2016 Château Durfort-Vivens

Community Tasting Notes (21) Avg Score: 92.6 points

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  4/17/2024 - CellularAutomaton Likes this wine: 93 Points

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  4/12/2024 - calypse Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Stunning nose. Sweet, rich yet elegant fruit on the palate, which remains light and dancing. Spicy, rather light-footed, accompanied by beautifully integrated tannins. Still a bit young but already quite impressive. Very fine!
  93+

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  2/10/2024 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 94 Points

  “And Now For Something Completely Different”
  
  The title of a Monty Python film, it could well be Gonzague Lurton’s motto (perhaps it is?). He doesn’t seem to give a hoot about critical acclaim, never does anything like anyone else, and this wine is another two fingered salute to conformity.
  
  The nose is arresting – fascinating, in fact. I’m more keen on what’s in the glass as a rule, but this one is certainly worth spending time over. Very perfumed at first, with violets and plums, then something which to me said eucalyptus, before some brambly fruit, then some elderberry, lavender and blueberry. Light but very strong, I could smell it from across the room, but such incredible complexity!
  
  The attack is bright and fresh, very typical of a biodynamic wine, bone-dry cassis and plums to the fore, very reminiscent of a Roches Neuves. Then midpalate it veers off into black cherry flavours, full of energy and still very taut, before hightailing it to the skies with a blend of acidic raspberry and cinnamon, leaving an aftertaste of crisp blackcurrant and typical Margaux dustiness.
  
  That all probably reads as odd as it was – but the sensation post-sip is of enormous pleasure. It’s a wine that pirouettes dangerously between excessive acidity and perfect balance, but for now at least, the latter wins the day.
  
  Certainly one of the more weirdly wonderful wines I have tasted this year, it reminded me strongly of Closeries des Moussis, rather than Clos Du Jaugueyron, with its uncompromising refusal to conform. I can well understand that this is not to everybody’s taste – lovers of Labégorce-type wines would not like it. I loved it. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some bottle variation, I’m not 100% sure that it will age well, but I’m happy to take a punt on it anyway and say that it will turn into a really outstanding wine. 94 pts for now, possibly 96 in the future.
  
  Thinking back to the 2008 tasted recently, there is a definite resemblance, but the 2016 just pushes the boundaries further.

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  10/25/2023 - fussyeater wrote: 94 Points

  Vibrant ruby red in colour. Pot pourri plum and cassis on the powdery nose. Silky tannins with great energy and purity of fruit dialed to 11. Great balance. Truly lovely.

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  10/3/2023 - AJCM Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Haut-Bages Liberal Winery

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View all 21 Community Tasting Notes

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