Wafting breathtaking nose, sweet plum, sweet tobacco leaf, cassis, amazing!!! Palate so mellow and smooth with flavors of dark plums, some toastiness, dark, sweet fruit, nice concentration and power, very vibrant and fulfilling.
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20-vintage La Conseillante vertical (Fribourg): Part of a 20 vintage vertical (key takeaways in the tasting story). Sweet oaky notes along with accents of sweet spice, dry wood, sweet red cherry fruit - all in a medium intensity setting. Rather intense palate with plenty of acidity and soft but tangible tannin. Have rated this higher a couple of years ago, but this seems to be a rather accessible 2010 that would likely benefit from a proper decant.
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20 Vintages of La Conseillante (1947-2020): All wines tasted blind. I have had many beautiful Conseillantes in the past, but in this tasting the wines did not shine as expected. A few thoughts: A) Conseillante is a seductive, sensual wine, not unlike more Bordeaux-esque Napa Valley wines. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Opus One, with the blue and black forest berry aromas found in almost every vintage. B) The fruit is ripe, but never too ripe. But only in the cooler years (and 2020) is the fruit perfectly pure and fresh. C) Even in the newer vintages, the (luxurious) oak notes are still present and will need some time to be fully absorbed. D) My biggest problem (and the group had the same one) was that almost all of the newer vintages showed alcohol notes that weren't noticeable en primeur or in the Arrivage tastings (and the wines were served at a perfect temperature or rather a little too cold). E) There were some beautiful wines, complex and seductive, but La Conseillante is not a wine for classic Bordeaux or Left Bank lovers. Conseillante is the hot one-night stand, not the elegant and intellectually appealing wine I want to drink every day. F) The best wine was the 2020 (96pts, the only score above 95pts), confirming my impression that it is a better, less ripe Bordeaux vintage than 2019.
TN: I very much like the 2010 freshness which was showcased beautifully with this bottle: ripe but fresh blue and black fruit and lots of other layers with coffee, herbs, crushed rocks, and some toasted oak around it. High intensity and expression from the first sniff through the palate into the quite long finish (most Conseillante didn’t have such a long finishes tonight). In typical 2010 fashion, this is also high tannins and high acidity. Everything is turned up but that creates a balance that is great. I would have rated this 95pts, consistent with previous bottles but there were some hints of alcohol heat on the nose (something I haven’t had on previous bottles).
Decanting: The bottle was opened a few hours before consumption but not decanted. This bottle would have needed 2-3 hours in a decanter.
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(Château La Conseillante) Very dark red violet color; ripe black currant, blackberry, mocha nose; tasty, rich, hedonistic, ripe black currant, blackberry palate with sweet tannins; medium-plus finish (80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc)
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2/29/2024 - nywine68 wrote: 94 Points
Vinous Icons of Bordeaux with Neal Martin (Legacy Records, New York City): Nice fine grained tannins in the foreground. Very structured with great purity of fruit. Like the 2016, shows the more feminine side of Merlot (80/20 blend with Cab Franc).
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11/29/2023 - Krokfjord Likes this wine: 93 Points
Luftet 3 t - veldig elegant - svart/lilla frukt - urter - lekkert
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10/31/2023 - Helmetass Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wafting breathtaking nose, sweet plum, sweet tobacco leaf, cassis, amazing!!! Palate so mellow and smooth with flavors of dark plums, some toastiness, dark, sweet fruit, nice concentration and power, very vibrant and fulfilling.
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10/2/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
20-vintage La Conseillante vertical (Fribourg): Part of a 20 vintage vertical (key takeaways in the tasting story). Sweet oaky notes along with accents of sweet spice, dry wood, sweet red cherry fruit - all in a medium intensity setting. Rather intense palate with plenty of acidity and soft but tangible tannin. Have rated this higher a couple of years ago, but this seems to be a rather accessible 2010 that would likely benefit from a proper decant.
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10/2/2023 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
20 Vintages of La Conseillante (1947-2020): All wines tasted blind. I have had many beautiful Conseillantes in the past, but in this tasting the wines did not shine as expected. A few thoughts: A) Conseillante is a seductive, sensual wine, not unlike more Bordeaux-esque Napa Valley wines. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Opus One, with the blue and black forest berry aromas found in almost every vintage. B) The fruit is ripe, but never too ripe. But only in the cooler years (and 2020) is the fruit perfectly pure and fresh. C) Even in the newer vintages, the (luxurious) oak notes are still present and will need some time to be fully absorbed. D) My biggest problem (and the group had the same one) was that almost all of the newer vintages showed alcohol notes that weren't noticeable en primeur or in the Arrivage tastings (and the wines were served at a perfect temperature or rather a little too cold). E) There were some beautiful wines, complex and seductive, but La Conseillante is not a wine for classic Bordeaux or Left Bank lovers. Conseillante is the hot one-night stand, not the elegant and intellectually appealing wine I want to drink every day. F) The best wine was the 2020 (96pts, the only score above 95pts), confirming my impression that it is a better, less ripe Bordeaux vintage than 2019.
TN: I very much like the 2010 freshness which was showcased beautifully with this bottle: ripe but fresh blue and black fruit and lots of other layers with coffee, herbs, crushed rocks, and some toasted oak around it. High intensity and expression from the first sniff through the palate into the quite long finish (most Conseillante didn’t have such a long finishes tonight). In typical 2010 fashion, this is also high tannins and high acidity. Everything is turned up but that creates a balance that is great. I would have rated this 95pts, consistent with previous bottles but there were some hints of alcohol heat on the nose (something I haven’t had on previous bottles).
Decanting: The bottle was opened a few hours before consumption but not decanted. This bottle would have needed 2-3 hours in a decanter.
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