External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.6 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 505 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Time traveller on 4/21/2024 & rated 91 points: Drank this one 6 months after the last. Starting to fade just a smidgen, but still has a great nose, round mouthfeel, and superb long lasting finish. Some sentiment so be cautious when handling. (218 views) | | | Tasted by pinoteer on 4/15/2024 & rated 90 points: Can't believe how well this drinks for an 18 y.o., under-the-radar Brdx, with a humble price. Last bottle from two cases purchased en premier. (309 views) | | | Tasted by Somm David T on 3/10/2024 & rated 92 points: Rounding up from 91.6.
Allen Brothers Lamb Lollipops and the 05 vintage from Bordeaux.
The 2005 vintage was magical w/ star producers. Very good with the lesser regions like Caronne.
Pretty sure I paid around $25 for this give or take.
The entry is round, lush & rich. Blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries and poached strawberries. Dark rich earth, moist clay, lead pencil, tobacco/cigar ash, used leather, dry river stone, dark chocolate cooking bar, black licorice, limestone powder, dry herbs, very light baking spices, dark, red, purple withering flowers, round acidity, balanced, highly structured & tensioned finish that lasts a minute.
This could actually use some more time in bottle, 3-5 yrs. (588 views) | | | Tasted by GGinSF on 12/13/2023 & rated 87 points: Very good value. Drinking well, but probably at its peak. On the dry side, but still enough fruit. (710 views) | | | Tasted by Time traveller on 10/6/2023 & rated 92 points: I not only like it, I like it a lot! This 18 year old bourgeois has rounded third and is heading into home with a head first slide. Tannins are perfectly integrated and the nose on this wine is intoxicating, to say the least. Dark fruits, filled my mouth with a leathery red licorice that was hard to swallow all too fast. The beautiful finish lingers for minutes and makes this impossible drink too fast. Open it, let it breathe a bit, and take your time with this one. Sooo glad I have a few left which will serve me well in the future. What a wonderful french Bordeaux value! (905 views) | | | Tasted by the shrub on 6/18/2023 & rated 92 points: Best bottle of Bordeaux for some time. Great secondary flavour profile (1158 views) | | | Tasted by Julian Marshall on 3/24/2023 & rated 91 points: Three years after my last one, this was back on form. The tannins have now receded, leaving some elegant notes of blackberry and cherry, not unlike a fully mature example of Boyd-Cantenac at a third of the price or less. I wouldn't say the fruit is quite what it was, but what's left should last quite a bit longer. Great value at 11 euros. (1500 views) | | | Tasted by Will Devize on 3/17/2023 & rated 88 points: Took 2 hours in the decanter to really open up. This is smart and restrained with a little bit of menthol over some gorgeous raspberry and cherry fruits. Aromatics really packing a punch. The palate is not quite as well composed and there is a hint of flab on the end. Perhaps a year or two over the hill but the stately nose is a treat in itself. (1217 views) | | | Tasted by swiftr on 2/7/2023 & rated 87 points: More fruit & depth comes through an hour or more after decanting. Mature but still in good condition. A very good, classical mid-range claret. Not a great wine but just what I hope for in a cru bourgeois. (1306 views) | | | Tasted by swiftr on 1/9/2023 & rated 86 points: Now fully mature. Considerable deposit, so needs decanting. A bit short of nose and fruit at first, but it comes through after a water biscuit. A good food wine, possibly past its best. (1185 views) | | | Tasted by RichEB1 on 9/21/2022 & rated 90 points: Solid! In a nice middle-aged spot with enough fruit but also some secondary notes of leather and tobacco. The only issue is that there is still a substantial amount of tannins on the finish, which I fear will outlive the fruit. I will drink my remaining bottles over the next few years. (1617 views) | | | Tasted by Way hey on 9/3/2022 & rated 90 points: Complex with forward notes of berry and oak. Pleasant finish in spite of age. (1052 views) | | | Tasted by Kentw on 9/1/2022 & rated 88 points: Similar to my last note in 2019. Just make sure you aerate for an hour or more. Has become a decent full-bodied drinker, but not spectacular. My last bottle. (1136 views) | | | Tasted by MarkLA on 8/5/2022 & rated 87 points: Menthol, mushroom/forest floor, fig, dark berries, mint, and cedar. Light/medium bodied with dark berries and med/plus acidity. Minty, menthol finish with some cigar ash and grippy tannin. Gains sweetness with aeration but still a little hard at the time of this note. (1212 views) | | | Tasted by ItalianoWino on 6/3/2022 & rated 86 points: The immediate taste is a very tart bitterness on the palate, followed by firm tannins. The most prominent note is like the scent you would get from a moldy or musky smell usually occurring from the inside of an old wet wooden boat. (1401 views) | | | Tasted by swiftr on 3/2/2022 & rated 89 points: Still in very good condition, though obviously mature. Enough fruit to balance the soft tannins and decent length and complexity. It developed a bit more in the glass after decanting (only a slight deposit). Not really intense, but a classic medium-bodied Bordeaux. I’m relieved since I found another full case in the cellar. (1615 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 2/7/2022 & rated 88 points: Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; Haut Medoc (@ RW): Plums and dark berries, vanilla and oak in the bouquet. On the palate red and dark berries, herbs, red bell pepper, a firm amount of bitterness and fresh acidity. Mature now and it will stay on this level for some years. (1723 views) | | | Tasted by llink on 1/29/2022 & rated 88 points: Popped and poured. Earthy nose of cedar, blackberries and beef blood. Deep but austere palate, saline and drying tannins. Seems to have years of life ahead of it. (1498 views) | | | Tasted by Bordhead2000 on 11/25/2021: Blood, rainwater and dusty blackberries filtered through a stone. (1703 views) | | | Tasted by JCH2019 on 10/10/2021 & rated 89 points: Very nice. Couldn't resist with beouf bourginone. Ah well. (1572 views) | | | Tasted by bordeauxman777 on 8/23/2021 & rated 90 points: Fully matured now. It is in rather fragile state now as it declined rapidly when tasted next day. However, it is powerful, concentrated and delicious wine. Drink up! Lovely (1649 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 7/1/2021 & rated 88 points: Light nose; raspberry; still tannic; light raspberry finish. (2070 views) | | | Tasted by JCH2019 on 4/17/2021 & rated 88 points: Very nice. Caramel and cinnamon on the fruit nose; still good levels of fruit in the mouth with pencil shavings, spice and plum. Good acidity and still some tannin, doesn't drink as if it was past its end date. I think it has another couple of years at least. Perhaps I'll forget about my other bottles for a while..... (1830 views) | | | Tasted by brh_wine on 4/15/2021 & rated 90 points: Developing nicely, dark purple color, good nose, drinking and aging well. All around good wine. (1632 views) | | | Tasted by Julian Marshall on 11/10/2020 & rated 87 points: Not quite as good as I hoped. The attack is wonderfully fresh with elegant dark cherry, the blackcurrant middle section is fine too, but just as I thought it had turned out well, the tannins grabbed hold of the finish, rising to the top of the palate and leaving a very clear imprint. The impression is not totally unpleasant, but its a rather disjointed wine. What is worrying is that the tannins are a lot more angular now than a few years ago. (2444 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Richard Hemming, MW
JancisRobinson.com (5/7/2010)
(Ch Caronne Ste-Gemme Haut-Médoc Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, February 2010
(Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme Haut-Médoc) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/2/2008)
(Château Caronne Ste. Gemme) Dark red violet color; tight black cherry nose; tannic, red fruit palate; short-medium finish 86 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Winedoctor and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Caronne Ste. Gemme Producer Website - Read more about Chateau Caronne Ste. Gemme
The vineyard was first reported in 1648 when a local landlord, Denis de Mullet of La Tour StLambert rented it to a farmer in exchange for the wines produced.
Caronne is derived from "Carona" the name of a local spring source, and Gemme a corruption of "James".
In the middle-ages the locality was a parish on the grounds of a subsidiary to the Templar Headquaters at nearby Benon a few kilometers inland. Pilgrims on their way to Saint Jacques de Compostelle, having crossed the estuary from Blaye, would rest here before continuing their way across the Landes to the Spanish Border.
The Parish was abolished during the Revolution and it is about this time that the first records of wine production at Caronne appear.
In 1900 ownership of Caronne passed to Emile and Eugène Borie. The sons of Eugène would later cede their shares to their uncle and purchase Ch. Batailley and later Ducru-Beaucaillou while Emile's descendents would remain the sole owners of Caronne until this day.
The property is now managed by Jean, grandson of Emile and François, his nephew.
__Technical Notes__
Classification : Cru Bourgeois Supèrieur of Haut-Médoc in 1932 and Cru Bourgeois Exeptionnel in the 1966 contest.
Geographic Situation : In the St Laurent Médoc area and in the direct neighbourhood of the vineyards of Gruaud Larose, Lagrange, Belgrave, Camensac and Lanessan.
The Vineyard is made up of 45 hectares (113 acres) of a single tenant, planted on a mound of first class gravel on a base of iron rich sandstone, a little more sandy to the east, a little more clayey to the west. The vine varieties are of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 3% petit verdot and 37% merlot.
The average age of the vines is 25 years old.
The density of planting is the traditional 10.000 vines per hectare.
Harvesting is 70% manual and 30% machine.
The wine making follows very much the pattern of the " Grand Cru " chateaux. The grapes are destalked, then slightly crushed and sent into fermentation vats which are either stainless steel or cement with an epoxy coating and allways thermo-regulated. Fermentation is lead at the temperature of 28/30° celsius with light " over the top " pumping for a soft extraction of the skins.
The maceration can last up to three weeks.
The ageing of 12 months is made exclusively in the 1.000 french barrels of 225 L., of which 25% are renewed each year.
The wine is fined with eggwhites and finally bottled at the vineyard 20 months after it is harvested.Red 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 RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.Haut-Médoc Read more about Haut Medoc and its wines Long-standing fame The legally created division into Médoc and Haut-Médoc dates from 1935. But as long ago as 1815 a Chartrons broker, whose word carried weight, spoke of great red wines in the Haut-Médoc, so recognizing the high quality successfully achieved by this region's growers in the eighteenth century. The same Bordeaux broker revealed that the business world of the Chartrons and the great Bordeaux proprietors had established a sort of league-table of the parishes in which the vine-growing communes of today's Haut-Médoc appellation showed up well.
The Haut-Médoc appellation stretches over some thirty seven miles from north to south, from Saint-Seurin de Cadourne to Blanquefort. Within this area, certain zones produce wines exclusively with the Haut-Médoc appellation. It has terroirs of remarkable quality. And although we may note a certain predominance of layers of gravel (essentially Garonne gravel) from the Quaternary, all these sites are characterized by their wide diversity. Today in the southernmost communes of the appellation, the suburbs of Bordeaux, numerous vineyards which existed at the beginning of the twentieth century have disappeared, victims of urban expansion. But the vines live on... because man has retained his devotion to them.
The astonishing variety of different terroirs, the result of the very extent of the area, explains the diversity of Haut-Médoc wines, a fact which is rare within one and the same appellation.
But, over and above the differences, linked to this mosaic of climatic and geological influence, all these wines have the same family traits of character.
Alert and lively, full-bodied without being too powerful, and harmoniously balanced, they acquire a rare bouquet over the years.
In order to have the right to the Haut-Médoc appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the communes of Blanquefort, Le Taillan, Parempuyre, Le Pian, Ludon, Macau, Arsac, Labarde, Cantenac, Margaux, Avensan, Castelnau, Soussans, Arcins, Moulis, Listrac, Lamarque, Cussac, Saint-Laurent de Médoc, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Sauveur, Cissac, Saint-Estèphe, Vertheuil, Saint-Seurin de Cadourne "excluding all the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (48 hectolitres per hectare).
|
|
