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| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.8 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 204 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Kentw on 1/21/2024 & rated 86 points: This bottle was better than the last one, my last bottle. Full body, heavy, very dark fruits dominate with some burnt toast and fairly dry. The flavor profile is longer providing distinct fruit characteristics, but some may like it this way. Just very dense because of age and it never matured to what was expected based on prior vintages. (325 views) | | | Tasted by Jd6725 on 9/26/2023 & rated 90 points: Perfectly decent wine. Shows the warmth of the vintage a bit. Decent QPR. No real signs of complexity but enough depth to be enjoyable (324 views) | | | Tasted by Kentw on 5/27/2023 & rated 78 points: Past Prime. Two years ago drinkable, but now mostly burnt toast and raisins. No fruit to speak of but some old funk on opening. Stored properly in wine cabinet. Very disappointed in this wine for this vintage. Never stood out since it was bought 15 years ago. (645 views) | | | Tasted by gcarl on 5/7/2022 & rated 91 points: Still a pleasing wine with the same impressions I have written 0ver the last 8 years (1259 views) | | | Tasted by boegemann on 2/19/2022 & rated 90 points: Please give it time. 3 hours at least, and the refined beauty of this wine shines. No need to break it down. It’s lovely. (1423 views) | | | Tasted by Racer117 on 1/14/2022 & rated 90 points: Still not for your xmas/holiday party (even if you had it this year).
Muddy, plummy, over ripe cherry, tasty. Acidity keeps it balanced. A touch of leather but not much for tertiary flavors. Enjoyable now and for the short term future but again, I don't see any improvement for this wine. Drink up boys and girls. (1448 views) | | | Tasted by megropolis on 10/6/2021: Past the fruit prime but still did not resolve the tannins. (1703 views) | | | Tasted by ihavezinned on 7/10/2021 & rated 91 points: Too bad it’s my last bottle. Plum, blackberry, cinnamon, old leather, damp dirt. Drinking wonderfully. Smooth and dry with a very long finish. (1570 views) | | | Tasted by Kentw on 3/15/2021 & rated 88 points: Not much difference from prior notes. Dry, austere, and dense. The fruit is muted. Prefer the 2000 and 2004 vintages. For a good year, this has been somewhat disappointing though the wine has a solid structure. Just not what I had expected from the prior years. (1357 views) | | | Tasted by galewskj on 12/3/2020 & rated 91 points: Slow o'd 4 hours, let sit in glass for 20 minutes before trying. The nose is a potpourri of plum, light red fruits, earth and garrigue. The palate is slightly astringent with similar flavors. The nose is a solid 93, the palate closer to 90. I'll feel this wine is at or possibly slightly past peak. This seems like a very traditional bordeaux, and I will be on the lookout for this producer. (1606 views) | | | Tasted by Racer117 on 11/18/2020 & rated 90 points: As before, muddy. I liked this but its not a wine for you annual xmas/holiday party. But you're not having that this year, are you?
Earthy/muddy, plum, enough acidity to keep things balanced and interesting. As noted before, still no indication of future improvement. (1436 views) | | | Tasted by cobystilp on 11/13/2020 & rated 87 points: This bottle started to fade quickly. Drink up! (1229 views) | | | Tasted by mike410 on 10/6/2020 & rated 90 points: Not as good as my last bottle. Lots of tannins and acidity. Drinking very young. Needs another three or four years but I doubt there will be any improvement. (1171 views) | | | Tasted by IlonaN on 9/26/2020 & rated 87 points: Came across as too thick and earthy. Maybe on the steep downhill slide...glad it was my last bottle. (1061 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 9/19/2020 & rated 92 points: A Small Rosh Hashanah Dinner and Wine in Princeton (Princeton, NJ): Drinking quite well with just a pop and pour. Notes of red fruit, cherry, blackberry, a little plum, cedar, leather, earth, lead pencil, soy, herbs and some tobacco. The tannins were completely mature and resolved but still a tasty wine.
It was great on its own and also with the beef brisket. (I had been worried the tomatoes in the brisket would need more merlot but this worked great).
My friend Leslie correctly guessed this as Bordeaux and St Estephe. She then guessed Pez, Calon Segur or perhaps Montrose: all great tributes to this little, humble wine - alas no longer made.
Drink now. (1021 views) | | | Tasted by pinoteer on 7/28/2020 & rated 90 points: Still plenty tannic, so it needs a full 3 hours in the decanter. But, it also has good fruit, so hopefully it will continue to mature gracefully. (994 views) | | | Tasted by Kentw on 6/30/2020 & rated 88 points: Good structure with medium to full body. Mosty black cherry and licorice notes that I could discern. Some acidity in mid-palate but quite dry. Very one dimensional with a mild finishing tannin. I keep comparing it to 2000 and 2004 which I enjoyed very much and showed more fruit/complexity. But for those who like structured very dry wines, this should be quite popular. Will not get better from here so drink up. (1006 views) | | | Tasted by cobystilp on 6/12/2020 & rated 89 points: Drink up. (1027 views) | | | Tasted by cobystilp on 5/31/2020 & rated 91 points: This has held up very well. (1042 views) | | | Tasted by hoservin on 4/15/2020 & rated 90 points: Decanted for 30 minutes. Nose of black cherry, blackberry, currant, chocolate and forest floor. Black and red fruit, chocolate, licorice, spice and forest floor on the palate. Finishes with good persistence. Medium to full bodied. Served with grilled cheeseburgers. (1056 views) | | | Tasted by Bob in NC on 1/7/2020 & rated 88 points: Decanted about 90 minutes. Fairly simple flavor profile, smooth, easy drinking and no off-flavors. While not an overly exciting wine, it paired nicely with Anita's beef stew. Drink up. (1461 views) | | | Tasted by ihavezinned on 12/23/2019 & rated 90 points: Was a great pairing with smoked prime rib. (1310 views) | | | Tasted by cobbpa on 10/29/2019 & rated 90 points: This was great. Probably at peak, for a couple more years. Tobacco, cedar, plum & dried dark cherry, herbs (mint, sage) on the nose. Very perfumed. Palate is midweight, in balance, shows all the flavors from the nose, and delivers integrated tannins & acidity. Everything I wanted from this. (1563 views) | | | Tasted by cobystilp on 7/26/2019 & rated 89 points: This has held up really well. There is still fresh primary fruit. The cork is completely intact. Is still fresh with notes have stewed rhubarb and strawberries. Long legs and slight bricking. Silky smooth tannins with a leather finish. Great for the price! (1666 views) | | | Tasted by gcarl on 6/2/2019 & rated 90 points: A bit astringent on P&P, but opened up after 20-30 min to be about what I have previosly written (1692 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| 2005 Château Valrose St. Estèphe Cuvée AlienorThe vineyards of Chateau Valrose, near Cos d' Estournel, benefit from an exceptional terroir situated on the plateau of Saint-Estèphe. The soil made of quaternary gravel and the subsoil of clay-limestone, confer to the wines of this region power and elegance. The Gironde, nearby, plays an important role of thermal regulation and softens the effects of the climatic variations of Bordeaux.
With 5 hectares, Valrose is a jewel located among great and prestigious neighbours. Through the impetus given by Gerard Néraudau since the 1999 vintage, joined by Patrick d'Aulan, Château Valrose asserts its personality with fruity, powerful and elegant wines where the soil of Saint-Estèphe is softened by the presence of Merlot.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.St. Estèphe Read more about St. Estephe and its wines Whereas the first activity recorded in Saint-Estèphe goes back as far as the Middle Bronze Age, the first vines date from the Roman Occupation. But it was the Bordeaux merchants who by aging and selling Saint-Estèphe wines themselves were largely responsible for this appellation's fame. And in the nineteenth century, noted for its prosperity, the great estates of today were created. The movement continues today with the merging of small estates.
A land of great wines, Saint-Estèphe is situated almost in the centre of the Médoc, close to the Gironde Estuary. The appellation is equidistant from Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave.
The beds of soil are characterized by their remarkable diversity, the result of their undulating relief and excellent drainage. Quartz and well-rounded pebbles mingled with light, sandy surface soil are found everywhere, giving the wines a distinctive finesse. And the subsoil is made up of the famous Saint-Estèphe limestone, which outcrops on the west of the commune.
Tasting
Thanks to ideal conditions of climate and geology, Saint-Estèphe wines are characterized by their sturdy qualities and robust constitution. Accordingly, they can be laid down for a very long time while yet preserving their youth and freshness. Distinguished by a subsoil which is more clayey than that in the other communal appellations which lie by the river, the wine here attains a distinctive individuality : a very rich tannic structure, a fine deep red colour and an exceptional backbone with aromas of great finesse.
Production conditions (Decree dated September 11, 1936):
In order to have the right to the Saint-Estèphe appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the communes of Saint-Estèphe, "excluding any parcels in that area which are 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 (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
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