Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

This Right Bank Bordeaux is bright Ruby red, from a blend of Merlot (80%), rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Fresh red fruit with cedar spice aromas. On the palate flavors of blackberry and cherry with some cacao and licorice notes, adding oak and mineral tones. Fine tannins, medium finish, good balance with fruit, ending with smoky oak character, drink now on the younger side, no real benefit from long-term aging. — 12 days ago

Ross Bathgate

9.7

Extraordinary. I drank lots of these in my youth, they were amazing then and even better now. My last bottle shared with my brother for his birthday. Cork was in good shape and the wine was still fresh and vibrant. No signs of brown in the colour and the nose had no signs of decay. Opened up slowly in the decanter and then really evolved. So voluptuous with such fine integrated tannin and subtle chocolate all in harmony. Such an amazing wine leading to the opening of the 1998! — 3 months ago

Doug Powers

9.3

Sometimes no other wine will do for me than old-style (13% ABV) Bordeaux, and this lovely medium-aged Pauillac absolutely fills the bill, redfruits, structured but not really tannic, great acid balance really lifts the fruit, not a blockbuster, but very fine nonetheless, I could drink a lot of this!! — a year ago

with Jim

Doug Powers

9.3

Just lovely black plummy fruit, some minerality as well, shows very youthful appearance and flavors, like the Bouscasse VV, 12.5% ABV and shows great freshness and no overripeness, long finish, back when I was actively tasting and following CA red wines, I loved the balance of the 1995 vintage, super fine with years to go, bravo to Patrick C!! — 2 years ago

with Jim

Bob McDonald

9.6

The final wine at the Yarra Yering dinner in Brisbane last Thursday night 3rd October 2024 with winemaker Sarah Crowe. Fitting that Dry Red No. 1 should be the final wine - arguably the Jewel in the Crown. Initial aromatic impressions are gorgeous. This is the 50th vintage of Dry Red No. 1. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Brief notes - blackberry, aniseed and bay leaf. A medium bodied Cabernet with M+ intensity and finishing with fine boned tannin structure. Power with poise, concentration with finesse. Will live for 20 years plus. I have been buying on an irregular basis for many years. The 1990 was a highlight. I asked Sarah, who was Chairman of the Royal Sydney Wine Show this year to compare 3 of the main Cabernet producing areas in Australia - Yarra Valley leafy fragrance, Coonawarra Mint, and Margaret River herbaceousness. At Restaurant Dan Arnold. — a month ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Bright Ruby color with aromas of red berry fruits, spice and floral notes. On the palate flavors of cherry and strawberry with spice, licorice and floral notes. Fine chewy tannins, medium+ finish ending with fruit, floral spice and slight earthy character. — 9 months ago

Will Stanley

9.5

Just rock-solid Châteauneuf, this is exemplary and for me personally my exact sweet-spot in terms of the varied styles from this region. The nose takes a little coaxing, but has a great yin / yang profile of pure, fresh blue fruit, liquorice, violets, and garrigue, versus seared meat, iron and loamy earth. This all puts it square in the middle of the ‘old’ and ‘new’ schools, broadly speaking, and it’s a wine that has the best of both worlds as a result.

The palate is huge, an iron fist in a glove of velvet and so much more, but in no way imbalanced or over-extracted - not overtly alcoholic, at a modest 14%. It spreads out in waves across the palate, ripples which are felt long after the finish. This is clearly a baby now, but it drinks well and will see its 20th birthday in damn fine fettle. Excited to have a case in the cellar.

Decanting not required nor recommended. — 2 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.3

A wine that majorly over-delivers! 15 years and it has settled nicely into middle age.

The color is a deep ruby, no signs of age at the edge (no bricking), ruby red edges. The nose has a medium+ intensity of cherry, currants, red plum, loamy soils, mild spice and dark cocoa. The palate is medium bodied, with medium, fine grain tannin that are resolving into the wine's texture harmoniously. The palate intensity is med+ and the finish is persistent and long. Outstanding and $34.50 from JJB on futures. Wish I had bought more! — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2019 classico pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of sour cherry, cranberry, red flowers, dried herbs, gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and satisfying. To my palate, this is a fine classico from Serralunga d’Alba. Drink now with patience but I expect this will show better after 2029 and through 2044. — 4 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.6

Lemon yellow , really quite young looking, very fine persistent perlage. Slightly reticent at first and then very pure confit lemon , buttered toast , pastry , seashells , mineral , chalky notes , very much like a Montrachet with bubbles . In the mouth really intense minerality , so precisely balanced with mouth watering acidity and very long on the palate . Ripe but steely citrus fruits , pastry notes and lots of minerality on the palate . This is really young still , and probably needs more time in all honesty , no crime to drink now but will surely only improve over the next 10 years and last a further 10 to 15 . — a year ago