2010 Château Grange-Neuve

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 89.3 points

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  6/30/2018 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points

  100% Merlot. 14,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Quite opaque, deep and dark-toned ruby color. Very aromatic, dark-toned and savory nose with somewhat broodign notes of ripe dark fruits, some sweet mocha oak, a little bit of earthy spice, a hint of savory woody spice and a touch of sweet red strawberries and red plums. The wine is ripe, full-bodied and quite opulent on the palate with bold flavors of dark plummy fruits, chocolatey oak, some woody bitterness, a little bit of alcohol, a hint of juicy dark berries and a touch of toasty and sweet oak spice that seems to grow in intensity as the wine opens in the glass. The wine is moderately high in acidity with firm, assertive tannins that pack a lot of grip. The rather tannic finish is very woody and bitter with bold flavors of oak spice, ripe plummy fruit, some sweet mocha, a little bit of sour red plums and a hint of alcohol warmth.
  
  I remembered that this wine was a bit more toned-down in its oak use, as in a blind tasting of 12 Bordeaux reds, this wine came across as rather modern and "Californian" in style - the bold, chocolatey oak was quite a bit to the fore and the 14,5% alcohol didn't necessarily help here. Overall a very big, bold and assertive example of Merlot that still felt like a baby. Just like 5 years ago, when I last tasted this wine, the tannins were very dominant and grippy, making this wine require some food if opened now. All in all, this wine needs a lot more age: the tannins and acidity promise a lot of cellaring potential, which is good, as this much oak isn't going to integrate over a few years. I'd say this wine needs at least 10 years more before hitting its peak, perhaps even more. Priced according to its quality at 29,90€.

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  11/6/2013 - BalthazarVonBratwurst Likes this wine: 88 Points

  Peppers and other spices in the nose, black berries in the palate. Very nice acids and quite powerful tannins. Maybe a year or two more in the cellar?

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  10/30/2013 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points

  Almost completely opaque cherry red color. Somewhat restrained and slightly muted, brooding nose with aromas of dark fruits, crushed dark berries and dark-toned, spicy oak with a slightly brighter herbal streak. On the palate the wine is very tightly-wound, dry and angular with savory flavors of sour cherries, some sweeter red cherries and tart hints of lingonberries. Underneath, nuances of leafy greenness and hints of toasted, smoky oak start to shine through. The mouthfeel is medium-to-full-bodied and the structure is very stern and grippy due to the ample, angular and youthful tannins and balanced acidity. The finish is dry and long with rather powerful flavors of savory dark berries, sour cherries, some spicy oak and a hint of coarse tannic astringency.
  
  A super-serious, grippy and austere Pomerol Merlot showing how this normally soft and mellow variety can produce wines of tremendous structure and intensity in the right places. Although there is a noticeable streak of oak here, it is already a pretty integrated, savory component of the wine. Shows a lot of cellaring potential, most likely will need at least 10 years of age before the tightly wound structure starts to resolve. This is a terrific, well-made Right Bank red that'll probably keep for decades. Not the cheapest buy at 29,90€, but feels priced according to its quality.

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