Solid PC, my cellar tracker said I should start drinking my case. So I decided tonite to open a bottle. All I can say is it is way to soon to be consuming these. I double decanted early this morning knowing we had a wine night scheduled and thought we should give this 16 a try. This is way too premature to drink, I will be waiting at least 3-5 years before my next bottle. There is lots of potential here, but IMO this needs some more slumber in the cellar before revisiting.
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Ft Wayne Dinners; 3/19/2024-3/20/2024: Nice bouquet, dark color, great balance with smooth tannins and complex flavors, drank over 2 nights, would drink again.
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Half-bottle. Decanted for three hours in a small decanter. Black currant, dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry, chocolate, coffee, cocoa, spices, and stony minerality, with medium-level acidity, well-integrated tannin, and very good length. Medium-bodied, with good concentration and complexity, and a creamy texture. Tight at first, and obviously young, but opened up in the decanter and became accessible and well-balanced despite of its youth. A very good Bordeaux that drink well already (after long aeration), and will continue to develop and drink well for the next 20+ years. I will probably try to find more.
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"What a powerful, exciting, and complex wine! One might expect that with such intensity, patience would be required. Yet, surprisingly, the wine is already accessible and delightful to savor. Its strength is present but not overwhelming, demonstrating an exceptional balance. The aroma is intricate, weaving notes of tobacco, earth, and a bounty of red fruits. Acidity is almost absent, only subtly appearing towards the finish, hinting at the wine's potential to mature gracefully over the next 15 to 30 years. Indulge yourself by opening a bottle now – it's a decision you won't regret!"
This wine is a beautiful, deep purple in color. A nose of blue fruit, violets and herbs. Loganberry, cocoa, licorice and slate across the palate. A nice, long finish.
Ripe blackcurrant, cedar and vanilla. Full bodied, structured and concentrated on the palate but with good freshness. Finishes long. A very modern style. Polished but not particularly exciting.
Very dark, young color to the wine. Exuberant nose of fruit and tobacco. Palate is rich, with very fresh and delicious fruit, but with some smokiness and with heat showing a bit too much (it's 14% abv) and getting in the way of the purity of the wine. Tannins are very fine and not drying - the finish is long. This wine has a great future. Hold until at least 2026.
Alc seems a bit more elevated than I remember. The nose is still nice, spice, red fruits, earthy. On the palate, tannin is fine, acidity is medium plus. Somehow, the heat is there. Not crazy like the bad wines, but still there.
PnP saturated purple, new world Bordeaux, rich, smoky creme de cassis fruit with a savory persistent finish and good lift. There is definitely a fruit forward decadent "Magrez" house style here. I like it and a good value at around $110 92-94
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Popped and poured with some old wine friends today. Quite accessible and enjoyable. This is a very modern style of Bordeaux. First response from my English friend with an extensive Old Bordeaux collection said, “There is nothing about this wine that reminds me of Graves”. I reminded him of a 1971 La Mission Haut Brion we drank years ago that was the most earthy, dusty, gravelly & musty wine I’ve ever had. The Pape Clement is nothing like the LMHB. No sense of place at all. As Allred said in his review, “A Bordeaux for Napa fans”.
Personally I wouldn’t buy this wine for my cellar. Not that it’s not good but because it tastes more like a CA Cab than Bordeaux or a Bordeaux that costs way less. I also found the acidity quite low so I don’t think this will be a long ageing wine. IMO for me this is not something I would buy for $100 plus dollars. Just me.
Very generous wine, nearly perfect in structure. Deep ruby color, red cherry and dark fruits aromas with a touch of smoke and a hint of licorice and leather. The wine is still young, the primary and secondary aromas are prevailing, the tertiary aromas just started to reveal. Fabulous on palate, round, rich and creamy. High acidity, full body and looooong finish. Needs to breath for a couple of hours. It will gives you pleasure drinking it now, but it will show you heaven in few years ahead. Outstanding.
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Rather shut down today but with air it begins to show real depth of flavor with dense black fruits and a classic structure. The finish is tannic but like so many 2016's the tannins are very smooth and fine. There is a hint of smoke on the backend that portends the development to come. This has all the hallmarks of a great vintage of PC but it needs the better part of a decade of further aging to get there. 93+
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Nearly a year later I revisited this. Amazing, lovely cherry, a tad tart but in a most pleasant way! Picture perfect in the glass, really impressive structure and a bit of a pop here too! Depth and precision. Wonderful wine. You can taste how this have evolved over the year, getting better, which is to be expected. May accumulate more, have just mags left here.
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Holiday in Bordeaux. Visited the Chateau Pape Clément and had a great tour with tasting. What a great Bordeaux this. Very dark with lots of dark and red fruit. Long aftertaste with pleasant tannins. Highly recommended.
Very dark, almost black with slight ruby rim, generous viscosity. Surprisingly low intensity on the nose, but very complex. Blackcurrants, earthy almost smoky notes, cedar, leather. Palate has less fruit than I expected, it is controlled by the firm grippy tannins and a long complex finish. There is fruit, it is just hiding underneath all the earth and tannins. I think this wine is a little shut down at the moment, but will improve greatly over time. Great quality, just needs a few years, or maybe a decade to fully open up.
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Russk. Liked from the 2022 Wine Spectator Grand Tour. Easily the Bdx varietals WOTN, and maybe THE WOTN. Sweet, sour, savory, earthy -- all in balance. Lithe and lovely. I was able to bring and open bottle home (thank you!!).
Favorites - 2022 Wine Spectator Grand Tour - Las Vegas: Showing aromas of currant, crushed stone, cedar-spices and florals. Expansive and refined throughout. Dense complexity to the flavors, but gives a sense of what it has. Fine tannins, big length.
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Friday Group Brown Bag Tasting (J&J's): Double blind. Notes of milk chocolate, Cookie Crisp cereal, macerated red berries and loam with a slightly green/herbal undertone. Full-bodied. Abundant red and black fruit on the palate, with that earthy/loamy quality coming through. We all thought this was new world…I could not have been more surprised. A Bordeaux for Napa fans. I have a couple of bottles of this tucked away, and I will give them plenty of time and hope time brings out the Bordeaux traits. (R&R)
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Lol....like the '16 Canon the other night, this was one that I originally coravined a small glass off of 19 months ago and forgot about in the cellar. Popped the cork and let it get 2 hours of air and wow.....opened nicely yet differently than the Canon. Totally different mouthfeel and more herbs mixed in with more underbrush to it. Very nice and improved with more air but we finished it before it peaked, I think. This will be very nice moving forward. What a treat the '16 BDXs are for us Napa hounds........
After 3 hours this beauty started to really humm ... Refined, elegant but dense ... Black cherry cassis run through in incredible balance. A touch of leather and a splendid finish filled with ripe fruits. Lovely wine.
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Much better in 10 years. Give it at least 2 hours and then solid French fruit on some lead. Not a lot of personality. Inferior to the duck I had for dinner that's for sure.
Very linear and sharply focused at this point. But, tremendous depth and mouthfeel. Couldn’t resist trying before it shuts down (if it does). This is a superb representation of the region.
Dark as night. Extremely long legs and a beautiful aroma of rose, sandalwood, and ripe raspberries.
Extremely well balanced, medium dry, high tannins. Great mouthfeel with some umami flavors that come in after 20-30 seconds. Some light notes of fig, straw, and fresh butter. The primary fruit is tart blackberries.
I wanted to get a baseline on this wine at a young age before letting it go for another couple of decades... my son might be graduating college by the time this wine is ready to drink. All I can say is it's simply amazing now, and I can't wait to try it with some significant aging! Buy, buy, buy!
PnP, immediately get a lot of herbal note, savory, grilled meat like someone else mentioned previously. The nose is very nice in the decanter. I feel like it has a lot of red fruits as is. On the palate, the structure is there, fine tannin, medium plus aciditic. Very well balanced wine. Last week, I had the 2013 Phelps Insignia and this one reminds me of that. Obviously not as good as the Insignia, but it is that herbs, savory note that make me think of the Insignia. I agree, Cali cab people will enjoy this. QPR is just right at $100.
Will have with rib-eye later and see if time in the decanter and some fat will bring out something else.
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Coravin pour as I continue on my quest of trying these '16 BDX early in their adventures......dark, dark purple in the glass with a deep ruby rim that in the right light seems as if it has its own violet rim above it. Cool! I don't recall if I've ever seen that in a wine before. I'm sitting in the same chair and in the same light as I do most of my wines, so I don't think it's any sort of fake news...and this is the first sip of anything alcohol, I've had today....the thin violet meniscus on top of the ruby rim is just flat out cool! Nose is very muted for the first 20-30 minutes but then develops into loads of graphite and herbs, and faintly grilled meats....just beautiful. First taste is flat, linear dark red fruit but 30 min in and it begins to flesh out. Dark cherry/blackberry predominantly. The wine is well structured with matching strength of fruit, acidity and sweet round tannins. Very balanced and well put together! This, like the '16 Pontet Canet and unlike the '16 Canon, is open for business now for those out there who enjoy defiling a BDX in it's youth. You know who......you Cali cab people. Until the 3rd hour...then it tames and it won't suffice for the Cali people. But it's still some nice BDX ending to it all.....I like it.
Tasted blind. First it was oaky but after a few min in the glass the dark fruit came to the foreground. What I like here is the symmetry. Very well balanced, pixelated palate. Will be great. Drink after 2030. 95+
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Primary and linear flavors of black cherry, plum, red and black raspberry, and cassis make a punchy impression on the palate. The front end rides high initially and makes a decent stab at expansion, but funnels back into a more narrowing pathway as the fruit reaches the tail. Pure and fresh, but currently absent much of the layering the 2015 flaunts. This 2016 needs 5-7+ years to make its mark in the complexity arena.
I know others prefer this to the 2015, citing the 2016’s supposed more judicious wood treatment and elevated focus, but for me the 2015 is a much more savory and captivating animal. The 2016 may lap the 2015 in good time, however, I know which vintage of Pape Clement I’ll be focusing on personally between the two. If you’re lucky enough to have both, certainly the 2015 is more party-ready today than the boxy 2016. 94-95+ points for now, with certain upside after 2025+.
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Decanted for three hours. Very agile, yet full-bodied and almost velvety, with a reinforced purity. Black currant, black cherry, black walnut, hope chest, cut granite and scorched earth. Exceptionally long and remains light throughout, with so much grace. A very seriously enchanting vintage, and an ageless wine at that. There is an addictive persona, even though this is so young. Drink 2026 -.
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I spent a full day and a half at work and came home really looking forward to this wine. This is one of the last two 2016 Bordeaux futures for us to taste from our collection. As soon as I open this the aroma reaches up to grab me, and I know this is going to be a very good choice for the evening. We take our first sips and Gale says, "I think I'm just going to sit here and enjoy this." Tobacco, vanilla, sweet cabernet. Classic Bordeaux. This is the kind of wine that reminds me why I prefer Bordeaux to most any other red wine. This is a fun wine to drink, and it leaves me wanting more. Good structure, solid tannins, a good, long life ahead. Well defined. We will be buying more of this.
Had this at a blind tasting. Despite being a baby it was drinking surprisingly well. Compared to the 2015 the reduction of oak is very easily noted and in my opinion the wine comes off as considerably more balanced. There are notes dark fruits and vanilla but at no point does the wine come off as over bearing or over the top. I am personally really happy with the direction the chateau has taken with this wine and I hope they continue this trend in the future. 92 for now, can probably get 2-3 extra points with age. Would try 5 - 10 years later
Really intense and powerful on dark aromas that charms in a masculine way. Tight, super concentrated fruit with sweet dark blackberries, plums, ripe blueberries, leather and light dark herbalness. Although somewhat tough, it delivers freshness in flavor. Pretty full bodied and pronounced juicy wine with a heavy mouthfeel. Packed with really juicy dark berries, strong cigar glow, flint, woods and sweeter wood on a long and seductive finish. A bit awkward for some, but this is a charismatic and great wine. 95 points.
Deep in color, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and packed with layers of dark red fruits. The texture is lush, the fruit is sweet, powerful ripe and juicy. On the palate you find dense, ripe, sweet, smoky blackberries, cigar box, espresso and licorice. Even with all this heft, you still find energy in the finish. I am really liking the elegance and restraint found here due to lower alcohol and a more restrained use of new oak. Still, this needs at least 12 years or so of aging, before it really starts maturing. .
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Bordeaux 2016 II: A second look at the 2016 confirmed my inital assessment from a tasting back in November: a) they‘re very deep, b) with perfectly ripe, fine tannins, c) a very good, well-integrated acidity and d) an incredible balance and elegance even at this young stage also thanks to a low(er) alcohol level (than in 2009 or 2015). They‘re outerwordly good and a lot of the wines tasted were quite accessible. In my opinion, they‘re clearly ahead of the 2015 vintage (better, i.e. lower ripeness level; lower alcohol; more elegance). Best wine today was the Leoville Las Cases (98+) on par with the Pichon Comtesse back in November. Honorable mentions for the Figeac (97+), Carmes Haut Brion (96+), the Pape Clement (best ever at 95+) and an again singular Yquem (97+).
Short TN: The best Pape Clement I‘ve had to date. Expressive nose and palate with smoke, cedar, wet stone, dark forest berries, sweet red cherries. So smooth and round with herbal aromas kicking-in on the mid palate. Not as many layers as the best wines but still quite complex and amazing. Great QPR. 95+.
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Arvi Bordeaux 2016 Arrivage (Park Hyatt, Zurich): Enticing, sexy fruit with some forest floor and fresh herbs (we thought oregano). Great balance with a fresh and round fruit-forward finish. In terms of scoring the largest delta vs my previous tasting where I scored this 95. Any occasion will always be the right ocasion to pop one of these bottles.
Another great Pape-Clement in the making. Superbly aromatic, sexy and seductive, with notes of sweet dark plum, cassis, sweet spices, top-notch oak, smoke, violets and some dark chocolate as well as nice minerality and some lead pencil and menthol. It's full-bodied and dense, but with impeccable balance, pretty high acidity and medium-high tannin that is superbly silky. Very long finish. A silky, sexy and seductive while super fresh Pape-Clement. Love it. (96+)
Bricky, blackberry, smoke, and oak; lots of purity and depth. Lots of muscle but much more supple, elegant, and balanced than where the wines were 15 years ago.
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UCGB tasting Bordeaux 2016 (Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam.): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, graphite and cedar. Same on the palate. A firm dose of medium toasted oak and the wine can handle it beautifully. Good acidity and tannin. Complexity and elegance. This wine belongs to the top 5 of the tasting I suppose. 95 - 96+
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Deeply colored the wine is fleshy, fruity, full bodied, concentrated and filled with ripe, sweet, lush, smoky blackberries, cigar box and licorice. The fruit has vibrancy, and freshness, with lower alcohol and better integrated oak, allowing the wine to be enjoyed earlier than other, more recent vintages. I am really liking the elegance and restraint found here.
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Nose was fairly closed but the pallet was seductive with black and red fruit, along with some oak, and caramel. The finish lingered for 30+ seconds. Very good effort.
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2016 Vintage Tasting (Las Vegas, NV): This deep ruby wine is a blend of 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Teeming with black fruit, truffle, lavender, anise and cocoa on both the nose and palate, it is a medium-to-full-bodied specimen with fresh acidity, big sweet tannins, seamless alcohol and a judicious amount of oak. Solid in the middle and very long on the finish, this is classic in quality. Its soft textures make it drinkable now, but patience will definitely be rewarded for those who can resist. Drink 2025-2041.
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Im glad that Pape Clement is back on track in 2016. This is clearly 2 good notches above 2015 in that it is not throwing in the towel by hanging too long as it seemed to have done last year. This is crisp, single pieced with balance and power is the theme as it always is with PC, with one huge improvement: The oak treatment is in harmony with the wine and isn't poking out! Had to buy some this year!! Lovely, but needs 10 years plus to lift the skirt above the knees. I think this will gain points with time. HOLD
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UGC Bordeaux (Drake Hotel - Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. Lots of ripe (almost roasted) black fruit, liqueur, vanilla, and blackberry jam. Yet this is able to nimbly retain balance and almost seem elegant. A very big wine and exciting. 93-95 point potential.
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Zachys Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2016 (New York City, NY): A reserved and ready to age beauty. Medium bodied but with tannins that are simply too large to explain. Yet the fruit is present and is surrounded by earthy characters like tobacco leaf, a small amount of vegetable and asphalt.
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Tasting some Pessac-Léognans 2016 vintage (Château Bouscaut): This is elegant yet rich, bien sûr. Yet, the slow transformation away from excessive richness and extraction is bearing fruit at this estate as the quality of its terroir is undeniable - and showing more. A somewhat cooler vintage like 2016 suits the estate well. One of the best from bottle in recent years that I can recall. Bravo!
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Bordeaux 2016: A first glimpse of the 2016 vintage at a UCG/merchant tasting. The aromatic depth and the soft and accessible structure are amazing and clearly ahead of the 2015s which were more on the fruitier, riper side but often less deep and especially on the left bank more austere (despite the hot vintage). 2015 seems a right bank year, while 2016 might turn out to be THE left bank year. I’ve tasted some 15 wines only (not all reviewed) with the Pichon Comtesse (98, best young left bank I’ve had to date) clearly at the top, followed by the Figeac (97, so much depth) and Carmes Haut Brion (96, probably the number one underrated and upcoming winery in Bordeaux). Positive surprises were the Léoville Barton (96, pure precision and coolness) and the Pape Clement (so seductive) with great quality/price ratios. Even I’ve bought a ton of 2016s en Primeur I would buy more after this tasting if it wasn’t for 2018 lining up to be another exceptional vintage.
TN: Dark and red fruits, some smoke and herbs. Very full-bodied and sexy and drinking very well with ripe and smooth tannins and a well-integrated acidity. Outshines many in its category. A treat to drink today - I will definitely pop a few bottles young but of course with potential to climb higher with more age. 94++
Arvi Standing Bordeaux 2016 Tasting (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Intense and slightly medicinal notes. Dark and blue fruits / berries with discreet leather. Palate showed great balance and layered complexity with a long finish similar to the Smith Haut Lafitte - in a stand-off the latter wins, however.
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Lovely nose shows black and blue fruits,licorice,floral aromas and hints of truffle and smoke.On the palate the wine comes across as smooth,supple and well balanced.Very enjoyable,but lacks that extra little bit of power and depth that in my view would have made it truly great.Tasted side by side with Pontet-Canet 2016,this is clearly a step down from the brilliant Pontet-Canet.
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Inky, dark in hue, the wine offers its lush, smoke-filled, black fruits and tobacco notes with ease. Dense, rich and concentrated, the tannins are silky and the finish displays layers of ripe, richly dark red fruits. The wine combines elegance, complexity and refined characteristics that will only show its best with 12 -15 years or more of age.
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Barrel sample. The wine was medium to dark ruby, almost purplish in colour. It offered red and dark fruit, oak, vanilla and a hint of smoke on the nose and palate, with medium-level acidity, fine, smooth, medium-plus tannin, and very good length. This medium-bodied wine was very smooth and very balanced despite its youth, yet (only) had average concentration on the palate. It distinguished itself by its great, silky mouthfeel. 92+ for now.
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Lords en primeur tasting. Inky black, sweet entry, mouth puckering tannins. Huge body and length. All potential and without fault. I bought some and as this will take an age to evolve I expect to have to keep it whilst I drink most of the other 16's.
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Very dark ruby in color, the smoky blackberries, cigar box and licorice aromatics are singing. There is a lot of freshness to the fruit, and the lower alcohol levels make the wine feel lighter and refreshing on the palate, especially in the silky finish. This vintage shows elegance, complexity and restraint. The wine was produced from a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, reaching 13.5% alcohol. The wine is being aged in 60% new, French oak barrels. The harvest took place from September 13 to October 19.
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4/25/2024 - Bondi2 wrote: 94 Points
Drank at Raouls in NYC with friends. Just exquisite … close to an hour decant and it opened to remind you why we are patient with good wines.
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4/2/2024 - Jhalpern27 wrote: 91 Points
Solid PC, my cellar tracker said I should start drinking my case. So I decided tonite to open a bottle. All I can say is it is way to soon to be consuming these. I double decanted early this morning knowing we had a wine night scheduled and thought we should give this 16 a try. This is way too premature to drink, I will be waiting at least 3-5 years before my next bottle. There is lots of potential here, but IMO this needs some more slumber in the cellar before revisiting.
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3/31/2024 - yaanik Likes this wine: 97 Points
Tasted blind. Warm bread. Lots of stewed plum, stewed red fruit. Palate: cassis, blue fruit, black fruit. Graphite. Also some of the fennel / anise.
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3/19/2024 - mwneil Likes this wine: 95 Points
Ft Wayne Dinners; 3/19/2024-3/20/2024: Nice bouquet, dark color, great balance with smooth tannins and complex flavors, drank over 2 nights, would drink again.
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3/5/2024 - PSPatrick wrote: 93 Points
Half-bottle. Decanted for three hours in a small decanter. Black currant, dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry, chocolate, coffee, cocoa, spices, and stony minerality, with medium-level acidity, well-integrated tannin, and very good length. Medium-bodied, with good concentration and complexity, and a creamy texture. Tight at first, and obviously young, but opened up in the decanter and became accessible and well-balanced despite of its youth. A very good Bordeaux that drink well already (after long aeration), and will continue to develop and drink well for the next 20+ years. I will probably try to find more.
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12/31/2023 - LEEJV123 wrote: 92 Points
Medium body, minerals, earth, balanced, lacking depth and length.
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12/17/2023 - Nelsongwinn Likes this wine: 95 Points
Really nice, long finish
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12/17/2023 - Beeck10 wrote: 98 Points
"What a powerful, exciting, and complex wine! One might expect that with such intensity, patience would be required. Yet, surprisingly, the wine is already accessible and delightful to savor. Its strength is present but not overwhelming, demonstrating an exceptional balance. The aroma is intricate, weaving notes of tobacco, earth, and a bounty of red fruits. Acidity is almost absent, only subtly appearing towards the finish, hinting at the wine's potential to mature gracefully over the next 15 to 30 years. Indulge yourself by opening a bottle now – it's a decision you won't regret!"
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12/3/2023 - Nelsonfrosty Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for 3 hours, opened up perfectly. Extremely enjoyable, well balanced, smooth, feel like dancing under a romantic music.
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12/2/2023 - Swanywawa Likes this wine: 97 Points
This wine is a beautiful, deep purple in color. A nose of blue fruit, violets and herbs. Loganberry, cocoa, licorice and slate across the palate. A nice, long finish.
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11/22/2023 - To86 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Supple tannins and layers of flavor. Drinking well now.
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11/21/2023 - Irish_Wine wrote: 93 Points
Ripe blackcurrant, cedar and vanilla. Full bodied, structured and concentrated on the palate but with good freshness. Finishes long. A very modern style. Polished but not particularly exciting.
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7/23/2023 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very dark, young color to the wine. Exuberant nose of fruit and tobacco. Palate is rich, with very fresh and delicious fruit, but with some smokiness and with heat showing a bit too much (it's 14% abv) and getting in the way of the purity of the wine. Tannins are very fine and not drying - the finish is long. This wine has a great future. Hold until at least 2026.
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5/26/2023 - merlotsmile wrote:
Bordeaux 2023-05-26 (Pessac Leognan): X
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5/11/2023 - Calzone1234 wrote: 88 Points
60/40 Merlot + Cab
Tasted at the Chateau, for me too soon to open now. But the quality is there. Wait at least untill 2025.
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4/15/2023 - KAT9 wrote: 92 Points
Alc seems a bit more elevated than I remember. The nose is still nice, spice, red fruits, earthy. On the palate, tannin is fine, acidity is medium plus. Somehow, the heat is there. Not crazy like the bad wines, but still there.
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4/14/2023 - cbuhlman wrote:
PnP
saturated purple, new world Bordeaux, rich, smoky creme de cassis fruit with a savory persistent finish and good lift. There is definitely a fruit forward decadent "Magrez" house style here. I like it and a good value at around $110
92-94
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3/7/2023 - WineGuyDelMar wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured with some old wine friends today. Quite accessible and enjoyable. This is a very modern style of Bordeaux. First response from my English friend with an extensive Old Bordeaux collection said, “There is nothing about this wine that reminds me of Graves”. I reminded him of a 1971 La Mission Haut Brion we drank years ago that was the most earthy, dusty, gravelly & musty wine I’ve ever had. The Pape Clement is nothing like the LMHB. No sense of place at all. As Allred said in his review, “A Bordeaux for Napa fans”.
Personally I wouldn’t buy this wine for my cellar. Not that it’s not good but because it tastes more like a CA Cab than Bordeaux or a Bordeaux that costs way less. I also found the acidity quite low so I don’t think this will be a long ageing wine. IMO for me this is not something I would buy for $100 plus dollars. Just me.
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1/19/2023 - hnp Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very generous wine, nearly perfect in structure. Deep ruby color, red cherry and dark fruits aromas with a touch of smoke and a hint of licorice and leather. The wine is still young, the primary and secondary aromas are prevailing, the tertiary aromas just started to reveal. Fabulous on palate, round, rich and creamy. High acidity, full body and looooong finish. Needs to breath for a couple of hours. It will gives you pleasure drinking it now, but it will show you heaven in few years ahead. Outstanding.
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12/27/2022 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rather shut down today but with air it begins to show real depth of flavor with dense black fruits and a classic structure. The finish is tannic but like so many 2016's the tannins are very smooth and fine. There is a hint of smoke on the backend that portends the development to come. This has all the hallmarks of a great vintage of PC but it needs the better part of a decade of further aging to get there. 93+
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12/24/2022 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nearly a year later I revisited this. Amazing, lovely cherry, a tad tart but in a most pleasant way! Picture perfect in the glass, really impressive structure and a bit of a pop here too! Depth and precision. Wonderful wine. You can taste how this have evolved over the year, getting better, which is to be expected. May accumulate more, have just mags left here.
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11/13/2022 - Iceman611 wrote: 91 Points
Yummy wine after a few days but I think the white is much better. I would not buy again.
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10/2/2022 - spillwine wrote: 95 Points
Dense, raffiné, ouvert, tannins très fins, magnifique jus de fruit. L’impression que le vin ne va pas se fermer, ni changer beaucoup dans le temps.
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7/10/2022 - querilant Likes this wine: 94 Points
Holiday in Bordeaux. Visited the Chateau Pape Clément and had a great tour with tasting. What a great Bordeaux this. Very dark with lots of dark and red fruit. Long aftertaste with pleasant tannins. Highly recommended.
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6/29/2022 - dera Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very dark, almost black with slight ruby rim, generous viscosity. Surprisingly low intensity on the nose, but very complex. Blackcurrants, earthy almost smoky notes, cedar, leather. Palate has less fruit than I expected, it is controlled by the firm grippy tannins and a long complex finish. There is fruit, it is just hiding underneath all the earth and tannins. I think this wine is a little shut down at the moment, but will improve greatly over time. Great quality, just needs a few years, or maybe a decade to fully open up.
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6/19/2022 - RussK wrote: 92 Points
Russk. Liked from the 2022 Wine Spectator Grand Tour. Easily the Bdx varietals WOTN, and maybe THE WOTN. Sweet, sour, savory, earthy -- all in balance. Lithe and lovely. I was able to bring and open bottle home (thank you!!).
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6/6/2022 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:
Favorites - 2022 Wine Spectator Grand Tour - Las Vegas: Showing aromas of currant, crushed stone, cedar-spices and florals. Expansive and refined throughout. Dense complexity to the flavors, but gives a sense of what it has. Fine tannins, big length.
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2/18/2022 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Friday Group Brown Bag Tasting (J&J's): Double blind. Notes of milk chocolate, Cookie Crisp cereal, macerated red berries and loam with a slightly green/herbal undertone. Full-bodied. Abundant red and black fruit on the palate, with that earthy/loamy quality coming through. We all thought this was new world…I could not have been more surprised. A Bordeaux for Napa fans. I have a couple of bottles of this tucked away, and I will give them plenty of time and hope time brings out the Bordeaux traits. (R&R)
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2/6/2022 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lol....like the '16 Canon the other night, this was one that I originally coravined a small glass off of 19 months ago and forgot about in the cellar. Popped the cork and let it get 2 hours of air and wow.....opened nicely yet differently than the Canon. Totally different mouthfeel and more herbs mixed in with more underbrush to it. Very nice and improved with more air but we finished it before it peaked, I think. This will be very nice moving forward. What a treat the '16 BDXs are for us Napa hounds........
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11/25/2021 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine: 94 Points
After 3 hours this beauty started to really humm ... Refined, elegant but dense ... Black cherry cassis run through in incredible balance. A touch of leather and a splendid finish filled with ripe fruits. Lovely wine.
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10/21/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Spectator 40th Anniversary; 10/21/2021-10/23/2021 (Marriott Marquis): Really nice wine to get to try. Pretty and also bold and powerful. Good fruits. Darker red notes. I enjoyed. Didn't realize this is the oldest estate in Bordeaux - fun fact.
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9/26/2021 - BenSlivka wrote: flawed
CORKED. TCA. Sigh.
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12/24/2020 - SlimShaney wrote: 91 Points
Much better in 10 years. Give it at least 2 hours and then solid French fruit on some lead. Not a lot of personality. Inferior to the duck I had for dinner that's for sure.
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12/10/2020 - Shugs_Claret Likes this wine: 96 Points
Very linear and sharply focused at this point. But, tremendous depth and mouthfeel. Couldn’t resist trying before it shuts down (if it does). This is a superb representation of the region.
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11/24/2020 - Aberry126 Likes this wine: 97 Points
PNP
Dark as night. Extremely long legs and a beautiful aroma of rose, sandalwood, and ripe raspberries.
Extremely well balanced, medium dry, high tannins. Great mouthfeel with some umami flavors that come in after 20-30 seconds. Some light notes of fig, straw, and fresh butter. The primary fruit is tart blackberries.
I wanted to get a baseline on this wine at a young age before letting it go for another couple of decades... my son might be graduating college by the time this wine is ready to drink. All I can say is it's simply amazing now, and I can't wait to try it with some significant aging! Buy, buy, buy!
97/100
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9/19/2020 - jonh1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
young tannins but still drinkable. No doubt it will get better with age. Not sure the QPR is there, though probably not fair to judge so young.
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6/27/2020 - Double_D wrote: 93 Points
Very different French wine. Very complex, fruity with smooth finish
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6/26/2020 - KAT9 Likes this wine: 94 Points
PnP, immediately get a lot of herbal note, savory, grilled meat like someone else mentioned previously. The nose is very nice in the decanter. I feel like it has a lot of red fruits as is. On the palate, the structure is there, fine tannin, medium plus aciditic. Very well balanced wine. Last week, I had the 2013 Phelps Insignia and this one reminds me of that. Obviously not as good as the Insignia, but it is that herbs, savory note that make me think of the Insignia. I agree, Cali cab people will enjoy this. QPR is just right at $100.
Will have with rib-eye later and see if time in the decanter and some fat will bring out something else.
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6/13/2020 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 95 Points
Coravin pour as I continue on my quest of trying these '16 BDX early in their adventures......dark, dark purple in the glass with a deep ruby rim that in the right light seems as if it has its own violet rim above it. Cool! I don't recall if I've ever seen that in a wine before. I'm sitting in the same chair and in the same light as I do most of my wines, so I don't think it's any sort of fake news...and this is the first sip of anything alcohol, I've had today....the thin violet meniscus on top of the ruby rim is just flat out cool! Nose is very muted for the first 20-30 minutes but then develops into loads of graphite and herbs, and faintly grilled meats....just beautiful. First taste is flat, linear dark red fruit but 30 min in and it begins to flesh out. Dark cherry/blackberry predominantly. The wine is well structured with matching strength of fruit, acidity and sweet round tannins. Very balanced and well put together! This, like the '16 Pontet Canet and unlike the '16 Canon, is open for business now for those out there who enjoy defiling a BDX in it's youth. You know who......you Cali cab people. Until the 3rd hour...then it tames and it won't suffice for the Cali people. But it's still some nice BDX ending to it all.....I like it.
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5/27/2020 - Lateva wrote: 92 Points
Big and rich and plush. Perhaps that is this Chateau’s style? Pleasant enough to drink on a Saturday night.
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5/26/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Big rich full bore and oaky. Very young. That is massive wine. Needs some time to not be right in the face but the stuffing is there.
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5/16/2020 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind. First it was oaky but after a few min in the glass the dark fruit came to the foreground. What I like here is the symmetry. Very well balanced, pixelated palate. Will be great. Drink after 2030. 95+
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1/10/2020 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
Primary and linear flavors of black cherry, plum, red and black raspberry, and cassis make a punchy impression on the palate. The front end rides high initially and makes a decent stab at expansion, but funnels back into a more narrowing pathway as the fruit reaches the tail. Pure and fresh, but currently absent much of the layering the 2015 flaunts. This 2016 needs 5-7+ years to make its mark in the complexity arena.
I know others prefer this to the 2015, citing the 2016’s supposed more judicious wood treatment and elevated focus, but for me the 2015 is a much more savory and captivating animal. The 2016 may lap the 2015 in good time, however, I know which vintage of Pape Clement I’ll be focusing on personally between the two. If you’re lucky enough to have both, certainly the 2015 is more party-ready today than the boxy 2016. 94-95+ points for now, with certain upside after 2025+.
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12/31/2019 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted for three hours. Very agile, yet full-bodied and almost velvety, with a reinforced purity. Black currant, black cherry, black walnut, hope chest, cut granite and scorched earth. Exceptionally long and remains light throughout, with so much grace. A very seriously enchanting vintage, and an ageless wine at that. There is an addictive persona, even though this is so young. Drink 2026 -.
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12/31/2019 - Cincinnatus Likes this wine: 96 Points
I spent a full day and a half at work and came home really looking forward to this wine. This is one of the last two 2016 Bordeaux futures for us to taste from our collection. As soon as I open this the aroma reaches up to grab me, and I know this is going to be a very good choice for the evening. We take our first sips and Gale says, "I think I'm just going to sit here and enjoy this." Tobacco, vanilla, sweet cabernet. Classic Bordeaux. This is the kind of wine that reminds me why I prefer Bordeaux to most any other red wine. This is a fun wine to drink, and it leaves me wanting more. Good structure, solid tannins, a good, long life ahead. Well defined. We will be buying more of this.
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12/5/2019 - sung251 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had this at a blind tasting. Despite being a baby it was drinking surprisingly well. Compared to the 2015 the reduction of oak is very easily noted and in my opinion the wine comes off as considerably more balanced. There are notes dark fruits and vanilla but at no point does the wine come off as over bearing or over the top. I am personally really happy with the direction the chateau has taken with this wine and I hope they continue this trend in the future. 92 for now, can probably get 2-3 extra points with age. Would try 5 - 10 years later
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11/13/2019 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 94 Points
Ode to France, les Accabailles and the Crus Classés de Grave (Château Carbonnieux): Quite opulent and the oak is there too but not as much as in previous vintages.
Had a somewhat heady aftertaste but only just so as this is 2016! Have to tip my hat to this estate in this vintage especially. Nice job!
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9/22/2019 - Andre Brattland wrote: 95 Points
Really intense and powerful on dark aromas that charms in a masculine way. Tight, super concentrated fruit with sweet dark blackberries, plums, ripe blueberries, leather and light dark herbalness. Although somewhat tough, it delivers freshness in flavor. Pretty full bodied and pronounced juicy wine with a heavy mouthfeel. Packed with really juicy dark berries, strong cigar glow, flint, woods and sweeter wood on a long and seductive finish. A bit awkward for some, but this is a charismatic and great wine. 95 points.
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9/21/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Deep in color, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and packed with layers of dark red fruits. The texture is lush, the fruit is sweet, powerful ripe and juicy. On the palate you find dense, ripe, sweet, smoky blackberries, cigar box, espresso and licorice. Even with all this heft, you still find energy in the finish. I am really liking the elegance and restraint found here due to lower alcohol and a more restrained use of new oak. Still, this needs at least 12 years or so of aging, before it really starts maturing. .
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9/6/2019 - MathiasHG Likes this wine: 91 Points
Some tannins. Fruity.
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3/9/2019 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux 2016 II: A second look at the 2016 confirmed my inital assessment from a tasting back in November: a) they‘re very deep, b) with perfectly ripe, fine tannins, c) a very good, well-integrated acidity and d) an incredible balance and elegance even at this young stage also thanks to a low(er) alcohol level (than in 2009 or 2015). They‘re outerwordly good and a lot of the wines tasted were quite accessible. In my opinion, they‘re clearly ahead of the 2015 vintage (better, i.e. lower ripeness level; lower alcohol; more elegance). Best wine today was the Leoville Las Cases (98+) on par with the Pichon Comtesse back in November. Honorable mentions for the Figeac (97+), Carmes Haut Brion (96+), the Pape Clement (best ever at 95+) and an again singular Yquem (97+).
Short TN: The best Pape Clement I‘ve had to date. Expressive nose and palate with smoke, cedar, wet stone, dark forest berries, sweet red cherries. So smooth and round with herbal aromas kicking-in on the mid palate. Not as many layers as the best wines but still quite complex and amazing. Great QPR. 95+.
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3/9/2019 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Arvi Bordeaux 2016 Arrivage (Park Hyatt, Zurich): Enticing, sexy fruit with some forest floor and fresh herbs (we thought oregano). Great balance with a fresh and round fruit-forward finish. In terms of scoring the largest delta vs my previous tasting where I scored this 95. Any occasion will always be the right ocasion to pop one of these bottles.
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3/9/2019 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tasted @ bigger Bordeaux 2016 arrivage tasting.
Another great Pape-Clement in the making. Superbly aromatic, sexy and seductive, with notes of sweet dark plum, cassis, sweet spices, top-notch oak, smoke, violets and some dark chocolate as well as nice minerality and some lead pencil and menthol. It's full-bodied and dense, but with impeccable balance, pretty high acidity and medium-high tannin that is superbly silky. Very long finish. A silky, sexy and seductive while super fresh Pape-Clement. Love it. (96+)
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3/8/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
Bricky, blackberry, smoke, and oak; lots of purity and depth. Lots of muscle but much more supple, elegant, and balanced than where the wines were 15 years ago.
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3/7/2019 - curtr wrote:
A bit overwhelming at the Gordon tasting in Boston. Would like to try again after 2028 after it settles down and resolves a bit.
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2/25/2019 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
UCGB tasting Bordeaux 2016 (Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam.): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, graphite and cedar. Same on the palate. A firm dose of medium toasted oak and the wine can handle it beautifully. Good acidity and tannin. Complexity and elegance. This wine belongs to the top 5 of the tasting I suppose. 95 - 96+
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2/25/2019 - Xavier Auerbach wrote:
Amsterdam UGCB Tasting and Winemakers' Dinner (Beurs van Berlage / Café De Klepel): Lifted nose bordering on volatile, cherries and spices, very convincing palate, velvety and rich, but fresh, floral and engaging, finely grained tannins. Not rated, but good bottles might well be around the 95 mark.
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2/25/2019 - FransS wrote: 96 Points
The 2016 vintage UGCB tasting in Amsterdam 2/25/2019; 2/25/2019-2/27/2019 (Amsterdam): The masculine style, so a bit severe bouquet, every aspect a bit hefty (but less than in the '15), however the balance is recognizable, missing just a bit the extreme length of the Haut-Bailly.
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2/10/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Deeply colored the wine is fleshy, fruity, full bodied, concentrated and filled with ripe, sweet, lush, smoky blackberries, cigar box and licorice. The fruit has vibrancy, and freshness, with lower alcohol and better integrated oak, allowing the wine to be enjoyed earlier than other, more recent vintages. I am really liking the elegance and restraint found here.
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2/3/2019 - mcease wrote: 95 Points
Nose was fairly closed but the pallet was seductive with black and red fruit, along with some oak, and caramel. The finish lingered for 30+ seconds. Very good effort.
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1/28/2019 - alanr wrote: 89 Points
UGC SF - Medium full body, medium rich, touch ripe, hint oak sweetness, a bit too lush and forward, has a slight bitter note on the finish.
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1/27/2019 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine: 94 Points
94. Able to drink now but should hold until 2025
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1/26/2019 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 96 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2016 Vintage Tasting (Las Vegas, NV): This deep ruby wine is a blend of 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Teeming with black fruit, truffle, lavender, anise and cocoa on both the nose and palate, it is a medium-to-full-bodied specimen with fresh acidity, big sweet tannins, seamless alcohol and a judicious amount of oak. Solid in the middle and very long on the finish, this is classic in quality. Its soft textures make it drinkable now, but patience will definitely be rewarded for those who can resist. Drink 2025-2041.
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1/25/2019 - drwine2001 wrote:
Selective Sampling of the UGC Tasting of 2016 Bordeaux (Metreon, San Francisco): Earth and herbs. Elegant weight. Palate herbaceous with high acidity.
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1/25/2019 - Purple Tooth wrote: 95 Points
Im glad that Pape Clement is back on track in 2016. This is clearly 2 good notches above 2015 in that it is not throwing in the towel by hanging too long as it seemed to have done last year. This is crisp, single pieced with balance and power is the theme as it always is with PC, with one huge improvement: The oak treatment is in harmony with the wine and isn't poking out! Had to buy some this year!! Lovely, but needs 10 years plus to lift the skirt above the knees. I think this will gain points with time. HOLD
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1/23/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote:
UGC Bordeaux (Drake Hotel - Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. Lots of ripe (almost roasted) black fruit, liqueur, vanilla, and blackberry jam. Yet this is able to nimbly retain balance and almost seem elegant. A very big wine and exciting. 93-95 point potential.
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1/21/2019 - tomoem Likes this wine: 94 Points
Zachys Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2016 (New York City, NY): A reserved and ready to age beauty. Medium bodied but with tannins that are simply too large to explain. Yet the fruit is present and is surrounded by earthy characters like tobacco leaf, a small amount of vegetable and asphalt.
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1/15/2019 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasting some Pessac-Léognans 2016 vintage (Château Bouscaut): This is elegant yet rich, bien sûr. Yet, the slow transformation away from excessive richness and extraction is bearing fruit at this estate as the quality of its terroir is undeniable - and showing more. A somewhat cooler vintage like 2016 suits the estate well. One of the best from bottle in recent years that I can recall. Bravo!
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11/11/2018 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux 2016: A first glimpse of the 2016 vintage at a UCG/merchant tasting. The aromatic depth and the soft and accessible structure are amazing and clearly ahead of the 2015s which were more on the fruitier, riper side but often less deep and especially on the left bank more austere (despite the hot vintage). 2015 seems a right bank year, while 2016 might turn out to be THE left bank year. I’ve tasted some 15 wines only (not all reviewed) with the Pichon Comtesse (98, best young left bank I’ve had to date) clearly at the top, followed by the Figeac (97, so much depth) and Carmes Haut Brion (96, probably the number one underrated and upcoming winery in Bordeaux). Positive surprises were the Léoville Barton (96, pure precision and coolness) and the Pape Clement (so seductive) with great quality/price ratios. Even I’ve bought a ton of 2016s en Primeur I would buy more after this tasting if it wasn’t for 2018 lining up to be another exceptional vintage.
TN: Dark and red fruits, some smoke and herbs. Very full-bodied and sexy and drinking very well with ripe and smooth tannins and a well-integrated acidity. Outshines many in its category. A treat to drink today - I will definitely pop a few bottles young but of course with potential to climb higher with more age. 94++
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11/7/2018 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Arvi Standing Bordeaux 2016 Tasting (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Intense and slightly medicinal notes. Dark and blue fruits / berries with discreet leather. Palate showed great balance and layered complexity with a long finish similar to the Smith Haut Lafitte - in a stand-off the latter wins, however.
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11/5/2018 - valedeniro wrote: 93 Points
Lovely nose shows black and blue fruits,licorice,floral aromas and hints of truffle and smoke.On the palate the wine comes across as smooth,supple and well balanced.Very enjoyable,but lacks that extra little bit of power and depth that in my view would have made it truly great.Tasted side by side with Pontet-Canet 2016,this is clearly a step down from the brilliant Pontet-Canet.
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5/12/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Inky, dark in hue, the wine offers its lush, smoke-filled, black fruits and tobacco notes with ease. Dense, rich and concentrated, the tannins are silky and the finish displays layers of ripe, richly dark red fruits. The wine combines elegance, complexity and refined characteristics that will only show its best with 12 -15 years or more of age.
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6/22/2017 - PSPatrick wrote: 92 Points
Barrel sample. The wine was medium to dark ruby, almost purplish in colour. It offered red and dark fruit, oak, vanilla and a hint of smoke on the nose and palate, with medium-level acidity, fine, smooth, medium-plus tannin, and very good length. This medium-bodied wine was very smooth and very balanced despite its youth, yet (only) had average concentration on the palate. It distinguished itself by its great, silky mouthfeel. 92+ for now.
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5/28/2017 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 94 Points
2016 En Primeur (tasted 26 May 2017) - Very precise, high tone ripe fruits, tobacco. Full body, powerful and long.
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5/21/2017 - wineforth Likes this wine: 96 Points
Lords en primeur tasting. Inky black, sweet entry, mouth puckering tannins. Huge body and length. All potential and without fault. I bought some and as this will take an age to evolve I expect to have to keep it whilst I drink most of the other 16's.
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4/29/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Very dark ruby in color, the smoky blackberries, cigar box and licorice aromatics are singing. There is a lot of freshness to the fruit, and the lower alcohol levels make the wine feel lighter and refreshing on the palate, especially in the silky finish. This vintage shows elegance, complexity and restraint. The wine was produced from a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, reaching 13.5% alcohol. The wine is being aged in 60% new, French oak barrels. The harvest took place from September 13 to October 19.
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