'99 SI Freedom Hill PN, '05 Larrivet Haut-Brion, '04 Albert

• 1999 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (6/16/2017)
  I took me awhile to come around to Freedom Hill but now I fully get it. This wine, at almost 20 years old, has come around. A beauty. No detailed notes other than this is special. Still quite tannic but the fruit and earth have maintained. A great blend of power and subtlety. I sure wish I had more of this. IIRC it was fairly inexpensive. This would go toe to toe with many wines that enjoy more fame. (94 pts.)
  
  
• 2005 Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (5/29/2017)
  This is in a great spot if you enjoy a little edge. The tannins meld nicely with all the other components. Still showing fresh fruit, blackberries and some dark cherry, but also showing leather and bit of tea. We really enjoyed this. Not shy in style and shows everything well. (92 pts.)
  
  
• 2004 Albert Mann Gewurztraminer - France, Alsace (5/27/2017)
  Under screwcap. The aromatics were nice and flinty. But not too strong. Other aromatics of apricot and peach. The palate starts off savory and slightly boozy. This wine is very rich. Peaches and cream. By itself there is some heat on the finish but I didn't notice it with the food. (89 pts.)

Cheers,

Jason

The SI sounds great. My '99 SI PNs have been gone at least 6 or 8 years, but I enjoyed the 7 Springs and the Brickhouse. Not sure I ever bought Freedom Hill (any vintage).
Good to hear of a 2005 Bordeaux drinking well already

[Jenise]

I sure understand re the Freedom Hill. I liked it a lot in 2011, but that was a vintage supplied me with a prescribed mixed case. I've not gone out of my way to buy it in the past ever since a bottle in the mid-90's that travelled with me from Willamette to Long Beach and finally Anchorage, AK, opened and recorked and retasted along the way, that hardly changed at all in character over 3-4 weeks' time. Very extracted with ripping tannins. Would have been interesting to save a bottle for, like, now, but I wasn't into that then and if I had been I probably couldn't have appreciated the potential.