Was hoping for better. The fruit was not bright, tannins not silky smooth. Finish was rather astringent with a prune edge. At 15 years, I truly doubt this wine has more to show. If it were blossoming, I would see hints by now. I have another bottle so here is hoping to bottle variation. Disappointing St Emillion. I detected no merlot in this wine although obviously it is there. Stored in a stand alone cellar since arrival.
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Another really nice bottle of this. This bottle seems almost peak-drinking, but it will not fall off the table any time soon. Open, radiant and giving, slightly richer style, but really works nicely here. I would probably drink this over the next 5-10 years or so.
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Weird purplish ruby. Black fruit pie nose with some alcohol fumes. Hot, extracted, loads of dark fruit. More drinkable on day two but still not that great.
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Just lovely. Had with friends. Decanted one hour before first pour. Everything you want: great nose, interesting darkish fruit, lovely medium to fine grained tannins, and a delightful finish. Will last a couple more years but glad we opened this one.
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This is indeed spoofy, but I find this bottle less off-putting than the last bottle I had 3 years ago. Perhaps it's the additional bottle age or perhaps it's me, but this was inoffensive to borderline enjoyable. Has a rich roasty nose of espresso, tobacco leaf, bing cherry and ripe plum. A donut wine that hits you in the face up front and ends strong, but is a bit hollow in the middle. Dry tannins and a bit of alcoholic heat mar the otherwise long finish. An OK showing for pretty much the worst era in BDX if you ask me, particularly on the Right Bank.
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Aaaaah Friday vino. This 2009 is delicious, but still fruit forward. It is integrating slowly but surely and with three bottles left I look forward to the progress next year.
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Not sure what happened to this... not corked, but just very prematurely over the hill. Port-y notes and roasted fruit. Not enjoyable. Tasted over two days and professionally stored since release.
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I find this wine interesting in that even after 13 years, it still needs to breathe for a bit before the wine is even drinkable. Right out of the bottle the wine is very "harsh", but just 15-20 minutes later it opens up and becomes a wonderful wine. So different than most American cabs that are "ready to go" as soon as you pop the cork. Just a superb blend.
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Bright juicy fruit. Lighter body and somewhat grainy tannins. Meaty and brambly flavors with some chocolate and a good backbone of acidity. Persistent finish.
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From mag, popped and poured. This makes a much more favorable impression than it did 5 years ago when I first opened my stash of 375s. It is somewhat modern in style, in a good way, with plenty of ripe fruit. No overt wood or alcohol, just a very pleasing mouthful of wine nicely balanced. It offers something to everyone, and delivers enough complexity on the nose and palate to please Bordeaux fans. Will likely last a while, though it is terrific today and I’ll probably drink my remaining bottles over the next year or so.
Very good, crowd pleasing wine.
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After an hour in the decanter, cassis, black cherries, plums, dark chocolate, cedar, mint, and eucalyptus. Good acidity (at least for the 2009 vintage) and soft, but not quite rounded tannins. Tastes like quite a bit of CS in this Brdx blend, but the winery web site says 75% Merlot and 25% CF. It's in a nice drinking place now, but should be better in 2-3 more years. Easy 91 now, and possible 92-93 going forward.
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Drank over two days. Medium body. Blackberry aroma, blue and black fruit on the palate, not complex. Tannin now soft, medium-plus acidity, shortish finish. A good daily drinker, best with food. Ready now and will last a bit longer.
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Decanted and drank over two days. Medium body. Nose mostly of dark fruit compote and some leather. On that palate, leather, clove, still a bit or drying and racey tannin. A decent wine for the current price of under $50. Best with food. I expected a bit more fruit, given the vintage.
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Decanted for about an hour. Deep ruby/purple color. Pretty expressive notes of graphite, mulberries, macerated cherries, dark plum, charcoal, smoke, dark chocolate, also some spices and mint as well as some tobacco leaf. It's medium-full bodied with medium-high but silky tannin and medium acidity. Very good length. A pretty full-throttle but balanced St-Emilion from this very good producer. This is just at the beginning of its drinking window and the decant really helped to open the wine up.
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Decanted for an hour prior to tasting. It gave off a lovely dark plum bouquet as the wine was being decanted. Medium purple garnet colour. The nose seemed to be holding back - not quite ready for prime time. Flavours were very Bordeaux; good length and balance and very enjoyable. My plan is try another one in about a year.
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Nice rich full fruit with some subtle secondary elements. Quite powerful but maybe missing some elegance. Hopefully more cellar time will help bring out the secondary elements.
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Deep ruby with a little tailing at the edges. Double decanted and first glass was perhaps three hours from opening. Coming on nicely, the fruit has subsided and the tannins are smoothing out - probably a year or two away from it's peak
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2 hours in a decanter, the wine is packed with dark fruits, rustic tannins and big concentration. At my opinion,.it will improve over the next year, but not sure it will be more enjoyable, to follow...
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Jammy purple fruit nose. Medium-bodied, palate-staining, a little hot, inky and astringent. Not elegant by any stretch but enjoyable. Hard to guess where this will end up but still has lots of runway.
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Dark and popular fruit. Very dense and concentrated and somewhat monolithic. Very little aromatic loft on the nose—seemingly quite closed. Tannins were preset, rather coarse and burly but still behind the generous fruit. Doesn’t seem ready, best to hold and hope for aromatics and depth. No hint of heat—quite well out together.
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The wine is medium-deep purple-garnet in colour. On the nose plum, cedar, and a hint of game. On the palate plenty of rich concentrated plum. The tannins are big, but relatively smooth. It comes across as quite fresh which for the 14.6% alcohol is quite an achievement. And the taste lingers on the palate so certainly a good length. A big wine for sure, full bodied and plenty of concentration. I am guessing this is what you would describe as a ‘Parker’ wine, but certainly enjoying it
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Like many of the 2009's this wine felt both "ready-to-drink" as well as some underlying tannins that could let it sail for another 10 years in the cellar. I tasted it on 4 occasions, twice via Coravin samples in March and April then popped the cork Monday and had some then and finished the bottle on Wednesday. My impression is that it kept developing nicely and was very enjoyable on the last evening.
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This is not nearly the mess that the last 2009 St. Emilion I tried (Godeau) was, but it is hardly recognizable as Bordeaux. Pours dark purple with a ripe nose of blueberry and sage. A big, oaky modern style, with smokey mocha/espresso flavors and blackberry fruit, finishing with a wall of tannins. I made some poor decisions in my 2009 Bordeaux purchases, and the more I revisit these wines 10 year later, the more I realize that this is not my style of vintage.
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At a whopping 14.6% abv, this is very uncommon for Bordeaux wine except for a very hot vintage. A whiff, I smelled a lot of mocha cream, distinct smoke, dark berry and massive fruits. Took a glass and decanted the rest, my initial evaluation was a fruit bomb, thick and concentrated fruits dominated the body, and certainly melted on the palette like a butter. However, I could not feel much tannins lurking around initially as it was truly masked below the massive fruits, but after a while, the full tannins kicked in and I can feel huge grips like road blocks.
more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
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Vertical Madness (Prior Lake, MN): Small tasting pour - vertical of 2009-2012 Barde Haut. Me - Structured, integrated tannins, pepper, smooth. Wife - very dry, leather. Lighter bodied. Maybe over the hill - not super complex. Of all the Barde Haut vertical this wine was the most divisive - great fruit or unbalanced? Depended on your point of view. Me - 91, Wife - 88
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Loads of smoke, espresso, truffle, wet earth and ripe cherries are there for the taking. Soft, round, polished and open, this is really showing great today. And when the oak further integrates, the wine will be even better!
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Dark cherries, dark chocolate, blackberry, smokey. Medium plus tannins, medium acidity and high alcohol. Pleasant wine but lacking a bit finesse with too noticeable alcohol.
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2005 vs. 2009 Barde-Haut. So for starters, these are two great St Emilion vintages that merit compare because the 2005 is more structured and slower to evolve, giving less immediate pleasure (and arguably more in the longer term). So at 10 years and 14, the side-by-side seems just about right.
The liquor-like 2009 is riper and richer. As Chelsea said, "you can taste the sunshine." Yum! And how. It's young and smokey. But both wines are so fruitful; so fruit centric while still so bordelais sophisticated.
preferences landed on party lines. I preferred the 2005 as I expected I would. It's brigthter, spicier, and more vivacious. But as you'd expect from this 85/15 merlot cabfranc producer in an incredible vintage, still lucious and ripe. Really cant' get enough of it. Yet while wonderful, it falls short of magical; they both do.
The 2009, as early-drinking as it was, tastes like a much younger vintage. It's raw and fruitful; primary and tannic: not without acid and energy; how could it be: it's packing a nuclear reactor. A toddler beautiful for every effort, trip, and fall.
In the end an honor to enjoy two beautiful and relatively affordable bordeaux (each ~$45 range on release).
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Similar showing to the last bottle I had over christmas time. I would correct the acidity to medium. Already drinking nicely with some air, but still has a good few years ahead.
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A slight contradiction - a bit rich, porty and alcohlic (14.6%) and yet the cab franc still gives some freshness. Enjoyable now, but slightly atypical.
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Vinturi aerated followed by a 90min decant. Minor sediment present. Dark purple. Muted black cherries and blackberries on the nose. More of the same on the palate. Medium-full bodied. Smooth, well balanced. Medium long finish. Still has room to evolve.
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at wine group St. Emilion tasting. I brought the 2009 and 2010 Barde Haut. Didn't take notes. Both were modern in style and drinking well. Neither was a standout.
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Excellent St. Émilion with a bouquet of dark fruit (blackberries, blueberries) some dark chocolate and char. Quite fullbodied with some heat of the vintage but not over the top. Tannins are still challenging but starting to mellow down. Overall a very good QPR in the actual world of fine wine.
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Decanted one hour. Calmed down and continued to smooth out after another hour at the table. Modern, new world style. Dark fruit, charcoal and cedar on the nose. Rich and full bodied dark fruit with a nice minerality to keep focused. Plenty of dusty tannins and a nice finish to round things out. Second bottle of this wine from temperature controlled cellar. Still time. 91 points
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Deep purple color. Notes of mulberries, dark plum, charcoal, smoke, graphite, also some spices and dark chocolate. It's medium-full bodied with medium-high but silky tannin and medium-high acidity. Very good length. An excellent St-Emilion that is at the beginning of its drinking window but has many years ahead. Good QPR too.
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Some residual tannic bite but overall tannins are much better integrated than several years ago. Dark fruit notes with minerality streaks dominate. Decanting recommended.
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This wine showed incredibly well today. Secondary notes of tobacco and leather or showing through with ample blackberry fruit. It presents a bit dark in color and profile for Saint Em in my opinion, which added a dimension of seriousness for me. I can see this getting better, but on a very good trajectory. Consider me a fan.
After two days RE corked in my fridge the wine is finally alive and full of character. Decent complexity and a good value considering fairly I expensive wine. Recommend Long decanting
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Black cherry juice clipped by pleasantly plush tannins. Dark, smokey, and too modern and full-bodied for Nanette but I found it ultimately refreshing on the finish and great with the low, late winter sun.
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Full body. Dark fruit. Modern in style. Not a fruit bomb, but unbalanced tannins/oakiness. Not sure this is a long aged wine. Decant for sediment. Drink now ans over the next 3-5 years.
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Opened and sat for 1 hour. This wine is ready to drink. I'm on bottle 4 of two cases and I don't taste any reason to postpone drinking this nice Bordeaux. Some sediment in all bottles. It's rich, plummy, dark, silky, great finish. I bought it at $25 and it's a bargain; now selling at ~$60.
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Decidedly California in style, ripe fruit w good acid, but nothing interesting in terms of subtleties, rather just delicious primary fruit. Drink now or over 10 yrs.
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Still young. Strong earthy black fruit and oak, possibly a tad over-extracted, probably needs a couple more years at least to settle down, but enjoyable now especially after some time in the decanter and with food.
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Decanted 3hrs. Very nice aromas and flavors of red berries, graphite, earthy tones, leather, and cedar. Well integrated, full on the palate, drinkable now or hold. Paired well with a dusted NY strip.
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This is why you buy multiple bottles of a longer lived wine. Still better than my last try 15 months ago and two years before that I thought I bought a mistake. Purple to the rim and finally the aroma is starting to come out. Dark fruit and some of the leather and earth flavors of Bordeaux. Picking up more body as it ages. Liking it more and more. Can't wait to try again in one or two years but give it some air and don;t hesitate to open now.
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From 375, popped and poured. Had a bottle of this a week ago and wanted to see if a second impression would be better. Not really. Nose seemed dominated by alcohol, with maybe a hint of black plums. Much better on the palate (some of the notes below had the opposite impression, go figure) with ripe fruit and a pleasing if somewhat sweet finish.
Very modern wine. I hope it will mellow a bit with time, but not sure it will. Crowd pleaser, I'd guess, due to ripe fruit. Not a bad wine; in fact pretty good, but not my favorite style these days.
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Upon opening, raw wood on the nose, with sweet fruit on the palate. Tannins are strong, with a bitter kick in the back. After 3 hours of decanting, the wood got more integrated, with some mature cedar notes on the palate and a touch of flowers on the nose. Overall, a bit too new world to my taste and definitely young yet. Needs few more years.
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After having tasted a bottle of this around a year and a half ago (my score back then was 89 and I concluded it was not ready yet) I tried another bottle of this yesterday. Decanted for 2 hours, upon pulling the cork the room filled with a lovely smell of Bdx and I thought that this wine must have improved since last time I tasted it. However, the experience on the palate did not fully echo what I picked up on the nose here - it certainly showed better then before, but I just felt the fruit is somewhat buried and the wine does feel overworked. I have 10 bottles of the case left and I am somewhat thinking that this wine is just not for me. Fingers crossed it gets better, but I would not hold my breath. I certainly feel RP has been way too generous here...
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Decanted for four hours and drunk at Sunday lunch with roast lamb. Velvety texture with good fruit and a mineral/graphite theme going through it. Drinking well now but still very young and will improve over next five years.
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Much better than two years ago. Nose is still restrained but the wine has a velvety texture with notes of leather, earth and some dark fruit. rather short finish but given my note of two years ago this is just getting better.
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Popped and poured to decorate the tree. Maybe it was the pine on the tree but this had a nice piney nose in addition to traditional dark fruits and solid balance of tannin and fruit and acid.
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Decanted 90 minutes and served with Thanksgiving dinner, so I didn't take any notes. Maybe this was an off bottle, as it didn't live up to the other tasting notes. The nose was restrained, acidity seemed high and out of balance, and tannins were sharp-edged. Very fruit-forward, fairly simplistic flavor with a medium but hot finish; if blind-tasted I would have guessed a CA blend. Maybe it's going to sleep for a while and will wake up more refined in a couple years? Or perhaps I'm an old-school BDX/CDP fan and this isn't for me? The bottle just didn't have the elegance of a Grand Cru.
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Tasted over two days. Fresh and clean right out the gate, nice balance of tannin and fruit. Very enjoyable. Day two seemed to tighten up and reveal more tannic elements. Fair amount of sediment probably the cause. Overall, great wine, but be sure to decant and leave the last bit in the bottle for best taste.
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Opaque purple color turning violet/crimson at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off dark chocolate, dark and red berries, licorice, tobacco, leather, lavender, vanilla, and dried earth. The palate is full-bodied, elevated in alcohol, bright in acidity, and velvety in texture. The flavors mirror the nose with additional flavors of dark chocolate, cola and meat. Finishes with gripping but ultra-refined tannin. This is just great. Delicious and sumptuous - a great effort from Bard-Haut and a great expression of the character of Saint-Emilion. Drink now until 2024.
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A bit tannic on open, it needed 20-30 min of air to fully express itself. Nice nose of mixed berries and hints of earthiness, with a delicious palate of berries and well integrated oak notes (chocolate, mild spices). Med-full body. This was really suave and delicious at the hour mark, with enough complexity to keep me interested. I would give it a 93, but the finish was a bit shorter than I expected. Maybe with more bottle time? I would definitely buy more at this price point. 92-93.
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As was written before - very modern style Bordeaux. Dark and very ripe cherries with some smoky (?) flavours. Medium/long finish with some heat at the end. With some decanting ready to drink now but I think the wine would benefit from some more years in the cellar. Although it is a nicely made wine I have to admit that I did not like the style too much. 88-90
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this smells of deep berry, drying wood and charcoal, rich oak invites blackberry, pencil lead and dark chocolate to dance together, I get real mint nuances on the palate, long smoked finish, an interesting Bordeaux of smoky dark character, with good balance and longevity, this is powerful and deep, and a steal at the price
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Decanted for 2 hours, and drank over a 3 hour window. A very modern styled Bordeaux, its powerful and lush, loaded with dark fruity. Will benefit greatly from a few more years in the cellar and should hold well past 2020. Very good value - easily at the 4th to 5th growth level.
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Deep red color. Aromas of black currant, dark chocolate, coffee and wood spices. Ripe, nicely integrated fruit in the mouth with very good depth and excellent length. Surprisingly thick and suave on the palate. I found this 90% Merlot-based wine to be nicely evolved and delicious at this time. Good value for a highly rated 2009 Bordeaux.
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Opened two hours before tasting, tasted over 2 days. This is a powerful wine. The nose does not give much. Good depth of fruit, in the after-taste aromas of vanilla, dark chocolate for a fairly long-finish. At this point though the high alcohol content of the wine (14.6) shows and it felt as the wine has not fully come together yet and I felt the high alcohol content to be a tad unpleasant for my liking at this stage and the wine lacks elegance currently. I can see this getting better with a couple of years, I think if you can be patient wait another 2-3 years to revisit, this should have 10-15 years in it if kept correctly.
Pour la fête de 5 ans de mon fils né en 2009. Vin qui est encore renfrogné par sa jeunesse. On perçoit des notes mentholées, du cuir et une moyenne longueur. Très peu présent du côté aromatique. Le vin possède du fond. 90 sur 100 potentiel pour 92-93 dans 10 ans.
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Very disappointing. Hopefully this is simply shut down for now. Very closed aromatically on opening, but gradually opened up over a couple hr decant. The cab franc is evident on the nose, but the merlot... my wife, tasting blind, thought it was an acidic Italian chianti. This is simply not balanced at the moment. I will hold my next bottle until at least 2017. The finish is tannic and acidic.
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beautiful purple color to the rim. No notable nose and short finish. I can taste the balance but it seems completley shut down. I'm waiting two years for my next bottle to see if I can taste the potential the pros have given it. 89 for now.
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Dark purple colour, very faint aromas, high alcohol and acidity, Soft/sweet tannins, short finish, I think the graphite or charcoal overwhelms the fruit. It is drinkable but did not really enjoy it. Not sure how to evaluate quality so I gave it 10 on that. Score 80: 50+5+5+10+10
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- Brick color with medium forming legs. It's balanced with a medium body. Linear texture with a medium finish - Maybe a bit early on this one. Tannins are a bit strong but it has some interesting undertones. Could be very interesting in 3/5 years.
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Dense dark purple in dim lighting; reticent clean nose of cedar and fresh red/black fruits; fine regal tannins spread and end up dominating the finish at this early juncture. Drank way too soon but seems poised for a long life rewarding those who have cellared it.
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Horisontal - Misc Bordeaux 2009: Nose: Delicious and harmonic. Blackberries and coffee. Palate: Concentrated dark cherry/blackberry. Powerful heavy acidity and tannin structure. A lovely wine with a solid potential.
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Subtle nose. Notes of forest floor, vanilla, plum, and black cherry with hints of oak. Big wine. Plenty of tannins, acidity, fruits and alcohol. Full-bodied with good structure. Tannins are prominent at the moment, a little rough. Very dry aftertaste and long finish with slight heat at the end. Label indicated 14.6% alcohol level. Higher acidity level than a lot of Bordeuax 2009 I have tasted so far. Have to wait for a few more years to approach the wine. Showing better on 2nd day. Good nose, aromatic and focus notes of sweet vanilla and dark fruits. Smoother tannins with slight sour and dry aftertaste. Upgrade the score. 90-93 pts
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Big and backed by vanilla oak. Though seemingly modern, this should be quit good over time. Several past vintages started off the same and already have balanced out to become a wine of substance. Leave this alone for least 3-5 years . Should be singing in several years, while maintaining fresh fruit.
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dark. alcohol and iodine on the nose. plums on the midpalate. good transition to an sweet/earthy,medium finish with even a little cinnamon as it opens up. no heat. 2009 is speaking. drink some, put some away.
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Smoke, vanilla, black cherry, licorice, plum and coffee aromas open to a soft, round, stylish, plush, plummy wine. There is good structure to the wine. Clearly this will be better after 5-7 years of bottle age.
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2009 Barde Haut is deeply colored, with floral, licorice, cherry, and dark berry aromas. Silky textured, it ends with sweet, dark berry flavors. 91-93 Pts
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4/22/2024 - unc0rked wrote: 88 Points
Was hoping for better. The fruit was not bright, tannins not silky smooth. Finish was rather astringent with a prune edge. At 15 years, I truly doubt this wine has more to show. If it were blossoming, I would see hints by now. I have another bottle so here is hoping to bottle variation. Disappointing St Emillion. I detected no merlot in this wine although obviously it is there. Stored in a stand alone cellar since arrival.
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2/7/2024 - bobbylion Likes this wine: 92 Points
7 months later and this is much more ready. Really a proper claret with all the gentleness and finesse of SE.
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2/3/2024 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another really nice bottle of this. This bottle seems almost peak-drinking, but it will not fall off the table any time soon. Open, radiant and giving, slightly richer style, but really works nicely here. I would probably drink this over the next 5-10 years or so.
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1/6/2024 - kronfeld wrote:
Weird purplish ruby. Black fruit pie nose with some alcohol fumes. Hot, extracted, loads of dark fruit. More drinkable on day two but still not that great.
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11/23/2023 - jroberts86 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just lovely. Had with friends. Decanted one hour before first pour. Everything you want: great nose, interesting darkish fruit, lovely medium to fine grained tannins, and a delightful finish. Will last a couple more years but glad we opened this one.
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10/1/2023 - SlapTheBag Likes this wine:
The nose is great with lots of fruit and damp earth but the palate is still dominate by the tannins. Bottle has great potential with a few more years.
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7/23/2023 - Radboy wrote: 91 Points
This was drinking well after an hour decant. Tasted great with a filet.
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7/23/2023 - bobbylion Likes this wine:
I thought this wasn’t ready. Also after 1,5 hr decant. Tannins still dominate. Leave my 5 bottles for 2025.
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6/20/2023 - GrapeScott wrote: 88 Points
This is indeed spoofy, but I find this bottle less off-putting than the last bottle I had 3 years ago. Perhaps it's the additional bottle age or perhaps it's me, but this was inoffensive to borderline enjoyable. Has a rich roasty nose of espresso, tobacco leaf, bing cherry and ripe plum. A donut wine that hits you in the face up front and ends strong, but is a bit hollow in the middle. Dry tannins and a bit of alcoholic heat mar the otherwise long finish. An OK showing for pretty much the worst era in BDX if you ask me, particularly on the Right Bank.
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6/9/2023 - carl.cornaglia@gmai.com wrote:
Corked
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5/27/2023 - nickuk Likes this wine:
Aaaaah Friday vino. This 2009 is delicious, but still fruit forward. It is integrating slowly but surely and with three bottles left I look forward to the progress next year.
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5/5/2023 - ccsargent Does not like this wine: 79 Points
Not sure what happened to this... not corked, but just very prematurely over the hill. Port-y notes and roasted fruit. Not enjoyable. Tasted over two days and professionally stored since release.
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1/15/2023 - empire80 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Quite full on and tarry with some black fruits, this feels slightly new world. This comes into its own alongside the right food - roast beef for me.
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10/21/2022 - tourproto Likes this wine: 92 Points
I find this wine interesting in that even after 13 years, it still needs to breathe for a bit before the wine is even drinkable. Right out of the bottle the wine is very "harsh", but just 15-20 minutes later it opens up and becomes a wonderful wine. So different than most American cabs that are "ready to go" as soon as you pop the cork. Just a superb blend.
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9/24/2022 - Radboy wrote: 91 Points
A good, everyday drinker.
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5/2/2022 - nywine68 wrote: 91 Points
Bright juicy fruit. Lighter body and somewhat grainy tannins. Meaty and brambly flavors with some chocolate and a good backbone of acidity. Persistent finish.
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4/16/2022 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
From mag, popped and poured. This makes a much more favorable impression than it did 5 years ago when I first opened my stash of 375s. It is somewhat modern in style, in a good way, with plenty of ripe fruit. No overt wood or alcohol, just a very pleasing mouthful of wine nicely balanced. It offers something to everyone, and delivers enough complexity on the nose and palate to please Bordeaux fans. Will likely last a while, though it is terrific today and I’ll probably drink my remaining bottles over the next year or so.
Very good, crowd pleasing wine.
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3/28/2022 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 91 Points
After an hour in the decanter, cassis, black cherries, plums, dark chocolate, cedar, mint, and eucalyptus. Good acidity (at least for the 2009 vintage) and soft, but not quite rounded tannins. Tastes like quite a bit of CS in this Brdx blend, but the winery web site says 75% Merlot and 25% CF. It's in a nice drinking place now, but should be better in 2-3 more years. Easy 91 now, and possible 92-93 going forward.
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3/15/2022 - ChristoBretts Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank over two days. Medium body. Blackberry aroma, blue and black fruit on the palate, not complex. Tannin now soft, medium-plus acidity, shortish finish. A good daily drinker, best with food. Ready now and will last a bit longer.
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3/12/2022 - ChristoBretts Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted and drank over two days. Medium body. Nose mostly of dark fruit compote and some leather. On that palate, leather, clove, still a bit or drying and racey tannin. A decent wine for the current price of under $50. Best with food. I expected a bit more fruit, given the vintage.
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1/28/2022 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for about an hour. Deep ruby/purple color. Pretty expressive notes of graphite, mulberries, macerated cherries, dark plum, charcoal, smoke, dark chocolate, also some spices and mint as well as some tobacco leaf. It's medium-full bodied with medium-high but silky tannin and medium acidity. Very good length. A pretty full-throttle but balanced St-Emilion from this very good producer. This is just at the beginning of its drinking window and the decant really helped to open the wine up.
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10/21/2021 - LuckyLars wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour prior to tasting. It gave off a lovely dark plum bouquet as the wine was being decanted. Medium purple garnet colour. The nose seemed to be holding back - not quite ready for prime time. Flavours were very Bordeaux; good length and balance and very enjoyable. My plan is try another one in about a year.
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10/10/2021 - ccarter5181 wrote: 90 Points
Nice rich full fruit with some subtle secondary elements. Quite powerful but maybe missing some elegance. Hopefully more cellar time will help bring out the secondary elements.
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7/4/2021 - nickuk Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep ruby with a little tailing at the edges. Double decanted and first glass was perhaps three hours from opening. Coming on nicely, the fruit has subsided and the tannins are smoothing out - probably a year or two away from it's peak
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2/6/2021 - hsacks Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar to the 2/3/15 bottle.
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12/26/2020 - Misterobit Likes this wine:
2 hours in a decanter, the wine is packed with dark fruits, rustic tannins and big concentration. At my opinion,.it will improve over the next year, but not sure it will be more enjoyable, to follow...
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12/4/2020 - peeno wrote: 91 Points
Need to save the last bottle for a few more years.
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11/16/2020 - Bigcat29 Likes this wine: 94 Points
One of the best tasting wines. At its peak now.
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10/19/2020 - awilliamson4 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lots of life left
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9/26/2020 - hsacks Likes this wine: 92 Points
More closed and tannic then any of the prior bottles. Better two days later.
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9/20/2020 - kronfeld wrote:
Jammy purple fruit nose. Medium-bodied, palate-staining, a little hot, inky and astringent. Not elegant by any stretch but enjoyable. Hard to guess where this will end up but still has lots of runway.
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9/19/2020 - WhinyWiner Does not like this wine: 71 Points
Oaky, murky, burly, overwhelming, lacking purity, and without character.
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9/14/2020 - Nutty08 wrote: 90 Points
Dark and popular fruit. Very dense and concentrated and somewhat monolithic. Very little aromatic loft on the nose—seemingly quite closed. Tannins were preset, rather coarse and burly but still behind the generous fruit. Doesn’t seem ready, best to hold and hope for aromatics and depth. No hint of heat—quite well out together.
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6/27/2020 - TheWineMonkey wrote: 91 Points
The wine is medium-deep purple-garnet in colour. On the nose plum, cedar, and a hint of game. On the palate plenty of rich concentrated plum. The tannins are big, but relatively smooth. It comes across as quite fresh which for the 14.6% alcohol is quite an achievement. And the taste lingers on the palate so certainly a good length. A big wine for sure, full bodied and plenty of concentration. I am guessing this is what you would describe as a ‘Parker’ wine, but certainly enjoying it
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6/19/2020 - peeno wrote: 92 Points
Nice full body wine with a nice cab franc expression. Dusty mild chocolate cassis drown in dark berry sauce.
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5/28/2020 - hsacks Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar to the 8/30/17 bottle.
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5/21/2020 - Arch57 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Like many of the 2009's this wine felt both "ready-to-drink" as well as some underlying tannins that could let it sail for another 10 years in the cellar.
I tasted it on 4 occasions, twice via Coravin samples in March and April then popped the cork Monday and had some then and finished the bottle on Wednesday. My impression is that it kept developing nicely and was very enjoyable on the last evening.
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5/5/2020 - GrapeScott wrote: 87 Points
This is not nearly the mess that the last 2009 St. Emilion I tried (Godeau) was, but it is hardly recognizable as Bordeaux. Pours dark purple with a ripe nose of blueberry and sage. A big, oaky modern style, with smokey mocha/espresso flavors and blackberry fruit, finishing with a wall of tannins. I made some poor decisions in my 2009 Bordeaux purchases, and the more I revisit these wines 10 year later, the more I realize that this is not my style of vintage.
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3/19/2020 - Wine by Bok wrote: 95 Points
At a whopping 14.6% abv, this is very uncommon for Bordeaux wine except for a very hot vintage. A whiff, I smelled a lot of mocha cream, distinct smoke, dark berry and massive fruits. Took a glass and decanted the rest, my initial evaluation was a fruit bomb, thick and concentrated fruits dominated the body, and certainly melted on the palette like a butter. However, I could not feel much tannins lurking around initially as it was truly masked below the massive fruits, but after a while, the full tannins kicked in and I can feel huge grips like road blocks.
more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
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12/28/2019 - phynes wrote: 91 Points
Drank with turkey on Christmas Day. Full-bodied, oaky, mineral palate. Best years may still lie ahead if it can develop a little more complexity.
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11/7/2019 - Ibetian wrote:
Decanted just before dinner. Just entering drinking window from 750. Tasty. P 94.
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9/28/2019 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Vertical Madness (Prior Lake, MN): Small tasting pour - vertical of 2009-2012 Barde Haut.
Me - Structured, integrated tannins, pepper, smooth.
Wife - very dry, leather. Lighter bodied. Maybe over the hill - not super complex.
Of all the Barde Haut vertical this wine was the most divisive - great fruit or unbalanced? Depended on your point of view.
Me - 91, Wife - 88
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9/20/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Loads of smoke, espresso, truffle, wet earth and ripe cherries are there for the taking. Soft, round, polished and open, this is really showing great today. And when the oak further integrates, the wine will be even better!
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8/3/2019 - Vertigo wrote: 89 Points
Dark cherries, dark chocolate, blackberry, smokey. Medium plus tannins, medium acidity and high alcohol. Pleasant wine but lacking a bit finesse with too noticeable alcohol.
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7/19/2019 - Rollerball wrote: 92 Points
2005 vs. 2009 Barde-Haut. So for starters, these are two great St Emilion vintages that merit compare because the 2005 is more structured and slower to evolve, giving less immediate pleasure (and arguably more in the longer term). So at 10 years and 14, the side-by-side seems just about right.
The liquor-like 2009 is riper and richer. As Chelsea said, "you can taste the sunshine." Yum! And how. It's young and smokey. But both wines are so fruitful; so fruit centric while still so bordelais sophisticated.
preferences landed on party lines. I preferred the 2005 as I expected I would. It's brigthter, spicier, and more vivacious. But as you'd expect from this 85/15 merlot cabfranc producer in an incredible vintage, still lucious and ripe. Really cant' get enough of it. Yet while wonderful, it falls short of magical; they both do.
The 2009, as early-drinking as it was, tastes like a much younger vintage. It's raw and fruitful; primary and tannic: not without acid and energy; how could it be: it's packing a nuclear reactor. A toddler beautiful for every effort, trip, and fall.
In the end an honor to enjoy two beautiful and relatively affordable bordeaux (each ~$45 range on release).
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5/16/2019 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar showing to the last bottle I had over christmas time. I would correct the acidity to medium. Already drinking nicely with some air, but still has a good few years ahead.
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3/28/2019 - empire80 Likes this wine: 90 Points
A slight contradiction - a bit rich, porty and alcohlic (14.6%) and yet the cab franc still gives some freshness. Enjoyable now, but slightly atypical.
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3/24/2019 - boomecho Likes this wine: 89 Points
Vinturi aerated followed by a 90min decant. Minor sediment present. Dark purple. Muted black cherries and blackberries on the nose. More of the same on the palate. Medium-full bodied. Smooth, well balanced. Medium long finish. Still has room to evolve.
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3/22/2019 - kronfeld wrote:
at wine group St. Emilion tasting. I brought the 2009 and 2010 Barde Haut. Didn't take notes. Both were modern in style and drinking well. Neither was a standout.
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3/17/2019 - Klugi Wine wrote: 92 Points
Excellent St. Émilion with a bouquet of dark fruit (blackberries, blueberries) some dark chocolate and char. Quite fullbodied with some heat of the vintage but not over the top. Tannins are still challenging but starting to mellow down. Overall a very good QPR in the actual world of fine wine.
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3/16/2019 - sastewart wrote: 91 Points
Decanted one hour. Calmed down and continued to smooth out after another hour at the table. Modern, new world style. Dark fruit, charcoal and cedar on the nose. Rich and full bodied dark fruit with a nice minerality to keep focused. Plenty of dusty tannins and a nice finish to round things out. Second bottle of this wine from temperature controlled cellar. Still time. 91 points
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12/24/2018 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep purple color. Notes of mulberries, dark plum, charcoal, smoke, graphite, also some spices and dark chocolate. It's medium-full bodied with medium-high but silky tannin and medium-high acidity. Very good length. An excellent St-Emilion that is at the beginning of its drinking window but has many years ahead. Good QPR too.
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11/30/2018 - empire80 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rich black fruit, some alcoholic heat, still fresh but not much acidity. Good, but drink relatively soon.
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8/24/2018 - Slaz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Some residual tannic bite but overall tannins are much better integrated than several years ago. Dark fruit notes with minerality streaks dominate. Decanting recommended.
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7/31/2018 - ThMeyer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Didn’t disappoint. The epitome of a modern Bordeaux.
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7/30/2018 - Skip4wine wrote: 92 Points
ditto my 3/17 note although I think it has hit its peak. Not the depth of flavors of better Bordeaux but still quite good.
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7/9/2018 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
This wine showed incredibly well today. Secondary notes of tobacco and leather or showing through with ample blackberry fruit. It presents a bit dark in color and profile for Saint Em in my opinion, which added a dimension of seriousness for me. I can see this getting better, but on a very good trajectory. Consider me a fan.
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6/16/2018 - benny wrote: 93 Points
Opened for 1 hour and drank over 2 hours. The wine drinks well but will evolve for some time yet. No hurry.
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3/27/2018 - UFGators Likes this wine: 92 Points
After two days RE corked in my fridge the wine is finally alive and full of character. Decent complexity and a good value considering fairly I expensive wine. Recommend Long decanting
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3/25/2018 - UFGators wrote: 90 Points
Faint fruit and graphite on the finish. A short light wood finish. A decent quality wine but noithing special.
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3/15/2018 - Ibetian wrote: 90 Points
From 375, popped and poured. Would likely benefit from another year or two in the cellar, but drinking ok now. Good “last glass.”
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3/9/2018 - Rollerball wrote: 91 Points
Black cherry juice clipped by pleasantly plush tannins. Dark, smokey, and too modern and full-bodied for Nanette but I found it ultimately refreshing on the finish and great with the low, late winter sun.
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3/2/2018 - djarcara wrote: 88 Points
Full body. Dark fruit. Modern in style. Not a fruit bomb, but unbalanced tannins/oakiness. Not sure this is a long aged wine. Decant for sediment. Drink now ans over the next 3-5 years.
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2/8/2018 - Francohead Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened and sat for 1 hour. This wine is ready to drink. I'm on bottle 4 of two cases and I don't taste any reason to postpone drinking this nice Bordeaux. Some sediment in all bottles. It's rich, plummy, dark, silky, great finish. I bought it at $25 and it's a bargain; now selling at ~$60.
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11/13/2017 - bonedoc wrote: 92 Points
Decidedly California in style, ripe fruit w good acid, but nothing interesting in terms of subtleties, rather just delicious primary fruit. Drink now or over 10 yrs.
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11/10/2017 - Ibetian wrote:
Better than prior bottles.
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10/5/2017 - empire80 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still young. Strong earthy black fruit and oak, possibly a tad over-extracted, probably needs a couple more years at least to settle down, but enjoyable now especially after some time in the decanter and with food.
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9/20/2017 - hsacks Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar to the 8/30/17 bottle.
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9/19/2017 - bigredPA Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted 3hrs. Very nice aromas and flavors of red berries, graphite, earthy tones, leather, and cedar. Well integrated, full on the palate, drinkable now or hold. Paired well with a dusted NY strip.
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8/30/2017 - hsacks Likes this wine: 93 Points
Richer, more complex and longer on the palate than the 2/3/15 bottle.
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3/17/2017 - kronfeld Likes this wine:
Delicious, lush and new worldy. Wait another year for wine to integrate.
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3/5/2017 - Skip4wine wrote: 93 Points
This is why you buy multiple bottles of a longer lived wine. Still better than my last try 15 months ago and two years before that I thought I bought a mistake. Purple to the rim and finally the aroma is starting to come out. Dark fruit and some of the leather and earth flavors of Bordeaux. Picking up more body as it ages. Liking it more and more. Can't wait to try again in one or two years but give it some air and don;t hesitate to open now.
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2/4/2017 - Francohead Likes this wine: 91 Points
Big and fruity on opening; tannin on front end but it shows a lot of potential if you like a new world style; beautiful garnet color nice balance
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2/1/2017 - Ibetian wrote:
From 375, popped and poured. Had a bottle of this a week ago and wanted to see if a second impression would be better. Not really. Nose seemed dominated by alcohol, with maybe a hint of black plums. Much better on the palate (some of the notes below had the opposite impression, go figure) with ripe fruit and a pleasing if somewhat sweet finish.
Very modern wine. I hope it will mellow a bit with time, but not sure it will. Crowd pleaser, I'd guess, due to ripe fruit. Not a bad wine; in fact pretty good, but not my favorite style these days.
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1/29/2017 - Ibetian wrote:
From 375, popped and poured. Modern style. Ok now, but I hope it will improve over the next couple of years.
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7/28/2016 - JonnyG wrote: flawed
Just the slightest cork taint, faint but undeniable.
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4/9/2016 - Slaz wrote: 90 Points
Upon opening, raw wood on the nose, with sweet fruit on the palate. Tannins are strong, with a bitter kick in the back. After 3 hours of decanting, the wood got more integrated, with some mature cedar notes on the palate and a touch of flowers on the nose. Overall, a bit too new world to my taste and definitely young yet. Needs few more years.
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2/4/2016 - BenBlu wrote: 89 Points
After having tasted a bottle of this around a year and a half ago (my score back then was 89 and I concluded it was not ready yet) I tried another bottle of this yesterday. Decanted for 2 hours, upon pulling the cork the room filled with a lovely smell of Bdx and I thought that this wine must have improved since last time I tasted it. However, the experience on the palate did not fully echo what I picked up on the nose here - it certainly showed better then before, but I just felt the fruit is somewhat buried and the wine does feel overworked. I have 10 bottles of the case left and I am somewhat thinking that this wine is just not for me. Fingers crossed it gets better, but I would not hold my breath. I certainly feel RP has been way too generous here...
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1/25/2016 - phynes wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for four hours and drunk at Sunday lunch with roast lamb. Velvety texture with good fruit and a mineral/graphite theme going through it. Drinking well now but still very young and will improve over next five years.
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12/23/2015 - WDK wrote: 89 Points
Medium body with sweet fruit and good balance.
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12/6/2015 - Skip4wine wrote: 92 Points
Much better than two years ago. Nose is still restrained but the wine has a velvety texture with notes of leather, earth and some dark fruit. rather short finish but given my note of two years ago this is just getting better.
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11/29/2015 - xtenson Likes this wine: 90 Points
Popped and poured to decorate the tree. Maybe it was the pine on the tree but this had a nice piney nose in addition to traditional dark fruits and solid balance of tannin and fruit and acid.
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11/26/2015 - RandyAboutWine wrote: 88 Points
Decanted 90 minutes and served with Thanksgiving dinner, so I didn't take any notes. Maybe this was an off bottle, as it didn't live up to the other tasting notes. The nose was restrained, acidity seemed high and out of balance, and tannins were sharp-edged. Very fruit-forward, fairly simplistic flavor with a medium but hot finish; if blind-tasted I would have guessed a CA blend. Maybe it's going to sleep for a while and will wake up more refined in a couple years? Or perhaps I'm an old-school BDX/CDP fan and this isn't for me? The bottle just didn't have the elegance of a Grand Cru.
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9/26/2015 - Dough Boy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted over two days. Fresh and clean right out the gate, nice balance of tannin and fruit. Very enjoyable. Day two seemed to tighten up and reveal more tannic elements. Fair amount of sediment probably the cause. Overall, great wine, but be sure to decant and leave the last bit in the bottle for best taste.
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9/13/2015 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 93 Points
Opaque purple color turning violet/crimson at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off dark chocolate, dark and red berries, licorice, tobacco, leather, lavender, vanilla, and dried earth. The palate is full-bodied, elevated in alcohol, bright in acidity, and velvety in texture. The flavors mirror the nose with additional flavors of dark chocolate, cola and meat. Finishes with gripping but ultra-refined tannin. This is just great. Delicious and sumptuous - a great effort from Bard-Haut and a great expression of the character of Saint-Emilion. Drink now until 2024.
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6/17/2015 - WDK wrote: 91 Points
After being open for two days, this wine showed its best. Medium body, intensely flavored with a nice structure. Med-long finish.
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5/24/2015 - Decanthor Likes this wine: 92 Points
A bit tannic on open, it needed 20-30 min of air to fully express itself. Nice nose of mixed berries and hints of earthiness, with a delicious palate of berries and well integrated oak notes (chocolate, mild spices). Med-full body. This was really suave and delicious at the hour mark, with enough complexity to keep me interested. I would give it a 93, but the finish was a bit shorter than I expected. Maybe with more bottle time? I would definitely buy more at this price point. 92-93.
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5/5/2015 - Vertigo wrote: 89 Points
As was written before - very modern style Bordeaux. Dark and very ripe cherries with some smoky (?) flavours. Medium/long finish with some heat at the end. With some decanting ready to drink now but I think the wine would benefit from some more years in the cellar. Although it is a nicely made wine I have to admit that I did not like the style too much. 88-90
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4/25/2015 - whits wrote: 93 Points
this smells of deep berry, drying wood and charcoal, rich oak invites blackberry, pencil lead and dark chocolate to dance together, I get real mint nuances on the palate, long smoked finish, an interesting Bordeaux of smoky dark character, with good balance and longevity, this is powerful and deep, and a steal at the price
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3/16/2015 - Eltigro814 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 2 hours, and drank over a 3 hour window. A very modern styled Bordeaux, its powerful and lush, loaded with dark fruity. Will benefit greatly from a few more years in the cellar and should hold well past 2020. Very good value - easily at the 4th to 5th growth level.
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2/15/2015 - comnsense wrote: 93 Points
- Brick color. It's in total harmony with a medium/full body with a long finish - Give time to decant a couple hours. Very enjoyable and super value.
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2/3/2015 - hsacks Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep red color. Aromas of black currant, dark chocolate, coffee and wood spices. Ripe, nicely integrated fruit in the mouth with very good depth and excellent length. Surprisingly thick and suave on the palate. I found this 90% Merlot-based wine to be nicely evolved and delicious at this time. Good value for a highly rated 2009 Bordeaux.
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9/6/2014 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 89 Points
Opened two hours before tasting, tasted over 2 days. This is a powerful wine. The nose does not give much. Good depth of fruit, in the after-taste aromas of vanilla, dark chocolate for a fairly long-finish. At this point though the high alcohol content of the wine (14.6) shows and it felt as the wine has not fully come together yet and I felt the high alcohol content to be a tad unpleasant for my liking at this stage and the wine lacks elegance currently. I can see this getting better with a couple of years, I think if you can be patient wait another 2-3 years to revisit, this should have 10-15 years in it if kept correctly.
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7/13/2014 - mat600 wrote: 90 Points
Pour la fête de 5 ans de mon fils né en 2009. Vin qui est encore renfrogné par sa jeunesse. On perçoit des notes mentholées, du cuir et une moyenne longueur. Très peu présent du côté aromatique. Le vin possède du fond. 90 sur 100 potentiel pour 92-93 dans 10 ans.
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5/12/2014 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
A bit rustic, earthy and simple. Nice, but not a lot of complexity
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4/23/2014 - GoBlue2002 wrote: 89 Points
Very disappointing.
Hopefully this is simply shut down for now.
Very closed aromatically on opening, but gradually opened up over a couple hr decant. The cab franc is evident on the nose, but the merlot... my wife, tasting blind, thought it was an acidic Italian chianti. This is simply not balanced at the moment. I will hold my next bottle until at least 2017. The finish is tannic and acidic.
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5/11/2013 - Skip4wine wrote: 89 Points
beautiful purple color to the rim. No notable nose and short finish. I can taste the balance but it seems completley shut down. I'm waiting two years for my next bottle to see if I can taste the potential the pros have given it. 89 for now.
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3/25/2013 - akbash wrote: 80 Points
Dark purple colour, very faint aromas, high alcohol and acidity, Soft/sweet tannins, short finish, I think the graphite or charcoal overwhelms the fruit. It is drinkable but did not really enjoy it. Not sure how to evaluate quality so I gave it 10 on that. Score 80: 50+5+5+10+10
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12/30/2012 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Rich, lively and complete. Delicious really, amazing wine for the price. This should do very nicely over the long term.
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12/16/2012 - Jmanz2000 wrote: 90 Points
- Brick color with medium forming legs. It's balanced with a medium body. Linear texture with a medium finish - Maybe a bit early on this one. Tannins are a bit strong but it has some interesting undertones. Could be very interesting in 3/5 years.
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11/22/2012 - jhpinter Likes this wine:
Decanted 4 hours, opened up nicely.
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11/3/2012 - Tgood wrote: 90 Points
Dense dark purple in dim lighting; reticent clean nose of cedar and fresh red/black fruits; fine regal tannins spread and end up dominating the finish at this early juncture. Drank way too soon but seems poised for a long life rewarding those who have cellared it.
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10/18/2012 - canan wrote: 94 Points
Horisontal - Misc Bordeaux 2009: Nose: Delicious and harmonic. Blackberries and coffee.
Palate: Concentrated dark cherry/blackberry. Powerful heavy acidity and tannin structure.
A lovely wine with a solid potential.
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10/14/2012 - pclin wrote: 92 Points
Subtle nose. Notes of forest floor, vanilla, plum, and black cherry with hints of oak. Big wine. Plenty of tannins, acidity, fruits and alcohol. Full-bodied with good structure. Tannins are prominent at the moment, a little rough. Very dry aftertaste and long finish with slight heat at the end. Label indicated 14.6% alcohol level. Higher acidity level than a lot of Bordeuax 2009 I have tasted so far. Have to wait for a few more years to approach the wine. Showing better on 2nd day. Good nose, aromatic and focus notes of sweet vanilla and dark fruits. Smoother tannins with slight sour and dry aftertaste. Upgrade the score. 90-93 pts
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9/23/2012 - edub7 wrote: 91 Points
Big and backed by vanilla oak. Though seemingly modern, this should be quit good over time. Several past vintages started off the same and already have balanced out to become a wine of substance. Leave this alone for least 3-5 years . Should be singing in several years, while maintaining fresh fruit.
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9/10/2012 - pupaes wrote: 93 Points
dark. alcohol and iodine on the nose. plums on the midpalate. good transition to an sweet/earthy,medium finish with even a little cinnamon as it opens up. no heat. 2009 is speaking. drink some, put some away.
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8/8/2012 - John McCabe wrote: 92 Points
Earthy vanilla tones. Pleasant now, but needs a few more years to come together fully.
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7/14/2012 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Lively elegance with good concentration. Lovely stuff.
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6/4/2012 - wineguy1968 Likes this wine: 93 Points
very good complex flavors. One of my favorite Bordeauxs
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3/12/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Smoke, vanilla, black cherry, licorice, plum and coffee aromas open to a soft, round, stylish, plush, plummy wine. There is good structure to the wine. Clearly this will be better after 5-7 years of bottle age.
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6/28/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
2009 Barde Haut is deeply colored, with floral, licorice, cherry, and dark berry aromas. Silky textured, it ends with sweet, dark berry flavors. 91-93 Pts
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3/13/2010 - amateurwino wrote: 85 Points
2009 Bordeaux barrel samples, Le Cercle Rive Droite; 3/11/2010-3/15/2010 (New York): Licorice showing on the nose; grapey. Has a slightly chemical/ estery sense to the nose at this point; sweet but simple fruit. 84-87, but could improve if the chemical thing resolves. (barrel sample)
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