External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.3 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 115 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by SpitzNV on 5/25/2024 & rated 92 points: This bottle was in great shape. Only the bottom quarter of the cork was stained. Just a tiny bit of the rim showed brick. I'd have guessed this to be at least ten years younger. Leather, sous bois and potpourri on the nose. On the palate it's lovely, if a tad simple. Sour cherry dominates with mushroom notes and a hint of funk. Shortish but very pleasant finish. (22 views) | | | Tasted by GrapeScott on 2/20/2024 & rated 93 points: This particular bottle has a label that looks like it's been stored in dumpster water, but with a base neck fill and pristine cork, it's what's inside that matters. Drank over two evenings and showing its best on day 2. Pretty red fruit nose laced with cherry, currant and strawberry. Balanced fruit and acidity, with tart cherry and hints of cardamom. Really quite stunning and in no danger of fading. Many of the '86s I've tried seem to be near immortal. (369 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 1/17/2024 & rated 91 points: CdB Annual Meeting (Minneapolis Club, Mpls, MN): Small pour. Blueberry, huckleberry, medium bodied, lovely, funky and damp earth, quite tart. In good shape. A fun one. (606 views) | | | Tasted by Brain Capers on 1/14/2024: Absolutely wonderful! Last bottle, what a way to go. Just about perfect, cork crumbled, used the antique wine strainer. Had a frozen cooked stuffed turkey thigh, and some excellent Camembert. Wow. (386 views) | | | Tasted by salil on 1/5/2024 flawed bottle: Champagne and claret (John's place, Croton): Alas, corked. (734 views) | | | Tasted by grapeless on 12/25/2023 & rated 89 points: Was good but felt it’s a little past it’s prime. (419 views) | | | Tasted by VinLouie on 12/24/2023 & rated 92 points: Double-decanted. In a beautiful spot now. Very clean and structured, but starting to soften a bit and more approachable now then a few years back. No secondary flavors. (253 views) | | | Tasted by gcarl on 8/20/2023 & rated 94 points: Same impressions as on 4/13/22. Impeccably cellar stored for 30+ years (500 views) | | | Tasted by parkline_wine on 5/18/2023 & rated 94 points: Really great for the price. Needed 1h of air. Extra point for a complete mature Bordeaux experience, at the sub $100 price-point (truly impressive!)
Smoke and sharp red fruits give way to black fruits, leather, earth, chocolate and mint. Elements become very pronounced at the 1 hour mark.
Acid started out sharp, but also calmed and integrated well as the wine received more aeration.
Nice finish, with lots of fruit through the late-palate.
Great effort. 86s for the win :) (841 views) | | | Tasted by BerkeleyBoy on 5/8/2023 & rated 88 points: Flat, over the hill, no fruit, cardboard. (688 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 7/11/2022: double-decanted about 6 hours before service. A little more muscular, black plums with green tobacco leaf, good acids, tannins in check. B+/A- (1606 views) | | | Tasted by Pontifax on 4/17/2022 & rated 93 points: Easter Sunday AND birthday dinner wine!
On nose: faint smoke and medicinal dark fruit.
On palate: after a 30 minute decant....above flavours fully amplified, and a seamless, woven palate of black currants, cigar notes, a ghost of bitter chocolate, oak, vanilla , tamed tannins and elegantly muted acidity...full flavoured , subtle and elegant....complex...with more notes....hint of damp earth and cinnamon after another hour....THIS is why Bordeaux is aged....and at 36 years old, can go for another several years, if well cellared.
Played well with Turkey breast, Orzo pasta salad with olives and sun dried tomatoes, and braised cabbage. (1666 views) | | | Tasted by gcarl on 4/13/2022 & rated 94 points: OUTSTANDING right bank example! Beautiful color and nose (which changed/improved over 90 minutes). Decanted at restaurant and slowly enjoyed over the 90 minute evening meal. Shared with restaurant manager and server, who agreed that it was special. Nose of cigar box/pencil shavings, smooth on the palate, nearly no tannins discernible. Almost no sediment, perfect cork. Sadly, probably my last one. (1462 views) | | | Tasted by racerchris on 2/14/2022 & rated 91 points: From 375. Perfect cork. Youthful dark fruit dominated on the palate. Very unlike the '81 I had just a few days ago, this was not particularly earthy, but it was just as easy to drink.
91-92 (1668 views) | | | Tasted by JJKinch on 8/2/2021 & rated 92 points: Opened a couple hours before drinking. No decanting. Cork nearly soaked through.
Dark fruit (blueberry, slight blackberry), nice spice, graphite, cassis, slight cedar, slight tobacco. Lingering finish. Good acidity. Really enjoyable. (2014 views) | | | Tasted by bestdamncab on 7/23/2021 & rated 93 points: Nose of saddle leather, black berry, dusty, gravelly earth, cedar, and black currants, same on the palate, big body, mouth filling fruit, very youthful and very tasty for a 35 year old Bordeaux, will easily last another 10 years, the third glass tonight was even better than the first glass, long finish, photo uploaded. (1648 views) | | | Tasted by RKatzDO on 1/14/2021: Another mildly corked. (2050 views) | | | Tasted by Song103 on 12/2/2020 & rated 93 points: From a well kept bottle, and needed 2+ hours of decant. It was not youthful, but it was still full of engery, structure and precision. It certainly, was not what I was expecting for a 34 yo right bank. Deeply concentrated with some tannin still unresolved. At peak. (2013 views) | | | Tasted by CurtaVino on 8/16/2020 & rated 93 points: Cork in perfect condition. Multi-layered nose of cedar, anise/thyme herbs, plum, cassis, other red berry, hint of tobacco, and toasted creme brulee. Mid acid and balanced tannins but you can tell they are there. Definitely at the end of its drinking window, but the fruit, acid, and tannins aged beautifully.
Extra flavors of dark red berry and some dried fruit but mostly followed the nose and was multi-layered at that. Mid length finish that held the flavors throughout.
All in all a very good right bank Bordeaux, but if you have one, I'd drink it soon. (2119 views) | | | Tasted by RKatzDO on 6/6/2020: Slightly corked. Shame. (1987 views) | | | Tasted by racerchris on 1/29/2020 flawed bottle: From 375. Cork was in good condition, tight and only wet at the bottom. In the glass the wine was a clear dark color with no thinning at the edges. A faint whiff of wet cardboard was the primary note after the first pour. Through the bottle the nose never changed and most sense of fruitiness was masked as the TCA odor never disappeared. However it was not overt so the wine was palatable. Rich and dense brambly fruit dominated, and a moderately long spicy and tart finish followed.
Without the cork flaw I would probably rate it 91 pts. (2501 views) | | | Tasted by RKatzDO on 8/3/2019: Dry, crumbling cork glued to the neck. Wine was tired, oxidized on the nose and didn't improve with air. (2558 views) | | | Tasted by cweiss on 7/18/2019: Wellfleet. Tired, but no complaints with rack of lamb. (2365 views) | | | Tasted by frasoo on 7/15/2019 & rated 89 points: Took a while for some funkiness to blow off. Blackberry, cassis, dark plum fruit. Big wine holding up well. Tannins still apparent. Definitely a food wine. (2117 views) | | | Tasted by gcarl on 7/3/2019 & rated 93 points: Same notes as on 3/05/18. Beautiful wine, 45 min after decanting...a solid 94! (2000 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château L'Arrosée Producer Website - Read more about Chateau L'ArroseeRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanLibournais Libournais (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) - Read more about St. Emilion and its wines - Read more about Pomerol and its wines
Saint Emilion Grat Classified Growth, Classified Growths, Grands Crus Classes, GCC
In 1954, while the "Graves" growths had just published their own classification, the wine syndicate of Saint-Emilion, composed by wine growers, brokers and wine traders with the approval of the INAO - Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (A.O.C), decided to work on a classification for the wines of Saint Emilion. Initially, four grades were defined. These were reduced to two - First Great Classified Growth (A and B) and Great Classified Growth - in 1984.
As of Medoc's 1855 historical grading, the Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growth classification is not only based on qualitative criteria by tasting the wines on a ten years period previous to the assessment, but also on commercial considerations such as:
- sales price levels
- national and international commercial distribution
- the estate's reputation on the market
Properties who don't manage to join the club of about sixty Classified Growths are given the denomination of Great Growth ("Grand Cru"), while the remaining wineries of the A.O.C are simply reported as "Saint-Emilion". It is to be noted that the owners must officially apply to appear in the official classification. Thus for example the famous Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf, whose quality and reputation would easily justify to be listed among the First Great Classified Growths, does not appear here by the will of its owner, François Mitjaville.
The Saint-Emilion Great Growth classification was revised in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. The only two guaranteed vintage (A.O.C) who can apply to the classification are the "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru" and "Saint-Emilion" areas.
By grading 61 properties, the 2006 revision confirmed many growths from the former classification, but also caused a number of surprises and a few inevitable disappointments. Many observers thought that the impressive progression of Perse's Chateau Pavie since 1998 would be rewarded by an upgrade into the First Great Classified Growths (A) category, but finally such was not the case.
Among the estates promoted to the First Great Classified Growths B category are Chateau Troplong-Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, whose efforts made since the Nineties fully justify their new grade. It should be noted that no First Great Classified Growth was relegated to the lower Great Classified Growth class.
Promoted growths from the status of Great Growth ("Grand Cru") to Great Classified Growth ("Grand Cru Classe") are: Chateaux Bellefont-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne and Monbousquet.
The demoted growths from the status of Great Classified Growth to Great Growth are: Chateaux Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie de Souchard, Guadet Saint-Julien, La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Belivier), La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Lamarzelle, Petite Faurie de Soutard, Tertre Daugay, Villemaurine and Yon-Figeac. If the recent samples of some of the above mentioned properties may justify their current downgrade, there are great chances that estates like Bellevue, Tertre Daugay or Yon-Figeac will be upgraded to their previous rankings by the next revision in 2016 as the progresses noted after 2000, but not entering in the range of vintages (1993 - 2002) appointed for the criteria of selection for the 2006 classification, are noticable.
The two following estates have completely disappeared from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classification: Curé-Bon-la-Madeleine (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Canon) and La Clusière (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Pavie).
Finally, no estate considered as "garagiste" has integrated the classification. Valandraud, Mondotte, Le Dome, Bellevue-Mondotte or Magrez-Fombrauge have, for the least, the potential to be ranked as Great Classified Growths. In sight of the very fine quality reached by the above mentioned estates in recent vintages as well as all the innovative wine making methods used by the "garagistes", it remains to be seen whether the authorities will dare to cross the line in 2016..?St. Émilion Grand Cru Les Vins de St. Émilion (Syndicate Vitocole de Saint-Emilion) – Read about St. Emilion
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Soil: Sandy soils with alluvial gravel deposits
Surface Area: 4,160 ha |
|
