Alvaro Bustillos

9.2

Cena xon carlos gaytan y david wolf con los winegeeks el@paso jrz — a month ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

1995 vintage. Great aging cork in good shape. Decanted and tasted immediately, after 30 mins and after 2 hours. Decent amount of sed. Slight brickish color. Initially and generally throughout, reticent nose and flavors. Very tightly wound overall. Eventually able to coax a small amount of black olive out of the nose along with minerals for days. Some dark cherry and plum allied with baking chocolate in the transition from mid-palate to finish. It was tough sledding in the frontal palate. Super dry with summer earth/dirt at the start. Obvious class but never really flashed more than a few cards to play. Perhaps a different bottle shows a little more love? Producer is always on the leaner side so unbridled optimism on that front is likely wasted energy. 10.25.23. — a year ago

Joe Weinberger

9.0

I think this could benefit from a year or two in bottle at the moment. A little primary but the stuffing is there for it to develop into something much better. — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service; enjoyed over period that lasted a few hours. After removing the capsule, cork was revealed to be completely saturated and moldy at the top. It was positively nasty. After wiping it down, I was able to extract the cork intact, with the use of a Durand. The 1988 pours a deep garnet with near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some sediment even after decanting. On the nose, the wine is a vinous mix of ripe and desiccated black and red fruits: brambles and currants, with tobacco, bell pepper, leather, organic earth and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and so delicious. Brilliant. The ’88 is ready to drink now with a short decant but has plenty of stuffing to drink well for at least another 10+ years and well-stored examples will be alive for much longer. — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

From magnum. No formal notes. The fill was top-shoulder. Underneath the capsule, the top of the cork looked nasty which I wiped down as best I could. About four hours before service, using a Durand (which is almost essential with old bottles) I was able to pull the cork completely intact and decant for sediment. The cork was completely saturated but appeared to have done its job! At this stage in its life, the 1990 Chateau Mouton Rothschild pours a garnet color but it doesn’t appear particularly tired and the nose supports that. While it’s certainly a vinous wine, there is a lot to like: a mix of red and black cassis, rip and desiccated cherries, tobacco leaf, cedar box, old leather, damp earth, some mushrooms and baking spices. The structure is still sound and while the tannins have integrated and the acid is keeping this very much alive. In fact, this seemed to brighten with air and almost get a second wind! As I find with all great Bordeaux wines once they enter this stage, they seem to live forever. This was a lovely pairing with a Prime, Niman Ranch porterhouse served with corn, squash and porcini. This is squarely in the “drink now” window, not that it will be falling off a cliff anytime soon. Decant for sediment and enjoy through 2030+ — a year ago

Shay A

9.6

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

And the hits just keep coming. A total monster. I found this to be the most extracted of the 5 reds. Could smell it five feet away. Dark chocolate dipped blueberries and blackberries, graham cracker, mocha, violets all jump from the glass. Velvet like texture revealing a streak of ripe red fruits and an herbal/mineral like note down the middle of the palate. Dusty. So much beautiful freshness but commanding power here...longest finish of the day. I called this 7-10yr old Napa cab (specifically Shafer Hillside Select). — 5 years ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

romo

9.1

There’s something here, but I’m not able to pinpoint it. — 8 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

1990 vintage. Decanted and tasted after one hour. Medium body. A shade darker than the 1990 La Turque tasted alongside. Deeper smoky, gamey nose. Meaty, gamey, smoky and beef broth/sous bois in the flavors. Super savory. This was phenomenal. Should be able to sustain this performance for the better part of a decade before noticeable drop off. Wowzers. Last tasted 3.24.23 with the same score. 3.15.24. — 9 months ago

David Koenen

9.4

The years have been kind. Solid and superb. A true treat to be able to taste this beauty again. Thanks so much J! — 2 years ago

Laura Purdy

9.2

Post event photo dump to rate a few favorites.
This had the highest concentration of bubbles in any champagne that I have tried. New oak Chardonnay is added following second fermentation. Very interesting - good, but not worth the price IMO. — 3 years ago