Was extremely classic St Estephe on the open (leafy and herbaceous with a touch of flint) but the palate was rather attenuated. Then with air the body filled out and the finish became quite cool but intense, if that makes sense. Punching above its weight for sure.
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Lunch at Hua Yu Wee, courtesy of Chef D. Pop and poured. Drank over 2+ hours. Drank in Gabriel Standart. Appearance is clear (sediments towards end of bottle only), deep intensity, ruby colour. Thin legs. Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of menthol, dirty leather, some musky funk, black fruits. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium- alcohol (12.5%), resolved smooth high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of leather, menthol, grilled bell pepper, blackberries, blackcurrant, cassis, cigar/tobacco. Long finish. Very good quality. Classic Left Bank Bordeaux at a good age. Maybe I am developing an "old man palate". I am starting to really appreciate these nicely aged Bordeaux stuff.
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PnP. Drank over a few hours. Opened up over 15-30 minutes. Tannins completely resolved revealing soft pleasant red fruit with medium finish. Not sure how long it will last last, but this is very nice right now
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Opened the bottle two hours prior to dinner. After the two hour slow ox I decanted the bottle using a vinturi as I realized a little of the cork had broken off and at 24 years I assumed there would be quite a bit of sediment (I was wrong about that). The nose was berries and leather. The palate was dark berries, leather, tobacco, three bark and earth. The finish was moderate to long. A very enjoyable bottle of wine. There really is no upside but i am sure it will stay at this level for some time. I have one bottle left and will get to it sometime next year. Served with a simple platter of baked chicken.
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Pronounced green pyrazine notes. Overshadowed the fruit, if there was any. Minimal tertiary note developments. The palate was pleasant and the length excellent
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Beautiful light garnet color with a brick rim. Meaty nose that mixes black current fruit with a touch of wild. Fullish, yet not heavy Bordeaux, that has mature, sweet fruit and autumn leaves on the palate. This is excellent at age 24 though lacks a bit of umph on the finish. Nice, classic Saint Estephe. (89)
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Leather, meaty, wet forest, slight vanilla, spices, toast. Medium+ tannin and acidity. Able to cellar easily 10 years. A very good vintage. 1-2 hours of decanting should soften the wine. I had 18 bottles of this and should be able to try and error on the right decanting.
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Christmas Day red from the Magnum. Good aged claret - a little spicy and hot on the palate. Fruit was a little lacking - not worth holding onto this I feel - no way it will improve.
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Blind, deep red color hints to something serious, yet on the nose, notes of green pepper, tomato vines, forest under growth, wet cardboard, mushrooms ending on a tannic yet short finish. Past it’s prime with zero fruit left. Drink yesterday.
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Good aged claret but nothing special. Quite smoky and spicy but a little lacking the depth of fruit you would expect. Preceded a bottle of Ormes de Pez 2008 which was in a different league.
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deep dark burgundy red, little clarity, amber hue Nose: black cherry, leather, tobacco, wet earth, cola, black pepper, oak Pal: black cherry, leather, tobacco, wet earth, cola, dust, black pepper, vanilla, oak Feel: medium, savory, acidic Finish: medium T8
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This is really good. Much better than 3-4 years ago. A point. Cedar, lovely hedgerow, forest floor, earthy dark fruit. This is what Bordeaux is all about. 20 years :)
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A very good bottle, with classic aged Bordeaux character. Dried currants, cedar, earth and tobacco leaf. Nice array of flavors, but could have used a bit more depth and intensity.
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ordered from a restaurant in Stockholm. Perfect bottle with into neck fill and very similar to the bottle I opened from my California cellar a month earlier, except this bottle had less bricking and sediment. This bottle took 60+ minutes to come around and if seemed like it was just emerging from a dumb phase. Tobacco, black cherries, blackberries, blueberries and some red fruits. A few dried herbs and some sweet vanilla Oak. A 15 second finish and silky smooth. This bottle easily had another 10 peak years in it with the next few years likely making an improvement.
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Parker missed the mark on this one by a mile. Perfect bottle with into neck fill. Almost no bricking nor sediment. This bottle took about 30 minutes to come around fully. On the lighter side of full bodied, it still packs in a lot of wonderful tobacco, black cherries, blackberries, blueberries and some red fruits. A few dried herbs and some sweet vanilla Oak. A 15 second finish and silky smooth. This bottle easily had another 5 peak years in it.
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Big Bordeaux at its peak. Mature with a lot of everything and just the right portion of barnyard (like good old Clerc Milon but with more concentration). Why buying expensive Cru Classé if this Cru Bourgeois is that good? With its 43% of Merlot very typical St-Estèphe. Drink now or within the next five years.
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Got this from the wine soc. A vey mellow and complex drink now showing tea flavours lead pencil and some herbal characteristics too. A bit short on length and to be honest I now think I prefer younger claret with a bit more punch. I'd be interested to try again though as at this stage bottle variation is significant
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Decant for an hour. I really like this chateau. Quite dense in colour with only a little bricking at the rim. The nose has an earthy and dark fruit fragrance, it's my idea of what st ester he should be like. Most of the tannin has melted away now, just a little to give it a touch of grip and texture, there's still plenty of acidity and a nice depth of flavour, I'd be happy keeping these longer if I had any left.
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Decanted c 2.5 hrs. Cedar, red current, smoke on the nose. Starting to lose consistency on the palate but still very drinkable and good example of aged Bordeaux
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Decanted 2 hours. Opened up well. Appealing nose of red current, cedar and graphite. Lovely soft tannins on a medium length palate. A classic St Estephe, drinking beautifully.
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Loved this restrained and well balanced Bordeaux. Bricking a good bit. Shows mature nose of dried fruit, and eucalyptus that flows through on the palate. Still had firm tannins and medium acidity. But it's drinking very well now. Shows some smoke and tea notes as well on the finish. Really good. Drink now-2020+
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Sometimes nothing hits the spot like a classic claret with some age, while not in the upper tiers this chateau always delivers an enjoyable experience, there's lead pencil, some dark fruit and a subtle dried herb component, palate is soft and well integrated with some nice flavour, wish the finish was a touch longer though
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Decanted for a couple of hours. Quite young looking just fading a little at the rim. Blackcurrants and earth on the nose and palate, plenty of acidity and a fairly long finish, still a few fine tannins remain on the finish, pretty tasty and very easy to drink
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This seems well made, on first taste (opened for one hour) it was very interesting and suggestive of a higher ranked bordeaux in terms of complexity. However it quickly lost aroma and flavour, odd as colour suggests it has more years to go. Dropped back to a pretty standard wine from 04', say a £15 bottle vs £49 1996, just with less power. Next time would suggest opening for 30 mins and drinking, decanting definitely not needed.
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Nose was a little shy, but otherwise this was a solid mature bdx. Excellent expression of St Estephe with a little bit of pyrazines on the nose along with some smoke. Very dark/black fruit expression on the palate with the heavy merlot component quite apparent. Tannins still present and chalky. Short to moderate finish meeting the expectations of a cru bourgeois. Still youthful, but in its drinking plateau. Drink or hold for short term.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this, bought from the Wine Society for £49 in 2013 and vertically tasted against the 2003. The Wine Soc would have stored well, i brought up to room temp, decanted for an hour and enjoyed with slow cooked beef stew. More than I would normally spend on a bottle, I would say this is drinking very well now but still has a few years left in it. bets wine of 2013 for me but then again it was the most expensive, still worth the money.
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Drinking well on opening. Nice warm, soft floral notes. Much better than previous bottle. It seems to be turning from primary, fruity stage into something with a bit more secondary notes of earth and dryied flowers. Mouthfeel seems just a little thin though. Faded after 3 hours. Recommend pop & pour next time.
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Fabrice Bacquey, the winemaker, was nice enough to open a bottle of this for us after we tasted the younger vintages and it was singing. Not quite fully mature but still showing some secondary flavors of roasted chestnuts, blackberries and graphite. The finish is soft and the wine is perfectly balanced with a nice complexity on the finish. A delicious Bordeaux to drink tonight.
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Nicely integrated. Doesn't need too much time to breath. Surprisingly, smells are a little muted. Wonderful tastes of raisin, leather, tobacco. Subtle Bordeaux fruits, but by no means over-the-hill. Can go another 5-10 years. Enjoy!
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Opened 2 hours before I tasted it. The nose was classic bordeaux with a hint of tobacco. Good length, though not as good as the 93 Poyferre that I had recently. Good value for the money.
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A nice mature Bordeaux. Purchased at Nice Matin in NYC. Leather and hints of tobacco on the nose, but perhaps with slight green notes. Perhaps a bit too much acidity on the palate, but overall a nice well aged Bordeaux. The $150 I paid at the restaurant was a bit higher than I would like (or than it was probably worth), but it would be worth $70-100 retail so probably not that bad. 89-90 on a scale of mature Bordeaux (but much better than most wines that are given similar scores)
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Decanted about 2 hours before dinner with very little sediment in the bottle.
Tight medicinal nose with some sour cherry fruit in the background. Cassis and berry flavors with just the right amount of tannins. Would like to rate this higher but there's a subtle disjointness to this wine. However, it was still very good. This is ready to go now and I doubt the future will give up any more points.
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Drink now. Cleaning out some bottles via drinking and selected this ruby colored earthy wine, with a nose of currants and some fading fruit. Stucture is classic, finish is short.
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Good wine, quite intense without being desperately complex. Started to fall apart after about an hour in the glass. This should keep for the next 3-5 years but I don't see it improving.
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Upon opening this showed some notes of dark fruits and olive that I found enticing. The palate was powerful with a firm mineral core. Over the course of the night the aromatics became odd and the palate very simple with a more red fruit profile that shows tartness on the finish. The structure that I thought this had disappeared with air. The finish was decent but didn't stand out in any particular way. Probably gave this too much air.
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When I first purchased this wine and tried in back in 2003, it was the best wines I had ever had at the price point (about $29) and drank well through 2006. In fact, for the price, I think it rivaled the 1996’s for the biggest St-Estephe houses.
My bottle has been stored at 59 degrees F since purchasing.
After opening my last remaining bottle recently (April 2010), I think the wine has approached the end of drinkability. For about 10 minutes, it showed some weakened notes of its original greatness, including tobacco, smoke, and fruit, but those notes faded quickly. All acid is gone, leaving only some tannins and vaguely perceptible hint of smoke or tobacco. I was surprised because the wine did not visually show much signs of aging – very little change in the original deep color.
It was one of the greats. I’m a little sad because it’s rare to find such a tremendous wine at this price. Time to move on to newer vintages of Phelan Segur.
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Guter Trinkwein mit Zedernholznase. Am Gaumen einige Reifenoten zeigend. Dadurch delikat, auch wenn die ganz grosse Tiefe fehlt. 1996 wurde wenig selektiert und hier vielleicht auch, denn es finden sich auch unreife Töne.
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nose - slightly dank. mouth - much of the fruit has been lost, and the tannins while restrained are the main element. Better with food, in fact enjoyable with food. Hint of orange on the palate. I had higher hopes.
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This wine is in the zone now. Decanted for 2 hours. Herbally nose of tree bark and leather: textbook Phelan Segur. Color is black with only modest fading at rim. With about 20 minutes, the wine's tannins largely resolved. Good fresh and balanced mid palate. Decent fruit but with a touch of tartness (made it great with food) with a long finish. Excellent with Lamb at Evia. Only 12.5% alcohol. I think this wine can go another 10yrs, but be excellent for another 5+. Very impressed with this wine. Everybody loved this wine. Wish I had more.
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Deep rich colour and luminosity; rich fruit on the nose with some woody/leathery undertones. Fully mature, softened tanins; lovely relaxed feel in the mouth: red/dark fruit of course ans also something that felt like warmed skin. Very good indeed and absolutely ready. I shall be drinking most of the case in the next 2 years; can't be sure it will last very long. Stephen Brook says 'charming and stylish'.
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Decanted 1.5 hours. Dark garnet with a tinge of purple in color. No evident bricking.
Very generous nose of black currant, pencil shavings, cedar, cassis and faint pipe tobacco and coffee roast. Peppery raspberry/blackberry on the palate with medium-plus body. The firm tannins and reasonably strong acidity may render this stuff a bit unpleasant by itself, but it sang with the nice fatty steaks we had with it. A very solid wine indeed, but without anything that really sets it apart from other good Bordeaux (or maybe I'm just jaded?) -- though I would gladly drink it again.
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Very good bottle again. Seems to be at its peak. Nice classic bdx nose - cassis, spice, earth and leather. Flavors the same, packaged in a medium bodied wine. Finish was medium-long. very enjoyable and a nice break from the cali cabs I had been doing for a while. Also interesting to taste a low alchohol wine ... less than 13%. Very good indeed.
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Delicious classic St-Estephe with wonderful mineral notes and a pure cassis, red plum and cedar box nose. Showing some complexity and depth but still youthful with plenty of time ahead of it.
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I opened this around 5:15 and poured a small taste. The nose was absolutely incredible, dark fruits, cassis, minerals and earth. This all followed through, although somewhat muted when I tasted it. The tannin was pronounced and the finish was nice. I continued to follow this first pour for about 30-45 minutes without much change. Around 6pm I poured another small taste and it seemed as if it had shut down. The nose was almost completely gone and there was not much finish. I came back about an hour later and still nothing. It's almost 9pm now and the wine is really starting to open back up again. There is some very nice fruit along with some minerality and earthiness. However, just like when I opened it it doesn't all follow through when I taste it. We continued to sample this until it was gone around 10pm. I wish I would have saved a glass to see how it evolved today.
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This was a rich and deep Bordeaux with a wonderful nose of dark fruit and crisp minerals and it had a great, full body, balanced tannins and a long finish dominated by sweet acids. A pretty big, yet elegant wine.
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My wife and I had differing opinions on this one ... I found this bottle to be a very nice, rich, well-aged bordeaux. I thought the fruits were clearly there and the finish was medium to long. The tannins were strong, but I didn't find them overdone.
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Opened this last night at dinner. I was immediately pleased with the first smell. Big beautiful Bordeaux nose full of mineral, earth and dark fruit. Unfortunately, this is where the experience went south. Dry, chalky tannins put up a fortress around any flavors buried beneath. This bottle was completely closed offering only a muffled hint of what may be waiting in years to come. Even after letting it sit for over an hour it was still closed up tight. If this wine can hang on several more years it may soften up to reveal a very pleasant wine. Right now, keep it in your cellar. Try again in 2008+
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12/25/2023 - geraldsng Likes this wine:
Was extremely classic St Estephe on the open (leafy and herbaceous with a touch of flint) but the palate was rather attenuated.
Then with air the body filled out and the finish became quite cool but intense, if that makes sense. Punching above its weight for sure.
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10/22/2020 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 91 Points
Lunch at Hua Yu Wee, courtesy of Chef D. Pop and poured. Drank over 2+ hours. Drank in Gabriel Standart.
Appearance is clear (sediments towards end of bottle only), deep intensity, ruby colour. Thin legs.
Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of menthol, dirty leather, some musky funk, black fruits. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium- alcohol (12.5%), resolved smooth high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of leather, menthol, grilled bell pepper, blackberries, blackcurrant, cassis, cigar/tobacco. Long finish.
Very good quality. Classic Left Bank Bordeaux at a good age. Maybe I am developing an "old man palate". I am starting to really appreciate these nicely aged Bordeaux stuff.
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10/11/2020 - Zetterman Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP. Drank over a few hours. Opened up over 15-30 minutes. Tannins completely resolved revealing soft pleasant red fruit with medium finish. Not sure how long it will last last, but this is very nice right now
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10/6/2020 - markcic Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened the bottle two hours prior to dinner. After the two hour slow ox I decanted the bottle using a vinturi as I realized a little of the cork had broken off and at 24 years I assumed there would be quite a bit of sediment (I was wrong about that). The nose was berries and leather. The palate was dark berries, leather, tobacco, three bark and earth. The finish was moderate to long. A very enjoyable bottle of wine. There really is no upside but i am sure it will stay at this level for some time. I have one bottle left and will get to it sometime next year. Served with a simple platter of baked chicken.
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9/23/2020 - Alykhan V Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pronounced green pyrazine notes. Overshadowed the fruit, if there was any. Minimal tertiary note developments.
The palate was pleasant and the length excellent
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9/20/2020 - dbkitc wrote: 89 Points
Beautiful light garnet color with a brick rim. Meaty nose that mixes black current fruit with a touch of wild. Fullish, yet not heavy Bordeaux, that has mature, sweet fruit and autumn leaves on the palate. This is excellent at age 24 though lacks a bit of umph on the finish. Nice, classic Saint Estephe. (89)
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8/1/2020 - Sean Tay wrote:
Decant 1 hour. Leather, meaty, spices, toast, smoky. Medium+ tannin and acidity.
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7/25/2020 - Sean Tay wrote:
Leather, meaty, wet forest, slight vanilla, spices, toast. Medium+ tannin and acidity. Able to cellar easily 10 years. A very good vintage. 1-2 hours of decanting should soften the wine. I had 18 bottles of this and should be able to try and error on the right decanting.
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12/25/2019 - DFBW Likes this wine: 89 Points
Christmas Day red from the Magnum. Good aged claret - a little spicy and hot on the palate. Fruit was a little lacking - not worth holding onto this I feel - no way it will improve.
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11/24/2019 - Ara Kafafian Does not like this wine: 79 Points
Blind, deep red color hints to something serious, yet on the nose, notes of green pepper, tomato vines, forest under growth, wet cardboard, mushrooms ending on a tannic yet short finish. Past it’s prime with zero fruit left. Drink yesterday.
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9/16/2019 - alohaboys wrote:
Oxidized
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8/17/2019 - DFBW Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good aged claret but nothing special. Quite smoky and spicy but a little lacking the depth of fruit you would expect. Preceded a bottle of Ormes de Pez 2008 which was in a different league.
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3/9/2019 - washbow Likes this wine:
Very good, dinner with Sam
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7/2/2018 - Mike V wrote: 91 Points
The freshness displayed is impressive. Tart cherry’s with medium finish. Great purchase
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2/14/2018 - Lipsman wrote: flawed
Corked
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12/5/2017 - Lipsman wrote: 93 Points
Good minerality backing cherries, dark fruits, licorice, spicy tannins. Medium bodied with great length. This is a top performer at a great value.
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12/5/2017 - Lipsman wrote: flawed
Corked.
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9/22/2017 - Frijole wrote:
deep dark burgundy red, little clarity, amber hue
Nose: black cherry, leather, tobacco, wet earth, cola, black pepper, oak
Pal: black cherry, leather, tobacco, wet earth, cola, dust, black pepper, vanilla, oak
Feel: medium, savory, acidic
Finish: medium
T8
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8/7/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely 96, lovely pallete of leather coffee and chocolate. Ideal sweetness, red currants prominent. Colour was deep and dark.
Tannins still keeping this all together, but have mellowed to a perfect point.
A fine example of a 96 Estèphe.
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3/5/2017 - Vinbutler Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking beautifully right now. Earthy and balanced. Decanted two hours.
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12/28/2016 - Vitisvinifera Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2.5 hrs. Musk, pencil shavings, blackberry, cedar, some silkiness, animal. Great concentration. Drinking beautifully!
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11/21/2016 - RayOB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Château Phélan Ségur Masterclass Dinner (67 Pall Mall): Fresh and young, with a nose of earth and classic claret notes.
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6/18/2016 - alanh13 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is really good. Much better than 3-4 years ago. A point. Cedar, lovely hedgerow, forest floor, earthy dark fruit. This is what Bordeaux is all about. 20 years :)
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6/11/2016 - mdefreitas wrote: 90 Points
A very good bottle, with classic aged Bordeaux character. Dried currants, cedar, earth and tobacco leaf. Nice array of flavors, but could have used a bit more depth and intensity.
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5/2/2016 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 90 Points
ordered from a restaurant in Stockholm. Perfect bottle with into neck fill and very similar to the bottle I opened from my California cellar a month earlier, except this bottle had less bricking and sediment. This bottle took 60+ minutes to come around and if seemed like it was just emerging from a dumb phase. Tobacco, black cherries, blackberries, blueberries and some red fruits. A few dried herbs and some sweet vanilla Oak. A 15 second finish and silky smooth. This bottle easily had another 10 peak years in it with the next few years likely making an improvement.
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4/8/2016 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Parker missed the mark on this one by a mile. Perfect bottle with into neck fill. Almost no bricking nor sediment. This bottle took about 30 minutes to come around fully. On the lighter side of full bodied, it still packs in a lot of wonderful tobacco, black cherries, blackberries, blueberries and some red fruits. A few dried herbs and some sweet vanilla Oak. A 15 second finish and silky smooth. This bottle easily had another 5 peak years in it.
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4/1/2016 - amateur62 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Big Bordeaux at its peak. Mature with a lot of everything and just the right portion of barnyard (like good old Clerc Milon but with more concentration). Why buying expensive Cru Classé if this Cru Bourgeois is that good? With its 43% of Merlot very typical St-Estèphe. Drink now or within the next five years.
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3/11/2016 - Dmski Likes this wine: 90 Points
Got this from the wine soc. A vey mellow and complex drink now showing tea flavours lead pencil and some herbal characteristics too. A bit short on length and to be honest I now think I prefer younger claret with a bit more punch. I'd be interested to try again though as at this stage bottle variation is significant
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10/18/2015 - kingkanu wrote:
Decant for an hour. I really like this chateau. Quite dense in colour with only a little bricking at the rim. The nose has an earthy and dark fruit fragrance, it's my idea of what st ester he should be like. Most of the tannin has melted away now, just a little to give it a touch of grip and texture, there's still plenty of acidity and a nice depth of flavour, I'd be happy keeping these longer if I had any left.
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8/30/2015 - Vitisvinifera wrote: 90 Points
Decanted c 2.5 hrs. Cedar, red current, smoke on the nose. Starting to lose consistency on the palate but still very drinkable and good example of aged Bordeaux
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7/11/2015 - Vitisvinifera Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Opened up well. Appealing nose of red current, cedar and graphite. Lovely soft tannins on a medium length palate. A classic St Estephe, drinking beautifully.
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2/28/2015 - WineCPA wrote: 93 Points
Loved this restrained and well balanced Bordeaux. Bricking a good bit. Shows mature nose of dried fruit, and eucalyptus that flows through on the palate. Still had firm tannins and medium acidity. But it's drinking very well now. Shows some smoke and tea notes as well on the finish. Really good. Drink now-2020+
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1/11/2015 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine: 90 Points
Sometimes nothing hits the spot like a classic claret with some age, while not in the upper tiers this chateau always delivers an enjoyable experience, there's lead pencil, some dark fruit and a subtle dried herb component, palate is soft and well integrated with some nice flavour, wish the finish was a touch longer though
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9/20/2014 - kingkanu Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for a couple of hours. Quite young looking just fading a little at the rim. Blackcurrants and earth on the nose and palate, plenty of acidity and a fairly long finish, still a few fine tannins remain on the finish, pretty tasty and very easy to drink
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2/14/2014 - Dan Martin Likes this wine: 88 Points
This seems well made, on first taste (opened for one hour) it was very interesting and suggestive of a higher ranked bordeaux in terms of complexity. However it quickly lost aroma and flavour, odd as colour suggests it has more years to go. Dropped back to a pretty standard wine from 04', say a £15 bottle vs £49 1996, just with less power. Next time would suggest opening for 30 mins and drinking, decanting definitely not needed.
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1/19/2014 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose was a little shy, but otherwise this was a solid mature bdx. Excellent expression of St Estephe with a little bit of pyrazines on the nose along with some smoke. Very dark/black fruit expression on the palate with the heavy merlot component quite apparent. Tannins still present and chalky. Short to moderate finish meeting the expectations of a cru bourgeois. Still youthful, but in its drinking plateau. Drink or hold for short term.
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12/31/2013 - Jamiemiff Likes this wine: 93 Points
I thoroughly enjoyed this, bought from the Wine Society for £49 in 2013 and vertically tasted against the 2003. The Wine Soc would have stored well, i brought up to room temp, decanted for an hour and enjoyed with slow cooked beef stew. More than I would normally spend on a bottle, I would say this is drinking very well now but still has a few years left in it. bets wine of 2013 for me but then again it was the most expensive, still worth the money.
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10/12/2012 - alanh13 wrote: 89 Points
Drinking well on opening. Nice warm, soft floral notes. Much better than previous bottle. It seems to be turning from primary, fruity stage into something with a bit more secondary notes of earth and dryied flowers. Mouthfeel seems just a little thin though.
Faded after 3 hours. Recommend pop & pour next time.
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4/5/2012 - dream wrote: 91 Points
Fabrice Bacquey, the winemaker, was nice enough to open a bottle of this for us after we tasted the younger vintages and it was singing. Not quite fully mature but still showing some secondary flavors of roasted chestnuts, blackberries and graphite. The finish is soft and the wine is perfectly balanced with a nice complexity on the finish. A delicious Bordeaux to drink tonight.
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3/18/2012 - alanh13 wrote: 87 Points
30 minute decant. Muted, dumb but seemed to have potential. Need to give a good 2 hour decant next time.
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3/16/2012 - tennis wrote: 84 Points
Not bad but nothing special either.
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1/7/2012 - IconeWino wrote: 91 Points
Nicely integrated. Doesn't need too much time to breath. Surprisingly, smells are a little muted. Wonderful tastes of raisin, leather, tobacco. Subtle Bordeaux fruits, but by no means over-the-hill. Can go another 5-10 years. Enjoy!
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11/17/2011 - Shiuone Likes this wine: 89 Points
Opened 2 hours before I tasted it. The nose was classic bordeaux with a hint of tobacco. Good length, though not as good as the 93 Poyferre that I had recently. Good value for the money.
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9/5/2011 - Fateful Destiny Likes this wine: 90 Points
A nice mature Bordeaux. Purchased at Nice Matin in NYC. Leather and hints of tobacco on the nose, but perhaps with slight green notes. Perhaps a bit too much acidity on the palate, but overall a nice well aged Bordeaux. The $150 I paid at the restaurant was a bit higher than I would like (or than it was probably worth), but it would be worth $70-100 retail so probably not that bad. 89-90 on a scale of mature Bordeaux (but much better than most wines that are given similar scores)
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3/26/2011 - Racer117 wrote: 89 Points
Decanted about 2 hours before dinner with very little sediment in the bottle.
Tight medicinal nose with some sour cherry fruit in the background. Cassis and berry flavors with just the right amount of tannins. Would like to rate this higher but there's a subtle disjointness to this wine. However, it was still very good. This is ready to go now and I doubt the future will give up any more points.
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3/13/2011 - pea wrote: 86 Points
Luckily the last bottle. Still shows classic left bank features but much of the fruit has dried out.
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2/12/2011 - gsquireh wrote: 87 Points
Drink now. Cleaning out some bottles via drinking and selected this ruby colored earthy wine, with a nose of currants and some fading fruit. Stucture is classic, finish is short.
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12/21/2010 - Captain Haddock Likes this wine: 88 Points
Good wine, quite intense without being desperately complex. Started to fall apart after about an hour in the glass. This should keep for the next 3-5 years but I don't see it improving.
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9/11/2010 - Kevin_C wrote: 86 Points
Upon opening this showed some notes of dark fruits and olive that I found enticing. The palate was powerful with a firm mineral core. Over the course of the night the aromatics became odd and the palate very simple with a more red fruit profile that shows tartness on the finish. The structure that I thought this had disappeared with air. The finish was decent but didn't stand out in any particular way. Probably gave this too much air.
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4/21/2010 - JustOneMore wrote: 74 Points
When I first purchased this wine and tried in back in 2003, it was the best wines I had ever had at the price point (about $29) and drank well through 2006. In fact, for the price, I think it rivaled the 1996’s for the biggest St-Estephe houses.
My bottle has been stored at 59 degrees F since purchasing.
After opening my last remaining bottle recently (April 2010), I think the wine has approached the end of drinkability. For about 10 minutes, it showed some weakened notes of its original greatness, including tobacco, smoke, and fruit, but those notes faded quickly. All acid is gone, leaving only some tannins and vaguely perceptible hint of smoke or tobacco. I was surprised because the wine did not visually show much signs of aging – very little change in the original deep color.
It was one of the greats. I’m a little sad because it’s rare to find such a tremendous wine at this price. Time to move on to newer vintages of Phelan Segur.
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3/14/2010 - innauen wrote: 87 Points
Guter Trinkwein mit Zedernholznase. Am Gaumen einige Reifenoten zeigend. Dadurch delikat, auch wenn die ganz grosse Tiefe fehlt. 1996 wurde wenig selektiert und hier vielleicht auch, denn es finden sich auch unreife Töne.
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10/1/2009 - soyhead wrote: 86 Points
nose - slightly dank. mouth - much of the fruit has been lost, and the tannins while restrained are the main element. Better with food, in fact enjoyable with food. Hint of orange on the palate. I had higher hopes.
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4/18/2009 - pawine wrote: 91 Points
This wine is in the zone now. Decanted for 2 hours. Herbally nose of tree bark and leather: textbook Phelan Segur. Color is black with only modest fading at rim. With about 20 minutes, the wine's tannins largely resolved. Good fresh and balanced mid palate. Decent fruit but with a touch of tartness (made it great with food) with a long finish. Excellent with Lamb at Evia. Only 12.5% alcohol. I think this wine can go another 10yrs, but be excellent for another 5+. Very impressed with this wine. Everybody loved this wine. Wish I had more.
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11/30/2008 - johnwine wrote: 87 Points
This wine was a little better than Parker suggests however not a great bottle.
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7/29/2008 - keithd wrote: 90 Points
Deep rich colour and luminosity; rich fruit on the nose with some woody/leathery undertones. Fully mature, softened tanins; lovely relaxed feel in the mouth: red/dark fruit of course ans also something that felt like warmed skin. Very good indeed and absolutely ready. I shall be drinking most of the case in the next 2 years; can't be sure it will last very long. Stephen Brook says 'charming and stylish'.
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7/8/2008 - jjjordan wrote:
Decanted 1.5 hours. Dark garnet with a tinge of purple in color. No evident bricking.
Very generous nose of black currant, pencil shavings, cedar, cassis and faint pipe tobacco and coffee roast. Peppery raspberry/blackberry on the palate with medium-plus body. The firm tannins and reasonably strong acidity may render this stuff a bit unpleasant by itself, but it sang with the nice fatty steaks we had with it. A very solid wine indeed, but without anything that really sets it apart from other good Bordeaux (or maybe I'm just jaded?) -- though I would gladly drink it again.
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4/27/2008 - agbailey wrote: 90 Points
Very good bottle again. Seems to be at its peak. Nice classic bdx nose - cassis, spice, earth and leather. Flavors the same, packaged in a medium bodied wine. Finish was medium-long. very enjoyable and a nice break from the cali cabs I had been doing for a while. Also interesting to taste a low alchohol wine ... less than 13%. Very good indeed.
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12/10/2007 - sdylewski wrote:
very nice. quite good for this price.
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12/29/2006 - Fraserj wrote: 89 Points
Delicious classic St-Estephe with wonderful mineral notes and a pure cassis, red plum and cedar box nose. Showing some complexity and depth but still youthful with plenty of time ahead of it.
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4/20/2006 - ChillyWino wrote: 85 Points
I opened this around 5:15 and poured a small taste. The nose was absolutely incredible, dark fruits, cassis, minerals and earth. This all followed through, although somewhat muted when I tasted it. The tannin was pronounced and the finish was nice. I continued to follow this first pour for about 30-45 minutes without much change. Around 6pm I poured another small taste and it seemed as if it had shut down. The nose was almost completely gone and there was not much finish. I came back about an hour later and still nothing. It's almost 9pm now and the wine is really starting to open back up again. There is some very nice fruit along with some minerality and earthiness. However, just like when I opened it it doesn't all follow through when I taste it. We continued to sample this until it was gone around 10pm. I wish I would have saved a glass to see how it evolved today.
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4/5/2006 - Cosmo wrote: 90 Points
This was a rich and deep Bordeaux with a wonderful nose of dark fruit and crisp minerals and it had a great, full body, balanced tannins and a long finish dominated by sweet acids. A pretty big, yet elegant wine.
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12/23/2005 - agbailey wrote: 89 Points
My wife and I had differing opinions on this one ... I found this bottle to be a very nice, rich, well-aged bordeaux. I thought the fruits were clearly there and the finish was medium to long. The tannins were strong, but I didn't find them overdone.
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1/7/2005 - benm024 wrote: 86 Points
Opened this last night at dinner. I was immediately pleased with the first smell. Big beautiful Bordeaux nose full of mineral, earth and dark fruit. Unfortunately, this is where the experience went south. Dry, chalky tannins put up a fortress around any flavors buried beneath. This bottle was completely closed offering only a muffled hint of what may be waiting in years to come. Even after letting it sit for over an hour it was still closed up tight. If this wine can hang on several more years it may soften up to reveal a very pleasant wine. Right now, keep it in your cellar. Try again in 2008+
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