Nice colour with beginning brick on the rim. Nose is fantastic with that buttermilk notion that give away great Bordeaux. The palate, however, is extremely disappointing. Muted fruit and some tired secondary notes with a modest finish. Not dead, but rather exhausted. Drink now.
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I realised this Bordecmbre (this is no. 41!) I really like Saint-Julien appelation Left Bank Bordeaux wines... In fact, this was the second time I brought out a bottle of this vintage, for a different group of friends at our blinded-wine dinner get-togethers.
I would definitely agree that this was one of the Bordeaux successes of the high-yielding and unappreciated 2004 vintage, showing so well with concentration and balance. 58% Cab, 33% Merlot, 5% CF with 3% PV and 1% Malbec. Aged 35% in new oak.
Lightly smoked blackcurrants with toasted oak, a lively fresh palate of black fruit with silky tannins. Acidity M, with tannins and the mouthfeel perfectly integrated.
Shared with RN and M, KS with LN, Eng and A, LMC and L as well as Hue with WMK. NY dinner!
Grand Imperial, Plz Damas, Malaysia 30th Dec 2023
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Bordecembre.. no. 26! Here's my review of the previous bottle, enjoyed a few days before the above one!
Bottle breathed and ready to go in the 1st hour, blackfruits with hints of dark plum. Tannins lightly grippy, med-long finish.
Blend of 58% Cab, 33% Merlot, 5% CF, 3% PV and 1% Malbec (how interesting to have this drop of Malbec!). Aged 35% new oak.
This bottle is such proof that "off" or lesser appreciated vintages can truly shine.
Of the 8 of us, at least 3 picked this at one of their favourite wines.. Even I was surprised! Happy Birthday HS, K and R!
Tang Room, Malaysia 27th Dec 2023
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From the wine list at Teton Pines, Wilson WY. Deep ruby-purple color. Blackcurrant and graphite. Quite chewy tannins, which felt aggressive on first pour, but pairing with steak frites soon put that in the background. Nevertheless, the drying finish was still there at the end of the evening, and the thing that sticks in the memory about this wine.
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Give this some air; definitely showed better after 90 minutes of air after decanting. Some red fruit. Sous bois but no big St. Julien pencil box. Tannins fully resolved and ready to go.
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September BYO (Ole Johan): Concentrated nose with cassis, stable, lead, and mustard seeds. The palate is surprisingly light-bodied with cool red fruit. A clean and tidy wine that has a long finish with medicine cabinets and eucalyptus. Will last for a long time still.
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(Bdx 2004 "2ème cru"-tasting) Rich nose. Black currant and cedar. Some spice and tertiary mushroom notes. Sweet tobacco and earth. Some perfumed red notes among the black. Complex and developed. Fullish palate. Austere, dense and concentrated. Tannic and long. Very good grip. At the same time balanced and elegant. Lovely perfume. Margaux-like in its appearance, this was considered the second best wine in the tasting. At it's peak.
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Clearly a good wine, this is past its prime, probably due to 375ml bottle. Would be keen to try one of these from a stronger vintage but probably 09 onwards or larger formats drinking stronger. No notes as wouldn't be fair to it.
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A Trottertastic Saturday (Les 2 Garçons): Magnum. A perfect lunchtime claret. Graphite, game and tobacco to enjoy on the nose, and again nicely mature on the palate, which was slender and savoury with supporting tannins and excellent balance. Just so food-friendly.
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Tasted in a lineup with 2004, 2005 and 2006. The 2004 and 2006 were quite identical: ready to drink now, integrated tannins, elegant, some fruit left, notes of cedar, cigar, some oak, quite classical Bordeaux. 2005 still needs time (if it will ever come to fruition).
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Sensationally good given the low pro ratings and the comments here. Elegant wine, still fruit, no trace of being over the hill. By far the best of my three bottles.
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What had stuck in my memory from the last bottle of this wine how smooth this wine seemed, no edge at all. It's the same on this showing, which is the positive, the negative is that it's just a bit lacking in intensity. There are various nuances of flavour that arouse interest but none of them very full. It's hard to imagine that this would've been easy drinking when young (there's still tannin now) so I guess this is just a case of a leaner vintage. I'd recommend finishing these up now, certainly try one if you have several.
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Have to concur with most recent tasters of this wine. Absolutely quintessential claret in what I think is it’s prime drinking window. Decanted but to be honest could have just popped and poured. Wonderful deep red hue with not many signs of ageing. It’s a “glowing” deep red. The nose is lovely with all those wonderful deep fruit and pencil shavings/cigar box aromas. Palate is deep and full with lovely rich red fruits of blackcurrant and plum. The tannin is there but really well integrated and adds to the balance. A marvellous 2004 but sadly my last bottle. Whilst I don’t think it will improve, I think it can last for another 3-5 years!
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NobleRottersSydney - Cabernet & blends (Fix, St James, Sydney): {cork, 13%} [Paul] Nicely developing. A little earthier that the adjacent Mount Mary Quintet, but also has cedar and currants with a spicy twist on the nose. The palate is just on the heavy side of medium-weight, with medium chalky tannins and medium acidity. Nicely even palate, ripe and rich, with a beautiful savoury quality. No shortage of fruit though. A bit more depth that the Quintet. Medium long finish too. Impressive, lovely wine which will hold for plenty more time.
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Had to revisit my euphoric TN from around a month ago, put some fat slices of iberico pork on the grill and pnp this one once again, hmmm....., what a fragrance in the nose, strong dark cassis, herbs, violet and some mineral hints, very young showing on the palate again, without pairing with food maybe tonight a little too young for me, but the pork softens the tannin, this bottle needs a lot of aeration to get a little more balanced, better hold this one 5+ years, maybe a decade+ in your cellar, highly recommended as a stunner of this 2004 vintage! **(**-*****), 93, 94(+) potential
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one lonely bottle so far, 2004 normally is not one of my fav vintages, too smoothie like appearance very often, this one is different, pnp, the FIRST bottle from this not well rated vintage which is highly impressive, strong cassis nose, mineral core, slightly graphite, violets, herbs, very young showing on the palate, firm and deep black fruit, in its fruit prime phase still, but..... with a very good balance now, very long, with ripe tannin, demanding finish, seek out for! Better after 3+ hours aeration, enjoy with a very decent decant, better hold for another 5+ years up to a decade+, , one of the best from 2004 so far and from Gruaud Larose, as this Chateau is among the very best Crus in an exceptional chateau vintage, **(**-*****), 93, 94(+) potential
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Supper matches (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Cream, butter, polished oak, blackberry and blackcurrant tending to Cassis with a little herbaceous underpin and plenty of sweet spice, a touch of red liquorice with time. Medium plus intensity acidity, juicy and slightly jubey black fruits, tannins are quite floury textured and tug at the mid palate...there is a little green note her as well. Compared to the 95's there is a bit more 'stuffing' and concentration. Pretty good and in a nice spot.
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Dusty attic nose. Black fruit, even a bit dense, but not exuberant. Sous bois, leather. Slightly dry, not generous by any means, but good typicity for thise who understand claret. Tannins resolved. Drink now; risk of thinning from this point on.
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Decanted for an hour. Deep garnet color; clear. Medium weight. Rustic and softly tannic. Classic Bordeaux style. Leather and graphite. Background black fruit. Fades a bit on the finish. Not a wow wine, but very good.
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Beautiful bouquet with vanilla, chocolate, cedar and laurel. On the palate dark berries, chocolate and laurel, good acidity and some pleasant bitterness. The tannin still has a soft bite. Ready now and it will stay on this level for a few more years. Beautiful and complex wine.
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A good wine without ever reaching great heights but I never did expect it to. A light to medium body, the nose was straight forward and unspectacular - stewed fruits with a hint of cedar. The body was more interesting consisting of fine tannin, good structure, dark fruits and some spices. Finish was beautifully refined and complex. So a good bottle to enjoy now and will last for another 5+ years without improving much further I suspect.
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While starting to show some more obvious tertiary notes - earth, undergrowth, cedar, pipe tobacco - this '04 appears to be in the middle of its drinking window. Smooth and well balanced at 12,5 % abv with soft acidity, melted tannins and fair enough freshness. Very drinkable, a classic expression of Saint-Julien in a lighter vintage.
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From Coravin. Aromas of wet earth, leather, bramble, autumn leaves and mushrooms...with time this is joined by plums, sweet spice, cigar box and cedar...lots going on on the nose. In the mouth it's savoury & juicy with chalky tannins, brambly fruit and leathery notes. medium plus length. Okay.
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ull bodied blackberry and loads of exotic Asian spice and star anise. On the dark end of the spectrum though has mellowed very well with age, combining good acidity and a rich palate. Well rounded and enticing with a fine dusting of tannin at the finish. Nose a little reticent but I didn’t decant for very long and this came from 2 half bottles. Not dazzling but very moreish. 93
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Last tried 2 years ago. Still a deep red colour, lovely cedary, cassis nose with plenty of fruit, soft tannins on the palate but excellent fruit and balance. Drinking well at the momemnt - enjoyed with a tender lamb shank. Will still keep.
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the 2004's have generally disappointed so this was pleasant surprise - balanced with some complexity, it is certainly and surprisingly mature - drink soonish
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Popped and poured, and drank over 3 hours. Just entering its drinking window, but the mature elements have begun to emerge. Delicious dark fruit. Loved it.
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A good accompaniment for our first fine dining takeout in self isolation. Vibrant color, light beguiling nose and silky in the mouth with perfect balance.
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Not the best showing of this. The nose still has some lovely red fruit, but the mid palate shows a bit of surprising gloss while the tannins on the finish are a bit harsh.
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Deep ruby, muted nose but with some agitation gives off sweet blackcurrant and blackberry fruit and a nice desired herb, garrique characteristic. The palate is elegant and not too generous with blackberry fruit, some oak spice and cedar and tannins which are still quite firm and drying. This wine has had only 10 minutes in a decanter so I hope it will unfurl.
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Nothing much has changed since the last bottle I tried, two years ago. This is a perfectly respectable example of Gruaud, with good body and concentration, but the fruit is not quite ripe and so it lacks a little zip in the middle section. Compared to other 04s, it's better than St.Pierre, on a par with Lagrange, but not nearly as good as Léoville-Barton. I can't see it dropping off anytime soon, but there's no reason to expect it to improve either.
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Ripe, dusty tannins, saturated cherries and plums, a hint of tobacco. Terrific long finish, poise and elegance. What a great bottle of Bordeaux. Drink now or hold through 2028.
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Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #034: Bordeaux; St. Julien. (By JS and BS): Complex bouquet with dark berries and luxurious oak, cedar, graphite and tobacco. On the palate dark berries like cassis and blackberries, some bell pepper, white pepper, red berries, vanilla, chocolate, beautiful red berry acidity and good tannin with still a pleasant bite. Beautiful and elegant, complex wine which in the first half of its maturity stage. Will still be a beauty in 2022+
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So glad that I sat on this for almost 6 years since my last note. Still dense in the mouth with excellent fruit. Tannns are silky and soft. Long, long finish. Excellent current drinking, but it has enough of a backbone for another ten years I think.
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Still a medium intensity ruby but showing a hint of change at the rim, though not yet brick. Beautiful nose with hints of plummy fruit, cedar, a touch on menthol (?) and liquorice. Shortly after decanting it seems slightly closed on the palate with a muted mid-palate but showing its promise with a flourish at the finish. Shows more when provoked in the mouth but it's very mellow with just a trace of tannin. Certainly ready now but no immediate danger of falling over. With time in the decanter the wine remains incredibly smooth and rounded. Not massively complex but without any edge at all, such easy drinking.
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Beautiful bright ruby red in colour! Classic nose of claret which contains sweet dark currant fruits, a hint of saltiness, deep nose of minerals! The palate is quite full, echoing the nose, sweet and sour at the same time! It is a mouthwatering classy drink, performing consistently over the years, once again from magnum!
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Not anywhere near maturity, the '04 Gruaud Larose is in a good spot at the moment. Much less bretty than earlier vintages, it show nice purity of cassis fruit with a hint of grass, graphite minerality, and understated oak. Medium in body, with good freshness and a finely built tannin structure that opens up with some time in the air. For more obvious development, hold at least another five years.
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Absolutely pleasant wine. Had some sediment, so decanted, but didn't take long to open up. It was ready for business after 30 minutes, which is very fast for a Bordeaux, and remained that way during the whole dinner. The bouquet is intense, primary, perfumed. On the palate you can still fell the fruit, but tannins are totaly under control. Medium/long finish. Ready to drink and at a perfect spot if you like your wines when they are still fruity. If you like them old, hold another 5 years.
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Ruby colour. Black currant, blueberry, blackberry and some plum, cedar and violets too on the nose. The palate has lovely sweet blackberry and blueberry fruit, great intensity of flavour on the mid palate. Tannins present but totally integrated. The wine is still primary but absolutely delicious.
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Quite nice, especially for the price. Dusty tannins, balanced fruit, medium long on the palate. Roses, dark fruits, good length, a well made wine. Consistent across two cases.
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Most of the components of a very good Gruaud are here - soft berry fruit, trademark spices and warm, cuddly tannins, enveloping a fairly broad and fulsome mouthful. So far, so good, but it just misses a top spot in that the fruit doesn't have the necessary depth and zing in the final third, which is a pity. I can't see it improving much because of this but it will provide enjoyable drinking for several more years.
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Yum yum really! The palate is just so refined, very deep and flavorful! Sheer St Julien, subtle notes of minerals, leather and red fruits, hard to pin down a precisive description on this one, just a joy to drink!
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Well then....opened friday evening, after 3 hours decant it still felt closed so left it in the fridge overnight with cork back in. Saturday evening after another 3 hrs decant, took an additional 2 hrs before opening up. Nice classic nose while still not as expressive as one would hope, quite complex but distant. Soft and pleasant to drink, good fruit and classy flavours but quite hollow and simply feels like an underperforming bottle from a pedigree chateau. Will wait with next one, most 2004s from my cellar has disappointed to date with similar performances (eg Kirwan and Prieure Lichine).
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The wine is clear and medium garnet (with a notable sediment so ideally should be decanted). The nose is clean with pronounced aromas of sweet black fruit (blackcurrant, black cherry, black plum), oak (clove, toast), dried fruit (prune), tertiary (leather, cedar, tobacco, earth). The wine is developing. The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, medium tannins, ripe and fine, medium alcohol, medium (+) body, medium (+) flavours of blackcurrant, black plum, prune, leather, tobacco, earth. The finish is medium (+). The wine is very good quality. There is good concentration and complexity, the fruit is balanced by the acidity and tannins, which are well integrated, and it has a long finish. The wine is elegant and fine. The wine can be drunk now but is suitable for further ageing over the next 3-5 years. It has the fruit concentration supported by the necessary acid and tannins to allow further development of tertiary flavours. However, I would personally would not wait - it still has some freshness of fruit that balances the tertiary characteristics and is drinking very nicely now.
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One of the better 2004 bordeaux I have had. Still a deep dark ruby red with a sexy nose, mix of earthiness, rocks, and dark fruit. Also hints of spice. On the palate this is a strong tannic wine with good structure, complexity and fruit. Really great balance. Tannins still strong but I like tannins. Finish is moderate.
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Tasted together with Pontet-Canet and Montrose from the same vintage. Decanted half an hour. It was the most mature of the three with lovely nose (black currant, leather, cigar) and very approachable on the palate. superb to drink now but will last for another 8 years.
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Deep ruby to purple, it has thrown some sediment but not a lot. I decanted it about 30 minutes before dinner. Huge bouquet of currants, cherries, prunes, and cedar. The last glass (with about 90 minutes breathing time) had a whiff of the humidor. Lovely. On the palate, the attack is youthful with lots of red and black fruit. The finish is fairly long and introduces more earthy, leathery, woody elements. Impeccably balanced. Enough tannins remain to support another decade of aging. I plan to drink my remaining 3 bottles at 3 year intervals over that period. (Unless I buy more, which I am tempted to do.)
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From magnum! Deep red in colour! Spectacular nose of currant fruits, lovely smell! Good body and taste absolutely delicious! Still evolving gracefully! If you have bottles, it is time to crack one open! For those like me who have magnums still can wait a bit for more tertiary development! Nicely made!
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Intensive Aromen von Bitterschokolade, dunklen Beeren, Erde, Graphit und Tabak; feiner als vor 2 Jahren, am Gaumen fast tänzerisch, eleganter, mittlerer Körper, die Tannine haben sich zwischenzeitlich deutlich besser integriert, schön entwickelt, langer Abgang. Lohnt sich zu probieren!
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PoP. Intensely deep ruby, yet translucent edge, some legs @13% abv. Medium left-bank aromas of red cherries, cedar, toasted oak. Later leather and cigar box aromas appear. Dry, medium(+) acidity, medijum elegant yet firm tannin, medium alcohol, medium-medium(+) body. Medium palate of red cherries, blueberries. Later the secondary flavors appear; blackberries, coffee notes, hints of spice, pepper. Balance between tannin, fruit and alcohol. Firmly based on these beautiful tannins. Good length with almost light-footed yet serious and integrated finish. Bravo! Decant next time for ~1hr. Elegant and restrained, super.
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Bricking at the edge. Decanted for 30 minutes. Heavenly aroma of musk roses. Tastes of deep, soft tannin spices, black cherry, cigar box, good acidity, all long on the palate. This wine has it all. Terrific.
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An evening with the whole family; next of this vintage, an intense and animating cassisnose....., still grainy and yery young tannin, enormous power for this vintage, with airation tasty and fresh, midweight cassisbody, some mocha, very long though, a very good appearance of this bottle, years to go, **(**), 90- 93+?
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Deep, moderately translucent dark ruby color. Somewhat restrained and quite noticeably ripe nose with gentle, sweet-toned aromas of dark plummy fruits and juicy cherries, some silky chocolate oak tones, a little bit of peppery spice and a hint of vanilla. The wine is full-bodied, ripe and juicy on the palate with silky mouthfeel and suave, sweet-toned flavors of dark plummy fruits, ripe black cherries, some sweet oak spice, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, a hint of mocha and a touch of cedar. The somewhat soft structure relies more on the moderately high yet quite gentle acidity than on the textural medium tannins. The finish is somewhat more tannic and mouth-drying with rich, mellow flavors of milk chocolate, ripe cassis, a little bit of plummy dark fruit, light cherry tones, a hint of peppery spice and a touch of vanilla.
To some people this wine might be an instant charmer, but to me the lush, heavily oaked and noticeably sweet-toned, ripe-fruited style of the wine didn't work at all. Contrasting the much more serious, structure-driven and less fruity vintage 2006 I tasted a year ago, this was a polar opposite. The wine came across as an excessively monotonous, super-polished and modern crowdpleaser with very straightforward, sweet wood-and-fruit character and softness. Somewhat of a disappointment, not worth the 54,50€.
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Opened this wine at the annual "Good Wine to End the Year With" dinner at Crystal Jade Golden Palace, Paragon.
Very good balance between energy, fruits, acidity and alcohol. Fragrant nose with uplifting effect. Palate is subtle with latent potential. Chewy tannins with a long, smooth finish.
What I like about this wine is its layers and depth.
Simply wonderful!
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This is really in a terrific place right now. It is full bodied, super supple with spicy tannins and black cherries, silky smooth, nicely balanced, and deeply flavored. This is a wow wine on a shoestring budget.
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This Gruaud is gorgeous. The nose is elegant with black berries, on the palate medium bodied, very silky and very long. It drinks very well at the moment right now.
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Deep red center, red rim with signs of age. Sweet, smokey, cherry compote, blackcurrants, black olives, rosemary. Smooth, cherries and raspberries, very good mouth feel, tar, lighter middle, dusty and herby finish. Drinking well now.
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Wonderful wine Good colour, bright and rich Nose is full bodied, black fruits, oak Good tanins, the wine is full bodied and flavours rich. Still young smd can easily age another 10 years or more Will get better eith age but for me get at it before 2020 while it has some youth
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Deep dark center, red rim with signs of age. Sweet, coconut, plums, blackcurrant, expresso, raspberry jam, touch of soy sauce, oak. Smooth, oak up front, cherries and raspberries, umami, modest acid and tannin, a little bread, touch of pirazine, good length of mature fruit. Good Bordeaux, drinking very well now.
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Not as impressive as last bottle in '12. Fruit slightly fading along with finish. Inbetween right now waiting for more secondary flavors to develop. Still tasty for the vintage.
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Château Gruaud-Larose 1928 - 2011: Rich, structured with good tannins, not as complex as the 2000, but a very lovely and easy drinking bottle. Warmer and fuller than expected.
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Great nose. On the palate very traditional, not very fruity, a bit short, quite alright but not memorable. Typical, traditional bordeaux from an average vintage, a bit smokey. I have previously had the 2008 and it seemed more modern. Even if this is on the lighter side, I did not get the St Julien characther. 90-91 pts. Pnp.
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As before. A fairly modern style with dense purple fruit concentration. Smooth tannins, a strong (but classy) oak presence with some slight coconut notes and faint meaty notes. However the wine is too refined, the texture too fine, the finish too long and the oak too expensive for me to care. This is great claret and although not perhaps justifying the price tag, immensely enjoyable. 92
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Better on the nose, with its secondary notes of forest floor, tobacco, cranberry and cassis than on the medium bodied, bright, crunchy red berry dominated palate. The tannins leave you with some dryness in the end notes.
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Raid Len's Cellar #3: Dried blackcurrant, licorice, camphor and savoury spices. Really fine structure with some nice grip from the tannins. Draws itself out across its length. Doesn't pretend to be from any time other than its vintage and I like it for it.
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Deep garnet red with ruby rim. Intense nose that was first dominated by cedar and herbaceous notes. After an hour in the decanter, it opened up to herbes de Provence, some leather and discreet, underlying, poached black fruit. In the mouth medium light bodied, but with good mid palate density and velvety tannins. Balanced, herbal flavours with discreet sweetness. Slightly disappointing length. Not a powerful, but rather elegant, slightly austere wine; still, very classy - although no match for instance to the '98.
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Exotic, slick and complex modern Bordeaux flavours of dark berry, bresaola and expensive oak. A little similar to du tertre with the volume down a notch. Not over extracted or heavy but a showy wine nonetheless with its rich flavours. Probably at the start of its window now if one is after more fruit but appears able to age into something altogether more refined and elegant. 92
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Deep red colour starting to get brick tones. Decanted for one hour. Quite nice complex bouquet with beginning maturity. Medium intensity. Not as much fruit as expected. Ceder, plum and some oak. Nice dry tannins, good acidity, medium bodied, dark fruit, prunes. Quite week middle section, some fruit is missing, medium finnish. Ok claret, but I had expected a bit more...
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Off the hospital winelist for to celebrate my son's Nicolas birth. At least in this hospital (Hirslanden Privé) they know what remedies their patients need. nice classical claret. Nose shows leather, sweet tobacco and dark chocolate. After 1 hour started really opening up. Not a big but a good claret now at full maturity. Drink - 2025
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Robe pas évoluée Nez très avenant, sur les fruits rouge, la vanille. Très belle bouteille, à point, les tanins sont bien fondus, mais encore présents. Très belle matière, très bonne longueur. Plus long que large.
Beaucoup de plaisir
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A bit from memory, but my impressions were clear. Decanted for about 1 hr, drank over 2-3. Not that much fruit in my bottle, but still a decent "claret". Well balanced, not much of a finish. Could be a storage issue -- the bottle spent a few months at room temp.
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Deep purple. Fresh violets, blueberry, crushed stones on the nose. The palate has deep flavours of blackcurrant and berry, the tannins are all sorted and there's a freshness on the finish which makes this a lovely wine to drink now. Mrs Bacchus of Knockholt enjoyed it a lot as she rarely spontaneously says "this wine is really nice". Not much secondary scents and flavours yet, will let the rest of the bottles chill out in the cellar for a few more years and then try again.
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Perfect bottle. Dark and compact. Starts to get some age though. Carmine red.
Lots of coffee, oak/wood, dark fruit. Quite meaty bouquet.
Meaty, bloody and smoky. Leather, cassis. Blind I could end up in Rhône on the taste. Oaky and some tough tannins. Love the acidity here. Good grip and lots of energy. But this wine need more years to reach balance. Quite long finish. Leaving a taste of lingonberries and oak. Very good effort.
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Nice evolution in terms of colour. Elegant and fine on the nose, cedar, forest notes, flowers and ripe red fruit. Good structure on the palate with a persistent and pretty long finish. Slowly opening up, there is a bit of dryness to the tannins though. 91-92+
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Deep colour and a wonderful nose with residual cassis fruit with smoke and balanced oak also in evidence. Medium weight. Smooth tannins. At a nice stage of maturity but 5+ years of life left.
2004 Bordeaux ... 10 years on (Bordeaux Index London): A superior nose to Talbot, tasted just before. Meatier and juicier on the palate. My. This is pretty darn good and substantial, yet high toned, fresh. Very nice job even if it lacks the concentration of a great vintage. I do not understand why Robert Parker did not like it. It has verve.
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No formal notes this time, during dinner. Lovely nose again, with notes of cedar, tobacco, earth, cassis and spices. On the palate fresh, good fruit, a little lean with a tart, not overly long finish. Drinking nicely now, and better with food, in this case beef rib with garlic and morels. 90-92
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Aucun signe d'évolution à l'oeil. Le nez est plus sucré que ce à quoi je m'attendais. La vanille et le caramel ressortent plus qu'à l'habitude pour un Saint-Julien. On a tout de même une belle complexité avec des notes de torréfaction. En bouche les tanins sont présents, plutôt ronds et le fruit est assez noble. On ne sent pas la sucrosité perçue au nez (heureusement). Le milieu de bouche est un peu mince cependant mais la finale (sur la mine de crayon et de longueur moyenne) rattrape un peu ce défaut. Se boit bien en ce moment mais peut encore se conserver assez longtemps. Par contre, pas certain que cela en fera un jour le vin des rois, encore moins le roi des vins ! Conclusion : pas emballé mais pas déçu.
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Just some slight discolouration towards the rim. Lovely nose, earth, smoke, ripe dark fruit, tobacco, cedar, spices... very nice. Spicy on the palate, quite big, sour cherries, really acidic and a little bit rustic, a little bit unbalanced (still), long but slightly austere finish. I'd wait a couple of more years, but I am not sure if it ever will be totally harmonious. 90+
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Spannend, Mamaitagin;heute die gleiche Empfindung: Tiefes Aroma von Bitterschokolade, Zedern, Lakritz, dunklen Beeren und Tabak; gut dekantiert ein fast eleganter, noch etwas ruppig wirkender Wein mit Pfeffer! Guter Abgang, wie von Mamaitagin beschrieben, gerade am Anfang seiner Reife!
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Klassisches tiefes Bordeauxrot. Cabernet-Noten von Zeder, Lakritze und Johannisbeere dominieren; und ist er vielleicht etwas pfeffrig? Noch rau mit gut eingebundenem Tannine. Nachhaltiger Abgang. Am Anfang der Trinkreife, braucht in diesem Entwicklungsstadium vor dem Genuss noch viel Luft. Macht seinem Beinamen alle Ehre!
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Drinking very nicely right now, still some tannins yet to be integrated but tasty wine and improved with time in the glass. Red cherry nibs on the nose, followed by ripe red fruits. Subtle and refined, light weight, and smooth, with a beautiful finish. Nothing blowing you away here, but an overall very nice Bordeaux wine that I could sip on all night.
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Dark ruby red color. Cherry licorice, little barnyard. Ripe cherry, nice finish 15 sec. Heavy nose, but really delicious. A little mint on the nose. Blueberry pie on the nose. Very tasty. Little gamey lamb flavors. Acid medium high. A little bitterness but in a nice way. Very tasty wine. Need to try again to confirm.
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This was an excellent wine, especially for under $50, already drinking very well- medium bodied, exceptionally smooth, nice flavour and minerality. Glad I have another in the cellar; wish i had a case.
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Decanted shortly before tasting. Lots of leather and earth and tobacco on the nose. Very pleasant fruit on the palate--strawberry, peach--mixed with leather, earth, some tannic astringency, and vanilla. Lovely wine, and will certainly age well for another 10+ years easily, and probably improve somewhat.
Double decanted immediately after first tasting note was completed and tasted again after 3 hours. Spicy but smoother, cedar, oak, still with strawberry, peach, earth, and vanilla. Still has tannins, but has smoothed out quite a bit now and still with some tobacco leaf. 92
Tasted after close to 4 hours open. Lots of blood, iron, oak, cedar. 92
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We decanted the wine for two hours before we poured the first glass. It offered blackberry, black currant, dark cherry, cedar, tobacco leaf and a hint of smoke on the nose. On the palate the wine showed blackberry, black currant, dark cherry, spices, cedar, leather, tobacco leaf and hints of chocolate and smoke, paired with medium-level tannin and acidity and very good length. The wine kept evolving as time passed and became richer, juicier, and round and impeccably balanced after three hours in the decanter, without the tiniest rough edge left. This wine was not about depth or power, but about perfect balance and harmony. A true St. Julien. I liked it a lot and ordered a case the same night. 90 points for the time being, with good potential to improve. I would recommend holding the wine for another two to three years, and decanting for at least three hours if you can’t keep your hands off it.
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Good quality St-Julien GCC with medium ruby color, a reasonable concentrated nose showing developing and fairly complex aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry and black cherries, cedar, savory and tobacco, liquorice, meaty and leather. Medium in acidity, the tannin is quite high with ripe and talc-like texture. Fairly full-bodied, the reasonably intense palate has blackcurrant, blackberry and black cherries, liquorice, vanilla and cedar. With a reasonable finish, the wine is a bit too mediocre for a second growth. Ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.
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These wines last a lifetime but if one were to open one now then you would not be dissapointed. Surprinsingly approachable given its youth, but this has a lovely touch of maturity starting to peek through - very classical St Julien notes with firm finish. Some mature cherries and mushroom elements creeping out. Very good and given time will be excellent.
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Vibrant nose with lots of minty notes. Quite a young color still; more purple than I might expect. Still very young and stalky in the mouth, but layers of fruit. Tannins more noticable in the finish. Accompanied beef short ribs very well. Potential to be 90+ with more age?
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Bu 2 bouteilles décantées. Belle robe sombre, sans évolution. Nez de cuir et de cendres froides. Bouche en accord, tannins présents, belle finale. Très bon.
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Dark ruby, nose quite closed initially but opened up to black fruit, graphite, pencil shavings. Left for three hours after decanting there was more complexity of coffee, toffee, leather and tobacco. Fantastic blackcurrant and blueberry fruit on the palate, wonderful balance of fruit and acidity, integrated tannins, drinking well now but more years ahead of it.
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From 750. Immature disc. Quite an open nose - lots of toasty oak influence with coffee, earth, and dark fruit. In 2002, Gruaud switched to a heavier toast on their barrels and that's easy to recognize here. Well balanced on the palate and easy to drink, but I'm not sure how well suited this vintage was for the degree of toast used. On its plateau of maturity now, I think this will drink well for at least another decade.
3+
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Raspberry, blackcurrent and a lot of cedar/wooden chest. Concentrated fruit, tannins well integrated, lovely texture, good length. Not especially complex but delicious and ready now. Half bottle.
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disturbing mustiness that took a few hours to blow off. Still quite tannic without much fruit backing; flavors of tobacco and ash beginning to develop in the background. Not a bad wine but not very pleasurable at this point. Might have been an off-bottle but keeping expectations low for my renaming bottle (open in 2-5 years).
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St Julien 2GCC. Open on nose....Pauillac-like graphite/ pencil shavings, but once it enters the mouth, a tannic monster emerges. Just brute tannins, rustic and unrefined. Can't see how it will become elegant even after the tannins resolve. A second growth, really? A St Julien, really? (7.3/10) . http://sgbordeaux.blogspot.com/2011/04/gruaud-larose-2004.html
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very good Bordeaux. Starting to open up. Has some decent development, but clearly more to go. Pretty intense fruits still. Good tannin grip. 2hrs in decanter, but still drinking better the longer this was open
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Improves with some air. Then it has intense, complex nose. Not so evolved. Medium bodied and very well balanced mouth. Tannins have mellowed, but still there. It is ready to drink, but will easily last 10 more years. A very good Bdx for the price.
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I had the 86 several weeks ago...so picked this up out of curiosity. Though not at the level of it's older brother the 04 is a great value at 1/5th the price. I will lay some of these down if I can get more at under $50/btl....Really nice wine and drinking nicely now.
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Bacon fat is the first thing I noticed after the first pour from the decanter. Wow this wine had that classic old-world Bordeaux nose with cigar box, bacon fat and dark fruit. I had been in a bit of wine funk in August, opening some high rated bottles but getting disappointed as they failed to deliver. Well this wine was a big surprise as Parker rated it only 87 but I found it to be very complex and drinking very well right now with fine grain tannins and a long finish. Goes to show you that the so call experts can get it wrong and it depends on what your palate likes. Paired well with NY Strip steak still savoring that last 1 oz in the glass as I right this note.
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Not as pure and classic and refined as the few prior CGLs I've had (1995, 2000, and 2003); it's more in the heady modern style. But it executes that vibe pretty well, showing effusive mocha, menthol, fig, and cassis, all wrapped in an approachable package that gets its structure more from acid and alcohol than from tannins. I wouldn't expect this to be a long ager; it's ready to go now and should perform well for five or six more years.
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This wine was splash-decanted and serially tasted over three hours. Deep-to-opaque ruby robe. Clean nose (becoming quite intense after an hour in decanter), showing aromas of cassis, licorice, earth and chocolate. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and ample tannins which are fairly well-integrated. The flavor profile is similar to the nose, with the addition of a mineral component. The middle palate is solid and the finish is medium-to-long, albeit a bit astringent. This wine has the structure to improve with additional cellaring. Drink 1/14-12/25.
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My Super Bowl wine selection. This is an under rated wine for the vintage. A gorgeous nose that has an abundance of fresh red fruit, citrus, and iron. Palate is well integrated, albeit classic, with racy raspberries, spice, leather, and currant. The cooler vintage of Bordeaux comes through in spades. Finish has very nice length, with excellent intensity of red berries and polished dusty tannins. After last month's blind '04 Margaux horizontal, I was hoping for more gems from this vintage. I rank this in the top handful of '04s I have had to date and on par with Leoville Barton in the appellation.
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La robe est d'un rubis sombre, mais qui n'est pas opaque. Le nez offre une classe qui fait Bordeaux. Cuir, cèdre, un touche minérale accompagne un beau fruit. En bouche, les saveurs montent en intensité vers une belle finale. Le fruit (cerise), un doux boisé, un peu d'épices et de cuir forment un tout d'une belle amplitude. Jeune, mais bien bon !
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This wine is begging for time. I decanted it on Sunday night and the nose was beautiful, flowers, red berries, a real perfume. I took a sip and it had a bitter streak running up the mid palate. Already planning on putting it back in the bottle I put it away. Monday... not ready, Tuesday... easing up a little, Wednesday... awesome! The bitter streak was gone and everything the bouquet promised, the palate delivered. Great paired with cured meats, made them taste like dry aged beef right off the grill. What an absolute treat. Highly recommended.
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taste: medium/full bodied with gripping tannins that really show off the youth of the wine. Balanced with good tones of cedar, earth, black cherries, cassis, and a lot of black currant tones
overall: this is very young. Grippy tannins really hold back the palate right now, but there isn't a lot of depth behind the tones as well. This can definitely improve though and become something real good, it will just take some time
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7.5/10 - Palate was getting quite tired after a whole day of tastings, but wine seemed balanced with smooth firm tannins. Nice flavours of cassis and some earth. Good wine but did not blow me away. Possibly because of some fatigue on my part. And drinking the very heavy 2009 en primeur blend of Larose de Gruaud could have blunted the taste buds somewhat Drank at tasting after winery tour
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APFW Bordeaux Tasting (Auric Pacific, Enterprise Road): Confirmed my impressions when I tried it about a year-and-a-half back. Good wine, but not entirely memorable. Nose showed plenty of earth, some tobacco, some herbs and some toasty coffee notes layered over cassis fruit. Nice cleanness on the palate, along with a good amount of sweet cassis. Nice balance, well-integrated and with fine, firmish tannins. The touches of herb and tobacco reassert themselves at the finish. I will have no qualms drinking plenty of this.
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Sweet red-toned berries on the nose with perfumy florality and cappucino oak. Medium bodied red berry palate with surprisingly supple tannins, balanced acidity and quite a bit of oak showing. Nice florality here as well. Not much tobacco character. Nice, but the oak needs time to integrate. Pretty delicate and fruit-driven expression for G-L, though it might be a passing phase. @Château
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Tasted at Vino Volo. Nose of leather, venison, tobacco, and black fruits. On the palate, this wine shows tobacco, red currant, black cherry, and gamey meat flavors. Finishes with sturdy tannins. This one needs quite a bit of time. I don't think the score will improv, though. Questionable value.
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UK Wine Pages - Vintage Pairs Offline (Le Colombier, Kensington, London): Deep ruby, narrow bright ruby rim. Lovely pure, quite red-toned fruit on the nose, creamy vanilla oak notes but not overdone. Fruit comes across as quite plummy on the palate, medium-full bodied, firm acidity, tannins still dominate a tight finish but this shows real promise. Needs at least 5 years.
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Drank side-by-side with an '04 Cap-de-Mourlin at APFW to get a feel of the vintage on both sides of Bordeaux. This was drinking surprisingly well after a quick double decant. Nice, very forward nose, with lots of primary fruit character (mainly dark cherry), a touch of leaf and some mineraility. Nice, round palate with some stuffing; rather velvety tannins, again surprisingly dollops of darkish red fruit and good acid structure. Finish was pleasant, with a slight flourish of spice, but not entirely memorable. Good wine, which should get better with age, although it is drinking very nicely now.
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Decanted 2 hours. We had this alongside the 04 Pontet-Canet and they both had similar flavors with the Larose showing a little more earth and minerality and a bit shorter finish and the Pontet-Canet showing better fruits and a smoother mouthfeel.
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Decanted for about 2 hours before drinking. Nose was mostly smoked meat and leather with a bit of blueberry. Taste was much of the same. Much like the Pontet-Canet we drank this with, it was surprisingly smooth for such a young wine. Only reason why I rated this one slightly lower was because I didn't think it was as well balanced as the Pontet-Canet. Last glass of the bottle was the best, showing some really great blueberries and blackberries mixed in with the leather and earth.
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Very nice smooth wine. Medium to full body. Less than a year in the bottle when i drank it. Surprising no real tannin - i'm sure this will age beautifully. Nice long chocalatey, creamy finish.
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Dense, undeveloped color. Lovely bouquet of red berries (Cherry especially) and a hint of buttermilk and wheat (white bread). The palate was as dense as one could hope. Classy wine, many tannins, but lovely to drink. Long aftertaste. Cherries all round. Drink now or keep for a decade or two.
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5/5/2024 - jdlee1232 wrote: 90 Points
Still drinking well, relax the depth of better vintages
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3/9/2024 - Tao wrote: 91 Points
Strong, leathery black currant notes, a hint of spiciness, and a lengthy finish! A little course on the palate! At its prime!
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2/18/2024 - nwinther wrote: 88 Points
Nice colour with beginning brick on the rim.
Nose is fantastic with that buttermilk notion that give away great Bordeaux.
The palate, however, is extremely disappointing. Muted fruit and some tired secondary notes with a modest finish. Not dead, but rather exhausted.
Drink now.
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12/30/2023 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 91 Points
I realised this Bordecmbre (this is no. 41!) I really like Saint-Julien appelation Left Bank Bordeaux wines... In fact, this was the second time I brought out a bottle of this vintage, for a different group of friends at our blinded-wine dinner get-togethers.
I would definitely agree that this was one of the Bordeaux successes of the high-yielding and unappreciated 2004 vintage, showing so well with concentration and balance. 58% Cab, 33% Merlot, 5% CF with 3% PV and 1% Malbec. Aged 35% in new oak.
Lightly smoked blackcurrants with toasted oak, a lively fresh palate of black fruit with silky tannins. Acidity M, with tannins and the mouthfeel perfectly integrated.
Shared with RN and M, KS with LN, Eng and A, LMC and L as well as Hue with WMK. NY dinner!
Grand Imperial, Plz Damas, Malaysia
30th Dec 2023
==========================
Bordecembre.. no. 26! Here's my review of the previous bottle, enjoyed a few days before the above one!
Bottle breathed and ready to go in the 1st hour, blackfruits with hints of dark plum. Tannins lightly grippy, med-long finish.
Blend of 58% Cab, 33% Merlot, 5% CF, 3% PV and 1% Malbec (how interesting to have this drop of Malbec!). Aged 35% new oak.
This bottle is such proof that "off" or lesser appreciated vintages can truly shine.
Of the 8 of us, at least 3 picked this at one of their favourite wines.. Even I was surprised! Happy Birthday HS, K and R!
Tang Room, Malaysia
27th Dec 2023
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12/23/2023 - jdlee1232 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not the finest GL I have had - tough vintage
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11/24/2023 - M.Batard wrote: 89 Points
From the wine list at Teton Pines, Wilson WY. Deep ruby-purple color. Blackcurrant and graphite. Quite chewy tannins, which felt aggressive on first pour, but pairing with steak frites soon put that in the background. Nevertheless, the drying finish was still there at the end of the evening, and the thing that sticks in the memory about this wine.
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10/7/2023 - chefdilletante wrote:
Give this some air; definitely showed better after 90 minutes of air after decanting. Some red fruit. Sous bois but no big St. Julien pencil box. Tannins fully resolved and ready to go.
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9/24/2023 - Bryan A wrote: flawed
Aroma is flat, no development. Colour is pale, some browning. Oxidized wine and VA flawed.
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9/15/2023 - Torchy wrote: 93 Points
September BYO (Ole Johan): Concentrated nose with cassis, stable, lead, and mustard seeds. The palate is surprisingly light-bodied with cool red fruit. A clean and tidy wine that has a long finish with medicine cabinets and eucalyptus. Will last for a long time still.
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9/2/2023 - Argrath wrote: 94 Points
(Bdx 2004 "2ème cru"-tasting)
Rich nose. Black currant and cedar. Some spice and tertiary mushroom notes. Sweet tobacco and earth. Some perfumed red notes among the black. Complex and developed.
Fullish palate. Austere, dense and concentrated. Tannic and long. Very good grip. At the same time balanced and elegant. Lovely perfume.
Margaux-like in its appearance, this was considered the second best wine in the tasting. At it's peak.
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8/19/2023 - hargy Likes this wine: 92 Points
the last of my bottles and again this was a pleasant surprise - most certainly and surprisingly mature, this was delicious and very likely at its peak
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7/27/2023 - Bantoft97 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Clearly a good wine, this is past its prime, probably due to 375ml bottle. Would be keen to try one of these from a stronger vintage but probably 09 onwards or larger formats drinking stronger. No notes as wouldn't be fair to it.
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7/18/2023 - Zweder Likes this wine: 91 Points
My last bottle and that is ok. The wine is still very nice, but a bit flat and uninspiring, but there is ok fruit and acidity.
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7/15/2023 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
A Trottertastic Saturday (Les 2 Garçons): Magnum. A perfect lunchtime claret. Graphite, game and tobacco to enjoy on the nose, and again nicely mature on the palate, which was slender and savoury with supporting tannins and excellent balance. Just so food-friendly.
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5/19/2023 - Peter Spijker Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted in a lineup with 2004, 2005 and 2006. The 2004 and 2006 were quite identical: ready to drink now, integrated tannins, elegant, some fruit left, notes of cedar, cigar, some oak, quite classical Bordeaux. 2005 still needs time (if it will ever come to fruition).
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4/13/2023 - egoya Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sensationally good given the low pro ratings and the comments here. Elegant wine, still fruit, no trace of being over the hill. By far the best of my three bottles.
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4/11/2023 - chrisdgsmith@hotmail.co.uk Likes this wine: 90 Points
What had stuck in my memory from the last bottle of this wine how smooth this wine seemed, no edge at all. It's the same on this showing, which is the positive, the negative is that it's just a bit lacking in intensity. There are various nuances of flavour that arouse interest but none of them very full. It's hard to imagine that this would've been easy drinking when young (there's still tannin now) so I guess this is just a case of a leaner vintage. I'd recommend finishing these up now, certainly try one if you have several.
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1/20/2023 - dankgummy wrote: 90 Points
over the hill, britty. drink up.
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12/25/2022 - Red White Likes this wine: 89 Points
(1st) Tasting 2 days after it was opened; was told it was a bit off upon opening.
Subtle Pencil shavings a counterfoil to the modest cherry fruit Maybe a little leaner than expected; fairly long we’ll-balanced finish
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11/17/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Many of the tasters thought it was over the hill but to me it was right its prime past middle age prime.
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8/21/2022 - darrenhe wrote: 92 Points
Have to concur with most recent tasters of this wine. Absolutely quintessential claret in what I think is it’s prime drinking window. Decanted but to be honest could have just popped and poured. Wonderful deep red hue with not many signs of ageing. It’s a “glowing” deep red. The nose is lovely with all those wonderful deep fruit and pencil shavings/cigar box aromas. Palate is deep and full with lovely rich red fruits of blackcurrant and plum. The tannin is there but really well integrated and adds to the balance. A marvellous 2004 but sadly my last bottle. Whilst I don’t think it will improve, I think it can last for another 3-5 years!
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7/6/2022 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Cabernet & blends (Fix, St James, Sydney): {cork, 13%} [Paul] Nicely developing. A little earthier that the adjacent Mount Mary Quintet, but also has cedar and currants with a spicy twist on the nose. The palate is just on the heavy side of medium-weight, with medium chalky tannins and medium acidity. Nicely even palate, ripe and rich, with a beautiful savoury quality. No shortage of fruit though. A bit more depth that the Quintet. Medium long finish too. Impressive, lovely wine which will hold for plenty more time.
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5/14/2022 - fc1910 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had to revisit my euphoric TN from around a month ago,
put some fat slices of iberico pork on the grill and pnp this one once again,
hmmm....., what a fragrance in the nose, strong dark cassis, herbs, violet and some mineral hints,
very young showing on the palate again, without pairing with food maybe tonight a little too young for me, but the pork softens the tannin, this bottle needs a lot of aeration to get a little more balanced,
better hold this one 5+ years, maybe a decade+ in your cellar,
highly recommended as a stunner of this 2004 vintage!
**(**-*****), 93, 94(+) potential
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4/16/2022 - fc1910 Likes this wine: 94 Points
one lonely bottle so far,
2004 normally is not one of my fav vintages, too smoothie like appearance very often,
this one is different, pnp,
the FIRST bottle from this not well rated vintage which is highly impressive,
strong cassis nose, mineral core, slightly graphite, violets, herbs,
very young showing on the palate, firm and deep black fruit, in its fruit prime phase still, but..... with a very good balance now, very long, with ripe tannin, demanding finish, seek out for!
Better after 3+ hours aeration, enjoy with a very decent decant, better hold for another 5+ years up to a decade+, ,
one of the best from 2004 so far and from Gruaud Larose, as this Chateau is among the very best Crus in an exceptional chateau vintage,
**(**-*****), 93, 94(+) potential
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3/13/2022 - chatters wrote:
Supper matches (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Cream, butter, polished oak, blackberry and blackcurrant tending to Cassis with a little herbaceous underpin and plenty of sweet spice, a touch of red liquorice with time. Medium plus intensity acidity, juicy and slightly jubey black fruits, tannins are quite floury textured and tug at the mid palate...there is a little green note her as well. Compared to the 95's there is a bit more 'stuffing' and concentration. Pretty good and in a nice spot.
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12/10/2021 - chefdilletante wrote:
Dusty attic nose. Black fruit, even a bit dense, but not exuberant. Sous bois, leather. Slightly dry, not generous by any means, but good typicity for thise who understand claret. Tannins resolved. Drink now; risk of thinning from this point on.
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12/6/2021 - Pominoz wrote:
Should have been drunk by 2015.
Drank Dec 2021.
Little personality but no significant deterioration.
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11/21/2021 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for an hour. Deep garnet color; clear. Medium weight. Rustic and softly tannic. Classic Bordeaux style. Leather and graphite. Background black fruit. Fades a bit on the finish. Not a wow wine, but very good.
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11/8/2021 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; Some random wines. (@ RW): Black and red berries and chocolate in the bouquet. Some green impressions as well. Same impressions on the palate. Beautiful wine.
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8/26/2021 - Burgnick wrote: 89 Points
Acidity is pronounced. Some hard edges. It might have been benefitted from decanting.
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8/22/2021 - gout wrote: 90 Points
A really good glass of claret. Deep colour, pleasing nose, good fruit & mellow with soft tannins. Drinking well now but would still keep a while.
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7/28/2021 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful bouquet with vanilla, chocolate, cedar and laurel. On the palate dark berries, chocolate and laurel, good acidity and some pleasant bitterness. The tannin still has a soft bite. Ready now and it will stay on this level for a few more years. Beautiful and complex wine.
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4/8/2021 - camben wrote:
Wonderful bottle
Medium plus body
Great complexity
Ready for drinking
Everything is together neatly
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3/1/2021 - tanduybui Likes this wine: 89 Points
A good wine without ever reaching great heights but I never did expect it to. A light to medium body, the nose was straight forward and unspectacular - stewed fruits with a hint of cedar. The body was more interesting consisting of fine tannin, good structure, dark fruits and some spices. Finish was beautifully refined and complex. So a good bottle to enjoy now and will last for another 5+ years without improving much further I suspect.
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2/14/2021 - CHarder Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice but not spectacular. Drink with a decant over the next 2-5yrs
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12/26/2020 - L-C. wrote: 89 Points
No formal note. Very classic, frageant, nuce length, enjoyable.
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11/26/2020 - dankgummy wrote: 90 Points
Classic Larose just not their best vintage. Not overly complicated, very straightforward.
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11/21/2020 - Finare Vinare wrote: 91 Points
While starting to show some more obvious tertiary notes - earth, undergrowth, cedar, pipe tobacco - this '04 appears to be in the middle of its drinking window. Smooth and well balanced at 12,5 % abv with soft acidity, melted tannins and fair enough freshness. Very drinkable, a classic expression of Saint-Julien in a lighter vintage.
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10/29/2020 - chatters wrote:
From Coravin. Aromas of wet earth, leather, bramble, autumn leaves and mushrooms...with time this is joined by plums, sweet spice, cigar box and cedar...lots going on on the nose. In the mouth it's savoury & juicy with chalky tannins, brambly fruit and leathery notes. medium plus length. Okay.
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10/9/2020 - Dj6544 wrote: 93 Points
ull bodied blackberry and loads of exotic Asian spice and star anise. On the dark end of the spectrum though has mellowed very well with age, combining good acidity and a rich palate. Well rounded and enticing with a fine dusting of tannin at the finish. Nose a little reticent but I didn’t decant for very long and this came from 2 half bottles. Not dazzling but very moreish. 93
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8/24/2020 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 91 Points
Perfunctory notes but even after only ten minutes in a decanter this wine was lovely and approachable. Elegant, refined, smooth and utterly delicious.
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6/14/2020 - gout wrote: 90 Points
Last tried 2 years ago. Still a deep red colour, lovely cedary, cassis nose with plenty of fruit, soft tannins on the palate but excellent fruit and balance. Drinking well at the momemnt - enjoyed with a tender lamb shank. Will still keep.
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4/11/2020 - hargy Likes this wine: 90 Points
the 2004's have generally disappointed so this was pleasant surprise - balanced with some complexity, it is certainly and surprisingly mature - drink soonish
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4/1/2020 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured, and drank over 3 hours. Just entering its drinking window, but the mature elements have begun to emerge. Delicious dark fruit. Loved it.
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3/20/2020 - Whidah wrote:
A good accompaniment for our first fine dining takeout in self isolation. Vibrant color, light beguiling nose and silky in the mouth with perfect balance.
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12/27/2019 - Nicephoras wrote:
Not the best showing of this. The nose still has some lovely red fruit, but the mid palate shows a bit of surprising gloss while the tannins on the finish are a bit harsh.
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11/26/2019 - ZMAng wrote: 87 Points
Sampler. Green, dark fruit but rather austere, fine tannins, drying finish. 86-88.
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5/29/2019 - LW31 wrote:
Rather austere, leafy, with some clipped blackberry fruit. Sneaky freshness. Drink over next 5 years I’d say.
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4/23/2019 - AndrewR wrote: 90 Points
Dark and serious, finish quite cilpped tho. Feels like it just entered its drinking window and should evolve beautifully over the next 10 yrs.
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4/7/2019 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep ruby, muted nose but with some agitation gives off sweet blackcurrant and blackberry fruit and a nice desired herb, garrique characteristic. The palate is elegant and not too generous with blackberry fruit, some oak spice and cedar and tannins which are still quite firm and drying. This wine has had only 10 minutes in a decanter so I hope it will unfurl.
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3/19/2019 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #037: Bordeaux 2003, 2004 and 2006 (By me): In the bouquet dark berries, graphite, cassis, toast and vanilla. On the palate dark berries like cassis, red berries, graphite, coffee, leather, cherries, chocolate and pleasant oak. Really beautiful wine. See also my note of last December.
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2/17/2019 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nothing much has changed since the last bottle I tried, two years ago. This is a perfectly respectable example of Gruaud, with good body and concentration, but the fruit is not quite ripe and so it lacks a little zip in the middle section. Compared to other 04s, it's better than St.Pierre, on a par with Lagrange, but not nearly as good as Léoville-Barton. I can't see it dropping off anytime soon, but there's no reason to expect it to improve either.
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12/23/2018 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ripe, dusty tannins, saturated cherries and plums, a hint of tobacco. Terrific long finish, poise and elegance. What a great bottle of Bordeaux. Drink now or hold through 2028.
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12/19/2018 - petervlam@skpnet.nl Likes this wine: 93 Points
DDM 18/12/2018.
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12/18/2018 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #034: Bordeaux; St. Julien. (By JS and BS): Complex bouquet with dark berries and luxurious oak, cedar, graphite and tobacco. On the palate dark berries like cassis and blackberries, some bell pepper, white pepper, red berries, vanilla, chocolate, beautiful red berry acidity and good tannin with still a pleasant bite. Beautiful and elegant, complex wine which in the first half of its maturity stage. Will still be a beauty in 2022+
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11/18/2018 - Whidah Likes this wine: 92 Points
So glad that I sat on this for almost 6 years since my last note. Still dense in the mouth with excellent fruit. Tannns are silky and soft. Long, long finish. Excellent current drinking, but it has enough of a backbone for another ten years I think.
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11/11/2018 - CHarder wrote: 91 Points
This is really nice now. No rush but I you like some fruit left this is the time to drink.
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7/14/2018 - chrisdgsmith@hotmail.co.uk Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still a medium intensity ruby but showing a hint of change at the rim, though not yet brick. Beautiful nose with hints of plummy fruit, cedar, a touch on menthol (?) and liquorice. Shortly after decanting it seems slightly closed on the palate with a muted mid-palate but showing its promise with a flourish at the finish. Shows more when provoked in the mouth but it's very mellow with just a trace of tannin. Certainly ready now but no immediate danger of falling over.
With time in the decanter the wine remains incredibly smooth and rounded. Not massively complex but without any edge at all, such easy drinking.
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4/1/2018 - gout wrote: 90 Points
Complex cedary bouquet, well balanced claret with plenty of fruit & structure. Good length. Will keep.
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1/20/2018 - Hoots Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely on the nose but flat on the palate, no length. In a weird spot or passed its best, not sure which so will wait a year for the next one.
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1/8/2018 - Tao wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful bright ruby red in colour! Classic nose of claret which contains sweet dark currant fruits, a hint of saltiness, deep nose of minerals! The palate is quite full, echoing the nose, sweet and sour at the same time! It is a mouthwatering classy drink, performing consistently over the years, once again from magnum!
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10/28/2017 - Finare Vinare wrote: 91 Points
Not anywhere near maturity, the '04 Gruaud Larose is in a good spot at the moment. Much less bretty than earlier vintages, it show nice purity of cassis fruit with a hint of grass, graphite minerality, and understated oak. Medium in body, with good freshness and a finely built tannin structure that opens up with some time in the air. For more obvious development, hold at least another five years.
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10/7/2017 - Two Winos Likes this wine: 92 Points
Amazing nose. Graphite, pencil lead. Great bottle.
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9/9/2017 - favorito Likes this wine: 90 Points
After two hours (decanted) it was a very good St.Julien.
Not a star , but a solid left bank Bordeaux.
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7/14/2017 - ThalesGaspar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Absolutely pleasant wine. Had some sediment, so decanted, but didn't take long to open up. It was ready for business after 30 minutes, which is very fast for a Bordeaux, and remained that way during the whole dinner. The bouquet is intense, primary, perfumed. On the palate you can still fell the fruit, but tannins are totaly under control. Medium/long finish. Ready to drink and at a perfect spot if you like your wines when they are still fruity. If you like them old, hold another 5 years.
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4/22/2017 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ruby colour. Black currant, blueberry, blackberry and some plum, cedar and violets too on the nose. The palate has lovely sweet blackberry and blueberry fruit, great intensity of flavour on the mid palate. Tannins present but totally integrated. The wine is still primary but absolutely delicious.
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3/17/2017 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Quite nice, especially for the price. Dusty tannins, balanced fruit, medium long on the palate. Roses, dark fruits, good length, a well made wine. Consistent across two cases.
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3/15/2017 - Lype Likes this wine: 88 Points
Cedar aromas typical of St Julien, wood tones, dark berries, more feminine than masculine style.
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2/25/2017 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
An easy afternoon with close friends. 2017-01: Pomerol and St Julien. (@ FD): In the bouquet dark and red berries, smoke, toast and forest floor. On the palate dark and red berries, bell pepper, some earth. A bit drying. Ready now and the next few years. Beautiful wine with some finesse.
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1/22/2017 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 90 Points
Most of the components of a very good Gruaud are here - soft berry fruit, trademark spices and warm, cuddly tannins, enveloping a fairly broad and fulsome mouthful. So far, so good, but it just misses a top spot in that the fruit doesn't have the necessary depth and zing in the final third, which is a pity. I can't see it improving much because of this but it will provide enjoyable drinking for several more years.
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12/28/2016 - Tao wrote: 92 Points
Yum yum really! The palate is just so refined, very deep and flavorful! Sheer St Julien, subtle notes of minerals, leather and red fruits, hard to pin down a precisive description on this one, just a joy to drink!
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11/27/2016 - pot20 wrote: 91 Points
La complexité est au rendez-vous. Beaucoup de finesse.
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10/15/2016 - NiklasT wrote: 89 Points
Well then....opened friday evening, after 3 hours decant it still felt closed so left it in the fridge overnight with cork back in. Saturday evening after another 3 hrs decant, took an additional 2 hrs before opening up. Nice classic nose while still not as expressive as one would hope, quite complex but distant. Soft and pleasant to drink, good fruit and classy flavours but quite hollow and simply feels like an underperforming bottle from a pedigree chateau. Will wait with next one, most 2004s from my cellar has disappointed to date with similar performances (eg Kirwan and Prieure Lichine).
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10/15/2016 - Andrewbdc wrote: 91 Points
The wine is clear and medium garnet (with a notable sediment so ideally should be decanted).
The nose is clean with pronounced aromas of sweet black fruit (blackcurrant, black cherry, black plum), oak (clove, toast), dried fruit (prune), tertiary (leather, cedar, tobacco, earth). The wine is developing.
The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, medium tannins, ripe and fine, medium alcohol, medium (+) body, medium (+) flavours of blackcurrant, black plum, prune, leather, tobacco, earth. The finish is medium (+).
The wine is very good quality. There is good concentration and complexity, the fruit is balanced by the acidity and tannins, which are well integrated, and it has a long finish. The wine is elegant and fine.
The wine can be drunk now but is suitable for further ageing over the next 3-5 years. It has the fruit concentration supported by the necessary acid and tannins to allow further development of tertiary flavours. However, I would personally would not wait - it still has some freshness of fruit that balances the tertiary characteristics and is drinking very nicely now.
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7/16/2016 - Tavastgatan wrote: 90 Points
Yeah, this is very light. But it still has concentration with dark lightly scoarched fruit. Parker 87p. Me 90-91p.
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6/6/2016 - jnocera wrote: 93 Points
One of the better 2004 bordeaux I have had. Still a deep dark ruby red with a sexy nose, mix of earthiness, rocks, and dark fruit. Also hints of spice. On the palate this is a strong tannic wine with good structure, complexity and fruit. Really great balance. Tannins still strong but I like tannins. Finish is moderate.
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6/3/2016 - amateur62 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted together with Pontet-Canet and Montrose from the same vintage. Decanted half an hour. It was the most mature of the three with lovely nose (black currant, leather, cigar) and very approachable on the palate. superb to drink now but will last for another 8 years.
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4/30/2016 - ProfBainbridge Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep ruby to purple, it has thrown some sediment but not a lot. I decanted it about 30 minutes before dinner. Huge bouquet of currants, cherries, prunes, and cedar. The last glass (with about 90 minutes breathing time) had a whiff of the humidor. Lovely. On the palate, the attack is youthful with lots of red and black fruit. The finish is fairly long and introduces more earthy, leathery, woody elements. Impeccably balanced. Enough tannins remain to support another decade of aging. I plan to drink my remaining 3 bottles at 3 year intervals over that period. (Unless I buy more, which I am tempted to do.)
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4/9/2016 - s******n Likes this wine: 90 Points
Solider linkes Ufer Bordeaux. Üppig und schön zu trinken.
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3/14/2016 - Tao wrote: 92 Points
From magnum! Deep red in colour! Spectacular nose of currant fruits, lovely smell! Good body and taste absolutely delicious! Still evolving gracefully! If you have bottles, it is time to crack one open! For those like me who have magnums still can wait a bit for more tertiary development! Nicely made!
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2/13/2016 - wurzel68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Intensive Aromen von Bitterschokolade, dunklen Beeren, Erde, Graphit und Tabak; feiner als vor 2 Jahren, am Gaumen fast tänzerisch, eleganter, mittlerer Körper, die Tannine haben sich zwischenzeitlich deutlich besser integriert, schön entwickelt, langer Abgang. Lohnt sich zu probieren!
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1/3/2016 - Barolo Raymond wrote: 92 Points
PoP. Intensely deep ruby, yet translucent edge, some legs @13% abv. Medium left-bank aromas of red cherries, cedar, toasted oak. Later leather and cigar box aromas appear. Dry, medium(+) acidity, medijum elegant yet firm tannin, medium alcohol, medium-medium(+) body. Medium palate of red cherries, blueberries. Later the secondary flavors appear; blackberries, coffee notes, hints of spice, pepper. Balance between tannin, fruit and alcohol. Firmly based on these beautiful tannins. Good length with almost light-footed yet serious and integrated finish. Bravo! Decant next time for ~1hr. Elegant and restrained, super.
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1/1/2016 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bricking at the edge. Decanted for 30 minutes. Heavenly aroma of musk roses. Tastes of deep, soft tannin spices, black cherry, cigar box, good acidity, all long on the palate. This wine has it all. Terrific.
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12/25/2015 - fc1910 Likes this wine: 92 Points
An evening with the whole family; next of this vintage, an intense and animating cassisnose....., still grainy and yery young tannin, enormous power for this vintage, with airation tasty and fresh, midweight cassisbody, some mocha, very long though, a very good appearance of this bottle, years to go, **(**), 90- 93+?
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12/12/2015 - forceberry wrote: 86 Points
Deep, moderately translucent dark ruby color. Somewhat restrained and quite noticeably ripe nose with gentle, sweet-toned aromas of dark plummy fruits and juicy cherries, some silky chocolate oak tones, a little bit of peppery spice and a hint of vanilla. The wine is full-bodied, ripe and juicy on the palate with silky mouthfeel and suave, sweet-toned flavors of dark plummy fruits, ripe black cherries, some sweet oak spice, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, a hint of mocha and a touch of cedar. The somewhat soft structure relies more on the moderately high yet quite gentle acidity than on the textural medium tannins. The finish is somewhat more tannic and mouth-drying with rich, mellow flavors of milk chocolate, ripe cassis, a little bit of plummy dark fruit, light cherry tones, a hint of peppery spice and a touch of vanilla.
To some people this wine might be an instant charmer, but to me the lush, heavily oaked and noticeably sweet-toned, ripe-fruited style of the wine didn't work at all. Contrasting the much more serious, structure-driven and less fruity vintage 2006 I tasted a year ago, this was a polar opposite. The wine came across as an excessively monotonous, super-polished and modern crowdpleaser with very straightforward, sweet wood-and-fruit character and softness. Somewhat of a disappointment, not worth the 54,50€.
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12/8/2015 - stayhappy21 wrote: 90 Points
Opened this wine at the annual "Good Wine to End the Year With" dinner at Crystal Jade Golden Palace, Paragon.
Very good balance between energy, fruits, acidity and alcohol. Fragrant nose with uplifting effect. Palate is subtle with latent potential. Chewy tannins with a long, smooth finish.
What I like about this wine is its layers and depth.
Simply wonderful!
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11/30/2015 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is really in a terrific place right now. It is full bodied, super supple with spicy tannins and black cherries, silky smooth, nicely balanced, and deeply flavored. This is a wow wine on a shoestring budget.
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11/21/2015 - winelover20 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This Gruaud is gorgeous. The nose is elegant with black berries, on the palate medium bodied, very silky and very long. It drinks very well at the moment right now.
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11/3/2015 - dhlau Likes this wine: 90 Points
Typical left bank nose with smooth tannin and well structured palate. Medium finish. A delight!
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8/16/2015 - BAGWAF wrote: 92 Points
A bit short on the finish but otherwise a classic bordeaux that is in good form at the moment
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5/29/2015 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep red center, red rim with signs of age.
Sweet, smokey, cherry compote, blackcurrants, black olives, rosemary.
Smooth, cherries and raspberries, very good mouth feel, tar, lighter middle, dusty and herby finish.
Drinking well now.
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5/1/2015 - Wine-matt87 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wonderful wine
Good colour, bright and rich
Nose is full bodied, black fruits, oak
Good tanins, the wine is full bodied and flavours rich. Still young smd can easily age another 10 years or more
Will get better eith age but for me get at it before 2020 while it has some youth
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4/20/2015 - Atreyu wrote:
kraftig røykprek. Mørk frukt, litt streng.
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3/21/2015 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep dark center, red rim with signs of age.
Sweet, coconut, plums, blackcurrant, expresso, raspberry jam, touch of soy sauce, oak.
Smooth, oak up front, cherries and raspberries, umami, modest acid and tannin, a little bread, touch of pirazine, good length of mature fruit.
Good Bordeaux, drinking very well now.
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3/3/2015 - macker100 wrote: 90 Points
Not as impressive as last bottle in '12. Fruit slightly fading along with finish. Inbetween right now waiting for more secondary flavors to develop. Still tasty for the vintage.
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2/1/2015 - Tavastgatan wrote: 91 Points
No real improvement since last bottle. Lots of scorched notes and a little weak on the mid-palate. Quite good.
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1/31/2015 - LWI wrote: 92 Points
Château Gruaud-Larose 1928 - 2011: Rich, structured with good tannins, not as complex as the 2000, but a very lovely and easy drinking bottle. Warmer and fuller than expected.
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1/27/2015 - jmcleay wrote: 93 Points
Lots of dark fruits, still has very good structure and finish.
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1/21/2015 - Sundbyberg wrote: 90 Points
Great nose.
On the palate very traditional, not very fruity, a bit short, quite alright but not memorable. Typical, traditional bordeaux from an average vintage, a bit smokey. I have previously had the 2008 and it seemed more modern.
Even if this is on the lighter side, I did not get the St Julien characther. 90-91 pts.
Pnp.
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1/18/2015 - Dj6544 wrote: 92 Points
As before. A fairly modern style with dense purple fruit concentration. Smooth tannins, a strong (but classy) oak presence with some slight coconut notes and faint meaty notes. However the wine is too refined, the texture too fine, the finish too long and the oak too expensive for me to care. This is great claret and although not perhaps justifying the price tag, immensely enjoyable. 92
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1/4/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 88 Points
Better on the nose, with its secondary notes of forest floor, tobacco, cranberry and cassis than on the medium bodied, bright, crunchy red berry dominated palate. The tannins leave you with some dryness in the end notes.
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12/9/2014 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
Raid Len's Cellar #3: Dried blackcurrant, licorice, camphor and savoury spices. Really fine structure with some nice grip from the tannins. Draws itself out across its length. Doesn't pretend to be from any time other than its vintage and I like it for it.
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12/7/2014 - L-C. wrote: 90 Points
Deep garnet red with ruby rim. Intense nose that was first dominated by cedar and herbaceous notes. After an hour in the decanter, it opened up to herbes de Provence, some leather and discreet, underlying, poached black fruit. In the mouth medium light bodied, but with good mid palate density and velvety tannins. Balanced, herbal flavours with discreet sweetness. Slightly disappointing length. Not a powerful, but rather elegant, slightly austere wine; still, very classy - although no match for instance to the '98.
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11/26/2014 - Dj6544 wrote: 92 Points
Exotic, slick and complex modern Bordeaux flavours of dark berry, bresaola and expensive oak. A little similar to du tertre with the volume down a notch. Not over extracted or heavy but a showy wine nonetheless with its rich flavours. Probably at the start of its window now if one is after more fruit but appears able to age into something altogether more refined and elegant. 92
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11/11/2014 - AURUM Likes this wine: 88 Points
Deep red colour starting to get brick tones. Decanted for one hour. Quite nice complex bouquet with beginning maturity. Medium intensity. Not as much fruit as expected. Ceder, plum and some oak. Nice dry tannins, good acidity, medium bodied, dark fruit, prunes. Quite week middle section, some fruit is missing, medium finnish. Ok claret, but I had expected a bit more...
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11/1/2014 - epiphany Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderful wine.
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10/22/2014 - RayOB wrote: 88 Points
Drank in London
Classic claret but lacking something in the mid palate. Short length.
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10/20/2014 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Off the hospital winelist for to celebrate my son's Nicolas birth. At least in this hospital (Hirslanden Privé) they know what remedies their patients need. nice classical claret. Nose shows leather, sweet tobacco and dark chocolate. After 1 hour started really opening up. Not a big but a good claret now at full maturity. Drink - 2025
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10/18/2014 - GAET Likes this wine: 92 Points
Robe pas évoluée
Nez très avenant, sur les fruits rouge, la vanille.
Très belle bouteille, à point, les tanins sont bien fondus, mais encore présents.
Très belle matière, très bonne longueur. Plus long que large.
Beaucoup de plaisir
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8/17/2014 - John Nezlek wrote: 88 Points
A bit from memory, but my impressions were clear. Decanted for about 1 hr, drank over 2-3. Not that much fruit in my bottle, but still a decent "claret". Well balanced, not much of a finish. Could be a storage issue -- the bottle spent a few months at room temp.
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8/17/2014 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep purple. Fresh violets, blueberry, crushed stones on the nose. The palate has deep flavours of blackcurrant and berry, the tannins are all sorted and there's a freshness on the finish which makes this a lovely wine to drink now. Mrs Bacchus of Knockholt enjoyed it a lot as she rarely spontaneously says "this wine is really nice". Not much secondary scents and flavours yet, will let the rest of the bottles chill out in the cellar for a few more years and then try again.
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6/6/2014 - Tenuta Stefan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfect bottle.
Dark and compact. Starts to get some age though. Carmine red.
Lots of coffee, oak/wood, dark fruit. Quite meaty bouquet.
Meaty, bloody and smoky. Leather, cassis. Blind I could end up in Rhône on the taste.
Oaky and some tough tannins. Love the acidity here. Good grip and lots of energy. But this wine need more years to reach balance.
Quite long finish. Leaving a taste of lingonberries and oak.
Very good effort.
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5/17/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Nice evolution in terms of colour. Elegant and fine on the nose, cedar, forest notes, flowers and ripe red fruit. Good structure on the palate with a persistent and pretty long finish. Slowly opening up, there is a bit of dryness to the tannins though. 91-92+
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5/9/2014 - rwpalmer wrote: 92 Points
Deep colour and a wonderful nose with residual cassis fruit with smoke and balanced oak also in evidence. Medium weight. Smooth tannins. At a nice stage of maturity but 5+ years of life left.
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3/10/2014 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 91 Points
2004 Bordeaux ... 10 years on (Bordeaux Index London): A superior nose to Talbot, tasted just before. Meatier and juicier on the palate. My. This is pretty darn good and substantial, yet high toned, fresh. Very nice job even if it lacks the concentration of a great vintage. I do not understand why Robert Parker did not like it. It has verve.
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3/6/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 91 Points
No formal notes this time, during dinner. Lovely nose again, with notes of cedar, tobacco, earth, cassis and spices. On the palate fresh, good fruit, a little lean with a tart, not overly long finish. Drinking nicely now, and better with food, in this case beef rib with garlic and morels. 90-92
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2/6/2014 - mduque Likes this wine: 88 Points
Aucun signe d'évolution à l'oeil. Le nez est plus sucré que ce à quoi je m'attendais. La vanille et le caramel ressortent plus qu'à l'habitude pour un Saint-Julien. On a tout de même une belle complexité avec des notes de torréfaction. En bouche les tanins sont présents, plutôt ronds et le fruit est assez noble. On ne sent pas la sucrosité perçue au nez (heureusement). Le milieu de bouche est un peu mince cependant mais la finale (sur la mine de crayon et de longueur moyenne) rattrape un peu ce défaut. Se boit bien en ce moment mais peut encore se conserver assez longtemps. Par contre, pas certain que cela en fera un jour le vin des rois, encore moins le roi des vins ! Conclusion : pas emballé mais pas déçu.
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1/15/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 90 Points
Just some slight discolouration towards the rim. Lovely nose, earth, smoke, ripe dark fruit, tobacco, cedar, spices... very nice. Spicy on the palate, quite big, sour cherries, really acidic and a little bit rustic, a little bit unbalanced (still), long but slightly austere finish. I'd wait a couple of more years, but I am not sure if it ever will be totally harmonious. 90+
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12/31/2013 - epiphany Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking beautifully now. Hard to find fault with this classically styled Bordeaux.
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11/9/2013 - wurzel68 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Spannend, Mamaitagin;heute die gleiche Empfindung: Tiefes Aroma von Bitterschokolade, Zedern, Lakritz, dunklen Beeren und Tabak; gut dekantiert ein fast eleganter, noch etwas ruppig wirkender Wein mit Pfeffer! Guter Abgang, wie von Mamaitagin beschrieben, gerade am Anfang seiner Reife!
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11/9/2013 - Mameitagin Likes this wine: 91 Points
Klassisches tiefes Bordeauxrot. Cabernet-Noten von Zeder, Lakritze und Johannisbeere dominieren; und ist er vielleicht etwas pfeffrig? Noch rau mit gut eingebundenem Tannine. Nachhaltiger Abgang. Am Anfang der Trinkreife, braucht in diesem Entwicklungsstadium vor dem Genuss noch viel Luft. Macht seinem Beinamen alle Ehre!
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9/24/2013 - SonnyChiba wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very nicely right now, still some tannins yet to be integrated but tasty wine and improved with time in the glass. Red cherry nibs on the nose, followed by ripe red fruits. Subtle and refined, light weight, and smooth, with a beautiful finish. Nothing blowing you away here, but an overall very nice Bordeaux wine that I could sip on all night.
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9/24/2013 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark ruby red color. Cherry licorice, little barnyard. Ripe cherry, nice finish 15 sec. Heavy nose, but really delicious. A little mint on the nose. Blueberry pie on the nose. Very tasty. Little gamey lamb flavors. Acid medium high. A little bitterness but in a nice way. Very tasty wine. Need to try again to confirm.
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9/2/2013 - jonanator wrote: 91 Points
Showed very well tonight
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8/12/2013 - grjas Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was an excellent wine, especially for under $50, already drinking very well- medium bodied, exceptionally smooth, nice flavour and minerality. Glad I have another in the cellar; wish i had a case.
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7/10/2013 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
n - tobacco
quite tannic
sweet fruit, mellow
Powerful
very long
Probably a bit young but gorgeous now
Beautiful but fierce as my father said
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6/30/2013 - jonanator wrote: 91 Points
Drinking really really well right now
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6/1/2013 - ckinv368 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted shortly before tasting. Lots of leather and earth and tobacco on the nose. Very pleasant fruit on the palate--strawberry, peach--mixed with leather, earth, some tannic astringency, and vanilla. Lovely wine, and will certainly age well for another 10+ years easily, and probably improve somewhat.
Double decanted immediately after first tasting note was completed and tasted again after 3 hours. Spicy but smoother, cedar, oak, still with strawberry, peach, earth, and vanilla. Still has tannins, but has smoothed out quite a bit now and still with some tobacco leaf. 92
Tasted after close to 4 hours open. Lots of blood, iron, oak, cedar. 92
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5/6/2013 - PSPatrick wrote: 90 Points
We decanted the wine for two hours before we poured the first glass. It offered blackberry, black currant, dark cherry, cedar, tobacco leaf and a hint of smoke on the nose. On the palate the wine showed blackberry, black currant, dark cherry, spices, cedar, leather, tobacco leaf and hints of chocolate and smoke, paired with medium-level tannin and acidity and very good length. The wine kept evolving as time passed and became richer, juicier, and round and impeccably balanced after three hours in the decanter, without the tiniest rough edge left. This wine was not about depth or power, but about perfect balance and harmony. A true St. Julien. I liked it a lot and ordered a case the same night. 90 points for the time being, with good potential to improve. I would recommend holding the wine for another two to three years, and decanting for at least three hours if you can’t keep your hands off it.
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3/12/2013 - peterchoy wrote: 89 Points
Good quality St-Julien GCC with medium ruby color, a reasonable concentrated nose showing developing and fairly complex aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry and black cherries, cedar, savory and tobacco, liquorice, meaty and leather. Medium in acidity, the tannin is quite high with ripe and talc-like texture. Fairly full-bodied, the reasonably intense palate has blackcurrant, blackberry and black cherries, liquorice, vanilla and cedar. With a reasonable finish, the wine is a bit too mediocre for a second growth. Ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.
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3/8/2013 - pjaines Likes this wine:
These wines last a lifetime but if one were to open one now then you would not be dissapointed. Surprinsingly approachable given its youth, but this has a lovely touch of maturity starting to peek through - very classical St Julien notes with firm finish. Some mature cherries and mushroom elements creeping out. Very good and given time will be excellent.
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1/7/2013 - Whidah Likes this wine: 87 Points
Vibrant nose with lots of minty notes. Quite a young color still; more purple than I might expect. Still very young and stalky in the mouth, but layers of fruit. Tannins more noticable in the finish. Accompanied beef short ribs very well. Potential to be 90+ with more age?
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11/27/2012 - maxima Likes this wine: 88 Points
Un nez sur la terre et les fleurs.
En bouche, les tannins sont fondues, rien n’accroche…un vin à point!
Bien!
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10/28/2012 - ttholst wrote: 93 Points
Nydelig vin
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10/10/2012 - Magnum Jim wrote: 87 Points
Dense black/blue fruits on the palate. A little heavier and more tannic than expected and dare I say somewhat flabby. Overall somewhat disappointing.
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9/27/2012 - macker100 wrote: 92 Points
Notes consistent with 2/11. Very big black fruited nose, slightly modern feel. Undervalued.
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9/26/2012 - rdewolff wrote: 90 Points
Vers Nice wine. Well balances, took some time to open.
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8/31/2012 - Ericsson wrote: 90 Points
Bu 2 bouteilles décantées. Belle robe sombre, sans évolution. Nez de cuir et de cendres froides. Bouche en accord, tannins présents, belle finale. Très bon.
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7/15/2012 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark ruby, nose quite closed initially but opened up to black fruit, graphite, pencil shavings. Left for three hours after decanting there was more complexity of coffee, toffee, leather and tobacco. Fantastic blackcurrant and blueberry fruit on the palate, wonderful balance of fruit and acidity, integrated tannins, drinking well now but more years ahead of it.
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7/6/2012 - englishman's claret wrote: 89 Points
From 750. Immature disc. Quite an open nose - lots of toasty oak influence with coffee, earth, and dark fruit. In 2002, Gruaud switched to a heavier toast on their barrels and that's easy to recognize here. Well balanced on the palate and easy to drink, but I'm not sure how well suited this vintage was for the degree of toast used. On its plateau of maturity now, I think this will drink well for at least another decade.
3+
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4/11/2012 - Wine Moose wrote: 91 Points
Great Classic Bordeaux. In youth has leaner edges. tabac, petit fruit rouge dense, vanille
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4/9/2012 - Dj6544 wrote: 90 Points
Raspberry, blackcurrent and a lot of cedar/wooden chest. Concentrated fruit, tannins well integrated, lovely texture, good length. Not especially complex but delicious and ready now. Half bottle.
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3/29/2012 - d'Yquembe Mutombo wrote:
disturbing mustiness that took a few hours to blow off. Still quite tannic without much fruit backing; flavors of tobacco and ash beginning to develop in the background. Not a bad wine but not very pleasurable at this point. Might have been an off-bottle but keeping expectations low for my renaming bottle (open in 2-5 years).
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2/24/2012 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 85 Points
This last bottle was disappointing. Too oaky,sweet not integrated. Don't understand what happened- earlier bottles were great
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12/11/2011 - kamalp wrote: 90 Points
- Ruby color. It's balanced and has flavours of black currant and raspberry with a medium body. Polished texture with a long finish.
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10/9/2011 - Andice wrote: 73 Points
St Julien 2GCC. Open on nose....Pauillac-like graphite/ pencil shavings, but once it enters the mouth, a tannic monster emerges. Just brute tannins, rustic and unrefined. Can't see how it will become elegant even after the tannins resolve. A second growth, really? A St Julien, really? (7.3/10) . http://sgbordeaux.blogspot.com/2011/04/gruaud-larose-2004.html
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9/18/2011 - pcwoz wrote: 91 Points
very good Bordeaux. Starting to open up. Has some decent development, but clearly more to go. Pretty intense fruits still. Good tannin grip. 2hrs in decanter, but still drinking better the longer this was open
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9/3/2011 - krispi wrote: 91 Points
Improves with some air. Then it has intense, complex nose. Not so evolved. Medium bodied and very well balanced mouth. Tannins have mellowed, but still there. It is ready to drink, but will easily last 10 more years. A very good Bdx for the price.
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9/1/2011 - MarkMich wrote: 91 Points
I had the 86 several weeks ago...so picked this up out of curiosity. Though not at the level of it's older brother the 04 is a great value at 1/5th the price. I will lay some of these down if I can get more at under $50/btl....Really nice wine and drinking nicely now.
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8/31/2011 - sharonandroland wrote: 93 Points
Intense flavour of black fruits, leather, spices. Tannins nicely mellowed. Very long length.
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8/26/2011 - Arch57 wrote: 92 Points
Bacon fat is the first thing I noticed after the first pour from the decanter. Wow this wine had that classic old-world Bordeaux nose with cigar box, bacon fat and dark fruit. I had been in a bit of wine funk in August, opening some high rated bottles but getting disappointed as they failed to deliver. Well this wine was a big surprise as Parker rated it only 87 but I found it to be very complex and drinking very well right now with fine grain tannins and a long finish. Goes to show you that the so call experts can get it wrong and it depends on what your palate likes. Paired well with NY Strip steak still savoring that last 1 oz in the glass as I right this note.
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6/21/2011 - Stephan O wrote: 90 Points
Not as pure and classic and refined as the few prior CGLs I've had (1995, 2000, and 2003); it's more in the heady modern style. But it executes that vibe pretty well, showing effusive mocha, menthol, fig, and cassis, all wrapped in an approachable package that gets its structure more from acid and alcohol than from tannins. I wouldn't expect this to be a long ager; it's ready to go now and should perform well for five or six more years.
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5/1/2011 - sharonandroland wrote: 92 Points
Decantered for 2 hours - drinking beautifully.
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4/10/2011 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 94 Points
Aged well - ready now. Bitterness and lack of balance of 1-2 years ago all smoothed out
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3/23/2011 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 91 Points
This wine was splash-decanted and serially tasted over three hours. Deep-to-opaque ruby robe. Clean nose (becoming quite intense after an hour in decanter), showing aromas of cassis, licorice, earth and chocolate. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and ample tannins which are fairly well-integrated. The flavor profile is similar to the nose, with the addition of a mineral component. The middle palate is solid and the finish is medium-to-long, albeit a bit astringent. This wine has the structure to improve with additional cellaring. Drink 1/14-12/25.
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2/6/2011 - macker100 wrote: 92 Points
My Super Bowl wine selection. This is an under rated wine for the vintage. A gorgeous nose that has an abundance of fresh red fruit, citrus, and iron. Palate is well integrated, albeit classic, with racy raspberries, spice, leather, and currant. The cooler vintage of Bordeaux comes through in spades. Finish has very nice length, with excellent intensity of red berries and polished dusty tannins. After last month's blind '04 Margaux horizontal, I was hoping for more gems from this vintage. I rank this in the top handful of '04s I have had to date and on par with Leoville Barton in the appellation.
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11/28/2010 - dzitt wrote: 92 Points
La robe est d'un rubis sombre, mais qui n'est pas opaque. Le nez offre une classe qui fait Bordeaux. Cuir, cèdre, un touche minérale accompagne un beau fruit. En bouche, les saveurs montent en intensité vers une belle finale. Le fruit (cerise), un doux boisé, un peu d'épices et de cuir forment un tout d'une belle amplitude. Jeune, mais bien bon !
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11/7/2010 - Caudalie wrote:
assez light, plutôt décevant, bue avec des amis de lise
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11/1/2010 - Purple Grillz wrote: 94 Points
This wine is begging for time. I decanted it on Sunday night and the nose was beautiful, flowers, red berries, a real perfume. I took a sip and it had a bitter streak running up the mid palate. Already planning on putting it back in the bottle I put it away. Monday... not ready, Tuesday... easing up a little, Wednesday... awesome! The bitter streak was gone and everything the bouquet promised, the palate delivered. Great paired with cured meats, made them taste like dry aged beef right off the grill. What an absolute treat. Highly recommended.
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10/14/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: 92 Points
Crazy nose, bursting with olives and meat. Representative of good Bdx. Not ripe, medium structure, smoky, food or solo. Meaty. A little too dry. $60
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4/26/2010 - KeithAkers wrote: 89 Points
connoisseur wines spring european portfolio (Vivere, Chicago IL): nose: balanced and pretty classic gruaud nose of funk, cedar, earth tones, black cherries, and cassis tones. Complex, but a bit tight and lacking noticeable depth
taste: medium/full bodied with gripping tannins that really show off the youth of the wine. Balanced with good tones of cedar, earth, black cherries, cassis, and a lot of black currant tones
overall: this is very young. Grippy tannins really hold back the palate right now, but there isn't a lot of depth behind the tones as well. This can definitely improve though and become something real good, it will just take some time
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4/16/2010 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 88 Points
very good - aging well. Slight bitterness on palatte
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4/6/2010 - darren81 wrote:
7.5/10 - Palate was getting quite tired after a whole day of tastings, but wine seemed balanced with smooth firm tannins. Nice flavours of cassis and some earth. Good wine but did not blow me away. Possibly because of some fatigue on my part. And drinking the very heavy 2009 en primeur blend of Larose de Gruaud could have blunted the taste buds somewhat
Drank at tasting after winery tour
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1/30/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: 91 Points
Churchill's: Château Gruaud-Larose Vertical (Maumee, OH): Smoky beef jerky / Slim Jim nose. Medium tannins, medium+ acid and body. Riper than the 2002 Sarget, delicious. $60
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1/12/2010 - CHarder wrote: 90 Points
Fresh and with a 2 hour decant a pleasing wine. Not overly complex but nice honest claret.
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11/23/2009 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 90 Points
popped and poured. Paired well with steak dinner. Surprisingly smooth and ready to drink now. Somewhat simple, but minerality elevated it
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9/26/2009 - Paul S wrote: 90 Points
APFW Bordeaux Tasting (Auric Pacific, Enterprise Road): Confirmed my impressions when I tried it about a year-and-a-half back. Good wine, but not entirely memorable. Nose showed plenty of earth, some tobacco, some herbs and some toasty coffee notes layered over cassis fruit. Nice cleanness on the palate, along with a good amount of sweet cassis. Nice balance, well-integrated and with fine, firmish tannins. The touches of herb and tobacco reassert themselves at the finish. I will have no qualms drinking plenty of this.
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4/27/2009 - avp wrote:
Sweet red-toned berries on the nose with perfumy florality and cappucino oak.
Medium bodied red berry palate with surprisingly supple tannins, balanced acidity and quite a bit of oak showing. Nice florality here as well. Not much tobacco character.
Nice, but the oak needs time to integrate. Pretty delicate and fruit-driven expression for G-L, though it might be a passing phase. @Château
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4/5/2009 - nwinther wrote: 89 Points
Closed down for now. Dark with dark fruits on nose and palate and a distinguishable acid. Keep for 10 years+
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9/8/2008 - GalvezGuy wrote: 88 Points
Tasted at Vino Volo. Nose of leather, venison, tobacco, and black fruits. On the palate, this wine shows tobacco, red currant, black cherry, and gamey meat flavors. Finishes with sturdy tannins. This one needs quite a bit of time. I don't think the score will improv, though. Questionable value.
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6/20/2008 - SimonG wrote:
UK Wine Forum 'Vintage Pairs' Offline (Le Colombier, London): Fresh, quite acidic, lovely nose. Slightly purplish, full deep colour. Very chewy and grippy still. Slight heat. Has potential. ***(*)
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6/20/2008 - Paul D wrote:
UK Wine Pages - Vintage Pairs Offline (Le Colombier, Kensington, London): Deep ruby, narrow bright ruby rim. Lovely pure, quite red-toned fruit on the nose, creamy vanilla oak notes but not overdone. Fruit comes across as quite plummy on the palate, medium-full bodied, firm acidity, tannins still dominate a tight finish but this shows real promise. Needs at least 5 years.
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2/2/2008 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
Drank side-by-side with an '04 Cap-de-Mourlin at APFW to get a feel of the vintage on both sides of Bordeaux. This was drinking surprisingly well after a quick double decant. Nice, very forward nose, with lots of primary fruit character (mainly dark cherry), a touch of leaf and some mineraility. Nice, round palate with some stuffing; rather velvety tannins, again surprisingly dollops of darkish red fruit and good acid structure. Finish was pleasant, with a slight flourish of spice, but not entirely memorable. Good wine, which should get better with age, although it is drinking very nicely now.
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1/20/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 2 hours. We had this alongside the 04 Pontet-Canet and they both had similar flavors with the Larose showing a little more earth and minerality and a bit shorter finish and the Pontet-Canet showing better fruits and a smoother mouthfeel.
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1/19/2008 - jhannah27 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for about 2 hours before drinking. Nose was mostly smoked meat and leather with a bit of blueberry. Taste was much of the same. Much like the Pontet-Canet we drank this with, it was surprisingly smooth for such a young wine. Only reason why I rated this one slightly lower was because I didn't think it was as well balanced as the Pontet-Canet. Last glass of the bottle was the best, showing some really great blueberries and blackberries mixed in with the leather and earth.
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10/9/2007 - wesselh wrote: 92 Points
Very nice smooth wine. Medium to full body. Less than a year in the bottle when i drank it. Surprising no real tannin - i'm sure this will age beautifully. Nice long chocalatey, creamy finish.
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9/2/2007 - nwinther wrote: 91 Points
Dense, undeveloped color. Lovely bouquet of red berries (Cherry especially) and a hint of buttermilk and wheat (white bread). The palate was as dense as one could hope. Classy wine, many tannins, but lovely to drink. Long aftertaste. Cherries all round. Drink now or keep for a decade or two.
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1/22/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2004 Tasting (The Drake): Bright red color. Right spicy red fruit nose. Nice rich round sweet red fruit on the palate. Surprisingly good!
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