A politically correct, safely made Cabernet Sauvignon with enough spice, fruit, body, acidity, and alcohol, but little in the way of thrills or excitement. The 1985 is typical of the recent B.V. Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons.... Read More
Approaching full maturity, this beautifully sweet Chateau Margaux has a dense plum/purple color and a huge, sweet nose of black currants intermixed with licorice, toast, underbrush, and flowers. Medium to full-bodied with supple... Read More
This house tends to produce quite full-bodied, rich, alcoholic, spirited vintage ports that never have a great deal of complexity or finesse but offer meaty, chocolaty, spicy, full-bodied, alcoholic flavors at the expense of elegance.... Read More
Initially, the nose suggests that all is well and it's really quite expressive with good spice and plenty of lovely mature but not tired, beautifully complex aromas. After approximately 45 minutes of air however, the rich... Read More
The 1985 from cask could have been a lighter version of the 1982 and 1953 vintages. Forward, with a fabulously scented bouquet of pain grille and concentrated red and black fruits (especially black cherries), it is rich, lush,... Read More
This is an extraordinary house that seems to have been particularly successful with its vintage port since 1977.The 1985 is dark-ruby/purple with a rather closed one-dimensional aroma. On the palate, this Dow is restrained, but... Read More
The 1985 Fonseca is still youthful in appearance with hardly any ageing on the rim. The nose offers kirsch, sloes and Christmas cake. With time, there are subtle notes of dried fig and dates beginning to emerge and add to the... Read More
In some tastings this wine has been controversial because it was alleged to have a damp, woody, musty character. In the March tasting (my seventh look at this brilliant wine), I found it once again to be clean and hardly controversial... Read More
Chave produced the best red Hermitage of this vintage. Yet for Chave 1985 was not a year he cares to remember. Holding back the tears, he sadly states that his beloved mother, as well as his faithful sidekick, his dog, passed... Read More
The 1985 is deliciously opulent, rich, and open knit. The color is a dark ruby/purple with some garnet at the edge. The wine offers a sweet, smoky, melted road tar, black currant-scented nose with toasty oak in the background.... Read More
Smooth, polished and supple, with a nice range of plum, cherry and exotic spices. The velvety finish echoes fruit and spice. Best now through 2005.--Latour à Pomerol vertical. -HS WS
This is a scratch and dent bottle There are blemishes to the label and / or capsule, or the bottle might show signs of seepage. This bottle is priced less than it would be if it did not have these defects for that reason. The... Read More
Consistently a low to mid-ninety point Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Montelena's 1985 remains frightfully backward at nearly ten years of age. The 1985, 1987, and 1991 have the potential to be three of the longest-lived Montelena... Read More