Wines with Age

wines

It’s hard to imagine how a wine of this power can sustain perfect balance. What is now a more nonchalant intensity in the aroma was, in fact, too much to handle when we tasted this last year, as if the wine had no time for mere humans with their limited sense receptors. If you stop to taste ripe pear, ginger spice, apple blossom and butterscotch the wine leaves you lost in random flavor descriptors as it soars off into a vinous glow that lasts for minutes. This may well be the greatest vintage wine of Henri Krug’s career (unless it is challenged by the 2002). It is impossible to predict how long this wine will thrive in bottle, though considering the current fine condition of the 1959 Krug, the first 50 years are a given.Wine & Spirits | 100 W&SA powerful, majestic Champagne. Deep and compelling, with aromas of whole-grain toast, coconut and dried citrus that draw you in. Lean and racy on the palate, with a creaminess that’s yet to be integrated. A classic ’96, with ripe, exotic aromas and a steely structure. Still a baby, with the long, resonant finish confirming its potential. Best from 2009 through 2040. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 99 WSThe real surprise among Krug’s 1996s is the 1996 Vintage, which is drinking beautifully, even among this rarified air of single-vineyard Champagnes. The 1996 Vintage is explosive and creamy, with just the right balance of power, richness and freshness. The mousse is perhaps just a touch less refined than in the 1996 Clos du Mesnil and Clos d’Ambonnay, but it is also perfectly measured with the wine’s exuberant personality. This multi-dimensional, textured Champagne is at the early part of its drinking window and promises to deliver an incredible drinking experience over the coming decades. The take-away from this flight of 1996s from Krug is simple. Although the 1996 Vintage can’t possibly be described as inexpensive, it shows exceptionally well next to its much more expensive brethren and clearly delivers a similar level of quality. Readers who have the opportunity to pick up this wine should not hesitate. It is a gem. No disgorgement date provided. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2036.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 1996 Vintage is magnificent. A towering, explosive Champagne, the 1996 delivers the house’s signature breadth in a full-bodied, structured Champagne with enough pure density and acidity to age well for decades. Warm nutty and spiced overtones add nuance on the finish. The 1996 is just beginning to enter the early part of its mature stage, where it is sure to remain for several decades. Krug’s Vintage is one of the truly epic wines of the year.Antonio Galloni | 98 AG(Krug Vintage Brut (Reims)) I had not drunk a bottle of the 1996 Krug in several years, as I had deemed the wine still in climbing mode and I am not generally in the business of drinking Krug before its time. But, a friend recently opened a bottle and I was very impressed with how the wine is evolving in the bottle since its release. The bouquet is now starting to show some lovely secondary layering of complexity in its blend of apple, peach, a touch of sweet walnut, patissière, a refined base of minerality, caraway seed and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine flavors on the attack echo the nose nicely, with the wine’s full-bodied format sporting excellent depth at the core, still plenty of the vintage’s snappy acidity, great focus and grip and a very, very long and utterly refined finish. Though this remains quite racy structurally, I really like the point it has reached in terms of aromatic and flavor complexity and it is really not a crime to be opening bottles up at this point in its evolution, though it still has room to grow with further bottle age. A great, great vintage of Krug. (Drink between 2019-2060).John Gilman | 98 JGThis is a handsome yellow-gold colour with hints of bronze. Still fresh and vigorous yet with a ripe acidity. Wow, this is something else in the mouth! There is a lot going on - firm and tight one moment, then a panoply of sensuous flavours. Williams pears and glace à l’orange evolve into lemon and prunes. A splendid finale of great length and vigour demonstrates that this ’96 still has years of life ahead of it. Drinking Window 2017 - 2030.Decanter | 96 DEC

If any wine could be described as beautiful, then Beychevelle is beautiful. Its flavors of liquorice and blackcurrant are smooth and opulent, well proportioned. The texture is rich, ripe and generous.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEDeep ruby/purple in color, with a sweet nose of black currants, earth, licorice, and mineral, the 2000 is relatively powerful and dense for the normally restrained and elegant Beychevelle. Medium to full-bodied, dense, and chewy, it is showing even better out of bottle than it was from cask. While it appears to be the finest example made at Beychevelle since the 1989 and 1982, patience will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.Robert Parker | 91 RPLovely warmed plum and black currant confiture flavors are starting to settle into a secondary phase as sweet tobacco, lightly singed alder and a perfumy incense note weave around. Nice focused, fine-grained finish. Textbook.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 2,200 cases made. Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe 2000 Beychevelle has a delightful bouquet of blackberry, briar and light saline scents; a whiff of the old Gironde estuary develops in the glass. A touch of brettanomyces, maybe? The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins, and quite open and harmonious, although this not a deep or powerful Saint-Julien. Less austere than it once was, and simply a fine millennial that is drinking perfectly now.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Monte Lodoletta Amarone is an exercise in extraction. The wine is absolutely black. Aromas are concentrated and intense and the wine is equally enormous in the mouth thanks to the extraction, oak, fruit and the hot climatic conditions associated with this vintage. Drink after 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEDal Forno’s 2003 Amarone is a joy to taste. Today it is surprisingly much more accessible than the Valpolicella in this vintage. Inviting aromatics lead to a sumptuous expression of dark fruit, bitter chocolate, minerals, licorice, tar and smoke. The wine possesses stunning depth and a finish that lasts forever. A few years of bottle age will allow the wine to acquire additional complexity, but this remains one of the more accessible Amarones (in relative terms) that Dal Forno has made in the recent past. According to Dal Forno, the 2003 Amarone has a touch more residual sugar than is the norm here (owing to the hot vintage), which is the main reason the wine remains relatively accessible. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.All of these wines from Romano Dal Forno require significant aeration to show the true breadth of this passionate grower’s innovative style. Ideally the wines should be cellared for a minimum of a few years. Readers in search of short-term gratification are advised to open these bottles at least eight to ten hours before serving. This also holds for the Valpolicella, which has become an especially massive, structured wine after Dal Forno started producing it from 100% dried fruit in the 2002 vintage. Dal Forno favors 100% new American oak for his wines, although in recent years he has brought the aging regime down considerably.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPDal Forno’s 2003 Amarone is a joy to taste. Today it is surprisingly much more accessible than the Valpolicella in this vintage. Inviting aromatics lead to a sumptuous expression of dark fruit, bitter chocolate, minerals, licorice, tar and smoke. The wine possesses stunning depth and a finish that lasts forever. A few years of bottle age will allow the wine to acquire additional complexity, but this remains one of the more accessible Amarones (in relative terms) that Dal Forno has made in the recent past. According to Dal Forno, the 2003 Amarone has a touch more residual sugar than is the norm here (owing to the hot vintage), which is the main reason the wine remains relatively accessible.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThis has a great nose, with loads of peppery, meaty dried black fruit, fig and floral aromas, with an array of spices, fresh herbs and violet. Full-bodied, concentrated and chewy, with a long, intense finish. Built to age. Best after 2011. 940 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSDal Forno’s practice of using older parcels of vines for his Amarone paid off in 2003, with the more established plants able to better withstand the drought conditions of the vintage. This has aromas of dark, plummy fruit, while the palate pairs a rich mouthfeel with grippy tannins. It’s soft and very textured, with juicy blackberry followed by violet and wild herb overtones and a chocolatey finish. Surprisingly accessible considering its massive scale. Drinking Window 2018 - 2032Decanter | 94 DEC

Another tricky vintage affected by hail and rain during the growing season, but saved by a stretch of sunshine at the end of the summer. This wine is herbaceous but delightful, very elegant and fine. It has delicate cherry lift on the nose, with subtle summer woodland notes. In the mouth it has an overt structure of milk chocolate tannins, framing juicy cherry fruit and hedgerow fruit. Drinking Window 2018 - 2032Decanter | 95 DECDal Forno’s 2002 Amarone is a first-class effort in every way. The wine reveals loads of ripe, generous fruit that flow onto the palate with stunning intensity. This remarkably pure Amarone possesses incredible detail in its dark wild cherries, chocolate, herbs and toasted oak. The tannins build mightily on the finish even if this isn’t one of Dal Forno’s most massive wines. There is a lot of purity and depth here, although the tannins could use a little more polish. At first I thought this might be a relatively early-maturing wine but when I came back to an unopened bottle after two-plus days it had barely budged! Anticipated maturity: 2009-2017.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPDal Forno’s 2002 Amarone is a first-class effort in every way. The wine reveals loads of ripe, generous fruit that flow onto the palate with stunning intensity. This remarkably pure Amarone possesses incredible detail in its dark wild cherries, chocolate, herbs and toasted oak. The tannins build mightily on the finish even if this isn’t one of Dal Forno’s most massive wines. There is a lot of purity and depth here, although the tannins could use a little more polish. At first I though this might be a relatively early-maturing wine but when I came back to an unopened bottle after two-plus days it had barely budged!Vinous Media | 94 VMThis is very balanced and refined with precise tannins and fresh acidity. Full to medium body with integrated tannins and a racy finish. Not as big and muscular as some Amarones from here but all in balance and length. Finesse. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSShows aromas of leather, smoked ham, prune, tarry mineral and dried flowers. An amazing panoply for a 2002, which was a weak vintage. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, intense, peppery finish. Given the difficulties of the vintage, this is a fine effort by Dal Forno. Drink now through 2016. 910 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSWinemaker Romano Dal Forno fearlessly confronted the soggy 2002 vintage with high extraction techniques and barrique aging (36 months). This is an inky, dense wine (more syrupy than it is vinous) with black currant, peppermill, chocolate fudge and big firm wood tannins. It is so monolithic, a viable food match is virtually impossible. As always, Dal Forno straddles a fine line between brilliance and exaggeration.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The brioche and cooked-apple and cream character really comes through here. Full-bodied and round with fine bubbles. Flavorful and intense. Vivid, bread-dough finish. This is four years on lees. 55% chardonnay and the rest pinot.James Suckling | 93 JSThe latest rendition of Laurent-Perrier’s NV Brut is showing nicely, wafting from the glass with scents of almond paste, iodine, white peach, warm biscuits and mandarin. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, with an elegant, lively profile, displaying a youthfully frothy mousse, good tension at the core and an attractively chalky finish. This is an excellent non-vintage wine that seems to reflect the maison’s efforts to improve their grape sourcing over the last few years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThe nonvintage cuvée from this producer is definitely on the dry side. Like many Champagnes in the range, it has benefited from long aging before release, giving a wine that has richness as well as great fruits, hints of maturity coming through. Drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

(Maison Joseph Drouhin Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Red) In contrast to the subtlety of the Petits Monts, this is a full out bruiser with big, robust, admirably intense flavors that are, with the Amoureuses, perhaps the most complex of any wines presented today. Very structured and chewy but not at all hard yet purchasers should be prepared for at least a decade of patience as this will require time to reveal all of its considerable potential. A very impressive effort here. (Drink between 2011-2018)Burghound | 90-93 BHPure, expressive aromas of red cherries are displayed by the medium to dark ruby-colored 2001 Bonnes Mares. Medium-bodied, exhibiting outstanding depth of fruit, as well as a well-delineated personality, this is a red cherry, stony black fruit, and spice-flavored beauty. In addition, it wows the taster with an exceptionally long, flavorful finish. Projected maturity: 2004-2011.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RPMedium red. Sweetly oaky aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, tobacco and fresh herbs. Dense, fat and lush, with vibrant flavors of red fruits, minerals, wild herbs and earthy underbrush. Not quite as silky-sweet as Drouhin’s Musigny, but finishes very long and aromatic, with firm but suave tannins.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Chave’s 2000 Cuvée Cathelin was monumental. It was a privilege to taste, but also a shame to open so early. If the 1991 seemed young, the 2000 came across as a veritable new-born. Antonio Galloni | 97 AGSurprisingly, there will be about 200 cases produced of a 2000 Hermitage Cuvee Cathelin. Based on earlier visits, I thought this cuvee would not be produced again as the Chaves were embarrassed by all the attention previous offerings received. However, they will continue to produce it as long as it does not detract from their classic cuvee. The Cuvee Cathelin displays more new oak than the regular bottling as well as firmer tannin, yet also great length, palate presence, and structure. Boasting a chocolatey, blackberry nose, huge intensity, and super elegance and finesse, it will require 5-6 years of cellaring. Qualitatively, it is no better than its sibling, but does possess additional structure and new oak characteristics. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040.This family-run estate continues to go from strength to strength, with the father and son (Gerard and Jean-Louis) team pushing all the right buttons to achieve success at all quality levels. Jean-Louis Chave is responsible for several negociant wines.Robert Parker | 96 RP

The 1999 Richebourg Grand Cru from Hudelot-Noëllat personifies the vineyard with some style. It has a stunning, pure, elegant and effortless nose that maybe expresses that essence of pinoté better than more than a dozen other Richebourg wines present at this tasting. Raspberry coulis, wild strawberry and cold stone soar from the glass with great focus. The palate is tensile, the red berry fruit laced with orange zest that lends vivacity and energy. To be banal, this is just a Richebourg so well crafted that you want to just drink it rather than intellectualize over its virtues. That’s the sign of a great wine. Drink from 2015-2030.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NM(Richebourg- Hudelot-Noëllat) The 1999 Hudelot Richebourg is much more together out of the blocks that the RSV, delivering a complex and compelling bouquet of red plums and cherries, milk chocolate, smoke, venison, minerals, herb tones, hints of forest floor and a stylish coating of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, lush and potentially quite opulent, with excellent focus and polish, packed with fruit at the core, and excellent length and grip on the moderately tannic finish. This does not quite possess the nascent complexity of the Méo Richebourg, but it matches it every step of the way for breed, focus and delineation, Another ringing success for the vintage. While this will be approachable in a few years, I would give it at least eight or nine years to fully open and start hitting on all cylinders. Fine, fine juice. (Drink between 2010-2040)John Gilman | 94 JG (aged in about 40% new oak, a bit less than in recent vintages): Medium red with modest saturation. Aromas of black raspberry, leather and earth are less pristine than those of today’s wines. Creamy-sweet and spicy in the mouth, with a slightly high-toned quality to its fat flavors of red berries, red cherry, underbrush and leather.Vinous Media | 93 VMClassic Hudelot style with its discreetly elegant nose of spice and beautifully proportioned flavors displaying outstanding richness and perfect acid/fruit balance. Very fine, very long and a Richebourg that delivers finesse rather than power though this is by no means a shrinking violet. In short, this is a complex, long and perfectly balanced effort that has largely reached its apogee.Burghound | 93 BH

I had not crossed paths with a bottle of 2001 Santo Stefano from Bruno Giacosa in at least five years, but, I was not surprised to see that this superb wine is still a solid decade away from blossoming. The still tight and promising nose offers up a complex blend of red and black cherries, road tar, gamebirds, woodsmoke, a great base of soil and a bit of new leather in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bdoied and very pure, with impressive, nascent complexity, a rock solid core, firm, well-integrated tannins and stunning length and grip on the seamless and very youthful finish. This will be a brilliant wine in the fullness of time, but at least a solid decade’s worth of patience is really required before this wine starts to hit on all cylinders. (Drink between 2022-2065)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe 2001 Barbaresco Santo Stefano wafts on the palate with Christmas cake, plums, spices, menthol and licorice. It shows lovely class and an understated personality that is highly appealing. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPI am shocked (pleasantly, I must say), by how closed the 2001 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is. Powerful, tightly wound and totally closed down, the 2001 exudes class. Orange rind, tobacco and smoke add striking aromatic complexity to the intense dark fruit. Today, the tannins are surprisingly intense and raw, so readers will have to be patient. The 2001 is superb, but the wine’s full personality will not be on display for at least another few years. There is a good bit of upside here.Antonio Galloni | 94+ AGSubtle aromas of freshly sliced plums, blackberries and peaches. Full-bodied, with lots of fruit and a backbone of firm tannins. Toasted oak on the midpalate. This is a bold, structured red that needs time. I like this better than the 2000. Best after 2008. 1,200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 1986 is finally emerging from the dormant stage that many of the wines from this vintage (especially the Medocs) have been going through. It is a full-bodied, still backward wine that will appeal to classicists and old line traditionalists given its firm structure and austere tannins. Nevertheless, the color is a healthy deep garnet and the wine exhibits wonderful freshness along with notes of underbrush, damp earth, black currants, cedar and new saddle leather. Well-balanced with good depth, medium to full body, and a tannic (although not excessively so) finish, this may not be the most finesse-styled, elegant Lynch Bages ever produced, but it is an interesting Pauillac that will benefit from another 3-4 years of cellaring. While it may never hit the peaks achieved by great Lynch Bages vintages, it will be one of those rare wines that will last 40+ years.Robert Parker | 94 RP5.3 g/l total acidity; 13.1% alcohol): Garnet-tinged dark ruby-red. Black fruits, candied red cherry, licorice, minerals, cedar and iron on the complex, still-reticent nose. Then more approachable on the palate, displaying a lovely restrained sweetness to the blackberry and blueberry fruit and excellent lift and clarity from lively acidity and solid underlying minerality. The finish features noble, fine-grained tannins and subtle persistence. An unusually accessible 1986 but very typical of the fleshy Lynch-Bages personality, this boasts lovely concentration and sneaky depth. Very well done.Vinous Media | 93 VMDark in color, with intense aromas of ripe black cherry, cedar and light herbs. Medium- to full-bodied, with firm tannins and a medium finish. A bit lean today, but there’s lots going on here.--Lynch-Bages non-blind vertical. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The prodigious 1997 Amarone Vigneto Alto TB is reminiscent of Henri Bonneau’s 1990 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins. The lofty 16% alcohol is barely noticeable. Yields were a minuscule 20 hectoliters per hectare. Sadly, there are only 300 cases of this extraordinary Amarone. It boasts notes of smoke, truffle oil, blackberries, plums, and earthy, concentrated black currant jam. Layered, thick, full-bodied, and dry, with extraordinary purity as well as definition, it is an amazing achievement. While not for everybody, this is a singular, impeccably balanced wine. Anticipated maturity: now-2020.Robert Parker | 96 RP

Rich and ripe Pinot Noir, black in color, thick in texture, pumping out the flavors. Silky midpalate reveals the pedigree of this wine. Loaded with sweet blackberry character that goes on to a long finish. Drink now through 2010.Wine Spectator | 93 WSBright, deep ruby-red. Complex nose melds violet, bitter chocolate, earth, meat and a hint of medicinal austerity. Dense, rich and thick; a wine of compelling richness and sweetness, but also solidly structured despite its accessibility today. Finishes with lush but firm tannins and exhilarating notes of cassis and violet. Lovely pinot noir.Vinous Media | 92 VM(Gros Frère et Soeur Richebourg Grand Cru Red) Extremely ripe with powerful black fruit, wood toast and Vosne spice aromas with tannic, robust flavors yet good finesse on the long finish. This makes a firm statement and has good size to go with the penetrating fruit. (Drink between 2009-2016)Burghound | 90 BH

Things were more difficult in Sauternes than in the rest of Bordeaux in the 2000 vintage, with a brilliant first picking in early October that showed all the promise of the vintage, but with the later crop ruined by heavy rain. In the end Yquem made 20% of its usual yield, but the success of the earlier growing season comes through with luxuriously concentrated apricot and marmalade flavours, laced with bitter orange, lime zest, butterscotch, saffron and white truffles. 128g/l of residual sugar, with total acidity of 4.5. The team behind this wine included current winemaking director Sandrine Garbay, who had begun two years earlier in 1998, with the château already partly owned by Bernard Arnault of LVMH (he bought his first shares in 1996) but still headed up by director Alexandre de Lur Saluces, whose family had been at Yquem since 1875. Drinking Window 2020 - 2050.Decanter | 96 DECForward and flattering, with unctuous marmalade, blood orange, apricot chutney and ginger notes. Juicy and engaging, but without the finely beaded acidity to stretch out fully.—Non-blind Yquem vertical (July 2014). Drink now through 2035.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA rich Yquem, with coffee, dried orange skin, and dried apples. Full and sweet, with a round body and very yummy. A touch of bitterness on the palate.James Suckling | 91 JSServed from an ex-chateau bottle. The millennial 2000 Chateau d’Yquem is a valiant effort in one of the most challenging Sauternes vintages in recent memory. The 2000 is quite deep in color. The nose is crisp and well-defined but not the most complex, as you would expect from a truly challenging growing season in Sauternes. It is pleasant in its own way with delicate scents of tangerine, yellow flowers and Mirabelle. The palate is well-balanced with marmalade tinged opening. I like the acidity here, an Yquem with good race, although it does feel a little tapered toward the finish. Drink now-2025. Tasted March 2014.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NM

The pale to medium lemon-gold colored 2005 d’Yquem opens with a provocative, mineral and earth-tinged nose of chalk dust, wet pebbles and dried wild mushrooms over a core of warm apricots, green mango, honeyed toast, ginger and pink grapefruit plus wafts of honeycomb, orange blossoms and saffron. The palate confirms the wine is still a little closed and shut down, offering achingly gorgeous glimpses at the tightly wound, intricate layers structured with a racy acid line and wonderfully creamy texture, finishing incredibly long and perfumed. This decadent flavor bomb still needs a good five to seven years in bottle before it is set to go off, but oh what a spectacle it will give then!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis has a deliciously pure feel, with juicy, inviting green plum, ginger, heather, creamed pineapple and Jonagold apple flavors all melded together and gliding through the lengthy finish, which echoes with lilting flowers and dried citrus notes. Best from 2015 through 2045. 12,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis isn’t sweet, but just so wonderfully rich. It’s the concentration of botrytis that makes the wine. The texture is velvet, but with a spicy bite to it. Apricot, honey and marzipan all contribute to a wine that will age over decades.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2005 Yquem is limpid golden in hue. The bouquet is gorgeous, finely-tuned and precise with clear honey, vanilla pod and saffron, less of the almond that I have noticed previously. The palate is built around its exquisite poise, the acidity keeping this Yquem on its tip-toes. As I have noted before, it appears to be gaining in concentration and viscosity with age, lovely fig and tangerine notes combining with a slight nuttiness on the finish. Tasted at 67 Pall Mall in London.Vinous Media | 96 VMWhat an incredible nose of flowers, honey, spices such as clove, and sandalwood. With time, decadent aromas of apple tart and crumble develop. Full and very round on the palate, this is medium sweet with a velvety texture. Flavors of honey, apple and pear tart appear on the long finish. This is so beautiful, hard not to drink now but will greatly improve with more time. 140 grams of RS.James Suckling | 95 JSThe summer heat that led to such outstanding wines from Bordeaux in 2005 was not ideal for Sauternes, as the onset of botrytis was fairly late and sporadic. Also the hot conditions kept acidity on the low side. Nonetheless d’Yquem made a finely balanced wine, with discreet apple and apricot aromas that are still reticent. It’s suave, textured and very concentrated, with elegant oak and no overbearing viscosity or heaviness. Very long, it will keep well, but may not be among the very greatest Yquems. Drinking Window 2019 - 2035Decanter | 94 DEC

Beautiful aromas of chocolate, berries and vanilla, with hints of raspberry. Full-bodied, with lovely, sweet fruit and layers of velvety tannins. Goes on and on. Give this time, but beautifully balanced.—’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2012. 830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSAnother quasi-garage wine made from 10.6 acres of vines planted with 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc, this wine enjoys malolactic fermentation in barrel, aging on its lees, and while unfined, does receive a light filtration.A superb effort, the dark ruby/purple-colored 1998 offers gorgeous aromas of flowers, blackberries, cherries, smoke, licorice, and spice box. It is deep, succulent, medium to full-bodied, with decent acidity, superb purity, and a creamy texture. Tannin is present, but it is well-integrated and balanced by the wine’s depth. Anticipated maturity: now-2014.Robert Parker | 90 RPMedium ruby. Plum, raspberry and graphite on the nose. Very silky and plummy, with excellent depth of flavor but very good rather than outstanding complexity. Suggestions of surmaturite give this a slight heaviness. "Very ripe but a bit simple and lacking something," notes Prissette, adding that the ’99 conveys a stronger impression of the site.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Beautiful aromas of plums, soy, black currants, black raspberries, espresso, and spring flowers jump from the glass of this perfumed, dense plum/ruby/purple-tinged Pomerol. Medium to full-bodied and pure with sweet tannin and impressive extract, it will benefit from 2-3 more years of bottle age, and should last for an additional two decades.Robert Parker | 93 RPThere’s no denying the dense, rather massive core of raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry confiture flavors here, but the core is already showing a lightly dried edge. The finish picks up mulling spice, cocoa and melted licorice notes that compensate for that, but I feel like this is burning the candle at both ends, relying more on oomph than precision.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 2,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

As good (better??) than the 2001, the 1995 Monbazillac Cuvee Madame is straight up extraordinary juice that certainly one of the finest dessert wines I’ve ever tasted. A blend of 60% Muscadelle, 40% Sémillon that spent just under three years in new French oak, it offers a heavenly bouquet of orange marmalade, caramelized peach, brioche and honeycomb, a huge, full-bodied, unctuous profile, no weight and a finish that just won’t quiet. If you love sweet wines, I promise, it doesn’t get better. It’s drinking sensationally today, yet I suspect it will have a 50-year lifespan.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDI have applauded recent efforts of this estate, which goes to unprecedented lengths as well as labor to produce the most amazing sweet wines I have ever tasted. Their two new vintages include a perfect 1995 Cuvee Madame and a totally profound regular cuvee of 1995 Monbazillac. I recently had the 1993 Cuvee Madame next to an exceptional bottle of 1989 Chateau d’Yquem. Everyone at the table went ballistic over the 1993 Cuvee Madame. They loved the Yquem, but thought Tirecul la Graviere’s 1993 Cuvee Madame to be the superior wine. Perhaps the tasting should be repeated in 20-30 years to determine if the results would be similar. That being said, there is no doubt in my mind that the 1995 Cuvee Madame is as profound a sweet wine as I have ever tasted. Made from 80-year old vines, harvested grape by grape, and with yields of 12 hectoliters per hectare (under one ton of fruit per acre), this wine boasts a glorious nose of apricot jam, tangerine essence, and subtle spicy oak. With its profound richness, blazingly vivid definition, huge body, viscous thickness (with no heaviness), and finish that lasts for nearly a minute, this nectar constitutes one of the most extraordinary sweet wines I have ever tasted. As is the case with so many of the world’s greatest wines, the production is insignificant. Only 50 six-bottle cases are being imported to the United States.Robert Parker | 100 RP

This too is reference standard RSV with its wonderfully seductive panoply of spice and fresh crushed herb notes that seamlessly merge with rich, powerful yet refined flavors that pack plenty of punch and length. The length here is simply phenomenal and this is without question the finest wine in the line-up. In short, this is a compelling wine that is endowed with the potential to become a genuinely great wine. (Drink between 2009-2016)Burghound | 92-95 BHSugar-coated creamy red fruits and flowers are found in the aromatic profile of the 2001 Romanee-St.-Vivant. Armed with wonderful depth of fruit, it is medium-bodied, silky-textured, and offers loads of red cherry fruit. An elegant, concentrated wine, it is well-structured and lengthy. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2012.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-93 RPGood bright dark red. Lively aromas of plum, violet, espresso and underbrush; a bit more primary than the Suchots. Impressively concentrated, dense and sweet, with vibrant red fruit and spice flavors. Impeccably balanced, generous 2001, finishing with superb sweetness and breadth. This, too, should reward several years of aging but is fat and pliant already.Vinous Media | 93 VMFloral, elegant, silky. Full-bodied, a lovely red Burgundy, with smoke, blackberries, black cherries and raspberries swirling around, seducing from start to finish. Clean, pure, long, balanced finish. Drink now through 2009.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

No written review provided. | 95 ISC

A prestige Champagne with great density and depth, yet it remains compact and structured, with a combination of fine phenolics, acidity and extract. Lots of flavors of lemon rind, salt, mineral and honeysuckle with an attractive fresh-herb undertone. Then it turns to candied lemons with some ginger. A triumph in complexity and power. A blend of 2008, 2007 and 2006. 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir. 7g/L dosage. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSA blend of the 2008, 2007 and 2006 vintages, with fully 55% deriving from 2008, Laurent-Perrier’s NV Brut Grand Siècle #25 is coming into its own today, bursting from the glass with scents of nectarine, pear, orange oil and confit citrus mingled with notions of buttery pastry, brioche, iodine, dried white flowers and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and incisive, with a fleshy core of fruit girdled by racy acids and animated by a pretty pinpoint mousse, it’s seamless and harmonious, concluding with a long, penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe NV Champagne Grand Siecle Grand Cuvée No. 25 is composed of the 2008, 2007, and 2006 vintages, from nine Grand Crus, and has 7 grams per liter dosage. It is only the second time in Laurent-Perrier’s history that this the cuvée was produced from consecutive vintages. This is the first and most complete of the three expressions I tasted in Tours-sur-Marne in September, as it strikes remarkable balance between richness and tension. The nose is elegant in its ripeness, with perfumed layers of white flowers, honey, and sweet pastry. Meanwhile, the palate is compact, racy, and focused. It all comes together with great length and a long finish. Drink 2024-2044.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe NV Brut Grande Cuvée Grand Siècle No. 25 (Magnum) is a Champagne of striking nuance and class. Elegant and restrained in feel, the No.25 is remarkably polished from start to finish. Lemon confit, white flowers, white pepper and citrus oil give the No. 25 brilliant aromatic top notes that add to its chiseled personality. It can be enjoyed now because of its superb balance, or aged for two decades. The blend of vintages - 2008 (60%), 2007 (20%), 2006 (20%) - is especially strong. Disgorged May 27, 2019. (Originally published in August 2020)Vinous Media | 96 VMThe newest release of Grand Siècle is based upon the superb and structured 2008 vintage (65% of the blend), along with the vivacious 2007 vintage (25%), and the creamy, luxurious 2006 (10%). The final blend is 60% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs and 40% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims. The result at this stage exhibits its Chardonnay character, with toasty notes of ripe pear and spice on the nose and a creamy, silky texture and an edge of citrus. Although elegant and refined at present, the underlying power will doubtless come to the fore with time. Dosage: 7g/L.Decanter | 95 DEC

An absolutely spectacular Tertre Roteboeuf, probably the only other vintage that will reach this level of quality is the 2000. The 1990 has a deep plum/ruby color with some lightening at the edge and an extraordinarily flamboyant nose of jammy black cherry and berry fruit infused with smoke, caramel, and coffee notes that soar from the glass. This is a very viscous, full-bodied, silky textured wine has a to-die-for finish and enough glycerin and body to get lost. It is just entering its plateau of full maturity. A wow-wow wine! Anticipated maturity: Now-2015. Last tasted, 12/02.Robert Parker | 98 RPDeep red-ruby. Fabulous nose of toffee, coffee, smoke, cinnamon, minerals and a faint animal quality. Extraordinarily thick entry; great density and sweetness but with plenty of underlying acidity and backbone. As with the voluptuous ‘89, there’s lovely delineation of flavor beneath all the glycerine. Finishes with a wave of melting tannins. Kept revealing additional nuances as it opened in the glass. Along with the ’90 L’Angelus, a great example of what can be done with controlled yields, 100% new oak, and - minimal filtration. This wine is now putting most of Bordeaux’s bigger names to shame.Vinous Media | 94 VM