Initiallly I decanted, poured back in the bottle, and let sit open for 2 hours. When I came back, it still needed time to open in the glass. It was garnet in color, and slight bricking at the edges. Vibrant acidity, and still firm tannins. Initially the nose was predominantly leather, and dirt Slowly as it opened in the glass, out came a component of smoke, and coffee, and cocoa, then finally after 30 minutes plus in the glass, some dried fruit of cherries and prune appeared. Virtually no sediment in the bottle, but a Durand was necessary to open the bottle I drank this next to a 1999 rubissow Sargent cab sauv from mount veeder opened the same way. The mount veeder fruit expectinly showed more fruit character on the nose and palate, and visually looked in better shape w a slight shade of purple to the garnet color
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Notes of stewed fruit, tar, graphite, some earth. Fruit almost gone, secondary flavors dominant, still some grip to the tannins with a medium finish. Definitely past it’s prime but still enjoyable enough. 3 more to go that we will drink soon. Not one I’d chase down again but drink up if you got em’!
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I agree with Zazzaman - I won't repeat the detail of his note. I was surprised to see that it has been 4 years since my last note and, if anything, the wine has got better. I opened the bottle, didn't decant for once, left it for 4h before tasting, and was impressed by the deep, opaque colour with hardly any visible browning plus the freshness, fruit, and spice which not many 20yo wines could offer at this price level (bought en primeur). Some tangerine/orange pith notes on the mid/late palate in addition to the charactistics noted earlier. Elegant, with lovely balance, acidity, soft tannins, and length. Good on its own and even better after 5h (with a sirloin steak). This bottle reinforces my faith in Cissac and my firm belief that you need to wait for it to come round. I have altered the 'drink by' date which, at 2017, was too pessimistic.
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Wow - 20 years old and fresh. Good colour, blackcurrant and spice nose, big hit of full but slightly austere tannins, fruit to match, not overly complex but excellent with food. Need to drink up now.
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From magnum. Recommendation of Michael the sommelier at Burg Vital. We all thought this was terrific. Great deep rich nose of red fruits, leather, spice. Balance and energy on the palate. A standout.
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The nose is clean. The aromas have a medium(-) intensity. Swirling reveals notes of black fruit (black plum, black cherry) and herbaceous characters (subtle green capsicum). The wine appears youthful (no tertiary notes detected).
On the palate, the wine is dry with medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol, and medium body. The medium level tannins are ripe and chalky in nature. The flavours have a medium intensity and show notes of black fruit (black plum, black cherry, blackcurrant), oak (subtle vanilla), and bottle-age (subtle leather). The finish has a medium(+) length.
This is a very good quality wine. While the nose is restrained the flavours are concentrated and have a great balance with the alcohol and the acidity. The tannins give way to the acidity slightly by the back palate, leading to a more refreshing finish. In its current state the wine shows primary, secondary, and tertiary notes. The fruit core is supported by subtle oak and tertiary notes. The finish has a great length.
The wine drinks well now, but has potential for further ageing. The fruit intensity is good and the tannin and acid structure should support the wine as tertiary notes continue to develop.
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Haut Medoc Birthday lunch (Bel & Brio, Barangaroo): Blackcurrant, leather, cassis, sweet spice a little wet smelling. Juicy, a little toast on the palate, dense, drying, grippy, chalky textured tannins. Good.
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Tasted at home with friends, the sixth of a 10 bottle vertical tasting of Chateau Cissac vintages from 2014 to 1975. Opened 20 minutes before tasting. Whilst this is 18 years old, it's from one of the best Bordeaux vintages, so I expected more from this bottle. Indeed, one or two in the group thought it was slightly corked, though I think that's possibly because it faded after 15 minutes in the glass. Medium dark ruby. Light nose, rich and earthy, a slight mustiness in the first couple of minutes. Plummy, forest floor, woody. Dry and chewy. Not as good as we'd hoped.
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A bit stewed with some funky notes on the nose and a mature palate at first, becoming much better three hours later. This was from a half-bottle and was best opened now as opposed to waiting any longer. I'd be interested to taste from a bottle or magnum (if they exist). There's still good fruit and it really is a classic claret with all the typical characteristics but it tasted like it could have been a stronger wine and had a spicy finish.
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Lovely, good acidity with soft tannins, pronounced fruit, ripe and engaging. Really good finish for a non classed growth. Just browning at the rim. Really pleasant.
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From Coravin. Slightly wet cardboard blows off to reveal perfumed black currant fruit, leather and farmyard elements. Also some beef extract and savoury spice. IN the mouth it's juicy and savoury with dark fruits, leather and grippy tannins. There are touches of coffee on the finish.
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Attractive fruit on the nose during decanting. Good colour. Good, almost immediately, with excellent cherry fruit, good balance and length. Soft, integrated cherry skin tannins. Elegant, light in alcohol (makes a nice change, these days). Drinking very well indeed but no need to wait. Even better with steak a couple of hours later (and after food). I've raised my score a point. Bought en primeur and stored well at 11C since delivery. I wonder if some of the disappointment in a few earlier notes from others is down to storage. This is very good Cru Bourgeois claret.
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Dark ruby, meaty, smokey, black berries, medium(+) intensity, developing, medium body, medium tannin, medium(-) finish, medium(-) intensity. Seems a little diluted, not enough concentration, week structure.
At Sampler. 6.5
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This wine was rather attractive soon after decanting (in contrast to recent bottles). There seems to be quite a lot of bottle variation. Cherries and spice on the nose and palate at first. A few hours later, my wife still got the cherries and cherry stones whereas I found damson and deeper damson skin tannins overlaying the cherry. Good balance and length. It went well with beef bourguignon. Perhaps I should have monitored (and moderated) the temperature of the wine more carefully. It was tasted on a hot day (not something we often experience in UK) which probably brought the wine on more quickly. It certainly released more 'cedar' notes than I have previously tasted in a Cissac. I am more inclined to try my remaining bottles fairly soon after decanting. Still an excellent wine but don't hold back. 89+
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Aromas of Brambles, touches of orange, kicking soggy autumn leaves, cigar box and spice. Also some biscuit & a hint of kirsch. On the palate it's wet and welcoming, fresh and fleshy with near resolved soft tannins, brambles and an almost cherry note with a good dose of liquorice as well. Eminently quaffable and dangerously moreish with roast leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic. Rather splendid.
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To be honest, a bit disappointing on first opening and decanting - I would have rated it poorly if I had just 'popped and poured'. Good colour. After 4h in the decanter and 10 mins in the glass, the nose began to develop but only offered a generic 'Bordeaux' sort of character at first. After a while longer, some cherry and damson fruit with spice. Later, attractive tarry notes and a full, attractive experience. The early tannin and astringency softened but it began to develop a recognisable Cissac character only after half an hour sitting in the glass when cherry and spice emerged with a little orange later, followed by cherry stones on the late palate. A very good wine when it revealed its character fully. A good partner to rare ribeye steak when the balanced acidity and soft tannin worked well. This is a very elegant and subtle wine that makes you work hard at first and demands your patience and immersion if you are to appreciate its strengths and character. Definitely not a wine to wear its heart on its sleeve. It is quite good to be faced with such a wine in these days of in-your-face, immediate attractiveness. Perhaps this is why I have more Cissac than any other Cru Bourgeois claret in my cellar. I would advise that you open early and don't rush it (as I probably did with my last bottle). Forgive the length of my note - real Cissac fans will probably understand.....
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One of my favorite cru bourgeois. Slight bricking from bowl to rim. Nose had green pepper, cherries and saddle leather. Wine lacked a little oomph in the balance, not quite flabby, but missing some acid. Tartarian cherries, most were ripe, a few were not, in the mouth. Not bad. Going to drink others soon.
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Decent colour, nose, and fruit with quite pronounced spicy notes. A but tannic and astringent on first opening but softened 3-4 hours after decanting. A decent partner to roast beef but not as good as previous bottles. Unusually for Cissac, I think that this has peaked a little early. Perhaps 2000 was a bit over-hyped. I prefer some of the other early noughties vintages of Cissac.
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Pretty far gone into tertiary land at this point. The remaining fruit is dark and plummy, and has some depth to it. This bottle came off a retail shelf. Properly stored bottles might not be as developed, but it's not obvious to me this wine had all that much complexity to begin with.
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Pretty much as in my November note. Good colour, great legs and nose. Quite nice when opened. Perhaps a trace of liquorice and a hint of 'medicinal' character but these initial characteristics soon faded. After 3-4 hours - quite rich and aromatic with good cherry fruit and a touch of maraschino at the end. Tannins have integrated completely. Excellent with roast sirloin. None left for the cheese! Still has life in it but no need to hold back imho.
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I thought I should try another bottle after my earlier disappointment (Oct. 24 2014). Immediately on opening - some Bdx nose and fruit but dusty tannins at the end. After 1h, the nose was good and it developed very nicely in a large glass. Perhaps a touch of damson on first taste but this soon went, leaving predominantly cherry fruit. No blackberry or blackcurrant. Vanilla later in the mouth with soft, totally integrated tannin; quite long. A huge relief - the earlier bottle must have been a 'one-off' (says he hopefully....). Two hours later, with food (slow-cooked leg of lamb in red wine), this wine was superb.. Cherries still predominant. It was almost as good with a blue Brie later.
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Note added Nov. 8 2014. A bottle from the same case as this was tasted on Nov 8th 2014 and was back on track. This was obviously a slightly dodgy bottle (but no TCA). I will leave these notes for the record but will remove the low rating left earlier.
Quite nice on opening. Good colour with little sign of age. Restrained nose (but it developed more 'Bordeaux' character later). After 2h very disappointing; lacking in fruit and the tannins were a touch 'mouth-puckering'. Later, with sirloin steak, it improved a little but was still not nearly as good as expected. Cherry fruit (slightly bitter cherries and cherry stones) but not the character and quality I expected. It improved a little with soft blue cheese after dinner. I have enjoyed Cissac for many decades and currently have ten vintages. This is my first real disappointment. I have been much more positive about more recent, less-hyped vintages. I would certainly not pay the current retail price for this bottle. I tried the first bottle of this case 4 years ago and found it quite good but thought it probably needed time. Now, I have no idea whether I should drink up the rest or wait and hope that it may still develop........
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Should have waited, I think at least three years. Despite four hours of decanting too much tannins not yet integrated, dominating and overwhelming the fruit, but on the way becoming a fine Medoc.
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Mid-red, still youthful looking. The nose is earthy and dark-fruited, alcohol and liquorice. Full and fruity mouthful but with a dry element to it that deosn't ever disappear no matter how long its open. Very nice with food.
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Lots of wood on the nose and palate but both are sweetened by lovely red berries and the nose particularly has a touch of leather. Dry, uncomplicated left bank Bordeaux. Thoroughly enjoyable.
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This was a very enjoyable bottle. Classic Haut-Medoc, light/medium bodied wine with medium intensity. Lovely balance, good acidity and lightish on the oak. Wonderful red berrys with subtle undertones of black fruit. Average length. It was perfect on it's own. Highly recomend this wine, but don't expect a blockbuster.
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Classic Cissac. Medium Bodied, still has good tannic structure, really good grip. Dark fruit on the nose but also secondary characteristics now appearing - cedarwood, spice, leather. Open and ready but really no rush...
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In the hinterland of Saint-Estèphe, a pillar of the bourgeoisie. Marries a cool and earthy character with ripe fruit, good extract and ripe tannins into a harmonious package. Good length. Good for what it is.
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Drunk with a roast chicken and it went very well - medium-bodied, soft tannins and still enough fruit to see it through the next couple of years or so, I'd guess. Tried to buy more but hard to find now.
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Dense garnet. Cool claret profile on the nose. Deep leather and spice, dark fruits with youthful tannin still present. Just ready. Strapping and masculine. Always a pleasure to have this...
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WES - Château Cissac (Imperial College London): Very intense opaque. Rich cassis nose with soft spices. Sweet fruit, clean, rich, smooth with soft tannins. Very well balanced with years of potential.
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Wine Education Service - Château Cissac Vertical (LSE): Some age showing here, just opaque. Fruity and juicy, red fruit with a hint of spice, quite inviting. Fruit in the mouth, but not very much fruit, what there is is the blackcurrant you expect, plenty of acidity, quite soft tannins, drinking quite well but qill keep, quite long.
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Drank over 2 days with casserole of shin of beef. Day 1, wine was brought from cellar 90 mins before opening, and then decanted. It was closed on both nose and palate, showed firm tannins and was generally backward. Remaining half was rebottled and shut with vacuvin. Day 2, different story. Overnight the wine had blossomed. Aromas of cassis and toasted nuts. Palate was smooth and well-balanced, the tannins having softened. Not a big wine, but elegant nonetheless.
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2000 Château Cissac (Frankrijk, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc) Kleur: Geconcentreerd robijnrood Aroma / bouquet: Vanaf het eerste, nog veel te koude, snufje heerlijk rijp en complex, jammig zwart fruit maar ook paprika, hout, vanille, Smaak / Afdronk: Vol, geconcentreerd, beetje 'stoffig', wel materie en 'dikte', behoorlijke zuren, behoorlijk krachtige en een beetje drogende tannines, bittere en heel licht drogende afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Geen èchte hoogvlieger, degelijke en aangename wijn van gemiddelde afkomst maar uit een bovengemiddeld jaar. Geen pretenties, wel lekker. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 10 + Smaak / Afdronk: 13 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 85/100
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Not very expressive, berries and violets, fresh bandages and cheese rind; slim, dry but smooth, fresh, chunky tannins; light finish but good length. Food wine.
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Not closed but not fully open yet either. Classic claret - all the usual aromas and flavours and quite vigorous, tannins nicely integrated. Decent wine.
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The color of this wine is a mix of purple and sapphire with some rose. The nose is open with cedary scents of roses, black cherries and currants. The taste is tightly woven with flavors of black cherries, currants, casis and kirsch. WOW! This wine is getting really ready to drink. It should still improve over the next three to five years but stay in touch with its progress.
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This is a wonderful Bordeaux wine. The color is a deep ruby with still some dark purple mixed in. The nose is filled with the scents of red cherries. The taste is reminescent of earthy red and black cherries with come girolle mushrooms in an earthy background. The taste is not yet in balance and the wine like most of the 2000 vintages in my cellar has its best days ahead.
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3/30/2023 - HODL Likes this wine:
Initiallly I decanted, poured back in the bottle, and let sit open for 2 hours. When I came back, it still needed time to open in the glass.
It was garnet in color, and slight bricking at the edges. Vibrant acidity, and still firm tannins.
Initially the nose was predominantly leather, and dirt
Slowly as it opened in the glass, out came a component of smoke, and coffee, and cocoa, then finally after 30 minutes plus in the glass, some dried fruit of cherries and prune appeared. Virtually no sediment in the bottle, but a Durand was necessary to open the bottle
I drank this next to a 1999 rubissow Sargent cab sauv from mount veeder opened the same way.
The mount veeder fruit expectinly showed more fruit character on the nose and palate, and visually looked in better shape w a slight shade of purple to the garnet color
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2/22/2023 - The Wine Monkeys wrote: 87 Points
Notes of stewed fruit, tar, graphite, some earth. Fruit almost gone, secondary flavors dominant, still some grip to the tannins with a medium finish. Definitely past it’s prime but still enjoyable enough. 3 more to go that we will drink soon. Not one I’d chase down again but drink up if you got em’!
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4/29/2021 - Fat cat wrote: 88 Points
Very classic, very enjoyable and fully mature. Will probably last a few more years yet.
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7/5/2020 - johnrm Likes this wine: 91 Points
No need for another detailed note. Given 5h to open, this is drinking beautifully, still. Last one, sadly.
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5/30/2020 - johnrm Likes this wine: 91 Points
I agree with Zazzaman - I won't repeat the detail of his note. I was surprised to see that it has been 4 years since my last note and, if anything, the wine has got better. I opened the bottle, didn't decant for once, left it for 4h before tasting, and was impressed by the deep, opaque colour with hardly any visible browning plus the freshness, fruit, and spice which not many 20yo wines could offer at this price level (bought en primeur). Some tangerine/orange pith notes on the mid/late palate in addition to the charactistics noted earlier. Elegant, with lovely balance, acidity, soft tannins, and length. Good on its own and even better after 5h (with a sirloin steak).
This bottle reinforces my faith in Cissac and my firm belief that you need to wait for it to come round. I have altered the 'drink by' date which, at 2017, was too pessimistic.
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2/17/2020 - Zazzaman Likes this wine: 88 Points
Wow - 20 years old and fresh. Good colour, blackcurrant and spice nose, big hit of full but slightly austere tannins, fruit to match, not overly complex but excellent with food. Need to drink up now.
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8/26/2019 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine: 90 Points
From magnum. Recommendation of Michael the sommelier at Burg Vital. We all thought this was terrific. Great deep rich nose of red fruits, leather, spice. Balance and energy on the palate. A standout.
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2/13/2019 - John Wearne Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amazing
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12/15/2018 - CBRwineguy wrote:
Haut-Medoc lunch (Bel & Brio, Barangaroo, Sydney): The appearance is clear and deep ruby in colour. Tears are visible.
The nose is clean. The aromas have a medium(-) intensity. Swirling reveals notes of black fruit (black plum, black cherry) and herbaceous characters (subtle green capsicum). The wine appears youthful (no tertiary notes detected).
On the palate, the wine is dry with medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol, and medium body. The medium level tannins are ripe and chalky in nature. The flavours have a medium intensity and show notes of black fruit (black plum, black cherry, blackcurrant), oak (subtle vanilla), and bottle-age (subtle leather). The finish has a medium(+) length.
This is a very good quality wine. While the nose is restrained the flavours are concentrated and have a great balance with the alcohol and the acidity. The tannins give way to the acidity slightly by the back palate, leading to a more refreshing finish. In its current state the wine shows primary, secondary, and tertiary notes. The fruit core is supported by subtle oak and tertiary notes. The finish has a great length.
The wine drinks well now, but has potential for further ageing. The fruit intensity is good and the tannin and acid structure should support the wine as tertiary notes continue to develop.
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12/15/2018 - chatters wrote:
Haut Medoc Birthday lunch (Bel & Brio, Barangaroo): Blackcurrant, leather, cassis, sweet spice a little wet smelling. Juicy, a little toast on the palate, dense, drying, grippy, chalky textured tannins. Good.
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9/29/2018 - Keith Cooper wrote: 85 Points
Tasted at home with friends, the sixth of a 10 bottle vertical tasting of Chateau Cissac vintages from 2014 to 1975. Opened 20 minutes before tasting. Whilst this is 18 years old, it's from one of the best Bordeaux vintages, so I expected more from this bottle. Indeed, one or two in the group thought it was slightly corked, though I think that's possibly because it faded after 15 minutes in the glass. Medium dark ruby. Light nose, rich and earthy, a slight mustiness in the first couple of minutes. Plummy, forest floor, woody. Dry and chewy. Not as good as we'd hoped.
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5/3/2017 - thatsbabymakinwine Likes this wine: 86 Points
A bit stewed with some funky notes on the nose and a mature palate at first, becoming much better three hours later. This was from a half-bottle and was best opened now as opposed to waiting any longer. I'd be interested to taste from a bottle or magnum (if they exist). There's still good fruit and it really is a classic claret with all the typical characteristics but it tasted like it could have been a stronger wine and had a spicy finish.
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4/8/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine: 91 Points
Half bottle 45 min decant.
Lovely, good acidity with soft tannins, pronounced fruit, ripe and engaging. Really good finish for a non classed growth. Just browning at the rim. Really pleasant.
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1/7/2017 - chatters wrote:
From Coravin. Slightly wet cardboard blows off to reveal perfumed black currant fruit, leather and farmyard elements. Also some beef extract and savoury spice. IN the mouth it's juicy and savoury with dark fruits, leather and grippy tannins. There are touches of coffee on the finish.
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11/20/2016 - johnrm Likes this wine: 91 Points
Attractive fruit on the nose during decanting. Good colour. Good, almost immediately, with excellent cherry fruit, good balance and length. Soft, integrated cherry skin tannins. Elegant, light in alcohol (makes a nice change, these days). Drinking very well indeed but no need to wait.
Even better with steak a couple of hours later (and after food). I've raised my score a point.
Bought en primeur and stored well at 11C since delivery. I wonder if some of the disappointment in a few earlier notes from others is down to storage. This is very good Cru Bourgeois claret.
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11/16/2016 - VeronicaXu Does not like this wine:
Dark ruby, meaty, smokey, black berries, medium(+) intensity, developing, medium body, medium tannin, medium(-) finish, medium(-) intensity. Seems a little diluted, not enough concentration, week structure.
At Sampler. 6.5
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7/17/2016 - johnrm Likes this wine: 89 Points
This wine was rather attractive soon after decanting (in contrast to recent bottles). There seems to be quite a lot of bottle variation.
Cherries and spice on the nose and palate at first. A few hours later, my wife still got the cherries and cherry stones whereas I found damson and deeper damson skin tannins overlaying the cherry. Good balance and length. It went well with beef bourguignon.
Perhaps I should have monitored (and moderated) the temperature of the wine more carefully. It was tasted on a hot day (not something we often experience in UK) which probably brought the wine on more quickly. It certainly released more 'cedar' notes than I have previously tasted in a Cissac. I am more inclined to try my remaining bottles fairly soon after decanting. Still an excellent wine but don't hold back. 89+
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6/6/2016 - chatters wrote:
Aromas of Brambles, touches of orange, kicking soggy autumn leaves, cigar box and spice. Also some biscuit & a hint of kirsch. On the palate it's wet and welcoming, fresh and fleshy with near resolved soft tannins, brambles and an almost cherry note with a good dose of liquorice as well. Eminently quaffable and dangerously moreish with roast leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic. Rather splendid.
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3/20/2016 - johnrm Likes this wine: 91 Points
To be honest, a bit disappointing on first opening and decanting - I would have rated it poorly if I had just 'popped and poured'. Good colour.
After 4h in the decanter and 10 mins in the glass, the nose began to develop but only offered a generic 'Bordeaux' sort of character at first. After a while longer, some cherry and damson fruit with spice. Later, attractive tarry notes and a full, attractive experience.
The early tannin and astringency softened but it began to develop a recognisable Cissac character only after half an hour sitting in the glass when cherry and spice emerged with a little orange later, followed by cherry stones on the late palate. A very good wine when it revealed its character fully.
A good partner to rare ribeye steak when the balanced acidity and soft tannin worked well.
This is a very elegant and subtle wine that makes you work hard at first and demands your patience and immersion if you are to appreciate its strengths and character. Definitely not a wine to wear its heart on its sleeve. It is quite good to be faced with such a wine in these days of in-your-face, immediate attractiveness. Perhaps this is why I have more Cissac than any other Cru Bourgeois claret in my cellar.
I would advise that you open early and don't rush it (as I probably did with my last bottle). Forgive the length of my note - real Cissac fans will probably understand.....
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10/12/2015 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 87 Points
One of my favorite cru bourgeois. Slight bricking from bowl to rim. Nose had green pepper, cherries and saddle leather. Wine lacked a little oomph in the balance, not quite flabby, but missing some acid. Tartarian cherries, most were ripe, a few were not, in the mouth. Not bad. Going to drink others soon.
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10/11/2015 - johnrm Likes this wine: 87 Points
Decent colour, nose, and fruit with quite pronounced spicy notes. A but tannic and astringent on first opening but softened 3-4 hours after decanting. A decent partner to roast beef but not as good as previous bottles. Unusually for Cissac, I think that this has peaked a little early. Perhaps 2000 was a bit over-hyped. I prefer some of the other early noughties vintages of Cissac.
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8/4/2015 - winchester-xi wrote:
Pretty far gone into tertiary land at this point. The remaining fruit is dark and plummy, and has some depth to it. This bottle came off a retail shelf. Properly stored bottles might not be as developed, but it's not obvious to me this wine had all that much complexity to begin with.
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2/1/2015 - johnrm Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pretty much as in my November note. Good colour, great legs and nose. Quite nice when opened. Perhaps a trace of liquorice and a hint of 'medicinal' character but these initial characteristics soon faded.
After 3-4 hours - quite rich and aromatic with good cherry fruit and a touch of maraschino at the end. Tannins have integrated completely. Excellent with roast sirloin. None left for the cheese!
Still has life in it but no need to hold back imho.
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11/8/2014 - johnrm Likes this wine: 90 Points
I thought I should try another bottle after my earlier disappointment (Oct. 24 2014).
Immediately on opening - some Bdx nose and fruit but dusty tannins at the end.
After 1h, the nose was good and it developed very nicely in a large glass. Perhaps a touch of damson on first taste but this soon went, leaving predominantly cherry fruit. No blackberry or blackcurrant. Vanilla later in the mouth with soft, totally integrated tannin; quite long.
A huge relief - the earlier bottle must have been a 'one-off' (says he hopefully....).
Two hours later, with food (slow-cooked leg of lamb in red wine), this wine was superb.. Cherries still predominant. It was almost as good with a blue Brie later.
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10/24/2014 - johnrm wrote:
Note added Nov. 8 2014.
A bottle from the same case as this was tasted on Nov 8th 2014 and was back on track. This was obviously a slightly dodgy bottle (but no TCA). I will leave these notes for the record but will remove the low rating left earlier.
Quite nice on opening. Good colour with little sign of age. Restrained nose (but it developed more 'Bordeaux' character later).
After 2h very disappointing; lacking in fruit and the tannins were a touch 'mouth-puckering'.
Later, with sirloin steak, it improved a little but was still not nearly as good as expected. Cherry fruit (slightly bitter cherries and cherry stones) but not the character and quality I expected. It improved a little with soft blue cheese after dinner.
I have enjoyed Cissac for many decades and currently have ten vintages. This is my first real disappointment. I have been much more positive about more recent, less-hyped vintages. I would certainly not pay the current retail price for this bottle. I tried the first bottle of this case 4 years ago and found it quite good but thought it probably needed time. Now, I have no idea whether I should drink up the rest or wait and hope that it may still develop........
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7/24/2014 - Vinolsen wrote:
Far
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5/1/2014 - SimonPh Likes this wine: 90 Points
Classic cabernet nose and flavour, clean fresh, savoury, finish.
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2/28/2013 - alexc wrote: 86 Points
Drinking well now but fairly unspectatular
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9/26/2011 - Eubulos wrote: 84 Points
Should have waited, I think at least three years. Despite four hours of decanting too much tannins not yet integrated, dominating and overwhelming the fruit, but on the way becoming a fine Medoc.
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9/20/2011 - Olderbhoy wrote: 87 Points
Mid-red, still youthful looking. The nose is earthy and dark-fruited, alcohol and liquorice. Full and fruity mouthful but with a dry element to it that deosn't ever disappear no matter how long its open. Very nice with food.
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8/6/2011 - christhewino Likes this wine: 89 Points
Lots of wood on the nose and palate but both are sweetened by lovely red berries and the nose particularly has a touch of leather. Dry, uncomplicated left bank Bordeaux. Thoroughly enjoyable.
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3/27/2011 - stevief10 wrote: 90 Points
This was a very enjoyable bottle. Classic Haut-Medoc, light/medium bodied wine with medium intensity. Lovely balance, good acidity and lightish on the oak. Wonderful red berrys with subtle undertones of black fruit. Average length. It was perfect on it's own. Highly recomend this wine, but don't expect a blockbuster.
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3/14/2011 - Aquifex wrote: 89 Points
Classic Cissac. Medium Bodied, still has good tannic structure, really good grip. Dark fruit on the nose but also secondary characteristics now appearing - cedarwood, spice, leather. Open and ready but really no rush...
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2/13/2011 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 88 Points
In the hinterland of Saint-Estèphe, a pillar of the bourgeoisie. Marries a cool and earthy character with ripe fruit, good extract and ripe tannins into a harmonious package. Good length. Good for what it is.
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11/29/2010 - jamesmenendez wrote: 89 Points
Drunk with a roast chicken and it went very well - medium-bodied, soft tannins and still enough fruit to see it through the next couple of years or so, I'd guess. Tried to buy more but hard to find now.
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11/26/2010 - Regina wrote: 89 Points
Dense garnet. Cool claret profile on the nose. Deep leather and spice, dark fruits with youthful tannin still present. Just ready. Strapping and masculine. Always a pleasure to have this...
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11/4/2010 - hadwin Likes this wine: 92 Points
WES - Château Cissac (Imperial College London): Very intense opaque. Rich cassis nose with soft spices. Sweet fruit, clean, rich, smooth with soft tannins. Very well balanced with years of potential.
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9/9/2010 - roquenroell wrote: 88 Points
Time to drink up for this winter!
The wine looks Inky colored.
The legs are Medium.
The body is Medium/Full.
The wine is textured Silky.
The wine finishes Medium.
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3/1/2010 - tendring Likes this wine: 87 Points
Wine Education Service - Château Cissac Vertical (LSE): Some age showing here, just opaque.
Fruity and juicy, red fruit with a hint of spice, quite inviting.
Fruit in the mouth, but not very much fruit, what there is is the blackcurrant you expect, plenty of acidity, quite soft tannins, drinking quite well but qill keep, quite long.
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2/1/2010 - blancdeblancs wrote:
soft, caramelly black fruits, medium-bodied. a little spicy, seems really ready to drink.
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1/1/2010 - eliotfagley wrote: 90 Points
Drinking really well right now. Totally underrated. Great spice box, red fruit, good length. Great with mushroom risotto.
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10/6/2009 - cmheather wrote: 86 Points
Drank over 2 days with casserole of shin of beef. Day 1, wine was brought from cellar 90 mins before opening, and then decanted. It was closed on both nose and palate, showed firm tannins and was generally backward. Remaining half was rebottled and shut with vacuvin. Day 2, different story. Overnight the wine had blossomed. Aromas of cassis and toasted nuts. Palate was smooth and well-balanced, the tannins having softened. Not a big wine, but elegant nonetheless.
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5/14/2009 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 88 Points
Very much like my previous note but much more charming and softer, quite delicious actually and good typicity.
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1/15/2009 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 85 Points
2000 Château Cissac (Frankrijk, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc) Kleur: Geconcentreerd robijnrood Aroma / bouquet: Vanaf het eerste, nog veel te koude, snufje heerlijk rijp en complex, jammig zwart fruit maar ook paprika, hout, vanille, Smaak / Afdronk: Vol, geconcentreerd, beetje 'stoffig', wel materie en 'dikte', behoorlijke zuren, behoorlijk krachtige en een beetje drogende tannines, bittere en heel licht drogende afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Geen èchte hoogvlieger, degelijke en aangename wijn van gemiddelde afkomst maar uit een bovengemiddeld jaar. Geen pretenties, wel lekker. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 10 + Smaak / Afdronk: 13 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 85/100
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9/29/2008 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 88 Points
Not very expressive, berries and violets, fresh bandages and cheese rind; slim, dry but smooth, fresh, chunky tannins; light finish but good length. Food wine.
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4/7/2008 - kevin h wrote:
Not closed but not fully open yet either. Classic claret - all the usual aromas and flavours and quite vigorous, tannins nicely integrated. Decent wine.
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6/22/2007 - poptart_nyc wrote: 87 Points
this was a great value. nice nose, good body. really took to food. smooth finish but firm. no outstanding aromas or flavor but definitely a bordeaux.
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4/12/2007 - cmheather wrote: 85 Points
Smooth and refined, but not a lot of body. Good, but not exceptional with roast rack of lamb.
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3/5/2007 - johnwine wrote: 90 Points
The color of this wine is a mix of purple and sapphire with some rose. The nose is open with cedary scents of roses, black cherries and currants. The taste is tightly woven with flavors of black cherries, currants, casis and kirsch. WOW! This wine is getting really ready to drink. It should still improve over the next three to five years but stay in touch with its progress.
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9/4/2006 - smorris291 wrote: 85 Points
Was a bit green and tannic at first. Seemed to open up during dinner, with fruit becoming more present. Not bad, but nothing special.
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9/2/2006 - johnwine wrote: 88 Points
This is a wonderful Bordeaux wine. The color is a deep ruby with still some dark purple mixed in. The nose is filled with the scents of red cherries. The taste is reminescent of earthy red and black cherries with come girolle mushrooms in an earthy background. The taste is not yet in balance and the wine like most of the 2000 vintages in my cellar has its best days ahead.
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