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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 84.9 pts. and median of 86 pts. in 18 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by LopedeAguirre on 7/1/2021 & rated 87 points: Matured, will not get better, but enjoyable as is. 2003 was not a remarkable year... actually quite poor (669 views) | | | Tasted by LopedeAguirre on 6/14/2021 & rated 84 points: Alive, integrated tannins, but some unpleasant notes (707 views) | | | Tasted by LopedeAguirre on 3/29/2021 & rated 88 points: Coming out well but lacking the nuances, perhaps because of the year. (712 views) | | | Tasted by LopedeAguirre on 10/7/2020 & rated 89 points: Balanced, enjoyable, fruit, long finish, solid structure. Perhaps about time to integrate and make an appearance on stage. (826 views) | | | Tasted by LopedeAguirre on 6/18/2020 & rated 86 points: Red fading, glycerin, metallic, coarse fruit. Balances quickly. Nice tones develop eventually but after a few hours slides back into a metallic and acidic state. (886 views) | | | Tasted by FransS on 12/15/2019 & rated 87 points: Winefield's, Pre-sale tasting: Spices, not sun baked, very acceptable tannins, simply tasty and classic. (646 views) | | | Tasted by quaffnov on 12/24/2015 & rated 88 points: Two hour decant time, which allowed this to open up and let the tannins, which were not overwhelming to begin with, integrate further into this nose and palate matching blend of blackberry, plum and cedar. Very smooth by the end of the evening, there is not a lot of complexity involved here but this is pleasant drinking enough for the price point it comes in at. (2189 views) | | | Tasted by LopedeAguirre on 1/17/2015 & rated 89 points: This bottled is much better integrated. Appearance is red with brick notes, overall balance combines fruit and leather, pleasant without sharp edges. Wait one more year to open the rest, but drinkable now. (2416 views) | | | Tasted by LopedeAguirre on 11/19/2014 & rated 87 points: Has not developed well and may never will. Too acidic and yet not much fruit left. Color is starting to fade. Open in 2 years and see, or drink now. (2407 views) | | | Tasted by LopedeAguirre on 1/31/2012 & rated 87 points: Red-orange appearance, earthy bouquet with classic Bordeaux notes, quite thin and yet balanced. It is not declining.... it gets better in the glass with time. After 2 hours, it showed perfect balance and fairly long finish - I think it is worth to wait another 2 years and see. (4244 views) | | | Tasted by Ambrosino4 on 11/23/2011 & rated 75 points: Faded, waited too long (4101 views) | | | Tasted by carmanyd on 7/14/2011 & rated 85 points: Slight 'rusty' color in the glass. Not much here really, some cherry on the nose, with a quick finish. Thin mouth feel. (3027 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 4/24/2010 & rated 86 points: Blind home wine tasting: tastes like a classis Medoc Bordeaux - predominantly Cabernet but the merlot comes through very strongly. A dry, shortish finish with full body in the mid palate. Slight brown at the rim. Dry fruit - "my flat merlot" designation (3376 views) | | | Tasted by rwpalmer on 4/1/2010 & rated 82 points: This wine has never had a lot of fruit, but in keeping with many 03's it has also neither followed certain predictions of the fruit drying up and aging prematurely. Still quite a lot of colour--only slight browning at rim. A rather savoury nose, with a little greeness. Firm palate. No fireworks. Drink over next 3 years. (2908 views) | | | Tasted by BinVA on 2/3/2010 & rated 82 points: Glad I only bought one, just not a very good wine. (2208 views) | | | Tasted by LopedeAguirre on 1/18/2008 & rated 80 points: Dark red but a bit sickly, almost no bouquet, earthy notes and little fruit, fairly good balance but weak structure. Disapointment given how good it was on release. (2574 views) | | | Tasted by jmikeska on 9/8/2007: On opening this was completely closed down and tight. After 4 hours of decanting it was fairly pleasant with a decent balance of acidity and fruit. There were definite plum, tobacco, and leather components to it. Good for the price but I wouldn't go out of my way to find a bottle of it. (2796 views) | | | Tasted by LSAngeli on 1/7/2007 & rated 82 points: paid <$10 for this at Costco and that's about what it was worth. Tight nose. Very funcky taste out of the gate and took a long time (approx 2.5 hours) to get drinkable. . Once it got there is was pleasent, but certainly not memorable. A very basic bordeaux. (2787 views) |
| 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).
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