Second wine of chateau Pontet Canet. Medium+ garnet red colour. Medium intensity aroma of cherries, cranberries, balsamic, violets, cassis, leather, medicinal hints. Medium body, powerful and refined texture, so silky and elegant with medium density, medium acidity, velvety tannins, smoky and fruity finish. Drink up now as this hot vintage is going nowhere, actually I think it is slightly off peak already.
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Showing very well like other 2003 Medocs I have tried recently. Evolved over two hours in the decanted and kept improving, so lots of life left. This cuvée is typical Medoc, not as earthy as some Pauillacs but robust and mature.
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Punches well above its weight class. PnP and drank over two hours. Really opened up with air. Deep garnet. Cherry, pencil shavings, herbs and earth. Very much a LB Brdx. The body was a little thin at first but the power that developed with air helped with the stuffing towards the end. The wine was a little hot and spicy (probably due to the vintage), but not displeasing. Firm tannins that demand a fatty cut of meat. Very nice and great QPR. Should improve over the next 5-10 years.
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This opened up nicely after a couple hours in the decanter and paired wonderfully with grilled lamb T-bones. Concentrated dark fruits, damp earth, and coffee laced wood notes and spice that power through the moderate length finish. Shows the power and richness of the vintage without the roundness of more modern examples. Not the most complex, but the quality of the fruit and tannin are excellent and the surprisingly good acidity and moderately powerful backbone points to the excellence of this Chateau.
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Very delicious array of dark fruits, coffee, licorice, and pepper shine through with a fine balance. This showed so much better than my previous bottle from about an year ago, which I scored 88.
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Just so enjoyable that it tipped into the 90 point zone. Aging beautifully, with both primary and secondary flavors in evidence. We opened this about 1 hour prior to serving. Black cherry and cassis, dusty gravel, dried oak, and leather seemed to dominate. This was plenty ripe but had enough acidity and fine-grain tannin to hold everything together and balance it out. Excellent concentration. The finish was long and rich, gently ending in a bit of oak and mocha. Probably at peak.
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Opaque red, unmistakably Pauillac nose, cedarwood, dark fruits, quite deep! Still tannic, can feel the heat of the vintage! Very clean on the palate, dark fruits dominate, slightly sweet! Simple! Complete and well made!
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For a late Christmas dinner with Jen and Sue: initially closed with single fruit, with some air the wine opened up to reveal lovely herbal notes, leaf, tar and cherry. Delicious pairing with our late Christmas dinner of roast rack of lamb.
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Oh wow has this ever improved! Popped, poured, and consumed over three hours. Classic Pauillac profile that has only recently really come out. Still a bit astringent but the finish goes on and on and everything else is very balanced!
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This is pleasing with sweet cherries, sweet cassis, licorice, and a touch of mint. It is quite good already without even much breathing. It is quite supple, and it's got a good balance, yet I can't stop thinking that it's a bit simple.
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We used to bash the 2003 of this when we compared side by side with the 2004. I opened the last '03 expecting to be underwhelmed by a too fruity, too oaky, little acidity version that I remembered. Oh, boy, was the joke on me. This baby has blossomed and come into its own as of now. It blows away what I remembered of our fave, the '04. Perfectly harmonious, lovely acidity, lilting fruit, excellent integrated tannins, and a compelling, lip-smacking long finish. Just goes to show, these things are alive and have personalities that continue to develop in the bottle. So, don't write off the obnoxious adolescent!
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This is very nice in a great vintage. Nose of sweet, dark fruit. Rich and lush. Black currant, leather. Good attack, ripe tannins, just lovely length that lingers and stays with you. Still boyish, but a joy with lamb shanks and rich sauce. Outstanding for a second wine.
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very good, had nice acidity and reasonable finish.. probably was better 1 year ago - stacked up well aginst a new world bordeaux which was similar - for the price, a good wine...
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Getting better with age. Initially blackberry and cherry with minerals and spice box. With N hour open tea, herbs & underbrush emerges. Excellent with lamb
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- Brick color with slow forming legs and aromas of tobacco, chocolate and oak. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of tobacco, fig, black currant, chocolate and black pepper with a medium/full body. Polished texture with a long finish.
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This was decanted for about an hour and a half. The wine is a medium ruby color, much lighter at the edge. The very nice nose has cassis, spice box, minerals, dried herbs, graphite, leather, some earthy underbrush, and a touch of cherry. This is medium bodied with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity. Nice length on the finish which features the dried herbs, and spices, with the fruit leaning more towards cherry than cassis. Still a bit young, but outstanding for a second label.
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Medium ruby color, lively reflection. Opens with cedar closet, red currants, a touch of smoke and loamy earth. (read: I'm in heaven). Tight, but should unwind with some time in the decanter (2 hrs), medium-bodied, with a finish that is totally fighting above its weight-class. If every 03 BDX showed this kind of flavor profile, balance and structure, I'd be happy to have an entire cellar full. Classy and serious, with just a touch of ripeness (nose more than palate), and I do mean just a touch. 13,0% abv, drink thru 2020
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Dark red. Black fresh forest fruits and some black cherries in the bouquet. Also some sweetness, a touch of graphite and good oak. On the palate concentrated cassis and blackberry juice, good tannin and bitterness and pleasant oak. Long finish. Not extremely exclusive, but certainly a fine wine.
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Very good and much improved from initial release. Blackberries more than blackcurrants. Reasonable length. Not showing the heat of the vintage too much. Drink or hold for a couple more years.
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A bit lean on this showing. Nice aromatics of herbs, cassis and iron, but the fruit is relatively light compared to the tannins and there is some rusticity. Ready to drink, and at risk for losing fruit further with extended aging.
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Decanted and served immediately, over 1.5 hours. Notes similar to last time: plenty of red and purple fruit, a little better integrated now. Pretty simple, though; only goes one level deep in terms of complexity. A good wine with a few years of life left in it.
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Straight from the bottle, nose of smoky oak, sexy in the beginning, then it turns to slightly gamey nose, dry leaves, dry herbs and old barrel cask, mouthful of rich un-ripe dark fruits, rather one dimension and a touch simple! Lacking excitement! A bottle of very correct Pauillac. Not much tannins left, drink it now or over the next 2 to 3 years in terms of safety!
A little surprise that the tannins emerge in the second day!!! And nose of white pepper and dry finish! Losing the charm that appears in the first day!!!
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Consumed next to 2004 same wine over a couple of hours. Nose has very little secondary aromas, and is mostly about dark, blue fruits, with some cassis notes, stones (warm and wet?) and noticable wood. Structure is soft I would say, almost too soft, could use higher acidity to avoid clumsyness. Ripe fruits obviously. I feared it would be much more hot, so not a bad performance based on expectations. I would drink these now. The wine does not have the structure to reach any more maturity. Enjoy with food, flavourful food preferrably. Very good. Ps. The 2004 won the match but not by much, extra freshness being the deciding factor.
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Opened and let breathe 45 min before consumption. Not too much on the nose, very pleasant on the palate. Muted notes of currant and plum.Very soft tannins with a long finish. The components and complexity for a good Bordeaux are here but it still needs time to integrate.
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Nice fruit and balance. Some harsh, green notes initially, but those disappeared on the second day. At that point, greater complexity, including some floral notes became apparent.
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I cellared this for over a year. Some paulliac nose right when bottle was opened. Let it sit for an hour. Drank with steak. Some vegetal notes, not much fruit. Plenty of acidity and tha tannins have been muted by the wine maker with sulfates, so they are there, but in the background. Very slight nose. I don't like this style of winemaking; I prefer the classic style, not this modern style which is made for drinking early. At six years old the tannins should have been still evident, but what I get is a smooth wine with no character or nose. Definitely not worth anything near the $32 I paid, and not worth keeping for the long haul.
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Almost nothing on the nose. Decanted and tried again, thin, acidic and vegetal with bitter notes in the finish. Almost inclined to say this was flawed, but there was no corking. Tried on days 2 and 3 after keeping it in the decanter at 55F in my cellar. No better. Poured out the rest.
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A pleasant green note (stem? herb? pepper?) amidst a lot of ripe fruit. Blackberry, plum.
Acidity is actually very level, but somehow it does not integrate with the fruit, and I keep having this feeling of how a salad dressing where oil and acidity has not married by some coagulent or on the salad leaves. ; i.e. like a very ripe and sloppy fruit base to which someone has added a bag of something a bit sour.
What saves the wine, though, is the wonderful, subtle grip and the way the wine extends itself without too much power and extraction - compared to average 03 bourdeaux. I preferred this over the Chilean 07 cab we opened for the same dinner.
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Nice value BDX at $26. Decanted 45+ and drank over 2 hours. Medium to full body. Somewhat austere black cherry and limestone at first, progressing into something like under-ripe blackberry. Not too long in the mouth, but very pleasing.
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Somehow disappointing. Still dark cherry muddy color. Cherry and dark fruit on the nose and palate, but the muddiness of the appearance comes thru. Kinda harsh on the palate, reminiscent of a young harsh grenache. Not bad but not a lot of fun nor a pleasure to drink. Relegate to a CELLAR DEFENDER. Not in danger of dying anytime soon, but I give up on any significant improventment. 4/4/09 Polished off last half of bottle tonight. No evidence of oxidation, otherwise about the same as on the 27th. I assume this means a reasonably long life so maybe there is hope.
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Decanted for 4 hours based on earlier CellarTracker comments. Nice nose of black cherry and limestone rock. Taste of cherry, crushed rock, vanilla. Medium body with smooth finish. Very good value. Classic bordeaux terrior taste.
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revisited (last tried 3.08). drank as bottle # 2 during Fla/Okl National Champ game. Continue to think the wine is a pretty good $25 BDX value, but not a "wow" $25 value. To me, still lacks real defining character/charm. Cherries, cedar and green - asparagus (take this one with a grain of salt, i've been accused of nearly always finding asparagus in Pauillac BDXs) on the palet.
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More fresh and vibrant than the 96 Hauts de Pontet tasted beside it, but lacked the nuance and complexity that the older wine offered. Slightly disjoint but has the fruit and tannins to last a while, perhaps gaining complexity as it matures.
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Despite slightly improper temperature of my cellar recently, this bottle tasted just like the others I've had before (unlike my recent Caymus or Calon Segur). Young but approachable, nice drink and really good value.
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Lighter and less intense than the first wine, but had surprising smoothness and power still. Finish is shorter too but at this price I would have to buy more
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I opened one of these -- obviously too early -- to see what it was like. Oak and tannin are still obvious and the wine is primary, but I was very happy with the stuff in here. For ~ $20 this will be a very nice wine in 3 - 5 years (and it wasn't bad today).
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Incredible value. Bordeaux boquet lept from the bottle as I pulled the cork. Dark cherry color with a ever so slight muddiness to it that I think will resolve in time. Beautiful nose of Dark fruits, cherries and currants that follows through on the palet. Tannin / structure are in evidence which bodes well for the life expectancy of this wine. I guess it will need 3 to 5 years for the tannin and muddiness to resolve out and should drink well for 10 years after that. 5/25/2007, Finished last half of bottle 3 days later and while some of the tannin has subsuded, the fruit is still there in spades. A little lacking in structure, but this wine should have an easy 10 to 20 year lifespan, possibly more. Bought six more.
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Very aromatic with raspberry, vanilla, and toasted oak. The aroma was so strong that it filled the room! Raspberry, cherry and minerals with a long finish. Hints of cedar and cocoa on the finish. Awesome value, can you imagine the 1st growth cousin?
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Very nicely balanced. Nose is subtly floral and perfectly predicts the mouth which is supple yet taut and holds on for a good 30 second finish. Should note that this was at its best on day two in the decanter.
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Unintentionally, decanted, poured back in bottle, and sat for a day recorked. Very sweet black cherry, lush moutfeel, crushed mineral with just a hint of sage on the finish. Fine tannins come through on the finish. Fairly straightforward now, hinting at its potential, but everything is in balance to evolve and improve.
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Excellent for a second wine. There is nothing wrong with this, it is a little more approachable, and a little less long than its big brother. A wonderful value.
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Young (really too young to drink) but delicious. Lots of good red fruit and tight tannins on the finish. This will be really good ... w/ a few years of bottle age. Good w/ our lamb.
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Second wine of pontet canet. Beautiful nose with upfront fruit but good body and fine tannins. Long finish. If you like pontet canet, this is a prevue. Holy crap! This is still young and tasting good can you imagine the first wine?
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Not too bad at all for $18 at Costco. Color is dark garnet/purple. Nose shows black currant, crushed stone, hint of cedar. On the palate, this is thick and juicy, showing big black fruit, tar, leather, and spice. Finish is not as long as its Daddy's, but not bad at all for the price.
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11/20/2021 - Ernestas Likes this wine: 90 Points
Second wine of chateau Pontet Canet. Medium+ garnet red colour. Medium intensity aroma of cherries, cranberries, balsamic, violets, cassis, leather, medicinal hints. Medium body, powerful and refined texture, so silky and elegant with medium density, medium acidity, velvety tannins, smoky and fruity finish. Drink up now as this hot vintage is going nowhere, actually I think it is slightly off peak already.
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2/10/2019 - LeChapeau wrote: 91 Points
This one has developed nicely. Dark fruits, forest floor, wood smoke and a bit of leather. Still going strong and I wish I had more!
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4/28/2018 - diggydan wrote: 91 Points
Secondary, leafy and loamy nose. Dark black fruit, leaves, and graphite on the palate. Nice wine.
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1/8/2017 - Quiet Lion wrote: flawed
This bottle was a bit sour, so I'm calling it flawed compared to the other I had from the same source recently.
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11/6/2016 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 92 Points
Showing very well like other 2003 Medocs I have tried recently. Evolved over two hours in the decanted and kept improving, so lots of life left. This cuvée is typical Medoc, not as earthy as some Pauillacs but robust and mature.
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3/13/2016 - Hawk94 wrote: 91 Points
Prefect to drink now. As good as any classified grand cru.
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12/13/2015 - richardkim Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bright cherry and dark plum, with a lively acidity. Medium bodied.
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11/1/2015 - TashNYC wrote: 89 Points
Tasty notes of cherry and herbs. With lamb and Sue
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10/1/2015 - ab3442 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Left bank bordeaux style shows with the lighter structure, very elegant plum and savory berry flavor. Drinking perfect right now.
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8/7/2015 - TashNYC wrote:
cellar clean-up. These are tasty wines that we drink often, but post notes about less frequently. Great with lamb
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6/21/2015 - DRK III Likes this wine: 91 Points
Punches well above its weight class. PnP and drank over two hours. Really opened up with air. Deep garnet. Cherry, pencil shavings, herbs and earth. Very much a LB Brdx. The body was a little thin at first but the power that developed with air helped with the stuffing towards the end. The wine was a little hot and spicy (probably due to the vintage), but not displeasing. Firm tannins that demand a fatty cut of meat. Very nice and great QPR. Should improve over the next 5-10 years.
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3/9/2015 - Redguy wrote: flawed
corked
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2/24/2015 - Redguy wrote: 91 Points
This opened up nicely after a couple hours in the decanter and paired wonderfully with grilled lamb T-bones. Concentrated dark fruits, damp earth, and coffee laced wood notes and spice that power through the moderate length finish. Shows the power and richness of the vintage without the roundness of more modern examples. Not the most complex, but the quality of the fruit and tannin are excellent and the surprisingly good acidity and moderately powerful backbone points to the excellence of this Chateau.
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10/19/2014 - tadams66 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decant for 1 hour. Ready to drink now. Nice spice notes and wonderful dark berries.
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8/22/2014 - Number51 wrote: 92 Points
Very delicious array of dark fruits, coffee, licorice, and pepper shine through with a fine balance. This showed so much better than my previous bottle from about an year ago, which I scored 88.
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8/6/2014 - ucbeau Likes this wine: 90 Points
Just so enjoyable that it tipped into the 90 point zone. Aging beautifully, with both primary and secondary flavors in evidence. We opened this about 1 hour prior to serving. Black cherry and cassis, dusty gravel, dried oak, and leather seemed to dominate. This was plenty ripe but had enough acidity and fine-grain tannin to hold everything together and balance it out. Excellent concentration. The finish was long and rich, gently ending in a bit of oak and mocha. Probably at peak.
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6/9/2014 - Tao wrote: 90 Points
Opaque red, unmistakably Pauillac nose, cedarwood, dark fruits, quite deep! Still tannic, can feel the heat of the vintage! Very clean on the palate, dark fruits dominate, slightly sweet! Simple! Complete and well made!
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2/20/2014 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 90 Points
In fine shape, currant and plum. Full bodied and balanced with solid acidity. Medium bodied, with minimal tannin
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12/27/2013 - TashNYC wrote: 92 Points
For a late Christmas dinner with Jen and Sue: initially closed with single fruit, with some air the wine opened up to reveal lovely herbal notes, leaf, tar and cherry. Delicious pairing with our late Christmas dinner of roast rack of lamb.
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11/2/2013 - guido23 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Oh wow has this ever improved! Popped, poured, and consumed over three hours. Classic Pauillac profile that has only recently really come out. Still a bit astringent but the finish goes on and on and everything else is very balanced!
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10/14/2013 - Number51 wrote: 88 Points
This is pleasing with sweet cherries, sweet cassis, licorice, and a touch of mint. It is quite good already without even much breathing. It is quite supple, and it's got a good balance, yet I can't stop thinking that it's a bit simple.
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7/15/2013 - gmat5497 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Great winw for the price
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4/18/2013 - SexyEpicurean wrote: 91 Points
We used to bash the 2003 of this when we compared side by side with the 2004. I opened the last '03 expecting to be underwhelmed by a too fruity, too oaky, little acidity version that I remembered. Oh, boy, was the joke on me. This baby has blossomed and come into its own as of now. It blows away what I remembered of our fave, the '04. Perfectly harmonious, lovely acidity, lilting fruit, excellent integrated tannins, and a compelling, lip-smacking long finish. Just goes to show, these things are alive and have personalities that continue to develop in the bottle. So, don't write off the obnoxious adolescent!
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3/25/2013 - bullmrkt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious. Loamy bordeaux nose; red berry, tea, and earth palate; smooth well integrated tannins finish clean. Very nice, especially for $35.
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3/25/2013 - goska wrote: 92 Points
This is very nice in a great vintage. Nose of sweet, dark fruit. Rich and lush. Black currant, leather. Good attack, ripe tannins, just lovely length that lingers and stays with you. Still boyish, but a joy with lamb shanks and rich sauce. Outstanding for a second wine.
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3/10/2013 - Tarokun Likes this wine: 90 Points
very good, had nice acidity and reasonable finish.. probably was better 1 year ago - stacked up well aginst a new world bordeaux which was similar - for the price, a good wine...
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1/20/2013 - TashNYC wrote:
Cellar clean-up
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1/19/2013 - TashNYC wrote: 91 Points
Drinking just delicious. These are great now.
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1/2/2013 - TashNYC wrote: 91 Points
Getting better with age. Initially blackberry and cherry with minerals and spice box. With N hour open tea, herbs & underbrush emerges. Excellent with lamb
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11/25/2012 - sjjthompson Likes this wine: 88 Points
- Brick color with slow forming legs and aromas of tobacco, chocolate and oak. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of tobacco, fig, black currant, chocolate and black pepper with a medium/full body. Polished texture with a long finish.
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10/18/2012 - paulst wrote: 93 Points
Smooth and soft with soft well integrated tannins; broad and smooth across the palate; rich blackberry; nicely balanced with a long sweet finish.
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10/7/2012 - cbbrown3 wrote: 91 Points
This was decanted for about an hour and a half. The wine is a medium ruby color, much lighter at the edge. The very nice nose has cassis, spice box, minerals, dried herbs, graphite, leather, some earthy underbrush, and a touch of cherry. This is medium bodied with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity. Nice length on the finish which features the dried herbs, and spices, with the fruit leaning more towards cherry than cassis. Still a bit young, but outstanding for a second label.
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9/30/2012 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Medium ruby color, lively reflection. Opens with cedar closet, red currants, a touch of smoke and loamy earth. (read: I'm in heaven). Tight, but should unwind with some time in the decanter (2 hrs), medium-bodied, with a finish that is totally fighting above its weight-class. If every 03 BDX showed this kind of flavor profile, balance and structure, I'd be happy to have an entire cellar full. Classy and serious, with just a touch of ripeness (nose more than palate), and I do mean just a touch. 13,0% abv, drink thru 2020
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9/6/2012 - paulst wrote: 90 Points
Smooth and earthy with hints on lead pencil; elegant blackberry and nice round soft tannic finish.
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7/20/2012 - paulst wrote: 88 Points
Some blackberry; in need of better balance; tannins not yet fully integrated; some extra acididty.
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6/8/2012 - paulst wrote: 87 Points
Light leather nose; round and soft; not much acidity; balance not great; somewhat flabby fruit.
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5/12/2012 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
Dark red. Black fresh forest fruits and some black cherries in the bouquet. Also some sweetness, a touch of graphite and good oak. On the palate concentrated cassis and blackberry juice, good tannin and bitterness and pleasant oak. Long finish. Not extremely exclusive, but certainly a fine wine.
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4/9/2012 - paulst wrote: 89 Points
Soft light sweet blackberry with nice balance and smooth round tannins.
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12/10/2011 - pdadams66 wrote: 88 Points
Very good and much improved from initial release. Blackberries more than blackcurrants. Reasonable length. Not showing the heat of the vintage too much. Drink or hold for a couple more years.
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12/7/2011 - rmodak wrote: 88 Points
A bit lean on this showing. Nice aromatics of herbs, cassis and iron, but the fruit is relatively light compared to the tannins and there is some rusticity. Ready to drink, and at risk for losing fruit further with extended aging.
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10/23/2011 - guido23 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted and served immediately, over 1.5 hours. Notes similar to last time: plenty of red and purple fruit, a little better integrated now. Pretty simple, though; only goes one level deep in terms of complexity. A good wine with a few years of life left in it.
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7/4/2011 - paulst wrote: 86 Points
Lean blackberry; thin texture and moderate balance.
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3/31/2011 - paulst wrote: 91 Points
Neutral nose; balanced, soft, neatly textured; some herbaceousness and sweet soft blackberry; soft sweet tannins, pleasant finish.
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2/14/2011 - Tao wrote: 89 Points
Straight from the bottle, nose of smoky oak, sexy in the beginning, then it turns to slightly gamey nose, dry leaves, dry herbs and old barrel cask, mouthful of rich un-ripe dark fruits, rather one dimension and a touch simple! Lacking excitement! A bottle of very correct Pauillac. Not much tannins left, drink it now or over the next 2 to 3 years in terms of safety!
A little surprise that the tannins emerge in the second day!!! And nose of white pepper and dry finish! Losing the charm that appears in the first day!!!
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11/9/2010 - cinnamon wrote: 87 Points
Consumed next to 2004 same wine over a couple of hours. Nose has very little secondary aromas, and is mostly about dark, blue fruits, with some cassis notes, stones (warm and wet?) and noticable wood. Structure is soft I would say, almost too soft, could use higher acidity to avoid clumsyness. Ripe fruits obviously. I feared it would be much more hot, so not a bad performance based on expectations. I would drink these now. The wine does not have the structure to reach any more maturity. Enjoy with food, flavourful food preferrably. Very good. Ps. The 2004 won the match but not by much, extra freshness being the deciding factor.
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8/28/2010 - guido23 wrote: 89 Points
Opened and let breathe 45 min before consumption. Not too much on the nose, very pleasant on the palate. Muted notes of currant and plum.Very soft tannins with a long finish. The components and complexity for a good Bordeaux are here but it still needs time to integrate.
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8/8/2010 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
Was pleasantly surprised by this. A bit unstructured, light and fruity.
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7/4/2010 - paulst wrote: 87 Points
Light fruit with lightly acididc driven blackberry.
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6/13/2010 - paulst wrote: 86 Points
Some tar and lead pencil; moderate blackberry; astringent.
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2/7/2010 - stevenjstein wrote: 89 Points
Nice fruit and balance. Some harsh, green notes initially, but those disappeared on the second day. At that point, greater complexity, including some floral notes became apparent.
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11/30/2009 - brucef wrote: 83 Points
I cellared this for over a year. Some paulliac nose right when bottle was opened. Let it sit for an hour. Drank with steak. Some vegetal notes, not much fruit. Plenty of acidity and tha tannins have been muted by the wine maker with sulfates, so they are there, but in the background. Very slight nose. I don't like this style of winemaking; I prefer the classic style, not this modern style which is made for drinking early. At six years old the tannins should have been still evident, but what I get is a smooth wine with no character or nose. Definitely not worth anything near the $32 I paid, and not worth keeping for the long haul.
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10/29/2009 - Stampy wrote: 75 Points
Almost nothing on the nose. Decanted and tried again, thin, acidic and vegetal with bitter notes in the finish. Almost inclined to say this was flawed, but there was no corking. Tried on days 2 and 3 after keeping it in the decanter at 55F in my cellar. No better. Poured out the rest.
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10/2/2009 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 84 Points
A pleasant green note (stem? herb? pepper?) amidst a lot of ripe fruit. Blackberry, plum.
Acidity is actually very level, but somehow it does not integrate with the fruit, and I keep having this feeling of how a salad dressing where oil and acidity has not married by some coagulent or on the salad leaves. ; i.e. like a very ripe and sloppy fruit base to which someone has added a bag of something a bit sour.
What saves the wine, though, is the wonderful, subtle grip and the way the wine extends itself without too much power and extraction - compared to average 03 bourdeaux. I preferred this over the Chilean 07 cab we opened for the same dinner.
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5/27/2009 - paulst wrote: 90 Points
Started light and green then developed with cedar and soft some blackberry, mint and smooth sweet tannins.
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5/8/2009 - Bradford wrote: 89 Points
Nice value BDX at $26. Decanted 45+ and drank over 2 hours. Medium to full body. Somewhat austere black cherry and limestone at first, progressing into something like under-ripe blackberry. Not too long in the mouth, but very pleasing.
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3/27/2009 - vintage61 wrote: 88 Points
Somehow disappointing. Still dark cherry muddy color. Cherry and dark fruit on the nose and palate, but the muddiness of the appearance comes thru. Kinda harsh on the palate, reminiscent of a young harsh grenache. Not bad but not a lot of fun nor a pleasure to drink. Relegate to a CELLAR DEFENDER. Not in danger of dying anytime soon, but I give up on any significant improventment. 4/4/09 Polished off last half of bottle tonight. No evidence of oxidation, otherwise about the same as on the 27th. I assume this means a reasonably long life so maybe there is hope.
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2/23/2009 - HOS wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 4 hours based on earlier CellarTracker comments. Nice nose of black cherry and limestone rock. Taste of cherry, crushed rock, vanilla. Medium body with smooth finish. Very good value. Classic bordeaux terrior taste.
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1/8/2009 - randalleron wrote:
revisited (last tried 3.08). drank as bottle # 2 during Fla/Okl National Champ game. Continue to think the wine is a pretty good $25 BDX value, but not a "wow" $25 value. To me, still lacks real defining character/charm. Cherries, cedar and green - asparagus (take this one with a grain of salt, i've been accused of nearly always finding asparagus in Pauillac BDXs) on the palet.
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12/27/2008 - Hazeo wrote: 90 Points
More fresh and vibrant than the 96 Hauts de Pontet tasted beside it, but lacked the nuance and complexity that the older wine offered. Slightly disjoint but has the fruit and tannins to last a while, perhaps gaining complexity as it matures.
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8/27/2008 - elamasters wrote:
Nice. Still very young and tannic. I'll wait several more years to open any more.
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7/13/2008 - Hazeo wrote: 90 Points
Despite slightly improper temperature of my cellar recently, this bottle tasted just like the others I've had before (unlike my recent Caymus or Calon Segur). Young but approachable, nice drink and really good value.
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3/6/2008 - randalleron wrote: 88 Points
At Rothmann's with SABW guys. Nice ruby color. Pleasant nose. Taste was mild, lacked depth/real expression. Almost tasted "watered down".
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2/19/2008 - Hazeo wrote: 91 Points
Lighter and less intense than the first wine, but had surprising smoothness and power still. Finish is shorter too but at this price I would have to buy more
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6/14/2007 - gbauer wrote:
I opened one of these -- obviously too early -- to see what it was like. Oak and tannin are still obvious and the wine is primary, but I was very happy with the stuff in here. For ~ $20 this will be a very nice wine in 3 - 5 years (and it wasn't bad today).
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5/22/2007 - vintage61 wrote: 90 Points
Incredible value. Bordeaux boquet lept from the bottle as I pulled the cork. Dark cherry color with a ever so slight muddiness to it that I think will resolve in time. Beautiful nose of Dark fruits, cherries and currants that follows through on the palet. Tannin / structure are in evidence which bodes well for the life expectancy of this wine. I guess it will need 3 to 5 years for the tannin and muddiness to resolve out and should drink well for 10 years after that.
5/25/2007, Finished last half of bottle 3 days later and while some of the tannin has subsuded, the fruit is still there in spades. A little lacking in structure, but this wine should have an easy 10 to 20 year lifespan, possibly more. Bought six more.
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12/31/2006 - lewisrise wrote: 93 Points
Very aromatic with raspberry, vanilla, and toasted oak. The aroma was so strong that it filled the room! Raspberry, cherry and minerals with a long finish. Hints of cedar and cocoa on the finish. Awesome value, can you imagine the 1st growth cousin?
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12/26/2006 - Stampy wrote: 92 Points
Very nicely balanced. Nose is subtly floral and perfectly predicts the mouth which is supple yet taut and holds on for a good 30 second finish. Should note that this was at its best on day two in the decanter.
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12/21/2006 - rmodak wrote: 90 Points
Unintentionally, decanted, poured back in bottle, and sat for a day recorked. Very sweet black cherry, lush moutfeel, crushed mineral with just a hint of sage on the finish. Fine tannins come through on the finish. Fairly straightforward now, hinting at its potential, but everything is in balance to evolve and improve.
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12/18/2006 - mmyette wrote: 90 Points
Excellent for a second wine. There is nothing wrong with this, it is a little more approachable, and a little less long than its big brother. A wonderful value.
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12/15/2006 - TashNYC wrote: 90 Points
Young (really too young to drink) but delicious. Lots of good red fruit and tight tannins on the finish. This will be really good ... w/ a few years of bottle age. Good w/ our lamb.
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9/5/2006 - vy#10 wrote:
Pretty shrill taste. I thought that the finish was too acidic, almost metallic. Will try again.
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8/20/2006 - J-Sho wrote: 90 Points
Second wine of pontet canet. Beautiful nose with upfront fruit but good body and fine tannins. Long finish. If you like pontet canet, this is a prevue. Holy crap! This is still young and tasting good can you imagine the first wine?
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5/15/2006 - Thilo wrote: 88 Points
Not too bad at all for $18 at Costco. Color is dark garnet/purple. Nose shows black currant, crushed stone, hint of cedar. On the palate, this is thick and juicy, showing big black fruit, tar, leather, and spice. Finish is not as long as its Daddy's, but not bad at all for the price.
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5/5/2006 - Wrighty wrote: 89 Points
A small test of 2003 Bordeaux (With Mark and Keiko at home, Hong Kong): A little fumey but followed by clean fruit. A bit dry and tannic without the fruit to carry it. Some currants.
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