2004 Bordeaux at Blacklock, City, with NLWTS (Blacklock, City): Acidity pretty prominent. Medium bodied (much lighter bodied than the ‘04 Montrose tasted alongside). Still a ways off ‘full’ maturity on the palate, but it doesn’t feel like it has much stuffing left in the tank in terms of structure; what tannins are present dissipate pretty quickly. This is good, albeit I had higher hopes! Just not hitting the heights I had hoped for.
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Bordeaux 2004 20 years on Part 1 (Blacklock City): Tight. Tighter than the Montrose, as least to my palate. Marked note of herbs, mint tea, not exactly fruit-laden. This is as straight-laced as they come, not gruff or grumpy, just very linear and strict. It gains some sweetness, some red fruit peeking out with time, whereas the Montrose remained dark the whole way through. An overwhelming feeling of restrained elegance, of having been made to be reserved and distant. And fully fulfilling that objective!
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Jonathan's 2004 horizontal (Blacklock City): A classic Left Bank nose, with some hints of spice to add interest. Despite having been double-decanted the morning before the dinner, still pretty tannic and lacking in mid-palate amplitude, although time in the glass did emphasise the sweet-fruited side of the wine. Grippy dark fruits and some graphite. Really benefited from being drunk with food.
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2004 Bordeaux at 20 years courtesy of Mark Taylor; 3/23/2024-3/24/2024 (Atlanta, GA): Mmm, lead pencil, green, LEAFY, wonderful, wonderful vegetal aspect if you like that. Personally I just love the herbal character, very reminiscent of a recent 2000 Figeac, spicy, leafy, tobacco, nice red fruit, tart. Almost like a rich Chinon. My #5 and the group #6. Correctly guessed as Calon-Ségur.
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Crimson in color. 13% ABV. Classic nose of red fruits, leather, graphite and wet leaves. Medium body with perfect acidity and a compelling freshness. Supple, warm and approachable. Black cherry, plums, currants and minerals on the palate. Nice length on the finish with gritty tannins. Well made Bordeaux from a less than ideal vintage that is showing well at twenty years of age. It is hard to ask for more. Best over the next 2-4 years.
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Still remarkably dark in colour. Opened about 3 hours in advance and double-decanted. Quite closed to start with but eventually opened up into a very enjoyable drink - remarkably warm and ripe blackcurrant fruit. I'd be inclined to enjoy this now while I reckon it's at its peak.
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Nicely balanced aged Bordeaux albeit from a lesser vintage. This is finally coming into it own. Decanted this for 90 minutes. No sign of its 19 year age. Still indigo in color. Limited nose but what there is, is reminiscent of forest floor or damp leaves. Raspberry and other red berries on the palate. Minerals, dry leaves and cedar on the back palate. Gone now are the (typical of 2004) green, herbal notes. Still some tannins provide backbone. I would call this medium in body, alo reflective of the off vintage. Never the less, now is the time to drink. I wish I had waited longer before consuming earlier bottles.
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Raspberry, a lightly spicy hint, very dark still with little visual sign of aging, very mellow with long finish, enough tanins to give it grip, red berries, cassis. Really nice!
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From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 1 hour. On opening this showed like a manifesto for the less attractive features of the 2004 vintage—green and mean, unripe-woody and sour, just managing to be palatable thanks to precise selection and modern wine-making. As it warmed up to room temperature, however, the concentration started to show, but it still reminded me too much of a smoothed-out version of the the rough-green Phélan Ségur of the same vintage. Not bad with slow-cooked beef shoulder marinated and cooked in Bordeaux (ordinaire), perhaps better with lamb or still-bloody steak? Certainly not a candidate for Vegan Wine Pairing of the Year: give it meat. 88P
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Nice aged bordeaux style, nose has lots of cedar and is a classical aged bordeaux wine.. it promisses more than what the palate offers: not a lot of density, thin body , very well integrated tannins, still a good level of acidity that makes it still fresh but not a lot of aromatic complexity and length is pretty short … very enjoyable but not memorable
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Dark crimson in color. 13% ABV. Gorgeous nose of red fruits, cigar box, saddle leather and cedar. Rich and lush with enough fruit to balance out the subtle tannins. Black currants, cassis, plums and tobacco on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long with drying tannins. Compelling wine from an overlooked vintage. I’ll drink my last few bottles over the next 3-5 years.
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November Livery dinner 2021 (courtesy of Nick) 2004 Ch Calon-Segur – Good nose. More red fruit than black on the palate – possibly slightly lacking in concentration but good long finish. Nicely integrated tannins and drinking well now. Was not sure that it was going to improve much from here when first tasted but interestingly became more enjoyable in the glass and with food.
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Dark red color. Cassis, cocoa, and cedar bouquet. Soft and forward, it has a medium fruit palate with hints of vanilla. Very middle of the road claret in all respects, with good but not exceptional richness and power. Very typical 2004 Bordeaux vintage style. Surprisingly soft for a St. Estephe.
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This didn’t seem as light as the previous bottle. Definite right bank flavours but this had a fair bit of vitality and I’m a lot happier to let the other bottles sit - this isn’t really in the secondary window yet and it looks quite promising.
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Not quite classic St. Estephe but pretty tasty for a cool vintage. Perfect cork. Decanted for almost 2 hours. Dark red in color, no orange or brown tinge. A bit of barnyard funk nose early but blows off to reveal berry and a bit of a medicinal aroma. Blackberry, cherry, a bit of green pepper, pencil shavings and saddle leather on the palate. Very earthy, full bodied finish.
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From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 90 minutes. Textbook St. Estèphe pencil-shavings and cedar aromatics; fine cool-year cassis entry; smoother and more refined on the thin-bodied entry than expected given the brickish tannins of some other 2004s tasted recently; hints of green capsicum on the mid-palate, normally a turn-off for me, but this is well-balanced. Delicious, palate-cleansing claret without complexity or pretentions, just perfect for old world, old school fans (like me) now and for several years to come. 90P
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I’ve had many good bottles of 2004 Bordeaux from other producers. This is not one of those however. My third bottle of 6. Consistently average. I thought maybe it needed patience but 3-4 hours of air do nothing for this wine. The first taste on opening held some promise of typical Bordeaux nose which quickly faded. I recommend drinking it on opening. Several hours later I thought I tasted some coconut on the finish. The wine has no backbone, persistence or finesse. Disappointing.
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Decanted 1 hour and served with Wellington. Blueberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, and blackberry. Notes of cigar box, graphite, leather, herb, wilted rose, barnyard, baking spice, and herb. Med+ fine tannins, Med+ acidity, Med alcohol. Complex and elegant with a med+ finish which drops in intensity in the mid palate before lingering.
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As before but seems to have mellowed quite a bit, the fruit and tannin both relaxed. The smoke, charcoal and cedar (merlot?) all feel pretty right bank. It’s a delicious wine - classic, not flamboyant, deeply satisfying with its crunchy structure, dusty tannin and refined and pure composure. I think it is enormously pleasurable and may last for several years yet (though it is perhaps at its peak now). Whether or not it is worth what it now costs is another matter entirely. 94
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From 75cl, good cork, decanted 1 hour. Stern Northern Médoc/Cabernet Sauvignon blackcurrant scent, entry, thinnish mid-palate and still not fully resolved tannic finish. This understated wine is less aggressive than the 2004 Phélan Ségur, indeed it has a little more charm, less brick-like tannins, but some of the same bone-dry charcoal-black seriousness. Of course it's also twice the price. If you're looking for juicy fruit you will surely be disappointed, but served with red meat, preferably in a cream sauce, this old-school Claret should please the less hedonistic/more ascetic among us. Good now, good for another decade. Decant well in advance; three hours better than one. 89P
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Color: dark ruby still, with brown streaks Nose: pencil shavings and cedar. Red ribes and raspberry in a very subdued way. Black pepper, green bell pepper, a bit of a balsamic note Palate: pretty subdued but graceful. Medium acidity, graceful tannins on the medium side. Body is medium-full here. Has a charming set of aromas where plum and ribes really jump out along with tomato vine and tomato concentrate Finish: medium-long
Not a good year I understand, but fascinating nonetheless. Muscle can be intuited but grace is there. When studying wine, one cannot shy away from mature Bordeaux, and this is my first foray - one that left an impression mostly for the elegance of the tannins, while the aromas were pleasant but not transcendental. Paired well with a filet mignon. Had straight from bottle and I would say decanting not needed here.
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This has really opened and improved since my last tasting 8 years ago. Classic left bank Bordeaux. Medium garnet color. Rose and a bit of leather on the nose. Blackberry, cassis, plum, tobacco and a note of chocolate on the palate. Tasted side by side with a 2011 Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow to explore two outstanding wines in off years. Both were exceptional but the Diamond Creek actually tasted more Bordeaux Like than the Calon Segur. I preferred the Calon Segur only because it showed a bit more fruit.
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Very good Bordeaux with bouquet of rose hip, tobacco and red cassis. Medium+ body with good acidity and flow. Should stay at this level for another 5-10 years.
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Much like the last bottle two years ago. Quite reticent and rather unexpressive both day 1 and 2. A correct and classic left bank Bordeaux with subdued dark fruit, earthy, leather and a hint of spice. An enjoyable but not exciting drink.
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Medium to full colour; the palate has savoury, slightly spicy plum and blackcurrant fruit, and is nicely rounded, with medium weight and a slightly dilute finish. Very good, but on the light side.
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A deep colour; quite pure blackcurrant fruit, with spice and a rather earthy character. Good weight. This seems about right now, but it should still keep well.
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Drank over two days. It is good wine in the sense that it is not incorrect in any way, better than that actually, it's a balanced and well composed wine that shows rich fruit. But especially on day two, the wine is completely nondescript from a terroir perspective. This is a modern wine, the fruit shows a dried and slightly oxidized character that is stronger on day two, there is no Bordeaux minerality or earth. Tasted blind I would have guessed California or some other new world region. And those regions make good wine, there's nothing wrong with that. Except that this is Bordeaux, but it no longer tastes or smells as such. This won't be news to most people, and I've certainly heard it a thousand times too. But it's powerful to experience these things for yourself.
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Popped and poured. Very well balanced with intergrated flavors of dark berry fruit and forest floor. Finished the bottle the following day which showed signs of oxidation.
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One of my favorite Bordeaux wines.Had classic aroma of earth and tobacco, with some leather. The fruit opened up nicely on the palette and this was very enjoyable with a nice dinner.
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Quite a mature colour; soft, slightly earthy, with mature plum/blackberry fruit, medium weight and good length. This is probably at its best now, so no need to hold any longer.
Medium body with medium, silky finish. Ripe red fruit with good structure. Recommend about an hour for this to open. This well cared for magnum was drinking very well and is probably at its peak.
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I enjoyed this a lot more than 3 years ago. It seemed riper and fuller. Very dark. Tannins virtually resolved. Just that slight 2004 diffuseness that detracts but certainly very good for the vintage and no rush to consume.
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Uninspiring and unremarkable, lacking in finesse. Drank over 2 and 1/2 hours, with no noticeable evolution. Very dark in the glass, silty, giving very little on the nose or palate.
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A very dark colour; blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, a little smoke, quite savoury but not particularly intense: in fact, it lacks a little substance in the middle but is otherwise stylish and enjoyable.
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Pop and poured. Starting to take on bricking tones but still youthful in it’s density. Dark fruit, leather and minerals dominate, a nice classic Bordeaux but not very interesting otherwise. Very slight stewed note with this bottle but seemed to have went away by the last glass. While there’s no rush I currently don’t see it developing further.
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Prior bottle was almost two years ago and the wine has continued to evolve in that time. Blackfruit and sweet cigarbox notes on the nose (mix of leather, lead pencil, tobacco and earth). Medium bodied and very rounded and open. Primarily shows a mix of blackberry and black cherry with some darker black fruits behind and very fine grained, fully integrated tannins. There just enough tannic structure left to give this wine a backbone and contribute some contrasting elements to the upfront fruit. Finishes with earth, leather and fully integrated spices.
Overall, I though the wine showed good fruit, but without tremendous complexity. It's fully integrated and will appeal if you enjoy its smooth, rounded expression without tremendous contrasts or obtrusive tannins. It's maybe slightly soft at this stage for my personal tastes and I would put it at peak or just past (opened and drunk over a total of five hours also contributes to this impression). I enjoyed it, but thought my earlier bottles were a better expression of what this wine had to offer. I don't think it will head downhill quickly, but I feel this is one that should be drunk over the next few years before it starts to fade. It will remain drinkable, but won't improve, so no reason to delay.
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Medium red colour; attractively mature, quite savoury wine, with a somewhat earthy character. Showing the lightness of the vintage, but otherwise very good.
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I read a few of the recent tasting notes from this forum and I have to say that my experience with this wine was quite the opposite. The wine had so much character and complexity and many more year to live on. The tannins smoothed out a little but still tasted slightly coarse. It had a lot of backbone and structure and definitely not light. I kept mine in a temperature controlled cellar for about 10 years and it still tasted young and vibrant, a typical St Estephe that requires many years of aging. I wouldn't be in a rush to finish them if you have stored them well.
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Medium colour; some quite elegant and fragrant flavours, including blackcurrant and plum, together with a slightly earthy element. Attractive claret, but slightly dilute, a result of the vintage no doubt.
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Good nose of dark fruits, currant and spice. Definitely developed into a good drinking wine as of now. Medium finish. Don't think it will get better but no hurry to drink.
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Ruby with no signs of aging. Moderate intense nose of currants and cherries with a bit of earthy notes. On the palate it is light with lack of concentration for its pedigree but with enough fruit and complexity for a very good rating. The tannin is prominent. All in all it is an enjoyable bottle of claret, but not a good bargain. I would advice to drink it up over the next couple of years.
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Decanted a bit more than an hour before dinner and continued to evolve positively during the meal. Black fruit, currant, fig and leather on the nose. Medium bodied, well balanced. A nice wine for the dinner table that is rounding into top form. P thought 94.
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Still very closed and tight. The elements are here for an excellent long living left bank. Black olive/cedar, firm tannins, acid, just needs more time to evolve
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Day one: 1.5L. Top 2/3 of bottle decanted 90 minutes. Musty and light berry on the nose. Medium body. Integrated dark fruit and wood. Lingering, dry finish. Easy to drink. Lacks complexity. Day two: corked overnight and poured from the bottle. Intensity increased. Step up to medium/full body. More pronounced fruit.
Lack of complexity and depth keeps the rating down, but this bottle is a success and is drinking well now.
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Took time to open up as initially a lot of dust, volatile acidity and oak. With two hours in the decanter the wine shed its austerity and stiffness, softening to ripe red and black cherries interwoven with cassis, spices, and vanilla. Medium bodied and gentle mid palate the wine finishes with soft although persistent tannins. Pretty decent but I've had better 2004s.
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Popped and drank half the bottle. Re-corked and stuck in fridge overnight. Drank a glass on day 2, then recorded again and drank some on day 3.
I thought it showed best on day 2, suggesting a bit more time in the cellar might help. This will never be a great wine, but my guess is that it will show best from 2017-2019, and last for a few years after that.
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A fairly deep colour; this now seems to be drinking well, with fruit, acidity and tannin in harmony; quite stylish, but the structure is a bit loose and the wine may not prove to be long-lived. Very good, but the weakness of the vintage is evident.
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Still loads of color here. There's an inviting herbaceousness on the nose along with some toasty cedar, beef blood, soy, cassis, plum and black cherry. The palate is definitely medium-bodied with some still fairly dense yet velvety tannins. I agree with others. Not lots of upside here aromaticly but the tannins should soften over the next few years.
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Blackfruit, earth and leather on the nose. Prior bottle was almost exactly two years ago and the wine has integrated a bit in that time, but notes were otherwise quite similar. Closer to medium bodied and remains quite smooth with good balance and now, better integration in the tannic structure. Blackfruit and currant upfront, brightening slightly with a blackberry quality towards the back. Nice length on the finish which showed earth and leather notes. Opened two hours ahead, I thought this showed nicely, but I would agree with some of the prior reviews that this is more medium bodied as opposed to the full bodied power you often see with Calon Segur and that as such, it can come across as somewhat restrained. I didn't perceive it as overly tannic (in fact, quite the opposite), so I'm not sure that additional time will have any impact. To me, this shows as a very drinkable, mid-weight Bordeaux that's well integrated, shows improving balance and plesant fruit notes. Should be able to stay at this level for several more years, but I agree that there's not much room for additional improvement.
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Deliciously grassy, smokey, charcoal blackcurrant. The fruit is a lot more evident, rich, fine and smooth with mouthwatering acidity. Clearly deserves its price tag. Tannins satisfyingly savoury.
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LaGrappe's note captures this pretty well. Decanted about an hour before dinner. It did open up, but still seemed a bit restrained. More time might help, but don't think this will ever be great. Fine to drink with food after an hour or two decant, no hurry to drink up. Might Be better in a couple of more years, but based on nothing more than instinct, I'm not optimistic there is a lot of upside here.
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A dark colour; the nose is restrained, as is the palate to some degree. This has medium weight, dark fruit and some noticeable tannin, which is suppressing the fruit a little. This was decanted about an hour ahead, but it would perhaps have benefited from more air. Perhaps it needs more time in bottle for the tannin to soften: for now, it is a little disjointed.
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Opened 2 hours prior to drinking. Fruit has faded and left the secondary flavors, herbs, espresso, au jus, some leather. Medium bodied, nice finish. Its probably as good as it gets now so we will be drinking the rest of the 6 pack.
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A nice and typical St.-Estephe from a so so vintage. A good choice for accompanying beef or game based meal. Alone it shows not enough concentration and a high level of tannin for a truely pleasing experience and an outstanding rating. Drink it up!
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Blackberry and dark plum, with earth and sweet spice perfume. Lovely balance to this wine, although not the most concentrated. Fine powdery tannins and good length, drinking well.
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A vibrant, fairly deep colour; soft, ripe, blackcurrant fruit, quite polished but with no great depth or complexity. Still a little tannin, so may improve over the next year or two, but this is essentially a wine to drink while fresh as it lacks structure.
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A deep colour; classic claret nose of blackcurrant and cedar; ripe fruit on the palate, which is somewhat loose-knit, and a little tannin on the finish. This is quite stylish, but the structure is a bit loose. Perhaps it will integrate with time.
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Chateau Calon Segur Vertical Tasting (Crystal Wines shop, Valley Point): From a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Vivid dark ruby with crimson hue. Lifted nose with prominent leafy notes along with tobacco, cigar box, blackcurrant, cherry, licorice and toasty oak. Showing some development here but it is elegant and classic. Firm and structure on palate, along with subtle tobacco, cigar box, blackcurrant, plum and rustic forest floor. Chewy tannic backbone and good length.
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I don't find this unripe though there are some capsicum notes; not especially strong though. The colour is deep and I am most struck, as some other tasters have been, that the rather charred oak dominates and the fruit fails to differentiate itself. That said, a good bottle, nonetheless. Quite full-bodied, long and well handled tannins on the finish.
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Old-school nose on this, full of "unripe" notes, which I love: pepper, tobacco, leaf. But supporting a lovely, expressive, round core of minerally cassis, with considerable volume for an 04.
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Bags of smokey, charcoal, pencil lead oak. Great fine and creamy texture and utterly delicious. Not sure where the grape is in all this but lovely all the same! 94
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Quite a deep colour, no age; this has fresh, lively blackcurrant and plum fruit and good intensity in mid-palate, but is slightly diffuse at the end. A stylish wine, and just about ready although I think it should still develop further.
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Herbal, leaf and cassis and earth aromas, medium bodied, dark red fruits and a dash of bell pepper with some dryness in the finish of this classic styled wine.
Dark ruby red, with no bricking. Nice bouquet of dark plum, cherry, leather, tobacco, and earth. Good attack and mid-palate. Medium finish. Accessible and smooth, but would guess this should improve in about 5 years.
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(Surprisingly) good concentration. Cassis, smoke, tobacco, cedar and stony minerality. A little drying on the finish perhaps. Quite mature, but this was from a split. Would've been happy to have more of this!
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Currant and berries on the nose. Full bodied, but very smooth and balanced. Currant and berries upfront, finishing with tobacco and earth. Fruit is still quite bright and expressive. Good length on the finish and there’s plenty of structure here, but the tannins are well integrated. Not quite at peak yet as I think it will improve just a little bit more in complexity and integration.
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This one really was a good buy back in 2005 (about 32$ around here). Today it's far more expensive and somewhere around it's real value.
For sure no ballerina, but a very clear and precise claret. Cacao and nuts with a background of red berries. High class tannins and a very nice structure.
Nonetheless I have the impression, that in the very background it seems a little overripe. Perhaps it something with this bottle (it was the first one out of 12.).
If you have this one in your cellar: congratulations and enjoy!
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Mouth explosion of plum and other dark fruits. Nicely soft with low tannins. Settled down. Long tail. Barnyard on the nose. Much better than I expected.
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Gorgeous Bordeaux. Still really young. Classic dark cassis, new leather saddle, black flowers and touches of copper penny. Supple and moderate complex with lower acidity overall. Still has years to go, though, like many 2004 Left Bank, it can be enjoyed with a nice decant now.
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Dark core with dark crimson rim, smoky black cherry nose and on the palate too. This almost seems Pauillac like. Great red and dark fruits,some tannins in there as well, but at an interesting phase at the moment. Fruit is still fresh but picking up secondary flavors. Decanted for a few hours, but was generous from the start. The tannins are present , but integrated enough, This wine will probably really sing in about 2-5 years, but already outstanding. 92+ Opened 2/14/2014
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Valentines day bottle. Purchased on release, held til tonight. Perfect cork. Decanted two hours, and you can certainly call the 2004 vintage, still on a very deliberate rise, lots of primary flavors -- red fruit, tobacco, cedar, spice, and tart plum. Very quaffable after another hour, it is intense, medium full. A touch green on the long finish. Will take until 2018 until any secondary maturity appears. Nice wine!
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Not quite ready, but potential. Tasted alongside the 02, which has far more interest today, but the extra depth & ripeness in the 04 will make better drinking in the years to come .
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More accessible and friendly than I'd expect a young Calon to be; there's fresh dark fruit over cedar, tobacco and pencil lead elements, with a surprisingly green/herbal aromatic topnote. The flavours are still quite youthful, but the tannic structure's barely noticeable after a couple of hours in the decanter, and it's drinking very nicely right now.
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Benefits from a touch of decanting at this stage to develop on the nose. It starts with light oaky, light mocha notes but develops more fruit and more spicy notes and by the 30 min mark the nose is full on cab Sauv. On the palate it's quite round, expected it more tannic to be honest, firm yet smooth wine and good to drink now. Feels a touch linear and definitely Lacks the depth of its neighbours at Cos and Montrose 2004s , but still a pretty solid effort. 91 from us and good now.
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This was a bit of a strange bottle for me. I enjoyed the wine but felt like it had peaked. Could be the integration of the bottle but the color seemed a bit rusty and the wine had a slight sharpness. The bottle was not blown it just seemed like the wine didn't integrate well.
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Terroir-istes International - France, Burgundy, Chablis GC Les Clos + Party wines (Rodwell House): Served blind, the bouquet shows hung game, cedar-wood, warm gravel, baked earth and chocolate. The entry is pronounced cassis with lemon-infused acidity and a thick, textural mid-palate. With firm and grippy tannins, the wine has a bitter chocolate feel and is cold and clammy. Ripe fruits suggest a warm year and there is a sweetness to that fruit as it unfolds in the glass. It feels like some Merlot is in the blend, but it is Cab-led with all the cassis, possibly St Estephe. Lacks a bit of presence, especially in the depth and concentration of the wine but else-wise a nice example.
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S FL WS Group Summer Offline (Market 17 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL): Much better showing than I expected. Medium to full bodied currant fruit with medium acidity and cedar and graphite notes on the finish. Tannins still need a bit more time (or more air/decanting which this did not get), but still drinking nicely with some room to improve further. Mad I only bought one bottle of this after this showing.
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Tannic, tough, meaty and masculine, with some, dry, green notes in the cassis and cranberry personality. This will need at least another decade in the bottle, if not more time, before this old school styled wine comes around.
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Medium red. Day 1: This has softened a bit from previous note of Dec.2012, but still rather closed. Poured a glass and stoppered. Day2: A bit more dark fruit, tobacco, and now some licorice. Mid is softer and almost creamy, but that quickly turns a bit astringent. Softer tannins than previous tastings. This would score higher if not for the astringent dryness of the finish. More time in the cellar may help.
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Preparing for our next Dreamtasting @ Thijs' (Netherlands): Popped 'n poured. Clean and pure red and black fruit on the bouquet, somewhat reticent. But on the palate this was fierce and tannic. Rock hard and unenjoyable. Second bottle this week, and the former was much better: that one had been opened several hours before tasting...
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Bordeaux 2004 (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Reticent bouquet with cassis and beautiful oak. In the mouth the oak is the first impression, followed by dark fruits a lot of acidity and bell peppers. There is luxury and potential, but this wine is still much too young. I did not score the wine this time and I just read my note from 2007. I was probably correct then already; drink around 2018 or later. There is potential for a score above 90.
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Bordeaux 2004 - an overview (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Great nose of grilled bell-pepper, black cherry, clay and graphite. Hard to assess at the moment, because this puppy carries lots of bitterness on the palate, all the way throughout the finish. Very tannic too. While the palate showes wonderful (but unforgiving) vegetal notes than scream Cab. Franc to me (although I think there isn't a lot of Cab Franc in this wine). Clearly a young, backward and unyielding Left-banker. 18/20 (group scores 89-94)
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Deep red with bricking rim. Black currents, cedar and tobacco mid palate with tannic slightly austere finish, after 5 hour decanting.Needs food to appreciate and round out. Could easily go 5 more years.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Very dense and concentrated red berries with good acidity. A lot of tannins, this vintage will last many years. Medium to long finish.
Would probably wait 2-3 years before opening the next one, but it is already excellent to drink and will get better for sure!
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Medium red. This has changed sinced since my 88 score in October 2011, but can't say it has improved. No more fruit on the nose, but certainly green tobacco leaf, and some spiced pipe tobacco, along with cedar notes. The finish has softer tannins than previous tasting (but NOT soft tannins). It ends with a bit of astingent dryness. Not unpleasant in any way, just not up to other Calon's. Purchased as a future and stored at 55 since release. More in the cellar so time will tell.
Decanted two hours, drunk over next three. Dark red to rim. Youthful but open for business. Simple nose of cherry, red fruits, herbs. Palate has red fruit notes, a bit of green pepper, mineral note. Light on its feet, but without the panache to make that a true positive. Medium finish. Very pleasant, might pit on weight and complexity as it has acid/tannic balance to age for several years.
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Very aromatic, red fruits, mineral, toasty. Great balance, still fresh and sharp. Medium to long finish. Great wine with along life ahead. (Epice restaurant with Marcos Cester and Mariana)
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Agree with others this is a very green wine; decanted for 2 1/2 hours prior and still had herbaceous aftertaste. Still wasn't unpleasant. Glad I only have one bottle left, not my favorite.
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This was the last of 6 bottles of this lovely wine. the particular bottle was very herbaceous. The tannins were subdued and there was a nice fruit balance. A nice wine. I wish I had more
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NC Tasting 09 June 2012 JohnR's New House (JohnR's New House Wake Forest): Decanted for a few hours before tasting. Vanilla, green pepper, and an earthy iron-blood component on the nose which was severely lacking in fruit and brightness. The palate was thin with lots of green and earth; tapenade and green pepper followed by a jalapeno like finish. Grapes obviously had trouble ripening and another reason not to spend $ on 04 Bordeaux. WK C
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- Garnet color with medium forming legs and aromas of mushroom and raisin. It's balanced and has flavours of fig and dusty with a light/medium body. Satin-Like texture - Deep indigo color. Modest fruit, some minerality, a fairly typical St. Estephe. Smooth, silky tannins. A very nice bottle with grilled strip steaks. Interesting that reviews are all over the map. 2004 was not a great vintage and this won't be terribly long lived, but drinking pretty well right now.
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If this bottle is representative, the 2004 is moving past its prime. The wine was thinner and more acidic than previous bottles. Still OK, but I plan to drink up what I have left and move on to my 2006s.
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Medium plus intensity ruby. Nose of farmyard funk, cassis, leather, slight jammy fruit compote, pyrazine. In the mouth the wine has medium plus acid, body and flavour intensity with flavours of bramble, blackcurrant, leather, chalky tannic grip, spice, tobacco on a long dry finish.
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P&P, 60F. Deep garnet. Nose fruit forward with forest floor. fruit is purple - blackberry. Hint of tobacco. Smooth mouthfeel on attack with minimal fruit, some minteral. Astringent tannins (and lots of them) very drying in the mouth. Feel I may have opened this way too early out of laziness because I didn't want to move it again... Oh well! Maybe it will "open up" over the evening..
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Surprisingly disappointed despite it is still such a young wine where the aroma is very rich with tobacco and black current. Turns bitter in about three hours and the tannins is ok
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Surprisingly developed in its flavours for such a young wine; the fruit's still very rich, youthful and fresh, but it's framed by savoury cedary, graphite, herbal and tobacco elements on a medium weight frame that's quite polished. It turns a little bitter on the back end with some woodiness and tannin still noticeable, but overall it's quite a pleasant drink though one with a lot of years ahead of it.
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Unfortunately I only have three more bottles of this lovely wine. At this point it is perfect -- a lovely balance of fruit and tanin -- a touch of astringency that goes very well with meat. Tonight it was Irish Stew and the wine held up well against this very assertive dish. The nice thing about the 2004s, if you can still find them, is how reasonably they are priced compared to the 2005s. People of reasonably modest means can buy and enjoy these wines.
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Showing signs of maturity. Really quite good all of a "sudden" (after how many years in the cellar?). Still not much of a bouquet, but the balance between fruit and a certain earthiness is exquisite. Decanted in the glass.
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Early maturity has brought wonderful integration to this wine. I've had this wine many times, and it's never been better. Smooth and easy to drink. Classically styled. Deep, sweet fruit.
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At first pour, a big, somewhat rustic nose of black fruit, underbrush, tobacco, cedar, and green notes. Good grip of prominent tannins and acid, but really not in balance at this point, with little fruit. The nose faded after a few hours and frankly this bottle did not improve with the second day tasting. However, it does have a quite long finsh.
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Time to sample another bottle from the case. Not decanted, but allowed to sit in the glass for 45 minutes. Finally showing some progress, attaining the level of moderately enjoyable and even a little interesting. Not much of a bouquet. Earthy and herbaceous; nice mix of dirt and fruit. Softening tannins. Still good on second night.
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Cabernet Uncorked hosted by Phil Reedman MW (Sydney Wine Academy, 250 Blaxland Road, Ryde): Colour: A medium intensity ruby, clear wine that has some legs Nose: Medium plus intensity, developing, clean wine with aromas of jammy black fruit, spice (especially clove), cedar and slight mint/pyrazine. Mouth: Grippy, medium plus tannin, spice, bramble - the fruit is less jammy in the mouth - leather and slight tobacco on the medium plus finish. Meh.
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Crimson/ruby; Very leafy, herbaceous nose. Hints of Cassis also but very green; Very acidic on the palate, unevolved. A bit hollow on the mid-palate. No fun at all at present. Needs to put on weight.
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deep reddish purple, but slightly translucent on edges. not a lot of fruit on the nose at the moment. cedar box, tobacco, pencil lead, cassis. oak. medium high tannins and acidity. long finish. will be curious to see how this develops. not that enjoyable at the moment.
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Dark fruits, tobacco and hints of spice on the nose. Still a bit tightly wound on the palate which should develop into a nice balance in time. Not drinking bad at all though.
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The color was deep red. There was a minimal bouquet. This particular bottle was very herbacious. The first of the several bottles of this lovely wine that tasted so earthy. It was ok but not as enjoyable as several of the previous bottles.
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Burgundy Trip - Day 0 (CX261 to Paris): Pedro brought this on board after consuming half the bottle with other MNSC members in CX lounge. confirms once more that it's a waste of time drinking on flight, especially off those tiny glasses. couldn't taste anything!
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Deep, rich dark fruit. Felt a great sense of regret with the first pour as it was all acid and tannins. However, after an hour or so in the glass, (and perhaps with help from Mr Vinturi), it became balanced and quite luscious. For me, luscious doesn't come from exotic fruit but this seamless liquid laced with smooth stony minerals that coats your tongue. Delicious.
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Thought it was time to try another bottle from the case to see what is going on with this wine. The answer is: Not much, or still too early to tell. Decanted for about two hours and then funneled back into the bottle. At first, there was a nice whiff of fruit, but it didn't last long. It became austere, with a harsh, stemmy after-effect. The tannins clearly are softening, but are still in evidence. Showing signs of integration, but not quite there yet. Not clear yet whether this will ever be a really great wine in the end, but a few more years of bottle development can't hurt, and are probably needed to bring it up to enjoyable.
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Minneapolis Wine Club: Bordeaux and Bordeaux Blends (Kevin and Vicki's): Dark red in the glass. this wine is still very tannic, despite almost 5 hours on the decant. Well concentrated, but a bit green. a little cedar and some masked dark fruit right now. Needs significant time to show. 90pts.
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Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, St. Estephe (Rodwell House): Deep black-red, the nose shows dried herbs, some pyroxene notes, and ripe black fruits. Quite earthy and perhaps classic old-school claret. The entry, though, is richer and fatter with more opulence and lively lemon-edged acidity but flatlines across the palate, offering little depth of flavour nor concentration. Medium to full-bodied, the tannins are chewy going to stringy - not a heap of tannins, to be fair. A bit of granular texture goes with the sweeter fruit, yet the wine is bone dry. On the one hand there is some fruit in the core, mostly blackcurrants and berries, yet on the other it seems to lack a little substance. Tricky!
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Tasted in single-blind fashion at a blinded St. Estephe theme tasting. Opaque purple robe. The nose is moderately intense and shows pleasant black fruit aromas, but there is a bit of stemminess that carries through to the palate. Full-bodied, with medium-to-high acidity and big coarse tannins. Medium, coarse finish. I am not a fan of this wine, which is (to my palate) under-ripe. Perhaps time in the bottle will help, but I am concerned that this would only delay disappointment. Drink 1/15-1/25.
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Fight Night Wines V (matt's, highland park IL): nose: tight, but classy nose of pencil lead, leather, dark red cherries, cranberries and some bits of spice box. Elegant with good depth
taste: showing off its youth with some big tannins. Underneath the tannins lie excellent tones of spice box, dark red fruits, dark red cherries, leather and some cedar
overall: this needs some more time. A real nice and elegant calon that plays into the style. The tannins are pretty noticeable right now, but this is a real nice and balanced wine that should age gracefully
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An outstanding wine. Big aromas, big flavors, and big finish. Classic Bordeaux characters that are forward, not restrained. Although big, this wine is not fatiguing. Cotton-mouth tannins. This wine will certainly cellar very well; and, in fact, should be cellared for a few years to harmonize into balance. This is on the level of the outstanding '04 Pontet-Canet.
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We enjoyed this very much with a more rustic italian inspired dinner consisting of tortiglioni with a gruyere filling - coupled with a simple quick fry of bacon, cannelini, green peas, merguez and hot dogs (for the kids) topped of with a dollop of tomatoe-basil purée. I guessed (wrongly) that it would either overpower the food or at least not match the acidity of the tomatoe purée, but I did not mind being off target here.
Thought the wine had quite a bit of green and white peppercorn on the nose - and I never know with these St Estephes if it's a quality or a fault, leaning towards thinking it is a pleasant side note, but that I don't quite like it as much when it is this much of a dominant; otherwise a lot of black currant and sour cherry; sage and mint. Short finish with a lot of acidity and soft gripping tannins. suggests that this could be had now or next five-ten years.
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Bought a number of bottles in DC on a trip there last weekend and brought one bottle to a restaurant that night. D just laughed at me when I wanted to go to the wine store as long as we were in town. Opened the bottle 2 hours before dinner to give it some time to breath. Immediate nose of cherry and earth which strengthened somewhat over the next few hours. Palate was very austere initally but open up nicely to earth, cherry and some truffle. Smooth finish. Glad I stocked up as I'm looking forward to doing a vertical with the 2003 and 2005 when the 2005 is ready in a decade.
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Lovely, even this young (5 years). Dark red color, distinct floral bouquet. Nice balance of fruit a tanin. I have two bottles. I think I will keep the other for a few years before trying it again.
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Extremely tannic and closed right out of the bottle. Decanted for 36 hours, it opened up and was drinkable, with nice balance of aroma and earthiness. Shows good potential, but way too young. Let it sit for at least five years. Too soon to rate.
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much better than i expected, to be honest. i'm not much of a Bordeaux drinker, and I heard that this wine would take a million years before becoming drinkable. not my experience at all. better on the 2nd day, but delicious on day 1 too - powerful yet elegant and graceful. dark cassis tones with lots of herbal character, and some bright red fruit too. a bit of spice box for good measure. this stuff is balanced and delicious.
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The bouquet is a little perfumed and with oak. In the taste cassis and a lot of bitterness from the tannin and acidity. Although the wine is not extremely full bodied this wine definitely has a long future. For now my score is a bit low, but when it all integrates in 9 – 12 years from now it will probably gain several points.
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Birthday Dinner at 34th Street Cafe (34th Street Cafe, Austin, TX): Based on the notes from a fellow CellarTracker user, I was concerned about how this may perform, but the wine performed beautifully after a 3 hour decant. Super-dark garnet red color that reminds a little of beef blood. Nose is still pretty primary but shows cigar box, licorice, and creme de cassis with an interesting saltiness and raw meat component. Oak is sticking out just a tad right now on the nose, but not in a fashion that makes me think it won't integrate with time. On the palate, the Calon is velvety and shows dark chocolate, black currant, blackberry, and tobacco leaf. Finishes strong and long and with mouth-puckering tannins. Clearly, this does not possess the richness of 2003 or 2005, but this is a wine that I believe will be brilliant in 10 years, and one, that will reward patience. Count me a fan of this wine, and I think the perfect food match for this wine right now is a thick, juicy, sea salt crusted New York Strip Steak with a rich sauce bordelaise.
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3/25/2024 - Jamieson12o Likes this wine: 92 Points
2004 Bordeaux at Blacklock, City, with NLWTS (Blacklock, City): Acidity pretty prominent. Medium bodied (much lighter bodied than the ‘04 Montrose tasted alongside). Still a ways off ‘full’ maturity on the palate, but it doesn’t feel like it has much stuffing left in the tank in terms of structure; what tannins are present dissipate pretty quickly. This is good, albeit I had higher hopes! Just not hitting the heights I had hoped for.
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3/25/2024 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bordeaux 2004 20 years on Part 1 (Blacklock City): Tight. Tighter than the Montrose, as least to my palate. Marked note of herbs, mint tea, not exactly fruit-laden. This is as straight-laced as they come, not gruff or grumpy, just very linear and strict. It gains some sweetness, some red fruit peeking out with time, whereas the Montrose remained dark the whole way through. An overwhelming feeling of restrained elegance, of having been made to be reserved and distant. And fully fulfilling that objective!
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3/25/2024 - NickA Likes this wine: 91 Points
Jonathan's 2004 horizontal (Blacklock City): A classic Left Bank nose, with some hints of spice to add interest. Despite having been double-decanted the morning before the dinner, still pretty tannic and lacking in mid-palate amplitude, although time in the glass did emphasise the sweet-fruited side of the wine. Grippy dark fruits and some graphite. Really benefited from being drunk with food.
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3/24/2024 - Eric wrote:
2004 Bordeaux at 20 years courtesy of Mark Taylor; 3/23/2024-3/24/2024 (Atlanta, GA): Mmm, lead pencil, green, LEAFY, wonderful, wonderful vegetal aspect if you like that. Personally I just love the herbal character, very reminiscent of a recent 2000 Figeac, spicy, leafy, tobacco, nice red fruit, tart. Almost like a rich Chinon. My #5 and the group #6. Correctly guessed as Calon-Ségur.
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2/15/2024 - stinkycook wrote:
Odd bottle. Too much green for me.
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2/15/2024 - tomlee wrote: 91 Points
Crimson in color. 13% ABV. Classic nose of red fruits, leather, graphite and wet leaves. Medium body with perfect acidity and a compelling freshness. Supple, warm and approachable. Black cherry, plums, currants and minerals on the palate. Nice length on the finish with gritty tannins. Well made Bordeaux from a less than ideal vintage that is showing well at twenty years of age. It is hard to ask for more. Best over the next 2-4 years.
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10/3/2023 - Duncan H Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still remarkably dark in colour. Opened about 3 hours in advance and double-decanted. Quite closed to start with but eventually opened up into a very enjoyable drink - remarkably warm and ripe blackcurrant fruit. I'd be inclined to enjoy this now while I reckon it's at its peak.
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9/11/2023 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nicely balanced aged Bordeaux albeit from a lesser vintage. This is finally coming into it own. Decanted this for 90 minutes. No sign of its 19 year age. Still indigo in color. Limited nose but what there is, is reminiscent of forest floor or damp leaves. Raspberry and other red berries on the palate. Minerals, dry leaves and cedar on the back palate. Gone now are the (typical of 2004) green, herbal notes. Still some tannins provide backbone. I would call this medium in body, alo reflective of the off vintage. Never the less, now is the time to drink. I wish I had waited longer before consuming earlier bottles.
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8/15/2023 - Deryl Likes this wine: 90 Points
Great QPR. Ready to drink.
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3/5/2023 - Dj6544 wrote: 93 Points
Delicious, plenty of fruit left. Worth being patient and seeing what the secondary window has in store.
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2/26/2023 - LucasGn wrote: 91 Points
Raspberry, a lightly spicy hint, very dark still with little visual sign of aging, very mellow with long finish, enough tanins to give it grip, red berries, cassis. Really nice!
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11/20/2022 - honest bob wrote: 88 Points
From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 1 hour. On opening this showed like a manifesto for the less attractive features of the 2004 vintage—green and mean, unripe-woody and sour, just managing to be palatable thanks to precise selection and modern wine-making. As it warmed up to room temperature, however, the concentration started to show, but it still reminded me too much of a smoothed-out version of the the rough-green Phélan Ségur of the same vintage. Not bad with slow-cooked beef shoulder marinated and cooked in Bordeaux (ordinaire), perhaps better with lamb or still-bloody steak? Certainly not a candidate for Vegan Wine Pairing of the Year: give it meat. 88P
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8/21/2022 - Duncan H wrote: 86 Points
A bit middling to be honest...
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8/13/2022 - Bertdecab wrote: 92 Points
Nice aged bordeaux style, nose has lots of cedar and is a classical aged bordeaux wine.. it promisses more than what the palate offers: not a lot of density, thin body , very well integrated tannins, still a good level of acidity that makes it still fresh but not a lot of aromatic complexity and length is pretty short … very enjoyable but not memorable
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8/10/2022 - Collector1855 wrote: 90 Points
Good forest floor aromas, tannins on the forefront still. Decent in context of the vintage. Suggest to decant for 30 min.
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8/7/2022 - honest bob wrote: 90 Points
From 75cl, exquisite cork, decanted 2 hours. Exactly as noted on 28.05.2021. 90P
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3/19/2022 - tomlee wrote: 93 Points
Dark crimson in color. 13% ABV. Gorgeous nose of red fruits, cigar box, saddle leather and cedar. Rich and lush with enough fruit to balance out the subtle tannins. Black currants, cassis, plums and tobacco on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long with drying tannins. Compelling wine from an overlooked vintage. I’ll drink my last few bottles over the next 3-5 years.
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2/25/2022 - SaltWine wrote:
November Livery dinner 2021 (courtesy of Nick)
2004 Ch Calon-Segur – Good nose. More red fruit than black on the palate – possibly slightly lacking in concentration but good long finish. Nicely integrated tannins and drinking well now. Was not sure that it was going to improve much from here when first tasted but interestingly became more enjoyable in the glass and with food.
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12/14/2021 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark red color. Cassis, cocoa, and cedar bouquet. Soft and forward, it has a medium fruit palate with hints of vanilla. Very middle of the road claret in all respects, with good but not exceptional richness and power. Very typical 2004 Bordeaux vintage style. Surprisingly soft for a St. Estephe.
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11/6/2021 - Dj6544 wrote: 94 Points
This didn’t seem as light as the previous bottle. Definite right bank flavours but this had a fair bit of vitality and I’m a lot happier to let the other bottles sit - this isn’t really in the secondary window yet and it looks quite promising.
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8/4/2021 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not quite classic St. Estephe but pretty tasty for a cool vintage. Perfect cork. Decanted for almost 2 hours. Dark red in color, no orange or brown tinge. A bit of barnyard funk nose early but blows off to reveal berry and a bit of a medicinal aroma. Blackberry, cherry, a bit of green pepper, pencil shavings and saddle leather on the palate. Very earthy, full bodied finish.
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5/28/2021 - honest bob wrote: 90 Points
From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 90 minutes. Textbook St. Estèphe pencil-shavings and cedar aromatics; fine cool-year cassis entry; smoother and more refined on the thin-bodied entry than expected given the brickish tannins of some other 2004s tasted recently; hints of green capsicum on the mid-palate, normally a turn-off for me, but this is well-balanced. Delicious, palate-cleansing claret without complexity or pretentions, just perfect for old world, old school fans (like me) now and for several years to come. 90P
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5/8/2021 - Jerseyjudge Does not like this wine: 87 Points
I’ve had many good bottles of 2004 Bordeaux from other producers. This is not one of those however. My third bottle of 6. Consistently average. I thought maybe it needed patience but 3-4 hours of air do nothing for this wine. The first taste on opening held some promise of typical Bordeaux nose which quickly faded. I recommend drinking it on opening. Several hours later I thought I tasted some coconut on the finish. The wine has no backbone, persistence or finesse. Disappointing.
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4/29/2021 - NY Wino Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic Bordeaux, excellent fruit, mellow tannins and nice long finish. Went perfectly with prime NY strip.
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12/25/2020 - knorthrip Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 1 hour and served with Wellington. Blueberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, and blackberry. Notes of cigar box, graphite, leather, herb, wilted rose, barnyard, baking spice, and herb. Med+ fine tannins, Med+ acidity, Med alcohol. Complex and elegant with a med+ finish which drops in intensity in the mid palate before lingering.
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10/11/2020 - Dj6544 wrote: 94 Points
As before but seems to have mellowed quite a bit, the fruit and tannin both relaxed. The smoke, charcoal and cedar (merlot?) all feel pretty right bank. It’s a delicious wine - classic, not flamboyant, deeply satisfying with its crunchy structure, dusty tannin and refined and pure composure. I think it is enormously pleasurable and may last for several years yet (though it is perhaps at its peak now). Whether or not it is worth what it now costs is another matter entirely. 94
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9/25/2020 - honest bob wrote: 89 Points
From 75cl, good cork, decanted 1 hour. Stern Northern Médoc/Cabernet Sauvignon blackcurrant scent, entry, thinnish mid-palate and still not fully resolved tannic finish. This understated wine is less aggressive than the 2004 Phélan Ségur, indeed it has a little more charm, less brick-like tannins, but some of the same bone-dry charcoal-black seriousness. Of course it's also twice the price. If you're looking for juicy fruit you will surely be disappointed, but served with red meat, preferably in a cream sauce, this old-school Claret should please the less hedonistic/more ascetic among us. Good now, good for another decade. Decant well in advance; three hours better than one. 89P
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7/11/2020 - stet Likes this wine: 89 Points
Color: dark ruby still, with brown streaks
Nose: pencil shavings and cedar. Red ribes and raspberry in a very subdued way. Black pepper, green bell pepper, a bit of a balsamic note
Palate: pretty subdued but graceful. Medium acidity, graceful tannins on the medium side. Body is medium-full here. Has a charming set of aromas where plum and ribes really jump out along with tomato vine and tomato concentrate
Finish: medium-long
Not a good year I understand, but fascinating nonetheless. Muscle can be intuited but grace is there. When studying wine, one cannot shy away from mature Bordeaux, and this is my first foray - one that left an impression mostly for the elegance of the tannins, while the aromas were pleasant but not transcendental. Paired well with a filet mignon. Had straight from bottle and I would say decanting not needed here.
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7/5/2020 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 90 Points
This has really opened and improved since my last tasting 8 years ago. Classic left bank Bordeaux. Medium garnet color. Rose and a bit of leather on the nose. Blackberry, cassis, plum, tobacco and a note of chocolate on the palate. Tasted side by side with a 2011 Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow to explore two outstanding wines in off years. Both were exceptional but the Diamond Creek actually tasted more Bordeaux Like than the Calon Segur. I preferred the Calon Segur only because it showed a bit more fruit.
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5/24/2020 - Klugi Wine wrote: 90 Points
Very good Bordeaux with bouquet of rose hip, tobacco and red cassis. Medium+ body with good acidity and flow. Should stay at this level for another 5-10 years.
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4/27/2020 - NMCO3 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted for three hours and improved towards the end. Tannins fully resolved but past it’s peak and lacked complexity.
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4/12/2020 - LucasGn wrote: 92 Points
Very smooth and mild, great finish, very subtle smell of plum, taste of tobacco, blackberries
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1/31/2020 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice, but after 4 or so hours of air, it was still quite tight and reserved.
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1/20/2020 - Hazeo wrote: 90 Points
Much like the last bottle two years ago. Quite reticent and rather unexpressive both day 1 and 2. A correct and classic left bank Bordeaux with subdued dark fruit, earthy, leather and a hint of spice. An enjoyable but not exciting drink.
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1/18/2020 - La Grappe wrote: 90 Points
Medium to full colour; the palate has savoury, slightly spicy plum and blackcurrant fruit, and is nicely rounded, with medium weight and a slightly dilute finish. Very good, but on the light side.
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12/2/2019 - stinkycook Likes this wine:
Needs a good decant, then good to go. In a good spot
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9/27/2019 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 88 Points
Ard & David’s 50th birthday dinner (Chez David, Amsterdam, NL.): Black fruit and oak spice on the nose, but also with green, vegetal notes on the palate, drying finish. Not enthusiastic.
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9/7/2019 - La Grappe wrote: 91 Points
A deep colour; quite pure blackcurrant fruit, with spice and a rather earthy character. Good weight. This seems about right now, but it should still keep well.
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7/3/2019 - brooklynguy Does not like this wine:
Drank over two days. It is good wine in the sense that it is not incorrect in any way, better than that actually, it's a balanced and well composed wine that shows rich fruit. But especially on day two, the wine is completely nondescript from a terroir perspective. This is a modern wine, the fruit shows a dried and slightly oxidized character that is stronger on day two, there is no Bordeaux minerality or earth. Tasted blind I would have guessed California or some other new world region. And those regions make good wine, there's nothing wrong with that. Except that this is Bordeaux, but it no longer tastes or smells as such. This won't be news to most people, and I've certainly heard it a thousand times too. But it's powerful to experience these things for yourself.
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7/2/2019 - wcacern Likes this wine: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Very well balanced with intergrated flavors of dark berry fruit and forest floor. Finished the bottle the following day which showed signs of oxidation.
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6/17/2019 - vfccpa123 Likes this wine:
One of my favorite Bordeaux wines.Had classic aroma of earth and tobacco, with some leather. The fruit opened up nicely on the palette and this was very enjoyable with a nice dinner.
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2/23/2019 - La Grappe wrote: 89 Points
Quite a mature colour; soft, slightly earthy, with mature plum/blackberry fruit, medium weight and good length. This is probably at its best now, so no need to hold any longer.
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2/6/2019 - Space Nine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium body with medium, silky finish. Ripe red fruit with good structure. Recommend about an hour for this to open. This well cared for magnum was drinking very well and is probably at its peak.
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10/15/2018 - rwpalmer wrote: 91 Points
I enjoyed this a lot more than 3 years ago. It seemed riper and fuller. Very dark. Tannins virtually resolved. Just that slight 2004 diffuseness that detracts but certainly very good for the vintage and no rush to consume.
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9/17/2018 - R Z wrote: 87 Points
Uninspiring and unremarkable, lacking in finesse. Drank over 2 and 1/2 hours, with no noticeable evolution. Very dark in the glass, silty, giving very little on the nose or palate.
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8/17/2018 - La Grappe wrote: 89 Points
A very dark colour; blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, a little smoke, quite savoury but not particularly intense: in fact, it lacks a little substance in the middle but is otherwise stylish and enjoyable.
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7/9/2018 - Hazeo wrote: 90 Points
Pop and poured. Starting to take on bricking tones but still youthful in it’s density. Dark fruit, leather and minerals dominate, a nice classic Bordeaux but not very interesting otherwise. Very slight stewed note with this bottle but seemed to have went away by the last glass. While there’s no rush I currently don’t see it developing further.
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6/16/2018 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 91 Points
Prior bottle was almost two years ago and the wine has continued to evolve in that time. Blackfruit and sweet cigarbox notes on the nose (mix of leather, lead pencil, tobacco and earth). Medium bodied and very rounded and open. Primarily shows a mix of blackberry and black cherry with some darker black fruits behind and very fine grained, fully integrated tannins. There just enough tannic structure left to give this wine a backbone and contribute some contrasting elements to the upfront fruit. Finishes with earth, leather and fully integrated spices.
Overall, I though the wine showed good fruit, but without tremendous complexity. It's fully integrated and will appeal if you enjoy its smooth, rounded expression without tremendous contrasts or obtrusive tannins. It's maybe slightly soft at this stage for my personal tastes and I would put it at peak or just past (opened and drunk over a total of five hours also contributes to this impression). I enjoyed it, but thought my earlier bottles were a better expression of what this wine had to offer. I don't think it will head downhill quickly, but I feel this is one that should be drunk over the next few years before it starts to fade. It will remain drinkable, but won't improve, so no reason to delay.
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6/9/2018 - Rechrom wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well after a double decant. Pencil, dark fruit, nice balance. Not profound but pleasant.
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5/9/2018 - La Grappe wrote: 89 Points
Medium red colour; attractively mature, quite savoury wine, with a somewhat earthy character. Showing the lightness of the vintage, but otherwise very good.
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4/23/2018 - JamF Likes this wine: 90 Points
I read a few of the recent tasting notes from this forum and I have to say that my experience with this wine was quite the opposite. The wine had so much character and complexity and many more year to live on. The tannins smoothed out a little but still tasted slightly coarse. It had a lot of backbone and structure and definitely not light. I kept mine in a temperature controlled cellar for about 10 years and it still tasted young and vibrant, a typical St Estephe that requires many years of aging. I wouldn't be in a rush to finish them if you have stored them well.
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4/2/2018 - Timmyd wrote: 89 Points
A fabulous wine two or three years back and worthy of a much higher score then but it is now fading, at least according to my tastes
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3/24/2018 - Space Nine wrote: 87 Points
Muted dark fruit with hints of cassis. Not much acidity to liven it up. Tannins were prominent and chalky. Past its prime.
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3/10/2018 - La Grappe wrote: 88 Points
Medium colour; some quite elegant and fragrant flavours, including blackcurrant and plum, together with a slightly earthy element. Attractive claret, but slightly dilute, a result of the vintage no doubt.
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1/10/2018 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Pretty. Light-bodied and very perfumed. Dark fruit, but still light in body, hints of mushroom, floral, maybe a little cigar box, some pepper.
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7/8/2017 - La Grappe wrote: 90 Points
Medium to full colour; soft, elegant, blackcurrant fruit with medium weight and depth. Perhaps a slight diffuseness, but certainly fine.
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5/7/2017 - CabIsKing wrote: 91 Points
Good nose of dark fruits, currant and spice. Definitely developed into a good drinking wine as of now. Medium finish. Don't think it will get better but no hurry to drink.
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5/7/2017 - Caruso wrote: 89 Points
Ruby with no signs of aging. Moderate intense nose of currants and cherries with a bit of earthy notes. On the palate it is light with lack of concentration for its pedigree but with enough fruit and complexity for a very good rating. The tannin is prominent. All in all it is an enjoyable bottle of claret, but not a good bargain. I would advice to drink it up over the next couple of years.
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4/8/2017 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
Decanted a bit more than an hour before dinner and continued to evolve positively during the meal. Black fruit, currant, fig and leather on the nose. Medium bodied, well balanced. A nice wine for the dinner table that is rounding into top form. P thought 94.
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3/2/2017 - wineguru57@yahoo.com.au Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still very closed and tight. The elements are here for an excellent long living left bank. Black olive/cedar, firm tannins, acid, just needs more time to evolve
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1/8/2017 - HOS wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1/2 hour and drank over 2. Muted currant, roasted herbs, leather. Medium bodied, good finish. Very nice.
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12/25/2016 - drivingrain Likes this wine: 91 Points
Day one: 1.5L. Top 2/3 of bottle decanted 90 minutes. Musty and light berry on the nose. Medium body. Integrated dark fruit and wood. Lingering, dry finish. Easy to drink. Lacks complexity.
Day two: corked overnight and poured from the bottle. Intensity increased. Step up to medium/full body. More pronounced fruit.
Lack of complexity and depth keeps the rating down, but this bottle is a success and is drinking well now.
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11/18/2016 - the player wrote: 89 Points
Took time to open up as initially a lot of dust, volatile acidity and oak. With two hours in the decanter the wine shed its austerity and stiffness, softening to ripe red and black cherries interwoven with cassis, spices, and vanilla. Medium bodied and gentle mid palate the wine finishes with soft although persistent tannins. Pretty decent but I've had better 2004s.
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10/23/2016 - Ibetian wrote:
Popped and drank half the bottle. Re-corked and stuck in fridge overnight. Drank a glass on day 2, then recorded again and drank some on day 3.
I thought it showed best on day 2, suggesting a bit more time in the cellar might help. This will never be a great wine, but my guess is that it will show best from 2017-2019, and last for a few years after that.
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10/12/2016 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 90 Points
A fairly deep colour; this now seems to be drinking well, with fruit, acidity and tannin in harmony; quite stylish, but the structure is a bit loose and the wine may not prove to be long-lived. Very good, but the weakness of the vintage is evident.
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9/29/2016 - shaftlet wrote: 90 Points
Still loads of color here. There's an inviting herbaceousness on the nose along with some toasty cedar, beef blood, soy, cassis, plum and black cherry. The palate is definitely medium-bodied with some still fairly dense yet velvety tannins. I agree with others. Not lots of upside here aromaticly but the tannins should soften over the next few years.
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7/27/2016 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Blackfruit, earth and leather on the nose. Prior bottle was almost exactly two years ago and the wine has integrated a bit in that time, but notes were otherwise quite similar. Closer to medium bodied and remains quite smooth with good balance and now, better integration in the tannic structure. Blackfruit and currant upfront, brightening slightly with a blackberry quality towards the back. Nice length on the finish which showed earth and leather notes. Opened two hours ahead, I thought this showed nicely, but I would agree with some of the prior reviews that this is more medium bodied as opposed to the full bodied power you often see with Calon Segur and that as such, it can come across as somewhat restrained. I didn't perceive it as overly tannic (in fact, quite the opposite), so I'm not sure that additional time will have any impact. To me, this shows as a very drinkable, mid-weight Bordeaux that's well integrated, shows improving balance and plesant fruit notes. Should be able to stay at this level for several more years, but I agree that there's not much room for additional improvement.
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4/9/2016 - Dj6544 wrote: 94 Points
Deliciously grassy, smokey, charcoal blackcurrant. The fruit is a lot more evident, rich, fine and smooth with mouthwatering acidity. Clearly deserves its price tag. Tannins satisfyingly savoury.
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3/28/2016 - Ibetian wrote:
LaGrappe's note captures this pretty well. Decanted about an hour before dinner. It did open up, but still seemed a bit restrained. More time might help, but don't think this will ever be great. Fine to drink with food after an hour or two decant, no hurry to drink up. Might Be better in a couple of more years, but based on nothing more than instinct, I'm not optimistic there is a lot of upside here.
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2/21/2016 - La Grappe wrote: 89 Points
A dark colour; the nose is restrained, as is the palate to some degree. This has medium weight, dark fruit and some noticeable tannin, which is suppressing the fruit a little. This was decanted about an hour ahead, but it would perhaps have benefited from more air. Perhaps it needs more time in bottle for the tannin to soften: for now, it is a little disjointed.
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2/9/2016 - HOS Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened 2 hours prior to drinking. Fruit has faded and left the secondary flavors, herbs, espresso, au jus, some leather. Medium bodied, nice finish. Its probably as good as it gets now so we will be drinking the rest of the 6 pack.
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2/3/2016 - gzim Likes this wine: 88 Points
nice, balanced, not nothing out of place, but not exciting.
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1/8/2016 - Ibetian wrote:
Decanted shortly before dinner. No detailed note, but drinking fine now, with no hurry.
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12/24/2015 - Caruso Likes this wine: 89 Points
A nice and typical St.-Estephe from a so so vintage. A good choice for accompanying beef or game based meal. Alone it shows not enough concentration and a high level of tannin for a truely pleasing experience and an outstanding rating. Drink it up!
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12/7/2015 - PaulHig wrote: 92 Points
Blackberry and dark plum, with earth and sweet spice perfume. Lovely balance to this wine, although not the most concentrated. Fine powdery tannins and good length, drinking well.
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10/31/2015 - La Grappe wrote: 89 Points
A vibrant, fairly deep colour; soft, ripe, blackcurrant fruit, quite polished but with no great depth or complexity. Still a little tannin, so may improve over the next year or two, but this is essentially a wine to drink while fresh as it lacks structure.
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9/29/2015 - La Grappe wrote: 89 Points
A deep colour; classic claret nose of blackcurrant and cedar; ripe fruit on the palate, which is somewhat loose-knit, and a little tannin on the finish. This is quite stylish, but the structure is a bit loose. Perhaps it will integrate with time.
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7/25/2015 - fcxj wrote: 86 Points
Simple
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7/18/2015 - wineordeath Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dry. OK, but lacks interest
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7/18/2015 - hkm520240 wrote: 91 Points
Chateau Calon Segur Vertical Tasting (Crystal Wines shop, Valley Point): From a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.
Vivid dark ruby with crimson hue. Lifted nose with prominent leafy notes along with tobacco, cigar box, blackcurrant, cherry, licorice and toasty oak. Showing some development here but it is elegant and classic.
Firm and structure on palate, along with subtle tobacco, cigar box, blackcurrant, plum and rustic forest floor. Chewy tannic backbone and good length.
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7/16/2015 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 91 Points
I could imagine there would be people who would not like this wine. It's intense and green, quite a style statement. Excellent concentration.
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7/14/2015 - stevenjstein Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic Bordeaux. Subtle red/black fruit, with notes of herbs, flowers, and pencil lead.
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4/4/2015 - rwpalmer wrote: 89 Points
I don't find this unripe though there are some capsicum notes; not especially strong though. The colour is deep and I am most struck, as some other tasters have been, that the rather charred oak dominates and the fruit fails to differentiate itself. That said, a good bottle, nonetheless. Quite full-bodied, long and well handled tannins on the finish.
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3/29/2015 - yofog wrote:
Old-school nose on this, full of "unripe" notes, which I love: pepper, tobacco, leaf. But supporting a lovely, expressive, round core of minerally cassis, with considerable volume for an 04.
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3/15/2015 - Dj6544 wrote: 94 Points
Bags of smokey, charcoal, pencil lead oak. Great fine and creamy texture and utterly delicious. Not sure where the grape is in all this but lovely all the same! 94
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2/21/2015 - La Grappe wrote: 89 Points
Quite a deep colour, no age; this has fresh, lively blackcurrant and plum fruit and good intensity in mid-palate, but is slightly diffuse at the end. A stylish wine, and just about ready although I think it should still develop further.
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1/4/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Herbal, leaf and cassis and earth aromas, medium bodied, dark red fruits and a dash of bell pepper with some dryness in the finish of this classic styled wine.
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12/21/2014 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby red, with no bricking. Nice bouquet of dark plum, cherry, leather, tobacco, and earth. Good attack and mid-palate. Medium finish. Accessible and smooth, but would guess this should improve in about 5 years.
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10/20/2014 - JChan wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruits, medium to full. Strong finish. Not bad.
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10/7/2014 - mwanasheria wrote: 88 Points
This is now becoming more serious with a lightly overripe nose, plums, cassis. On the palate ground coffee, tobacco, metal, herbs.
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9/21/2014 - EirikM wrote: 92 Points
(Surprisingly) good concentration. Cassis, smoke, tobacco, cedar and stony minerality. A little drying on the finish perhaps. Quite mature, but this was from a split. Would've been happy to have more of this!
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7/23/2014 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Currant and berries on the nose. Full bodied, but very smooth and balanced. Currant and berries upfront, finishing with tobacco and earth. Fruit is still quite bright and expressive. Good length on the finish and there’s plenty of structure here, but the tannins are well integrated. Not quite at peak yet as I think it will improve just a little bit more in complexity and integration.
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5/10/2014 - LIE-user wrote: 92 Points
This one really was a good buy back in 2005 (about 32$ around here). Today it's far more expensive and somewhere around it's real value.
For sure no ballerina, but a very clear and precise claret. Cacao and nuts with a background of red berries. High class tannins and a very nice structure.
Nonetheless I have the impression, that in the very background it seems a little overripe. Perhaps it something with this bottle (it was the first one out of 12.).
If you have this one in your cellar: congratulations and enjoy!
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5/10/2014 - RR47 wrote: 90 Points
This is similar to my 2013 notes. Doesn't have the stuffing of better vintages. Quite good with a steak. Still has the sharp, drying finish.
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4/27/2014 - pcwoz Likes this wine: 92 Points
92-93. Really coming along well. Secondary flavours coming through. Lovely balance.
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2/28/2014 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Mouth explosion of plum and other dark fruits. Nicely soft with low tannins. Settled down. Long tail. Barnyard on the nose. Much better than I expected.
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2/18/2014 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Gorgeous Bordeaux. Still really young. Classic dark cassis, new leather saddle, black flowers and touches of copper penny. Supple and moderate complex with lower acidity overall. Still has years to go, though, like many 2004 Left Bank, it can be enjoyed with a nice decant now.
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2/16/2014 - edub7 wrote: 92 Points
Dark core with dark crimson rim, smoky black cherry nose and on the palate too. This almost seems Pauillac like. Great red and dark fruits,some tannins in there as well, but at an interesting phase at the moment. Fruit is still fresh but picking up secondary flavors. Decanted for a few hours, but was generous from the start. The tannins are present , but integrated enough, This wine will probably really sing in about 2-5 years, but already outstanding. 92+
Opened 2/14/2014
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2/14/2014 - City Wine Journal wrote: 91 Points
Valentines day bottle. Purchased on release, held til tonight. Perfect cork. Decanted two hours, and you can certainly call the 2004 vintage, still on a very deliberate rise, lots of primary flavors -- red fruit, tobacco, cedar, spice, and tart plum. Very quaffable after another hour, it is intense, medium full. A touch green on the long finish. Will take until 2018 until any secondary maturity appears. Nice wine!
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1/26/2014 - PaulHig wrote: 92 Points
Not quite ready, but potential. Tasted alongside the 02, which has far more interest today, but the extra depth & ripeness in the 04 will make better drinking in the years to come .
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1/5/2014 - salil wrote: 89 Points
More accessible and friendly than I'd expect a young Calon to be; there's fresh dark fruit over cedar, tobacco and pencil lead elements, with a surprisingly green/herbal aromatic topnote. The flavours are still quite youthful, but the tannic structure's barely noticeable after a couple of hours in the decanter, and it's drinking very nicely right now.
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12/29/2013 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
Benefits from a touch of decanting at this stage to develop on the nose. It starts with light oaky, light mocha notes but develops more fruit and more spicy notes and by the 30 min mark the nose is full on cab Sauv. On the palate it's quite round, expected it more tannic to be honest, firm yet smooth wine and good to drink now. Feels a touch linear and definitely Lacks the depth of its neighbours at Cos and Montrose 2004s , but still a pretty solid effort. 91 from us and good now.
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12/21/2013 - NEwino wrote: 89 Points
This was a bit of a strange bottle for me. I enjoyed the wine but felt like it had peaked. Could be the integration of the bottle but the color seemed a bit rusty and the wine had a slight sharpness. The bottle was not blown it just seemed like the wine didn't integrate well.
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12/2/2013 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 89 Points
Terroir-istes International - France, Burgundy, Chablis GC Les Clos + Party wines (Rodwell House): Served blind, the bouquet shows hung game, cedar-wood, warm gravel, baked earth and chocolate.
The entry is pronounced cassis with lemon-infused acidity and a thick, textural mid-palate. With firm and grippy tannins, the wine has a bitter chocolate feel and is cold and clammy. Ripe fruits suggest a warm year and there is a sweetness to that fruit as it unfolds in the glass. It feels like some Merlot is in the blend, but it is Cab-led with all the cassis, possibly St Estephe. Lacks a bit of presence, especially in the depth and concentration of the wine but else-wise a nice example.
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8/17/2013 - vinole wrote: 92 Points
S FL WS Group Summer Offline (Market 17 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL): Much better showing than I expected. Medium to full bodied currant fruit with medium acidity and cedar and graphite notes on the finish. Tannins still need a bit more time (or more air/decanting which this did not get), but still drinking nicely with some room to improve further. Mad I only bought one bottle of this after this showing.
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7/29/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 88 Points
Tannic, tough, meaty and masculine, with some, dry, green notes in the cassis and cranberry personality. This will need at least another decade in the bottle, if not more time, before this old school styled wine comes around.
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6/9/2013 - RR47 wrote: 89 Points
Medium red. Day 1: This has softened a bit from previous note of Dec.2012, but still rather closed. Poured a glass and stoppered. Day2: A bit more dark fruit, tobacco, and now some licorice. Mid is softer and almost creamy, but that quickly turns a bit astringent. Softer tannins than previous tastings. This would score higher if not for the astringent dryness of the finish. More time in the cellar may help.
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6/7/2013 - Zweder wrote:
Tasting with good frends. (@ MatH): See my other notes. A lot of herbal and green impressions, red fruits. Probably wise to wait until 2018 - 2020
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6/7/2013 - jkoenen wrote:
Preparing for our next Dreamtasting @ Thijs' (Netherlands): Popped 'n poured. Clean and pure red and black fruit on the bouquet, somewhat reticent. But on the palate this was fierce and tannic. Rock hard and unenjoyable. Second bottle this week, and the former was much better: that one had been opened several hours before tasting...
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5/31/2013 - Zweder wrote:
Bordeaux 2004 (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Reticent bouquet with cassis and beautiful oak. In the mouth the oak is the first impression, followed by dark fruits a lot of acidity and bell peppers. There is luxury and potential, but this wine is still much too young. I did not score the wine this time and I just read my note from 2007. I was probably correct then already; drink around 2018 or later. There is potential for a score above 90.
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5/31/2013 - jkoenen wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux 2004 - an overview (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Great nose of grilled bell-pepper, black cherry, clay and graphite. Hard to assess at the moment, because this puppy carries lots of bitterness on the palate, all the way throughout the finish. Very tannic too. While the palate showes wonderful (but unforgiving) vegetal notes than scream Cab. Franc to me (although I think there isn't a lot of Cab Franc in this wine). Clearly a young, backward and unyielding Left-banker. 18/20 (group scores 89-94)
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5/2/2013 - batstongue Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep red with bricking rim. Black currents, cedar and tobacco mid palate with tannic slightly austere finish, after 5 hour decanting.Needs food to appreciate and round out. Could easily go 5 more years.
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2/2/2013 - Alexho04 wrote: 90 Points
smooth while the wine entered my mouth at first. Flavour quite rich. Can let people drink more and more without noticing.
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1/7/2013 - -Tim- Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Very dense and concentrated red berries with good acidity. A lot of tannins, this vintage will last many years. Medium to long finish.
Would probably wait 2-3 years before opening the next one, but it is already excellent to drink and will get better for sure!
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12/29/2012 - RR47 wrote: 88 Points
Medium red. This has changed sinced since my 88 score in October 2011, but can't say it has improved. No more fruit on the nose, but certainly green tobacco leaf, and some spiced pipe tobacco, along with cedar notes. The finish has softer tannins than previous tasting (but NOT soft tannins). It ends with a bit of astingent dryness. Not unpleasant in any way, just not up to other Calon's. Purchased as a future and stored at 55 since release. More in the cellar so time will tell.
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11/9/2012 - Rechrom wrote: 91 Points
Decanted two hours, drunk over next three. Dark red to rim. Youthful but open for business. Simple nose of cherry, red fruits, herbs. Palate has red fruit notes, a bit of green pepper, mineral note. Light on its feet, but without the panache to make that a true positive. Medium finish. Very pleasant, might pit on weight and complexity as it has acid/tannic balance to age for several years.
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8/17/2012 - Marcyrillo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very aromatic, red fruits, mineral, toasty. Great balance, still fresh and sharp. Medium to long finish. Great wine with along life ahead. (Epice restaurant with Marcos Cester and Mariana)
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8/8/2012 - rynoshark wrote: 88 Points
Agree with others this is a very green wine; decanted for 2 1/2 hours prior and still had herbaceous aftertaste. Still wasn't unpleasant. Glad I only have one bottle left, not my favorite.
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8/3/2012 - dssmith wrote: 90 Points
This was the last of 6 bottles of this lovely wine. the particular bottle was very herbaceous. The tannins were subdued and there was a nice fruit balance. A nice wine. I wish I had more
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6/14/2012 - viking60 wrote:
Nothing really impressive.
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6/9/2012 - WineKnurd wrote:
NC Tasting 09 June 2012 JohnR's New House (JohnR's New House Wake Forest): Decanted for a few hours before tasting. Vanilla, green pepper, and an earthy iron-blood component on the nose which was severely lacking in fruit and brightness. The palate was thin with lots of green and earth; tapenade and green pepper followed by a jalapeno like finish. Grapes obviously had trouble ripening and another reason not to spend $ on 04 Bordeaux. WK C
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6/3/2012 - HenryW wrote: 90 Points
Classic nose of cedar, graphite and cassis. Palate is a bit clipped and austere, but still a very good food wine.
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6/2/2012 - wconnolly wrote: 88 Points
- Garnet color with medium forming legs and aromas of mushroom and raisin. It's balanced and has flavours of fig and dusty with a light/medium body. Satin-Like texture - Deep indigo color. Modest fruit, some minerality, a fairly typical St. Estephe. Smooth, silky tannins. A very nice bottle with grilled strip steaks. Interesting that reviews are all over the map. 2004 was not a great vintage and this won't be terribly long lived, but drinking pretty well right now.
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5/18/2012 - dssmith wrote: 88 Points
If this bottle is representative, the 2004 is moving past its prime. The wine was thinner and more acidic than previous bottles. Still OK, but I plan to drink up what I have left and move on to my 2006s.
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5/7/2012 - chatters wrote:
Medium plus intensity ruby. Nose of farmyard funk, cassis, leather, slight jammy fruit compote, pyrazine. In the mouth the wine has medium plus acid, body and flavour intensity with flavours of bramble, blackcurrant, leather, chalky tannic grip, spice, tobacco on a long dry finish.
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4/29/2012 - ELH wrote: 91 Points
Still young, needing a few more years of bottle development.
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4/29/2012 - Daium wrote:
Ouverte en fin de soirée, tout le monde était un peu cocktail pi on venait de se faire un sauterne... it didn't shine : (
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4/26/2012 - chifred wrote: 88 Points
P&P, 60F. Deep garnet. Nose fruit forward with forest floor. fruit is purple - blackberry. Hint of tobacco. Smooth mouthfeel on attack with minimal fruit, some minteral. Astringent tannins (and lots of them) very drying in the mouth. Feel I may have opened this way too early out of laziness because I didn't want to move it again... Oh well! Maybe it will "open up" over the evening..
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4/7/2012 - Huilok81 wrote: 88 Points
Surprisingly disappointed despite it is still such a young wine where the aroma is very rich with tobacco and black current. Turns bitter in about three hours and the tannins is ok
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3/19/2012 - salil wrote: 89 Points
Surprisingly developed in its flavours for such a young wine; the fruit's still very rich, youthful and fresh, but it's framed by savoury cedary, graphite, herbal and tobacco elements on a medium weight frame that's quite polished. It turns a little bitter on the back end with some woodiness and tannin still noticeable, but overall it's quite a pleasant drink though one with a lot of years ahead of it.
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3/18/2012 - dssmith wrote: 92 Points
Unfortunately I only have three more bottles of this lovely wine. At this point it is perfect -- a lovely balance of fruit and tanin -- a touch of astringency that goes very well with meat. Tonight it was Irish Stew and the wine held up well against this very assertive dish. The nice thing about the 2004s, if you can still find them, is how reasonably they are priced compared to the 2005s. People of reasonably modest means can buy and enjoy these wines.
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3/7/2012 - ELH wrote: 91 Points
Showing signs of maturity. Really quite good all of a "sudden" (after how many years in the cellar?). Still not much of a bouquet, but the balance between fruit and a certain earthiness is exquisite. Decanted in the glass.
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2/18/2012 - THA wrote:
Consistent notes. Maybe not AS generous on the score. A delicious wine that can be consumed by the bottle.
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2/4/2012 - THA wrote: 93 Points
Early maturity has brought wonderful integration to this wine. I've had this wine many times, and it's never been better. Smooth and easy to drink. Classically styled. Deep, sweet fruit.
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1/29/2012 - chifred wrote: 87 Points
A bit earthy with some barnyard/wet straw. Medium finish. Moderate mouthfeel. Some fruit on the nose. Decanted 3 hours.
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1/17/2012 - THA wrote:
Accessible, but not mature.
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1/14/2012 - ELH wrote: 90 Points
Coming along nicely.
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10/19/2011 - RR47 wrote: 88 Points
At first pour, a big, somewhat rustic nose of black fruit, underbrush, tobacco, cedar, and green notes. Good grip of prominent tannins and acid, but really not in balance at this point, with little fruit. The nose faded after a few hours and frankly this bottle did not improve with the second day tasting. However, it does have a quite long finsh.
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10/7/2011 - ELH wrote: 89 Points
Time to sample another bottle from the case. Not decanted, but allowed to sit in the glass for 45 minutes. Finally showing some progress, attaining the level of moderately enjoyable and even a little interesting. Not much of a bouquet. Earthy and herbaceous; nice mix of dirt and fruit. Softening tannins. Still good on second night.
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8/17/2011 - dssmith wrote: 94 Points
This bottle was very good. It was a lovely wine, unfortunately I only have four bottles of the 2004 left.
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5/24/2011 - chatters wrote:
Cabernet Uncorked hosted by Phil Reedman MW (Sydney Wine Academy, 250 Blaxland Road, Ryde): Colour: A medium intensity ruby, clear wine that has some legs
Nose: Medium plus intensity, developing, clean wine with aromas of jammy black fruit, spice (especially clove), cedar and slight mint/pyrazine.
Mouth: Grippy, medium plus tannin, spice, bramble - the fruit is less jammy in the mouth - leather and slight tobacco on the medium plus finish.
Meh.
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4/23/2011 - vespasian wrote: 85 Points
Crimson/ruby; Very leafy, herbaceous nose. Hints of Cassis also but very green; Very acidic on the palate, unevolved. A bit hollow on the mid-palate. No fun at all at present. Needs to put on weight.
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1/25/2011 - Brian Kennedy wrote: 90 Points
deep reddish purple, but slightly translucent on edges. not a lot of fruit on the nose at the moment. cedar box, tobacco, pencil lead, cassis. oak. medium high tannins and acidity. long finish. will be curious to see how this develops. not that enjoyable at the moment.
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1/22/2011 - CabIsKing wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruits, tobacco and hints of spice on the nose. Still a bit tightly wound on the palate which should develop into a nice balance in time. Not drinking bad at all though.
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11/10/2010 - peterseville wrote:
Quite approachable at the moment, but will develop nicely
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11/8/2010 - dssmith wrote: 85 Points
The color was deep red. There was a minimal bouquet. This particular bottle was very herbacious. The first of the several bottles of this lovely wine that tasted so earthy. It was ok but not as enjoyable as several of the previous bottles.
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11/6/2010 - Lord Rayas wrote:
Burgundy Trip - Day 0 (CX261 to Paris): Pedro brought this on board after consuming half the bottle with other MNSC members in CX lounge. confirms once more that it's a waste of time drinking on flight, especially off those tiny glasses. couldn't taste anything!
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8/16/2010 - Hazeo wrote: 92 Points
Deep, rich dark fruit. Felt a great sense of regret with the first pour as it was all acid and tannins. However, after an hour or so in the glass, (and perhaps with help from Mr Vinturi), it became balanced and quite luscious. For me, luscious doesn't come from exotic fruit but this seamless liquid laced with smooth stony minerals that coats your tongue. Delicious.
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7/18/2010 - ELH wrote:
Thought it was time to try another bottle from the case to see what is going on with this wine. The answer is: Not much, or still too early to tell. Decanted for about two hours and then funneled back into the bottle. At first, there was a nice whiff of fruit, but it didn't last long. It became austere, with a harsh, stemmy after-effect. The tannins clearly are softening, but are still in evidence. Showing signs of integration, but not quite there yet. Not clear yet whether this will ever be a really great wine in the end, but a few more years of bottle development can't hurt, and are probably needed to bring it up to enjoyable.
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6/21/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club does Bordeaux; 6/20/2010-6/24/2010 (Kevin's House): Old world funk on display. Red pepper, tobacco and cedar chips on the nose. Minerals and chocolate added on the palate and finish. No fruit showing on the wine. Medium finish.
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6/19/2010 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club: Bordeaux and Bordeaux Blends (Kevin and Vicki's): Dark red in the glass. this wine is still very tannic, despite almost 5 hours on the decant. Well concentrated, but a bit green. a little cedar and some masked dark fruit right now. Needs significant time to show. 90pts.
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4/23/2010 - mwanasheria wrote: 89 Points
Tannic and young, but nicely integrated.
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4/12/2010 - rikipedia wrote: 87 Points
Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, St. Estephe (Rodwell House): Deep black-red, the nose shows dried herbs, some pyroxene notes, and ripe black fruits. Quite earthy and perhaps classic old-school claret.
The entry, though, is richer and fatter with more opulence and lively lemon-edged acidity but flatlines across the palate, offering little depth of flavour nor concentration.
Medium to full-bodied, the tannins are chewy going to stringy - not a heap of tannins, to be fair. A bit of granular texture goes with the sweeter fruit, yet the wine is bone dry. On the one hand there is some fruit in the core, mostly blackcurrants and berries, yet on the other it seems to lack a little substance. Tricky!
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2/13/2010 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
Paprika, red and black berry juice. Firm tannin and bitterness. Pleasant oak. Firm amount of ok acidity. Give it another 4+ years of cellaring.
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1/29/2010 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 87 Points
Tasted in single-blind fashion at a blinded St. Estephe theme tasting. Opaque purple robe. The nose is moderately intense and shows pleasant black fruit aromas, but there is a bit of stemminess that carries through to the palate. Full-bodied, with medium-to-high acidity and big coarse tannins. Medium, coarse finish. I am not a fan of this wine, which is (to my palate) under-ripe. Perhaps time in the bottle will help, but I am concerned that this would only delay disappointment. Drink 1/15-1/25.
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1/27/2010 - Winstub wrote: 92 Points
Still too young- tannins a bit much but the fruit and balance will be there with time. Very nice wine for 45 bucks. Needs 5 more years.
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12/4/2009 - cvargas wrote: 90 Points
Still too young. Would benefit from another year or two of cellaring. Fortunately, I still have two more bottles, so there is potential here.
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11/14/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 90 Points
Fight Night Wines V (matt's, highland park IL): nose: tight, but classy nose of pencil lead, leather, dark red cherries, cranberries and some bits of spice box. Elegant with good depth
taste: showing off its youth with some big tannins. Underneath the tannins lie excellent tones of spice box, dark red fruits, dark red cherries, leather and some cedar
overall: this needs some more time. A real nice and elegant calon that plays into the style. The tannins are pretty noticeable right now, but this is a real nice and balanced wine that should age gracefully
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11/7/2009 - THA wrote: 92 Points
An outstanding wine. Big aromas, big flavors, and big finish. Classic Bordeaux characters that are forward, not restrained. Although big, this wine is not fatiguing. Cotton-mouth tannins. This wine will certainly cellar very well; and, in fact, should be cellared for a few years to harmonize into balance. This is on the level of the outstanding '04 Pontet-Canet.
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8/2/2009 - mwanasheria wrote: 87 Points
excellent but still very young
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5/16/2009 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 89 Points
as good, actually better than the previous bottle. good showing. see previous notes
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5/9/2009 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 88 Points
We enjoyed this very much with a more rustic italian inspired dinner consisting of tortiglioni with a gruyere filling - coupled with a simple quick fry of bacon, cannelini, green peas, merguez and hot dogs (for the kids) topped of with a dollop of tomatoe-basil purée. I guessed (wrongly) that it would either overpower the food or at least not match the acidity of the tomatoe purée, but I did not mind being off target here.
Thought the wine had quite a bit of green and white peppercorn on the nose - and I never know with these St Estephes if it's a quality or a fault, leaning towards thinking it is a pleasant side note, but that I don't quite like it as much when it is this much of a dominant; otherwise a lot of black currant and sour cherry; sage and mint. Short finish with a lot of acidity and soft gripping tannins. suggests that this could be had now or next five-ten years.
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4/17/2009 - HOS wrote: 92 Points
Bought a number of bottles in DC on a trip there last weekend and brought one bottle to a restaurant that night. D just laughed at me when I wanted to go to the wine store as long as we were in town. Opened the bottle 2 hours before dinner to give it some time to breath. Immediate nose of cherry and earth which strengthened somewhat over the next few hours. Palate was very austere initally but open up nicely to earth, cherry and some truffle. Smooth finish. Glad I stocked up as I'm looking forward to doing a vertical with the 2003 and 2005 when the 2005 is ready in a decade.
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3/16/2009 - mondrian wrote: 90 Points
controlled use of oak, dusty,chocolaite, red berry, black-currant, nice fruity core, bit on the thin side, but elegant, silky tannin, would buy
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3/8/2009 - dssmith wrote: 94 Points
Lovely, even this young (5 years). Dark red color, distinct floral bouquet. Nice balance of fruit a tanin. I have two bottles. I think I will keep the other for a few years before trying it again.
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1/1/2009 - ELH wrote:
Extremely tannic and closed right out of the bottle. Decanted for 36 hours, it opened up and was drinkable, with nice balance of aroma and earthiness. Shows good potential, but way too young. Let it sit for at least five years. Too soon to rate.
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10/24/2008 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Grand Bordeaux Tasting w/ Jill (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Binny's South Loop October Bordeaux Wine Tasting.
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3/2/2008 - Hazeo wrote: 92 Points
Despite its tannins not yet integrated, I really like the sweet fruit core that comes through in the middle.
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2/28/2008 - olebaer wrote: 85 Points
much too young in 2008. great tannins. bit short on the gum. nose expressive and dense.
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2/17/2008 - brooklynguy wrote:
much better than i expected, to be honest. i'm not much of a Bordeaux drinker, and I heard that this wine would take a million years before becoming drinkable. not my experience at all. better on the 2nd day, but delicious on day 1 too - powerful yet elegant and graceful. dark cassis tones with lots of herbal character, and some bright red fruit too. a bit of spice box for good measure. this stuff is balanced and delicious.
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12/25/2007 - JonGray wrote:
LOVED THIS WINE!!!!!!!
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12/10/2007 - Zweder wrote: 88 Points
The bouquet is a little perfumed and with oak. In the taste cassis and a lot of bitterness from the tannin and acidity. Although the wine is not extremely full bodied this wine definitely has a long future. For now my score is a bit low, but when it all integrates in 9 – 12 years from now it will probably gain several points.
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11/17/2007 - steffenpelz wrote:
Birthday Dinner at 34th Street Cafe (34th Street Cafe, Austin, TX): Based on the notes from a fellow CellarTracker user, I was concerned about how this may perform, but the wine performed beautifully after a 3 hour decant. Super-dark garnet red color that reminds a little of beef blood. Nose is still pretty primary but shows cigar box, licorice, and creme de cassis with an interesting saltiness and raw meat component. Oak is sticking out just a tad right now on the nose, but not in a fashion that makes me think it won't integrate with time. On the palate, the Calon is velvety and shows dark chocolate, black currant, blackberry, and tobacco leaf. Finishes strong and long and with mouth-puckering tannins. Clearly, this does not possess the richness of 2003 or 2005, but this is a wine that I believe will be brilliant in 10 years, and one, that will reward patience. Count me a fan of this wine, and I think the perfect food match for this wine right now is a thick, juicy, sea salt crusted New York Strip Steak with a rich sauce bordelaise.
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