From a magnum. Deep dark colour, some signs of age. Dense nose with funky merlot and cassis. Fairly smooth in the mouth, but has some sharp edges. Drinking well from a magnum. Drink now.
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Going downhill with nose of mushroom and chocolate primarily and not much fruit left. The palate is medium bodied and still drinkable but clearly the tannins and acidity have outlasted the fruit.
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Clear, Deep ruby, thick leg Nose: Clean, oak, vanilla, meatiness, black and red fruit, strawberry, black berry, black currant, mint, leather, liquorice Palate: Dry, Medium plus acidity, Medium tannin, Medium alcohol, medium plus body. Tannin is quite smooth Strawberry, mint, black currant, mink, leather, earthy, meatiness, smoky... A good medium plus finish with some black currant finish overall is a good quality wine, drink now but I don't think it has potential for further ageing.
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10 years on & still a relatively youthful appearance ~ On the nose there's coconut, vanilla, gamey meatiness, tar, strawberry, black cherry & licorice ~ On the palate there's still a nice tannic grip that persists through the finish, which is quite long. Flavors of smoke, cola, kirsch, milk chocolate & dill ~ An interesting & complex nose that lures you in but then a bit clumsy & disjointed on the palate but still enjoyable
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Maybe the weather, friday evening..who knows, but that bottle showed far more personality than the previous ones tasted.It is clearly made in a modern style: concentrated and a bit boady builded but enjoyable even on its own as after 10 years it gained on complexity and is not heady (the alcool is rather discrete). Very dark with some orange brick on the rim, the nose is classic for the style: chocolate, vanilla, it is medium bodied and rather fresh in the mouth; some licorice and tobacco, it is lush, round. Like its drinkability. In that AOC Cotes de Castillon, I strongly advice Clos Puy Arnaud for the lush, digest style and for the work done towards bio-dynamy and organic certification (thanks to Thierry Valette met at Caves Legrand)
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Saturday, December 11, 2010 - Still drinking nicely and shows stronger on the 2nd day. Fruit and tannins are both still in balance. Can go a few more years but not sure it will improve.
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Still drinking nicely and shows stronger on the 2nd day. Fruit and tannins are both still in balance. Can go a few more years but not sure it will improve.
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Really nice new world style bordeaux here. Nose shows minerals, vanilla, forest floor, plums and blackberries. Aged fruits and soft oak show on the front and the mid, but then it transitions into more of the earth tones and soft tannins. The finish is a nice meld of aged blackberries, earth and soft oak. This is a bit on the simple side, but for what it's worth it would make a nice everyday wine, and I could see it as a good wine to take to a party where the crowd may not be into French wines.
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A clear medium ruby red colour . The nose is clean with black currant, grass and oaky elements. The plate is dry, meduim acidty, meduim tannin and body, with black fruit, spicy and oaky characteristics. medium to long finishing length. It's a standard bordeax red with reasonable pricing.
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a real nice wine for the price, strong nose of black fruit, dark chocolate and ground coffee. while there is only a slight mid palate, again I won't argue for the price. the tannins poked their head at about the 1 hour mark.
While this still has 10 years of life, if you got 'em, pop 'em.
solid B
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Great balance, concentration and depth. Consistently wonderful from the lips to the mid palate to the long finish. The nose notes (graphite and black cherries) not as impressive as the cocoa, ultra ripe berries, plum and wet earth on the mouth. Impossibly good pairing with baked Cambozola with roasted garlic and toast points and grilled pork chop with apple cider mustard sauce. Heavenly. Had it at Chez Maman in SF with Joe.
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Drank at Launceston Place restaurant in London. Dark purple color. A sturdy claret, with rhubarb-blackberry fruit and charcoal notes on the finish. Drinking pretty well now as a foil to lamb chops. The tannins are sharp, but not searing.
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Nice black fruits and pencil lead on the nose with a bit of earth. Palate of black cherries, plum, cigar box, and again earth. Still a bit tight with dusty tannins, even after a 2 hour decant. Food definitely helped. Not overly complex, but very pleasant, especially when compared to price point.
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Not the first time I've had this ... but this really is surprisingly good for a bottle that retailed for about twelve dollars - especially in an average year for the region. I'm posting this note a week after drinking the bottle so don't recall specifics - clean, deep fruit, moderate tannins, some complexity.
Like many other Bordeaux wines, the price of this value wine is rising quickly on a percentage basis but I expect it will remain a good value for a few more years. So bite on a case of 05 Cap de Faugeres futures at $16 or $17 per? Still seems reasonable for medium-term drinking in a strong year. The pricing strategy seems to be X for Cap, 2X for Faugeres, 5X for Peby Faugeres or so. If you're allocating limited resources, seems like this might be a line to go with the lowest of the three.
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This one was a bit hollow compared to the last. The oak and tannin were a bit overpowering and the fruit rather thin. Fleshed out a little bit with time. Not the best showing for this wine. Hopefully an awkward stage.
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Not decanted. Medium-bodied wine that is dark ruby/purple in color. On the nose, subdued dark berry fruit with a hint of earthiness. On the palate, plums and cassis in a fruit-forward style. The acidity is there and the tannins fairly soft. The mouthfeel was just OK, but the finish was pretty lengthy at 20-30 seconds. I think a 1-2 hour decant would have benefited this wine and perhaps opened up the nose some more. Not a complex drink by any means, but a good QPR at ~$15.
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Almost plush and Aussie smelling initially. Ripe, round attack with semi-sweet black fruit. Turns a little bit hollow and mocha-veggie towards the finish. Has a musty quality that almost made me wonder if it had a little cork taint. Tasty regardless.
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Decanted for 90 mintues and benefited greatly from it. Youthfull deep but clear young purple-red color. Not much nose - just a hit of earth and black cherries. Palate shows good backbone of acidity and soft tannins with ripe fruit. Smooth and integrated with medium body; short finish. Very good for the price. The next day, the wine is smoother and more ingratiating. This would make a really excellent house wine.
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Yowsa! Consumed with Thanksgiving dinner after we'd finished all the appropriate "Thanksgiving" wines. Dark, brooding flavors of cherry and chocolate, lovely undertones of spice, and absolutely fantastic texture and feel. It made the other wines demonstrate what they really were: turkeys.
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Deep, almost opaque purple. Unevolved and primary aromas of chocolate covered cherries, sweet blackcherries, currants. The chocolate covered cherries carry over prominently on the flavors, with cascades of currants, kirsch, plenty of sweet fruit balanced against firm tannins and nice depth. Great balance, persistent finish with some spicy notes, this wine will evolve beautifully for a decade or so. The flavors were remarkably similar to the 99 Cap de Faugeres, but more primary at this stage.
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Wow - what a value! I've been a fan of this wine for the past several vintages, but I think this is their best yet. Still tight and fairly closed, but there is a surprising depth and concentration to this wine. The nose was still fairly closed, but the palate had lots of ripe jammy fruit, coffee and chocolate. Lots of body with a great mouthfeel and a medium length finish. Not complex, but a very good wine. Should open up more in a couple years and drink well for ten or so.
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1/18/2019 - THECORKDORK wrote: 74 Points
Deeply flawed wine. Green. Tastes like red grapes got some rot and the wine was not properly sorted. Foul.
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12/22/2014 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 87 Points
From a magnum.
Deep dark colour, some signs of age.
Dense nose with funky merlot and cassis.
Fairly smooth in the mouth, but has some sharp edges.
Drinking well from a magnum. Drink now.
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1/12/2014 - j30 wrote:
Going downhill with nose of mushroom and chocolate primarily and not much fruit left. The palate is medium bodied and still drinkable but clearly the tannins and acidity have outlasted the fruit.
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10/7/2012 - Raycheng77 Likes this wine: 85 Points
Clear, Deep ruby, thick leg
Nose: Clean, oak, vanilla, meatiness, black and red fruit, strawberry, black berry, black currant, mint, leather, liquorice
Palate: Dry, Medium plus acidity, Medium tannin, Medium alcohol, medium plus body. Tannin is quite smooth
Strawberry, mint, black currant, mink, leather, earthy, meatiness, smoky...
A good medium plus finish with some black currant finish
overall is a good quality wine, drink now but I don't think it has potential for further ageing.
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11/25/2011 - Yankee wrote: 87 Points
10 years on & still a relatively youthful appearance ~ On the nose there's coconut, vanilla, gamey meatiness, tar, strawberry, black cherry & licorice ~ On the palate there's still a nice tannic grip that persists through the finish, which is quite long. Flavors of smoke, cola, kirsch, milk chocolate & dill ~ An interesting & complex nose that lures you in but then a bit clumsy & disjointed on the palate but still enjoyable
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5/6/2011 - vinc2020 wrote: 89 Points
Maybe the weather, friday evening..who knows, but that bottle showed far more personality than the previous ones tasted.It is clearly made in a modern style: concentrated and a bit boady builded but enjoyable even on its own as after 10 years it gained on complexity and is not heady (the alcool is rather discrete). Very dark with some orange brick on the rim, the nose is classic for the style: chocolate, vanilla, it is medium bodied and rather fresh in the mouth; some licorice and tobacco, it is lush, round. Like its drinkability.
In that AOC Cotes de Castillon, I strongly advice Clos Puy Arnaud for the lush, digest style and for the work done towards bio-dynamy and organic certification (thanks to Thierry Valette met at Caves Legrand)
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12/11/2010 - TheRikker Likes this wine: 89 Points
Saturday, December 11, 2010 - Still drinking nicely and shows stronger on the 2nd day. Fruit and tannins are both still in balance. Can go a few more years but not sure it will improve.
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12/11/2010 - TheRikker wrote: 89 Points
Still drinking nicely and shows stronger on the 2nd day. Fruit and tannins are both still in balance. Can go a few more years but not sure it will improve.
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8/20/2010 - kbhiggins wrote: 85 Points
Tannins still pretty strong. This was good but not great.
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6/18/2010 - ctbob wrote:
From a 375, faded and tired, v. sour; another reason not to buy anything from HalfWit
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12/20/2009 - winenuts wrote: 83 Points
Very tannins, not ready to drink, may need couple of years to age. Not a good one and my favour.
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11/1/2009 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Still fruity and still somewhat tannic. This paired well with a medium rare steak.
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12/8/2008 - jhannah27 wrote: 87 Points
Really nice new world style bordeaux here. Nose shows minerals, vanilla, forest floor, plums and blackberries. Aged fruits and soft oak show on the front and the mid, but then it transitions into more of the earth tones and soft tannins. The finish is a nice meld of aged blackberries, earth and soft oak. This is a bit on the simple side, but for what it's worth it would make a nice everyday wine, and I could see it as a good wine to take to a party where the crowd may not be into French wines.
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8/31/2008 - John wrote: 80 Points
not as good as the last bottle. a little to kool aid'ish for me.
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7/9/2008 - laymon wrote: 87 Points
A clear medium ruby red colour . The nose is clean with black currant, grass and oaky elements. The plate is dry, meduim acidty, meduim tannin and body, with black fruit, spicy and oaky characteristics. medium to long finishing length. It's a standard bordeax red with reasonable pricing.
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7/6/2008 - John wrote: 85 Points
a real nice wine for the price, strong nose of black fruit, dark chocolate and ground coffee. while there is only a slight mid palate, again I won't argue for the price. the tannins poked their head at about the 1 hour mark.
While this still has 10 years of life, if you got 'em, pop 'em.
solid B
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6/12/2008 - Alekos wrote: 91 Points
Great balance, concentration and depth. Consistently wonderful from the lips to the mid palate to the long finish. The nose notes (graphite and black cherries) not as impressive as the cocoa, ultra ripe berries, plum and wet earth on the mouth. Impossibly good pairing with baked Cambozola with roasted garlic and toast points and grilled pork chop with apple cider mustard sauce. Heavenly. Had it at Chez Maman in SF with Joe.
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6/5/2008 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Drinking well now with mostly resolved tannins and good fruit.
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1/6/2008 - vancouvermatt wrote: 89 Points
Nice bordeaux drinking at its peak. Has developed secondary, earth characteristics. Well balanced, and good finish.
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12/25/2007 - gbauer wrote:
Good dark fruit showing well. Cassis, blackberry and good dark fruit with appropriate structure. Drinking nicely.
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3/12/2007 - otisabdul wrote: 88 Points
Drank at Launceston Place restaurant in London. Dark purple color. A sturdy claret, with rhubarb-blackberry fruit and charcoal notes on the finish. Drinking pretty well now as a foil to lamb chops. The tannins are sharp, but not searing.
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11/5/2006 - jjclips2 wrote: 86 Points
Nice black fruits and pencil lead on the nose with a bit of earth. Palate of black cherries, plum, cigar box, and again earth. Still a bit tight with dusty tannins, even after a 2 hour decant. Food definitely helped. Not overly complex, but very pleasant, especially when compared to price point.
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5/25/2006 - Saint Stephen wrote: 90 Points
Not the first time I've had this ... but this really is surprisingly good for a bottle that retailed for about twelve dollars - especially in an average year for the region. I'm posting this note a week after drinking the bottle so don't recall specifics - clean, deep fruit, moderate tannins, some complexity.
Like many other Bordeaux wines, the price of this value wine is rising quickly on a percentage basis but I expect it will remain a good value for a few more years. So bite on a case of 05 Cap de Faugeres futures at $16 or $17 per? Still seems reasonable for medium-term drinking in a strong year. The pricing strategy seems to be X for Cap, 2X for Faugeres, 5X for Peby Faugeres or so. If you're allocating limited resources, seems like this might be a line to go with the lowest of the three.
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3/4/2006 - DrDave wrote: 87 Points
This one was a bit hollow compared to the last. The oak and tannin were a bit overpowering and the fruit rather thin. Fleshed out a little bit with time. Not the best showing for this wine. Hopefully an awkward stage.
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1/12/2006 - DaleW wrote: 89 Points
Nice ripe Merlot fruit, with black plums and cassis overlaid by some coffee-ish oak. Some earth on the finish, long and clean for its low price tag.
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10/17/2005 - DFC wrote: 88 Points
Not decanted. Medium-bodied wine that is dark ruby/purple in color. On the nose, subdued dark berry fruit with a hint of earthiness. On the palate, plums and cassis in a fruit-forward style. The acidity is there and the tannins fairly soft. The mouthfeel was just OK, but the finish was pretty lengthy at 20-30 seconds. I think a 1-2 hour decant would have benefited this wine and perhaps opened up the nose some more. Not a complex drink by any means, but a good QPR at ~$15.
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10/1/2005 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Almost plush and Aussie smelling initially. Ripe, round attack with semi-sweet black fruit. Turns a little bit hollow and mocha-veggie towards the finish. Has a musty quality that almost made me wonder if it had a little cork taint. Tasty regardless.
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3/5/2005 - PaulH wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for 90 mintues and benefited greatly from it. Youthfull deep but clear young purple-red color. Not much nose - just a hit of earth and black cherries. Palate shows good backbone of acidity and soft tannins with ripe fruit. Smooth and integrated with medium body; short finish. Very good for the price. The next day, the wine is smoother and more ingratiating. This would make a really excellent house wine.
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11/28/2004 - ajlewis wrote: 90 Points
Yowsa! Consumed with Thanksgiving dinner after we'd finished all the appropriate "Thanksgiving" wines. Dark, brooding flavors of cherry and chocolate, lovely undertones of spice, and absolutely fantastic texture and feel. It made the other wines demonstrate what they really were: turkeys.
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9/27/2004 - PBaird wrote: 88 Points
Deep, almost opaque purple. Unevolved and primary aromas of chocolate covered cherries, sweet blackcherries, currants. The chocolate covered cherries carry over prominently on the flavors, with cascades of currants, kirsch, plenty of sweet fruit balanced against firm tannins and nice depth. Great balance, persistent finish with some spicy notes, this wine will evolve beautifully for a decade or so. The flavors were remarkably similar to the 99 Cap de Faugeres, but more primary at this stage.
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7/26/2004 - Spencer wrote: 90 Points
Wow - what a value! I've been a fan of this wine for the past several vintages, but I think this is their best yet. Still tight and fairly closed, but there is a surprising depth and concentration to this wine. The nose was still fairly closed, but the palate had lots of ripe jammy fruit, coffee and chocolate. Lots of body with a great mouthfeel and a medium length finish. Not complex, but a very good wine. Should open up more in a couple years and drink well for ten or so.
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