Color was purple, not too light but certainly not dark, a little brick on the edge &lt;br&gt;- Fruit is still there, but definitely on the decline, hints of berries &lt;br&gt;- Smooth tannins but a diluted effort nonetheless, nothing on the mid or the back palate, no finish to speak of"
"jal",2001/7/16,"1994 Staglin,  Napa,  California , USA  [88]",1994,"Staglin","","USA",88,"- Good level <br>- Cork was clean, came out smoothly <br>- Good nose of cassis and earth <br>- Bright vibrant purple color all around <br>- Very concentrated fruit, mainly cassis and blueberries.  Quite concentrated. a little thin on the mid palate, long finish. <br>- This one is not yet ready, the tannins are softer but still needs time.  <br>Score 88"
"jal",2001/7/17,"1990 Qupe, Bien Nacido,  California , USA  [87]",1990,"Qupe","","USA",87,"Color: purple with no discoloration. Nose: awesome, pure Syrah. Taste: What a letdown after the nose, little fruit, mainly blueberries, oak, all on the front with no finish to speak of.<br>Texture: kind of thin, disappointing. Score: 87"
"jal",2001/7/17,"1994 Michel Ogier Cote Rotie, Cote Rotie, France [91]",1994,"Michel Ogier Cote Rotie","","France",91,"Color: A little more brick and terra cotta than the [90] Qupe. Nose: Wow,Syrah but also olives and rosemary. Taste: Is this what they mean by ""terroir""? This wine had black olives, herbs, wood. thin on the mid but good long finish.&lt;br&gt;Texture: No dilution here, nice smooth tannins, getting better and more complex with each sip&lt;br&gt;Score: 91 NOTE: [] are mine, ZP"
"sdr",2001/7/18,"1989 Haut Brion Blanc, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [88]",1989,"Haut Brion Blanc","Bordeaux","France",88,"Color is light gold - typical for this vintage for the white wines. The nose is faint, but with some imagination, one can detect an interesting scent of pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon. Viscous, leggy but only of medium concentration. Low acidity, again a characteristic of the vintage. Excellent, but not superb and not for long keeping."
"sdr",2001/7/18,"1994 Pape Clement Blanc, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [91]",1994,"Pape Clement Blanc","Bordeaux","France",91,"Light yellow. Faint nose of pineapple and lemon. Very vigorous and flavorful on the palate with an excellent balance of fruit and acidity. Generous for this type of wine. Very refreshing - a versatile food wine. Still young and should last well. This is clearly an excellent vintage for white Graves."
"sdr",2001/7/18,"1983 Margaux,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [98]",1983,"Margaux","","France",98,"The robe is deep and almost shimmering in its clarity. The inimitable exquisite Margaux fragrance of violets and soft red fruits is starting to blossom. The palate is equally superb, profound and rich with layers of sweet fruit, firm yet gentle. It's just starting to enter its peak plateau and should live for a long time. At least 98 points for me. By way of comparison, it's more open than the 1990, more concentrated than the delightful 1985, more classic than the idiosyncratic 1982 and more vigorous than the ethereral 1961."
"Whuzzup_",2001/7/19,"1996 La Couspade,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"La Couspade","","France",0,"Very dark color.  Black with red at the rim.  Dark chocolate on the nose.  Very obviously oaky.  This is nicely concentrated in the mouth with bitter chocolate.  Needs time.  Finish is a little dissapointing but this is a 96.  This wine is big and concentrated but lacks any of that extra dimension of &quot;finesse&quot; and complexity that I find makes a wine special.  It is, however, well made and will be a pleasure to drink."
"Whuzzup_",2001/7/19,"1991 d'Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1991,"d'Yquem","","France",0,"Light gold color.  Nice easy nose of citrus fruit.  You can tell that there is a lack of botrytis.  There is no roasted &quot;smokiness&quot; on the nose but there is nice late harvest sugary fruit.  Really a beautiful finesse wine.  Great balance.  What a great effort from a weak year.  It was mentioned by someone that this could not compare at all to the 90 that they had had recently, that the 90 was much more concentrated and impressive.  But this is a totally different wine and fantastic in its own right.  I'd drink this every day.  Yquem is so great at what they do because they seem to understand how to take their excellent raw materials and craft a wine with perfect bablance year in and year out.  This wine is not huge and the finish is not extremely long, but it is artfully made while remaining true to the (light) vintage.  I would imagine that there is nothing from this vintage (actually I don't know that I've even seen anything else from this vintage) that could come close to competing with this.  But I guess that is always true."
"Whuzzup_",2001/7/19,"1995 d'Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1995,"d'Yquem","","France",0,"Beautiful deep gold.  Intense, deeply fruity nose.  Really soaring nose.  This is so far above the quality of anything I tasted today.  And I haven't even tasted it yet!  Really ripe, rotten nose.  Oh my.  Mouth-coating beautiful sweetness.  Some spiciness.  Really beautiful and oh so sweet.  Really concentrated and special.  Fantastic.  13.8 degrees alcohol, 135 Res. Sugar, acidity 4.6.<br> <br>The 95 is a great wine and the peole at Yquem seem totally enthusiastic about it which surprises me considering the general low quality of the 95s in the rest of Sauternes.  The winemaker indicated that Yquem picked their grapes well after harvests had finished at neighboring properties.  They said that others had been nervous about rain nd picked early but by waiting they had acheived the best botrytis attack in decades.  They indicated that the 95 is better than their 96, 97, and 98.  I have never tasted those wines but I have tasted a number of vintages of Yquem and I can tell you that the 95 Yquem is truly an exceptional wine."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/7/19,"1997 Fox Creek, Reserve Shiraz, Australia  [95]",1997,"Fox Creek","","Australia",95,"Purple-black, slightly opaque. Gorgeous color.  After 4x decanting and 4 hours of air and being chilled slightly, this gave off an incredibly pure nose of cassis, sweet black raspberry, and brown sugar. The palate was completely explosive, with black raspberries, cassis and a sweet brown sugar note in the midpalate. Incredibly balanced, great acidity, integrated, silky tannins. Lush, prefectly ripe, beautiful. Easily the best wine I’ve ever had. Finish goes on and on and on. A complete package, and evidently comparable to the 98."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/7/19,"1996 Schoolhouse,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [93]",1996,"Schoolhouse","","USA",93,"Incredibly pale red (especially for something just released). Significant ambering on the rim. Nose is pure sea air, with overtones of funk (mushrooms?), weak tea, and some pale red fruit. In the mouth, it’s cool (something I get out of Pinots for some reason), with tea notes, smooth cherry and strawberry fruit, very integrated, very interesting."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/7/19,"1983 Gould Campbell, Vintage Port, Portugal  [90]",1983,"Gould Campbell","","Portugal",90,"A rather deep medium red color. Nose is honey, with slight tobacco, and sugar and alcohol. Palate is more of the same, with some spiciness from tannins (even though they’re integrated... 3/4 inch of sediment). Secondary tobacco notes are starting, let this sit for a few years still, it’ll get there."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/7/19,"1994 Gunderloch, Nackenheim Rothenburg Auslese, Germany  [92]",1994,"Gunderloch","","Germany",92,"Still a light gold color. A beautiful, expressive nose of ripe peaches and pears, some honey, lime flower, and acidity. On the palate, it’s the essence of peach, with a honey note appearing midpalate, followed by a lime peel acidity, which has integrated nicely. Very faintly sweet.... the sugar is resolving nicely. Just holding this wine in your mouth is a pleasure, lively acidity, fat and sweet. A full 20 second finish."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Roc de Cambes,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Roc de Cambes","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=2573<br>Great wine.  Yummy, sexy nose with sweet fruit, expresso and licorice.  A plush texture and plenty of fruit hide the tannin.  Medium to full-bodied with a fruity finish. This was a real surprise.  The only wine I bought after the tasting."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 l'Angelus,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"l'Angelus","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1929<br>Dark color.  Expressive, ripe nose with sweet licorice, coffee and tobacco.  This is another one that you could smell for a while.  Full-bodied and creamy this wine has a wonderful length and purity.  One of the wines of the evening."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Pavie Decesse,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Pavie Decesse","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1928<br>Graves-like aromatics (stones) with bing-cherries.  Full-bodied and tannic.  No shortage of fruit.  Noticable oak.  Obvious Parker influence but still excellent.  The wine of the evening for several others."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Canon la Gaffeliere,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Canon la Gaffeliere","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1927<br>Dark fruits and chocolate rise after swirling.  More tannic and structured than many of the other right-bank offerings.  Full-bodied and concentrated.  I think it needs time but will be great."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Domaine de l'Eglise,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Domaine de l'Eglise","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1924<br>Nice, ripe nose with tobacco and new oak.  Warm, round mouthfeel this wine obviously comes from ripe merlot.  Medium-bodied with a fruity finish this is a great QPR wine."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1922<br>The color of black coffee.  Cassis and lead pencil on the nose.  Excellent fruit extraction for the vintage but not overdone.  The fruit dances with the tannin to the end and the finish is almost sweet.  If you are into St. Julien balance this wine has it.  These guys really have their act together."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1921<br>Complex, cassis-tinged nose with hints of tar and smoke that suggests graves.  Nice concentration.  Rounder and fleshier than many of the others the wine does have significant tannin but has  excellent potential."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1919<br>I came into the tasting with high hopes for this wine.  Cassis and stones on the gentle nose.  Medium-bodied with some dry fruit in the middle.  Dry, acidic finish.  The acidity in this sample bothers me.  Perhaps this is just juvenile elegance."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Cos d'Estournel,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1918<br>Classic Cos nose with noticable Asian spice and a touch of sweet oak.  A let-down to taste.  Subtle, medium-bodied with some dryness on the back end.  Perhaps it was the bottle .  Cos did make a severe selection in this vintage."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Montrose,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Montrose","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1917<br>Cassis, road tar and a touch of oak on the nose.  Full, concentrated, round entry with plenty of fruit.  No problems with ripeness here.  Finish tannic but not dry."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 de Fieuzal,  Graves,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"de Fieuzal","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1916<br>Hints of graves hot rocks and tobacco on the nose.  Medium bodied. More fruit in the mid-palate that does work well with the tannins."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Calon Segur,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Calon Segur","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1915<br>Herbal nose with hints of wet leaves.  Thin and somewhat green to taste the wine finishes with significant tannin.  I question whether this wine has the fruit to improve.  CS uses more merlot than others on the left bank but it did not seem to help here."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Latour,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Latour","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1682<br>Enjoyable nose with cedar and anise.  Atypically Latour it was medium-bodied with new-world style fruit.  I had to check my records to be sure this was not a mistake.  Dry on the finish.  Several were scratching their heads after tasting this one.  Apparently there was a problem with the winemaker in this vintage."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1679<br>A complex nose you could really linger with.  Coffee beans, carmel, black fruit and a touch of mint.  I'm sure there was more in there that I did not record.  The wine has the feel of a monster and is somewhat tight in the middle but still drinks much better at this stage than you would expect for Mouton.  Some in the group thought it was somewhat California in style.  Time will tell.  A shortage of tannin will not be a problem for this wine."
"Roberto",2001/7/20,"1998 Grand Mayne,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"Grand Mayne","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1238<br>Dark color with sweet oak and anise on the nose.  Hugely concentrated, full-bodied and somewhat Parkerized on the palate with lots of in-your-face fruit and low acidity.  Fun to drink now but what will it be like in 5 years?"
"sdr",2001/7/21,"1986 Rieussec,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1986,"Rieussec","","France",95,"A very successful Rieussec at its peak. Tasted from a half bottle purchased on release. Medium dark gold. Masssive and mouthfilling. Drenched with botrytis flavors of tangerine, cinnamon and honey. Very sweet, but enough tartric acidity to hold it together and keep it from becoming cloying. Still, one glass is a lot. I haven't tried the Yquem yet - how much bigger can it be?"
"sdr",2001/7/21,"1985 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [94]",1985,"Domaine de Chevalier Blanc","Bordeaux","France",94,"This is what dry white Bordeaux is all about. It shows the marvellous aging ability of these wines. Still pale yellow. Very intriguiing nose of wheat thins and rice paper. On the plate, medium weight, flavorful and very complex and subtle. Just the right amount of fruit acidity.&lt;br&gt;Mature yet fresh. Will go on for years it seems."
"sdr",2001/7/21,"1982 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1982,"Pichon Lalande","","France",90,"I purchased this bottle on release in 1985 and it has been perfectly stored since. This may account for how very backward it was. Very dark ruby. Tight and one dimensional on nose and palate. But the sheer concentration of blackcurrent fruit is exhilarating. Big,long and tannic. Not at all &quot;hedonistic&quot; just now. I'll give it 90 points now, but it could become much more."
"JScott",2001/7/22,"1998 Peby Faugeres,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1998,"Peby Faugeres","","France",93,"This one literally explodes from the bottle.  I swear you get the first blast before the cork is even all the way out.  A huge perfume of deep, bright berry and smoky mocha.  Very dark purple in the glass.  Rich and round but not heavy, has the structure to balance the massive fruit.  Long finish.  Obviously too young, and who knows how it will age but it seems to have both ample acidity and tannin.  An absolute steal at the $30-odd it was selling for in February.  The double-ought trades for $150 now, which is a shame.  Will tack on a score for our tasting note page, 93+."
"JScott",2001/7/22,"1998 d'Arenberg, High Trellis, Australia  [87]",1998,"d'Arenberg","","Australia",87,"No one can fault this wine for being introverted.  It is very expressive on the nose and palate, if not tremendously multidimensional.  It is initially dominated by a heavy eucalyptus and herbal note on nose and palate, though there is ample blackberry and mocha fighting for attention.  It softens with air (day 2) and is a well made wine with nice balance and firm but approachable tannin.  It will definitely benefit from a few years of bottle age, though, and goes here for a very reasonable $12.  Though it isn't a world-beater, California can't touch it at that price, IMHO.  Call it an 87+."
"AKR",2001/7/22,"1998 La Chenade,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1998,"La Chenade","","France",88,"This is a small Lalande de Pomerol owned by Denis Durantou, the L'Eglise Clinet wundervinter. I found this very tasty and harmonious. The flavor/finish/aroma are not quite as intense nor long as the others wines consumed over the night but they are not that much less. While not complex it still has appealing black cherry oaky flavors. Also a + performance from a bottle that was not given any breathing time but rather greedily guzzled up. This was the consensus #2 wine of the weekend. everyone was amazed at its humble price - $16.50 "
"AKR",2001/7/22,"1998 Gigault Cuvee Viva, Cotes de Blaye, Bordeaux, France [90]",1998,"Gigault Cuvee Viva","","France",90,"Parker and Michel Bettane have been chatting this Cote de Blay up recently. I love this stuff. The rest of our dinner party all agreed this was not only the best wine of the weekend but also was a ++ wine on an absolute basis. The color is markedly dark purple and its' quite viscous. To illustrate the concept of 'legs' to some non oenophiles we compared this in a glass to alight bodied 97. The nose is quite expressive and delightful, the flavor is also rich and long lasting. I counted a 15-20 seconds long finish which was a pleasnt surprise after the previous wines which didn't have that concentration. What a performance even with no breathing time. This is well worth trying."
"Dawson",2001/7/22,"1997 Merryvale, Profile,  Napa,  California , USA  [96]",1997,"Merryvale","","USA",96,"Black ruby color, great thin legs, oak and milk chocolate aromas, long midpalette, high alcohol- 14%+, cassis, slight earth, mineral, outstanding finish, well-balanced, slightly dusty tannins.  96 points."
"Dawson",2001/7/22,"1998 Parker, Coonawarra First Growth, Australia  [92]",1998,"Parker","","Australia",92,"A blend of Cab, Cab Franc and Merlot: very alcoholic quality, reddish ruby,wild berry taste and aroma, RACY!!!, thin mid-palette but long finish. Some cherry cola flavors as well. 92 points."
"Dawson",2001/7/22,"1998 Rusden, Black Guts Shiraz, Australia  [96]",1998,"Rusden","","Australia",96,"Exceptional balance and power.  Enormous, super grapey.  Stunning in intensity and extraction. 96 points"
"Dawson",2001/7/22,"1992 Beringer, Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1992,"Beringer","","USA",92,"Black/cloudy ruby colored, super coco, hint of chocolate, super berry aromatics, black fruit-cassis, tannic but sweet, lots of round tannins, medium length finish.  92+ points."
"Dawson",2001/7/22,"1997 Greenock Creek, Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia  [99]",1997,"Greenock Creek","","Australia",99,"Super aromatics of flowers, berries, fresh rain; high glyerin content, nearly opaque, hint of bittersweet chocolate, super alcohol- 14.5%+, mint?, racy, toasty.  Nearly perfect- 99 points."
"mikecase00",2001/7/22,"1996 d'Armailhac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1996,"d'Armailhac","","France",89,"Opened and decanted for 1 hour before tasting.  Not showing much, mostly smoke and earthiness on the nose although there is definetly some nice fruit, good structure and a lengthy finish.  After another hour this wine was really starting to sing, much more dark fruits on the nose, the midpalate had bulked up, and the finish was showing much more chocolate character.  I'd say this wine is very good now, but will definetly improve for a few more years to come.  not a bad wine for the $23 I paid for it.  I score it 89+."
"AKR",2001/7/23,"1995 Bertineau St. Vincent, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France [85]",1995,"Bertineau St. Vincent","","France",85,"""This is actually a Lalande de Pomerol. Still surprisingly tannic. Nice scorched smell. Fruit core is pretty austere, not in an unpleasant way though. This could age a few more years I think [which seems unusual for Lalandes] but I'm not really sure that a"""
"AKR",2001/7/23,"1996 Haut Bellevue, Haut Medoc/Medoc, Bordeaux, France [85]",1996,"Haut Bellevue","","France",85,"They call themselves a Cru Artisan. Last tasted this in February and it still seems to be at about the same level of development as then. Drank this in conjunction with the 97 Canon Moueix and it was difficult to pick the better of the two. This too is a "
"AKR",2001/7/23,"1997 Canon Mouiex, Other Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France [85]",1997,"Canon Mouiex","","France",85,"This is alright stuff. Nothing to go ga-ga over but it certainly has a good taste/aroma. Both are somewhat short but it's acceptable. It's fairly light bodied and elegant so I'm not sure if it's a solid dinner wine -- but that's the pairers fault not the "
"AKR",2001/7/23,"1997 Rolland Maillet, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France [84]",1997,"Rolland Maillet","","France",84,"I found this a little bit tart at first but that first impression faded with time. Closed with limited aromatics. Others in the group felt it improved a little bit with air but not all that much. It's a competent straightforward wine if unexciting. If you"
"Roberto",2001/7/23,"1997 Leroy, Bourgogne,  Burgundy , France",1997,"Leroy","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1933<br>Perfumy nose of Burgundian Pinot: rose petals, minerals with a touch of flint.  Beautiful on the palate.  The taste and feel of an mature Burgundy.  Feminine, medium bodied and delicate.  Perhaps the taste was a bit less interesting than the nose but this seems to be the case with Burgundy.   Still an excellent expression of the Pinot."
"Whuzzup_",2001/7/23,"1995 Troplong Mondot,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1995,"Troplong Mondot","","France",0,"Red color.  Not opaque.  Closed nose with some fruit and some restrained oakiness.  In the mouth this is very smooth.  Somewhat tannic but not agressively so.  This is obviously very young but it is not a blockbuster.  This wine is classy and well balanced."
"Whuzzup_",2001/7/23,"1995 St. Pierre,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France",1995,"St. Pierre","","France",0,"Red in the middle, paler at the rim.  Farmyardy nose at first which improved a little bit over a couple of hours.  Somewhat more evolved than I expected.  Some fruit hiding in their but also a woodiness (not oakiness) that I didn't really like.  In the mouth this wine still shows some unresolved tannin but not a great deal of fruit.  I expected a bit more but it is what it is.  The woodiness and greenness of this wine was a little surprising for this vintage.  The St. Pierre was dissapointing.  I bought it a few years ago while on the lookout for some bargains."
"jal",2001/7/23,"1981 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1981,"Pichon Lalande","","France",90,"Good fill. Cork in OK condition. Looks a little brown as it pours. Nose a little subdued, but opened up later on.  Overwhelming smell of cassis, leather. Wonderful mature Bordeaux, maybe a tad late in opening it, if you have any bottles, it will show best over the next couple of years.  Of course this wine will keep and drink well for a long time after that. Long finish"
"Roberto",2001/7/24,"1995 Chateau St. Jean, Cinq Cepages,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [92]",1995,"Chateau St. Jean","","USA",92,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1060<br>1995 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages.  Medium-Ruby color with a touch of bricking at the rim.  A Bordeaux-like nose except for some toasty oak that emerges.  Ample creamy cassis with a freshness which I guess is some acidity.  After an hour the wine switches to a more mature mode with some tar and leather elements.  A very good wine.  Cross-posted."
"stefan",2001/7/26,"1978 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1978,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",92,"The Ducru is ruby with no browning at the edges.  It has a wonderfully elegant if restrained nose of cranberry.  On the first taste of cranberries and red currants Lucie moans, &quot;Ooh, um.  That warms my throat down to my stomach.&quot; This medium bodied Ducru may not be powerful enough for many, but it was the favorite of the four experience drinkers at the dinner table.  My only criticism of it is that the finish is too short.  Other than that, it is a typical good Ducru."
"stefan",2001/7/26,"1982 Lagrange,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1982,"Lagrange","","France",91,"The dark ruby Lagrange has a powerful, meaty cherry & cassis bouquet.  It tastes mostly of cherries and currants with some other flavors--maybe a bit of cedar.  It is chewy and the tannins are still firm.  Best to hold this for a few more years. "
"stefan",2001/7/26,"1975 Langoa Barton,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1975,"Langoa Barton","","France",87,"The Langoa is ruby with slight browning at the edges.  The bouquet is elegant and it has a mature but fruity taste that is supported by soft tannins. While it is delicate and light bodied for a '75, it leaves a taste that stays in the mouth.  Although I would say this wine is ready, I can imagine  that it will be more interesting in 20 more years. "
"jal",2001/7/26,"1996 Pichon Lalande, Reserve de la Comtesse,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1996,"Pichon Lalande","","France",93,"Incredible smell of cedar, dark, almost black color all around, delicious wine, one of my favorites of 96.   Full-bodied, and well-balanced, tastes like concentrated berries but very refined not at all like a heavy hitter from Napa, very long finish.<br> "
"jal",2001/7/26,"1997 Casa Lapostolle, Clos Apalta, Chile  [95]",1997,"Casa Lapostolle","","Chile",95,"First the case itself is beautifully made, wooden and can be opened like a backgammon set, second the bottles individually wrapped are also quite pretty, someone put a bit of thought in the design details.<br> <br>But all this would be for nothing if the wine itself was not good.  Very aromatic with a nice purple color, the taste is unmistakeably merlot but unlike any merlot I've ever tasted.  Very structured and fruity.  Very long finish, this wine can keep for at least 5-6 years, it is as I said one of the best I tasted lately"
"jal",2001/7/26,"1995 Sorrel, Hermitage Le Greal,  Hermitage,  Rhone , France  [92]",1995,"Sorrel","","France",92,"This is delightful, dark purple color, good nose of blackberries, tannic and still very young (I just committed infanticide again), but lots of fruit already.  mainly cassis, long long finish.  I am not very familiar with Rhones  and this only the second Hermitage I've ever had, still, I should not open the next one for at least another two years."
"sdr",2001/7/28,"1985 Certan de May,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1985,"Certan de May","","France",93,"Remarkably potent brew and drinking wonderfully now, but plenty of vigor for future development. Dark plummy merlot fruit. Good grip and finish. Mature tannins. This wine shows just how good the '85 Pomerols can be."
"sdr",2001/7/28,"1995 Leflaive, Bienvenues Batard-Montrachet,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [94]",1995,"Leflaive","","France",94,"This is the type of chardonnay which cannot be duplicated outside of Burgundy.<br><br>Light in color, exquisitely elegant in perfume and on the palate. So delicate, yet full of flavor. Each sip draws you in further to find yet more nuances. Simply lovely."
"stefan",2001/7/28,"1997 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1997,"Lynch Bages","","France",88,"Lucie & our daughter T immediately say the bouquet is just right for a Pauillac even if light. I detect some grass that the girls say is not there, but for me it remains throughout dinner. Good on entry and in the middle, with green pepper to go with the cherries and cassis. Leather is noticeable. The taste in front holds for a long time. Lucie notes that after swallowing and eating some food the taste of the wine remains in the mouth. I agree but note that the taste is all in the front. Both women say there are tastes at the back and top as well."
"Roberto",2001/7/28,"1978 Cos d'Estournel,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1978,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",89,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=3248<br>'78 Cos d' Estournel: obviously Bordeaux on the nose. Open up after a few minutes and had a wonderful sweet almost carmel-like nose buttressed by some light cedar and Cos spice. Medium-bodied and really calling for consumption now. The wine was nice for about an hour but then started to crack-up. Don't get me wrong - this is classic mature Bordeaux and paired with the beef tenderloin perfectly. I just would not be holding these for much longer if I had them cellared."
"Roberto",2001/7/28,"1978 Château de Beaucastel CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône, France (from magnum) [95]",1978,"Château de Beaucastel CdP","","France(frommagnum)",95,"When first poured this wine really stood out from the others both in terms of it's color -deep ruby-orange - and it's nose. The nose was just huge and really did reak of the Southern Rhone. Riverbottom, animal musk and nuts. A real turn-on if you ask me. The wine had plenty of fruit and structure and paired quite well with the food. After an hour it started to resemble an old Zin with some medicinal notes. A great wine. The magnum just did not seem to end. Nice to see the Beau hold up so well over time."
"Roberto",2001/7/28,"1999 A. Et P. De Villaine, Bouzeron Aligote,  Burgundy , France  [84]",1999,"A. Et P. De Villaine","","France",84,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1450<br>Opened this last night at the recommendation of a wine store clerk. The nose was intriguing: Cirtrus, Fig and Apricott. The mouthfeel was that of a dry white Rhone or white Bordeaux. The wine did not have much &quot;wow&quot; and felt a bit to dusty/dry to me. Perhaps a bit thin as well. Not a wine that I will be chasing."
"AKR",2001/7/30,"1996 Segonzac, Vielles Vignes, Other Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France [84]",1996,"Segonzac","","France",84,"No decanting.  This was a dark red with just the hints of lightening at the edges.  It had a nice average Bordeaux nose of scorched earth.  The flavor was good with a modest amount of fruitiness but the finish was somewhat clipped.  It felt like there sho"
"AKR",2001/7/30,"1997 Charmail, Haut Medoc/Medoc, Bordeaux, France [86]",1997,"Charmail","","France",86,"""No decanting.   This wine, as every commentator notes, is made in a weird way -- it undergoes a cold soak under nitrogen gas prior to fermentation.  No one else seems to do this.  The wine is remarkably opaque and dark.  The aromas take a while to open up"""
"jal",2001/7/31,"1983 Talbot,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1983,"Talbot","","France",91,"Good level <br>Purple cork, no mold <br>Light ruby color around the edge <br>Very subdued nose at first, opened up later, wonderful smell of wine (I have no better description) <br>Medium body, but this wine sings, if the 81 Pichon Lalande is the Gwyneth Paltrow of wines, then the 83 Talbot is the Ella Fitzgerald! wonderful taste, and fruit mainly on the front and mid palate, kind of hollow on the back. <br>Long (at least 45 seconds) finish "
"DavidG",2001/8/4,"1991 Harlan Estate, Estate,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1991,"Harlan Estate","","USA",92,"Dark red to purple to rim, closed nose even after decanting 2 hours, starts to open up at 5 hours with deep rich cassis fruit, mint, and oak, still a bit awkward, but opens even more the next day to reveal additional hints of mocha and anise, very mouth-filling concentrated ripe fruit, long finish, still has some tannins to resolve. Suspect this will get better with another few years age on it. 92 points"
"stefan",2001/8/4,"1997 d'Armailhac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1997,"d'Armailhac","","France",88,"Lucie & our daughter T immediately say the bouquet is just right for a Pauillac even if light. I detect some grass that the girls say is not there, but for me it remains throughout dinner. Good on entry and in the middle, with green pepper to go with the cherries and cassis. Leather is noticeable. The taste in front holds for a long time. Lucie notes that after swallowing and eating some food the taste of the wine remains in the mouth. I agree but note that the taste is all in the front. Both women say there are tastes at the back and top as well. T says this wine is more intense than #2. Lucie 90. T 90. Stefan 88"
"stefan",2001/8/4,"1997 Jordan, Cabernet Sauvignon,  Sonoma,  California , USA",1997,"Jordan","","USA",0,"I had this at a restaurant tonight mostly because it was marked up only 50% over retail. It was not the typical '97 CA cab fruit bomb. Indeed, this Jordan has little fruit, little charm, but pretty good structure. The tannins are aggressive and it is hard to taste nuances. I wouldn't mind trying this one in five or ten years, but I don't have the inclination to buy and store it. "
"Roberto",2001/8/4,"1995 Beau-Site,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France",1995,"Beau-Site","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=460<br>I picked this wine up a few years back at a Sam's blow-out sale for about $15.  I was rummaging through my cellar the other day and decided to see how it was doing.  I had a bottle about a year and a half ago with rightbrain (a BWE'er) and we thought is was nice but a bit tannic and closed.  It reminded me of how the '97 Poujeaux is drinking now - tight with lots of bright, red fruit and signifcant tannin.<br> <br>Things have changed for the better with this wine.  Upon opening, the nose was closed and offered up mainly cherries with a hint of earth.  After 2 hours on the decanter this wine turned 180 degrees.  The nose was really hinting at classic Bordeaux - wet leaves and barnyard and perhaps a touch of cedar.  On the palate the wine was really nice for it's cru.  Plenty of cassis fruit with great balance and a good finish.  This wine was really something, especially given the cost.  My sense is that this wine is making the transition from primary to secondary.  St. Estephe wines are know for being hard and long-lived; however, many of the Cru Bourgeois wines use a large percentage of Merlot which can result in a softer, perhaps earlier-maturing wine.  '95 seems to have been a good Merlot year.  The Beau-Site is a good example of this style of St. Estephe.  I believe the yield was 65 cab 35 merlot in '95.  I wish a had more than the 3 I bought originally."
"AKR",2001/8/4,"1995 Meyney,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1995,"Meyney","","France",87,"95 Meyney.  July 01.  Not decanted but aired in bottle.  This is a good bottle of wine that's got to be near the top of easily available 95 QPR's.  It's a nice dark red/blue right now with no lightening at the edges yet.  A few swirls reveal good legs and at least average viscosity/body.  As I inhaled the aromas, I detected a little mint and berry smells.  Very nice so far.  The taste is a nice concentration of fruit and minerals without being unbalanced and overpowering.  The finish is of + length and surprised me.  There's still a little bit unresolved tannin that isn't completely gone yet but its pleasing and a reminder that this vintage still has time to go before even hitting its stride.  All in all an instructive and satisfying drink.  Get some if its priced right.  87pts."
"DavidG",2001/8/4,"1991 Shafer, Hillside Select,  Napa,  California , USA  [97]",1991,"Shafer","","USA",97,"Dark red to purple to rim, big complex nose of dark cassis fruits, earth, oak, creamy vanilla, huge body and intense ripe concentrated fruit comes in waves, great balance, long complex finish. 97 points"
"DavidG",2001/8/4,"1991 Chateau Montelena,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1991,"Chateau Montelena","","USA",92,"Dark red to rim, creamy rich fruity nose of cassis and dark berries, spice, full-bodied rich smooth fruit, great balance, long finish. 92 points"
"DavidG",2001/8/4,"1971 Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1971,"Yquem","","France",93,"Medium gold, nice nose with plenty of honey/botrytis, tropical fruit, mangoes, and caramel, good body, fat mouthfeel, and a nice finish, a perfect match to a lobe of perfectly seared foie gras as an appetizer.  Developed even greater richness and concentration by the end of the evening, 93 points"
"DavidG",2001/8/4,"1997 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1997,"Lynch Bages","","France",0,"Thanks to Mr. Vino for bringing the 1997 Lynch Bages to the BWE Mid-Atlantic dinner in DC.  This was the first red wine we dipped into.  I found it a little darker red perhaps than Jay (maybe the lighting was less intense at my end of the table?), ripe cassis, oak, hint of mint(!?) on the nose, and a bit of grassiness, light-medium bodied in the mouth, soft ripe fruit, falls off on the mid-back palate, bit of unripe green tannins intrude on the finish.<br><br>I think this is my first taste of a '97 Bordeaux.  I can see where the '97s are criticized for being a bit diluted.  It's not as big a wine as L-B from top years, but it was enjoyable nevertheless.  Perhaps it will improve as the tannins mellow, but will it always remain a bit green and light?  Better to drink up now.  A good value."
"DavidG",2001/8/4,"1991 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [95]",1991,"Dominus","","USA",95,"Dark red to purple, no fading, killer complex nose roars out of the glass, funky, charcoal, smoky, cedar and dark rich ripe fruits, huge body, intense rich fruit, great balance, long finish. 95 points"
"alchemeus",2001/8/4,"1997 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1997,"Lynch Bages","","France",0,"This, to me, was a poorer version of the 98.  Good colour and fruitiness (though less than the 98) and some acidity (less than the 98) and to me somewhat high in tannins (more than the 98).  Some oakiness and medium bodied at most and just not the stuffing to keep longer than 2007.  DavidG disagreed again when I suggested a few years to soften the tannins would do this wine good as it had good fruit, but methinks we all agreed it was no keeper.  A pleasant wine to drink in the short-medium term.  Good.  If I could find some for $25 I might get some to quaff, but not recommended for over $30.  The 98 is a little better and may be less expensive."
"Dawson",2001/8/4,"1975 Barbi, Brunello di Montalcino Reserva,  Brunello Di Montalcino,  Tuscany , Italy  [90]",1975,"Barbi","","Italy",90,"Reddish-brown, slightly darker than the 71 burgundy above.  Gassy-petrol aroma blew off shortly after initial contact with air.   Slight aroma of cinnamon.  Slight earth, raisiny fruit, hint of ground cinnamon.  More structure than a chianti classico reserva, and maybe a bit more balance, but other than that not much else telling me this was a Brunello."
"mikecase00",2001/8/4,"1997 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1997,"Lynch Bages","","France",86,"Had this wine last weekend with a bottle of '96 D'Armailhac that was opened first.  Compared to that bottle the Lynch felt a little thin and green.  It was medium bodied and a bit corse with the finish falling off rather quickly.  Even the nose had some herbal notes lurking behind the typical pauillac aromas.   I think Parker rated this mid 80s and I'd say thats about right.  Score it 86, perhaps suffering a bit due to higher expectations from the producer.  Pleasant, but there are so many better wines for less than the $40 I paid for this one (ex: the '96 D'Armailhac was $23, and I had a much nicer bottle of 97 Leoville Barton I scored for $19).  It was acceptable, I've paid about the same for more dissappointing cal cabs, but its not on my buy again list."
"ebaum",2001/8/4,"1989 Chasse Spleen,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux, France",1989,"Chasse Spleen","","France",0,"Last night I thought a relatively mature Bordeaux was in order, so I pulled a bottle of 1989 Chasse Spleen.  I was not disappointed.  A somewhat advanced bottle, even with a perfect cork and rotating capsule, it had lost any purple color and was more brick red, but without bricking at the rim.  While not complex, it had the pure Bordeaux flavors of black and red fruit (what I have learned from Parker as &quot;cassis&quot;), cedar, tar, and mostly resolved tannins that are a bit grainy, but still pleasant.  A perfect wine for the meal and the evening.  Not something profound, but a bottle that reconfirms my hopes for my cellar, chock full of mid 90's Bordeaux that I am not touching.  Given the cost of wines like Chasse Spleen on release (and even the '89 last year - $35), I still get a lot of value out of Bordeaux."
"sdr",2001/8/5,"1975 La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [92]",1975,"La Mission Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",92,"I have had this bottle for many years but I don't know where I got it, so the provenance of its early years is suspect. Nevertheless, a good example of this wine. medium dark ruby with a definite orange rim. Classic LMHB nose and palate. Very powerful. Very Graves. Very smoky.&lt;br&gt;Just a little too harsh and dry on the finish.&lt;br&gt;This should be very long-lived. This is the wine for venison or charred meat. It can stand up to any food."
"sdr",2001/8/5,"1982 La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [94]",1982,"La Mission Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",94,"I have underestimated this wine in the past (in relation to other LMHBs). It is undeniably outstanding. Now ready, the bouquet is classic - hickory smoke, coffee, tobacco. Firm and mouthfilling, although not a behemoth. Deliciously fruity. Terrific warm finish. Wonderful."
"sdr",2001/8/5,"1982 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [88]",1982,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",88,"Very good to be sure, but blown away by the '89 served alongside it. Nevertheless, openknit interesting nose of wood and minerals along with the usual smoke. Meddium in color and weight. Not singing much tonight. Finishes a little short. Not as good as it can be."
"sdr",2001/8/5,"1989 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [98]",1989,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",98,"This wine really does justify the raves. The color is almost black and inpenetrable. It's massive for Haut Brion, usually a more polite syle of claret. After an hour, the classic bricky/tobacco/coffee Graves nose becomes apparent. Huge on the palate. Quite tannic, but massively fruity. Powerful, lingering finish. Needs at least 5 more years, but there's no doubt about its future greatness."
"AKR",2001/8/6,"1993 Gruaud Larose, St Julien, Bordeaux, France [86]",1993,"Gruaud Larose","","France",86,"""No decanting but bottle aeration 1+ hr.  Ruby red with lightening at the edges.  This appears mature visually and it's aromatics seem to have developed from smells into bouquets.  I picked up cherries, earth and licorice on the nose and a softer/lighter s"""
"AKR",2001/8/6,"1995 Petit Bosc, St Estephe, Bordeaux, France [87]",1995,"Petit Bosc","","France",87,"No decanting.  Nice red color.  No lightening yet but I feel it's mature from the tasting that followed.  The aroma is a standard St Estephe earthy bouquet but doesn't &quot;soar&quot; or &quot;explode&quot; or anything like that.  Yet it's good and is an"
"AKR",2001/8/6,"1997 Lafon Rochet, St Estephe, Bordeaux, France [85]",1997,"Lafon Rochet","","France",85,"No decanting.  Full saturated dark red.  We let this air in the glass for 30 min prior to tasting and consumed it over the balance of an hour.  The nose never quite opened up.  [Did we fail to give it enough time or is 97 too limited?].  Others found it a"
"Roberto",2001/8/10,"1998 La Chenade,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"La Chenade","","France",0,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=476<br>(Lalande de Pomerol) I cooled it to cellar temperature which is my custom.  Poured into the proper stem.  Ah, the nose of '98 Merlot - really something.  Then the palate.  Nice fruity attack and then if fell off - like a flare heading for the earth.  Midsection and finish were just not there.  I waited a few hours and it did thicken up a bit but really did not come around.  I also got a touch of acidity on the finish."
"DavidG",2001/8/10,"1983 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1983,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",0,"1983 Leoville Las Cases: dark red, little or no lightening at the rim, cassis, cigar box/cedar and cassis on the nose with hints of lead pencil and licorice, the nose was a bit more restrained than the previous wines. Medium-bodied, concentrated ripe fruit, excellent balance, bit of complexity, and a sweet smooth finish, this still has some soft well-integrated tannins. I last had this in 1995, with remarkably similar notes. Should last another 5-10 years."
"DavidG",2001/8/10,"1995 Monbousquet,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France",1995,"Monbousquet","","France",0,"1995 Monbousquet: dark purple still, this is one BIG wine. Lots of dark fruits, tar, and spicy oak. Full-bodied, almost heavy on the palate, with very concentrated fruit and big-time tannins. Fun to drink now if you can handle the tannins, but this should be even better in 3-5 years. Some say Parkerized, but I like it, and it’s not like this was a great Chateau that has switched over to the dark side. Older vintages prior to Gerard Perse’s ownership were fairly nondescript."
"DavidG",2001/8/10,"1998 Pride, Mountain Vinyard Reserve Claret,  Napa,  California , USA",1998,"Pride","","USA",0,"1998 Pride Mountain Vineyard Reserve Claret: a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. Dark purple, deep creamy ripe fruit nose, plenty of fruit but tons of tannins on the palate make this a very drying wine. Though this was opened early, it wasn’t decanted. I wonder if more oxygenation would have softened it or brought the tannins even more fiercely to the fore. I would have brought some home to try today, but we managed to suck it all down. I had the 1998 Pride Reserve Cab 2 weeks ago, and oddly, it was much less tannic than the mostly-Merlot Claret. Only time will tell if this can integrate, or if the tannins will forever dominate the fruit."
"DavidG",2001/8/10,"1997 Peter Michael, Point Rouge Chardonnay,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [93]",1997,"Peter Michael","","USA",93,"Citrus, buttery nose, full-bodied, sweet citrus fruit, minerals and oak, nice finish. 93 points"
"sdr",2001/8/11,"1986 Trimbach, Clos Ste. Hune,  Alsace , France  [89]",1986,"Trimbach","","France",89,"Straw color; looks like a new release. Although not the greatest vintage for Alsace, this shows how consistent the Clos Ste. Hune is. Definitely not for hedonists. It's bone-dry, strong on backbone and fruit acids and long. The steely side of riesling. Minimal nose. Years of life ahead. <br><br>  "
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1983 Ramos Pinto, Vintage Port, Portugal  [86]",1983,"Ramos Pinto","","Portugal",86,"Deep, opaque red. The nose is Pedro Ximinez sherry, raisins, and brown sugar. The palate follows this, with sugar and alcohol becoming more apparent. Perhaps a hint of blueberry? Good acidity left, and even some unintegrated tannins. Around a 20 second finish."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1997 Sociando Mallet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1997,"Sociando Mallet","","France",88,"Slightly opaque purple. A good nose of cassis, and a lot of dill, which was strange, but pleasant. The palate reveals pretty much the same as the nose: cassis, a lot of dill, but this time it’s less than pleasant.  A saving grace for this wine was the acidity and tannins, both of which redeemed this from being a low 80s.  A fairly short (5 seconds) finish was not really surprising."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1996 Hess, Hess Collection,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1996,"Hess","","USA",92,"Slightly opaque red-purple.  Huge, aromatic nose of toast and herbs, just amazing.  Swirling reveals dark cherries. On the palate, a lot of cherry and plum fruit, with good extract and wonderful harmony. This wine has some beautiful acidity, tannins that are good, but slightly harsh on the midpalate, and an excellent 15+ second finish."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1997 Riechsgraf von Kesselstat, Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese, Germany  [91]",1997,"Riechsgraf von Kesselstat","","Germany",91,"A very pale yellow color. Incredibly florally aromatic, with pear, honey, and spice to back it up. On the palate, it’s very honeyed, with hints of pear and peach and some muted spicyness. Towards the end, the acidity kicks in, refreshing the palate and letting the fruit linger etherially for 15+ seconds."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1997 Cline, Ancient Vines,  California , USA  [92]",1997,"Cline","","USA",92,"Opaque purple with a violet rim. Hugely, and exotically aromatic, with notes of bay leaf oil and cinnamon oil mingling with bitter cherry. Raw meat becomes evident with some swirling.  On the palate, the wine is sweet, with more bitter cherry, an herbal component, and gorgeous extract.  The acidity was right in line, and the tannins were fine grained, and beautiful. More importantly, they entered the mouth at the right time so as to enforce the sweetness of  the fruit. Towards the finish, the 14% alcohol kicked in slightly, leaving a warm, spicy, oaky flavor lingering for 20 seconds."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1995 Taylor Fladgate, Quinta de Vargellas, Portugal  [90]",1995,"Taylor Fladgate","","Portugal",90,"Inky black opaque core with a clearing ruby red rim. Signs of evil to come ;) Nose is very restrained, but gives up sugar, alcohol, and very spicy tannins. On the palate, it’s almost numbing: slight sugar, then WHAM! Heat (it’s 20.5% alcohol), and numbing amounts of spicy tannins. There’s fruit somewhere, but who knows where. Nearly 15 seconds *after* swallowing does anything show. There’s a good quantity of dark, plummy fruit under here, but it only shows after breathing through your nose with your mouth closed.  Inpenetrable now, wait 10 years and it’ll be a beauty."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1996 Ch. de la Roulerie, Les Aunis,  Loire , France  [91]",1996,"Ch. de la Roulerie","","France",91,"Medium gold color. Knew something was up when the cork popped. 96 was *such* a good year in the Loire. Usually I lean over to smell the bottle, and I got hammered by honey and hazlenut. Wow. Nose in the glass just kept pouring out honey, hazlenut, and apricot, but kept bringing them to the forefront at different times. On the palate, it feels like fine mineral oil, just wildly mouthfilling with honey, bitter apricot skin, and hazlenut. Almost overpowering now. Gets slightly bitter (refreshing) if you hold it in your mouth. Pure hazlenut oil if you exhale through your nose with a closed mouth. Finish runs to 15-20 seconds. Leave this alone for a while, it’ll get better."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1997 Cline, Small Berry,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1997,"Cline","","USA",90,"Very pretty deep ruby red color, and surprisingly clear. I opened this at dinner out with a friend, and for the first few hours, all I could taste or smell was Chambord, that raspberry liqueur. After a few hours, and some vigorous shaking in a decanter, it started giving up notes of bitter chocolate, herbs, olives, and meat. I had about half a bottle left after dinner, and once we got it home, and into my good glass, it was a lot more obvious. On the palate, there’s a lot of sweet fruit, and a sauvage note, but it’s fairly closed down right now. Some very good acidity, and fine tannins add to a 20 second finish . Wow, this is seriously good stuff, but it’ll get better in 3 or 4 years, once it comes out of closure."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1997 Livingston-Moffett, 'Moffett Vineyard',  Sonoma,  California , USA  [87]",1997,"Livingston-Moffett","","USA",87,"Clear deep purplish. Nose at first is rubber/sulfur, sort of a cross between ‘Shiraz rubbery’ and ‘Barbera egg-custardy’, and slightly sour cherries. The palate has a lot of cherries,  and sort of like a CCR, the acids outweigh the tannins. A long, 15 second finish fades off into cherries. On day 2, the rubbery/matchsticky/sulfur scents and tastes are almost gone, leaving masses of cherries."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1996 Beaucastel CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France [92]",1996,"Beaucastel CdP","","France",92,"An even, clear medium red. Decanted at 8:20. Tasting glass is fine. Nose is raspberries and funk. At 9, the nose and palate have expanded somewhat to include sea air and forest floor/Cuban Maduro cigar. At 9:40, I had it recorked, as it was just not moving. 2 days later: It’s still sitting there with tons of raspberries, but the wild and funky scents and flavors have just exploded... this stuff is amazing."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1998 Antipodes, Unoaked, Australia  [90]",1998,"Antipodes","","Australia",90,"Bright, clear pale gold. A very nice nose of sweet, ripe peaches, some figs, honey, and bright acidity. The palate echoes this, with more peaches, a round, mouthfilling texture, an almost Sauvignon Blancish (without the cat pee!) acidity and grassiness. Good acidity, no tannins, and a 15 second finish. Great warm-weather stuff."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1999 Cline, Ancient Vines,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [90]",1999,"Cline","","USA",90,"Black core, violet rim. A great nose of strong cherry, spicy oak, some meat and with a lot of swirling, violet. On the palate, more of the same. Cherry, some cinnamon, meat, funk, and some heat, probably from tannins more than alcohol. Good levels of acidity, oak lifts the wine toward the end. 15 second finish. Excellent stuff."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1996 Gallo, Frei Ranch,  Napa,  California , USA  [87]",1996,"Gallo","","USA",87,"Not decanted. The color of Chambord, and clear. The nose has an overwhelming bell pepper scent, with good supporting currant fruit, which mirrors the palate. Good extraction, good acidity, proper amount of tannins. No weak spots, but not very interesting either. Varietally correct and a good price as a benchmark Cal Cab."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1997 Gallo, Barrelli Creek,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1997,"Gallo","","USA",90,"Purple and opaque. There's a funky (in a good way) brown sugar note here along with the classic blackberry/slightly bell peppery stuff (see above) Good wine. Longish. Almost too sweet, of dubious value with food, but really good alone."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1997 Gallo, Barrelli Creek,  Napa,  California , USA  [89]",1997,"Gallo","","USA",89,"Slightly opaque very deep red. Nose is a lot of raspberry and American oak, with spice, mocha and deep, sweet cherry with some swirling. The palate is a sledgehammer, with a lot of cherry fruit, loads of tannins, and a good, sweet-and-sourish note to the midpalate. Surprisingly good acidity, and a ton of tannins. Long finish, tingly at the gums."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1996 Chateau du Nozet Baron d 'L', Pouilly Fumé, Loire, France [91]",1996,"Chateau du Nozet Baron d 'L'","","France",91,"Pale Gold, Sweet peachy nose tempered with grass, on palate, sweet, fat fruit, high acidity, clean. Fruit-driven in front, with herbaceous notes trailing behind. Long long finish, sl honey. Better after a few hours, less grass, more sparkling peach. Finally started to trail off on Tuesday night (3 days later)"
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1993 Zaca Mesa,  California , USA  [90]",1993,"Zaca Mesa","","USA",90,"Med red, ambering at rim. Nose is something exotic and sweet. I picture really ripe orange persimmons before they fall off the tree, some green olive/brine, white pepper. Very atypical Syrah. On the palate, there's quite a bit of acidity, but still some tannins. Still this weird persimmon? fruit. After an hour, still getting sweeter --> decomposing now? Jeff (his bottle) says OTH. I (with Frank) say hold a year or more."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1997 Karl Lawrence,  Napa,  California , USA  [94]",1997,"Karl Lawrence","","USA",94,"Deep red, slightly opaque. Sweet sweet blackberry/vanilla nose, very very pure and clean fruit, all in a nice package of oak and acids. Looooong finish that only lengthens with food."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1995 Pichon Lalande,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [96]",1995,"Pichon Lalande","","France",96,"Deep purplish red. Classic Cassis/BP nose, with hints of flowers. This is a sexy sexy wine. Clear, long finish, just caressing, gorgeous, and beautiful all the way. Plus, 10 or so years left."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1994 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [96]",1994,"Dominus","","USA",96,"Deep red, slightly thin rim. More of the same as above (which is a fine compliment), very Bordeauxish, long. The PL (the 95 Pinchon-Lalande we had that night) wins due to the aging curve. Slightly slightly drier, but not much. Believe people when they tell you Dominus could be a blind ringer in a Bordeaux tasting. This is all about restraint."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1996 Rene Renou, Bonnezeaux 'Beauregard',  Loire , France  [90]",1996,"Rene Renou","","France",90,"Gold. Incredibly honey (with chilling down, caramel), apples, and a pervading and lingering sense of botyritis. Just floats off (no wonder after Death by Cab)! great stuff, will be a lot better with a lot of age. Sweet sweet but not heavy or cloying."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/11,"1998 Merry Edwards,  California , USA  [90]",1998,"Merry Edwards","","USA",90,"Clear, deep red. Nose is cherry, slightly vinous (briary), slightly raspberry, and some American oak. On the palate, this exhibits more clear cherry (almost cherry juice), still quite a bit of tannins, and vinous/sea air on the finish. Needs time."
"AKR",2001/8/12,"1995 Bellefont Belcier,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1995,"Bellefont Belcier","","France",87,"Decanted 2 hours prior to consumption. Ruby red with no lightening at the edges yet. Mid grade viscosity. Smells of cardamon and licorice. A soft fairly silky textured wine. The tannins have receded and this goes well with soft cheeses. Finish 5-7 seconds. How much does aeration help this? The second day the rest of the bottle did not taste markedly different that the first night so my guess is that further improvement is unlikely but it should certainly stay at this taste level for several years longer. This is indeed what 87 pts tastes like."
"sdr",2001/8/12,"1983 Climens,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1983,"Climens","","France",93,"A massive wine for Climens. Medium copper/gold. Reeking of botrytis, thick with extract. You can swallow it, but it won't leave your palate. Over-ripe apricot, honey, cinnamon. Just needs a little more acidity to balance it since it is so sweet. Very impressive. "
"stefan",2001/8/12,"1986 Pol Roger, Sir Winston Churchill,  Champagne , France  [91]",1986,"Pol Roger","","France",91,"We had a simple brunch of melon, figs, strawberries, fresh squeezed orange juice, and bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon.  With it we drank 1986 Sir Winston Churchill.  Although not an outstanding example of this prestige cuvee of Pol Roger, the '86 is a delight to drink.  It has pronounced apple and citrus flavors, a fine mousse, a lingering finish, and the elegance you expect from a WC.  It has just begun to develop the depth of a fine older Champagne and should improve for several more years.  Since '86 is not an especially good year for Champagne, I mistakenly thought the '86 WC would be fully mature.  Lucie 95. Stefan 91."
"stefan",2001/8/12,"1978 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1978,"Palmer","","France",92,"Opened about four hours before a dinner of turkey soufflé with green beans.    At the table, I was content just to smell the special Margaux floral perfume of the Palmer until I realized that Lucie might finish the bottle before I got a second glass.  The Palmer tastes of cherries and red currants with licorice on the sides.  The tannins are gone and the texture is that of water.  Despite this, the wine has a lingering finish and the flavors in the front of the mouth remain detectable for some time after swallowing.  This Palmer is excellent even if it does not have a lot of power.  It was perfect company for the food.  Lucie 91. Stefan 92."
"JScott",2001/8/12,"1995 Havens, Bourriquot,  Napa,  California , USA",1995,"Havens","","USA",0,"Dark, opaque inky purple.  Nose intially closed but opens after hours, rich and dark.  It is a medium-bodied wine that took a few hours to really show it's best, but it's full, long and interesting.  It isn't Cheval Blanc, of course, but it does have a unique character and perfume and drifts right into my wheelhouse - I love the earthy, smoky tones against the rich, deep berry.  It's got some years ahead of it."
"AKR",2001/8/13,"1998 Grand Marechaux, Other Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France [80]",1998,"Grand Marechaux","","France",80,"This is from Blaye.Drunk out of .375 with no aeration. Light red. Beaujolais like in body/texture and zestiness. Little aromas and no finish. Another bottle 6 mos ago was better so maybe this was a weaker vat? A non descript wine. "
"jal",2001/8/13,"1991 Joseph Phelps, Insignia,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1991,"Joseph Phelps","","USA",90,"Took a while to open but then delicious.  One surprise though, the wine had almost no acidity to speak of, it was all smooth fruits and it couldn't stand to the food (we were having a tasting menu at a restaurant)."
"jal",2001/8/13,"1983 Heitz, Martha's Vineyard,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1983,"Heitz","","USA",93,"Incredibly youthful, all elegant fruit and class. No nose to speak of but I wasn't surprised. long long finish"
"jal",2001/8/13,"1997 Frederic Mugnier, Chambolle Musigny,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [90]",1997,"Frederic Mugnier","","France",90,"Boy! this went down easy, very light and tasty yet stood up to the strip steak.  Good Burgundy nose (violets?).  I love this guy's Burgundies, they never disappoint and often surprise me"
"alchemeus",2001/8/14,"1998 Cline, Ancient Vines,  California , USA",1998,"Cline","","USA",0,"Opened 3 hours ago.  Initial nose of raspberry/blackberry and a briary note.  Deep garnet color all the way to the rim.  Drank in a fairly open goblet style stem.  Huge amount of glycerins (many legs) but not that high in alcohol comparatively (14%).  This comes from 80-100 year old vines according to the label.  A very thick, chewy wine with loads of those berry fruits.  2 hours after opening the briary scents have been replaced by a slight wood scent.  Tannins smooth but noticeable.  This cries out for food."
"DavidG",2001/8/17,"1996 Martinelli, Jackass Vineyard,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [92]",1996,"Martinelli","","USA",92,"Dark red/purple, intense aromas of candied cherries and plums with lesser notes of brambly fruits, and some smoky, earthy funk.  Very ripe sweet fruit, rich and full-bodied, with a bit of tannin still present, nice finish.  Not a universally loved style, but it's ringing my chimes tonight.  92 points"
"AKR",2001/8/18,"1996 Bellegrave Van De Woort, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France [83]",1996,"Bellegrave Van De Woort","","France",83,"A medium red wine.  Somewhat tannic still with good viscosity.  This is an obscure Pauilliac which is rarely seen in the US.  Functional but not worth seeking out in a special way.  "
"AKR",2001/8/18,"1996 Ramage la Batisse, Haut Medoc/Medoc, Bordeaux, France [84]",1996,"Ramage la Batisse","","France",84,"""I had never heard of this wine prior to consumption. It is soft, silky, and has light edges already to the rim.  Red fruit flavors are pleasant but this should be drunk now."""
"AKR",2001/8/18,"1998 Falfas, Other Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France [79]",1998,"Falfas","","France",79,"""This is a soft, sour and out of balance wine from the Cotes de Bourg.  I had hoped it would be better given the right banks merlot sucess in 98."""
"sdr",2001/8/19,"1982 l'Evangile,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1982,"l'Evangile","","France",89,"Puzzling. Not crystal clear even though carefully decanted after standing up for two weeks. Initially, an attractive nose or dark red berries and cedar, but became very faint after a few minutes. On the palate, smooth but forceful. Tertiary flavors of leaf and earth. Still some tannins in the finish. Very good, but not great and seemed better 5 years ago."
"jal",2001/8/19,"1997 Pahlmeyer, Proprietary Red,  Napa,  California , USA",1997,"Pahlmeyer","","USA",0,"Concentrated ripe black fruit mainly berries.  Infanticide again?  This is a good example of a 97 Napa, lot of forward fruit on the front and mid, weak on the back, a little unbalanced.  It probably needs 5-6 years before beeing accessible (and much better).  Long finish nevertheless."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/8/22,"1995 Leoville Barton,  St Julien,  Bordeaux, France  [89]",1995,"Leoville Barton","","France",89,"Château Leoville Barton 1995 - Nice purple colour. Fruity (blackcurrant, fig), spicy, floral, complex nose. Lots of fruit balanced with tannins, a bit earthy in mouth but a pretty long finish. A very nice wine, not quite as powerful as the Barton 1996 - 89 / 100."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/8/22,"1997 Lynch Bages,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [86]",1997,"Lynch Bages","","France",86,"Château Lynch-Bages 1997 (tasted at the Château) - Ruby colour with mint aromas, ripe fruits, spices. Nice tannins and mocha in mouth. More tannins than many of the other wines of the vintage. Should drink perfectly well in 10 years time. 86 / 100."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/8/22,"1995 Pape Clement, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Brodeaux, France  [90]",1995,"Pape Clement","","France",90,"Château Pape-Clément 1995 - Very deep colour. Fresh fruit, raspberry, smoky. Concentrated tannins, pulpy, fat, very long. Should age for long. - 90 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/8/22,"1994 Montus, Prestige,  Other France, France",1994,"Montus","","France",0,"Château Montus Prestige 1994, Alain Brumont's renowned Madiran wine - Grape varieties: Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Courbu, Petit Manseng. Dark red colour. Floral (violet) and fruity powerful nose. Very rich structure, spicy, extremely tannic and concentrated. I would rate this wine as &quot;overconcentrated&quot; for my standards. I consider that it's an example of what might be some of the overextracted-like Bordeaux 3 - 5 years down the road. Brumont ten years ago was already a precursor for making these types of wines. They may be great some time really aren't enjoyable at this stage."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/8/22,"1997 Laffitte Teston,  Other France, France",1997,"Laffitte Teston","","France",0,"Château Laffitte Teston 1997 - Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh very unusual and confidential sweet white wines produced around Tarbes near Toulouse (where they assemble the Airbus airplanes) not far from where are produced the Madiran wines. The Manseng and the Petit Courbu grapes are used to do this excellent soft wine characterised by touches of resin, crystallised fruit, honey, spices, anise, vanilla, roasted bread. Long and smooth, it went perfectly well with a nice foie gras. I haven't a great experience with this wine but according to the restaurant's sommelier, in good vintages (18 - 20 degrees alcohol) the wine can be easily wait 20 + years. Difficult to find out of the region but if you pass by, do not hesitate a second ! "
"Winemega-Alain",2001/8/22,"1996 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Brodeaux, France  [87]",1996,"Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge","","France",87,"Château Smith Haut-Lafite 1996 - Deep colour. Powerful nose, deep with aromas of red fruits and tobacco. Nice structure with delicate tannins, quite fat and persistent. A solid and intense wine -  87 / 100."
"Roberto",2001/8/23,"1990 Pichon Baron,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1990,"Pichon Baron","","France",89,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=552<br>Deep red color.  Nose of mature Bordeaux with cedar, cigar box, spice and a mildy annoying mustiness that blew off after 30 minutes of so.  This my have been a bad bottle which had a raised cork but no signs of seepage.  The wine tasted much older than it's stated age.  It had sufficient cassis fruit and length but was a bit dry and fragile.  This wine confirms my impressions that many of the '90 Bordeaux are in their windows of drinkability."
"AKR",2001/8/24,"1996 Biston Brillette,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1996,"Biston Brillette","","France",86,"Moulis.  Good nose.  More depth of flavor than the previous wines (95 Haut Bages Averous, 96 Bellegrave).  Has a kind of Graves like smokiness to it.  sweet but short finish.  86 pts."
"AKR",2001/8/24,"1998 La Fleur de Bouard,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1998,"La Fleur de Bouard","","France",87,"Lalande de Pomerol.  Great Nose.  Noticeably darker than the others.  Tannic.  5 second finish.  A good wine but will need time.  87 pts."
"AKR",2001/8/24,"1995 Lynch Bages, Haut Bages Averous,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [81]",1995,"Lynch Bages","","France",81,"Light red.  Light bodied.  A somewhat nondescript second wine of Lynch Bages.  Short finish.  81 pts."
"Roberto",2001/8/24,"1988 Speri, Amarone, Veneto, Italy [92]",1988,"Speri","","Italy",92,"‘88 Speri Amarone.  $55.  Deep red-purple with a touch of amber at the rim.  Still viscous.  Mature nose of wet earth with some tar and leather.  It offers classic Amarone tastes of prunes, raisins and figs buttressed by a freshly acidic structure that goes so well with food.  The finish is impressive and the wine veils none of it’s alcohol.   This is why I love Italian wine.  The wine is clearly mature and I’m not sure how long it will be at it’s apex.  I say shoot ‘em if you’ve got ‘em."
"Roberto",2001/8/24,"1978 Latour,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1978,"Latour","","France",95,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1288<br>'78 Latour: a great showing for this wine. This was my contribution and this was my third time with this wine in the past 2 years. The nose was musty/funky at first and I was concerned that it might be corked. It blew off. The wine was a bit dumb for the first hour and was definitely the least-favored of the three at that point. Then, after about an hour, it really opened up and developed a deep cedar and cigar-box nose. The mid-section plumped-up and filled out to the point of almost being chewy. Great finish. It was still developing at 3 hours. This bottle would have easily lasted much longer. Latour is just so damn classy. One of my all-time favorites."
"AKR",2001/8/24,"1996 Carmes Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [88]",1996,"Carmes Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",88,"Pessac Leognan.  Great nose.  Nice rich flavors.  + finish.  This was a real crowd pleaser.  Tasted better as the night went on.  88 pts."
"AKR",2001/8/24,"1996 Haut Bailly, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux, France [87]",1996,"Haut Bailly","","France",87,"This is a good wine.  Nice bouquet. Feels like it has a real lifeline to it.  A nice 10 second finish.  I need to buy some of this.  87 pts."
"AKR",2001/8/24,"1998 Grand Moulinet,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1998,"Grand Moulinet","","France",86,"Inky purple.  Tannic.  Licorice aromas.  Also needs time.  This is a decent unheralded example of its appellation.  86 pts."
"AKR",2001/8/24,"1990 Filhot,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1990,"Filhot","","France",91,"Golden.  Rich and thickly honeyed.  Lacks zest so I don't know how long this will last but wonderful to drink right now.  91 pts."
"AKR",2001/8/24,"1990 Pichon Baron,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1990,"Pichon Baron","","France",94,"This was inserted as a ringer in a bottle of a smaller 96 St. Emilion (at a tasting of some smaller 96s & 98s).  It was rich, tannic, and delicious.  Clearly demonstrates the difference between the big boys and all the rest.  It would be a joy to taste over its [long] lifespan.  94 pts."
"alchemeus",2001/8/26,"1998 La Fleur de Bouard,  Bordeaux , France",1998,"La Fleur de Bouard","","France",0,"Decanted and smelled an immediate release of black fruit and smoke.  Took a half-glass and after 10 minutes knew this bottle was already closing down.  Nothing like my previous tasting (what, 8-10 months ago?).  Lots of New French Oak here and mostly ripe plums on the taste.  Good acidity.  Not much else. 2 hours later another glass and still lots of oak and the tannins are very noticable.  Bordeaux tannins not Napa tannins.  Tingly without sucking the water out of your head. 4 hours the last of it with a grilled fillet.  Still a plumminess but some other fruits, blackberry or something.  Some leather.  Still oaky.  Good acidity.  This wine seems to have closed down somewhat over the months.  Still, a very good wine especially for the price (mid $20US).  This needs 5+ years to await the next opening.  Even though a Petite Chateau this will be good in 15 years it seems.  Though, with the rapid closing maybe not.  A new style?"
"Cabfan",2001/8/27,"1983 Rieussec,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1983,"Rieussec","","France",0,"It was gorgeous in the bottle, sort of a deep honey color.  As I poured it into the glasses it seemed very viscous, seriously almost like a lightweight motor oil.  Just a lovely Sauternes, great nose of tropical fruits, I can't get over how aged Sauternes sometimes seems so un-grape like, seems as if its made from honeydew melons or something.  Great balance of acidity and sweetness.  Probably at or close to its peak right now but will hold for a long time.  Remember this bottle was a .375 so a 750ml  would easily hold for another 10-12 years."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/27,"1989 Sean Thackrey, Taurus,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [94]",1989,"Sean Thackrey","","USA",94,"Medium red, slight thinning at rim, no ambering yet. Nose is full of mint, honey, sweet raspberries, and earth.... just amazing. The palate gets even better, with expansive flavors of Lapsang Souchong tea (Russian tea that's dried over a pine fire), smoke, old game, and raspberry. A long, funky finish, lasting nearly 20 seconds. After 2 hours I went back to it and the honey mint and raspberry had become more focused. An amazing wine in an off year from a great producer."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/27,"1994 Beaucastel CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France [89]",1994,"Beaucastel CdP","","France",89,"Medium red, clear. Nose is classic Beaucastel: Sweet raspberry fruit, and an overwhelming Beaucastel stink that I find very pleasant. At first, this stink was slightly reduced/rubbery, but it was getting better (very slowly), revealing more primary fruit and stink. Either decant a day in advance, or wait 5-7 years before opening. This will be very good."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/27,"1997 L. Gasparini, Capo di Stato,  Veneto , Italy  [92]",1997,"L. Gasparini","","Italy",92,"65%CS, 20% CF, 10% Merlot, 5% Malbec. Deep red-purple and opaque. No more of that wimpy medium clear red stuff ;) Nose is sweet cassis/bell pepper backed by dark black sweet cherry. The Palate is a deep Cab Franc sort of thing, with a green, stemmy streak in it. Lots of tannins, lots of dark fruit, very good now, will get better."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/27,"1997 Trevor Jones, Wild Witch, Australia  [94]",1997,"Trevor Jones","","Australia",94,"Deep clear red. Nose is sweet brown sugar and briar, wonderful, and like the 97 Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz I had almost 2 months ago, but more restrained. Beautiful, persistent, red fruits, birar and brown sugar which got much better over time..."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/27,"1997 Venge, Scout's Honor,  California , USA  [88]",1997,"Venge","","USA",88,"85% Zin/15% Charbono. Medium clear red. Nose is slightly earthy and brown sugar ?? Palate is some weird sort of fruitskin perhaps apricot? cherry? Whatever it is, it's a very strange, but pleasant note. Midpalate is a wall of sweetness, seemingly somewhat RSish. The finish is slightly spicy, but I have a thing about too much RS in red wines.…"
"Zachary Pearson",2001/8/27,"1994 A. Rafanelli,  California , USA  [90]",1994,"A. Rafanelli","","USA",90,"Deep medium red. Nose is pleasant - slight briar, brown sugar, a bit cold, but seemed to be lacking in fruit. Definite palate fatigue here, but it was nice though, and funky :)"
"jal",2001/9/2,"1982 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1982,"Gruaud Larose","","France",94,"Capsule spins freely (one trick I learned from you guys)<br>Cork came out easily, purple halfway through.<br>Poured into a decanter for no real reason, this wine was really happy to come out and show itself.  <br>Good ruby color with no clearing <br>Nose of violets and raspberries (?)<br>Medium body, beautiful structure and balance, very round, cassis everywhere.  I tried to remember my experience with 88 or 89 GL, this one was lighter but much more refined and tasty, while the other two had much more fruit upfront and more robust body.  I can't comment on the finish as I kept drinking the next sip before the previous one dissipated (a common problem for me with good wines)<br>Score 94, this was easily the best bottle I've had this summer"
"AKR",2001/9/3,"1986 d'Arche,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1986,"d'Arche","","France",87,"This is a good value in mature Sauternes in a good vintage. Fairly bright and crisp. Fairly light bodied and gulpable with fresh fruit deserts. I didn't detect any notable aromatics but I was over .10 BAC at that point :) "
"Winemega-Alain",2001/9/3,"1961 Siran,  Margaux,  Bordeaux, France",1961,"Siran","","France",0,"Château SIRAN - Margaux 1961<br>We enjoyed this bottle with a good friend of mine for his 40th birthday. I had never tasted this wine previously and was curious to experiment how the little &quot;less&quot; renowned châteaux are doing in this legendary vintage.<br>I wasn't quite sure if the wine was fit enough for decanting so I opened it 30mn before dinner (with some problems pulling out the cork). After smelling and tasting it I decided to decant the wine only very short before drinking it.<br>The colour was a bit light, slightly rusty, not extremely appealing but this may eventually have to do with the poor cork. Nice delicate smell - wet earth, moss, ripe plums, not very long but elegant nose. This wine was very round with a dominant taste of liquorice, slightly acid at the end but not very long nor powerful. <br>If I had a second bottle of this wine, I would try it because I wonder what can really be the wine's potential with a decent cork. Anyway this bottle was fully mature. Possibly it may have been wiser to drink it a few years ago."
"AKR",2001/9/4,"1994 Sociando Mallet, Haut Medoc/Medoc, Bordeaux, France [88]",1994,"Sociando Mallet","","France",88,"This is still a tannic wine. In fact quite so. But it's quite nice for cutting through a big bone in steak. The nose is very aromatic already and it has a good finish. I like this but will wait a while before uncorking another."
"AKR",2001/9/4,"1995 Carbonnieux, Rouge, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France [88]",1995,"Carbonnieux","","France",88,"Also tannic but not as much as the other wine [94 SM] we had. A nice typical example of this chateau's red. Last had this 1 year prior and it still at the same level of development. Smells like a Graves -- which I like"
"AKR",2001/9/4,"1997 La Grave a Pomerol, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France [86]",1997,"La Grave a Pomerol","","France",86,"""This is an average wine. Nice texture and a decent nose but nothing really special. Given the quality and what else is available now, it is a poor value. """
"sdr",2001/9/4,"1949 Latour,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1949,"Latour","","France",85,"Medium red; looks like a Burgundy. Faint hint of the famous '49 rose bouquet; medium body; tails off fairly quickly. Still sound, but clearly past its best. (Previous bottles from the same source have been consistently more vigorous.)"
"sdr",2001/9/4,"1959 Latour,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1959,"Latour","","France",93,"Dark ruby; very good color for age, but some orange at the rim. Immediate aromas of roast meat, a little reminiiscent of a northern Rhone. A huge wine, but a little rustic and the tannins are slightly scratchy. But it got better and better as it sat in the glass so it's still outstanding, and very Latour in its masculine power. "
"sdr",2001/9/4,"1970 Latour,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [97]",1970,"Latour","","France",97,"Incredible dark color, almost black; gorgeous nose of bing cherries for a few moments, then settled down into someting more classical; huge wine that filled all corners of the mouth (and the nose, sinuses and throat),definitely fruity; tannins have finally rounded off and the wine has just entered its plateau of peak maturity. Long, long finish and indisputably great wine."
"Roberto",2001/9/4,"1998 Cape d'Estaing, Shiraz, Australia  [89]",1998,"Cape d'Estaing","","Australia",89,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1738<br>1998 Cape d’Estaing Shiraz.  From the island of Adelaide.  Dark purple in color. Huge, sweet nose of shiraz-berry and pepper.  Big, round and lush palate of sweet (jammy) fruit enveloped by toasty-vanilla new oak..  This wine is robust - what you expect from a ‘Blockbuster Shiraz.’  A huge hit with the neighbors.  It drinks well now so I don’t know if I’ll be able to age them.  Cross-posted."
"mikecase00",2001/9/7,"1998 St. Clement, Oroppas,  Napa,  California , USA  [89]",1998,"St. Clement","","USA",89,"This was the first of two St Clement wines served with grilled steaks (the other being the 98 regular cab bottling).  No decanting, just opened and poured.  The first thing I noticed was the beautiful nose.  Quite pronounced with dark fruit and a distinct plum character on the nose.  On the palate though the wine was not as distinctive as in the regular cab, but still a delicious wine that is drinking well right now.  Not terribly tannic, but mouthfilling, ripe, and balanced.  If I could have combined the nose of the Oroppas with the flavors and finish from the regular cab it would have been awesome.  Still a nice wine only falling a bit short of outstanding for its slightly muted flavors."
"Roberto",2001/9/9,"1996 Vincent et Denis Berthaut, Clos Des Entre Deux Velles-Fixin,  Burgundy , France  [88]",1996,"Vincent et Denis Berthaut","","France",88,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1444<br>1996 Dennis Berthaut Clos des Entre Deux Velles - Fixin.  My first experience with this producer.  The nose was very outdoorsy and mature:  Wet soil, mushrooms with some floral notes.  On the palate it was medium-bodied and clearly ready to drink.  It had sufficient fruit and structure to be enjoyed but felt like is was thinning out just a bit.  This is not an expensive wine but shows nicely for a ‘96 Village level wine.  Roberto (Cross-Posted.)"
"jal",2001/9/9,"1998 du Tertre,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1998,"du Tertre","","France",89,"We had this wine with friends.  Steaks, gratin Dauphinois and a salad.  Our friends who served it, thought a young Margaux would be quite accessible.<br>Decanted about 25 minutes<br>We were eating outdoors at night in bad lighting, so I can't comment on the color.<br>Nose was a little shy<br>Nice body, bright with good black forest fruits, a little weak on the mid palate but really good nonetheless.  Decent finish. <br>This is the first 98 I've had and was very pleasantly surprised"
"Roberto",2001/9/13,"1984 Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Echezeaux, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France  [90]",1984,"Domaine de la Romanee Conti","","France",90,"1984 DRC Ecehezeaux.  From a suspect bottle with a stained label, corroded capsule and a cork that broke-up upon extraction.  There was a slightly-off odor initially that blew away.  The nose then asserted itself with soft raspberries and violets.  It was medium-bodied and oh so silky.  Clearly, this wine did not know that it was from an off year.  The finish was a bit dry but the wine developed nicely in the glass and it was great with cheese.  This wine is a testament to the power of producer over vintage in Burgundy.  (Cross-Posted)"
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/13,"1999 Rancho Zabaco, Chiotti Vineyard,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [88]",1999,"Rancho Zabaco","","USA",88,"Like Chambord but darker by about 3 shades. Really deep purply-red, slight opaqueness. This is all about raspberries. Or more like it, RASPBERRIES!!!!!!! Incredible power and precision of raspberryocity. Monolithic (wait for it........... raspberry! but good acidity and tannins make this wine very pleasant not to have to think too hard about. Some deepish briary flavors there too.  Slightly watery? in the midpalate, and a 5-10 second finish.<br><br>Slight complaint: I would think with the fairly high levels of acidity that this would have a longish finish, but no luck. Around 5-10 seconds at most. Great at first, really sweet, but the midpalate drops it, and this finishes short. It did, however, survive 3 days in the fridge, no gas."
"Roberto",2001/9/14,"1996 Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Grands Echezeaux,  Cote de Nuits,  Burgundy , France  [98]",1996,"Domaine de la Romanee Conti","","France",98,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1443<br>1996 DRC Grands Echezeaux.   With much excitement we (Whuzzup__ and I) pulled the cork on this bottle a few months back.   There was a wine stain on the label and the capsule had evidence of seepage.  Poured straight into Riedel Grand Cru Burgundy stems.   I dropped my nose and took a deep whiff.  I could not believe what I was smelling: fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies!  This smell was just incredible.  The nose evolved into baked bread and then buttered popcorn.  At this point I’m hooked on DRC and I have not even had a sip.  I felt like a teenager on his first date.  On the palate the mouthfeel was so smooth - seamless.  I’m sure there was plenty of structure in there but it was just so well put together it just slid down.   Red fruit, spice (nutmeg) and just a touch of earthiness.  This wine kept on changing.  We would have a small pour, wait an hour, and do it again.  Each time it was like a different wine.  A hard thing to put into words.  This was an epiphany wine for me.  One of the best bottles I’ve ever had.  In retrospect, I’m sure this wine was actually quite primary and has a long life ahead of it.  Clearly the ‘96 vintage was a huge success for DRC.  I guess I’ll just have to get a third job!  Thanks Ben.  Roberto.  (Cross-Posted.)"
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/9/14,"1988 Charbaut, Certificate,  Champagne , France  [93]",1988,"Charbaut","","France",93,"My first acquaintance with this Champagne house and this is their prestige wine made of 100% Chardonnay. And what a nice acquaintance!<br>The nose is full of yellow apples, melon and the scent of a perfect summerday. Pure and elegant.<br>Very nice, elegant, smooth taste with a lot of mature fruit, a litte bread and the typical fresh acidity of the 88´s. Nice mousse. Very good."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/9/14,"1934 Dr Barolet Collection, Meursault Charmes,  Cote de Nuits,  Burgundy , France  [89]",1934,"Dr Barolet Collection","","France",89,"Big, mature (!) nose with dried apricots, oak and dry honey. Very vital. It actually grew in the glas and beacame more and more complex. A little touch of dry botrytis, a sign of very mature grapes (and perhaps not a very strict selection).<br>Dry, mature, fresh taste with honey, dried fruits and varm grass. Still very fresh but not that much structure. Good."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/9/14,"1988 Canon la Gaffeliere,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1988,"Canon la Gaffeliere","","France",89,"Mature, varm and fruity nose with notes of cherry, tobacco and milkchocolate. Very good.<br>Long, varm taste with licorice, peppar and tobacco. Dry aftertaste but good structure. "
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/9/14,"1967 Château Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1967,"Château Yquem","","France",0,"Perfection! Glorious nose with loads of fun! Notes of fudge, orangepeel, milk chocolat and apricots. Extremely deep nose. Elegant notes of botrytis. Simply fantastic!&lt;br&gt;Complex, massive and at the same time elegant taste with peach, apricots, milk chocolat and citrus. Long, long and long! Lovely sweet taste. Brilliant!<br>[b:4b42a48fb6]99p[/b:4b42a48fb6]"
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/9/14,"1988 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1988,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",92,"Very big and bold nose with notes of stables, cassis, sweet tobacco and new oak. Lovely touch of vanilla. Very good. Young, fresh and varm taste with sweet black fruits, tobacco and new oak. Long, powerful aftertaste. Young and impressive."
"ebaum",2001/9/14,"1987 Spotteswoode,  Napa,  California, USA",1987,"Spotteswoode","","USA",0,"Purple with no bricking.  Huge and balanced.  Toasted oak, chocolate, toffee, medium length and body.  A beautiful wine to drink."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/9/16,"1995 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [96]",1995,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",96,"Oh my god! This is brilliant! A deep, potent nose with lots of new oak, sweet tobacco, cassis and licorice. Power and elegance at the same time. <br>A big, seamless taste with lots of tannins behind the complex, sweet fruit. Lots of cassis, cherry and coffee. Very long, elegant aftertaste. Brilliant! "
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/9/16,"1985 Opus One,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1985,"Opus One","","USA",90,"Big, fruity nose with lots of cherry, eukalyptus, autumn leaves and some dry oak. Very good but a little hollow compared to the 85 Mouton.<br>Mature, varm and fine taste with cherrychocolat-candy, vanilin oak and a little eukalyptus. Fine aftertaste. Very good."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/9/16,"1961 La Grace Dieu Les Menuts,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1961,"La Grace Dieu Les Menuts","","France",91,"A little, unknown (at least for me) château from St Emilion that performed splendidly. The nose is big and mature with notes of wet earth, cassis and some oak. Gentle and deep.<br>Very big, varm and round taste with red currants, dry tobacco and a litte saffron. Nice maturity. Very good. This bottle (which had an excellent level) would keep another 20 years.<br>From a magnum."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/9/16,"1995 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [94]",1995,"Dominus","","USA",94,"Very fruit-driven nose with new leather, dark chocolate and cherry. Deep and complex. Young, concentrated and massive taste with lots of cassis, fudge and new oak. Sweet tannins. Very, very good but wait at least 5 years."
"ebaum",2001/9/18,"1986 Talbot,  St Julien,  Bordeaux, France",1986,"Talbot","","France",0,".  Typical claret color with no bricking.  Nose of shoe polish (I don't know how else to describe it, but it is a nose I like).  Long, well-balanced, complex, lots of Cordier funk, tannins that are reasonably well resolved and fine.  A very fine wine, one worthy of the praise Parker gives it.  But it doesn't really taste like classic Bordeaux to me, as it doesn't taste of cassis and cedar.  To me, it tastes more like a CdP such as Beaucastel, and I am sure that is because of the funk/brett.  A very enjoyable wine, but I can clearly understand why many people don't like it.  This wine had enough fruit and sufficiently resolved tannins to not have to worry about it drying out as it ages.  I continue to think very highly of 1986, and wish I had more in my cellar."
"Dawson",2001/9/19,"1986 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1986,"Gruaud Larose","","France",0,"Mystical nose of earth, fruit, minerals, smoky oak, sweet round, big fruit flavors.  Full-bodied. Long finish.  Drinking very well now, but could last another 20 years."
"AKR",2001/9/20,"1997 Chasse Spleen, Other Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France [83]",1997,"Chasse Spleen","","France",83,"I approached this with some trepidation but its not too bad of a wine.  It's pretty smooth drinking and should be consumed over the next few years as well.  Nice dark red and just a hint of a nose but there's a sense of dilution in the finish. It's too ba"
"AKR",2001/9/20,"1998 Hauts Conseillantes, Lalande de Pomerol, Bordeaux, France [86]",1998,"Hauts Conseillantes","","France",86,"""]  This a tasty well made wine that is probably inexpensive in most areas.  Nicely fruity and aromatic.  Nothing profound going on here but for immediate pleasurable drinking over the next few years, this is worth trying.  <br> """
"AKR",2001/9/20,"1998 La Croix St Georges, Other Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France [79]",1998,"La Croix St Georges","","France",79,"This is a petit chateaux from the outer parts of St Emilion I believe.  It's not revealing much nose nor flavor at this point.  There is no concentration and finish which seems odd given the vintage and region.  Nothing more than quaffer that sort of tast"
"Dawson",2001/9/20,"1996 Chapoutier, Ermitage Le Pavillion,  Hermitage,  Rhone , France",1996,"Chapoutier","","France",0,"Syrah laser beam dotted with pepper, cassis, raisins, ripe fruit, deep dark color.  Super body, long finish, just exquisite.  A gentlemen who was in attendance who had never had syrah before tried this and called his friends in Oregon, telling them they had to get a bottle of this; I don't think he was aware of the price and the relative scarcity of the wine."
"Roberto",2001/9/22,"1997 Castello di Brolio, Chianti Classico,  Chianti,  Tuscany , Italy  [93]",1997,"Castello di Brolio","","Italy",93,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1733<br>‘97 Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico.  $32.  Dark garnet color.  Expressive nose of dried cherry and leather with a tiny dash of toasty oak thrown in.  Lovely, caressing mouth feel.  Ample fruit with an impressive length.  Acidic enough to go great with food but still elegant.  This wine has impressed 3 times with consistent notes.  A nice example of the quality of wine coming out of Chianti these days.  By the way, this wine won the ‘Tre Bicchieri’ award from Gambero Rosso.  "
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/22,"1991 Beaulieu Vineyards, Georges de Latour Private Reserve,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1991,"Beaulieu Vineyards","","USA",93,"Deep red, fairly opaque. This one's more cherryish than the previous ones, with cedar/bell pepper overtones. Palate is round, full, and very mild, with chocolatey notes. Very integrated, a smooth, lengthy finish that's becoming cedary. Very good."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/22,"2000 Fox Creek, Australia  [88]",2000,"Fox Creek","","",0,"Very pale gold, nose was very pleasant with floral notes and melon. A good amount of acidity kept it lively on the palate, but no cat pee or grass notes to be found anywhere, and being open for a few hours didn't make this wine give any up."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/22,"1989 Oakford,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1989,"Oakford","","USA",90,"Very deep clear red. Nose has a sea-airish quality to it that's pleasant, and some fairly muted cassis/bell pepper notes. The palate's fairly smooth, with good concentration, good length, but a slightly drying finish. Fairly young."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/22,"1983 Dominus,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1983,"Dominus","","USA",93,"Medium clear red, slight ambering. About the only wine to show its age tonight. The nose is soft, if slightly plasticy?, but the palate is fantastic: sweet briary cassis fruit, pencil shavings, but fairly short on the finish. Great wine."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/22,"1987 Spotteswoode,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1987,"Spotteswoode","","USA",92,"Dark red, slightly opaque. Nose is fairly sweet, with some brown sugar notes, blackberry and raspberry, perhaps a touch of honey. The palate is very smooth, with blackberry fruit, good length, and proper openness. A very good wine."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/22,"1991 Hess, Hess Collection,  Napa,  California , USA  [91]",1991,"Hess","","USA",91,"Deep red, slightly opaque. This nose has a licorice component added to the fairly standard cassis and bell pepper. On the palate, this is bottle-sweet, with a good amount of chocolate, briary fruit, lots of tannins still, and a long, slightly cedary finish."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/22,"1998 Eglise Clinet, La Chenade,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1998,"Eglise Clinet","","France",88,"Deep clear red. Sweet, honeyed nose, quite a bit of chocolate, slight briar. Medium weight, cherry fruit, briary midpalate, still tannic, finishes fairly sweet."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/22,"1992 Dunn, Howell Mountain,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1992,"Dunn","","USA",90,"Deep slightly opaque red. Nose is minty and kind of plasticy, but dark fruited. Palate has a wall of still stern tannins, slighly musty? cassis fruit, pleasant but hard still, needs a lot of time."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/22,"1993 Dalla Valle,  Napa,  California , USA  [92]",1993,"Dalla Valle","","USA",92,"Deep red, slightly opaque. Sweet nose of cassis. Sweet and tannic on palate, with a great midpalate to it. Tannic on the finish, but very pleasant right now."
"AKR",2001/9/26,"1996 Sociando Mallet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1996,"Sociando Mallet","","France",90,"This is a very dark opaque wine.  It has a very nice bouquet but upon tasting there is massive amount of 'grip'.  I like tannic wines but prefer to pair them off against juicy ribeyes or tender legs of lamb.  In this case neither was available so it was noticeable how much of a tannic lifeline is still there.  I'm glad I have more of this but I'll check on this maybe after the next Presidential election!  90 pts."
"AKR",2001/9/27,"1999 Belle Vue,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1999,"Belle Vue","","France",89,"This is a new find by Jeffery Davies and RP praised this in April WA.  It is indeed a very nice wine -- forward, sweet and lush.  A total delight that lingers on the tongue for 10-15 seconds.  They don't make much of it [2500 cases I'm told and I hope I'm wrong] and I suppose it's not easy to find but if you see it I would suggest you try it.  I know I'm going to go back and clean out my source of their bottles!  "
"AKR",2001/9/27,"1990 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1990,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",95,"A dazzling wine.  Wonderfully balanced.  It blends its concentration, tannins, and acidity into a tapestry of richness and flavor.  The nose in particular has developed very well and is ***.  I have tasted better wines but only a few times in my life.  "
"AKR",2001/9/28,"1978 Calon Segur, St Estephe, Bordeaux, France [80]",1978,"Calon Segur","","France",80,"Light red.  Soft and free flowing texture.  Pleasantly aromatic of cedar and iodine. [Thanks Victor for identifying that] A minty taste unfortunately cannot match the bouquet and is too short and lacking in flavor and concentration.  There is still some f"
"AKR",2001/9/28,"1995 Du Cros, Other Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France [79]",1995,"Du Cros","","France",79,"""]  This is a small region across from Sauternes that makes sweet wines.  They are not as complex, aromatic nor as interesting as Barsac/Sauternes and are not much less costly.  A poor value proposition but I'd never tried one and someone suggested getting"""
"AKR",2001/9/28,"1998 La Tour De Mons, Margaux, Bordeaux, France [80]",1998,"La Tour De Mons","","France",80,"""]  I don't care much for Margauxs and this simply reinforced my standing bias.  It is certainly a drinkable standard sort of wine but it does not have any complexity, finish, aromas etc. that a wine of interest should have.  It will, of course, be enjoyed"""
"sdr",2001/9/29,"1970 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1970,"Palmer","","France",89,"Excellent appearance, level into the neck.<br><br>Purchased about 5 years ago from Golden West(San Francisco).<br><br>Faint sweet pretty Palmer nose. Medium body. Mulberry, plummy fruit. Complex and interesting, but towards the end of its prime. Slightly dry on the finish. Typical bottle of '70 Palmer at this stage. It was better 5 - 10 years ago."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/29,"1996 Sociando Mallet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1996,"Sociando Mallet","","France",93,"Still dark inky purple/black the way good Cabs can be. Completely opaque. Black holes ain't got nothing on this wine.... The nose screams Bordeaux: Cassis, bell pepper, just a regal and overpowering perfume of Bordeaux wafting around. After being decanted for an hour or two, I realized that this wine hasn't moved an inch in the year or so it's been since I had it last. Sure, the tannins are a little more integrated, but this is still a primary, backwards, beasty wine, and judging from the smoother tannins, I don't think this is going to shut down, it'll just get some nice secondary cigarbox aromas in about 10 years. Long, lingering, soft finish, but this is deceptive as the tannins have taken on a transparent quality."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/9/29,"1999 Cline, Small Berry,  California , USA  [92]",1999,"Cline","","USA",92,"Dark dark reddish/purple, really opaque. Nose at first is strange: Sage, egg custard (reduced??), and strong aromas of mint. And not just mint, Corsican mint (gardeners will know this... it's a really low growing mint that just explodes with sharp, fresh, clean mint scents). After 4(!) hours, dark chocolate is thrown into the mix. On the palate, there's some decent fruit, but it's really obscured by MASSIVE tannins. They clamp down in the midpalate, but let up at the end slightly. I have a high tolerance for oak, but this is almost undrinkable for 4 hours. Opened at 7, only really starting to be drinkable now, at midnight. Tannins are *slightly* subsiding, but not really, they're kind of moving to the back of the finish. Still chocolate mint(!!!) nose, tannins on the palate. I still have about 2 glasses left and they're back in the bottle waiting for the magic of oxidation. I'll post more on Sunday.... This needs some serious cellaring time like 10 or more years. Attempts to open this bottle early will only piss it off ;) <br>Day 2: After 15 hours open, this was still going. The massive tannins had calmed a lot, and the nose wasn't as screaming as much chocolate mint as the night before, but an interesting honeyed note had popped out, and I could actually taste fruit on the finish, which was raspberry. Tannins still kick in the midpalate, so I would seriously consider nailing a case shut for 10 years or more."
"stefan",2001/9/30,"1985 La Lagune,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1985,"La Lagune","","France",91,"The ’85 has a nice cassis and red currant nose with a bit of tobacco. T says that it smells like every good La Lagune she has and this aroma is why she loves La Lagune. It is balanced in the mouth with flavors of juicy cranberries and currants. There is a bit of spice (which Lucie says numbs the front of her tongue). Lucie also says it is a bit thin.<br>S 91. L 87. D 90. C 90. T 89."
"stefan",2001/9/30,"1996 La Lagune,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1996,"La Lagune","","France",90,"Decanted 4 hours... The ’96 smells of red currants, chocolate, and beef stroganoff. It is softer than I expected with cassis and cranberry and licorice tastes. It tickles the tonsils. The firm tannins are, surprisingly, soft enough for this wine to be enjoyable now. It shows better at age five than other young La Lagunes we have tried. Rather than being complex now, it is, in C’s words, &quot;really yummy and jammy&quot;.<br>S 90. L 90. D 91. C 91."
"stefan",2001/9/30,"1986 La Lagune,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1986,"La Lagune","","France",90,"Lucie made a mushroom meatless loaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner. The ’86 La Lagune has a licorice laced cassis nose with some lavender. It is still rather tannic but has good flavors and is quite chewy. It is not as flavorful as the ’83, but tasty berries develop in the glass.<br>S 90. L 90. D 91. C 91. "
"alchemeus",2001/9/30,"1996 Canon de Brem, Fronsac, Bordeaux, France [80]",1996,"Canon de Brem","","France",80,"I really like the 1995 from this producer and was expecting something as good from 1996 despite RP's notes.  RP, however, turned out mostly correct. Deep red color.  Not much fruit, VERY little oak, a little acidity, no finish.  Some slight corkiness (or other off note on the nose) which blew off after 2 hours and replaced with only a slight cherry aroma.  Light bodied.  Slightly astringent.  No grip much to speak of. Not sure how to rate this wine.  It's not BAD, just NOT good.  Can't recommend it based on this bottle, especially when there are MUCH better wines out there for the same price or cheaper (98 Hedges Columbia Valley at $10 for example).  Disappointing considering the 95 and the good reviews for every vintage after.  What went wrong?<br><br>I won't be buying anymore of this unless someone here gives a good review.  This was a single bottle to try."
"mikecase00",2001/9/30,"1996 La Lagune,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1996,"La Lagune","","France",88,"I had the 96 La Lagune last night with tri-tip roast.  Opened and tasted a sip.  Nice dark ruby color.  Tight bouquet and flavors, but definetly plenty of dark fruit/earthiness burried in there.  Decanted the rest for 3 hours.  This wine had really opened up after its stint in the decanter.  The noes was much more expressive with raspberry and blackberry aromas now much more noticable alonside the wet earth scents.  In the mouth the wine had softened considerably, and I found it a bit light and diluted, but the mid-palate and (lengthy) finish were full-flavored and delicious.  The tannins and acidity provided a nice framework for the solid core of fruit.  I liked this wine, but both myself and others commented that the front-end dillutedness hinders the wine from greatness.  I score it 88 for now, with the expectation that in another 5 years or so the wine will be a lovely medium-bodied wine with a solid finish and decent complexity(possibly in the 90-92 range)."
"AKR",2001/10/1,"1990 de Sales, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France [90]",1990,"de Sales","","France",90,"Probably the best de Sales they've ever made.  Normally a lighter weight Pomerol this was an atypical thick bodied bottle.  Sweetly aromatic with a little chocalate syrup hint.  The texture was remarkable - even for a region known for it - it just glided "
"AKR",2001/10/1,"1995 Leoville Las Cases, Clos du Maquis, St Julien, Bordeaux, France [87]",1995,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",87,"I last had this in February when it was still fairly closed.  This bottle seemed somewhat more expressive that when I last had it but it showed more zestiness.  These can age for a good while so perhaps it needs more time to come into balance.  For now it"
"AKR",2001/10/4,"1983 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1983,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",90,"Some on our table thought this was corked but I would disagree.  I've had this before and it just needs a little time for the funk to blow off.  This still has a deep red hue and gives aromas of cardamons and pencil shavings.  The flavor is good and lasts for 15 seconds on the tongue.  This may still be available for a reasonable price and is worth the adventure.  "
"Cabfan",2001/10/4,"1986 Cos d'Estournel,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1986,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",95,"First impression in the glass was impressive - very dark purple with absolutely no signs of age.  Purple all the way to the edge of the glass.  Very aromatic, as seems to be the case with most Cos d'Estournels.  Some interesting complexities, kind of a woodsy/mushroomy/smoky quality. I let it sit in the glass for about 1/2 hour before trying it.  This wine could easily pass for a two or three year old Bordeaux, very dense and fresh for a 14-year old wine. Very ripe and concentrated.  Still quite tannic, but everything remains within balance because the fruit is so rich.  I don't think I'm going to try another bottle for three or four years.  This was more impressive than another '86 I had recently, the Pichon Lalande.  Pichon is one of my favorites generally, but this one had a very subdued aroma, marginally disappointing.  It may have been an off bottle.  Anyway, I'd give this Cos a solid 94-95 points, at least this bottle on this night. "
"Cabfan",2001/10/4,"1993 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1993,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",87,"The nose is very very oaky. It is also very distinctive, but not complex. On the palate it is ready to drink, there is enough fruit and again not complex. It is not a great vintage but it is still fun to drink Mouton. If you have any of this, I would start drinking it now. It won't get any better. I cannot say how long it will last but if you have a nice cold cellar it will go for a few more years (3-5?)."
"Cabfan",2001/10/4,"1989 Chasse Spleen,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1989,"Chasse Spleen","","France",92,"if you like big chewy Bordeauxs this is one for you.  The fruit just sings, and it really is just getting stated with a long life ahead.  Parker says this is the best CS since 1949, which I presume is high praise.  Lovely aromas of woodiness of some kind.  Finishes with firm tannins but there is plenty of fruit to balance it out.  Loooong finish.  A bargain at under $50, really an outstanding '89.  Perhaps a 91 or 92 pointer."
"Cabfan",2001/10/4,"1994 Arrowood, Reserve Especiale,  Sonoma,  California , USA",1994,"Arrowood","","USA",0,"Not particularly dark or dense looking in the glass, but this is misleading because it is quite full-bodied. Aromatically you can tell there is a lot going on but it's just beginning to peek through the curtains. This wine is defintely impressive, but I just don't think there is much aging potential here. It just seems to be missing just a little grip for the long haul, but very enjoyable now. I could be misjuding this one. Very intense fruit. The '94 is really a knockout, I'm not sure if this one is up to the task."
"AKR",2001/10/4,"1997 Leoville Barton,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1997,"Leoville Barton","","France",87,"A somewhat lighter Leoville Barton.  For a young wine it's not as dark as one would expect and it's not as condensed in concentration as LB typicaly is.  Flavors are consistent and good but it's probably a poor value at this point.  "
"AKR",2001/10/4,"1997 Haut Batailley,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [84]",1997,"Haut Batailley","","France",84,"This is the second time I've had this.  It has improved in the last year but is still only an OK wine.  It has a kind of licoricey taste that seems unusual to me -- it's more something I would expect from an Oz Shiraz.  It's more than a quaffer but there isn't much point in cellaring this further hoping for a leap up in quality - the concentration of fruit doesn't support it."
"JScott",2001/10/4,"1996 Chateau St. Jean, Cinq Cepages,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [93]",1996,"Chateau St. Jean","","USA",93,"First let me say that I've never had such an array of pre-conceptions about any wine I've ever uncorked prior to drinking (thank you WS).  However, it's hard not to like this wine.  Blueberry, peppered cherry, hints of vanilla and moderate oak, firmly tannic, full and complex on the palate.  Does open up with time and will probably evolve.  There's no way I can make it the wine of the year, maybe not even top ten based on quality alone, but this is a 93+ by my score (ambiance influenced?).  It would have been a steal at $25, and still a relative bargain up to $40 or even $50 or so, especially if you consider the current alternatives in that range.  I finagled three bottles at $33 per and feel pretty good about it.  I can hardly wait til the end of the year to hear which barrel sample is the &quot;Wine of 2000&quot;...."
"JScott",2001/10/4,"1996 Chateau Montelena,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1996,"Chateau Montelena","","USA",93,"This wine is impeccably structured, as is most every Montelena I've ever had.  Very aromatic from the first pull of the cork, with spice, lavender and dried leaves. Full mid-palate, long finish with earth, clay, dark berry and spice dominating.  Solid, lots of glycerin and extract, tannins still a bit dominating.  A really fine wine, I'd score a 93 presently."
"JScott",2001/10/4,"1996 Clerc Milon,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1996,"Clerc Milon","","France",88,"Took a while for this one to unwind and seemed to have plenty of tannin for a few more years rest, I thought. Soft upfront with cherry, berry and chocolate through a full finish. At present I'd give it maybe an 88, but expect it to improve."
"AKR",2001/10/4,"1978 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1978,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",89,"Still a nice purple and seems much younger than it is.  Spicy bouquet with the cedary cigar box aromas a mature Pauilliac shows.  It's gentle red fruit flavors linger on the tongue.  A nice showing for this and I'd like to get more.  "
"AKR",2001/10/4,"1990 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1990,"Gruaud Larose","","France",92,"A dark black potent wine revealing black fruits in its bouquet.  The flavor and finish are richly fruited and long lasting suggesting an awesome future for it.  Clearly one of the greatest Gruauds made in recent times.  I am jealous of owners of this!"
"AKR",2001/10/4,"1996 Cos d'Estournel,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1996,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",92,"Another gigantic thick black bull of a wine.  Far too early to be trying this -- the tannins are powerful and dominating.  When you cut through them you can taste a lot of concentration of cherry styled fruit.  Save this one.  "
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1988 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1988,"Gruaud Larose","","France",93,"[This wine]had a wonderful mature nose. The host has had this bottle since release and had kept it in a cellar at 60-65 degrees, so maybe a bottle sitting at 55 degrees would be less eveolved but I would say this was ready to go (although it would certainly last a lot longer). On the palate very good fruit and a long lingering aftertaste. this was definately the class of the night."
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1996 Bahans Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [88]",1996,"Bahans Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",88,"It is very typically Graves. Nose is a pretty tight. On the palate it has little tar in it... I would say it shows off its terroir nicely. I would give it a couple more years in the cellar. It is still pretty young, but very good."
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1997 Phillipe Delesveaux, Anthologie,  Loire , France  [97]",1997,"Phillipe Delesveaux","","France",97,"It is literally like pouring something with the consistency of motor oil into your glass. It is so sweet... diabetics stay away. As a dessert it is outstanding. It has a beautiful nose of peach and apricot and lots of other yummy stuff. On the palate lots of really wonderful fruit flavors, and lots of complexity. This wine is like nothing I have ever had before. It is so beyiond the sweetness of any Sauternes or Tokaji or Vouvray I have had. This is something you have to have a large group to drink with because you cannot drink too much of it... but you have to have people there who will appreciate it (for its brilliance, not its price tag). I cannot imagine the manpower it must take to create this. It must be harvested grape by grape in the middle of December or something. A truly unique wine. "
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1995 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1995,"Gruaud Larose","","France",0,"It is still incredibly tannic and almost undrinkable when first opened, but give it three or four hours, or better yet, open it a day ahead, and it will knock your socks off. It is big, round and very fruity with a good deal of complexity, nice acid, and a great finish. It will totally blow away any cal cab at two or three times the price. "
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1997 Pahlmeyer, Red,  Napa,  California , USA  [95]",1997,"Pahlmeyer","","USA",95,"This stuff really was a syrup of Cabernet (and Merlot, and Petit Verdot, and Malbec, and Cabernet franc). It was purple in color, had a compelling complex nose and was really huge on the palate. This was NOT in the Bordeaux style but I would say it is definately of top Bordeaux quality. A much different animal, but oh so good. this wine is complex, I really enjoyed it the way it was but I could see this lasting for a long long time. I score it 95. This was on of the best wines I have had, including the best Bordeauxs I have had."
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1983 Laville Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [94]",1983,"Laville Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",94,"This was the first time I have ever been able to try a white wine with real age on it. The color was much darker than a younger white graves. The nose was fully mature… smelled of caramel. Also tasted of caramel. Very long and complex. This was outstanding. I am going to have to train myself to cellar my white graves wines long enough. My score: 94."
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1959 Pichot,  Loire , France  [93]",1959,"Pichot","","France",93,"Apples, apples, apples. Smelled like apples, tasted like apples. This was a very cool experience. I think Vouvray and Loire in general are being ignored. Guys, get out there and look for the 97 sweet Loires. 97 is said to be one of the greatest sweet wine vintages in the Loire since 1947. The 1959 was very youthful… I would never have guessed that it was 41 years old. We drank this bottle over 1 and a half to 2 hours time and it showed no signs of fading. Actually it reminded me more of a dry Riesling than a full bore sweet wine. It was sweet on the palate but finished dry. A demi-sec, perhaps? A great experience. My score: 93"
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1994 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1994,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",92,"This is a great wine. The nose is spellbinding. Cab Fan, I know you are a sucker for a nose... grab some bottles of this if you can find the right price. The color is a dark black ruby purple (is that a color?). It is completely unevevolved, as would be expected. I could sit and smell this wine all night long. On the palate this thing needs a LOT of time. Really tannic and far from voluptuous, the tannins are pretty tough right now. This is clearly serious wine, however, and again an indication that there are deals to be had in 1994. I have a case of this plus the 2 bottles I received in my trade for 4 95 Caymi. I will probably sit on the rest of these for 5 years but its nice to know that this is a serious wine. After doing some research I discovered that this wine is 99% Cab and 1% Petit Verdot, the same breakdown as the 61 Lafite. Well, I can tell you that for sure this is as close as I will get to the 61 lafite because last time I checked it was a little out of my price range. I paid around $100/ bottle for this stuff,which is no bargain basement price, but when you see the 95 and 96 at $250/ bottle, well, this is a comparatively good deal. Who is going to try one of those 94 Haut Brions? My 94 La Mission is drinking pretty well already. My rating for the 94 lafite: 92 (with a LOT of room for improvement)."
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1995 Canon la Gaffeliere,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1995,"Canon la Gaffeliere","","France",91,"Had this last night... color is very dark reddish black.  Totally unevolved color.  This was, of course, more velvety than anything from the 95 left bank at this point.  I was a little bit suprised, though, that this was still a few years from really drinking smoothly.  Nose was a little muted.  Tasted of chocolate and plums.  This sucker had alittle bit of bite on the palate which I really wasn't expecting.  I would guess 4 to 5 years in the cellar would do it some good.  I think WS rated this 95 (same as 95 LLC).  While a totally different  wine than the LLC (as to be expected) this is not the same quality as that.  My score: 91."
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1985 l'Eglise Clinet,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [98]",1985,"l'Eglise Clinet","","France",98,"I really don’t know how to describe this wine. It was dark black ruby in color (it was kind of dark in the restaurant, hard to tell exactly). As soon as I got that first wiff I knew I was drinking something special (plus they give you those ridiculously huge Riedel Bordeaux glasses so you can pratically stick your whole face in there). Complex, chocolate, ripe fruit. Wow. It was drinking awesomely but I would love to have this in ten years and see what else is going on in there. After I finished my first glass, all I could think was: Wow, the 83 Margaux now has a rival. Geez, what a spectacular glass of wine. Now I am really excited about the ’98 Pomerols. So seductive. My score: 98"
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1995 Leoville Las Cases,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1995,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",95,"The LLC was very young, very very inky dark and probably kinda upset that we were drinking him this young. It had a dusting of toasty oak but it wasn't overdone. The oak probably dominates a little more now than it will, especially right after we opened it. The nose was very complex as was the palate. I would have to say that I am very happy to own a case of this. I would let it sit a few more years if you can (I think I have enough stuff to keep me happy until then). I am going to be very unoriginal and copy the RP and WS score exactly...95. It was awesome."
"Whuzzup_",2001/10/4,"1995 Sociando Mallet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1995,"Sociando Mallet","","France",89,"Unevolved dark ruby color to the rim.  Nose a bit muted but very promising.  On the palate, this thing is tannic as hell.  Very nurly but good fruit too.  Needs a LOT of time.  I would sit this sucker down a good 10 years.  My first experience with this great QPR wine is a very good one.  My score: 89+"
"Dawson",2001/10/4,"1988 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1988,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",87,"Surprisingly, there was no lightening on the edge, the wine was deep ruby-purple. Nose had more lead pencil aromas than I have tasted before in other grand puy lacostes. I could detect the slightly unripened flavor- the &quot;green tannins&quot; that marks many 88 medocs, but they were certainly not off-putting. There was slight oak, vanilla and cassis flavors as well. Slightly hollow mid-palette. Overall a very good wine, textbook 1988 vintage typicity."
"Johan55",2001/10/4,"1996 Pontet Canet,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Pontet Canet","","France",0,"Wonderful color and aroma. A bit sharp on the palate. Tannic, but surprisingly less so than I expected. Quite a lot of fruit came through. Very full bodied. I felt that this wine is full of promise. Once its softens and becomes more harmonius it will be a monster. I don't think I will drink this wine again in five years or so and maybe drink the 94's in the meantime. I can understand that Parker says it needs ten years or so."
"Johan55",2001/10/4,"1976 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France",1976,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",0,"I thought it was a very pleasant, medium bodied wine. Wonderful nose. Still tannic with lots of fruit left. Sweet, lovely and very smooth. The finish was not very long. I had expected more. Color was also quite pale compared to the Ponte-Canet I had earlier this week."
"mikecase00",2001/10/4,"1997 Joseph Phelps, Insignia,  Napa,  California , USA  [95]",1997,"Joseph Phelps","","USA",95,"We decanted this about an hour before drinking.  Wow, this wine defines finess.  Lovely core of ripe red berry flavors offset by some of the most refined tannins I've ever tasted.  I found the wine quite similar in style to the 82 Pichon Lalande I had last year, though lacking a bit of the wines complexity and it was no match for the PLL's nose.  Not a muscular wine by any stretch of the imagination, this wine secuded me with its balance and complexity.  This is one 97 that deserves its ratings and drinks beautifully now.  This one was a solid 95 pointer."
"AKR",2001/10/5,"1964 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France [60]",1964,"Lynch Bages","","France",60,"""Blue cheese in a bottle.  Tired, stinky and gross.<br>Avoid this at auctions.  """
"AKR",2001/10/5,"1966 Cos d'Estournel, St Estephe, Bordeaux, France [85]",1966,"Cos d'Estournel","","France",85,"Still a nice solid red.   Classic St. Estephe earthy bouquet.  Still a smidge of tannins left to go along with your slab o' cow.  "
"AKR",2001/10/5,"1978 Duhart Milon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France [82]",1978,"Duhart Milon","","France",82,"""A subdued wine that may have peaked a few years ago.  The nose has little to share but there are still tannins left.  Some smoke, some spice but then it fades quickly.  """
"AKR",2001/10/5,"1978 Grand Puy Lacoste, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France [89]",1978,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",89,"Still a nice purple and seems much younger than it is.  Spicy bouquet with the cedary cigar box aromas a mature Pauilliac shows.  It's gentle red fruit flavors linger on the tongue.  A nice showing for this and I'd like to get more.  "
"AKR",2001/10/5,"1996 La Louviere, Blanc, Graves, Bordeaux, France [83]",1996,"La Louviere","","France",83,"A lighter white Bordeaux.  Has a herbal scorched nose followed with a crisp finish.  A nice wine but not my cup of tea."
"AKR",2001/10/5,"1997 Cantenac Brown, Margaux, Bordeaux, France [87]",1997,"Cantenac Brown","","France",87,"This is one of the first 1997's I've really liked so I'm quite surprised.  A fresh generous Margaux that surprises you with joyful floral perfumes and balanced fruit.  "
"AKR",2001/10/5,"1997 Kirwan, Margaux, Bordeaux, France [84]",1997,"Kirwan","","France",84,"""This 97 needs time unlike many of its vintage peers.  Dark inky purple colors.  Quite a closed nose and upon tasting a tight, tannic entry.  Clearly there is quality here but not a pleasure to drink yet.  I've never had a Kirwan that was really mature so """
"AKR",2001/10/5,"1997 Leoville Las Cases, St Julien, Bordeaux, France [89]",1997,"Leoville Las Cases","","France",89,"A most atypical 1997 being richly hued and darkly saturated.  If I had not seen the bottle I wouldn't have believed this is the product of a lighter forward vintage as the wine is still quite reticent.  Great thick viscosity and sweet spices abound.  If t"
"AKR",2001/10/5,"1997 Quinault l'Enclos, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France [88]",1997,"Quinault l'Enclos","","France",88,"This is a good strong concentrated wine.  If you like Parkerised wines [I do] then this will fit the bill quite nicely with big tannins and fruit.  I look quite forward to trying this again in a few years when this has perhaps come into balance a little m"
"Cabfan",2001/10/5,"1996 Chave,  Hermitage,  Rhone , France  [93]",1996,"Chave","","France",93,"Very similar to the above but just a tad more civilized . . . a bit more &quot;international&quot; in style but still excellent.  Not quite the exotic aromas of the Faurie, but still has plenty of the Syrah characteristics. Not lacking any punch, just a different style.  Also has a very long impressive finish. 93 points."
"Cabfan",2001/10/5,"1995 Bernard Faurie, Le Meal,  Hermitage,  Rhone , France  [94]",1995,"Bernard Faurie","","France",94,"Now THIS is what the Syrah grape is all about.  That unmistakable, meaty/bacon fat/leathery quality that only this grape can produce.  Jet-black in the glass.  Very dense mouth-feel, utterly seamless and balanced.  You can tell this wine has immense backbone but any tannins are just swallowed up by the fruit.  All this combined with the kind of finish that just goes on and on and on.  Very impressive bottle of wine.  I only have two more and drank this one too early.  94 points."
"Cabfan",2001/10/5,"1994 Forman,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1994,"Forman","","USA",90,"Very dark color in the glass, nice typical Cabernet nose, actually, very nice aroma.  Initial impression is one of deep flavors that spread out over the tongue, supple, could use another year or two in the bottle but drinkable now.  The one shortfall I noted was a bit of a short finish, mildly astringent.  A solid cabernet, but the finish was a surprise and led to an overall mild disappointment.  89-90 points."
"Dawson",2001/10/5,"1983 Brane-Cantenac,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1983,"Brane-Cantenac","","France",92,"As for the Brane-Cantenac 1983 (Margaux), it is totally cut out of the same mold as the 1983 Palmer, a wine that Parker rates a 97, which I have had the fortune of tasting on three occasions.  The Brane's aromas at first are sweet fruit, but as the wine opens in the glass, it becomes much more floral, and old cabernet-earthy.  In fact, my first sniff made me think the wine was a volnay-caillarets 1990 by Bouchard--that's how sweet and smoky the wine is!!!  83 was a cabernet sauvignon year, so that really comes through.  Long finish- good herbal-leather on the mid pallete.  Consider this the poor man's Palmer in 1983- (92 points). <br> "
"Johan55",2001/10/5,"1994 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France",1994,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",0,"Well, since Jim haven't opened his case of '94 DB's I thought I'd do the dirty work for him. Jim, you in for a big treat. This is a wonderful wine. In my taste it's medium bodied, but still remarkably concentrated. It's fruity and sweet. Tannis are there but way in the background for lovely flavours to come forward. I've had it the glass for half an hour. I found the Ducru to be elegant, generous and balanced. I found it more concentrated than the LLC '94, but would love to hear what the Fan has to say about this. It would have blown the Pontet-Canet off the table. Much more complexity here. I have one question though: does the &quot;lack&quot; of, or subdued tannins and acidity make this wine to fragile to cellar for a long time? I think it is drinking very well right now. I think I will buy more of the wine. For you guys in the States, it must be a bargain."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/5,"1982 Belair,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1982,"Belair","","France",90,"Concentrated, deep nose with autumn leaves, earth and black fruits. Some maturity.<br>Mature, fruity and very nice taste with cassis, fudge and some oak. Varm. Very good."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/5,"1982 Durfort Vivens,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1982,"Durfort Vivens","","France",87,"Mature, nice nose with notes of tobacco and coffee. Rounded. Good.<br>Varm, mature, nice taste with a little dry fruit and cedar-notes. "
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/5,"1982 Ducru Beaucaillou,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1982,"Ducru Beaucaillou","","France",92,"Very big and mature nose with lots of caramel, cookie dough, oak and some eukalyptus. Very good. <br><br>Deep, warm taste with cassis, oak and fudge. Long and warm. Still young. Very, very good."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/5,"1982 Leoville Barton,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1982,"Leoville Barton","","France",91,"Warm, a little mature nose with tobacco, coffee and autumn leaves. Very good. Deep.<br><br>Big, bold and beautiful taste with lots of sweet fruit and 82-varmth. Maybe a little short at the end."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/5,"1982 Pichon Baron,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [96]",1982,"Pichon Baron","","France",96,"Very big, sturdy nose with autumn leaves, cassis and sweet coffe. Very good. Gets better and better in the glass. Deep.<br><br>Powerful, young taste with lovely sweet fruit. Concentrated and very long. Still have young tannins. Very, very good."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/5,"1982 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [98]",1982,"Gruaud Larose","","France",98,"Extremely deep and concentrated nose with massive fruit. Sweet coffee, fugde and dark chocolate. Sensational! Still young. <br><br>Brilliant taste with dense, powerful, sweet fruit and young tannins. Long, long, varm and intense aftertaste. Almost perfect!"
"mikecase00",2001/10/5,"1978 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1978,"Palmer","","France",91,"This was my other favorite wine of the afternoon.  Some bricking in the color, this wines aroma expoldes from the glass.  Classic mature bordeaux with plenty of fruit, leather, tobbacco and soil.  This is another wine that, is more refinement and polish than heavy handed fruitiness (not that you'd expect otherwise from this estate).  Beautiful medium bodied wine thats solid all the way through its moderately lengthy finish.  Score: 91 (as a footnote, 78 was my birthyear, so I was rooting for this wine even before it was poured into my glass)."
"mikecase00",2001/10/5,"1998 Palmer, Alter Ego,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [82]",1998,"Palmer","","France",82,"This was the first wine of the tasting(which included several vintages of Palmer).  The wine had a beautiful, youthful, dark purple color.  Nothing going on in the nose and palate though.  Some earthy hints here and there, but pretty much just hard and closed, backed up by a tannic finish.  This was a pretty uninspiring wine.  Maybe I hadn't warmed up to the wines yet, almost certainly its too young to pass serious judgement on, but I found this wine generally uninspiring.  Score: 82"
"mikecase00",2001/10/5,"1997 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1997,"Palmer","","France",88,"After the 98 Alter Ego this wine looked magnificent.  Dark ruby color with a moderately expressive nose showing hints of coffe, earth, and blackberries.  Similar flavors on the palate, the wine was balanced, but lacking a bit of concentration.  A solid wine that quite plesant to drink now.  Score: 88"
"mikecase00",2001/10/5,"1996 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1996,"Palmer","","France",91,"Dark purple color this wine was massive compared to the 97 tasted before it.  While the wine was a bit closed on the palate, the nose initally offered up a pleasant fruity aroma with hints of ripe red berries and cherries.  Full bodied with a long but [polished] tannic finish this wine will be a beauty in 5-8 years and last for many more.  Score: 91"
"mikecase00",2001/10/5,"1995 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1995,"Palmer","","France",90,"Another beautiful dark purple wine.  The nose was even more expressive than the 96, with copious amounts of fruit on the nose.  It is definetly more forward and open than the 96, but not as concentrated.  Already showing the trademark Palmer refinement, this wine was quite balanced, and suprisingly smooth.  Medium bodied with a longish finish this was a delicious wine that will only improve over the next several years. Score: 90"
"mikecase00",2001/10/5,"1994 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [84]",1994,"Palmer","","France",84,"Pepper!  That's the most apparent component of this wine right now.  Both on the nose and palate, this wine shows pepper, tea, and some green/vegital flavors.  Tannic and rusty, this was among my least favorite wines of the tasting(A vertical of Palmer).  Hard to imagine this wine getting much better.  Score: 84"
"mikecase00",2001/10/5,"1990 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1990,"Palmer","","France",89,"This wine was the source of quite a bit of controversy at the tasting.  Some found nothing more than earth/pete/soil qualities to the wine, others found fruit and mocha balancing its earthiness.  I was in the latter camp.  This wine had a much more obvious nose than the 94, 95, 96, or 97, with blackberries, cassis, and wet earth aromas.  There's a bit of earthiness on the palate as well along with a lengthy finish.  It turns out that those who tried this wine while eating the spicy salami at the tasting found much more of the fruit than those who did not.  If you have some of this, serve up some spicy meat and enjoy this underrated gem.  Score: 89"
"mikecase00",2001/10/5,"1988 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1988,"Palmer","","France",88,"This wine, along with the 78 seemed to the most popular wine of the Palmer tasting.  It shows classic mature cabernet aromas and flavors (cassis, currant, some earth and leather).  Understated, but very polished, this wine is showing well now.  Score: 88"
"mikecase00",2001/10/5,"1985 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1985,"Palmer","","France",90,"This was one of my two favorite wines of the afternoon (the other being the 78).  This wine defines finesse.  Its subtelty and polish are outstanding.  While not a huge wine by any stretch of the imagination and showing a bit of age in its color, this wine drinks beautifully now.  Reminicent of some famous Pichon Lalandes in its quiet, seemless character.  It offers up a fragrant nose, and a palate of ripe red berries and wet soil, followed by a medium finish.  This wine is hardly a blockbuster, but it seduces you with its balance and refinement.  Score: 90"
"mikecase00",2001/10/5,"1976 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [83]",1976,"Palmer","","France",83,"The final wine of the Chateau Palmer tasting, this wine was a bit dissappointing after the lovely 78.  There is a suprising amount of fruit still showing for this less than remarkable vintage.  The nose offers up some meat and fruit aromas, but there is a very strong alcohol character to it.  This quality only becomes more obvious as it dominates the palate and finish.  Still a very drinkable wine, but probably in decline and not one to seek out.  Score: 83"
"AKR",2001/10/11,"1994 Pontet Canet, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France [90]",1994,"Pontet Canet","","France",90,"""Enjoyed a nice bottle of this with Victor and John at USC tonite [along with some other great wines].  This is deep dark ruby of nice purity.  It has a nose just beginning to express itself with a roasty, smoky character.  The flavor profile is a deep and"""
"AKR",2001/10/12,"1989 Simard, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France [75]",1989,"Simard","","France",75,"There is an unpleasant band aid / iodine bouquet to this wine. It is not as light as one would expect given the age. The taste and flavor are non existant although not particularly bad. There is no concentration nor finish to this. Try to avoid drinking t"
"AKR",2001/10/12,"1994 Gloria, St Julien, Bordeaux, France [84]",1994,"Gloria","","France",84,"I've had other bottles of this in the last year and they were all better. Color is still dark garnet. Bouquet still fairly constrained with a hint of cassis. The taste is typical St. Julien but only of modest concentration; the finish is fairly brisk. Sad"
"alchemeus",2001/10/12,"1996 Lafon Rochet,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France",1996,"Lafon Rochet","","France",0,"Decanted one of my L-R's bought last year.  Yum.  That cassis nose was immediate.  Not much smoke.  More a muted raspberry fruit.  Smooth.  Really nice with essentially the ox-tail soup I made.  Fine or very near it.  I don't think I'm as enthusiastic about this as Jim."
"alchemeus",2001/10/12,"1997 Poujeaux,  Bordeaux , France",1997,"Poujeaux","","France",0,"Initial nose of that perfumey flower that I am just beginning to associate with good Bordeaux.  This developed into a nice nose that I am finally realising is ripe cassis.  Beautiful!.  Nice smokiness.  Good acidity.  Fresh.  Cherry type fruits.  Over the hours tobacco/something and slight leather developed.  Well, I call it leather anyway.  Wonderful fruit.  Smooth  Very Good Indeed."
"Roberto",2001/10/16,"1998 Pichon Baron,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1998,"Pichon Baron","","France",90,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1442<br>This ‘98 Lefty is for real.  Purchased at Sam’s during the recent “Blowout” for $29 at the strong recommendation of the staff.   I figured it was not a bad price given the pedigree of this estate.  After withdrawing the nice long Bordeaux cork I got a nice whiff of sweet dark fruit with a touch of spice.  The nose was tight but with air opened.  I decanted it for about an hour before I went to work.  On the palate the wine just screams young Bordeaux.  Initially the wine was a bit angular with some rough tannin on the finish.  With time the sweet cassis came to the forefront and the tannins took a step back.  After about 2 hours on decanter this wine had softened and was really nice.  I kept going back for more.  I just could not believe this was a ‘98 Lefty.  The proof is in the bottle.  I don’t think this was a baby-fat thing either.  It is funny how these wines evolve.  How can you go wrong with the prices of some of the New-World Cabs these days?  Here you have one of the world’s great wines for less than $30.  I say grab a few and don’t avoid the ‘98 Left Bankers.  Cross-Posted.  Roberto"
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/17,"1982 La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [95]",1982,"La Mission Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",95,"Deep, restrained and concentrated nose with notes of tobacco, varm earth and sweet black fruits. Very deep. Probably the youngest one of them all today. Brilliantly concentrated, massive taste with cassis, blueberry and tobacco. Very long, varm aftertaste. Enourmous potential."
"Roberto",2001/10/19,"1999 Domaine Leflaive, Bourgogne Blanc,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [90]",1999,"Domaine Leflaive","","France",90,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1447<br>1999 Domaine LeFlaive Bourgogne Blanc.  $20.  Fresh nose of  melon and wet stone.  The palate is clean and fresh with pure white fruit and a wonderful counterbalancing minerality - flint and concrete.  This wine is bone-dry but  not off-putting.  I think the acidity and lack of oak really create a different and enjoyable mouthfeel which I am growing to love.  It is both light to the touch and dense with flavor at the same time.  There was a musky/animal element that I can’t really describe.  This wine must have some higher-level fruit smuggled in as it is just to good to be a Bourgogne.  A wine made for food.  This is why I don’t drink California Chardonnay.  Roberto.  (Cross-Posted)."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/10/19,"1998 Marcel Deiss, Bennwhir,  Alsace , France  [88]",1998,"Marcel Deiss","","France",88,"Pale to medium gold. Nose is full of rainwater (something new for me), a soapy (in a good way) quality, and a nuttiness that seemed like roasted almonds. good acidity, medium feel in the mouth, the finish drops to nothing for a second, then explodes from the nasopharyngeal space and lingers for 20 to 25 seconds. This is a lot like a Rhone Blanc (Marsanne)."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/10/19,"1998 Louis Bernard, CdRV,  [87]",1998,"Louis Bernard","","",87,"Clear medium red, paling at rim. Nose is a lot of strawberries and some raspberries. Soft and juicy in the way a midpriced Grenache can be. Some people noted a red wine vinegar note which I *thought* I picked up. Good acids, fairly short though. A quaffer."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/10/19,"1998 Beaucastel, Coudoulet de Beaucastel,  [90]",1998,"Beaucastel","","",90,"Clear medium red, slightly pale at rim. Nose leaps out with honey and raspberries.... Classic Beaucastel tastes wed to a fruit-forward frame. Slight funk, but this expands with air. There's a midpalate dimension that I at first called apple-skin (like Winesaps), but then Frank chimed in with cranberry. I think I can agree with that, but minus the acidity. This is really good, and will get better with 6-8 years. Scares me to think what the 1st bottling is like.... Graceful rather than burly."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/10/19,"1998 Chateau de la Gardine CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France [91]",1998,"Chateau de la Gardine CdP","","France",91,"Clear medium red, full to the rim. More forceful than the Coudoulet, this CdP displays raspberry fruit, a brine/green olive streak all across the midpalate, and sweet candied licorice through the finish. This is on the burly end of things, but still has fine balance, and lots of life ahead."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/10/19,"1999 Domaine Santa Duc, Gigondas,  Gigondas,  Rhone , France  [91]",1999,"Domaine Santa Duc","","France",91,"Darker red than the above 2, duh. This is very primary still, with the obligatory CdP raspberries. This also has a stern edge to it that Jeff Nelson and I both picked up. I called it sort of proto-green olive as it seemed to me that in a few years, this would get the briny quality of the 98 Ch. de la Gardine. Full bodied, an interesting meaty twist to the finish, good complexity for something so young. Needs time."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/10/19,"1997 Paul Jaboulet Aine, Domaine de Thalabert,  [84]",1997,"Paul Jaboulet Aine","","",84,"Clear medium red. This is 100% Syrah?? Nose of raspberries and smoke. Palate is not good: Robitussin, menthol, smoked meat. Short on the finish, high on the acid."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/10/19,"1999 Domaine des Remizieres, Cuvee Emilie,  Hermitage,  Rhone , France  [92]",1999,"Domaine des Remizieres","","France",92,"This was decanted for 7 hours. Finally... a wine that's dark purple and opaque (cheers from the CalCab side). Nose is raspberries, and burning slightly damp autumn leaves, and overripe musky white fruits (the Viognier.... I had this as persimmon in the 93 Zaca Mesa Syrah, but this scent wasn't persimmon). These are mirrored on the palate. Very smooth, long finish, I could still taste this lingering smokiness for minutes. Wow. There is structure and tannins under all this fruit, and this is one for long, quiet, cool aging. Somehow appropriate at the change of the seasons, this wine was."
"stefan",2001/10/21,"1990 Rutherford Hill,  Napa,  California , USA  [87]",1990,"Rutherford Hill","","USA",87,"Pleasant berry nose.  Tastes of cranberries and red cherries.  Tannins<br>mellow with supporting acid.  Not complex.  A good beverage and a<br>good example of a modest mature Napa Cabernet. "
"stefan",2001/10/21,"1990 Rutherford Hill,  Napa,  California , USA  [87]",1990,"Rutherford Hill","","USA",87,"Pleasant berry nose. Tastes of cranberries and red cherries. Tannins mellow with supporting acid. Not complex. A good beverage and a<br>good example of a modest mature Napa Cabernet. 87."
"stefan",2001/10/21,"1989 Leoville Barton,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1989,"Leoville Barton","","France",91,"We drank '89 Leoville Barton with filet, wild rice & mushrooms, and green beans.  This is a good and classy St Julien with red & black cherry nose & flavors, minerals, and a hint of licorice.  The tannins are resolved.  Not a big wine, but an elegant one.  Certainly it will live for a long time.  Maybe it will get more complex in time, but I don't expect big improvement with futher storage.  Lucie 90. stefan 91."
"Roberto",2001/10/21,"1996 Canon de Brem,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1996,"Canon de Brem","","France",85,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1441<br>I had this wine about a month ago and decanted it for a few hours.  That was a mistake as the wine was thin and hollow.  I did not like it at that time and would have rated it in the 70’s.   Last night, I revisited this wine but without decanting.  The showing was much better.  The nose had subtle but definite Bordeaux characteristics - soil, mulch and dark fruit.  The palate was medium-bodied with a touch of acidity but overall quite smooth and balanced.  There was enough fruit to hold one’s interest and a nice tannic balance in the finish.   This is not a great wine by any stretch but an enjoyable table wine to drink now.  For the archive I’ll score it 85 points.  I will try to cross-post to the TN Archive for the first time."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/21,"1990 Grand Puy Ducasse,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [80]",1990,"Grand Puy Ducasse","","France",80,"Grand Puy Ducasse - Pauillac 1990 (Magnum)<br>Opened this wine for a casual meal with some friends. Ruby colour with brownish fringe. Nice floral and spicy nose. In mouth, the wine is dominated by ripe fruit but is rather thin and short, no much tannins left and an unfriendly acid taste at the end. Quite disappointing evolution for a MAGNUM 1990. Drink it now! (I hope you don't own too many of this one!). 80/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/21,"1990 La Becasse,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [82]",1990,"La Becasse","","France",82,"Château La Bécasse - Pauillac 1990 <br>In the mood of trying less renowned wines, we continued our exploration with La Bécasse. The Château stands close to Lynch-Bages and has a rather rusticical style, very far from its prestigious neighbour's style. The colour is light ruby. A &quot;smokey&quot; and fresh cut grass nose. Not very appealing in mouth either: alchool and vegetal tannins dominate secondary moss flavours. Nothing more to expect. 82/100 "
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/21,"1992 de Fieuzal,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux, France  [83]",1992,"de Fieuzal","","France",83,"Château Fieuzal - Graves 1992 (Magnum)<br>The colour looks nice, quite dark but not extremely deep (92 hasn't produced very intense wines). The nose is dominated by leather, mint and smokey tones. In mouth, it appears to be a bit boring, fruity but hardly no tannins at all. short at the finish. This Fieuzal reminds me some characteristics of the less appealing 1997 vintage wines: OK to drink now but they clearly lack of depth and structure. Drink now until 2004 - 83/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/21,"1996 Monbrison,  Margaux,  Bordeaux, France  [82]",1996,"Monbrison","","France",82,"Château Monbrison - Margaux Cru Bourgeois 1996<br>The colour is purple and young. Fruity nose - currant, wood, vanilla. Unfortunately this wine doesn't give much in mouth. Dry tannins, austere and imbalanced. Difficult to say if this wine currently shows bad because it's in the middle of an evolution phase or if the problem is more serious. Should be tasted again within a few months. At this stage, I wouldn't rate it more than 82/100."
"Roberto",2001/10/22,"1999 Lucien Le Moine, Bourgogne Blanc,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [86]",1999,"Lucien Le Moine","","France",86,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1562<br>I grabbed this the other day at Sam's at the recommendation of David (the Burgundophile).  This is apparently a new producer.  The bottle is shaped like a champagne bottle with a huge boot in the bottom.  The folks over at Sam's are really high on this producer as well.<br><br>Dense nose of white fruit, citrus, mineral water and a touch of alcohol.  On the palate the wine was thick - almost heavy with plenty of chardonnay fruit and some noticable oak.  The finish was about 20 seconds and I did detect a bit of heat at the end initally.  My first impression was one of a new-world style.  Verget jumped into my mind.  My wife thought it was a Calfornia Chardonnay.  The wine was uncorked at cellar temperature and was a bit cold so I decided to wait.  Perhaps I started too cold.  <br><br>After about an hour the wine settled down and lost some of the palate weight.  I also think the oak took a back seat and now I felt like I was drinking White Burgundy.  The wine became more elegant and less heavy-handed.  It went well with garlic-crusted salmon fillets, sweet potataoe and steamed brussel sprouts.  I can't say that I loved this wine but it was definitely better with time.  I am also allergic (just kidding) to oak and that could be part of my bias<br><br>Comments on this producer appreciated.  (Cross Posted).<br><br>Roberto"
"AKR",2001/10/23,"1998 d'Aiguilhe, Other Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France [86]",1998,"d'Aiguilhe","","France",86,"A successful and properly priced wine from a Bordeaux backwater.  Upon uncorking it is somewhat stingy in revealing its nature but a little air and swirling open up its sweet and somewhat light/medium bodied cherry dominated body.  This wine got better th"
"AKR",2001/10/24,"1997 Giscours, Margaux, Bordeaux, France [84]",1997,"Giscours","","France",84,"A fairly ready to drink wine.  We consumed this after a few apertif bottles of Cali Chard and Pinot -- it very clearly demonstrated typical Margaux like floral feminine aromas.  Not concentrated wine nor long in the finish.  But a good example of what the"
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/24,"1981 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1981,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",91,"Mature, nice nose with spices, leather, coffee and black currant. Very good.<br>Fresh, fruity taste with black currant, tobacco and dark chocolat. A little maturity but have a lot of life left. "
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/24,"1986 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1986,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",92,"Dense and deep nose with lots of cassis, dark chocolat and wood. A little green note. Very good, young structure.<br>Young, warm and massive taste with young tannins and red currant, licorice and oak. Long, warm finish. Very good. Still needs a couple of years in the cellar."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/24,"1995 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [90]",1995,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",90,"Young, dense and concentrated nose with notes of tobacco, black currant and dark chocolat. Denser than the wine before. Very good.<br>Very, very young, powerful taste with lots of warm fruit and big tannins. Tighter than the 96. Very good. Needs a lot of time."
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/24,"1978 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1978,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",86,"Big, mature nose with notes of cold coffee, tobacco and herbs. Good initialy but dropped in fruit in the glas.<br>Tight, mature taste with a little thin fruit and some tannins left. Dry structure. Good finish. "
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/24,"1970 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1970,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",89,"(from a magnum)<br>Lovely big and mature nose with sweet red fruits, licorice and tobacco. Very good. Very fresh.<br>Mature and fresh taste with notes of tobacco, black currant and oak. Good finish that perhaps ends a tad quick. "
"Joakim Råhberg",2001/10/24,"1996 Grand Puy Lacoste,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [92]",1996,"Grand Puy Lacoste","","France",92,"Very young, concentrated nose with loads of black currant, new oak and coffee. Very complex. Sweet fruit. Very good.<br>Massive, young, complex taste with sweet tannins, lots of cassis, new leather and blueberry. Very good but so, so young."
"Roberto",2001/10/25,"1999 Autumn Wind, Reserve Pinot,  Oregon , USA  [86]",1999,"Autumn Wind","","USA",86,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1732<br>‘99 Autumn Wine Reserve Pinot.  $36.  Reticent nose of red fruit but you really have to swirl to get it.  Initial tastes are like a barrel sample - thick, concentrated and OAKY.  With an hour of air at least you can taste the wine.  Copious red fruit - raspberries.  The wine tastes relatively tannic but is really dominated by Oak. My sense is that this wine will need time to sleep.  I hope the Oak will ‘integrate’ over time.  My palate is really tuned to red Burgundies so perhaps I’m overly sensitive to the new-world style - more oak and less acid.  I do like Oregon Pinot from time to time and ’99 is the vintage.  I’ll come back to this one yearly.  "
"Roberto",2001/10/25,"1996 Speri, Amarone,  Veneto , Italy  [93]",1996,"Speri","","Italy",93,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1730<br>‘96 Speri Amarone.  $32.  Dense purple color. Initial nose is intense truffles - a real turn-on.  After a few minutes the truffles mellow and some tar and anise emerge.  The palate is seamless from start to finish with that roundness and freshness you get from Amarone.  Raisins and prunes dominate the fruit.  This wine has plenty of power but it also has grace.  Something like 14% alcohol but you don’t taste a bit.  Perhaps a tannin or two on the finish but you really have to look for it.  A wonderful wine and a great QPR, at least for Amarone.  I have always been a fan of Speri for good value in Valpolicella.  Roberto"
"AKR",2001/10/26,"1996 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [90]",1996,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",90,"This is markedly darker and more aromatic that its little sibling.  It's quite educational to see how picking the better vats clearly leads to a more powerful bottling.  When you taste this the first thought is how much more rigid this is than the Bahans.  Even with a clearly well decanted bottle it has a firmness that suggests it has a long life ahead of it.  The flavors are concentrated and long, marrying the classic smoke and minerals together, but it's a bit early to drink this.  90 pts."
"AKR",2001/10/26,"1996 Bahans Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [87]",1996,"Bahans Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",87,"This is a bright ruby red wine that had, like oh so many Graves, a smoky cigar like bouquet.  The aeration allowed this to bloom quite nicely.  It was ready to drink right now for a wine of moderate concentration.  If I see this on sale sometime I would try to get some.  87 pts."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/26,"1992 Doisy-Vedrines,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [85]",1992,"Doisy-Vedrines","","France",85,"We started with a &quot;Canette au Miel&quot; - which is basically a grilled duck magret with a delicate Sauternes and honey sauce. One of my friends wanted to taste the DOISY-VEDRINES 92 that he had originally bought for his daughter's birthdate: 1992 (Sauternes was eventually the best possible choice in this mediocre vintage). The colour is pretty dark for a 9 years old Sauternes. Roasted bread, pineapple, soft spice. The wine is round in mouth, a bit too sugary and not much botrytis. Not very long either. Everyone admitted it wasn't fair for this wine to be evaluated after the outstanding samples of Sauternes 1997. A decent wine but limited ageing potential (2008-2015) 85/100."
"AKR",2001/10/27,"1996 Haut Brion, Bahans Haut Brion, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France [87]",1996,"Haut Brion","","France",87,"""This is a bright ruby red wine that had, like oh so many Graves, a smoky cigar like bouquet.  The aeration allowed this to bloom quite nicely.  It was ready to drink right now for a wine of moderate concentration.  If I see this on sale sometime I would t"""
"JScott",2001/10/27,"1997 Pahlmeyer,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1997,"Pahlmeyer","","USA",90,"Decided it was time to take another look at this one, having been rather severely disappointed with it very early last year.  At that time found it awkward and painfully hot, downright unpleasant.  It is much more appealing this time out.  Still very dark and opaque, nose of mocha and black cherry with alcoholic hints.  It shows much more balance and this point and still is warm through the finish, which is ample.  Not terribly complex but some faint earth and mocha under the berry.  It is soft and shows some touch of drying tannin.  Not in danger of imminent demise but neither will this age indefinitely.  I wouldn't push it much past another 5 years or so.  For scorekeepers, I can't be more generous than a shaky 90."
"alchemeus",2001/10/27,"1997 Fife, L'Attitude 39,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [88]",1997,"Fife","","USA",88,"This is a Sonoma producer I once enjoyed.  This bottling is a CdR type.  I loved this.  Deep ruby red.  VERY fresh fruits, slight oak, some leathery-earthiness, good acidity, ripe tannins.  Medium bodied - just.  I bought these at my last trip to Schneider's two years ago for $17.  You'd never mistake it for a top CdR, more like one of those Oz Shiraz blends.  Not a lot of depth but a most enjoyable wine.  It'll go for awhile if anyone besides me has any.  I've got another that will be popped within the year, no doubt.  Wish I had more.  Very Good Indeed."
"alchemeus",2001/10/27,"1995 JP Moieux, JP Moieux,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1995,"JP Moieux","","France",86,"$14 at the county store.  Methinks this is throwaway grapes from JP's vineyards.  Nose of earth and perfume and something.  Fresh.  Good acidity.  Slight wood.  Ripe tannins.  Ripe fruit.  Smooth.  Light-Medium bodied.  I'd love to taste the best wines from JP if these were 'unacceptable'.  Very Good.  Got one more."
"alchemeus",2001/10/27,"1998 Cap de Faugeres,  Bordeaux , France  [80]",1998,"Cap de Faugeres","","France",80,"Disappointing.  Good color and nice perfume on the nose but tart cherry, overly acidic, unripe fruit and tannins.  A little wood.  Light bodied.  Really can't understand RP's review.  I bought 2 (methinks $12/per) to see.  I'll pass.  Anyone else tried this?  Not Bad at best."
"alchemeus",2001/10/27,"1997 Calon Segur,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [81]",1997,"Calon Segur","","France",81,"Yes, shouldn't expect much.  Still, I honestly expect better from a Third Growth even in a year like 1997.  Good color and cassis on the nose but unripe tannins, tart, unripe raspberry(?), muted.  Again, overly acidic.  Better 97's by far (and lower priced and lower Classed):  Sociando-Mallet, Grand Puy Lacoste, du Tertre, Duhart-Milon, Poujeaux, well, that's enough.  Left about a glass and half in the decanter for today.  I sure hope my 95's and 96's will be MUCH better.  This was so disappointing I had to check RP.  I think he was kind.  Not Bad."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/10/27,"1998 Sociando Mallet,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1998,"Sociando Mallet","","France",88,"Deep garnet with purple overtones, very slightly opaque, red at the rim. Shock decanted, let sit for 10 minutes. The nose is soft and fleshy, but still cassis and slight bell pepper. There’s also a meaty note going on, and as this oxidizes a bit, some complexity in the form of licorice and (my friend says) cinnamon. Stains the sides of the glass purple when swirled. In the mouth, it has some moderate mouthfeel, softish tannins, and a hole in the midpalate. The finish trails cassis, slight bell pepper, and spice for a fair length. After about an hour, a transformation occurs. Feels like the Merlot is coming to the forefront. Anyone know the breakdown? Chocolate, cherry and raspberry notes start coming up out of the glass and on the palate. Saved one glass for day 2. Day 2: This is more like it, integrated, we’re back to cassis/bp, but this is just soft soft now. Very pleasant in the short term... a good restaurant wine. Nowhere near the backward 96, and better than the dill-flawed 97. I rate this an 88."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/10/27,"1999 Cline, Ancient Vines,  Sonoma,  California , USA  [89]",1999,"Cline","","USA",89,"deep reddish purple, slightly opaque. Ooh.... a raspberry bomb. No, more than that. Imagine taking a raspberry bush with fruit in all stages of growth and using that as fuel for a hydrogen explosion. This is a RASPBERRY BOMB!!!!!!! A lot like the 99 Rancho Zabaco ‘Chiotti’ Zin I had a while back. This manages good acidity and high levels of tannins, but is very primary right now. Let’s decant this a bit. (+3.5 hours) Still very primary, but is that mint/eyucalyptus tingling the edge of my tongue? Perhaps the barest hint of chocolate? This isn’t going anywhere right now.. it’s closing (or closed) down. Tannins kick in on the finish, and it’s slightly hot, but I really like this. 89 for now, maybe higher if tannins calm down and complexity goes up a bit. Day 2: hmm.... this isn’t moving at all. Raspberries, alcohol, weird. Almost cinnamon sometimes as the wine’s being swallowed, and occasionally some chocolate notes, but the funny thing is that this smells really good in the bottle, almost CdPish.... raspberries and *earthiness*, almost like a ‘damp cave’ scent, and less alcohol. Let’s try again..... Day 3 (morning) : Yep, still raspberries/alcohol. Perhaps some cooler temps will do this wine in. (evening) Poured a glass straight out of the refrigerator, so it must be in the 40s. Wow... this wine is thick and dark. Still raspberries, but the alcohol is much more muted. I know Mourvedre resists oxidation, but this is insane. The bottle’s been open for over 50 hours, in and out of the bottle and a decanter, and to still be kicking and screaming primary flavors is a testament to the fruit Cline got in 99."
"Hansen",2001/10/28,"1997 Harlan Estate, Estate,  Napa,  California , USA  [96]",1997,"Harlan Estate","","USA",96,"The color was deep ruby at the edge, black in the middle. The bouquet was almost extreme. Like a Vintage Port, unbelievable strong, but still I noted elements of liquorice and wooden coal. I would have expected the taste to be closed, but in fact it was not. Almost oily it had elements of truffles, soya and a burned fruit character. The aftertaste lasted for a minute. 96 points."
"Hansen",2001/10/28,"1996 Harlan Estate, Estate,  Napa,  California , USA  [96]",1996,"Harlan Estate","","USA",96,"Very dark color, violet at the edge. The bouquet was very rich, eucalyptus, raisins and prunes, but also lots of wood and underlying acidity. The taste was a little softer, but the aftertaste was extremely intense with tons of cassis and tobacco. Approachable now, but I assume it will close down and last for many, many years. 96 points."
"Hansen",2001/10/28,"1994 Harlan Estate, Estate,  Napa,  California , USA  [95]",1994,"Harlan Estate","","USA",95,"Very pure, classic ruby color. The bouquet was fascinating, lots of fruit, raspberry, strawberry and earth combined with vanilla. Very harmonic and well-structured. The taste was a little less intense than expected after smelling the wine and it had more of a leather and meat character. Nice, long aftertaste, but not enough complexity to make it really great. 95 points."
"Hansen",2001/10/28,"1997 Joseph Phelps, Insignia,  Napa,  California , USA  [93]",1997,"Joseph Phelps","","USA",93,"The first was served by the owner of the restaurant and it had a medium, very elegant color. The bouquet was very sweet, almost creamy, like raspberry marmelade, very up-front. The taste was a little lighter than expected, some finesse, but not enough body to keep it for 20 years in my book. On the other hand, if it tastes so good now, why wait? It was Phelps Insignia 1997 and I rated it 93 points."
"Hansen",2001/10/28,"1991 Harlan Estate, Estate,  Napa,  California , USA  [91]",1991,"Harlan Estate","","USA",91,"Maturing, but very deep color. Very concentrated bouquet, but still it seemed slightly green, a bit of mint and mushrooms. A little boring and one-dimensional compared to the previous wines. The taste was similar to the bouquet, straw and mint and a notch too dry. It had a lot of strength, but I do not know, if this will get any better. 91 points."
"Hansen",2001/10/28,"1988 d'Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1988,"d'Yquem","","France",95,"The color was slightly golden and the wine seemed almost oily. However this time the bouquet did not reveal as much as expected and I felt it was closing down. Apricots, peaches and a nice acidity, but not in the same intense style as last time I tasted this wine about two years ago. The taste was very nice, but the botrytis was not as evident as expected. Again I suspect this one may be closing down. Two years ago it I found it to be a 99 point wine, but this time I rated it 95 points."
"Hansen",2001/10/28,"1990 Clinet,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France",1990,"Clinet","","France",0,"Elegant, quite mature color. Very nice bouquet, mature with caramel and an elegance that was almost unbelievable. The taste was a little less elegant, but very nice elements of nuts, prunes and a raisiny sweetness. So well-balanced it would be hard to believe, that this one would not last for another 15+ years."
"Roberto",2001/10/29,"1999 Colin-Deleger, Bourgogne Blanc,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [82]",1999,"Colin-Deleger","","France",82,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1827<br>1999 Colin-Deleger Bourgogne Blanc.  $17.  Citrus infused nose with a bit of toasty Oak.  Golden yellow color.  Initially a touch tart on the palate but this did settle down with time.  The wine had a good entry of white fruit but became flabby in the middle and somewhat hot on the finish.  The wine had a heavy, disjointed  mouth feel that I did not like.  My wife adds that this wine was not as ‘clean’ as other white Burgundies we’ve had.  I agree. Not recommended"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 Suduiraut,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [87]",1997,"Suduiraut","","France",87,"SUDUIRAUT - 1er Grand Cru Classé - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>Light gold colour - Honey, caramel, almonds, quince. Quite fat, fresh butter, tea. A nice <br>and powerful wine but lacks a bit of &quot;finesse&quot;. 87/100."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 Haut-Bergeron,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [84]",1997,"Haut-Bergeron","","France",84,"HAUT-BERGERON - non-classified  - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>This wine is located next to d'Yquem (one couldn't dream a smarter neighbour!). The wine is <br>not classified, but has dramatically improved its quality during the last decade. <br>The colour is surprisingly dark for such a young wine (to drink a four years old Sauternes is almost infanticid !). Nice aromatic nose with exotic scents of lychee, floral, not very <br>long. Nice and fat in mouth, lacks a bit of acidity. A bit too ripe. Limited ageing <br>potential in our view. Drink 2005 - 2010. 84/100."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 Rayne Vigneau,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [90]",1997,"Rayne Vigneau","","France",90,"RAYNE VIGNEAU - 1er Grand Cru Classé - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>Light gold colour. Complex and delicate nose of citrus fruit (orange zests, apricots, <br>almonds, lychees, roasted bread). This beautiful Rayne Vigneau is extremely delicate and <br>elegant, not very long but very enjoyable. Balanced body, fresh with enough acidity to age <br>for a long time. Botrytis could be a bit more present. I personally enjoyed it very much and <br>most of the participants scored this wine very well too! 90/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 La Tour Blanche,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [91]",1997,"La Tour Blanche","","France",91,"LA TOUR BLANCHE - 1er Grand Cru Classé - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>The French State owns this château. Very nice nose dominated by banana, honey, and fresh <br>mint, pretty voluptuous. Very well made wine with a precise mouth, very wide and impressive, <br>rich (butter - roasted almonds). A first class wine for a very cheap price - I've seen it <br>for 29 Swiss Francs / equivalent to 17 US$!. A real BUY. 91/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 Coutet,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [82]",1997,"Coutet","","France",82,"COUTET (Barsac) - 1er Grand Cru Classé - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>Pale yellow-greenish colour. Citrus nose, fresh cut grass, buttery, and almond. A bit <br>unpleasant in mouth with a kind of polish wax taste (Sauvignon?) - dry finish (when compared <br>to the other Sauternes wines). Some doubts on the winemaking? 82/100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 Nairac,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [90]",1997,"Nairac","","France",90,"NAIRAC (Barsac) - 2ème Cru Classé - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>Pretty dark gold colour. A lot of botrytis, crystallized fruits, oranges. Very fresh, well <br>balanced body and a pretty long wine. A very nice bottle to enjoy all through the next decade 2005 - 2015. 90 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 Doisy Daene,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [89]",1997,"Doisy Daene","","France",89,"DOISY DAENE (Barsac) - 2ème Cru Classé - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>Paler than Nairac. The nose is a bit closed but reveals discreet banana, peers, honey and <br>caramel aromas. In mouth, this wine is powerful, but has a lot of finesse too. Long and <br>complex wine, slightly salted (iodized) on the tongue. A Very enjoyable and classical <br>Sauternes wine. 89 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 Climens,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France",1997,"Climens","","France",0,"CLIMENS - 1er Grand Cru Classé - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>Pale gold colour. Weird nose: almonds, caramel, but slightly moisten too. The wine has an <br>unpleasant structure, dry, a bit sour and &quot;dirty&quot;. Definitely a technical problem with this bottle (cork?). To be revisited."
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 Lafaurie Peyraguey,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [95]",1997,"Lafaurie Peyraguey","","France",95,"LAFAURIE-PEYRAGUEY - 1er Grand Cru Classé - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>Deep gold. Very open nose with flavours of citrus, crystallized fruit, quince jam. Lots of <br>fruits - peers, mirabelle plums, remarkable balance and freshness, long and powerful. Ends <br>on a floral note (roses). A real beauty ! 95 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 Rieussec,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [94]",1997,"Rieussec","","France",94,"RIEUSSEC - 1er Grand Cru Classé - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>Beautiful gold. Very fruity nose: peers, apricots, mangoes, buttery and velvety impressions. Beautifully balanced structure, fat and thick substance. Excellent persistence. A wonderful and accomplished wine. 94 / 100"
"Winemega-Alain",2001/10/29,"1997 Guiraud,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux, France  [85]",1997,"Guiraud","","France",85,"GUIRAUD - 1er Grand Cru Classé - Sauternes tasting Oct 2001.<br>Very nice golden appearance, Powerful nose of crystallized fruit and mango. Impressive long <br>finish, very rich. A more massive than elegant type of wine - should do very well with a <br>&quot;foie gras au torchon&quot; course. A perfect example for introducing Sauternes to beginners. 85/100."
"sdr",2001/10/30,"1981 Trimbach, Clos Ste. Hune,  Alsace , France  [77]",1981,"Trimbach","","France",77,"Finally, a Clos Ste. Hune that really is too old.<br><br>Light gold color. Predominant impression is vibrant acidity (of the fruit type, not the vinegar type). But the mid palate had given up the ghost and was thin and weak. This was only an average year for Alsace, so maybe great vintages could go 20 years, but not this one."
"AKR",2001/11/1,"1995 La Roque, Sauternes/Barsac, Bordeaux, France [82]",1995,"La Roque","","France",82,"""This is a simple, full yellow botryised dessert wine from a region of Bordeaux called Loupiac.  It's across from the river from Sauternes but can sometimes make good values.  It's sweet, heavy and sticky but doesn't have the zest, aromatics or secondary f"""
"sdr",2001/11/1,"1982 Canon,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [93]",1982,"Canon","","France",93,"This is a splendid example of an '82 at its peak.<br>Mature color. Nose of ripe dark red fruits, but with secondary and tertiary aromas hard to describe. Meaty and full on the palate, but not over-extracted or dense. Excellent balance of fruit, mature tannins and acids. Very satisfying. It won't improve and I'm curious how long it will hold."
"sdr",2001/11/1,"1998 Bandol, La Migoua,  Other France , France  [88]",1998,"Bandol","","France",88,"Here's a delicious wine from the south of France with nice if light cherry flavors and a hint of what the French call &quot;garrigue&quot; which is reminiscent of a mixture of Provencale herbs. Will not improve but was a terrific match with the roast pork loin with huckleberry/pumpkinseed sauce at Boulevard (San Francisco)."
"sdr",2001/11/1,"1961 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [81]",1961,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",81,"Perfect appearance - level up to neck; dark, bright and clear. Georgeous nose of some wonderful flower garden in May - for about 5 minutes. The taste was just O.K.; a little dull but some vestiges of fruit. Considerable acidity in the finish detracted. So not spoiled or oxidized, but not that pleasurable either.<br>Quite a disappointment for this famously variable wine."
"Roberto",2001/11/1,"1998 Rene Leclerc, Bourgogne Rouge,  Cote de Nuits,  Burgundy , France  [86]",1998,"Rene Leclerc","","France",86,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1831<br>1998 Rene Leclerc Bourgogne Rouge.  $17.  Reluctant nose of red fruit and flowers that became more expressive with warming.  Medium-bodied and primary in the mouth.  Red fruit with some pear.  Decent length.  The texture of this wine is somewhat choppy with dry tannins and it does not flow over the palate with great finesse which I suspect is a fault of the vintage.  Still a good wine for the money."
"Roberto",2001/11/3,"1990 Leroy, Bourgogne Rouge,  Cote de Nuits,  Burgundy , France  [88]",1990,"Leroy","","France",88,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=1888<br>From a private cellar sale with the assurance of great provenance.  The capsule was stuck and upon removing the foil I noted dried wine.  Cork was wet through the top.  Nose of dried red fruit, flowers with a touch of spice.  Color was light crimson.  The taste of a mature wine.  Gentle and soft.  The wine went very well with a port reduction glazed rack of lamb.  In fact we added a bit of the wine to the sauce.  This wine was subtle and thin in the middle but quite supple and seamless.  This is what I like about red Burgs.  A fine food wine and one that my wife really enjoyed.  I suspect that the poor provenance effected the bottle.  "
"sdr",2001/11/5,"1971 d'Yquem,  Sauternes/Barsac,  Bordeaux , France",1971,"d'Yquem","","France",0,"This is the most disappointing bottle of the '71 Yquem I have had, all from the same source purchased many years ago. Good color for age, good appearance, firm moist cork. Oranges, tangerines, caramel; all those good things, but not enough of them. Acidity a little high. Of course it's good, but disappointing for this Yquem which usually scores well into nineties.<br><br>90 points for sauternes, but only 83 points for Yquem"
"sdr",2001/11/6,"1982 Trotanoy, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France [90]",1982,"Trotanoy","","France",90,"Mature '82 Pomerol (almost all of them are).&lt;br&gt;Bricky color, especially at the edge (from a well-stored bottle). Persistent bouquet of mixed red fruits, including hard (cranberry) and soft (strawberry). Not very complex, but attractive. Soft attack. Velvety texture, especially in the mid palate. Not a huge wine, but plenty of power. Some slightly drying tannin in the finish. It's lost all its baby fat; it's not as luscious as RP described it years ago, but perhaps more interesting."
"sdr",2001/11/6,"1978 Leflaive, Batard Montrachet,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [80]",1978,"Leflaive","","France",80,"Impeccable appearance with minimal ullage. Firm, moist cork. Medium gold; really beautiful to look at. Immediately after opening, I thought it was madeirized. But that odor blew off to be replaced by a strong petrol note. Full, persistent, even long. Well integrated acids. Strictly for admirers of this style. There's no hint of fruit. I don't think white burgundy is enjoyable at this age regardless of pedigree and I don't think there would be a better example."
"AKR",2001/11/11,"1998 Dalem,  Bordeaux , France  [85]",1998,"Dalem","","France",85,"This is a bright purple wine.  It shows cassis, licorice, and plumcake aromas.  The tannins are round and linger.  The 5+ second finish has a good richness.  This is easily worth the $18 it fetches; most wines at this price point are not of this quality and [sadly] there are plenty of $50 bottles which do not have this quality.  I would tilt toward consuming this over the next several years given the nice but not special concentration it shows.  85 pts."
"AKR",2001/11/12,"1997 La Lagune, Haut Medoc/Medoc, Bordeaux, France [86]",1997,"La Lagune","","France",86,"This is a moderate translucent ruby red.  The aromatics are tight and closed in the beginning.  Initially some scorched earth and then spice.  For a 97 there is a good moderate 10-12 second finish but the tannins recede quicker than the Iraqi armed forces"
"stefan",2001/11/12,"1983 La Lagune,  Haut Medoc/Medoc,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1983,"La Lagune","","France",94,"This was a great bottle of the '83:  deep, classy, mature, with subtle flavors of various berries and anise and firm structure for an '83.  Definitely worth 94 points.  Later that night Lucie said it was too bad we had to share this bottle with our very good friends."
"mikecase00",2001/11/12,"1997 Smith Haut Lafitte, Rouge,  [91]",1997,"Smith Haut Lafitte","","",91,"1997 Smith Haut Laffitte ($21.99) For just a dollar more this wine blew the Haut Ferrand from the night before out of the water. No decanting, poured straight away. Dark dark ruby color solid all the way to the rim. Distinctly earthy nose, with wet soil, tobacco, and coffe notes. The fruit is fully ripe on the palate and is accompanied by some well defined nuances of coffee, roasted meat, and some lingering chacolate on the finish. Medium-full bodied and chewy with a lengthy finish, this wine might improve with some age but why wait. This wine was delicious, and a screaming bargain at this price. Going back tonight to buy several more. 91pts"
"stefan",2001/11/16,"1986 Montrose,  St Estephe,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1986,"Montrose","","France",87,"Lucie, our daughter T, and I drank this tonight with a dinner of filet mignon & mushrooms, baked potato, and asparagus.  Lucie opened the bottle two hours before I arrived, then I decanted about an hour before dinner.  This Montrose has a light, undeveloped cassis bouquet.  It tastes of berries, licorice, and a hint of green pepper.  The tannins are quite firm, unaggressive at entry, but become mouth puckering later.  The wine is quite bitter in the back and has a medium finish.  Lucie 85.  T 85.  S 87.<br><br>After the wonderful '86 Sociando Mallet we drank the night before Lucie and I were really looking forward to trying the Montrose.  T said it was the worst wine I had ever served when we took the trouble to discuss and score. Lucie said that she preferred the 2001 Prosper Maufaux Nouveau Beaujolais (also drunk the night before) to the Montrose.  Maybe the Montrose will be better in five years; I upped my score a bit in the expectation that it will improve and talked the women into raising their scores.    <br><br>stefan<br><br>€"
"AKR",2001/11/18,"1986 l'Arrosee, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France [89]",1986,"l'Arrosee","","France",89,"My buddy bought this recently for $31 which appears to be a stellar buy.  While not corked but it has a kind of dustiness to its floral perfume.  It is sweet and concentrated but still -- despite 15 years of bottle aging -- quite full of drying tannins.  "
"AKR",2001/11/18,"1995 Talbot, Connetable du Talbot, St Julien, Bordeaux, France [78]",1995,"Talbot","","France",78,"""Translucent red, already lightening at the rim.  It is a lighter styled wine with no appreciable tannins left.  A hint of black fruit but mostly a nondescript functional Bordeaux.  Sadly after further aeration an odd chemical smell becomes apparent.  This"""
"AKR",2001/11/18,"1997 Baumard, Savennieres, Other Loire, Loire, France [90]",1997,"Baumard","","France",90,"A crisp sweet lush Chenin blanc.  It will be long lived and is quite yummy already.  I rarely drink whites but this one that is worth it and it's also a very nice value.  Try this with goat cheese/spinach/toasted almond salads.  90 pts."
"AKR",2001/11/18,"1997 Faugeres, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France [86]",1997,"Faugeres","","France",86,"""I've had a fair bit of this wine in the last few years but this was a weak showing.  [I've also had remarkable problems with their corks, they tend be extremely hard to get out.  Has anyone else noticed this?]  This continues to show black cherries as usu"""
"AKR",2001/11/18,"1998 Rocher Bellevue Figeac, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France [87]",1998,"Rocher Bellevue Figeac","","France",87,"This is a dark saturated red.  It shares aromas of sweet chocolate.  Swirling it reveals a mid grade viscosity.  It does have a good pile of tannins in the mid palate; this will need some more time to soften up.  Fortunately it is sporting a good concentr"
"sdr",2001/11/18,"1982 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1982,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",95,"By no means a heavyweight, but this wine is a real charmer. Medium weight on the palate. Extraordinarily complex nose of great beauty. This is what Lafite is all about and why it takes years to show how special it is. I spent 10 minutes smelling it before even taking a sip, just to try to discern all its nuances, but it?s impossible. This is the kind of subtlety and complexity I have yet to find in any other type of wine, although great Burgundy comes close. It?s silky as expected on the palate and finishes warm and satisfying. It?s beguiling; it whispers to you &quot;come try me ? but I?m a little shy so don?t rush me.&quot; There?s still a trace of tannin in the finish to resolve so there?s no hurry to drink it and it may actually improve a bit over the next couple of years. The only question is how long it can last."
"sdr",2001/11/18,"1982 Margaux,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [96]",1982,"Margaux","","France",96,"Distinctly darker than the above three wines and more immediately forthcoming and powerful. This wine just keeps getting better and better as it ages. The 1983 is wonderful, but this ?82 is just as good in a different way. There?s a wealth of black cherry, vanilla and dark grape flavors. Not a subtle wine like the Lafite, but such sheer beauty of fruit it?s extremely pleasurable. Still young. Sexy. I?ll have another glass, please. No, make that two. A Cameron Diaz of a wine. How can you not love it?"
"sdr",2001/11/18,"1982 Mouton Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [95]",1982,"Mouton Rothschild","","France",95,"This is almost as powerful as Latour, but this particular bottle was more developed. Strong minty overtones Mouton often shows in its best years. Also very young, but less tannic and more approachable than the Latour tonight. Syrupy. Big and luscious. Endless length. Clearly has a great future also; a shame to drink it up now, but hard to resist.<br><br>95+ points"
"sdr",2001/11/18,"1982 Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan/graves, Bordeaux [92]",1982,"Haut Brion","Bordeaux","France",92,"Slightly darker than the [82]Cheval. The best Haut Brion for drinking now. Completely mature and full of life. Archetypal Haut Brion bouquet of hickory smoke, tobacco and dried leaves. Beautiful integration of fruit, smooth tannin and just enough acidity to keep it fresh. Clearly at its very best. Similar to the ?85, but more of everything. But not in a league with the overwhelmingly concentrated ?89. Delightful wine."
"Roberto",2001/11/19,"1998 Quinault l'Enclos,  St Emillion,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1998,"Quinault l'Enclos","","France",91,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=3444<br>‘98 Quinault L’ Enclos.  I had this wine on release and was disappointed.  This was a much better showing.  I decanted this for about 3 hours which made a big difference.  Opaque red-purple color.  Before decanting the wine was an oak-bomb and almost undrinkable.  After decanting the nose became much more Bordeaux like offering some earth and cassis with a touch of toasty oak.  The palate was structured but still expressive with great merlot fruit followed by sweet tannin.  The Oak seems to be integrating in this case (pardon the expression).  The consensus wine of the night.  This wine was clearly cut from the cloth of the Parker style."
"Roberto",2001/11/19,"1998 Beaucastel CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France  [86]",1998,"Beaucastel CdP","","France",86,"Dark red color.  Sleeping.  Almost completely shut down.  Some cherry on the nose.  Flat palate with a short course finish.  It is amazing how this wine changes.  Can’t wait until it wakes up."
"AKR",2001/11/22,"1998 Haut Maillet,  Pomerol,  Bordeaux , France  [86]",1998,"Haut Maillet","","France",86,"A pretty rich red.  Not much of a nose yet.  The flavors are sweet and fairly one dimensional right now but this gains a little more with airing.  Tannins are soft for a 98 Pomerol and do not suggest a long life.  The concentration is decent but nothing special.  Maybe 5 seconds of lingering on the tongue.  I know Suckling gave it some flashy score [that's why my buddy bought it] but it's not worth the $39 when there are better 98 Pomerols out there.  It's a nice enough wine but too pricey.  "
"Roberto",2001/11/22,"1999 Albert Morot, Savigny les Beaune La Bataillere aux Vergelesses 1er Cru,  Cote de Beaune,  Burgundy , France  [80]",1999,"Albert Morot","","France",80,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=2388<br>Dark purple color.  Viscous.  Red fruit on nose with new oak.  A bit disjointed on the palate with quite a bit of wood showing.  Cut finish.  Not showing well at this point but has potential."
"AKR",2001/11/23,"1981 La Grave Trigant de Boisset, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France [78]",1981,"La Grave Trigant de Boisset","","France",78,"This chateau has changed their name in recent years to La Grave a Pomerol.  This wine was well stored and had a high fill level but was past it's peak.  It had developed a bouquet of wet tea leaves and garden vegetables.  The fruit had mostly disappeared;"
"AKR",2001/11/23,"1998 l'Eglise Clinet, La Petit Eglise, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France [85]",1998,"l'Eglise Clinet","","France",85,"""A wine made by the vintner of l'Eglise Clinet, although it's not their second wine.  I believe its a negociant blend from the region vinified by Denis Durantou.  Woody, simple although fleshy.  It's a decent wine but so are lots of wines for much less.  85 pts."""
"Roberto",2001/11/23,"1989 Château de Beaucastel CdP, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône, France [93]",1989,"Château de Beaucastel CdP","","France",93,"Mature orange-red color.  Lots of sediment.  Completely shut down initially and then - boom - the wine just explodes.  I just love this wine.  Upon awakening the nose offers a bit of Rhone funkiness and wet fur.  This is followed by an almost Bordeaux like cassis mixed with wet-earth quality.  Nuts are also detectable.  There is ample mature fruit buffered by still-present tannin.  Great length.  To be honest while this was the WOTN blinded, the bottle we had this past February at the convention showed much better."
"AKR",2001/11/23,"1988 Gruaud Larose,  St Julien,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1988,"Gruaud Larose","","France",88,"The corks are soaked nearly to the top and are quite moist.  A nice clear red with no lightening at the edges.  Shows cassis and currant berries at a first whiff.   It looks like it has a medium grade viscosity from the quality of the legs.  It smells very sweet but the first taste is a blast of unbalanced acidity.  Uh oh -- this is not good.  After our food arrives either the acidity is better balanced or further airing [2 hrs prior to arrival already] seems to bring this much more into line.  It's now turned into a very sweet, nicely rounded and mature St. Julien now.  For a tough vintage this bottle's tannins are finely resolved and it flows easily.  There is a 15 second finish and I could see this lasting a good decade more with no problem based on the very fine fruit.  Does it merit further purchasing?  Maybe -- prices on this seem to be collapsing but there are a lot of great 96's or 98's for the same money.  Depends how much you like Gruaud I suppose.  "
"AKR",2001/11/24,"1997 Maucaillou, Other Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France [81]",1997,"Maucaillou","","France",81,"""The wines of Moulis are typically deep dark wines that I enjoy but this was not one of them.  It was thin, weedy, and dilute.  Bouquet was missing in action along with its faithless deserter Concentration.  There is an odd celery / green pepper type secon"""
"AKR",2001/11/27,"1998 Carbonnieux, Blanc, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France [86]",1998,"Carbonnieux","","France",86,"""This was [probably] my first experience with the widely available white wines of Carbonnieux.  This light bodied easy quaffer had a white fruit, pear like nose initially.  This tastes crisp and fresh with a bit of orange zest to it.  The fruit flavor is p"""
"AKR",2001/11/28,"1995 Haut Corbin, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France [78]",1995,"Haut Corbin","","France",78,"""A medium bodied, light red wine.  The aromatics are closed and refuse to reveal themselves.  It has a burnt, scorched tar kind of taste that closes with a noticeably bitter coffee rind note on the back palate.  The fruit has fallen away leaving no sweetne"""
"AKR",2001/11/30,"1986 Nenin, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France [81]",1986,"Nenin","","France",81,"""A ripe red colors this somewhat cloudy Pomerol.  Quite light at the edge suggesting a point past maturity and into decline.  A spicy, iodine like bouquet, that while not unpleasant, is not what is ideal.  The texture is silky and smoothy -- 15 years of ag"""
"stefan",2001/11/30,"1983 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1983,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",91,"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."
"AKR",2001/12/1,"1989 Lanessan, Haut Medoc/Medoc, Bordeaux, France [88]",1989,"Lanessan","","France",88,"""Long, soaked cork.  Still a deep blue/red with hardly a hint of lightening despite a dozen years of aging.  A spice box, cedary nose welcomes you at first and then *pow* great sweet fruit hits you.  This Haut Medoc does not taste like aging has reduced th"""
"JScott",2001/12/1,"1990 Pape Clement, Pessac Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux [92]",1990,"Pape Clement","Bordeaux","France",92,"Wet cork.  Color is plummy red, still youthful.  Just a gorgeous bouquet of cigar, earth and blackberry.  A 5-star nose.  Just a little less impressive on the palate, rich but something slightly medicinal, tobacco and earthy boysenberry.  I'm being overly critical, but the bouquet is a hard act to follow.  Has some structure so there' no hurry.  The perfume alone is worth the price of admission."
"Roberto",2001/12/1,"2000 St. Cosme, Cotes du Rhone,  [90]",2000,"St. Cosme","","",90,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=2386<br>‘00 St. Cosme Cotes du Rhone.  $11.   Dark purple/red color that extends to the rim.  The nose is wonderful and multi-layered offering dark fruit, bacon fat, spice and wet animal fur.  The nose mellows a bit with time but initially it does have that stinkiness that you either love or hate.  The wine is dense and concentrated on the palate.  No oak.  The mouthfeel is quite plush and velvety.   So much fruit that one really does not get a sense of structure but it must be there.  Incredible for the price.  "
"Zachary Pearson",2001/12/1,"1994 d'Armailhac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [88]",1994,"d'Armailhac","","France",88,"Deep garnet, fairly clear. The nose is classic Bordeaux: Cassis, bell pepper, smoke. This is smoothing out on the palate, but not quite secondary yet. Getting there though (smoke --> cigarbox). Better in 2-3 years, but not fiercely tannic as I've heard many 94's are. Excellent poise, balance, and acid structure, great with food. This was strange, but a good counterpoint to the gooey extraction monster of Gallo."
"Zachary Pearson",2001/12/1,"1997 Gallo, Barrelli Creek,  Napa,  California , USA  [90]",1997,"Gallo","","USA",90,"Black and opaque. The cork came out with black goo on it, which was promptly stamped on my note sheet. God, that's dark. Sweet (caramel) on the nose, phenomenal extraction and depth. Somewhere under it all is briary blackberry, but where? Lost in the night of tannin and extract, no doubt. Sweet on the palate, great extract, good length. Not surprisingly (to me), excellent with Stilton."
"AKR",2001/12/4,"1993 Musar, Lebanon  [91]",1993,"Musar","","",0,"Yes it's not a Bordeaux but this tastes amazingly like one and I would not be able to pick this out of a blind tasting.  This is a crisp, well bodied minty drink that feels like it has good glycerin inside.  Nicely evolved and really drinks like a good solid 3rd Growth.  A great surprise and something to add to my buy lists.  If you like Bordeaux you really should try this"
"AKR",2001/12/5,"1970 Lafaurie Peyraguey, Sauternes/Barsac, Bordeaux, France [78]",1970,"Lafaurie Peyraguey","","France",78,"""This Sauternes is a bright dark gold.  Not a great dessert wine by any definition but still pleasant.  It tastes somewhat dilute, mildly sweet and is lacking in the zesty botryritized noses these can show in great houses or vintages.  I compared this init"""
"AKR",2001/12/5,"1970 Troplong Mondot, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France [80]",1970,"Troplong Mondot","","France",80,"""This was quite a surprise.  This bottle appeared well stored and exhibited a deep dark color that showed little evidence of nearly 32 years of aging.  It opened with a strange, funky nose that blows off after a few minutes.  It has an average flavor profi"""
"AKR",2001/12/5,"1985 d'Angludet, Margaux, Bordeaux, France [86]",1985,"d'Angludet","","France",86,"""Light red.  A delightful, aromatic floral nose that lures you in.  Clearly proof that wines from this commune can have some of the sexiest bouquets going.  It was sweet and joyful but the did not possess the long finishes that later vintages of d'Angludet"""
"AKR",2001/12/5,"1986 l'Arrosee, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France [89]",1986,"l'Arrosee","","France",89,"""This is the second time I've had this in the last few weeks.  This bottle was sourced from a different vendor and seems a tick fresher.  This merlot dominated wine is a big, dark, dense wine with a long 15+ second finish.  There is a mild dusty mentholate"""
"AKR",2001/12/5,"1990 Le Gay, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France [87]",1990,"Le Gay","","France",87,"""This Pomerol is sporting a very dark full rich red color.  There is still no lightening at the edge suggesting this still needs time to develop.  It's still a big, pure wine but it has a terrific texture.  It feels like velvet coated in Vaseline as it gli"""
"stefan",2001/12/5,"1970 Palmer,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1970,"Palmer","","France",91,"The nose is that of a fine Haut Medoc, with chocolate and a touch of licorice but just a hint of the Margauxberry that I love so much.  In the mouth the wine shows its class.  The tannins are completely resolved and the acid is just right for food.  Not the blockbuster Parker described but a fine wine.  I prefer the 1978 Palmer (which is about half the price of the 1970) as the Margauxberries are more pronounced. stefan 91. Lucie 91. T 91."
"mikecase00",2001/12/8,"1997 d'Armailhac,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [89]",1997,"d'Armailhac","","France",89,"Found this wine at the Wine Exchange yesterday for $15.99 along and thought it would go well with my birthday dinner of tri-tip steak and potatoes.  Decanted this wine, along with the 97 Clerc Milon tasted along side it, for about an hour before serving.  This wine was clearly the groups pick over the slightly more expensive Clerc($19.99).  More purple in color, the nose showed much more vivid aromas of leather, tobacco, pencil, and ripe fruit.  On the palate the wine was fleshy, low in acid, ripe, and medium bodied with a moderately lengthy finish.  This wine is delicious to drink now and is a steal at the price.  I'm going back today to pick up a few more.  A solid 88-89 pointer.  Very good, but not quite outstanding."
"mikecase00",2001/12/8,"1997 Clerc Milon,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [87]",1997,"Clerc Milon","","France",87,"Found this wine yesterday at the Wine Exchange for $19.99 and couldn't resist giving it a shot.  Decanted this, along the 97 d'Armailhac tasted with it, for about an hour before serving with tri-tip steak and potatoes.  The 97 Clerc was a solid wine, exhibiting a deep, burnt ruby color I've seen in several of the 97s I've had lately (Smith Haut Lafitte comes to mind).  The nose was pretty subdued, displaying some hints of leather and lead pencil, but not much else.  In the mouth the wine is medium-bodied and with nice structure.  It shows some slightly vegetal notes on the somewhat short finish.  Don't misread me here though it was a nice wine, particularly at less than $20.  Score it 85-87: Very Good."
"Hansen",2001/12/9,"1996 E&E, Black Pepper, Australia  [94]",1996,"E&E","","Australia",94,"Very nice ruby colour. Incredibly strong bouquet, very intense, but still lots of nuances. Chewing gum, tea and sweet liquorice just to mention a few. The taste started off a bit dry, but after a few minutes in the glass it got going. Delicious, almost like a super-ripe Rioja and this one had a long, pure aftertaste. 94 points."
"Hansen",2001/12/9,"1998 d'Arenberg, The Dead Arm, Australia  [92]",1998,"d'Arenberg","","Australia",92,"Colour almost like ink. Lots of glycerin, tarlike bouquet, but a bit closed, not revealing many nuances. Pure, well-defined fruit and hints of cassis and pepper in the taste, but again I got the impression, that this bottle was closed (I also had this wine two months ago and back then it was much more complex). 92 points."
"stefan",2001/12/9,"1970 Warre, Vintage Port, Portugal  [92]",1970,"Warre","","Portugal",92,"For dessert we had pears poached in red wine. Instead of waiting until after dinner, I served 1970 Warre's with the pears because there was little residual alcohol in the wine in which the pears were cooked.  Six of us had been blown away by the 1970 Warre's in a tasting at our house a couple of years ago.  This time the Warre's was merely a very good port.  It has a penetrating nose of currants steeped in aged petrol and tastes of plum.  stefan 92.  stefanJr 92."
"stefan",2001/12/9,"1966 Lafite Rothschild,  Pauillac,  Bordeaux , France  [94]",1966,"Lafite Rothschild","","France",94,"With rock Cornish hens, and acorn squash stuffed with wild rice.<br><br>The '66 Lafite has the nose of a princess.  The predominate taste is of cranberries, but there are other flavors, the most notable being shoe leather. The tannins are gone, but the fruit is good and the acid makes the wine pair well with food.  It is a perfect match for the hens, while the '83 screamed &quot;steak!&quot;.  stefan 93.  stefanJr 96+."
"stefan",2001/12/9,"1970 Brane-Cantenac,  Margaux,  Bordeaux , France  [91]",1970,"Brane-Cantenac","","France",91,"The Brane Cantenac has a delicate Margaux nose, a light cranberry taste, and is still quite fruity even if T felt it had begun to taste &quot;old&quot;.  The tannins are gone, but it nevertheless has a lip-smacking finish.  Irena says that it is a wine to drink in a basement while sitting in leather chairs around an oak table (I also don't have the foggiest idea what that means).  stefan 91.  stefanJr 92."
"Roberto",2001/12/9,"2000 Clape, Cotes du Rhone,  [91]",2000,"Clape","","",91,"http://www.mikecase.net/wine/showreview.asp?wine_id=2387<br>My first experience with a CDR from this Cornas producer. $25. Dark red-purple color. The nose was a real WOW. The nose started out with a very Bordeaux-like profile: Lead pencil, cigar box and underbrush. Blind I would have pinned this wine as an 80's right bank Bordeaux. After a half-hour the nose chan