Sample tasting at work (Oinoscent): Decanted and slowly tasted Thick red fruit core, mineral, spice frame, floral notes, grilled peppers, palate tight, edgy, needs some time to open up (which it did later on), red fruit, acidity cutting through, med body, med finish
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Breton Tasting with France Breton and Baptiste Desrrouseaux (Flatiron Wines SF): Lovely as before. Didn't have a chance to fully open up, and is showing incredibly young. Several commented that this seemed like one of the youngest wines of the night. Certainly the color is of a freshly bottled wine, but I felt there was some tertiary development and complexity, while retaining young fruit vibes. Fruit, depth, mineral, tobacco. This is the complete package and will probably peak in another 10 years, and drink well for 30+. Baptiste said Pierre opened 3 bottles of the '47 for their wedding, and this was similar in profile.
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Magnum. Opened 2 hours before drinking. Even ruby without any fading. Fruit and earth on the nose. Compared to prior bottles, only a trace of dill in the background. Medium weight, marvelous integrated feel with a long soil base and naturally ripe, sweet blue and black fruit. Fine acidity, a pleasingly salty edge, and light, fine remaining tannins that have a whiff of ground coffee. This was a knockout, easily the most seamless, balanced Loire red I have had in a very long time. From this large format, I imagine it will provide pleasure for another 15 years, but recently it has also shown very well from standard sized bottles.
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Very good wine. The nose shoes a density of aroma without excess weight - a friend tasting it blind thought it could be northern rhone, such is its animale character and black fruit. I love the nose here, showing a violet aspect that I get in many rhone wines but also in some bordeaux. Lifted - very good acidity. We drank it alongside a 2010 Baudry Grezeaux, and to me the Baudry showed a more perfect composition, better overall balance. Only in comparison was I able to see that this wine, while utterly delicious, is also a bit blocky and fruit forward, even now almost 20 years on. Not a criticism - it's what the vintage gave.
Pop n poured, and ready to go. Nose is classic cab franc - dark, spicy mysterious, plum/cassis front and center, with roasted pepper and barnyard lurking around the edges. Palate is rich, velvety, and concentrated, but near weightless in mouthfeel. Abundance of cassis, a bit of scorched earth, with secondary tobacco and old library books. Maybe a touch of menthol, but otherwise not particularly green. The balance of acid, fruit and savory elements seems pretty much ideal to me. Tannins are largely resolved, tying the palate through to a long, regal finish. Drinking at peak to me; and while I don't think this is a 50 year wine, it's not in danger of declining any time soon.
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This is just beautiful. Fresh, deep ruby fruit wrapped in a light cloak of green - just enough to let you know it's cab franc. Bit of graphite and lovely cut. What a brilliant producer.
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Deep ruby core. Some initial herb and graphite gave way to tart cherry and olive. Earthy, medium bodied. With time in the decanter, some real ripeness and sweetness emerged, fine citric acidity that was more Burgundy than Loire became apparent, and the tannins took on a bitter chocolate richness. I have had good bottles of this in the past but never as complete and exciting as this. Quite remarkable for 16 year old Bourgueil.
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Gorgeous, opulent, concentrated & complex 2005 Bourgueil. Dark Plums - damsons, dark berries, black olives, earthy, lots of the classic Loire CF notes of lead pencil, cigar box, no green bell-pepper but with a really lovely floral - wilted roses / violets ? - charm and a nice (if moderate) kick off acidity that stops it from feeling too heavy... Leans more towards Bordeaux than Burgundy, in structure & flavour profile. May well improve further, but in a good place now - long finish.
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Rich aromas of velvety plum and toffee, before a thick mouthful of plums and dark cherry, a brief but welcome freshness mid-palate and a long, brooding finish. It has several years to go and will improve further, but I could have done with a little more crispness and freshness on the finish. What I did like about it was the alcohol level - a mere 12°, quite a change from other 05s which are mostly around 14°, so although very plush and rich, it wasn't overpowering. Overall very impressive.
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Very primary looking ruby. Classic graphite shavings and black fruit. Excellent ripeness and unusual concentration, resolving tannin. This has progressed significantly toward maturity since I last tasted this almost 3 years ago but remains very youthful and vigorous.
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Great bottle. Lush dark fruit that shows ripeness, acidity, and complexity. There are soil and stone tones also, and the wine feels complete. It’s absolutely ready to drink and shows some maturity, but it is still on the ways towards full maturity, and has the right material and balance to age well. Very lovely wine.
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First still pretty young, but opening up with some some more air. Very nice notes of black currant, black cherries, also notes of espresso, dark chocolate, some bellpeppers too. It‘s medium+ bodied with very good freshness, medium-high acidity and medium+ tannin. Very good length. A still young but very fascinating Bourgeuil from this top vineyard.
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Dark purple; opaque. Deep, dark fruit on the nose that's just as bountiful in the mouth -- so plentiful it nearly blinds one to the fairly substantial tannins. Plenty ripe but no slop here as there is a great deal of backbone and the acidity is well judged. I like it very much right now but think it's still young. This could wind up being spectacular. (I have bottles labeled both KLWM and LDM. This was KL. Don't know if there's a difference between bottlings.)
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Loire Night (San Francisco): Deep ruby-this is dark for a Loire red, especially at this age. Classic pencil shavings and olive. Medium weight, certainly not the biggest red of the night. Deep black cherry and olive flavors buttressed by higher acidity and a tannic finish. Excellent but still remarkably young; this is still 5 or more years from its peak, but it should continue to evolve beautifully given its material and balance.
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Aromatic and pretty, with dark blackberry fruit and the good complex kind of green notes, and also very smokey, or more accurately - somethi9ng like charcoal briquettes. The palate is less articulate right now and although it shows a lovely silky texture, it has not yet fully harmonized. There clearly is great concentration of flavor here, though, and I love that this can happen at only 12% alcohol, and with such finesse and grace. This seems like it will be a truly excellent wine. This is the first bottle I got into from the stash I bought on release, and it feels as though I should wait another 5-7 at least before getting back involved. The only thing - I detected minor over-ripe notes once the bottle had been open for two hours. Not sure what that means in the scheme of things, but perhaps not a good sign for long term cellaring?
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Consistent with my last bottle. This is open and lovely, but still early days. There is still tannin and fruit, though it has definitely turned a corner. Especially good with rich, earthy food at this point.
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Aromatics were there but palate was very tight and sour on opening. An hour in the decanter worked wonders. A beautiful showing. It's just opening back up and shows plenty of promise. It was very clean but not squeaky clean.
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Tasted after 4 hours decanting and not nearly enough! 2 days would be more like it at this point. Although this wine is tight and fairly closed, you can still tell there is some serious fruit here. Flavors of tart cherry skins, cooked cherry, violets and spice. I am a huge fan of the Senechal and find this wine equally impressive if not more so. It was sort of random luck that I encountered this bottle. If I see any more I will not hesitate to put some in my cellar. Would not open any more, though, for at least a few years.
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Drank this over the course of a couple of days. Pitch black out of the bottle, but wide open for business. I know many have reported this to be tight and ungiving, but I had a contrarian experience. Definitely a vin de garde though that will do well with extended ageing. The fruit profile is all black with some great erath and tobacco and a hint of bell pepper (Cab Franc will do that to you). Sensational finish and texture. I regret not owning cases of this. Brilliant wine that's certainly deserving of the lofty score John Gillman bestowed upon it. At current prices, one of the best red wine QPRs in the world for old world lovers, in my opinion.
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Day one -- poured a small glass: it's really good. Pure, intense, deep. The tannins are there, much finer than the Senechal, giving the wine a much more refined personality at this point. Recorked to see how it develops.
Day two -- just a little sip, still on the cold side. There's a wall of tannin still, but the fruit is bright; back to sleep for another day.
Day three -- now we're talking. Remarkably different from the Sénéchal. Refined, with fine tannin, much more delicate and floral, yet still quite intense.
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3/16/2024 - kostaslonis wrote:
Sample tasting at work (Oinoscent): Decanted and slowly tasted
Thick red fruit core, mineral, spice frame, floral notes, grilled peppers, palate tight, edgy, needs some time to open up (which it did later on), red fruit, acidity cutting through, med body, med finish
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3/6/2024 - ylkim30 Likes this wine:
Surprisingly delicate and lifted on the palate, veering towards bright red fruit with racy acidity. Juicy.
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3/6/2024 - ohne_musik wrote: 93 Points
Breton Tasting with France Breton and Baptiste Desrrouseaux (Flatiron Wines SF): Lovely as before. Didn't have a chance to fully open up, and is showing incredibly young. Several commented that this seemed like one of the youngest wines of the night. Certainly the color is of a freshly bottled wine, but I felt there was some tertiary development and complexity, while retaining young fruit vibes. Fruit, depth, mineral, tobacco. This is the complete package and will probably peak in another 10 years, and drink well for 30+. Baptiste said Pierre opened 3 bottles of the '47 for their wedding, and this was similar in profile.
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2/25/2024 - drwine2001 wrote:
Magnum. Opened 2 hours before drinking. Even ruby without any fading. Fruit and earth on the nose. Compared to prior bottles, only a trace of dill in the background. Medium weight, marvelous integrated feel with a long soil base and naturally ripe, sweet blue and black fruit. Fine acidity, a pleasingly salty edge, and light, fine remaining tannins that have a whiff of ground coffee. This was a knockout, easily the most seamless, balanced Loire red I have had in a very long time. From this large format, I imagine it will provide pleasure for another 15 years, but recently it has also shown very well from standard sized bottles.
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7/27/2023 - brooklynguy Likes this wine:
Very good wine. The nose shoes a density of aroma without excess weight - a friend tasting it blind thought it could be northern rhone, such is its animale character and black fruit. I love the nose here, showing a violet aspect that I get in many rhone wines but also in some bordeaux. Lifted - very good acidity. We drank it alongside a 2010 Baudry Grezeaux, and to me the Baudry showed a more perfect composition, better overall balance. Only in comparison was I able to see that this wine, while utterly delicious, is also a bit blocky and fruit forward, even now almost 20 years on. Not a criticism - it's what the vintage gave.
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8/31/2022 - ohne_musik wrote: 94 Points
Pop n poured, and ready to go. Nose is classic cab franc - dark, spicy mysterious, plum/cassis front and center, with roasted pepper and barnyard lurking around the edges. Palate is rich, velvety, and concentrated, but near weightless in mouthfeel. Abundance of cassis, a bit of scorched earth, with secondary tobacco and old library books. Maybe a touch of menthol, but otherwise not particularly green. The balance of acid, fruit and savory elements seems pretty much ideal to me. Tannins are largely resolved, tying the palate through to a long, regal finish. Drinking at peak to me; and while I don't think this is a 50 year wine, it's not in danger of declining any time soon.
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2/3/2022 - br Likes this wine:
This is just beautiful. Fresh, deep ruby fruit wrapped in a light cloak of green - just enough to let you know it's cab franc. Bit of graphite and lovely cut. What a brilliant producer.
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11/4/2021 - drwine2001 wrote:
Deep ruby core. Some initial herb and graphite gave way to tart cherry and olive. Earthy, medium bodied. With time in the decanter, some real ripeness and sweetness emerged, fine citric acidity that was more Burgundy than Loire became apparent, and the tannins took on a bitter chocolate richness. I have had good bottles of this in the past but never as complete and exciting as this. Quite remarkable for 16 year old Bourgueil.
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2/8/2021 - Guillaume-en-égypte Likes this wine: 92 Points
Gorgeous, opulent, concentrated & complex 2005 Bourgueil. Dark Plums - damsons, dark berries, black olives, earthy, lots of the classic Loire CF notes of lead pencil, cigar box, no green bell-pepper but with a really lovely floral - wilted roses / violets ? - charm and a nice (if moderate) kick off acidity that stops it from feeling too heavy... Leans more towards Bordeaux than Burgundy, in structure & flavour profile. May well improve further, but in a good place now - long finish.
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12/20/2020 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
Russk. Marido brought to Andrea's. Some of the welcomed barnyard, medium bodied+. Not tired in any way.
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5/30/2020 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich aromas of velvety plum and toffee, before a thick mouthful of plums and dark cherry, a brief but welcome freshness mid-palate and a long, brooding finish. It has several years to go and will improve further, but I could have done with a little more crispness and freshness on the finish. What I did like about it was the alcohol level - a mere 12°, quite a change from other 05s which are mostly around 14°, so although very plush and rich, it wasn't overpowering. Overall very impressive.
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4/21/2020 - drwine2001 wrote:
Ruby. Pencil shavings and ripe cherry. Herbs, earth, and red fruit in a medium weight frame. Still quite youthful at age 15. Excellent.
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12/22/2019 - drwine2001 wrote:
Very primary looking ruby. Classic graphite shavings and black fruit. Excellent ripeness and unusual concentration, resolving tannin. This has progressed significantly toward maturity since I last tasted this almost 3 years ago but remains very youthful and vigorous.
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6/9/2019 - brooklynguy Likes this wine:
Great bottle. Lush dark fruit that shows ripeness, acidity, and complexity. There are soil and stone tones also, and the wine feels complete. It’s absolutely ready to drink and shows some maturity, but it is still on the ways towards full maturity, and has the right material and balance to age well. Very lovely wine.
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1/26/2019 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 94 Points
First still pretty young, but opening up with some some more air. Very nice notes of black currant, black cherries, also notes of espresso, dark chocolate, some bellpeppers too. It‘s medium+ bodied with very good freshness, medium-high acidity and medium+ tannin. Very good length. A still young but very fascinating Bourgeuil from this top vineyard.
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4/28/2017 - slanum wrote:
Dark purple; opaque. Deep, dark fruit on the nose that's just as bountiful in the mouth -- so plentiful it nearly blinds one to the fairly substantial tannins. Plenty ripe but no slop here as there is a great deal of backbone and the acidity is well judged. I like it very much right now but think it's still young. This could wind up being spectacular. (I have bottles labeled both KLWM and LDM. This was KL. Don't know if there's a difference between bottlings.)
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1/30/2017 - drwine2001 wrote:
Loire Night (San Francisco): Deep ruby-this is dark for a Loire red, especially at this age. Classic pencil shavings and olive. Medium weight, certainly not the biggest red of the night. Deep black cherry and olive flavors buttressed by higher acidity and a tannic finish. Excellent but still remarkably young; this is still 5 or more years from its peak, but it should continue to evolve beautifully given its material and balance.
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5/3/2016 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Er.. Wow! Dense and dark in colour, but light in body, thrilling focus and energy.
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1/27/2016 - Rupert wrote: 90 Points
Fresh, coal and green, grippy, finishes abruptly, but bracing and super
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11/28/2015 - brooklynguy Likes this wine:
Aromatic and pretty, with dark blackberry fruit and the good complex kind of green notes, and also very smokey, or more accurately - somethi9ng like charcoal briquettes. The palate is less articulate right now and although it shows a lovely silky texture, it has not yet fully harmonized. There clearly is great concentration of flavor here, though, and I love that this can happen at only 12% alcohol, and with such finesse and grace. This seems like it will be a truly excellent wine. This is the first bottle I got into from the stash I bought on release, and it feels as though I should wait another 5-7 at least before getting back involved. The only thing - I detected minor over-ripe notes once the bottle had been open for two hours. Not sure what that means in the scheme of things, but perhaps not a good sign for long term cellaring?
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8/18/2015 - 14frimaire wrote:
Consistent with my last bottle. This is open and lovely, but still early days. There is still tannin and fruit, though it has definitely turned a corner. Especially good with rich, earthy food at this point.
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5/17/2015 - 14frimaire wrote:
Aromatics were there but palate was very tight and sour on opening. An hour in the decanter worked wonders. A beautiful showing. It's just opening back up and shows plenty of promise. It was very clean but not squeaky clean.
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4/13/2013 - Dumbolux wrote: 89 Points
Drink soon
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7/17/2012 - marcohurt wrote: 91 Points
Need more time but a great wine
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8/20/2009 - Zinny wrote: 91 Points
Tasted after 4 hours decanting and not nearly enough! 2 days would be more like it at this point. Although this wine is tight and fairly closed, you can still tell there is some serious fruit here. Flavors of tart cherry skins, cooked cherry, violets and spice. I am a huge fan of the Senechal and find this wine equally impressive if not more so. It was sort of random luck that I encountered this bottle. If I see any more I will not hesitate to put some in my cellar. Would not open any more, though, for at least a few years.
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7/7/2009 - Grinner wrote: 89 Points
Surprisingly tannic and a bit out of balance but still fun for its spice and violets notes. Needs tiiiime...
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10/30/2008 - steffenpelz wrote:
Drank this over the course of a couple of days. Pitch black out of the bottle, but wide open for business. I know many have reported this to be tight and ungiving, but I had a contrarian experience. Definitely a vin de garde though that will do well with extended ageing. The fruit profile is all black with some great erath and tobacco and a hint of bell pepper (Cab Franc will do that to you). Sensational finish and texture. I regret not owning cases of this. Brilliant wine that's certainly deserving of the lofty score John Gillman bestowed upon it. At current prices, one of the best red wine QPRs in the world for old world lovers, in my opinion.
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4/26/2008 - 14frimaire wrote:
Day one -- poured a small glass: it's really good. Pure, intense, deep. The tannins are there, much finer than the Senechal, giving the wine a much more refined personality at this point. Recorked to see how it develops.
Day two -- just a little sip, still on the cold side. There's a wall of tannin still, but the fruit is bright; back to sleep for another day.
Day three -- now we're talking. Remarkably different from the Sénéchal. Refined, with fine tannin, much more delicate and floral, yet still quite intense.
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