Opened and let the bottle breathe for about 3 hours. Then let it sit out in my glass for an hour. Silky smooth with red fruits, medium-full mouthfeel, nose kept reminding me of something couldn’t quite put my finger on it then eureka, Good & Plenty licorice candy! Nice finish very quaffable and quaff I did!
Pooped and poured. Nose of blackberry, black cherry, currant, graphite and spice. Ripe black fruit, graphite, coffee and spice on the palate. Long, fruit-driven finish. Medium to full bodied. Served with grilled pork chops and a cherry sauce.
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Popped and poured. Nose of blackberry, currant, cocoa, graphite, forest floor and spice. Ripe black fruit, tobacco leaf, graphite and spice on the palate. Finishes with good length. Medium to full bodied. Served with grilled smash burgers.
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NOSE: M intensity, leads with wet earth and stone, violets, black cherry, hint of savory secondary aromas, vanilla; PALATE: M+ body, black cherry compote, blackberries and violets, grippy M+ tannins arrive mid-palate, M- acidity, M++ alc shows through on heated finish (14.5% ABV), M cplx. OVERALL: A 3-bottle value BDX aging experiment. Drank one in 2014 and another in 2018. Feels it's more bred to drink at release (high ABV), aromatically complex, palate feels a bit out of balance now.
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Is was a likeable wine. Originally notes of red and black fruit, cherry, tar, earth, spice, leather and a bit of tapenade. A great pairing with our roast chicken witn herbs (sage, rosemary and thyme) and with the yellow potatoes.
With some time more blackberry fruit plus some spice, earth and smokey fruit.
Structured and elegant.
This was a great wine - especially for its $15-$20 price - and has aged well. I would buy this again.
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This is not an elegant wine and I don’t think it ever will be. Rich, inky and extracted, but a bit flabby on the palate. Blackberries and ripe plums, some chocolatey oak and low acidity, it does have depth but finishes short. I liked this better a few years ago. Have gone through 8 bottles so far.
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Popped and poured. Aromas of blackberry, currant, mocha, graphite and spice. Palate echoes the nose. Long, fruit driven finish. Medium to full bodied. Modern in style. Served with grilled cheeseburgers.
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Cheap BDX wine. What do you expect? Not bad. Not great. Prominent cedar flavor and kinda weak fruit; finish was especially drying. Tolerable, just not favorable.
This was served next to three really fun modern Napa Cabernets for contrast. The Le Thil was almost drain-dumpable after having the awesome Napa Cabs.
Actually better than what I remember from having it last year, but not shockingly, it was nothing above a basic bore of a wine at the end of the day. To be expected I suppose. This is why I stopped buying cheap wine. "Barely ok" isn't even worth the $20 anymore. I'd rather have a beer, but I'm trying to de-stock some of the last remaining throw-down wines I still have in the far corner of the cellar.
Specific notes of plum, cedar, and some deeper red currant. Fairly thin; mid-palate is a bit hollow, with soft, rounded medium-to-light bodied tannins.
89 points is fair I think. I'm not mad at it, I just don't really care about it. This managed to sustain its way through a garlic pizza pairing, so kudos for that I guess. My girl liked it a bit more than I did (she favors more classically styled BDX reds).
Drink now.
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What do you want from a $20 claret from a bad year? you might ask. More than this. Yes, it's real claret. But its hollow mid palate and astringent finish don't make it more than just okay.
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Aerated with a Vinturi and decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, currant, cedar and forest floor. Black fruit, coffee, cedar, licorice and pencil shavings on the palate. Leads to a medium to long finish. Full bodied.
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Very dry, not so deep in flavors but is aging well. Tannins are there, the wine opened up nicely after 2 hours. Cassis, berries, cedar, chocolate, and licorice notes. Good QP.
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Nice fruit and minerality, showing well at this age. Tannins are there - quite dry but providing some backbone. Very nice, especially for the price. One of my favorite value producers.
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Simple, flat, and extremely dry. Very little depth of flavor to speak of. Some muted blackberry, black licorice, and loam; a very strong cedar element engulfed the rest of the wine and, with some air, became even more dominant.
With a rough year for BDX and a cheap wine at that, this is what one might expect. It stands to mellow out with possibly a year or so more in bottle, but no time will ultimately coax any layered fruit flavors or pleasing viscosity out of this. The distractingly dry kick on the back end did me in on this wine. A generous 87 points just because it was not completely undrinkable as long as food was around.
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Aerated with a Vinturi and decanted for 2 hours. Nose of blackberry, black cherry, mocha, graphite and spice. A soft, dark fruit core combines with leather, dust and ripe tannins on the palate. Leads to a lingering, dry finish. Full bodied. A very good QPR. Paired with roast pork.
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Plenty of attractive leather and spice notes on the nose. Medium-to-full bodied, offering a complex mix of blackberry and plum fruit, along with hints of sweet tobacco, mocha and spice. There is a big, broad mineral streak to this as well. Finishes slightly chewy, with respectable length. A very nice "old school" Bordeaux that is now in its prime drinking window. 50+5+12+16+7=90
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Excellent wine. Not pretentious just a solid performer. Great smell, tastes substantial but not overpowering. Current and pepper with some tannin lingering on palate. As I finish it I find myself wishing I had bought a couple more bottles.
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Amazing wine, amazing value. Deep maroon. Medium to full-bodied. Rich texture. Blackfruit galore, boysen-berry, cedar, cocoa powder, licorice, and tabac. Excellent balance of fruits and acids. Pleasantly chewy tannins. Merlot w/2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Robust: finished the remainder of a glass in the morning after it had been sitting out all night (that's how much I enjoyed it) and there was no noticeable deterioration. Will buy again (14.5% abv). Drink or hold.
Tasted from magnum over the course of three nights. (I decanted the magnum into half bottles and stored them in a refrigerator to protect the wine from oxidation after opening.)
I opened this up because I didn't know how long a 2008 could go. Then answer is quite a bit farther. What an intense, brooding, wine! The black fruit flavors are well in balance, with a hint of licorice and notes of charcoal, tobacco and espresso on the long finish. This was even better on the second and third nights. Bravo!
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Un vin sur les arôme de torréfaction, de fruit noir, de tabac et de cuir avec une pointe d'amertume. Très masculin. servis avec du porc et une sauce maison au vin rouge avec une réduction de fond de veau et le vin prenait beaucoup de place.
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I really like this wine. It has an unusual salty and white pepper note, a bit too striking and spicy right out of the bottle but it settles down quickly and opens up to more rounded fruit. Very expressive, balanced and attractive with plenty of charm. Great at this price.
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PnP. This wine sat in the glass for about an hour before consumption. The wine is black cherry in color, and the nose reveals crushed rock, cedar, camphor, black cherry, and blackberries with a bit of Brett. On the palate the tannins are firm yet nicely balanced with the acidity. On the palate there is coffee, bitter cocoa, and cassis that leaves an aftertaste of coffee and tobacco hanging on the back palate. With the second glass, the tobacco is very pronounced. A bit hollow in the middle, but this feels as though it is starting to open up nicely. Should start coming together with additional time in the cellar.
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Almost opaque ruby color. Moderate nose of velvety blackberry liqueur. Highly concentrated in the mouth, with dark cacao tannins. Voluptuous long body.
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From double magnum. Slightly unpleasant bottle funk on opening. after breathing 30 minutes and decanting 30 more the funk vanished and a beautifully balanced, soft bordeaux emerged. This won't age forever, but its drinking great and off the charts qpr.
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Decanted for 30 minutes prior to dinner. Blackish red color. Black cherry, currants, tobacco on the nose. On palate, tobacco, black currants, dried black cherry, plums(?) with full body, high acidity, sweet tannins and medium+ finish. 91-92 range. Really enjoyed this. Killer QPR.
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I tried this at release in 2011, again last year, and then again this week. I liked this best upon release, so I'm starting to suspect that one should drink these lesser vintages young (the wine, not the consumer).
Although the fruit has subsided, this is still a soft, slightly heavy wine that tastes of dark fruit and dark chocolate, with fine tannins. (Me: "How are you guys doing?" Tannins: "We're fine!") The fruit is hard to pin down. I would suggest damson plum, except that I've never actually tasted one. The chocolate notes seem more noticeable with each sip.
This can currently be found on sale for $15. At that price it is the real deal.
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Decanted 1hr prior to tasting. Smooth, seamless, moderately rich wine with good Bordeaux typicity. Black currants, red cherry, tar, mocha, and tobacco. Med/med+ body, well integrated tannins that ride within the fruit, decent structure, and a somewhat brief but tasty finish. Nicely balanced, harmonious wine that is drinking well now. Excellent pairing with Greek lamb burgers. Excellent QPR.
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Surprising definition and precision. I could mistake this for a tight syrah. Showing much better now than the one I had last year. Not a lot of complexity but nice nose and good structure. Very solid for the price.
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Decanted for 1 hour before dinner of grilled NY strips. On nose, cassis, dill, black cherry & charocal. On palate, black currants, tobacco, dried cherry. Nice acid tannin balance keeps its from being dull - medium to full body, medium+ finish. Excellent with steaks. Was better on night 2 with more dark chocolate on the nose. Too much oak for some people I would guess but I really enijoyed. 90+ (91 QPR weighted). Would buy again and would love to try in a "great" vintage.
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I get this. Earthy red cherries, tobacco, moderate chocolate notes, and even a bit of pencil lead. Dusty tannins, bright acidity, and decent structure. Palate turned a bit more towards blueberries and fleshier with air. Great typicity... belongs at the dinner table with Bordeaux twice the price. Another excellent bottle of The Little Wine That Could.
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Ripe but not sweet with an earthy disposition. Good balance. Med(-) depth. Decent acidity and structure with some nice dusty tannins keeps everything tidy and well organized. Dinner table friendly. Shows Bordeaux character and class at a level not usually found at this price. In fact, amazingly good for the $.
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Open for about an hour. Sweet blueberries, tobacco, and graphite on the nose. Blueberries and black currants on the palate, with tar and tobacco notes on the back end, and bitter chocolate on the finish. Nothing smacks you in the face though, all the elements nicely packaged in an elegant style. Not especially deep or long, but enough to keep you interested and pleased. Quite lovely and some solid Graves character. One source (Youtube video from the Chateau) says this is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and WA says 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. WA 89
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Color is as dark as night with a crimson edge. Nose of dark fruits and just a hint of that earthy Bordeaux smell. Gripping tannins that are holding quite tightly at the moment. Can sense a little bit of that fruit in the background. Good high acidity as well. Probably needs a year maybe two to start opening up. 89+
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Once again I'm impressed by this offering from a minor chateau with less than ideal terroir. Similar experience as my last bottle. Everything you'd expect from a good Cru Bourgeois at a Bordeaux Superior price. Outstanding value for an accurate and very good taste of Bordeaux.
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Wow, I'm impressed. Nearly black in glass with a ruby rim. Rich nose of cherries, plums, chocolate, and tobacco. On the palate this full body effort offers a blackberry/plum/cherry compote with nice secondaries of tobacco leaf, cedar, dark chocolate, and damp earth. Good character here, with pleanty of current drinking pleasure, though the dusty fine grain tannins are still out in front a bit. Good structure and depth with acidity to match, this is juicy and delicious but also offers some welcome nuance. Fantastic wine for the price with the structure and fruit to age and improve for 5-10 years easy. Like any good Bordeaux, this was better with food and paired very well with prime rib.
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Very good. A full bodied Bordeaux w/o any specific flaws or highlights. A solid choice, very accessible and a bargain at <20$. Blind taste this with 50-100$ Bordeauxs ...
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Nearly opaque garnet color. Medium nose of black fruit and sweet tobacco. Flavor follows with rich fruit that is balanced by firm tannins and bright acidity. Leaning toward jammy but not to a fault. Rounds out after a two-hour decant. Dark chocolate at the end of a med-long finish.
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A crazy good $15 (on futures) wine. Impenetrable purple color, it has graphite, tar, earth, blackberry, and plum notes. The texture is a bit coarse and the tannins are more in the back seat than the rear view mirror. As much as I hate "aging" sub-$20 wines, this one needs another year.
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2008 Le Thil is one of the top value wines from the vintage offering quality, character and a low price of under $20. Blackberry dark cherry, tar, vanilla and coffee aromatics pair well with soft textures and a chocolate, boysenberry filled finish. This vintage was produced with the help with Stephane Derenoncourt. 90 Pts
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08 Château Le Thil is a contender for the best value wine in Bordeaux today. It’s amazing a wine selling for this little money from good terroir, made with the assistance of Stephane Derenoncourt, can be found in the marketplace for such a low price. Ripe, rich, smoky black fruit, along with earth and cigar box notes, are the hallmark of this wine. 89-91 Pts
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5/10/2023 - Wein Fraulein Likes this wine: 89 Points
PNP. Very smooth. Still hitting all the notes on would expect.
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10/7/2022 - NebHeadLA wrote:
This wine is on a downward arc. Drink up.
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12/16/2021 - Time traveller Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened and let the bottle breathe for about 3 hours. Then let it sit out in my glass for an hour. Silky smooth with red fruits, medium-full mouthfeel, nose kept reminding me of something couldn’t quite put my finger on it then eureka, Good & Plenty licorice candy! Nice finish very quaffable and quaff I did!
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2/8/2021 - Wine Poor wrote: 90 Points
Good.
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11/11/2020 - hoservin wrote: 91 Points
Pooped and poured. Nose of blackberry, black cherry, currant, graphite and spice. Ripe black fruit, graphite, coffee and spice on the palate. Long, fruit-driven finish. Medium to full bodied. Served with grilled pork chops and a cherry sauce.
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5/27/2020 - hoservin wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Nose of blackberry, currant, cocoa, graphite, forest floor and spice. Ripe black fruit, tobacco leaf, graphite and spice on the palate. Finishes with good length. Medium to full bodied. Served with grilled smash burgers.
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3/24/2019 - Wine Poor wrote: 90 Points
A modern Bordeaux that pairs well with my roast beef tonight.
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3/10/2019 - BLSausTX wrote: 88 Points
NOSE: M intensity, leads with wet earth and stone, violets, black cherry, hint of savory secondary aromas, vanilla; PALATE: M+ body, black cherry compote, blackberries and violets, grippy M+ tannins arrive mid-palate, M- acidity, M++ alc shows through on heated finish (14.5% ABV), M cplx. OVERALL: A 3-bottle value BDX aging experiment. Drank one in 2014 and another in 2018. Feels it's more bred to drink at release (high ABV), aromatically complex, palate feels a bit out of balance now.
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1/27/2019 - TashNYC wrote: 90 Points
Is was a likeable wine. Originally notes of red and black fruit, cherry, tar, earth, spice, leather and a bit of tapenade. A great pairing with our roast chicken witn herbs (sage, rosemary and thyme) and with the yellow potatoes.
With some time more blackberry fruit plus some spice, earth and smokey fruit.
Structured and elegant.
This was a great wine - especially for its $15-$20 price - and has aged well. I would buy this again.
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11/28/2018 - Wine Poor Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very enjoyable. Not typical Bordeaux, but tasty nonetheless.
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1/11/2018 - davergny wrote: 85 Points
This is not an elegant wine and I don’t think it ever will be. Rich, inky and extracted, but a bit flabby on the palate. Blackberries and ripe plums, some chocolatey oak and low acidity, it does have depth but finishes short. I liked this better a few years ago. Have gone through 8 bottles so far.
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10/24/2017 - hoservin wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Aromas of blackberry, currant, mocha, graphite and spice. Palate echoes the nose. Long, fruit driven finish. Medium to full bodied. Modern in style. Served with grilled cheeseburgers.
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3/25/2017 - legarejm wrote: 89 Points
Consistent with bottle consumed last year.
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2/24/2017 - csimm wrote: 86 Points
Cheap BDX wine. What do you expect? Not bad. Not great. Prominent cedar flavor and kinda weak fruit; finish was especially drying. Tolerable, just not favorable.
This was served next to three really fun modern Napa Cabernets for contrast. The Le Thil was almost drain-dumpable after having the awesome Napa Cabs.
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2/1/2017 - csimm wrote: 89 Points
$17 + 2008 + BDX = Meh.
Actually better than what I remember from having it last year, but not shockingly, it was nothing above a basic bore of a wine at the end of the day. To be expected I suppose. This is why I stopped buying cheap wine. "Barely ok" isn't even worth the $20 anymore. I'd rather have a beer, but I'm trying to de-stock some of the last remaining throw-down wines I still have in the far corner of the cellar.
Specific notes of plum, cedar, and some deeper red currant. Fairly thin; mid-palate is a bit hollow, with soft, rounded medium-to-light bodied tannins.
89 points is fair I think. I'm not mad at it, I just don't really care about it. This managed to sustain its way through a garlic pizza pairing, so kudos for that I guess. My girl liked it a bit more than I did (she favors more classically styled BDX reds).
Drink now.
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1/5/2017 - wine&roses wrote: 87 Points
What do you want from a $20 claret from a bad year? you might ask. More than this. Yes, it's real claret. But its hollow mid palate and astringent finish don't make it more than just okay.
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12/28/2016 - hoservin wrote: 90 Points
Aerated with a Vinturi and decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, currant, cedar and forest floor. Black fruit, coffee, cedar, licorice and pencil shavings on the palate. Leads to a medium to long finish. Full bodied.
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10/2/2016 - legarejm wrote: 89 Points
Very dry, not so deep in flavors but is aging well. Tannins are there, the wine opened up nicely after 2 hours. Cassis, berries, cedar, chocolate, and licorice notes. Good QP.
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4/17/2016 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
Nice fruit and minerality, showing well at this age. Tannins are there - quite dry but providing some backbone. Very nice, especially for the price. One of my favorite value producers.
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1/6/2016 - csimm wrote: 87 Points
Simple, flat, and extremely dry. Very little depth of flavor to speak of. Some muted blackberry, black licorice, and loam; a very strong cedar element engulfed the rest of the wine and, with some air, became even more dominant.
With a rough year for BDX and a cheap wine at that, this is what one might expect. It stands to mellow out with possibly a year or so more in bottle, but no time will ultimately coax any layered fruit flavors or pleasing viscosity out of this. The distractingly dry kick on the back end did me in on this wine. A generous 87 points just because it was not completely undrinkable as long as food was around.
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12/13/2015 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
From magnum, took a while to open up but lovely after an hour or so. 91+ pts.
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11/25/2015 - hoservin wrote: 90 Points
Aerated with a Vinturi and decanted for 2 hours. Nose of blackberry, black cherry, mocha, graphite and spice. A soft, dark fruit core combines with leather, dust and ripe tannins on the palate. Leads to a lingering, dry finish. Full bodied. A very good QPR. Paired with roast pork.
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6/17/2015 - Bam_Man Likes this wine: 90 Points
Plenty of attractive leather and spice notes on the nose. Medium-to-full bodied, offering a complex mix of blackberry and plum fruit, along with hints of sweet tobacco, mocha and spice. There is a big, broad mineral streak to this as well. Finishes slightly chewy, with respectable length. A very nice "old school" Bordeaux that is now in its prime drinking window.
50+5+12+16+7=90
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4/9/2015 - Frontal wrote: 89 Points
Vin assez puissant, les tannins peuvent enconre se fondre un peu. Une bonne heure de carafe aide à mieux faire paraitre le vin. Bon RQP @ 27$
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2/13/2015 - COWineLover wrote: flawed
The 2008 was the first buy for me from this Chateau. This was my second corked bottle out of six purchased. This is not an impressive record.
Wines were acquired from JJ Buckley and shipped during cool weather periods.
I question how many of the 2009's will have the same substandard cork.
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12/25/2014 - dke Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice bordeaux. Some bitter earth, with hints of smoke and fruits. Very well integrated, still some tannins but already ready to drink. 89-90
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11/23/2014 - hilllg wrote:
Excellent wine. Not pretentious just a solid performer. Great smell, tastes substantial but not overpowering. Current and pepper with some tannin lingering on palate. As I finish it I find myself wishing I had bought a couple more bottles.
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11/16/2014 - CWilliam wrote:
Better on night 2 - modern Bordeaux but excellent value and very enjoyable. Tasting notes similar to prior (11/2013) note. 91+
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10/19/2014 - Ron Van Holland wrote:
The 375 ml bottle is ready to drink right now, and it is outstanding. Recommending decant with a fine sieve.
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10/18/2014 - buffyst Likes this wine:
Amazing wine, amazing value. Deep maroon. Medium to full-bodied. Rich texture. Blackfruit galore, boysen-berry, cedar, cocoa powder, licorice, and tabac. Excellent balance of fruits and acids. Pleasantly chewy tannins. Merlot w/2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Robust: finished the remainder of a glass in the morning after it had been sitting out all night (that's how much I enjoyed it) and there was no noticeable deterioration. Will buy again (14.5% abv). Drink or hold.
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10/14/2014 - Joe the Critic Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted from magnum over the course of three nights. (I decanted the magnum into half bottles and stored them in a refrigerator to protect the wine from oxidation after opening.)
I opened this up because I didn't know how long a 2008 could go. Then answer is quite a bit farther. What an intense, brooding, wine! The black fruit flavors are well in balance, with a hint of licorice and notes of charcoal, tobacco and espresso on the long finish. This was even better on the second and third nights. Bravo!
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10/12/2014 - COWineLover wrote: flawed
Corked.
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9/28/2014 - heyjohnnyboy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep, tannic and we'll structured. Well integrated barrel flavors. My type of wine. Ready now but will age very well
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8/30/2014 - Frontal Likes this wine: 88 Points
Ouvert 2 heures avant de boire.
Un vin sur les arôme de torréfaction, de fruit noir, de tabac et de cuir avec une pointe d'amertume. Très masculin. servis avec du porc et une sauce maison au vin rouge avec une réduction de fond de veau et le vin prenait beaucoup de place.
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6/25/2014 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
I really like this wine. It has an unusual salty and white pepper note, a bit too striking and spicy right out of the bottle but it settles down quickly and opens up to more rounded fruit. Very expressive, balanced and attractive with plenty of charm. Great at this price.
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6/21/2014 - CWilliam wrote:
Best sub $20.00 Bordeaux that I have had in quite some time. My wife loved this as well. 91+
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2/23/2014 - COWineLover wrote: 89 Points
PnP. This wine sat in the glass for about an hour before consumption. The wine is black cherry in color, and the nose reveals crushed rock, cedar, camphor, black cherry, and blackberries with a bit of Brett. On the palate the tannins are firm yet nicely balanced with the acidity. On the palate there is coffee, bitter cocoa, and cassis that leaves an aftertaste of coffee and tobacco hanging on the back palate. With the second glass, the tobacco is very pronounced. A bit hollow in the middle, but this feels as though it is starting to open up nicely. Should start coming together with additional time in the cellar.
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2/21/2014 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
A bit firm at first but really opened up after about two hours decanting, taking on a slight sweetness that was missing at first.
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2/16/2014 - Ron Van Holland wrote: 91 Points
Almost opaque ruby color. Moderate nose of velvety blackberry liqueur. Highly concentrated in the mouth, with dark cacao tannins. Voluptuous long body.
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12/22/2013 - slippytoad wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour then drunk over 2 days. Held up well. Soft and smooth, quite deep and layered. Great QPR.
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12/6/2013 - ksde wrote: 89 Points
"91" level on the nose, especially after a little decant.
"87" level on the palate, I wanted a little more on the mid palate.
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12/2/2013 - mwellington wrote: 90 Points
From double magnum. Slightly unpleasant bottle funk on opening. after breathing 30 minutes and decanting 30 more the funk vanished and a beautifully balanced, soft bordeaux emerged. This won't age forever, but its drinking great and off the charts qpr.
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11/3/2013 - CWilliam wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes prior to dinner. Blackish red color. Black cherry, currants, tobacco on the nose. On palate, tobacco, black currants, dried black cherry, plums(?) with full body, high acidity, sweet tannins and medium+ finish. 91-92 range. Really enjoyed this. Killer QPR.
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7/21/2013 - Joe the Critic Likes this wine: 88 Points
I tried this at release in 2011, again last year, and then again this week. I liked this best upon release, so I'm starting to suspect that one should drink these lesser vintages young (the wine, not the consumer).
Although the fruit has subsided, this is still a soft, slightly heavy wine that tastes of dark fruit and dark chocolate, with fine tannins. (Me: "How are you guys doing?" Tannins: "We're fine!") The fruit is hard to pin down. I would suggest damson plum, except that I've never actually tasted one. The chocolate notes seem more noticeable with each sip.
This can currently be found on sale for $15. At that price it is the real deal.
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6/20/2013 - Redguy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted 1hr prior to tasting. Smooth, seamless, moderately rich wine with good Bordeaux typicity. Black currants, red cherry, tar, mocha, and tobacco. Med/med+ body, well integrated tannins that ride within the fruit, decent structure, and a somewhat brief but tasty finish. Nicely balanced, harmonious wine that is drinking well now. Excellent pairing with Greek lamb burgers. Excellent QPR.
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4/3/2013 - John McCabe wrote: 92 Points
Surprising definition and precision. I could mistake this for a tight syrah. Showing much better now than the one I had last year. Not a lot of complexity but nice nose and good structure. Very solid for the price.
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12/1/2012 - FredF Likes this wine: 90 Points
Young but ready to start drinking. Red fruit, earth, excellent balance.
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11/25/2012 - CWilliam wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 1 hour before dinner of grilled NY strips. On nose, cassis, dill, black cherry & charocal. On palate, black currants, tobacco, dried cherry. Nice acid tannin balance keeps its from being dull - medium to full body, medium+ finish. Excellent with steaks. Was better on night 2 with more dark chocolate on the nose. Too much oak for some people I would guess but I really enijoyed. 90+ (91 QPR weighted). Would buy again and would love to try in a "great" vintage.
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11/7/2012 - Redguy wrote:
I get this. Earthy red cherries, tobacco, moderate chocolate notes, and even a bit of pencil lead. Dusty tannins, bright acidity, and decent structure. Palate turned a bit more towards blueberries and fleshier with air. Great typicity... belongs at the dinner table with Bordeaux twice the price. Another excellent bottle of The Little Wine That Could.
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9/5/2012 - eldiabloazul wrote: 85 Points
Just OK. Limited wow factor that makes you want another bottle.
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7/30/2012 - John McCabe wrote: 89 Points
A bit stiff and unyielding. Definitely some good structure and definition. Needs more time.
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7/3/2012 - Redguy wrote: 88 Points
Ripe but not sweet with an earthy disposition. Good balance. Med(-) depth. Decent acidity and structure with some nice dusty tannins keeps everything tidy and well organized. Dinner table friendly. Shows Bordeaux character and class at a level not usually found at this price. In fact, amazingly good for the $.
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6/1/2012 - davergny wrote: 89 Points
Open for about an hour. Sweet blueberries, tobacco, and graphite on the nose. Blueberries and black currants on the palate, with tar and tobacco notes on the back end, and bitter chocolate on the finish. Nothing smacks you in the face though, all the elements nicely packaged in an elegant style. Not especially deep or long, but enough to keep you interested and pleased. Quite lovely and some solid Graves character. One source (Youtube video from the Chateau) says this is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and WA says 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. WA 89
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4/9/2012 - scotty_b wrote: 91 Points
Crazy good for under $20. Sweet tobacco, black currant, mild minty earth, high acid. 3 hour decant did wonders. Should hit its prime in 2-3 years.
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2/29/2012 - cadams wrote: 89 Points
Color is as dark as night with a crimson edge.
Nose of dark fruits and just a hint of that earthy Bordeaux smell.
Gripping tannins that are holding quite tightly at the moment. Can sense a little bit of that fruit in the background. Good high acidity as well.
Probably needs a year maybe two to start opening up.
89+
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2/28/2012 - Redguy wrote: 89 Points
Once again I'm impressed by this offering from a minor chateau with less than ideal terroir. Similar experience as my last bottle. Everything you'd expect from a good Cru Bourgeois at a Bordeaux Superior price. Outstanding value for an accurate and very good taste of Bordeaux.
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1/19/2012 - Redguy wrote: 90 Points
Wow, I'm impressed. Nearly black in glass with a ruby rim. Rich nose of cherries, plums, chocolate, and tobacco. On the palate this full body effort offers a blackberry/plum/cherry compote with nice secondaries of tobacco leaf, cedar, dark chocolate, and damp earth. Good character here, with pleanty of current drinking pleasure, though the dusty fine grain tannins are still out in front a bit. Good structure and depth with acidity to match, this is juicy and delicious but also offers some welcome nuance. Fantastic wine for the price with the structure and fruit to age and improve for 5-10 years easy. Like any good Bordeaux, this was better with food and paired very well with prime rib.
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11/14/2011 - MarkusK wrote: 88 Points
Very good. A full bodied Bordeaux w/o any specific flaws or highlights. A solid choice, very accessible and a bargain at <20$. Blind taste this with 50-100$ Bordeauxs ...
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11/11/2011 - Ron Van Holland wrote: 91 Points
Nearly opaque garnet color. Medium nose of black fruit and sweet tobacco. Flavor follows with rich fruit that is balanced by firm tannins and bright acidity. Leaning toward jammy but not to a fault. Rounds out after a two-hour decant. Dark chocolate at the end of a med-long finish.
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7/24/2011 - patsox wrote: 88 Points
Delicious and an outstanding value in Bordeaux!
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6/11/2011 - Grinner wrote: 89 Points
A crazy good $15 (on futures) wine. Impenetrable purple color, it has graphite, tar, earth, blackberry, and plum notes. The texture is a bit coarse and the tannins are more in the back seat than the rear view mirror. As much as I hate "aging" sub-$20 wines, this one needs another year.
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7/20/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
2008 Le Thil is one of the top value wines from the vintage offering quality, character and a low price of under $20. Blackberry dark cherry, tar, vanilla and coffee aromatics pair well with soft textures and a chocolate, boysenberry filled finish. This vintage was produced with the help with Stephane Derenoncourt. 90 Pts
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8/31/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
08 Château Le Thil is a contender for the best value wine in Bordeaux today. It’s amazing a wine selling for this little money from good terroir, made with the assistance of Stephane Derenoncourt, can be found in the marketplace for such a low price. Ripe, rich, smoky black fruit, along with earth and cigar box notes, are the hallmark of this wine. 89-91 Pts
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