14.5% alcohol. G 100%, from vines going back about a hundred years. Superb long cork, one of the best that I have ever seen; no wine penetration. The colour is dark with some thinning but no bricking at the rim. Very rich nose with a medley of stewed dark fruit enlivened by a high pitched note. Even better in the mouth with a magnificent mouth coating quality; pretty complex and surprisingly nimble for all its might. Very long finish, suave but not cloying. At no point does the alcohol level impinge directly (but one does feel it indirectly, so do not schedule any physical activity afterwards...). Superb if you are in the mood, and I was; the match with fillet steak and chips made of new potatoes was vg.
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Brick color had me worried the wine may have oxidized, but it was still good. Light in style. Age has really muted the fruit. Of four of us who tried the wine, I was the only one who liked it. Seems like it’s at the end of its drinking window.
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14.5% alcohol. G 100%, apparently over 80 years old vines. Whole cluster fermentation. First class cork with no wine penetration whatever. Pretty dark colour, but not that deep. The nose shows macerated red berries with a pleasant balsamic note; some dried flowers too. In the mouth, the wine is a good deal more energetic with superb acidity providing the structure (no tannins worth talking about). Certainly does not feel over-rich in spite of the alcohol. A very distinctive Châteauneuf-d-P of the assertive but not opulent variety, pretty unique in my experience and it will not please everyone as a result. Maybe I am fooling myself, but I think that I can detect the influence of whole cluster vinification.
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- Brick color with medium forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of fig and mushroom with a medium body. Round texture with a medium finish - Well preserved jam (on the nose). Fragrant and inviting. Tosses around the tongue like a handful of smoked cherries.
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14.5% alcohol on the label, feels like a good deal more. Pure Grenache. Excellent long dense cork with no wine penetration. Dark colour with barely any thinning at the edge of the rim. The nose is rich and sweet in an open knit way, bordering on opulent. Ripe dark fruit, but stopping short of cooked. The mouth treads a fine line in that it flirts with a Porty aspect without crossing the line (and no sweetness implied, please this is France!); intoxicating ripe dark fruit. Very rich but still lively and balanced in a manner of speaking. No oak in evidence; superb mouthfeel and excellent length. Some welcome remnant of well hidden structure in the aftertaste. For Grenache lovers (few of us left as far as I can make out), this may be the ultimate experience. Whatever you do, do not decant and finish the bottle in a single sitting (a terrible imposition, I have to admit).
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(SYP) pnp, brief note. Tasted blind. Guessed 07 CdP as it reminded me of the Rayas 07 I drank two months ago. Sweet dark berry, spice; on the palate it's very fruity that it almost seems sweet, with integrated tannins and a grippy finish. Not a big fan of this vintage for CdP
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Every bottle is its own taste experience. This one was aromas of Grand Funk from start to finish, hiding flavors of dark berries and oak with a leathery nose. It was a very nice wine for 15-30 minutes, about an hour after decanting. Disappointing in general; it's either past peak or this was a bad bottle.
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Dark fruit much mellowed out, balanced oak, and just the right amount of astringency to accompany food. The Som at restaurant felt it should be drank with a year--not sure I agree.
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14.5% alcohol. Pure Grenache. First class cork with no wine penetration. Fairly dark with a suggestion of bricking at the edge of the rim. The nose is rich, with a coulis of wild berries aspect, and a hint of wild strawberries; one of the best I ever got out of Grenache (aside of Reynaud's wines, which go in another direction altogether). The mouth is equally good, hefty and fresh at the same time; maybe this is as a result of whole cluster fermentation. Very good mouthfeel. Not at all overdone or overweight, in spite of the reputation of the vintage. Did not quite stand up to the pepper sauce with the bavette; much better afterwards. A rather special CndP, worth every penny.
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Pour notre traditionnel souper du Super Bowl LIII. Assez fragrant au nez. Fruits rouges, herbes et anis. Enbouche, étoffé et corsé. Beaucoup de fruits, fraises et mures avec un peu de cassis. Les tannins sont assez fins et la finale longue avec une légère amerturme. ...assez bien équilibré.
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Corney & Barrow dinner with Bastien Tardieu at Balthazar, Covent Garden. From magnum. 100% Grenache from 100yr old vines. Packed with pure blackcurrant fruit somewhat viscous on the tongue. Earth, strap, dusty integrated tannins as well as good core acidity bring balance and complexity. Excellent. Now and at least 15yrs from vintage. 90?+
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A semblé plus équilbré et suave. Encore pas mal de fruit et d'épices avec des tannins charnus mais c'est plus unis et en équilbre. Long et persistant...mieux que ma précédente.
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Cellared at 55 since Darkly pigmented; black at core. Clean effusive nose of kirsch w a little spice. Velvety and concentratedly viscous w focusing acids keeping wine alive on palate and urging another hit.
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Exemplary traditional CNdP from a terrific vintage. Oodles of dark fruit, lovely mouthcoating texture and just enough acidity. Tannins subdued and completely integrated. Long finish.
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- Violet color with medium forming legs with a medium/full body. Round texture with a long finish - Oodles of dark fruit. Tobacco and leather hints. Lovely mouth coating texture. Tannins still significant but not oppressive. Just enough acidity. Good juice!
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Very, very tasty! This wine is ready to drink, everything is integrated. The complexity of the VV is evident. Year after year this wine is consistently worthwhile. I wish I had bought more!
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Very Grenache. Both smell and taste dominated by blackberry. Nose also had some anise and a nettly sort of herbaceous note that was not really garrigue to me but which made me think of some kind of thistle. A strong and rich wine, dense on the palate. Plenty of tannin. Bit of a bruiser as wines go. Would match it with pungent food as it will fight back admirably.
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I thought it was a well-aged Barbaresco. Raspberry, black cherry Liquorice, Tar, Violet and Rose petal Pure, wonderful texture Good mineral and acidity
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Extreme Grenache. Fully matured. Tannins completely melted. This is pure Blackberry compote. Medium to full body, medium length. A good evolved wine. My favorite? No. Just a fair heavy weight matured wine.
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45 minute decant then enjoyed through dinner. An excellent accompaniment to ribeye and lamb. Great depth, poignant bouquet, mid-palette sip followed by long, smooth finish. A bit fruity at times, perhaps from the mix of aromatic food? A pleasant bottle for both Rhone and CA persuasions. No notes - anniversary dinner.
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Dinner with John and Kat (Home): Inky centre with some bricking. The wine is densely packed with blackberries, plums, liquorice. There are woody spices too. It's a rich, dense experience.
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2007 Chateauneuf du Pape tasting (at my home): dark translucent red-brown excellent ripe red fruits nose with veggie-spicy-earthy notes soft ripe tannins, full bodied, ripe fruity flavours, structured, balanced, complexed, rich, very good long finish & aftertaste.
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The wine is popped and aired for half an hour before drinking. Typical of hot, ripe vintages of Rhone Valley wines, this one in particular pours a dark, inky purple color with very thick long legs. The nose is particularly concentrated and displays high levels of extraction. Decadently built, it reveals notes of bacon fat, plenty of preserved plums, tobacco, sous bois, blackberries and hay. To me, I do not detect much Syrah in there. My guess is that this wine is Grenache-dominated. Just like the nose, the body of the wine is effusive and expansive. Thick and unctuous, the wine is mineral driven supported by well-developed and integrated tannins. Bountiful flavors of smoke, garrique, smoked meats, black fruits, cigar box and tobacco line the core of the taste profile. There is just the right amount of elevating acidity in the end, as well as smokiness, to keep things light. This is a beautiful wine, one that is fruit-driven with a good amount of astringency and body. Although young, this is starting to enter into its prime drinking window. Definitely a great effort and a reminder that Tardieu Laurent is indeed a great producer in the region worth seeking out.
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(Opened for one hour.) I last tasted this wine about two years ago. The color remains a deep cherry, though there is bricking developing at the edges. The nose is very effusive, with soaring decadent aromas of cherry, plum, lavender, charred meat and barnyard. It is very big and round in the mouth with almost glycerin-like thickness. Very ripe cherry, blueberry and damson plum flavors mix with meat juices, pepper, rosemary, anise, soil and coffee. The whole effect is rich and creamy and just this side of being too much of a good thing. Specifically, it lacks a bit of acid which makes the flavors perhaps too generous. Mercifully the alcohol does not make itself known! This slight acid deficiency, as well as the nearly subsumed sweet tannins, suggests that this wine may not be long lived. Nevertheless, it is currently a thing of larger-than-life beauty and will be appreciated by the more hedonistic drinker. I am saving my remaining bottles for fall and winter meals of aged beef, venison or game birds. Drink now and over the next ten years. 94 points for the sheer pleasure.
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This was a winner for everyone, even the big Cab drinkers. Very Grenache-driven, brambly (and I just now found out it's 100% Grenache... so duh!). Nice garrigue and leather elements. Soft and sweet, nice smooth tannins. Drinking great now and prob will keep the fruit for another 5 years. Give it a 6.8 for value. Good stuff.
Now I remember: this reminds me of a great Usseglio Mon Aieul, which is either all or mostly Grenache.
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Un C9P fringant et dense avec une belle matière. Un nez parfumé sur les herbes, les fleurs, les cerises et une pointe de boisé. En bouche, ample, rond et minéral. Des cerises, du moka et de la viande avec des notes d'élevage. Très long et très prometteur pour les années à venir.
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Dark fruit and medicinal nose. Full bodied palate with an assault of tannins, acidity and spiciness. The wine was strong but felt "all over the place". Drank over 3-4 hours and did not enjoy.
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Another bite at the apple. I had this wine a few days ago in a restaurant and was floored. It prompted me to pop and pour a bottle from my cellar. Color is deep cherry all the way to the edge, with no suggestion of maturation. The nose is slightly muted and developed very slowly in the glass to reveal black fruits, meat and blood, with just the slightest hint of spice. Thick, almost unctuous in the mouth and tingling with tannin and acidity. Slightly muted flavors of blackberries, sour cherry and herbs but an excellent underlying concentration is there. The finish is moderately long. While an excellent wine, this bottle is not as evolved as the one served in the restaurant. Still somewhat closed and dumb, but all the elements are there for a bright future. A beautiful flower waiting to open. I will not touch another bottle from my cellar for two or three years. 93+ points for now.
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This is not your traditional CDP but I really like it. The color is deep cherry with a bit of ruby at the edges. The nose is big and expressive. With time in the glass you can smell it across the room. Black fruits, summer flowers and garrigue dominate. In the mouth, the wine is big, thick, rich and almost sweet. Blackberry, smoked meat and herb flavors are in profusion but are held in check by welcomed acidity and fine tannins. Impressively long finish. Overall, a very stylish and polished wine with no rustic edges at all. I hate to compare one wine to another but this is reminiscent of the 2007 Usseglio Mon Aïeul, only on a smaller scale. Just starting to drink well and loved by everyone at the table. 95 points.
Plush and primary, loads of ripe fruit which is expected given the age and vintage. Certainly a flashy style but a little one dimensional for me at this stage, hopefully it will develop more complexity and interest with a bit more age.
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Quite delicious. Forward fruit, which is not my style, but well-balanced by piquant acidity. So, i got young, juicy, and quaffable, but with enough complexity to keep my interest throughout the bottle. I agree with vy that this is flashy, but I did not taste the overoaked element that he or she experienced.
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This is really spectacular. Dark pure fruit, with a slightly wild edge, very balanced, great texture, long finish. Drinking great today, but with a nice future ahead. When I visited Tardieu-Laurent a few years ago, I was told that the Cuvée Spéciale is not destemmed, and I believe it adds to the complexity of a typical rich wine like a top-notch CDP in a great year. Ordered 6 more this morning. Who needs revved up 2009 hype when 2007s are still available?
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Another huge success, the nose is perfumed with elegant herbs, garrigue, red cherries and pine needles. It smells like a field in the summertime when I used to go berry picking in upstate NY, with the sun warming the stones - you could smell the sun baking the bushes and flowers with the end-of-summer heat and the dryness of the underbrush. Liquid cherry, minerals, mocha, raw meat and espresso roast round out the palate. A massive finish that goes on for minutes. Approx $79
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5/19/2024 - Eudemis Likes this wine:
14.5% alcohol. G 100%, from vines going back about a hundred years. Superb long cork, one of the best that I have ever seen; no wine penetration. The colour is dark with some thinning but no bricking at the rim.
Very rich nose with a medley of stewed dark fruit enlivened by a high pitched note. Even better in the mouth with a magnificent mouth coating quality; pretty complex and surprisingly nimble for all its might. Very long finish, suave but not cloying. At no point does the alcohol level impinge directly (but one does feel it indirectly, so do not schedule any physical activity afterwards...).
Superb if you are in the mood, and I was; the match with fillet steak and chips made of new potatoes was vg.
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12/25/2022 - Scottwhipp Likes this wine: 90 Points
Brick color had me worried the wine may have oxidized, but it was still good. Light in style. Age has really muted the fruit. Of four of us who tried the wine, I was the only one who liked it. Seems like it’s at the end of its drinking window.
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10/17/2021 - FrancoisD Does not like this wine: 83 Points
Tertiaire tres avancé, mal vieilli
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6/13/2021 - Eudemis Likes this wine:
14.5% alcohol. G 100%, apparently over 80 years old vines. Whole cluster fermentation. First class cork with no wine penetration whatever. Pretty dark colour, but not that deep.
The nose shows macerated red berries with a pleasant balsamic note; some dried flowers too. In the mouth, the wine is a good deal more energetic with superb acidity providing the structure (no tannins worth talking about). Certainly does not feel over-rich in spite of the alcohol.
A very distinctive Châteauneuf-d-P of the assertive but not opulent variety, pretty unique in my experience and it will not please everyone as a result. Maybe I am fooling myself, but I think that I can detect the influence of whole cluster vinification.
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10/5/2020 - Bbaldinger wrote:
- Brick color with medium forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of fig and mushroom with a medium body. Round texture with a medium finish - Well preserved jam (on the nose). Fragrant and inviting. Tosses around the tongue like a handful of smoked cherries.
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8/5/2020 - Hansen73 Likes this wine: 90 Points
The big, dark fruit has mellowed out beautifully. Was enjoyed by both old and new world people.
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6/23/2020 - gothamfreerider Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark floral notes: rose&lavender. Smooth structure harmoniously integrates the wonderful fruit&floral notes. I am a fan!
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6/7/2020 - Eudemis Likes this wine:
14.5% alcohol on the label, feels like a good deal more. Pure Grenache. Excellent long dense cork with no wine penetration. Dark colour with barely any thinning at the edge of the rim.
The nose is rich and sweet in an open knit way, bordering on opulent. Ripe dark fruit, but stopping short of cooked. The mouth treads a fine line in that it flirts with a Porty aspect without crossing the line (and no sweetness implied, please this is France!); intoxicating ripe dark fruit. Very rich but still lively and balanced in a manner of speaking. No oak in evidence; superb mouthfeel and excellent length. Some welcome remnant of well hidden structure in the aftertaste.
For Grenache lovers (few of us left as far as I can make out), this may be the ultimate experience.
Whatever you do, do not decant and finish the bottle in a single sitting (a terrible imposition, I have to admit).
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5/22/2020 - CHINACAT wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruit, some earth and spice, slightly dry, with some grip. Quite good, but lacks some excitement. Has some time ahead of it.
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4/10/2020 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent CNdP.
Oodles of dark fruit.
Thick glycerin like mouth coating texture.
Nice spicy long finish.
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1/11/2020 - LTTC wrote: 91 Points
(SYP) pnp, brief note. Tasted blind. Guessed 07 CdP as it reminded me of the Rayas 07 I drank two months ago. Sweet dark berry, spice; on the palate it's very fruity that it almost seems sweet, with integrated tannins and a grippy finish. Not a big fan of this vintage for CdP
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1/4/2020 - RandyAboutWine wrote: 88 Points
Every bottle is its own taste experience. This one was aromas of Grand Funk from start to finish, hiding flavors of dark berries and oak with a leathery nose. It was a very nice wine for 15-30 minutes, about an hour after decanting. Disappointing in general; it's either past peak or this was a bad bottle.
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6/9/2019 - Hansen73 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark fruit much mellowed out, balanced oak, and just the right amount of astringency to accompany food. The Som at restaurant felt it should be drank with a year--not sure I agree.
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2/23/2019 - Eudemis Likes this wine:
14.5% alcohol. Pure Grenache. First class cork with no wine penetration. Fairly dark with a suggestion of bricking at the edge of the rim.
The nose is rich, with a coulis of wild berries aspect, and a hint of wild strawberries; one of the best I ever got out of Grenache (aside of Reynaud's wines, which go in another direction altogether). The mouth is equally good, hefty and fresh at the same time; maybe this is as a result of whole cluster fermentation. Very good mouthfeel.
Not at all overdone or overweight, in spite of the reputation of the vintage.
Did not quite stand up to the pepper sauce with the bavette; much better afterwards.
A rather special CndP, worth every penny.
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2/4/2019 - maxima wrote: 90 Points
Pour notre traditionnel souper du Super Bowl LIII.
Assez fragrant au nez. Fruits rouges, herbes et anis.
Enbouche, étoffé et corsé. Beaucoup de fruits,
fraises et mures avec un peu de cassis.
Les tannins sont assez fins et la finale longue avec une légère amerturme.
...assez bien équilibré.
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10/18/2018 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 90 Points
Corney & Barrow dinner with Bastien Tardieu at Balthazar, Covent Garden.
From magnum. 100% Grenache from 100yr old vines. Packed with pure blackcurrant fruit somewhat viscous on the tongue. Earth, strap, dusty integrated tannins as well as good core acidity bring balance and complexity. Excellent.
Now and at least 15yrs from vintage. 90?+
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10/2/2018 - maxima wrote: 90 Points
A semblé plus équilbré et suave.
Encore pas mal de fruit et d'épices avec des tannins
charnus mais c'est plus unis et en équilbre.
Long et persistant...mieux que ma précédente.
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9/5/2018 - Tgood wrote: 94 Points
Cellared at 55 since Darkly pigmented; black at core. Clean effusive nose of kirsch w a little spice. Velvety and concentratedly viscous w focusing acids keeping wine alive on palate and urging another hit.
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7/19/2018 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 95 Points
Exemplary traditional CNdP from a terrific vintage.
Oodles of dark fruit, lovely mouthcoating texture and just enough acidity. Tannins subdued and completely integrated. Long finish.
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3/29/2018 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au wrote: 93 Points
- Violet color with medium forming legs with a medium/full body. Round texture with a long finish - Oodles of dark fruit. Tobacco and leather hints. Lovely mouth coating texture. Tannins still significant but not oppressive. Just enough acidity. Good juice!
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3/9/2018 - maxima wrote: 89 Points
Ample, costaud et tannique....à laisser tranquille encore quelques années.
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3/8/2018 - Highlander wrote:
Very, very tasty! This wine is ready to drink, everything is integrated. The complexity of the VV is evident. Year after year this wine is consistently worthwhile. I wish I had bought more!
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2/24/2018 - JJYoyo Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very Grenache. Both smell and taste dominated by blackberry. Nose also had some anise and a nettly sort of herbaceous note that was not really garrigue to me but which made me think of some kind of thistle. A strong and rich wine, dense on the palate. Plenty of tannin. Bit of a bruiser as wines go. Would match it with pungent food as it will fight back admirably.
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2/7/2018 - Jeongyahn Likes this wine:
I thought it was a well-aged Barbaresco.
Raspberry, black cherry
Liquorice, Tar, Violet and Rose petal
Pure, wonderful texture
Good mineral and acidity
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10/9/2017 - robferguson1 wrote: 91 Points
Gutsy stuff as u would expect
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5/15/2017 - lexwine Likes this wine: 89 Points
Extreme Grenache. Fully matured. Tannins completely melted. This is pure Blackberry compote. Medium to full body, medium length. A good evolved wine. My favorite? No. Just a fair heavy weight matured wine.
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4/20/2017 - RandyAboutWine Likes this wine: 92 Points
45 minute decant then enjoyed through dinner. An excellent accompaniment to ribeye and lamb. Great depth, poignant bouquet, mid-palette sip followed by long, smooth finish. A bit fruity at times, perhaps from the mix of aromatic food? A pleasant bottle for both Rhone and CA persuasions. No notes - anniversary dinner.
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2/3/2017 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
100% Grenache, fabulous wine of purity, richness and balance.
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1/1/2017 - fizz wrote:
Dinner with John and Kat (Home): Inky centre with some bricking. The wine is densely packed with blackberries, plums, liquorice. There are woody spices too. It's a rich, dense experience.
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11/13/2016 - Dlemon wrote: 88 Points
Tasted like mushroom dark but it seemed like a bland wine
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8/9/2016 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
2007 Chateauneuf du Pape tasting (at my home): dark translucent red-brown
excellent ripe red fruits nose with veggie-spicy-earthy notes
soft ripe tannins, full bodied, ripe fruity flavours, structured, balanced, complexed, rich, very good long finish & aftertaste.
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5/11/2016 - emzee.mc wrote: 94 Points
The wine is popped and aired for half an hour before drinking. Typical of hot, ripe vintages of Rhone Valley wines, this one in particular pours a dark, inky purple color with very thick long legs. The nose is particularly concentrated and displays high levels of extraction. Decadently built, it reveals notes of bacon fat, plenty of preserved plums, tobacco, sous bois, blackberries and hay. To me, I do not detect much Syrah in there. My guess is that this wine is Grenache-dominated. Just like the nose, the body of the wine is effusive and expansive. Thick and unctuous, the wine is mineral driven supported by well-developed and integrated tannins. Bountiful flavors of smoke, garrique, smoked meats, black fruits, cigar box and tobacco line the core of the taste profile. There is just the right amount of elevating acidity in the end, as well as smokiness, to keep things light. This is a beautiful wine, one that is fruit-driven with a good amount of astringency and body. Although young, this is starting to enter into its prime drinking window. Definitely a great effort and a reminder that Tardieu Laurent is indeed a great producer in the region worth seeking out.
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6/8/2015 - Wine Fool Likes this wine: 94 Points
(Opened for one hour.) I last tasted this wine about two years ago. The color remains a deep cherry, though there is bricking developing at the edges. The nose is very effusive, with soaring decadent aromas of cherry, plum, lavender, charred meat and barnyard. It is very big and round in the mouth with almost glycerin-like thickness. Very ripe cherry, blueberry and damson plum flavors mix with meat juices, pepper, rosemary, anise, soil and coffee. The whole effect is rich and creamy and just this side of being too much of a good thing. Specifically, it lacks a bit of acid which makes the flavors perhaps too generous. Mercifully the alcohol does not make itself known! This slight acid deficiency, as well as the nearly subsumed sweet tannins, suggests that this wine may not be long lived. Nevertheless, it is currently a thing of larger-than-life beauty and will be appreciated by the more hedonistic drinker. I am saving my remaining bottles for fall and winter meals of aged beef, venison or game birds. Drink now and over the next ten years. 94 points for the sheer pleasure.
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3/26/2015 - jskuek Likes this wine: 95 Points
Mature, ready, beautiful.
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5/29/2014 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was a winner for everyone, even the big Cab drinkers. Very Grenache-driven, brambly (and I just now found out it's 100% Grenache... so duh!). Nice garrigue and leather elements. Soft and sweet, nice smooth tannins. Drinking great now and prob will keep the fruit for another 5 years.
Give it a 6.8 for value. Good stuff.
Now I remember: this reminds me of a great Usseglio Mon Aieul, which is either all or mostly Grenache.
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12/30/2013 - maxima wrote: 90 Points
Un C9P fringant et dense avec une belle matière.
Un nez parfumé sur les herbes, les fleurs, les cerises et une pointe de boisé.
En bouche, ample, rond et minéral. Des cerises, du moka et de la viande avec des notes d'élevage.
Très long et très prometteur pour les années à venir.
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12/29/2013 - diablo wrote: 89 Points
Lot of fruit. Balanced out by acidity and tannins, but the wine feels heavy. Not my kind of wine. I probably just don't like CdPs.
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9/2/2013 - j30 wrote: 82 Points
Dark fruit and medicinal nose. Full bodied palate with an assault of tannins, acidity and spiciness. The wine was strong but felt "all over the place". Drank over 3-4 hours and did not enjoy.
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8/19/2013 - Wine Fool Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another bite at the apple. I had this wine a few days ago in a restaurant and was floored. It prompted me to pop and pour a bottle from my cellar. Color is deep cherry all the way to the edge, with no suggestion of maturation. The nose is slightly muted and developed very slowly in the glass to reveal black fruits, meat and blood, with just the slightest hint of spice. Thick, almost unctuous in the mouth and tingling with tannin and acidity. Slightly muted flavors of blackberries, sour cherry and herbs but an excellent underlying concentration is there. The finish is moderately long. While an excellent wine, this bottle is not as evolved as the one served in the restaurant. Still somewhat closed and dumb, but all the elements are there for a bright future. A beautiful flower waiting to open. I will not touch another bottle from my cellar for two or three years. 93+ points for now.
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8/16/2013 - Wine Fool Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is not your traditional CDP but I really like it. The color is deep cherry with a bit of ruby at the edges. The nose is big and expressive. With time in the glass you can smell it across the room. Black fruits, summer flowers and garrigue dominate. In the mouth, the wine is big, thick, rich and almost sweet. Blackberry, smoked meat and herb flavors are in profusion but are held in check by welcomed acidity and fine tannins. Impressively long finish. Overall, a very stylish and polished wine with no rustic edges at all. I hate to compare one wine to another but this is reminiscent of the 2007 Usseglio Mon Aïeul, only on a smaller scale. Just starting to drink well and loved by everyone at the table. 95 points.
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7/23/2013 - deverett wrote: 90 Points
Plush and primary, loads of ripe fruit which is expected given the age and vintage. Certainly a flashy style but a little one dimensional for me at this stage, hopefully it will develop more complexity and interest with a bit more age.
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1/23/2013 - mdonovan Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Robe de couleur rouge foncé, un vin à peine moyen : trop de bois, trop de sucre...
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7/28/2012 - GPW wrote:
Quite delicious. Forward fruit, which is not my style, but well-balanced by piquant acidity. So, i got young, juicy, and quaffable, but with enough complexity to keep my interest throughout the bottle. I agree with vy that this is flashy, but I did not taste the overoaked element that he or she experienced.
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1/20/2011 - mcarpentier wrote: 95 Points
This is really spectacular. Dark pure fruit, with a slightly wild edge, very balanced, great texture, long finish. Drinking great today, but with a nice future ahead. When I visited Tardieu-Laurent a few years ago, I was told that the Cuvée Spéciale is not destemmed, and I believe it adds to the complexity of a typical rich wine like a top-notch CDP in a great year. Ordered 6 more this morning. Who needs revved up 2009 hype when 2007s are still available?
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12/10/2010 - amateurwino wrote:
Similar to the 06, with a bit more power and darker fruits, though I might prefer the '06 because of its greater freshness.
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4/26/2010 - vy#10 wrote: 92 Points
Tons of red fruit. Flashy wine. Too much oak for my taste. Crowd pleaser, but will it have the profile to age?
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3/13/2010 - mtm68 wrote: 94 Points
Big and fruity, 4 hour decant. Long, long, long finish. Very tasty.
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5/14/2009 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Another huge success, the nose is perfumed with elegant herbs, garrigue, red cherries and pine needles. It smells like a field in the summertime when I used to go berry picking in upstate NY, with the sun warming the stones - you could smell the sun baking the bushes and flowers with the end-of-summer heat and the dryness of the underbrush. Liquid cherry, minerals, mocha, raw meat and espresso roast round out the palate. A massive finish that goes on for minutes. Approx $79
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