Stunning nose. Sweet, rich yet elegant fruit on the palate, which remains light and dancing. Spicy, rather light-footed, accompanied by beautifully integrated tannins. Still a bit young but already quite impressive. Very fine! 93+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The title of a Monty Python film, it could well be Gonzague Lurton’s motto (perhaps it is?). He doesn’t seem to give a hoot about critical acclaim, never does anything like anyone else, and this wine is another two fingered salute to conformity.
The nose is arresting – fascinating, in fact. I’m more keen on what’s in the glass as a rule, but this one is certainly worth spending time over. Very perfumed at first, with violets and plums, then something which to me said eucalyptus, before some brambly fruit, then some elderberry, lavender and blueberry. Light but very strong, I could smell it from across the room, but such incredible complexity!
The attack is bright and fresh, very typical of a biodynamic wine, bone-dry cassis and plums to the fore, very reminiscent of a Roches Neuves. Then midpalate it veers off into black cherry flavours, full of energy and still very taut, before hightailing it to the skies with a blend of acidic raspberry and cinnamon, leaving an aftertaste of crisp blackcurrant and typical Margaux dustiness.
That all probably reads as odd as it was – but the sensation post-sip is of enormous pleasure. It’s a wine that pirouettes dangerously between excessive acidity and perfect balance, but for now at least, the latter wins the day.
Certainly one of the more weirdly wonderful wines I have tasted this year, it reminded me strongly of Closeries des Moussis, rather than Clos Du Jaugueyron, with its uncompromising refusal to conform. I can well understand that this is not to everybody’s taste – lovers of Labégorce-type wines would not like it. I loved it. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some bottle variation, I’m not 100% sure that it will age well, but I’m happy to take a punt on it anyway and say that it will turn into a really outstanding wine. 94 pts for now, possibly 96 in the future.
Thinking back to the 2008 tasted recently, there is a definite resemblance, but the 2016 just pushes the boundaries further.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Vibrant ruby red in colour. Pot pourri plum and cassis on the powdery nose. Silky tannins with great energy and purity of fruit dialed to 11. Great balance. Truly lovely.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose really hits you. Glycerin, flowers, sandalwood and fresh blueberry aromas. Medium ruby in color with transparency at the edge. Medium in body. A green note up front that integrates quickly. Licorice, leathery, floral and wild blackberry notes. Could have easily been convinced this was cab franc heavy.
Day 2 - Left in the bottle and after 24 hours, no major changes. Perhaps a little smoother and open with a little less acidic tang.
Overall very enjoyable.
13.5 percent abv.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot. Nose is deep and perfumed. Violets plums and blackberries. Such poise and precision. Lovely sensual tannins and sappy acids. Medium bodied. More blackberries on the finish. Serious length. Lovely over lunch at a restaurant in Margaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
My first DV and pretty good experience! I find myself in the tasting note of Ohne_Musik which was 2 years ago but still valid from my point of view. Very good Margaux and scores the most with its balance and elegance!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromas of green bell pepper, black plum, cranberries, blueberries, elderberry and raspberry. Tastes of wild forest berries, blackberries, raspberries, oak, tobacco, elderberries, dark chocolate, forest floor, cinnamon and plum. velvety consistency, well balanced, fresh acidity to balance the dark flavours with long finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Picked up a couple of these based on the strength of Keith Levenberg's review from last Oct. This is stellar, under the radar, classic Margaux - will have to pick up several more. A real Bordeaux bargain at $60.
PnP. Starts with a very inviting nose, very Margaux, with seductive violets and crème de cassis. The smell wafts from the glass halfway across the room.
Follows on the palate with candied violets, ripe tart red fruits, crab apples, sandalwood, incense. It's notable for its superb balance; it has finesse and freshness in spades. Ample acid, fine grained, chalky tannins, and lighter bodied than many 2016s (13.5% alc, 40% new oak). Long finish with a cleansing charcoal element and curiously, a banana ester component, that shows up more on the nose the next day. Only detractor on day 1 is the acid is a bit unintegrated and it needs a bit of time to come together.
Day 2, this has gotten even better. Acid is more tightly welded to the fruit and structure, a more layered mid-palate has emerged, with cedar, forest undergrowth, and warm soil. Structure is still present but very approachable, compared to the 2016 Gloria. Not sure this will go through a closed period - the tannins are so fine. At this point I prefer this to the highly vaunted Calon-Segur, although that may be the better wine in 2040. Thomas Jefferson ranked this Chateau his 4th favorite after Lafite, Latour, and Margaux in his travel diaries, and while it may not have climbed that far yet, it's certainly seems worthy of its 2eme Cru status.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pop and pour. Dominerende lukt av solbær. Bak solbærene er det plomme, lær, moccabønner og snev av vanilje og sedertre. Smak av solbær, Vicks, blåbær og litt bitterhet fra moccabønner og grønn paprika. Den har også litt jordlige toner - en blanding av skogbunn, matjord og rå potet. Middels pluss fruktkonsentrasjon, medium syre og litt kantete aggressive tanniner. Godt munngrep. Bløtt anslag, fruktdominert midtparti og smaken varer lenge. Vinen virker ung men balansert og tilgjengelig. Ingen skam å drikke denne nå. Høyeste kvalitet jeg har smakt fra produsenten. (94-95p)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really, really ripe (almost to the point of funky) warm plum/prune, overly muddled and saturated blackberry and black raspberry, red and black currant, soil, cassis, and subtle wet cedar. Has enough cut to keep the momentum at a proper pace, but certainly pushes the boundaries of jammy and earthy-prune flavors, which makes for a pretty simple execution overall. Complexity suffers here. Finishes a little heavy and slow.
The first sip is good, and maybe even the second...but over a short period of time, I was a little over it. I kinda maybe like the flavors and all, but then I fell asleep, woke up confused, and forgot what I was even drinking.
Dizzyingly complex aromas of botanicals, bramble, and a succulent, savory roastiness. There's a succulence to the fruit, too, which comes across acute and piercing in a redder, more cassis-like complexion than most of the northern Medoc properties are showing this vintage, but similarly rich and concentrated with a kiss of seared oakspice, and veering towards the black-cherry side with air. Structurally, this has been for the last few years, and continues to be, one of the more old-fashioned Bordeaux out there, but it feels a bit weird to use that term in reference to an estate doing the hip biodynamie thing. In any event, while it has a tight, clenched grip, there's enough saturation and sweetness to the fruit that it doesn't go so far as feeling austere, and the grip relaxes enough on day two to highlight the primary fruit character more. Bottom line is that this is packed with gorgeous material, built to last, and comes from a property with some serious pedigree (yes, Virginia, this is a second growth!) making its best wine in generations - which the price tag still hasn't caught up to.
What a difference a vintage makes! Showing deep color with lush, supple textures, flesh and finesse, the wine is wrought with sweet, polished, ready berries, freshness, length, complexity and depth. Produced from a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this is best wine I've ever tasted from Durfort Vivens!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep purple colour. Lifted nose showing scents of black currants, cassis, blackberries and hints of lavender.
It is dry in the mouth with a fresh acidity. It has firm fine-grained tannins and a medium+ alcohol. It is full-bodied with pronounced intensity flavours. The finish is long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/12/2024 - calypse Likes this wine: 93 Points
Stunning nose. Sweet, rich yet elegant fruit on the palate, which remains light and dancing. Spicy, rather light-footed, accompanied by beautifully integrated tannins. Still a bit young but already quite impressive. Very fine!
93+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2024 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 94 Points
“And Now For Something Completely Different”
The title of a Monty Python film, it could well be Gonzague Lurton’s motto (perhaps it is?). He doesn’t seem to give a hoot about critical acclaim, never does anything like anyone else, and this wine is another two fingered salute to conformity.
The nose is arresting – fascinating, in fact. I’m more keen on what’s in the glass as a rule, but this one is certainly worth spending time over. Very perfumed at first, with violets and plums, then something which to me said eucalyptus, before some brambly fruit, then some elderberry, lavender and blueberry. Light but very strong, I could smell it from across the room, but such incredible complexity!
The attack is bright and fresh, very typical of a biodynamic wine, bone-dry cassis and plums to the fore, very reminiscent of a Roches Neuves. Then midpalate it veers off into black cherry flavours, full of energy and still very taut, before hightailing it to the skies with a blend of acidic raspberry and cinnamon, leaving an aftertaste of crisp blackcurrant and typical Margaux dustiness.
That all probably reads as odd as it was – but the sensation post-sip is of enormous pleasure. It’s a wine that pirouettes dangerously between excessive acidity and perfect balance, but for now at least, the latter wins the day.
Certainly one of the more weirdly wonderful wines I have tasted this year, it reminded me strongly of Closeries des Moussis, rather than Clos Du Jaugueyron, with its uncompromising refusal to conform. I can well understand that this is not to everybody’s taste – lovers of Labégorce-type wines would not like it. I loved it. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some bottle variation, I’m not 100% sure that it will age well, but I’m happy to take a punt on it anyway and say that it will turn into a really outstanding wine. 94 pts for now, possibly 96 in the future.
Thinking back to the 2008 tasted recently, there is a definite resemblance, but the 2016 just pushes the boundaries further.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2023 - fussyeater wrote: 94 Points
Vibrant ruby red in colour. Pot pourri plum and cassis on the powdery nose. Silky tannins with great energy and purity of fruit dialed to 11. Great balance. Truly lovely.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2023 - AJCM Likes this wine: 93 Points
Haut-Bages Liberal Winery
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2023 - watcheslover Likes this wine: 95 Points
Little vertical from Durfort-Vivens yesterday with my colleagues: 2022 in sample, 2021 untasted.
1) 2020 98.2/100
2) 2019 98/100
3) 2018 97.4/100
4) 2022 97.1/100
5) 2015 95.8/100
6) 2016 95.2/100
7) 2017 93.4/100
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2023 - FiggySmalls Likes this wine:
Much like the phenomenal 2019 but with grippy tannins and some grouchy tannin. Very "cool" in its embrace of traditional
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2023 - PghMike Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose really hits you. Glycerin, flowers, sandalwood and fresh blueberry aromas. Medium ruby in color with transparency at the edge. Medium in body. A green note up front that integrates quickly. Licorice, leathery, floral and wild blackberry notes. Could have easily been convinced this was cab franc heavy.
Day 2 - Left in the bottle and after 24 hours, no major changes. Perhaps a little smoother and open with a little less acidic tang.
Overall very enjoyable.
13.5 percent abv.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/25/2023 - fussyeater Likes this wine: 94 Points
94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot. Nose is deep and perfumed. Violets plums and blackberries. Such poise and precision. Lovely sensual tannins and sappy acids. Medium bodied. More blackberries on the finish. Serious length. Lovely over lunch at a restaurant in Margaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2022 - Bradetti Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first DV and pretty good experience! I find myself in the tasting note of Ohne_Musik which was 2 years ago but still valid from my point of view.
Very good Margaux and scores the most with its balance and elegance!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2022 - Christopherhoff wrote: 93 Points
Aromas of green bell pepper, black plum, cranberries, blueberries, elderberry and raspberry. Tastes of wild forest berries, blackberries, raspberries, oak, tobacco, elderberries, dark chocolate, forest floor, cinnamon and plum. velvety consistency, well balanced, fresh acidity to balance the dark flavours with long finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2021 - madrapper wrote: 90 Points
핸들링 실패
뽕따는 너무 영함
그 다음은 온도 조절 실패 ㅠㅠ
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2020 - ohne_musik wrote: 95 Points
Picked up a couple of these based on the strength of Keith Levenberg's review from last Oct. This is stellar, under the radar, classic Margaux - will have to pick up several more. A real Bordeaux bargain at $60.
PnP. Starts with a very inviting nose, very Margaux, with seductive violets and crème de cassis. The smell wafts from the glass halfway across the room.
Follows on the palate with candied violets, ripe tart red fruits, crab apples, sandalwood, incense. It's notable for its superb balance; it has finesse and freshness in spades. Ample acid, fine grained, chalky tannins, and lighter bodied than many 2016s (13.5% alc, 40% new oak). Long finish with a cleansing charcoal element and curiously, a banana ester component, that shows up more on the nose the next day. Only detractor on day 1 is the acid is a bit unintegrated and it needs a bit of time to come together.
Day 2, this has gotten even better. Acid is more tightly welded to the fruit and structure, a more layered mid-palate has emerged, with cedar, forest undergrowth, and warm soil. Structure is still present but very approachable, compared to the 2016 Gloria. Not sure this will go through a closed period - the tannins are so fine. At this point I prefer this to the highly vaunted Calon-Segur, although that may be the better wine in 2040. Thomas Jefferson ranked this Chateau his 4th favorite after Lafite, Latour, and Margaux in his travel diaries, and while it may not have climbed that far yet, it's certainly seems worthy of its 2eme Cru status.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2020 - ttholst wrote: 94 Points
Pop and pour. Dominerende lukt av solbær. Bak solbærene er det plomme, lær, moccabønner og snev av vanilje og sedertre. Smak av solbær, Vicks, blåbær og litt bitterhet fra moccabønner og grønn paprika. Den har også litt jordlige toner - en blanding av skogbunn, matjord og rå potet. Middels pluss fruktkonsentrasjon, medium syre og litt kantete aggressive tanniner. Godt munngrep. Bløtt anslag, fruktdominert midtparti og smaken varer lenge. Vinen virker ung men balansert og tilgjengelig. Ingen skam å drikke denne nå. Høyeste kvalitet jeg har smakt fra produsenten. (94-95p)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2019 - csimm wrote: 88 Points
Really, really ripe (almost to the point of funky) warm plum/prune, overly muddled and saturated blackberry and black raspberry, red and black currant, soil, cassis, and subtle wet cedar. Has enough cut to keep the momentum at a proper pace, but certainly pushes the boundaries of jammy and earthy-prune flavors, which makes for a pretty simple execution overall. Complexity suffers here. Finishes a little heavy and slow.
The first sip is good, and maybe even the second...but over a short period of time, I was a little over it. I kinda maybe like the flavors and all, but then I fell asleep, woke up confused, and forgot what I was even drinking.
86-88?.......ish?
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
10/9/2019 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dizzyingly complex aromas of botanicals, bramble, and a succulent, savory roastiness. There's a succulence to the fruit, too, which comes across acute and piercing in a redder, more cassis-like complexion than most of the northern Medoc properties are showing this vintage, but similarly rich and concentrated with a kiss of seared oakspice, and veering towards the black-cherry side with air. Structurally, this has been for the last few years, and continues to be, one of the more old-fashioned Bordeaux out there, but it feels a bit weird to use that term in reference to an estate doing the hip biodynamie thing. In any event, while it has a tight, clenched grip, there's enough saturation and sweetness to the fruit that it doesn't go so far as feeling austere, and the grip relaxes enough on day two to highlight the primary fruit character more. Bottom line is that this is packed with gorgeous material, built to last, and comes from a property with some serious pedigree (yes, Virginia, this is a second growth!) making its best wine in generations - which the price tag still hasn't caught up to.
7 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
2/25/2019 - Xavier Auerbach wrote:
Amsterdam UGCB Tasting and Winemakers' Dinner (Beurs van Berlage / Café De Klepel): Gentle wine making, gentle extraction, clearly aiming for finesse and precision, but there is a slightly strange note on the finish. Should be 91-92, but not rated for now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2019 - Woodbridge Brad Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice but a bit restrained and a hint of leafy green. Good structure and lovely finish. Would love to retaste but probably will not.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2019 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
UNION DES GRANDS CRUS DE BORDEAUX 2016 VINTAGE SAN FRANCISCO. (Metreon, San Francisco, Ca.): UNION DES GRANDS CRUS DE BORDEAUX 2016 VINTAGE SAN FRANCISCO. Nose of black berry, boysenberry, cigar, and hint of barnyard, same on the palate, medium body, nice fruit, simple, medium/long finish, results in a lack of expression to me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
What a difference a vintage makes! Showing deep color with lush, supple textures, flesh and finesse, the wine is wrought with sweet, polished, ready berries, freshness, length, complexity and depth. Produced from a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this is best wine I've ever tasted from Durfort Vivens!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2017 - Man in Black wrote:
Deep purple colour. Lifted nose showing scents of black currants, cassis, blackberries and hints of lavender.
It is dry in the mouth with a fresh acidity. It has firm fine-grained tannins and a medium+ alcohol. It is full-bodied with pronounced intensity flavours. The finish is long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment