| Community Tasting Notes (average 82.4 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 22 notes) - hiding notes with no text |
| | Tasted by cweiss on 3/13/2024: A rather elegant, even gentle Bourgueil. Tannin mainly resolved. I don't know if the Neocork made it more advanced than it would have been, but this my only bottle was drinking very well.The texture was downright Burgundian. The pretty palate had a whiff of flowers towards the end. (177 views) |
| | Tasted by DaleW on 9/21/2021: I noted with dismay had a synthetic cork. Yet this one survived- lots of Cab Franc-y green pepper, celery, but also super savory raspberry fruit Tangy and tasty. B+/B (712 views) |
| | Tasted by repoper on 1/19/2018 & rated 93 points: My last of the case. Again spot on and just in the middle of its drinking window. Still dark with no browning at all. The acid is completely resolved and the tannins are very fine. A mouthful of garden veg and wrapped in a beautiful rainbow of dark fruits. Loire cab franc at its most elegant. Great bottle. On to the 2005’s. A few hours later it’s just a mouthful of vegis. A bit lean but this is classic Loire Valley cab franc.
I like this profile a lot. (1129 views) |
| | Tasted by repoper on 12/20/2016 & rated 91 points: Tonight the V-8 of wine. Green bell peppers, tomatoes, celery the full gamete of the garden. The wine is just the typical Loire Valley Cab Franc. Tannin and acids in balance. Like this very much. (1337 views) |
| | Tasted by senna22 on 4/18/2016: Bought on release from Chambers Street and cellared ever since. Been meaning to pull my 4 bottles from long term storage just to open and pour out given the frequency of bad bottles. Then I read Repoper's reviews and thought maybe there is a chance. Tonight expecting very little - I even pulled two bottles to open, almost brought all 4 bottles. Well, surprise, surprise, this is my kind of wine. And no rush to drink - it's only going to get better. (1673 views) |
| | Tasted by repoper on 3/25/2016 & rated 92 points: Been drinking these slowly and they just keep getting better and better and thats why I'm so schocked as to all the flawed bottles. I have owned them all from release and have let them sleep without a disturbance. Never thought these as fragile. Tonight pop and pour tonight. Somehow it mixes the green veggies celery turnip root with crunchy cranberry sour black cherries aromas. Very dry and leathery and black pepper. Very long. Still very primary but the fruit is so alive and the acidity balances out the feel in the mouth. Coats the entire palate and nice long finish. IMHO this wine has years and years to go before it struts any secondry traits. I still have 6 that I will follow over the next several years. I love this producer and have a lot of '05 (36 bottles) of different vineyards that I have not even tried. If you like this style wine, which is singularly unique, the Brentons are way up on my list. This is the best bottle to date and they keep etting better. (1450 views) |
| | Tasted by repoper on 11/26/2015: I am shocked to see so many flawed bottles. I am well thru my first case and just opened number 7 to decant for this afternoon and have never had one yet.
My experiences with this wine which started in 2013 have been excellent. The wine is still very primary and has been drinking better and better as time passes. I do find that it is necessary to airate and decant for many hours 6 - 10.
The nose thismorning was amazing. I could smell it the minute I poped the cork. Beautiful darl fruit and I did take a small taste, which was stellar. An perfect balance of fruit acid and tannin. It is still just enetering the early part of it drinking phase.
I am looking forward to the balance of the Brenton '06's I have.
11/27 We consumed it last night after a 10 hour airation and decant. It was amazing and in a really good place. This is exactly we buy and cellar these wines.
Can't wait to break into my '05's (1440 views) |
| | Tasted by MJHDC on 3/5/2015: My bottle was not seriously flawed, but there was just something not quite right with it, either, as it came across as dull and boring, which is rarely something said about the Bretons' wines. So, this is either a cranky adolescent phase or, as others have said, the closure. (1454 views) |
| | Tasted by indiscriminate palate on 11/26/2013 & rated 50 points: Fortunately, the last of these bottles in my cellar. Every one had that rubbery, vinyl character from these closures that made the wine absolutely undrinkable. If this were any other product at all besides wine, there would be a mandatory recall. (1682 views) |
| | Tasted by indiscriminate palate on 8/16/2013 & rated 50 points: Another fake closure. Another flawed bottle. I am NOT checking the flawed box. This is not a random event. This is pretty much every bottle and thus anyone looking to drink or buy these should avoid. (1645 views) |
| | Tasted by salil on 8/13/2013 flawed bottle: Undrinkable. A victim of its fake cork closure. Ugh. Thank heavens the 09/10 FDPs are under natural cork. (1987 views) |
| | Tasted by indiscriminate palate on 8/13/2013 flawed bottle: Flawed. (1578 views) |
| | Tasted by 5laton on 10/7/2011: Simply amazing. Loved this on release, but after several interim less-than-amazing bottles, this one just completely slayed them all. It's just perfectly at the apex of primary fruit, underlying minerality, and secondary richness, with ample brown spice, and a softened, even silky structure. Mellows are harshed, though : 45 minutes in it grows more astringent in a surprising throwback. (1796 views) |
| | Tasted by cstir on 2/16/2010 & rated 88 points: Took several hours to develop; initially harsh and flat which in retrospect would have been helped by decanting; eventually developed reasonable dark red fruit and modest finish with complexity. Also in retrospect note the drinking window begins in 2012 so should have held longer. (1881 views) |
| | Tasted by gordoyflaca on 11/29/2009 & rated 92 points: Dark and earthy. you are in a pine forest with your new leather boots eating some ripe black cherries. yum. (1976 views) |
| | Tasted by oolah on 3/27/2009 & rated 89 points: Wish I'd let this sit a little longer. Not very interesting on first opening, but really gets going after about an hour in the glass. Cherry and violets, with a good structure and a bit of earthy funk. A classier version of the Trinch. The Bretons sure know how to make a good Bourgeuil. (2149 views) |
| | Tasted by NickG on 10/10/2008: Delicious, with beautiful blend of fruit, acidity, hints of celery and green piepper. and tannins. Great on its own and great with food. Excellent. (2159 views) |
| | Tasted by Alekos on 9/19/2008 & rated 89 points: Beautiful wine. Had it at ICI with parents. (2160 views) |
| | Tasted by 5laton on 9/16/2008: Initially this was all celery stick on the nose. Delightfully fresh and light-bodied, but very tight and, um, vegetarian. Two hours of decanting later there is additional hope: a faint aroma of violets, perfect acidity, and a silky, seductive natural-wine texture. Not to mention irresistible, purply fresh Bourgueil fruit, pepper, and increasingly tactile tannins. This will be a beautiful wine but it needs some time. (2138 views) |
| | Tasted by Keith Levenberg on 7/16/2008 & rated 90 points: I think I might actually prefer this to the 2005. The fruit is nearly as vibrant but there's much more structural definition here, nice acidity and old-school tannins that dry out the finish a little but give the wine more gravitas. (2494 views) |
| | Tasted by 5laton on 6/18/2008: No notes, just a data point. I've drunk this twice in the past week and enjoyed it both times. One of the bottles was rather tight while the other showed considerably more oomph in the glass, yet both were very enjoyable. Neither bottle was particularly tannic. (2144 views) |
| | Tasted by cab on 5/26/2008: I was a little disappointed in this. Big fan of this producer, and this was quite drinkable, but it lacked depth. Sort of thin without being elegant. To be fair, very very tannic, but the second day, when the tannins died a little, not much was left. I will go back to this producer again and again -- but not for this particular vintage of this designation. (2170 views) |
