Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

Vintage 2021 | blind tasted I thought Merlot, but that is only 1/3, 2/3 is Cabernet Sauvignon. Refinement and rondeur. Plums, cassis, hints of tobacco and chocolate. — 14 days ago

Elmars

9.1

This Pinot Noir is full-bodied and well-balanced, offering a rich and satisfying flavor profile. — 12 days ago

Inseon Hwang

9.5

Robust and bold. Dark fruit, dark plum and ripe blackberry, cassis, oak. — a month ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.5

Deep ruby color. Aromas of dried cherries, cranberry, cola and spearmint. Amazing red fruit flavors, black tea and licorice. — 3 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

From a Delectable library photo. This is the 2015 vintage. Sweeter aromatics compared to the 2015 Echezeaux. An even more gorgeous scented nose. That sweetness carries through to the medium bodied palate. A little more flesh and density. The old vine fruit averaging 55 years. The name however does not imply greater quality over the Echezeaux. Jasper Morris MW has sometimes preferred Echezeaux to Grands Echezeaux in a given vintage. “Interestingly the vineyard is east facing with a thickish layer of well drained clay soil above the same downwash subsoil of Bajocian limestone as Le Musigny - a characteristic not shared by the rest of Echezeaux. This can impart a fuller texture to the wines of Grands Echezeaux over its neighbour as well as a greater consistency from one vintage to the next.” sourced from Inside Burgundy by Jasper Morris MW. — 16 days ago

Her Mir Tage

9.6

The Legendary 1990 and 2005 Vintages, and the 'Rouge' Aroma They Revealed!

I was meeting friends for a tasting, and I said I would bring a wine with a "rouge aroma" (*Yānzhī xiāng*). My friend also promised to open one with the same scent. If it's a cool vintage, a DRC might not reveal that distinctive rouge scent, but it's more common in warmer vintages, especially older ones from hot years. Of course, 2005 is a legendary vintage—it was warm but with significant diurnal temperature variation, resulting in balanced acidity and concentration, which also creates a very strong structure.

Thankfully, the 1990 Clos de Tart, despite having a very low fill level, wasn't spoiled. Its condition wasn't as potent as a previous bottle I had opened. This one took about 1.5 hours to fully open up in the glass. When it did, it revealed that signature Jiangnan "rouge" scent—very soft, enchanting, and feminine—along with some notes of dried longan. The fruit was balanced, though the acidity was relatively weak.

Today, I'll mainly write about this DRC. Its structure is incredibly powerful. For the first two hours, it was very closed. I believe this wine needed at least four hours of decanting, primarily because the 2005s, despite being a warm year, aren't that easy to open up. The aromas only started to slowly emerge around the third hour, and we were using large decanters and glasses, waiting for a long time. Initially, for the first half-hour after opening, there was a reductive note that was a bit funky. Later, after it opened up, the nose was primarily an interplay of cypress pine, violets, and that rouge scent intertwined. Honestly, this wine felt androgynous to me—it evokes an image of a knight and a princess playing in a forest. It wasn't overly soft, and its layers were incredibly complex.

On the palate, it was abundant: primarily black fruit, sour plum, sandalwood, coffee beans, a hint of dark chocolate, and a touch of earthy notes. The tannins weren't very soft—but then again, I'm so accustomed to drinking old wines. I feel this wine will need another 10 years to truly reach its peak. Its structure is exceptionally strong, unfolding layer by layer, with beautifully balanced acidity.

Comparing these two wines, their styles are completely different. One could say it's a contrast between an iconic Eastern beauty and a Western princess. I personally adore the soft and elegant style, but the 2005 is a wine with immense structure—it possesses a feminine power that is very potent, almost like the vision of a woman holding authority in a man's world.

Drinking such magnificent wines brings me great joy! — a month ago

Rick Phillips

9.4

Just keeps getting better. Decanted for 2 hours. Deep Ruby with bold flavors of Cherry, spice but still smooth. Lingering fruit with a hint of plum. — 17 days ago

with Letha

Her Mir Tage

9.7

DRC Richebourg 2017: A fragrance untainted by the world～

The 2017 DRC Richebourg is a perfume explosion—a captivating interplay of woody clove and spice, both flamboyant and impeccably controlled. As we tasted, I asked my friends if they knew of a perfume that echoed this wine's aroma. They replied they had never come across one, but would purchase it without hesitation if they did. To my nose, the closest relative would be L'Artisan Parfumeur’s Dzongkha.

It offers that bracing, airy coolness with smoky, peppery spices, laced with the subtle sweet-herbaceous touch of magnolia and clove—reminiscent of the complex scent that washes over you the moment you push open the massive door of an ancient, solitary temple: the crisp, thin air of the high altitudes meeting the first ethereal wisp of incense smoke. Then unfolds layers of ancient wood, the dust of old books, musk, and earthy vetiver. The overall character is intensely crystalline, spiritual, and weightless—evoking visions of high plateaus and vast wilderness, of isolated lamaseries. Some DRCs also possess a temple-like quality, but theirs is a temple down here among us, bustling with devotees and heavy with the common smoke of popular devotion— a more earthly presence. — a month ago

Dan R

9.2

A nice bottle, open after a half day in the decanter showing dark fruit mint and earth notes. Great with lamb chops — 3 months ago

"Odedi"

9.3

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose of red fruits with earth, herbs and chocolate notes.

Dry and fruit forward on the palate with raspberries, cherries, peppercorn, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, earth, light cedar, tobacco leaf and herbs.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Mourvedre from Bandol. Elegant and nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Drinking beautifully now, although still young, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Complex and delicious right now. Good by itself or with food.

A blend of 90% Mourvedre and 10% Grenache. Aged for 22 months in large French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$75. — 3 months ago