Quite a forward vintage for this wine showing atypically rich red and blue fruits and lots of exciting spice and game notes. Very fresh and lifted despite the ripeness with the classic taut, chalky finish that I love in Baudry's wines. Very little green here and this is so good to drink now with food but will obviously continue to evolve.
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Only my 2nd Croix Boissee ever, and this is obviously very young. Significant oak influence pretty much dominates everything right now. Could easily pass for Bordeaux or (gasp!) Napa Cab currently. I’m putting the cork back in and reevaluating tomorrow. Still shows great promise.
After 24 hours this is still very impressive, but not representative of where it will be in 12 years. I love this wine, love this producer and need to stock up every chance I get.
Please don’t do the same as I don’t want prices to rise.
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17/18/19 side by side blind. My preference was in that order. 17 was the cleanest and comparatively elegant and red fruited. I got the 18/19 backwards as the latter was bigger, riper, and not so clean. Both freshened up after being open for a day and need lots of time.
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Much less pong than the 2017, the initial nose was almost clean, but it still improved after a few hours, becoming very persistent and perfumed, full of sweet peas and raspberries. On the palate, it has gone back into its shell compared to the last bottle tried in 2021, but is still very impressive - concentrated and intense red fruits, mostly rose hip and wild strawberry this time. A lovely wine in need of time.
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Oh, man -- I don't drink enough old world wine. I can't even begin to describe this nose. Wet spiced ginger cake, drunken cherries, balsamic syrup. On the palate, acids dominate the rich flavors. Balsamic flavors continue, mixing with richer cherry flavors and just the bare ascetic hint. There's some fine tannin still present, and overall it just seems like there's a lot of room for development. If there's a flaw, it's that it drinks a bit hot. 14.1 is surely common where I'm from, but it might inhibit the perception of some of the complex flavors that this wine definitely possesses. I'm going to save my remaining bottle for another 4 or 5 and try it again.
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A crowd pleaser this beauty is, slow oxed for 2 hours, dark maroon red, black fruits, ripe plums, blackberries, medium to full bodied, complex, v young still 93+
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Toute quun vin pour le prix! Bu sur 4 jours, le 4 ieme fut le meilleur! Fruite noir et rouge, belle expression du cab franc en année chaude, excellente longueur. C’est tres reussi, du gros calibre!
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PnP. Ok wow. This is dark in color and dark on the nose - seamless, dark, sweet, ripe, with perfectly integrated funk and some sort of savory. The fruit is black cherry, blueberry and some blackberry. Very primary but totally intoxicating. Crunchy - almost citric or pie crust. Chalky. Palate: Great entry on and mouthfeel. Dark fruits. Spicy and somewhat funky. Deep. Seamless. Ripe but still light on its feet with great grip and balance. The finish is spicy and dark and the crunchy acids are a little too much right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if this opened and the finish calm down w 2-3 days of air. If so this will be awesome and will bode well for 10-15 years from now. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5-5.5+/6, Finish - 4.5-5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 16-17.5+/20 (with 17-18/20 potential.).
Day 5: Similar to day one but the fruit has gotten darker - with some cassis as well as the black cherry and blackberry. The funk is there, well integrated, along with some dark florals and some spice and some chalk or clay and some green savory herbal. The palate is just wonderful - full of flavor but balanced and light - with the dark fruit, some funk, the savory green herbal. As predicted, the finish has calmed down and is balanced and integrated - deep and dark and savory with some chalk and a big wave of funk and savory green at the end. So good and amazing value at around $50. I haven't had the 09, but I wonder if this is what the 09 was like young. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17.5/20.
Cranberry and boysenberry nose with hints of tobacco, violets and lava rocks. The palate feel is lean on the first night and feels a touch fleshy on night two. That still might only get it up to medium bodied and not showing much extraction. The tannin shows almost chalky, getting more astringent with air. Nicely fresh yet still on the tight side. A bit more effusive in terms of fruit on night one. Not buoyant but enough acidity to make it work. A terrific Chinon taken as a whole. It's going to need some time to blossom I would say. There is enough ripeness here to suggest that awakening might be sooner than some other, denser vintages. There was clearly an effort here not to let the generosity of the vintage get away from them. A very nice wine with a fairly long future ahead of it. Stupid big bottle with a deep punt now. Disappointing to see geekier wineries using these trophy style bottles.
In the opening years of it’s drinking window, vibrant fruit, with sufficient age to have softened the tannic edges. A dark and not quite brooding wine of solid character, deep red fruit and earth; based on the pleasure it gives now, I suspect it will be quite spectacular in years to come.
Drunk at the same table where we opened a bottle of the 2017 vintage, a bit lighter, more forward; I preferred the 2018, more structured.
-- decanted 15 before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over a few hours --
NOSE: ripe; dark-fruited; a bit closed at first; clean (no brett); dark boysenberry, dark raspberry, and blackberry; no obvious mineral or bell pepper.
BODY: garnet-violet color of great depth; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: ripe; gently/moderately tanninc; medium+ acidity; it's a ripe Cab. Franc --- very nice, and will improve with age, but this is not a classicist's C.F.; background earthiness and typical C.F. character --- little bit of tanned leather on the finish; a touch inky; can taste alc. a bit (14.1%). NEWSFLASH: if you're down with this, then you like CA/FR crossovers --- and there's nothing wrong with that --- just be honest. Possibly tons of room for a higher score 10+ years from now, but, as it presents today, I score it right at the line that separates "very good" from "excellent".
Medium Ruby. Medium plus body. High acidity. Very slight brett (? sweet tobacco). Oak presence. Scents of talcum powder, pine wax, chili flakes, violet and dried thyme. Slight green undertone, but subtler than typical Cabernet Franc's. Rich, fresh fruit of black currant and blackberry and some blueberry (with some raspberry edge). Wow! We are talking about really elegant fruit here. Cocoa powder and cured meat savoriness in midpalate. Sinewy tannin texture. Floral finish with white pepper. Balanced and well-structured to age gracefully.
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Quite dark garnet, not quite opaque; I get crushed rocks, volcanic, some slight background funk; fairly rich, flavorful, some bright acidity, quite tannic and rocky. A lot going on in this wine, though a little tough to see through the structure of youth.
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Decanted 2 hours before dinner and this paired great with grilled Filet Mignon. I have had most of the wine from Baudry's wine line up and this would have surprised me if tasted blind (I really enjoyed it though). Black in the glass. Green pepper/pyrizines, tobacco and black cherry. Medium+ body, medium+ acidity, full tannins and a long finish. Pretty monolithic today but will likely age for a long time given the structure. 92-93 today with room for 1-2 points in 5+ years.
I wanted to try a bottle to consider buying more to age (I will) but I would recommend letting this sit for 5+ years as noted by other tasters.
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A really pretty, potent wine. Very classy raspberry, blackberry, hint of cassis nose and deep black fruited palate, with both depth and lightness. Pretty tannic at this stage, so needs a while. 5 years? More? a extremely good.
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Unusually pretty pour - the way Cab Franc and Syrah tend to do. Deep purple satin ribbons with an oily finish. I love it. La Croix Boissée is about power, structure, restrained elegance. Today, that is. I think this wine opens and blooms with a few more years to get affiliated with itself.
In 2022 she's relatively shy and very structured with notes of graphite and pencil shavings enveloped in red and blackberries, sweet prune. You can sense that more fruit is hiding, waiting to explode. Lots of scaffolding to break down. Tannin, chalk, silk lining underneath.
This is a wine with lots of potential. I have two, see you again in 2033.
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Casual sips in less than optimal glasses, but the intensity and depth was still obvious. Dark fruit, graphite, olives, herbs, blue flowers... gorgeous stuff. Hard to resist, but this will develop for many many years.
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PnP. ABV 14%. No Brett on the nose, yippee! Just your typical Cabernet Franc funk and lightly floral nose. Plenty of fine tannins around with enough acidity to balance out. Good lift. Finished spicy and very long. Big wine with excellent concentration and complexity. Good aging potential for sure and most importantly without those stupid TCA which bugs the hell out of me from this producer. Will buy more.
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NOSE: sticky framboise tar. Reduction and oak are locked in wholesome embrace. There’s a delightful cracked slate vibe here. Exploring that, I find mint, and sacks of ruptured, mustard-scented muscadine. This is getting strange and remarkable. MOUTH: 24 hours into the open bottle and the barrique is popping through the formidable tide of pulpy berry resin. A waltzing churn. It’s like Cheval Blanc had a midlife crisis and decided to get in touch with its reddish, juicy half. 93-95+ points. Resist opening this for at least a few years.
Extraordinarily ripe Loire Valley Cab Franc, but still quite fresh, retaining lots of Chinon typicity. Aromas of black and blue fruits, flowers (mainly violet and a little lilac), black olive, walnut oil, whispers of thyme and petrichor, as well as top notes of brighter fruits. Thick and velvety, very rich and dark for Chinon, but there's great freshness and lively acidity, a fine coating of serious tannins too. Long finish features wild blueberry, blackberry, plum, flowers and ethereal spice. Gorgeous wine. This is serious and will need 5+ to show all its powers, maybe 10+. This will be fun to compare to 2018s from St. Emilion and Pomerol when it is mature.
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Very good but young, even with several hour decant. See Julian Marshall’s note below. Delicious crunchy red fruit; tannins will integrate over the next several years. Recommend hold or open and drink a day or so later. Score reflects today with upside.
Next day shows tannins better integrated but still astringent. Great nose, fruit faded a bit or perhaps overpowered by the residual tannins. Let it rest for 5+ years and a fine wine will emerge.
Literally mouth-watering notes of raspberry and red cherry, in fact just writing this makes my mouth water again, remembering them. The aromas are so good that it took me a while to go any further, and I'm not generally that patient, but also the nose is immediately reassuring - this is not a fruit-bomb - there is a tension there too, plus some strong notes of sweet peas, to show that this is not going to disappoint. The attack is fresh, crisp and crunchy, just like a Roches Neuves, with raspberry, dark cherry, a little blackberry, before a strong wave of sour cherry takes over. There is certainly a lot of fruit, but it is under control, well-restrained by the framework and chalkiness in the background. The elegance is there too, with a beautiful middle section where the raspberry dominates, but within the limits set by the framework and the finish is just sensational, very long and sweet, but this is the sweetness of an organic wine, so without excessive sugar.
I recorked this and came back to it several days later - it was more open but still very vibrant, the attack now softer and the fruit less crunchy, more raspberry and less sour cherry. The profile was still very fresh and overall I was reminded of similar sensations tasting a young Figeac or Magdelaine.
This is an exceptional wine which can be enjoyed with a very long decant, but should really be forgotten about for at least five years.
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5/6/2024 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite a forward vintage for this wine showing atypically rich red and blue fruits and lots of exciting spice and game notes. Very fresh and lifted despite the ripeness with the classic taut, chalky finish that I love in Baudry's wines. Very little green here and this is so good to drink now with food but will obviously continue to evolve.
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5/3/2024 - MrOctoberfest Likes this wine:
Only my 2nd Croix Boissee ever, and this is obviously very young. Significant oak influence pretty much dominates everything right now. Could easily pass for Bordeaux or (gasp!) Napa Cab currently. I’m putting the cork back in and reevaluating tomorrow. Still shows great promise.
After 24 hours this is still very impressive, but not representative of where it will be in 12 years. I love this wine, love this producer and need to stock up every chance I get.
Please don’t do the same as I don’t want prices to rise.
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4/27/2024 - jerhardt wrote:
17/18/19 side by side blind. My preference was in that order. 17 was the cleanest and comparatively elegant and red fruited. I got the 18/19 backwards as the latter was bigger, riper, and not so clean. Both freshened up after being open for a day and need lots of time.
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4/24/2024 - redwhiteandrich Likes this wine: 93 Points
A big boi for sure. Lots of sweet ripe fruit, very giving upon opening, tannins get chalky as time goes on.
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3/13/2024 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 94 Points
Much less pong than the 2017, the initial nose was almost clean, but it still improved after a few hours, becoming very persistent and perfumed, full of sweet peas and raspberries. On the palate, it has gone back into its shell compared to the last bottle tried in 2021, but is still very impressive - concentrated and intense red fruits, mostly rose hip and wild strawberry this time. A lovely wine in need of time.
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11/17/2023 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 93 Points
Oh, man -- I don't drink enough old world wine. I can't even begin to describe this nose. Wet spiced ginger cake, drunken cherries, balsamic syrup. On the palate, acids dominate the rich flavors. Balsamic flavors continue, mixing with richer cherry flavors and just the bare ascetic hint. There's some fine tannin still present, and overall it just seems like there's a lot of room for development. If there's a flaw, it's that it drinks a bit hot. 14.1 is surely common where I'm from, but it might inhibit the perception of some of the complex flavors that this wine definitely possesses. I'm going to save my remaining bottle for another 4 or 5 and try it again.
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5/7/2023 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 93 Points
A crowd pleaser this beauty is, slow oxed for 2 hours, dark maroon red, black fruits, ripe plums, blackberries, medium to full bodied, complex, v young still
93+
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4/28/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:
A monster, but delicious. All the qualities of Cab Franc, but amped up. Sweet fruit, herbal, and high acid. A deliciously lingering finish.
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2/6/2023 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
Dark red, interesting nose, red fruits, funk, grainy smoky tannins, last glass the bouquet was quite stunning, pure cab franc beauty
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7/17/2022 - benjamin96 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Toute quun vin pour le prix! Bu sur 4 jours, le 4 ieme fut le meilleur! Fruite noir et rouge, belle expression du cab franc en année chaude, excellente longueur. C’est tres reussi, du gros calibre!
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7/15/2022 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
PnP. Ok wow. This is dark in color and dark on the nose - seamless, dark, sweet, ripe, with perfectly integrated funk and some sort of savory. The fruit is black cherry, blueberry and some blackberry. Very primary but totally intoxicating. Crunchy - almost citric or pie crust. Chalky. Palate: Great entry on and mouthfeel. Dark fruits. Spicy and somewhat funky. Deep. Seamless. Ripe but still light on its feet with great grip and balance. The finish is spicy and dark and the crunchy acids are a little too much right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if this opened and the finish calm down w 2-3 days of air. If so this will be awesome and will bode well for 10-15 years from now. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5-5.5+/6, Finish - 4.5-5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 16-17.5+/20 (with 17-18/20 potential.).
Day 5: Similar to day one but the fruit has gotten darker - with some cassis as well as the black cherry and blackberry. The funk is there, well integrated, along with some dark florals and some spice and some chalk or clay and some green savory herbal. The palate is just wonderful - full of flavor but balanced and light - with the dark fruit, some funk, the savory green herbal. As predicted, the finish has calmed down and is balanced and integrated - deep and dark and savory with some chalk and a big wave of funk and savory green at the end. So good and amazing value at around $50. I haven't had the 09, but I wonder if this is what the 09 was like young. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17.5/20.
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6/26/2022 - WetRock wrote:
Cranberry and boysenberry nose with hints of tobacco, violets and lava rocks. The palate feel is lean on the first night and feels a touch fleshy on night two. That still might only get it up to medium bodied and not showing much extraction. The tannin shows almost chalky, getting more astringent with air. Nicely fresh yet still on the tight side. A bit more effusive in terms of fruit on night one. Not buoyant but enough acidity to make it work. A terrific Chinon taken as a whole. It's going to need some time to blossom I would say. There is enough ripeness here to suggest that awakening might be sooner than some other, denser vintages. There was clearly an effort here not to let the generosity of the vintage get away from them. A very nice wine with a fairly long future ahead of it. Stupid big bottle with a deep punt now. Disappointing to see geekier wineries using these trophy style bottles.
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6/17/2022 - IJC Likes this wine:
In the opening years of it’s drinking window, vibrant fruit, with sufficient age to have softened the tannic edges. A dark and not quite brooding wine of solid character, deep red fruit and earth; based on the pleasure it gives now, I suspect it will be quite spectacular in years to come.
Drunk at the same table where we opened a bottle of the 2017 vintage, a bit lighter, more forward; I preferred the 2018, more structured.
Rated +1 on a scale of -1 to +3.
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5/13/2022 - grafstrb wrote: 90 Points
-- decanted 15 before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over a few hours --
NOSE: ripe; dark-fruited; a bit closed at first; clean (no brett); dark boysenberry, dark raspberry, and blackberry; no obvious mineral or bell pepper.
BODY: garnet-violet color of great depth; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: ripe; gently/moderately tanninc; medium+ acidity; it's a ripe Cab. Franc --- very nice, and will improve with age, but this is not a classicist's C.F.; background earthiness and typical C.F. character --- little bit of tanned leather on the finish; a touch inky; can taste alc. a bit (14.1%). NEWSFLASH: if you're down with this, then you like CA/FR crossovers --- and there's nothing wrong with that --- just be honest. Possibly tons of room for a higher score 10+ years from now, but, as it presents today, I score it right at the line that separates "very good" from "excellent".
50, 5, 12, 16, 7 = 90+
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5/8/2022 - Ruminator Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium Ruby. Medium plus body. High acidity. Very slight brett (? sweet tobacco). Oak presence. Scents of talcum powder, pine wax, chili flakes, violet and dried thyme. Slight green undertone, but subtler than typical Cabernet Franc's. Rich, fresh fruit of black currant and blackberry and some blueberry (with some raspberry edge). Wow! We are talking about really elegant fruit here. Cocoa powder and cured meat savoriness in midpalate. Sinewy tannin texture. Floral finish with white pepper. Balanced and well-structured to age gracefully.
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5/5/2022 - alanr wrote: 92 Points
Quite dark garnet, not quite opaque; I get crushed rocks, volcanic, some slight background funk; fairly rich, flavorful, some bright acidity, quite tannic and rocky. A lot going on in this wine, though a little tough to see through the structure of youth.
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4/2/2022 - CWilliam wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours before dinner and this paired great with grilled Filet Mignon. I have had most of the wine from Baudry's wine line up and this would have surprised me if tasted blind (I really enjoyed it though). Black in the glass. Green pepper/pyrizines, tobacco and black cherry. Medium+ body, medium+ acidity, full tannins and a long finish. Pretty monolithic today but will likely age for a long time given the structure. 92-93 today with room for 1-2 points in 5+ years.
I wanted to try a bottle to consider buying more to age (I will) but I would recommend letting this sit for 5+ years as noted by other tasters.
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3/10/2022 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 92 Points
A really pretty, potent wine. Very classy raspberry, blackberry, hint of cassis nose and deep black fruited palate, with both depth and lightness. Pretty tannic at this stage, so needs a while. 5 years? More? a extremely good.
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2/25/2022 - Elycohn Likes this wine: 92 Points
Unusually pretty pour - the way Cab Franc and Syrah tend to do. Deep purple satin ribbons with an oily finish. I love it. La Croix Boissée is about power, structure, restrained elegance. Today, that is. I think this wine opens and blooms with a few more years to get affiliated with itself.
In 2022 she's relatively shy and very structured with notes of graphite and pencil shavings enveloped in red and blackberries, sweet prune. You can sense that more fruit is hiding, waiting to explode. Lots of scaffolding to break down. Tannin, chalk, silk lining underneath.
This is a wine with lots of potential. I have two, see you again in 2033.
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2/1/2022 - viniferatu Likes this wine:
Casual sips in less than optimal glasses, but the intensity and depth was still obvious. Dark fruit, graphite, olives, herbs, blue flowers... gorgeous stuff. Hard to resist, but this will develop for many many years.
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1/19/2022 - kmizzel wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic Chinon. Give it at least 2 hours in the decanter.
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1/10/2022 - pclin wrote: 93 Points
PnP. ABV 14%. No Brett on the nose, yippee! Just your typical Cabernet Franc funk and lightly floral nose. Plenty of fine tannins around with enough acidity to balance out. Good lift. Finished spicy and very long. Big wine with excellent concentration and complexity. Good aging potential for sure and most importantly without those stupid TCA which bugs the hell out of me from this producer. Will buy more.
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10/31/2021 - Putnam Weekley Likes this wine: 93 Points
NOSE: sticky framboise tar. Reduction and oak are locked in wholesome embrace. There’s a delightful cracked slate vibe here. Exploring that, I find mint, and sacks of ruptured, mustard-scented muscadine. This is getting strange and remarkable. MOUTH: 24 hours into the open bottle and the barrique is popping through the formidable tide of pulpy berry resin. A waltzing churn. It’s like Cheval Blanc had a midlife crisis and decided to get in touch with its reddish, juicy half. 93-95+ points. Resist opening this for at least a few years.
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10/20/2021 - viniferatu Likes this wine:
Extraordinarily ripe Loire Valley Cab Franc, but still quite fresh, retaining lots of Chinon typicity. Aromas of black and blue fruits, flowers (mainly violet and a little lilac), black olive, walnut oil, whispers of thyme and petrichor, as well as top notes of brighter fruits. Thick and velvety, very rich and dark for Chinon, but there's great freshness and lively acidity, a fine coating of serious tannins too. Long finish features wild blueberry, blackberry, plum, flowers and ethereal spice. Gorgeous wine. This is serious and will need 5+ to show all its powers, maybe 10+. This will be fun to compare to 2018s from St. Emilion and Pomerol when it is mature.
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7/28/2021 - Palisades57 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very good but young, even with several hour decant. See Julian Marshall’s note below. Delicious crunchy red fruit; tannins will integrate over the next several years. Recommend hold or open and drink a day or so later. Score reflects today with upside.
Next day shows tannins better integrated but still astringent. Great nose, fruit faded a bit or perhaps overpowered by the residual tannins. Let it rest for 5+ years and a fine wine will emerge.
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5/18/2021 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 95 Points
Literally mouth-watering notes of raspberry and red cherry, in fact just writing this makes my mouth water again, remembering them. The aromas are so good that it took me a while to go any further, and I'm not generally that patient, but also the nose is immediately reassuring - this is not a fruit-bomb - there is a tension there too, plus some strong notes of sweet peas, to show that this is not going to disappoint.
The attack is fresh, crisp and crunchy, just like a Roches Neuves, with raspberry, dark cherry, a little blackberry, before a strong wave of sour cherry takes over. There is certainly a lot of fruit, but it is under control, well-restrained by the framework and chalkiness in the background. The elegance is there too, with a beautiful middle section where the raspberry dominates, but within the limits set by the framework and the finish is just sensational, very long and sweet, but this is the sweetness of an organic wine, so without excessive sugar.
I recorked this and came back to it several days later - it was more open but still very vibrant, the attack now softer and the fruit less crunchy, more raspberry and less sour cherry. The profile was still very fresh and overall I was reminded of similar sensations tasting a young Figeac or Magdelaine.
This is an exceptional wine which can be enjoyed with a very long decant, but should really be forgotten about for at least five years.
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