Community Tasting Notes 7

• Eudemis Likes this wine:

  November 2, 2023 - 13.5% alcohol. M 60%, CF 25%, CS 15% according to IdW. Distinctive lilac coloured sleeve. Very good long cork with no wine penetration. Decanted 45 mn ahead and served slightly cool (which was not deliberate but may have been to the wine's advantage). Deep colour all the way to the rim.
  The nose shows dark fruit with a small pleasant raisiny component; the oak does not protrude and there is plenty of freshness here, remarkably so in view of the M dominated blend. Similarly balanced in the mouth with pretty good harmony in a youthful way.
  Much better than what I was expecting based on previous encounters; the "modern" character does not assault you now as it did then. Good grip.
  A success, and with many years of life ahead.

  Comment

• Eudemis wrote:

  May 23, 2022 - 13.5% alcohol. Good long cork with no wine penetration. Decanted an hour ahead; promising whiff from the neck of the bottle.
  The colour is dark with limited fading at the rim.
  The nose is somewhat subdued with earthy notes of black fruit; not bad but not that distinctive. The mouth is round and pleasant but it lacks energy, and it displays a hollow mid palate. This is Merlot for you, says I without knowing the exact grape make up of the wine.
  A crowd pleaser, but too soft centered for me.
  There was a time a few years ago when Côtes de Castillon was the new Eldorado of Bordeaux and Derenoncourt was the next Messiah. As far as I am concerned, neither promise has come anywhere close to being fulfilled. Give me a Médoc cru bourgeois any day and a light-handed consultant (or, better still none at all).

  Comment

• BDExplorer wrote: 85 points

  June 15, 2021 - Thought this was a nice starter wine at a wine dinner. Value Bordeaux.

  Comment

• Eudemis wrote:

  December 23, 2018 - 13.5% alcohol. Very good long cork with minimal wine penetration. Opened at the last minute as a replacement for a corked bottle, so served on the cool side and without decanting.
  Dark colour with no sign of ageing. The nose is thoroughly modern, although not in the most aggressive way; nevertheless, the vanilla overwhelms the fruit, and that fruit is not of the wild bramble variety, shall we say... The mouth is better by virtue of good balance and fine acidity. Some confectionery too.
  This bottle saved the day, but it is still stylistically wrong for my palate.
  Not a repeat purchase.

  Comment

• Eudemis Likes this wine:

  November 11, 2017 - 13.5% alcohol. Good quality cork with no wine penetration. Dark colour with barely a hint of ageing at the edge of the rim. Very good nose of blackcurrant with some confectionery notes. The mouth is probably a step behind, with little enough volume and a surprisingly strict finish. Not bad at all, and not half as "modern", as I feared it would be; the oak is fully integrated, for instance.
  Regarding repurchasing, I see that the asking price at my supplier is around 25€ for current vintages, and I am certainly of the view that I can get much better Bordeaux for that price (or indeed for less) in Médoc and Pessac. The Derenoncourt factor is more in evidence in the price than in the quality of the wine in my opinion.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 5

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2004
• Type Red
• Producer Domaine de l'A
• Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard n/a
• Country France
• Region Bordeaux
• SubRegion Libournais
• Appellation Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 36 (51%)
• Consumed 34 (49%)

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