When I've seen your tasting notebook I've wondered: what's your approach to writing tasting notes? As a student, I try to make them as detailed and technical as I can, but I guess a true professional will go the other way and leave only what is truly meaningful. So a video on tasting notes and how to make them effective both for personal record and to share with other professionals would be super interesting!

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

I’ll look to piece together a video on tasting notes. Cheers. 🍷

Great video. As a young student of wine I attended my first large scale wine tasting event back in the early winter of 2001. That evening I walked out of the event with my first ever “expensive” bottle, a 1996 Lynch Bages. I paid $80 for it. Currently I have many Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux vintages ranging from 2005 to 2018 cruising in my cellar. But from that first experience, to this day, I still have a soft spot for Lynch. Currently I have a nice supply of 2015 Lynch, which from all accounts are not too austere. Hopefully I’ll experience a good drinking window with them come 2027-2030.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment. For you the soft spot is Lynch Bages, for me it’s Cantenac Brown. Your 2015s cpuld go beyond 2027-2030. You have some gems! 🍷

@rjo8500

7 ай бұрын

@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine Margaux is my favorite producer. Very consistent. Remember the prices back in the day on Cantenac Brown? It was once an every weekend drinker for us. Those days are gone. We currently have 2010’s in the cellar.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

@@rjo8500I recall drinking the ‘66 Cantenac Brown in the early 1980s. It set the standard for me. 🍷

Bob - I’m just discovering your channel and videos. They are very informative - Thank You !!

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

6 ай бұрын

Hi James, thanks for the good word. The channel has been around for just over one year. Much more to come! Cheers 🍷

More of these old vintage vids please!

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

Ай бұрын

Absolutely! 🍷

Thanks Bob!

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

4 ай бұрын

I appreciate your support. 🍷

Thanks for taking us along on your tasting 🍷

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! Cheers. 🍷

That's the best looking 25 year old cork I've ever seen! Incredible. I'm sipping my J.J. Prüm 'Bernkasteler Badstube' Spätlese 2012. Very enjoyable with some slight petrol notes, and similar to earlier experiences with 'Badstube' it is quite soft. Some more "punch" on day 2, as I'm writing this. If I get to choose (and I do) I prefer some more electricity and laser focus, which I more often find in Saar wines. But I still have the Prüm 'Wehlener Sonnenuhr' 2003 to look forward to.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

I agree, the cork for the Lynch Bages was pristine. You’re drinking well, but it sounds like the acidity could be lacking a bit. I think your ‘03 will be something special. Cheers!

Very interesting information put out here, thank you.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Absolutely a favorite and punches above its 5th growth status IMHO. I still have a 2000 and a few 05’s in my cellar that are drinking great I think. Needs a bit of a decant, but lovely. Great video. Thank you.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Thanks Carl. 2000 and ‘05, two great vintages! Cheers! 🍷

I appreciate the guidance you’ve offered on aging/drinking windows. I’d love to learn more about how you gauge this.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Based on the history of the wine producer and strength of the vintage.

I just love aged Bordeaux. Can be magic. I bought 4 Bottles of Lync-.Barges 1990. When i was in the Army in 1997. I had to promish to keep them for 10 yers. so i drank the first in 2007. and again in 2017. 3 in 2020. and tha last one 3-4 month aggo.. Should have keept them all till now 😁 And i payed less than 50 Bugs a Bottle.. So i always celler Bordeaux...

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Same for me, love aged Bordeaux. I had the 1990 many years ago, excellent vintage. Wines that good are always difficult to keep. 🍷

@henriklindhansen6456

7 ай бұрын

@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine Ohh yes... the wait is long. But worth it.

Have all ways had a soft spot in my heart for L-B. In the 70’s and 80’s drinkable bottles could be had for what today would buy a mass-produced Bordeaux Superieur. Took me back to my first wedding in 1984. Just me and my bride. City Hall in WF. After, an early dinner at a well regarded, tiny bistro on Divisadero. They were kind enough to let me bring in a bottle of ‘59 L-B, and a half of vintage ? Philipponant the day before. When we arrived for our “wedding feast” we found that the chef had built the evening’s specials to match our wines. The first nose of the L-B made my head spin, and it lasted forerver, even decanted. Nowadays I’ll have a bottle of Echo, if I can find it well priced. For old time’s sake. And the champagne wasn’t bad either…. The cork on yours was absolutely astounding. I immediately wondered if you’d had the bottle recorded sometime. And as always the information is concise, eloquently presented with delightful ease. Thanks!

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing a wonderful story. ‘59 is a fantastic vintage. And yes, today’s pricing makes it difficult to rationalize the spend. As for the cork, it was in remarkable condition. Kind regards, Bob 🍷

As always, thanks for the information. Just recently really starting to get into Bordeaux wines and have more fun tasting and trying than should be allowed. Just rewatched your Bordeaux tasting video from, I think, last year.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

4 ай бұрын

Thanks Jim. Plenty to explore with Bordeaux. If you research it, plenty of values when you look beyond the iconic classified wines.

Just discovered your channel! Opening an average vintage and the bottle being decent upon first pour, to me, means drink it as quickly as possible. I’ve had way too many 98s taste fresh upon pour to fall apart completely after an hour.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

3 ай бұрын

I’m glad you found my channel. I’ve had better luck with Right Bank ‘98s, but I agree many fall apart quickly. 🍷

Thanks for this review Bob. I've had a couple of bottles of Lynch Bages from 2001 and thankfully have two remaining of the 2000 vintage bought on release at Costco. Thankfully I bought heavily on 2000 Bordeaux classified growths and 2001 Mosel riesling, particularly 2001 JJ Prüm kabinett all the way up to GKA level.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

6 ай бұрын

You bought well. I don’t have many 2000 from Bordeaux, but I do have a good amount of 1995 which are drinking very well. And JJ Prum, I have some going back the 90’s, ageless wonders!

Thanks, Bob, for sharing your last bottle of that wine with us. I have a few bottles of both Durfort-Vivens and Branaire-Ducru, 2005. The agonising decision is when to drink aged claret - I would be annoyed if they were over the hill when I drank them.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Hi Steven, I’m happy to share the wines on KZread. Your 2005s should be in fine condition, certainly a stronger vintage than mine from the video. Your wines should now be nearing maturity.

Bob, I wish that KZread allowed photos in the comments because I would show you my empty 1996 Lynch-Bages. When we drank it, the prices had climbed to the point where sourcing additional bottles was getting out of control. Much less the LaTour, Lafite and Mouton Rothschild that I was able to obtain at around $100 a bottle back in early 2000s. All empty now, but they were all stellar, but really I can't justify paying today's prices. I have put several bottles of the Echo in the cellar. Very good for the price.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Ron, it’s good hearing from you. I still have a fair number of ‘96s, both Left and Right Bank. I’ll open a bottle every now and then, they never disappoint. I’m a fan of Echo, solid, well made with a decent level of aging potential. I can find them for around $50 for recent vintages.

Thanks for sharing. I was in Bordeaux a couple of weeks ago and visited a restaurant owned by Lynches Bages. Honestly, I tried it the 2014 and was profoundly unimpressed. There are so many better wines for the price. You paid $40 bucks which makes it a steal but based on today’s prices it makes no sense

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Thank for the comment. Many of the best Bordeaux bargains are properties off the radar. Many are in the $30 to $50 range. Todays prices for the highly acclaimed properties are not wines I buy any longer. Cheers. 🍷

I was hoping at the very beginning that you would do a follow-up to show how the wine evolved few hours later. So glad you did! Like someone else wrote, I'm curious too about your wine tasting notes.. we are curious monkeys 😂😘

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Perhaps I should make a brief video on tasting notes, for the curious monkeys! 😂

Haven't had the 98 but 95 was excellent a few years back. Everything people love about aged Bordeaux. I still have a 85 and 96 and am a bit worried that the former may be past its best showing.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

The 95 is better than the 98. Open Tyra 85 soon! 🍷

As always, excellent informative video, Bob. I wonder if you tasted any hint of oxidation. And that fifty percent new French oak is a big contributing factor in the cost of high-end Bordeaux reds as those barrels run between 1.5 and 2K Euros.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Thank you. The tertiary notes include a level of oxidation. The new oak definitively contributes a significant part of the cost.

Bob, I have watched several of your videos, and I enjoy all of them. Bordeaux was my first (wine) love, so this video is especially fun. But (don't laugh) the real reason I am posting is to congratulate you on having such a great head of hair! As a man, I had never noticed it previously, but for some reason I did today. So, kudos to you, and I hope you have a wife/girlfriend who appreciates it! Cheers!

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Don’t laugh? I couldn’t help it, I laughed out loud! I read your note to my partner, she laughed out loud as well! 😂 A laugh and a good glass of red makes for a nice Friday night. Thanks for the note and for following my channel. Cheers. 🍷

Really appreciate the video Bob! On the other side of the spectrum, what’s your opinion on Beaujolais Nouveau? I’m having my first significant tasting tomorrow, excited to try and compare them.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the good word on the video. Last night, I had a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau. I’ll have one bottle each year. This year it was Pardon & Fils. Simple wine, but enjoyable, fruity, bright, fresh and gulpable. You’ll enjoy it. Good candidates to be chilled down a bit.

Hi Bob, how do you determine when to open this last bottle? When you open the 1st bottle relatively young (10-13 years), what are the factors you looked for? Thank you in advance.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

6 ай бұрын

I make an assessment based on the earlier bottles tasted, producer, vintage and previous track record. With reds, I’m considering the structure, balance, complexity and tannin levels. Many moving pieces to make an educated best guess. Cheers! 🍷

Nice! Amongst the bottles of old red wines I’ve had I’ve noticed that sometimes they taste fantastic right after opening but fade quickly (sort of like your bottle it seems) while at other times they may need many hours of air to start to taste well. Is this something you recognise and can explain?

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

It depends on many factors, producer, vintage, methods of winemaking and wine storage. Also some wines go through “dumb” phases where they don’t show well, then bloom at a later time. There are no hard and fast rules. With very old wines, 20+ years or so, I find that most fade relatively quickly after opening, which it’s best to avoid decanting. Thanks for the comment!

Interesting to see a older and less than stellar vintage of Bordeaux in a tasting. If memory serves me, I have tasted maybe 2006, 2007 Bordeaux, but not much older than that. I was a wine expo earlier this year and was tasting 2015 Bordeaux side by side with 2016. The 2016 was much more integrated and cohesive compared to the 2015 which seemed a bit tannic and acidic. I opened a bottle of 2018 last week and noticed that it is quite a warm and ripe vintage compared to other recent vintages. I am more of a Right Bank fan for the most part, or wines with a higher CF or Merlot percentage.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

I enjoy drinking older wines, especially when comparing bottles over a number of years. While 1998 isn’t a great Left Bank vintage, this was an interesting wine. As for the more current vintages, the 2016s are showing well, I’m in agreement with you. My concern with some of the recent vintages is the alcohol levels. Some show heat and a lack of balance. Generally, I’ll take the Right over the Left Bank as well.

@numanuma20

7 ай бұрын

I’d love to try a 2003 vintage. Bordeaux had such a heat wave that the wines have super low ABV for Bordeaux.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

⁠@@numanuma20The ‘03s that I’ve tried have been a mixed bag.

@zckls

7 ай бұрын

​@@numanuma20I bought a lot of left bank '03s and regretted it. They aren't aging well.

How was it the next day? I often find better still, even with older wines.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

It had faded by day two. I’ve also had many that were better on the second day, not this one.

what temperature do you suggest to serve at?

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

60F to 65F. Cooler brings out the tannin, warmer brings out more of the alcoholic heat.

Bob what Boudreaux wine do you recommend to buy and age 5 years, price point 25-35 dlls

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

2 ай бұрын

Roberto, the Ch Lanassan is a good candidate. Ch Dalem is another. Both are in your price range 🍷

@robertovaldes1550

2 ай бұрын

@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine Bob should I go for 2020 vintage

Nice video as always and get me really interested in tasting old vintage wine. Just curious how do I tell if the old vintage wine is still drinkable? Do I get poisoned by bad old vintage wine somehow?😂

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the good word. You won’t be poisoned! If it’s an old red wine, the full level should be high, in the neck of the bottle. Shoulder fill is a bad sign. The cork should be sound. If the color is brown or amber, another bad sign. Every wine has a life cycle. Older is not necessarily better, only a small range of wines improve with cellaring.

Just out of curiosity, with all the good Bordeaux vintages and the increase in quality over the last few years, do you think these expensive classified growths are worth the money? There seem to be plenty of 40-90 dollar bottles which are fantastic

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

It depends on what you mean. Investment? Personal consumption? For the latter, I think it’s often not worth it. While Bordeaux is experiencing plenty of challenges, lesser known chateaux from satellite appellations can be sensational. I don’t buy much classified Bordeaux, I prefer the hidden gems. Cheers! 🍷

@zacharydenka2452

7 ай бұрын

Got it; yes for personal consumption, to clarify. That makes sense, thanks for your response!

@larrydalton2205

6 ай бұрын

​@bobpaulinskimasterofwine7234 Thanks for this opinion. It reminds me that at my age I don't need to buy more wine that she's that long. I need to stick with buying short term drinkers and open my 20 year old wines.

Opened a $5K Mouton Rothchild for my billionaire boss in the early noughties. Faded into yuck in five minutes. Hurriedly served a D'Arenburg Dead Arm Shiraz.

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

5 ай бұрын

Haha! Little chance of Dead Arm fading!

Thanks, sad to drain the last of your bottles of this wine, but appreciate you sharing it. I’ve heard people say that wine production in Left Bank has gotten more scientific, and the vintage differences are less strongly expressed than they were pre2000, say. Any truth to that?

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

I’m glad to share my old wines on KZread. Thanks for the good word. In terms of recent Left Bank vintages being more scientific, it’s more of matter of being cleaner, less Bret, no off microbial notes. Also, many recent vintages have been warm. This leads to a higher level of sameness.

Do you ever use a Durand on old corks? If not, why not? What do you think about the Durand, other than the obvious "it's too expensive."

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

I have used it and like it, but I don’t own one. The ah-so has worked well and it’s cheap. With the old Lynch Bages, I’m sure the old school waiters corkscrew would’ve worked well as the cork was in great shape.

@hacksawbob3310

7 ай бұрын

@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine Yeah, that looked excellent for a 25-year-old cork!

@bobpaulinskimasterofwine

7 ай бұрын

@@hacksawbob3310It was in great shape. 🍷