Healthy colour, rather young. Elegant complex nose, a bit shy. Red fruit, tertiary notes. Full-bodied complex taste, long finish with a boatload of fine-grained tannin. While being a proper Madiran, this possesses a certain elegance. Makes me think of a Bel Air Marquis d'Aligre Margaux '98 I drank recently. And that is saying something ..!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lovely nose - earth, damp forest floor - clean though. On the palate - still dense, very enjoyable though - went down well with Devon Wagyu burgers and Independence Day.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Some bricking, but still a very healthy dark red colour after 23 years. Complex clean nose dominated by red fruits, with an interesting earthy note. Smooth attack, fresh, red fruit, intense. Soft finish. Still in the drinking window I'd say, and some spare to go. Excellent!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fortfarande en tanninstinn buse men tillsammans med lite mat stillar den sig och tanninerna och lämnar plats i strålkastarljuset åt björnbär, blå plommon och läder.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still needs decanting; after a 30 minute decant, the wine starts to open up. Dark, brooding, inky and tannic. A bit of a monster. definitely a food wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bottle age and not a common one to find so that ticked some boxes for me. Classic sour fruit nose. Dark black fruits, leather Bordeaux-like. Would definitely buy again if I came across it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Needed 15 mins or so from opening to settle. . Still some tannic bite. After a while, more Bordeaux like. In fact, blind I would put the nose as Bordeaux. Palate rich but not heavy. Smooth but rustic, if that makes sense. Yummy stuff, though not as much personality as the VV.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still fairly dense colour. Lots of secondary characteristics on the nose, some not entirely pleasant. Medium weight, still high tannin! Fairly high acid too. Very dark on the palate, savoury. Plums, herbal, some baked/stewed fruit. Also a little bit of a burnt rubber character (mercaptans?) Not a ton of fruit, not sure if it is still waiting to emerge. Incredibly long finish. Decanted only 30 minutes, suggest decanting a couple of hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clear deep ruby, no browning or bricking. Honest expression on the nose with dark fruits, cherry pits, tea, herbs and gravelly minerality. Still no tertiary notes to speak of. Dry, harmonius and well-structured taste, ripe midpalate, good freshness and pretty tight grip. Very food-friendly, tonight comes in company with swedish elk meatballs and a creamy sauce. Still surprisingly youthful, it should develop well for for a further 5 to 10 yrs. A few more bottles in the cellar wouldn't have been a bad idea.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It needed 4 hours in a decanter to open up, even then the nose was fairly muted: leather, red berries, a touch of cinnamon and cassis. At first, the fruit needs coaxing out of the thick texture of the wine, this needs a large glass to do so - redcurrants in a powerful, earthy, velvet coated fist. It needs another five years, probably more. Monolithic, this is a little like a cross between Graves and St.Estephe, just the sort of wine for an autumn evening with a beef stew. Not the best Bouscassé I've had, it's a bit rustic and clumsy, but if the fruit emerges more clearly, it'll become quite tasty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lovely nose with a distinct and lovely violet note, later some bacon fat too. Teriffic savoury palate with a touch of meatiness. This is in so much better a place now than last week's (more expensive)1999 Vieilles Vignes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of blood, leather and black as well as red berry fruits as well as some depth and complexity. On the palate cassis and a firm amount of acidity and bitterness. Some complexity as well. Still early maturity stage. Pity this was my last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still a dense, inky nose - matt fruit, almost Bordeaux-like. Very youthful still. Dense inky flavour too though tannins have melted away to make it quite drinkable in a drinking ink sort of way. This will keep 20 years easily, whether it will improve at all over the next decade is another matter. I'd go for drinking this around 10 years old - however not really my style of wine so I doubt I'll be drinking it again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pleasant bouquet of a young mature wine with cassis and some earthy smells. On the palate still firm tannin and good acidity. Cassis and red currants mainly. The firm character is the style of the wine and it is in its young maturity stage now. No problem keeping this for another 5 years, but if it will improve in complexity….I wonder. It will definitely soften a bit more. Nice wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice development with lovely aromas and some forest floor. Fresh, harmonious palate with good fruit, smooth midweight tannins and salty liquorice. Great drinkability.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of Eucalyptus, wet wood, red currants... in the month green peperonis and very very tannic... these tannins have not soften at all after 10 years in the bottle
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Impressive dark colour. Heavy nose, ink, graphite, plum, not unlike a Medoc wine. Soft attack quickly giving way to firm tannins, that currently overpower the fruit. However, enough fruit and acidity present to last while the tannins soften. Clearly a wine to cellar another couple of years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This has gotten so much better over three years! Really nice maturity notes. Horse stable, white pepper. Coffee, tobacco, graphite and cedar. Really nice fruit of currant and plum. Still tannic of course, with a gravelly mouthfeel, lead pencil and some bitter resistance. But the fruit takes over and makes for quite harmonious drinking. Good length and not too oaky. Needs decanting and an hour of air to show its best.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
vraiment bien, j'ai été impressionné. Servi en meme temps qu'un lafite teston 1992 absolument impeccable. comme quoi, y'a des vins abordables avec des potentiels de garde impresionnants...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
La robe est toujours foncée, quelques traces de sédiments en fond de bouteille, et les lames ne sont pas encore orangées. Nez surtout concentré sur le cuir et la viande, avec une nuance de réglisse noire. En bouche, le vin est tannique, mais ils sont quand même assez fondus. Je ne suis pas si certain que ce vin va se bonifier encore longtemps, mais il faut dire qu'il était en demie-bouteille.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Good regualr wine. Young ordeaux like character with oaky wine and bit tannic but still plenty of berries and fruit hugging the tannins. OK and value for money
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I agree with radish's tasting note. Youhful and fresh on the palate. Some good earthy and barnyardtones merge from the glass. Very good value for the money (this costed around € 8 in a little french supermarché).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
While not a style of wine to please everyone, this is terrific stuff. Still youthful ruby-purple in colour. Very big nose of damp earth with hints of wet straw, barnyard... over currants and blackest cherries. Palate is more about fruit: black cherries and currants. A bit mute right upfront, but comes to life braced on big chewy tannins. Plenty of acidity... Very long -- and suprisingly fresh -- finish. Excellent
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
65% Tannat, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc. In my nose-mind this attractive wine triangulates claret, Chianti, and Barbera — yet it tastes entirely French. Its heady aromas remind me of sweet black cherry, cedar, raisins, blackcurrant, and plum; in the mouth, prune and green apple come to the fore on fine but firm tannins. It's medium bodied, the acidity is forthright, and finish isn't particularly long. Yet its sum is more than its parts. Chalk that up to the masculine structure that frames, but doesn't crush, the fruit. After 3 days the structure softens a bit but it maintains its integrity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
La robe est foncée et les lames ne présentent pas de trace de vieillissement. Nez dépourvu de finesse, ayant des notes de réglisse et de viande cuite. Bouche expressive, tannique, mais commence à être enrobée. De l'expression à défaut de finesse.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark, closed-up nose, vaguely meaty and fruity, with hints of blue cherries and ginger. The palate is totally dry and quite astringent , with hard tannins - definitely not harmonious at first. An hour or two later, with game and gravy, it reluctantly shows a bit more: nice plums, briar rose and herbs. Slowly the flavours are coming around with good, powerful fruit. Slightly bitter end. Straightforward as the wine is, it still needs lots of time. Possibly two or three points more when mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
On the nose dark fruits, baked earth. In the mouth a powerful wine, leather, stewed fruit, cassis. A good finish with nice tannins and acidity. Good weight in the mouth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Typical South West France hardness at first but after a couple of hours in the decanter it softened quite a bit. Rounded berried fruit on the nose, good red fruits, earthy and vigorous flavour. Ideal with Spaghetti Bolognaise or a BBQ. Would last and probably improve with a few more years in bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 4 hours before drinking. Black currants and dark fruit on the nose. In the mouth an initial watery taste followed by dark fruits, tannins, tobacco, a v. powerful wine. Some acidity, not particularly good length. Needs longer, 2 years minimum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A purplish black hue. The nose delivers dark cherry fruit with hints of vanilla and clove. The wine has big tannins with pucker appeal. Broad on the palate and finish but a bit clipped in the finish. Tasted at the end of the evening, A fine BBQ wine but needs some time to more fully integrate the tannin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/4/2024 - roelof.ligtmans@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Healthy colour, rather young. Elegant complex nose, a bit shy. Red fruit, tertiary notes. Full-bodied complex taste, long finish with a boatload of fine-grained tannin. While being a proper Madiran, this possesses a certain elegance. Makes me think of a Bel Air Marquis d'Aligre Margaux '98 I drank recently. And that is saying something ..!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2024 - lozatron Likes this wine:
Lovely nose - earth, damp forest floor - clean though. On the palate - still dense, very enjoyable though - went down well with Devon Wagyu burgers and Independence Day.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2023 - roelof.ligtmans@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Some bricking, but still a very healthy dark red colour after 23 years. Complex clean nose dominated by red fruits, with an interesting earthy note. Smooth attack, fresh, red fruit, intense. Soft finish. Still in the drinking window I'd say, and some spare to go. Excellent!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2020 - finewinebuff57 wrote: 87 Points
Long haul as always. The fruit is peeping through but this needs longer to come to fruition for my taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2019 - Jonne Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fortfarande en tanninstinn buse men tillsammans med lite mat stillar den sig och tanninerna och lämnar plats i strålkastarljuset åt björnbär, blå plommon och läder.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2019 - MatsRahm Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still vivid and drinks beautilfully!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2017 - ondevall wrote: 91 Points
Blackberries, wellbalanced avidity and a firm velvet backbone. Really good stuff!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2015 - PatCast wrote: 88 Points
Bor luftas ca 2-3 timmar. Bra struktur, passade bra till halstrad rabiff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2015 - Comte de Rousset Likes this wine: 88 Points
A bien vieilli, mais sur la pente descendante. Étonnant pour un vin à 25$!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2015 - PatCast wrote: 86 Points
Ok men måste luftas ordentligt. Saknar tryck och komplexitet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2014 - ondevall wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful concentration and structure. Dark fruit and leather.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2013 - roelof.ligtmans@gmail.com wrote: 88 Points
Still needs decanting; after a 30 minute decant, the wine starts to open up. Dark, brooding, inky and tannic. A bit of a monster. definitely a food wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2013 - MatsRahm Likes this wine: 88 Points
Suggested drinking window is off by a couple of years. Drinks beutifully with lots of more to give.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2013 - Fur in the glass Likes this wine:
Bottle age and not a common one to find so that ticked some boxes for me. Classic sour fruit nose. Dark black fruits, leather Bordeaux-like. Would definitely buy again if I came across it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2013 - king-bing Likes this wine:
Needed 15 mins or so from opening to settle. . Still some tannic bite. After a while, more Bordeaux like. In fact, blind I would put the nose as Bordeaux. Palate rich but not heavy. Smooth but rustic, if that makes sense. Yummy stuff, though not as much personality as the VV.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2013 - walkers wrote: 88 Points
Still fairly dense colour. Lots of secondary characteristics on the nose, some not entirely pleasant. Medium weight, still high tannin! Fairly high acid too. Very dark on the palate, savoury. Plums, herbal, some baked/stewed fruit. Also a little bit of a burnt rubber character (mercaptans?) Not a ton of fruit, not sure if it is still waiting to emerge. Incredibly long finish. Decanted only 30 minutes, suggest decanting a couple of hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2012 - Finare Vinare wrote: 88 Points
Clear deep ruby, no browning or bricking. Honest expression on the nose with dark fruits, cherry pits, tea, herbs and gravelly minerality. Still no tertiary notes to speak of. Dry, harmonius and well-structured taste, ripe midpalate, good freshness and pretty tight grip. Very food-friendly, tonight comes in company with swedish elk meatballs and a creamy sauce. Still surprisingly youthful, it should develop well for for a further 5 to 10 yrs. A few more bottles in the cellar wouldn't have been a bad idea.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2012 - Julian Marshall wrote:
It needed 4 hours in a decanter to open up, even then the nose was fairly muted: leather, red berries, a touch of cinnamon and cassis. At first, the fruit needs coaxing out of the thick texture of the wine, this needs a large glass to do so - redcurrants in a powerful, earthy, velvet coated fist. It needs another five years, probably more.
Monolithic, this is a little like a cross between Graves and St.Estephe, just the sort of wine for an autumn evening with a beef stew.
Not the best Bouscassé I've had, it's a bit rustic and clumsy, but if the fruit emerges more clearly, it'll become quite tasty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2012 - king-bing wrote:
Lovely nose with a distinct and lovely violet note, later some bacon fat too. Teriffic savoury palate with a touch of meatiness. This is in so much better a place now than last week's (more expensive)1999 Vieilles Vignes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/2/2012 - roelof.ligtmans@gmail.com wrote: 85 Points
Has'nt budged much in 2 years. Fruit & tannins still fighting it out, I guess the tannins will win in the long run but quite enjoyable as it is.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2012 - king-bing wrote:
Took some time to get going but was then yummy. Quite Bordeaux-like but with a little more sauvage. No hurry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2011 - davidspieker wrote: 88 Points
Dark garnet color. Aromas of black currant, earth and anise. Full body with decent balance but tannic on a lengthy finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2011 - Zweder wrote: 87 Points
Nose of blood, leather and black as well as red berry fruits as well as some depth and complexity. On the palate cassis and a firm amount of acidity and bitterness. Some complexity as well. Still early maturity stage. Pity this was my last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2011 - kevin h wrote: 89 Points
Still a dense, inky nose - matt fruit, almost Bordeaux-like. Very youthful still. Dense inky flavour too though tannins have melted away to make it quite drinkable in a drinking ink sort of way. This will keep 20 years easily, whether it will improve at all over the next decade is another matter. I'd go for drinking this around 10 years old - however not really my style of wine so I doubt I'll be drinking it again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2010 - Finare Vinare wrote: 86 Points
Good enough quality but nothing spectacular. The huge Montus -00 is a completely different creature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2010 - Zweder wrote: 87 Points
Pleasant bouquet of a young mature wine with cassis and some earthy smells. On the palate still firm tannin and good acidity. Cassis and red currants mainly. The firm character is the style of the wine and it is in its young maturity stage now. No problem keeping this for another 5 years, but if it will improve in complexity….I wonder. It will definitely soften a bit more. Nice wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2010 - Finare Vinare wrote: 88 Points
Nice development with lovely aromas and some forest floor. Fresh, harmonious palate with good fruit, smooth midweight tannins and salty liquorice. Great drinkability.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/26/2010 - Philippe_C wrote: 86 Points
Nose of Eucalyptus, wet wood, red currants... in the month green peperonis and very very tannic... these tannins have not soften at all after 10 years in the bottle
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/22/2010 - roelof.ligtmans@gmail.com wrote: 86 Points
Impressive dark colour. Heavy nose, ink, graphite, plum, not unlike a Medoc wine. Soft attack quickly giving way to firm tannins, that currently overpower the fruit. However, enough fruit and acidity present to last while the tannins soften. Clearly a wine to cellar another couple of years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2010 - Finare Vinare wrote: 88 Points
This has gotten so much better over three years! Really nice maturity notes. Horse stable, white pepper. Coffee, tobacco, graphite and cedar. Really nice fruit of currant and plum. Still tannic of course, with a gravelly mouthfeel, lead pencil and some bitter resistance. But the fruit takes over and makes for quite harmonious drinking. Good length and not too oaky. Needs decanting and an hour of air to show its best.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/22/2009 - JdeM wrote:
excellent madiran but better left in the cellar a year at least
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2009 - Caudalie wrote:
vraiment bien, j'ai été impressionné. Servi en meme temps qu'un lafite teston 1992 absolument impeccable. comme quoi, y'a des vins abordables avec des potentiels de garde impresionnants...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/30/2009 - ondevall wrote: flawed
Lätt korkad
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/30/2009 - kevin h wrote: 88 Points
Same as in 2007 - starting to soften, inky but good brambly fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/6/2008 - Partenaire wrote: 83 Points
La robe est toujours foncée, quelques traces de sédiments en fond de bouteille, et les lames ne sont pas encore orangées. Nez surtout concentré sur le cuir et la viande, avec une nuance de réglisse noire. En bouche, le vin est tannique, mais ils sont quand même assez fondus. Je ne suis pas si certain que ce vin va se bonifier encore longtemps, mais il faut dire qu'il était en demie-bouteille.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2008 - dannyg wrote: 83 Points
Good regualr wine. Young ordeaux like character with oaky wine and bit tannic but still plenty of berries and fruit hugging the tannins. OK and value for money
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2008 - DavidK wrote: 90 Points
I agree with radish's tasting note. Youhful and fresh on the palate. Some good earthy and barnyardtones merge from the glass. Very good value for the money (this costed around € 8 in a little french supermarché).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2008 - radish wrote: 90 Points
While not a style of wine to please everyone, this is terrific stuff. Still youthful ruby-purple in colour. Very big nose of damp earth with hints of wet straw, barnyard... over currants and blackest cherries. Palate is more about fruit: black cherries and currants. A bit mute right upfront, but comes to life braced on big chewy tannins. Plenty of acidity... Very long -- and suprisingly fresh -- finish. Excellent
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/10/2007 - Wicker Parker wrote:
65% Tannat, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc. In my nose-mind this attractive wine triangulates claret, Chianti, and Barbera — yet it tastes entirely French. Its heady aromas remind me of sweet black cherry, cedar, raisins, blackcurrant, and plum; in the mouth, prune and green apple come to the fore on fine but firm tannins. It's medium bodied, the acidity is forthright, and finish isn't particularly long. Yet its sum is more than its parts. Chalk that up to the masculine structure that frames, but doesn't crush, the fruit. After 3 days the structure softens a bit but it maintains its integrity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2007 - Partenaire wrote: 84 Points
La robe est foncée et les lames ne présentent pas de trace de vieillissement. Nez dépourvu de finesse, ayant des notes de réglisse et de viande cuite. Bouche expressive, tannique, mais commence à être enrobée. De l'expression à défaut de finesse.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2007 - Finare Vinare wrote: 85 Points
Dark, closed-up nose, vaguely meaty and fruity, with hints of blue cherries and ginger. The palate is totally dry and quite astringent , with hard tannins - definitely not harmonious at first. An hour or two later, with game and gravy, it reluctantly shows a bit more: nice plums, briar rose and herbs. Slowly the flavours are coming around with good, powerful fruit. Slightly bitter end. Straightforward as the wine is, it still needs lots of time. Possibly two or three points more when mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2007 - kevin h wrote: 88 Points
Softening a little with good, inky fruit - dense wine. Give it a couple more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2006 - Markdo wrote: 87 Points
On the nose dark fruits, baked earth. In the mouth a powerful wine, leather, stewed fruit, cassis. A good finish with nice tannins and acidity. Good weight in the mouth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2006 - kevin h wrote: 87 Points
Typical South West France hardness at first but after a couple of hours in the decanter it softened quite a bit. Rounded berried fruit on the nose, good red fruits, earthy and vigorous flavour. Ideal with Spaghetti Bolognaise or a BBQ. Would last and probably improve with a few more years in bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2006 - Markdo wrote: 84 Points
Decanted 4 hours before drinking. Black currants and dark fruit on the nose. In the mouth an initial watery taste followed by dark fruits, tannins, tobacco, a v. powerful wine. Some acidity, not particularly good length. Needs longer, 2 years minimum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2004 - Jim wrote:
A purplish black hue. The nose delivers dark cherry fruit with hints of vanilla and clove. The wine has big tannins with pucker appeal. Broad on the palate and finish but a bit clipped in the finish. Tasted at the end of the evening, A fine BBQ wine but needs some time to more fully integrate the tannin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment