Nez très expressif, fruits rouges confiturés, framboises. En bouche, mtout en rondeur. Tanins bien fondus. Ampleur et longueur moyenne. Vin tout en équilibre, bien balancé avec une certaine chaleur. Fort agréable et prêt à boire.
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Drank over 2 nights - very expressive. It needs a long decant or save for another decade. Once it softened, I was getting some notes of broth, tomato and lavender. Good stuff. I'll likely be picking up some more with a decent QPR.
Consistent notes from previous bottle. Still has potential but not much . Might loose bright fruit without gaining savory notes. Great weekend dinner wine. 92 points.
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4th Saturday Brown Bagger (EBCC): Double blind. There's an insecticide/chemical note here that I find very distracting though others didn't seem to mind it as much, even though it is present to a small degree on the palate as well. Lacking fruit, with chalky tannins. (R&D)
day one - coravined in the glass and drunk within an hour. Good quality St. Emilion . Not explosive on the nose but over time start filling with complexity of multiple flavors . At the very end of of one hour even start to smell and taste green peppers (cab. franc). Day two- decanted for 2 hr. Much more fruit on the nose with addition of iron and spice notes. Alcohol is a bit high and slightly spills wine out of ballance. Overall 92 points. Will open another bottle in couple of years.
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Decanted this half bottle for 1-2h before dinner. On the nose, lots of cedar and polished oak. On the palate, intense red fruit, mineral, more oaky cedar, tannins and acid in the long finish. Definitely medium bodied, not to heavy or viscous. Excellent paired with buttery pan seared ribeye.
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No decant for this bottle, just popped and poured. Beautiful dark garnet color and a rich combination of red and blue fruits greet you as you approach the glass. This is drinking great right now and I think its going to hold up and evolve for at least 10 more years. Most of the tannins are already smoothing out and the Bellevue profile is coming through.
No doubt super high quality but austere at this stage in the game. Wine starts to open at 2 hour decanter mark. Dark cherry, graphite. Gorgeous. Needs more time.
Decanted for 2h from a half bottle. So much fine oak and tobacco on the nose. On the palate red and black fruit, lots of mineral, graphite, some tannins and pepper on the finish. I enjoyed this more than the '16 malescot from last night. 92/93
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Couldn't really improve on jeff leve's notes below. This is dark cherries and chocolate, truffles, and dirt. Way too easy to drink especially after a chill and two hour decant. Doesn't taste shut down to me, like some 2015 bdx. It may not be the wine for traditionalists but I love sociando and gruaud and I love this too, so who knows.
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No notes as typical chaos. PnP then 2.5 hours. Similar notes as the previous reviews (unfortunately) as this is more of a ‘juicy’ wine with a nice mouthfeel and in balance structure but a bit thin for me mid palate and finish. Will hold remaining bottles to see if anything develops.
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Deep ruby red colour. Pronounced nose with ripe red cherry, violet, ripe raspberry, smoke, leather and charred wood. Medium (+) taste of ripe red cherry, ripe raspberry, charred wood, cigar box and smoke. Long and dry finish. High acidity. Medium (+) yet smooth tannins. Medium body. A very good St. Emilion on the floral side. Give it a least a couple of years more. Goes well with beef or lamb.
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Nose: Ripe red fruits like raspberries and dark red cherries, clean forest floor but also with some forest funk and undergrowth, soft mushrooms (I miss this) and deep earth. Floral notes and a softly spiced oak. The red fruits and florals become slightly more pronounced with time in glass.
Palate: Similar fruits from the nose but comes off darker and moves towards the purple spectrum, rich deep earth, dried bare oak and a strong, firm spice and finishes with lingering minerals (a touch of bitterness) with some salinity. With some time, tobacco notes emerge and some graphite shows up along with the minerals.
Medium dark ruby color. Dry with medium amounts of fine, grainy tannins. Medium to medium-plus body with medium to medium-plus acidity but the acidity is nicely integrated at this time. Good finish of about 12-14 seconds. A surprise on the spice for me.. "wow" was my initial reaction to the spice but it calms down. Great flavors and the nose straight from the pour is pleasant like being in nature and then becomes somewhat like tobacco and cranberries. The flavors are what you would expect, and more on the rustic side it seems, and the wine is delivering them quite well. A bit much on the spice, minerals and tobacco for me though. Seems like a few years of holding should help this show well, estimating about 5 years. Even though this is usually not my preference, this was quite enjoyable. 91-92
Other details: No decant, time in glass only. Warm weather of about 82°, wine served ~68°. I was starving so I've had some baked spare ribs with some wood ear prior to tasting.. that might explain the huge kick in spice. I rarely do this but I stopped tasting the wine, had some pepperoni pizza, and tasted again afterwards. It seems with food, the spice comes out drastically then settles back down.. something like watching a big explosion from afar.
Paid $56.99. It will be a very fine wine, however at this time it did not make an impression with me. We had 2 bottles 3 weeks apart. Very consistent taste. Had a Branaire-Ducru 2016 in between the two bottles, and that was a hit.
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Silky, lush, round and concentrated with dark cherries, licorice, espresso, plums and wet earth, The wine is opulently textured, fresh and long, leaving you with a serious depth of flavor, silky tannins and layers of plummy fruits covered with dark chocolate.
Consumed over 4 days. Best on day 2. Least enjoyable when opened. A bit acidic, medium concentration, a little soft sweet tannins and restrained fruit. Either a good decant if drinking soon or hold for years. If I rated this for what it currently is on day 2 I would have given it a 91 but I am rather inexperienced with Bordeaux and won’t pretend to know where this is headed.
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Decanted, from a split. My futures arrived today and I couldn't wait. Sweet fruit and mineral on the palate. Wow this is gorgeous, opulent red fruit, mineral, chocolate, faint baking spices, hints of white pepper, mouth coating richness and a long finish. Almost new world, but without the sweetness. Simply delicious. The tannins are there, wrapped in liquid velvet, lurking in the background, but this is ready to enjoy now. My first bdx tasting from the '16 vintage; I hope all the rest I've ordered are as good as this!
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Deep in color, this blend of 100% Merlot is all about the rich, silky textures, polished tannins, freshness, and the ripe, plush, plummy, mineral-driven finish with that touch of dark chocolate, spice and earth in the endnote. This could be the best ever wine from Bellevue.
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4/19/2024 - Renevin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nez très expressif, fruits rouges confiturés, framboises. En bouche, mtout en rondeur. Tanins bien fondus. Ampleur et longueur moyenne. Vin tout en équilibre, bien balancé avec une certaine chaleur. Fort agréable et prêt à boire.
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9/22/2023 - bucktown Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank over 2 nights - very expressive. It needs a long decant or save for another decade. Once it softened, I was getting some notes of broth, tomato and lavender. Good stuff. I'll likely be picking up some more with a decent QPR.
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6/28/2023 - Primordialsoup Likes this wine: 92 Points
Give it some time to open up and it's quite nice. Good pairting with grilled lamb chops.
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2/11/2023 - okwine66 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent notes from previous bottle. Still has potential but not much . Might loose bright fruit without gaining savory notes. Great weekend dinner wine. 92 points.
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11/9/2022 - rhg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blackberry, iron. Tannic. Blueberry. Somewhat effervescent. Not yet at peak. Cherry pit.
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9/24/2022 - AllRed wrote: flawed
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (EBCC): Double blind. There's an insecticide/chemical note here that I find very distracting though others didn't seem to mind it as much, even though it is present to a small degree on the palate as well. Lacking fruit, with chalky tannins. (R&D)
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8/2/2022 - Jmac56 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Light leathery nose. Perhaps still young, chalky tannic and a bit acidic but very drinkable.
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4/24/2022 - KAT9 wrote: 90 Points
Green on the nose, a bit herbal. On the palate, strange astringent tannin. Bitter aftertaste. Ok wine.
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2/27/2022 - okwine66 Likes this wine: 92 Points
day one - coravined in the glass and drunk within an hour. Good quality St. Emilion . Not explosive on the nose but over time start filling with complexity of multiple flavors . At the very end of of one hour even start to smell and taste green peppers (cab. franc). Day two- decanted for 2 hr. Much more fruit on the nose with addition of iron and spice notes. Alcohol is a bit high and slightly spills wine out of ballance. Overall 92 points. Will open another bottle in couple of years.
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10/23/2021 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted this half bottle for 1-2h before dinner. On the nose, lots of cedar and polished oak. On the palate, intense red fruit, mineral, more oaky cedar, tannins and acid in the long finish. Definitely medium bodied, not to heavy or viscous. Excellent paired with buttery pan seared ribeye.
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7/10/2021 - Garfield Likes this wine: 92 Points
No decant for this bottle, just popped and poured. Beautiful dark garnet color and a rich combination of red and blue fruits greet you as you approach the glass. This is drinking great right now and I think its going to hold up and evolve for at least 10 more years. Most of the tannins are already smoothing out and the Bellevue profile is coming through.
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11/9/2020 - UFGators Likes this wine: 93 Points
No doubt super high quality but austere at this stage in the game. Wine starts to open at 2 hour decanter mark. Dark cherry, graphite. Gorgeous. Needs more time.
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9/20/2020 - skurtz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Less inspiring than previous half bottles. Decanted for 2h, but the nose and flavor profile are dialed back a notch from last time. 90/91
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7/20/2020 - LiteItOnFire wrote: 89 Points
This time open for 5 hours. Same notes apply but ends with a bitter finish.
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6/8/2020 - skurtz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2h from a half bottle. So much fine oak and tobacco on the nose. On the palate red and black fruit, lots of mineral, graphite, some tannins and pepper on the finish. I enjoyed this more than the '16 malescot from last night. 92/93
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5/30/2020 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 93 Points
Couldn't really improve on jeff leve's notes below. This is dark cherries and chocolate, truffles, and dirt. Way too easy to drink especially after a chill and two hour decant. Doesn't taste shut down to me, like some 2015 bdx. It may not be the wine for traditionalists but I love sociando and gruaud and I love this too, so who knows.
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5/18/2020 - LiteItOnFire wrote: 90 Points
No notes as typical chaos. PnP then 2.5 hours. Similar notes as the previous reviews (unfortunately) as this is more of a ‘juicy’ wine with a nice mouthfeel and in balance structure but a bit thin for me mid palate and finish. Will hold remaining bottles to see if anything develops.
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4/21/2020 - SuperSomm wrote:
Deep ruby red colour. Pronounced nose with ripe red cherry, violet, ripe raspberry, smoke, leather and charred wood. Medium (+) taste of ripe red cherry, ripe raspberry, charred wood, cigar box and smoke. Long and dry finish. High acidity. Medium (+) yet smooth tannins. Medium body. A very good St. Emilion on the floral side. Give it a least a couple of years more. Goes well with beef or lamb.
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1/27/2020 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted, from a half bottle. Good but not as awesome as my last bottle a year ago...
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10/25/2019 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose: Ripe red fruits like raspberries and dark red cherries, clean forest floor but also with some forest funk and undergrowth, soft mushrooms (I miss this) and deep earth. Floral notes and a softly spiced oak. The red fruits and florals become slightly more pronounced with time in glass.
Palate: Similar fruits from the nose but comes off darker and moves towards the purple spectrum, rich deep earth, dried bare oak and a strong, firm spice and finishes with lingering minerals (a touch of bitterness) with some salinity. With some time, tobacco notes emerge and some graphite shows up along with the minerals.
Medium dark ruby color. Dry with medium amounts of fine, grainy tannins. Medium to medium-plus body with medium to medium-plus acidity but the acidity is nicely integrated at this time. Good finish of about 12-14 seconds. A surprise on the spice for me.. "wow" was my initial reaction to the spice but it calms down. Great flavors and the nose straight from the pour is pleasant like being in nature and then becomes somewhat like tobacco and cranberries. The flavors are what you would expect, and more on the rustic side it seems, and the wine is delivering them quite well. A bit much on the spice, minerals and tobacco for me though. Seems like a few years of holding should help this show well, estimating about 5 years. Even though this is usually not my preference, this was quite enjoyable. 91-92
Other details: No decant, time in glass only. Warm weather of about 82°, wine served ~68°. I was starving so I've had some baked spare ribs with some wood ear prior to tasting.. that might explain the huge kick in spice. I rarely do this but I stopped tasting the wine, had some pepperoni pizza, and tasted again afterwards. It seems with food, the spice comes out drastically then settles back down.. something like watching a big explosion from afar.
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10/13/2019 - PSanDiego Likes this wine: 91 Points
Paid $56.99. It will be a very fine wine, however at this time it did not make an impression with me. We had 2 bottles 3 weeks apart. Very consistent taste. Had a Branaire-Ducru 2016 in between the two bottles, and that was a hit.
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9/26/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Silky, lush, round and concentrated with dark cherries, licorice, espresso, plums and wet earth, The wine is opulently textured, fresh and long, leaving you with a serious depth of flavor, silky tannins and layers of plummy fruits covered with dark chocolate.
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9/6/2019 - MathiasHG Likes this wine: 93 Points
Some blackberries at the nose.
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7/8/2019 - LC17SMP wrote:
Consumed over 4 days. Best on day 2. Least enjoyable when opened. A bit acidic, medium concentration, a little soft sweet tannins and restrained fruit. Either a good decant if drinking soon or hold for years. If I rated this for what it currently is on day 2 I would have given it a 91 but I am rather inexperienced with Bordeaux and won’t pretend to know where this is headed.
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2/15/2019 - skurtz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted, from a split. My futures arrived today and I couldn't wait. Sweet fruit and mineral on the palate. Wow this is gorgeous, opulent red fruit, mineral, chocolate, faint baking spices, hints of white pepper, mouth coating richness and a long finish. Almost new world, but without the sweetness. Simply delicious. The tannins are there, wrapped in liquid velvet, lurking in the background, but this is ready to enjoy now. My first bdx tasting from the '16 vintage; I hope all the rest I've ordered are as good as this!
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2/4/2019 - similia wrote:
Grands Crus Classés Saint Emilion (Lake Side, Zürich): weniger rau als der 13er, etwas milchig in der Nase, 100% Merlot besser zu schmecken, gefällt mir dafür sehr gut
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4/29/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Deep in color, this blend of 100% Merlot is all about the rich, silky textures, polished tannins, freshness, and the ripe, plush, plummy, mineral-driven finish with that touch of dark chocolate, spice and earth in the endnote. This could be the best ever wine from Bellevue.
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