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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.9 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 26 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by winchester-xi on 7/7/2023: Well into tertiary-land, with all the hallmarks of old merlot. But holding on, at least for the moment, and kind of fun if paired appropriately. (247 views) | | | Tasted by MikeCW on 5/7/2023 & rated 93 points: What a great surprise. Picked these up as wedding year wines back in 2000ish. Drinking fantastic. Mushroom on the nose, no decant. I would say at peak. Served with turkey patties with eggplant and fennel. This wine is probably about to enter slow decline, but would be interesting to follow over next 5. (297 views) | | | Tasted by LeChapeau on 12/24/2021 & rated 93 points: Last bottle of this, and it proves the old saying, "There are no good wines, just good bottles." The last two were somewhat disappointing, but this one was excellent! Perfectly aged with complex nose of forest floor, wood smoke and spice box. Long finish, plenty of fruit left to tantalize the palate. Just a joy to drink! Wish I had more. (833 views) | | | Tasted by Eugenedinapoli on 3/7/2020: Medium (-) garnet. A smooth melange of red currant, spice and tomato leaf. Side of the tongue tannins holding it all together. What a treat. Lost cellar strikes again (1193 views) | | | Tasted by LeChapeau on 8/6/2018 & rated 89 points: Still good, but slightly past prime. I need to drink up what I have left. (1912 views) | | | Tasted by LeChapeau on 8/4/2016 & rated 89 points: This one showed weakly. Definitely some bottle variation here. A bit thin and tart, complex nose, but a let down in the mouth. (2940 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 5/16/2016: Midbodied (on lighter side for a '98 RB), black plum and black currant, some cedar. Tannins mostly resolved, easy drinking St Emilion. B (3124 views) | | | Tasted by finewinebuff57 on 4/24/2016 & rated 87 points: 1998 a very good year for the right bank . 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon I believe, and this relatively high proportion of Cabernet gives this a slightly more classical style than you might expect from St Emilion. Still full coloured but right in its drinking window. An 87 because it was jut at the dilute side of lean and elegant and the finish was shorter than I might have hoped. (2564 views) | | | Tasted by LeChapeau on 10/25/2015 & rated 91 points: This is an excellent bordeaux, but depending on your tastes, it's either at its peak or slightly beyond. If you've got it, it's time to drink up! (1211 views) | | | Tasted by MikeCW on 10/12/2013 & rated 91 points: Nice wine. Great nose, slightly shortish finish. Ready to go and no need to wait. (2774 views) | | | Tasted by LeChapeau on 3/3/2013 & rated 93 points: Brought this last bottle from my cellar to a high end local restaurant as a corkage bottle for a dinner celebration. Had it with roast lamb and it did not disappoint! Lot of interesting notes on the nose - dark cherries, damp earth, powdered cocoa, leather, cassis. Mouthfilling, plenty of fruit, good structure, paired extremely well with the lamp. Long finish and just an overall impression of a very well put together wine. Wish I had more! (2788 views) | | | Tasted by LeChapeau on 7/10/2012 & rated 92 points: This one is coming into its own. Complex, earthy, wonderful nose, rich fruit and well integrated tannins in the mouth, excellent lengthy finish. Well worth the wait! (2085 views) | | | Tasted by Old Course 72 on 6/11/2011 & rated 90 points: Dark deep color, light nose with up front crisp fruit and rich flavor. Enjoyable (2462 views) | | | Tasted by Old Course 72 on 12/31/2010 & rated 89 points: Still drinking well (2630 views) | | | Tasted by Pknut on 6/30/2010: Begins with heavy caramel notes on the nose, which is heavy and ponderous with dark fruit, sweet oak and a bit of bottle stink. The palate at first is thick with blue/black fruit, dark oak notes and tannins that are soft and plush. As the wine airs, it loses its thickness and bulk and gains some poise; however, by now the lack of underlying richness and midpalate thinness become apparent. Even the fruit wanes amidst the oak and cigar notes. The wine begins thick and oaky and then its underlying weaknesses become apparent. Was probably better and had a richer midpalate a few years ago, although I suspect it would have been quite an oakbomb. Overall, disappointing stylistically and really a weak wine for what's supposed to be a great vintage. Update: half the bottle remained in the fridge in a sealed .375, and it showed much better on the second night. Tighter, less volume, more condensed and more in balance. The oak was not as assertive and the wine was more streamlined. Much improved overnight, actually not bad at all. (1972 views) | | | Tasted by Old Course 72 on 4/3/2010 & rated 89 points: Rich perfume of Bordeaux that was generous in the glass. Bright color of deep reds, mouth filling forward flavors. A bit of carmel with red berries of medium but full depth. Tight, structured finish. (1771 views) | | | Tasted by foneil on 7/12/2009 & rated 88 points: This wine seemed to be just past its peak. Still a wonderul wine, but not deserving of a score of 90 or higher. Fine black-fruit notes with tannins now nicely balanced. Fruit was still there, but begining to fade a bit. (1114 views) | | | Tasted by pilot360 on 12/2/2008 & rated 92 points: opaque purple strong nose of oak, black currant, earth. Very lush mouth. Strong red berry.rhasberries and underlying currant. Lots of wood oak. firm tannins that get your cheek.
THis is a fine drinking wine.
Horray!
Beautiful bottle label. (2014 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 11/3/2006 & rated 90 points: I had been a little disappointed in this before, so had expectations well in check. This bottle showed
much better than previous ones. Nose of flowers and cassis with a little vanilla; the palate is more red-fruited, raspberry and plum with some earth. Flinty minerals on the reasonably long finish. First of these I've thought were actually a deal at the low$20s price (2035 views) | | | Tasted by mdstenner on 2/12/2005 & rated 91 points: TWC does St.-Émilion and satellite communes (Central Park Clubhouse (Tulsa)): A nose of earth and concentrated black fruits. A chalky mouth-feel with raspberry, toast, currant, and strawberry preserve. Sweet tannins but overall a dry finish. (3651 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| 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 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 |
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