May 16, 2022 - I can't find much interesting in this wine. It seems flabby and modern-styled without much grip, tension, beguilement, etc. (Yes, I like some beguilement). Beyond the fact that it's not my style, it's not bad.
April 2, 2022 - Birthday Dinner at Jims - Wines for Beef Braciola (Jims): Embalmed by its tannins, it has the attributes of a great BDX but lacks the soul and balance. Over extracted the edgy tannins made this lose whatever finesse it had.
February 25, 2022 - Slightly corked
December 1, 2021 - The indicative blend here is Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (45%) and Petit Verdot (5%). Aged for approximately 15 months in oak barriques (approx. 50% new). 13% alcohol. Double-decanted for 4,5 hours prior to tasting. Tasted blind.
Deep, somewhat evolved and rather opaque black cherry color. Classic, somewhat leafy Bordeaux nose with quite dry and savory aromas of dark-toned fruits and ripe blackcurrants, some woody pencil shaving tones, light herbaceous notes of bell pepper and currant leaves, a little bit of forest floor and a hint of chopped beet. The wine feels dry, firm and moderately dense on the palate with a medium body and quite intense flavors of ripe blackcurrants, some tobacco, a little bit of savory wood spice, light leafy green notes, a sweet, dark-toned hint of toasty mocha oak and a touch of forest floor. The wine shows good sense of balance with its high acidity and moderately ample yet ripe and well-managed tannins that pack good sense of firmness and grip without making the wine feel tough or aggressive. The finish is long, dry and somewhat grippy with savory flavors of ripe blackcurrants, tobacco, some leafy tones, a little bit of woody bitterness, light gravelly mineral tones, tart hints of fresh and crunchy dark berries and a sweeter touch of toasty mocha oak.
A nice and surprisingly classically styled Margaux that seems to be evolving in the right direction. Although the wine is a bit more dense and fruit-forward than a "proper claret" made in the classic pre-Parkerized style, the wine still has those textbook Bordeaux elements of underlying herbaceous greenness and fruit department that feels lean and dry, not sweet and supple - something that seems to be not uncommon with many 2008 Bordeaux wines. Although the wine still shows a bit more oak influence than I'd like it to, the overall style is very enjoyable and to my liking; most likely the woody tones will integrate with the vibrant and fresh fruit as the wine ages, although seeing how little evolution the wine shows at 13 years of age, I have no doubts it will continue to develop at a very slow pace. No hurries with this one.
October 15, 2021 - Dekantert. Som sist starter den med en noe dominerende syre. Langsom overgang til kremet. Som beveger seg til balanse og velbehag. Forlanger ikke mer. Siste glass perle.
December 24, 2020 - Great wine in balance!
No words for it!
August 8, 2020 - Very mineral and leather for a Margaux. Nose of blackberries, fresh fennel and licorice. Elegant, lean and polished in the palate after 2 hrs in the bottle. Pure and clean on the medium bodied structure. Very dry finish, I wish for more richness and density so that it is better balanced. Drink up for the next few years.
January 10, 2020 - Your rating: 4.5 Wonderful, not too full bodied Bordeaux. Great with game and red meats.
April 6, 2019 - Deep garnet brick color. Muted black fruit nose. Flavors of blackberry, leather, and clove. Very mild tannins and acidity to the point of being ever so slightly flat. But, still a traditional and elegant Bordeaux in the middle of it's drinking window. Not much structure left for further improvement in the bottle. Drink now and for the next few years. Decant for slight sediment.
April 6, 2019 - A little coarse in mouth, black fruits,wet wood,chocolate,prominent tannin. Somewhat off-focus.Not like a Margaux.