Crèche sporting a Harry & David manger for the baby sheepus:
I opened the Mouton on Christmas Eve to go with Filet Mignon.
Perfect cork
came out in one piece with my ah-so
Dark red color with no thinning at the edge. Subdued nose at first, became more expressive with time.
Nice dark fruits and cigar box. Not especially complex but in a good place right now, and it gave great pleasure accompanying the Filet.
93 points
For dinner on Christmas Day I opened my bottle of 1978 Ch. Palmer.
This bottle had seeped a fair amount into the capsule leaving a thick crust. Level was still at the very top of the shoulder though. The cork was not tight and came out easily with my corkscrew, leaving only the last 1/4" broken off a short distance from the top. Loads of sediment in the bottle, some of which clogged my filter near the end of the decant.
This was better than the Pauillac from the night before. What came to mind with my first whiff was - Umami. This wine is very savory, with plenty of forest floor aroma layered on top of the dark red fruit. Baking spices and lip smacking acidity led to a medium long finish.
Up to now this is my WOTY.
94 points
