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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.4 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 34 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by doug374 on 11/15/2023 & rated 90 points: Mature, drinking well. core has well integrated fruits and light forest notes. (256 views) | | | Tasted by Laz4wine on 3/7/2021 & rated 94 points: Super dark ruby red almost black in decanter and no bricking, lots of throw to filter out. Great aromatics. Believe this is sailing through its pinnacle, 3+ hours of air time, dark currants, sweet tobacco, and mocha flavors with a kiss of fennel all sang beautifully throughout multiple delicious courses of mushroom toast, duck crepes, and dark chocolate dessert. Was nice and smooth on the fairly long deep finish. Great stuff and could easily go another 3 - 5 from here I suspect. (1358 views) | | | Tasted by Port & Cheese on 7/5/2019 & rated 94 points: Medium garnet, some fine sediment
Red currant and cranberry notes when first opened, turning to strawberry and cherry after about 2 hours in decanter
Rich strawberry and cherry, with leather, cedar and tobacco.
Final bottle from original case of twelve, still very good, but flavours starting to become a little muted. (1811 views) | | | Tasted by sunalsorises on 7/1/2019 & rated 93 points: Great value. Surprising depth. Smooth with a nice silky finish. Excellent. (1798 views) | | | Tasted by Port & Cheese on 4/5/2019 & rated 91 points: Clear medium garnet colour
Clean, red and black fruits, soft oak and vanilla
Dry, with medium acidity and high tannin, full body and long finish
Predominantly dried black fruit, but with hints of red cherry and cassis, with subtle coffee and chocolate notes
overall very good (1838 views) | | | Tasted by Laz4wine on 3/27/2019 & rated 93 points: Port & Cheese notes spot on, really opened up after 2.5 hours, became the wine value of the night by far next to some bigger name 04 and 06 Brdx and CA Pinots, excellent QPR, should drink beautifully next 2 - 4 yrs. (1695 views) | | | Tasted by Port & Cheese on 2/9/2019 & rated 94 points: Deep garnet in colour
Plum and black fruits on the nose
High acidity and medium tannins
Black fruits with mild oak and vanilla
Really pleasant bottle, great length. Went well with food and before hand without. Ate with rich beef and black bean stew (1366 views) | | | Tasted by Port & Cheese on 11/25/2018 & rated 92 points: Deep garnet colour.
Oak and vanilla on the nose
Initial stewed plum flavours
Medium acidity and tannin
With an hours breathing, softer tannins and more fruit flavours develop, blackberry and raspberry with cinnamon and vanilla background finish (1057 views) | | | Tasted by wmccone54 on 9/29/2018 & rated 90 points: Clear, medium ruby color. Mature and fully developed, medium intensity aromas of dried red currant, chopped tobacco, crushed cherry, stewed plum, semi-sweet chocolate and rich, but dry loamy soil. Flavor profile reflects complexity, but medium intensity levels indicate a wine which has peaked and starting to fade. Still has structure which supports a medium plus finish. Fully mature wine, unlikely to improve with further cellaring. Drink now. (1079 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 9/22/2017 & rated 94 points: Drinking beautifully, with notes of cherry, currant, herbs, spice box, espresso bean and a touch of chocolate. Very tasty with our roast herbal chicken. Drink now but has time, too. (1589 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 6/27/2017 & rated 94 points: Really drinking well now, with notes of cherry, currant, herbs, earth, spice box, mocha, caramel and some espresso bean on the finish. A good pairing with our roast herbal chicken. This is why we age French wine. Drink now but has time, too. A lovely wine for our $30 purchase price (plus shipping and tax) - although I see it was selling for $22 as well. (1741 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 8/27/2016 & rated 93 points: What a tasty wine. Notes of raspberry, cherry, currant, herbs, earth, garrigue and a touch of chocolate on the finsh. Very tasty with our grilled chicken. Drinking well now but has time, too.. (2227 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 11/24/2014 & rated 91 points: From memory: cherry and raspberry fruit, but still needs some time to show all its secondary nuances. Drink now or hold. With roast chicken. (2843 views) | | | Tasted by rho on 8/23/2013 & rated 92 points: Drink at home with raspberry pie without decant. Medium to full bodied. Cherry, leather and red fruits flavor. Resolved tannin and soft on the palate with a short finish. Drink now. (4397 views) | | | Tasted by jnanz on 5/23/2013: Very good Bordeaux. Translucent garnet with edges beginning to brick. Nose of spiced cherry fruit. Upon opening some velvety tannin was apparent, though this completely integrated within 30 minutes. What was left was a nice wine with very good cherry fruit and a little spice (cigar box, light vanilla). Initial hints of cranberry faded resolved quickly to cherry juice flavors. Medium bodied, but no real staying power on the palate. Did not have the structure, acid or tannin to stand up to a grilled Waygu flap. Very good and enjoyable to sip with lighter appetizers. Likely at peak (will change, but I am not sure how much it will improve) for me. (4249 views) | | | Tasted by Wine Nut on 2/28/2013 & rated 92 points: I have to echo the previous score of 92 points as this wine has developed incredibly well over the past 3 years. This is my 4th bottle of 6 and each time it keeps getting better. Gorgeous deep purple color whose nose is full of leather, violets and blueberry. The wine is soft and lush and fills your mid palate with licorice and raspberry while finishing nicely with gentle tannins. This wine is in a wonderful place right now and has certainly improved with age. This wine should probably be consumed within the next 5 years. Bravo. (4060 views) | | | Tasted by AMC Eagle on 11/16/2012 & rated 92 points: Decanted for 30 minutes and poured through a vinturri. Dark coloured in the glass; nose is very nice comprised of jammy blackberries, cassis, and some minerals and licorice. Getting leathery licorice, smokey tobacco and rich black fruits on the palate. Very nice finish. If I can find some more of these, I'd get them and stash them for a few extra years and see how they develop. (3901 views) | | | Tasted by rho on 4/15/2012 & rated 89 points: Decanted for less than an hour. Full bodied with strong tannin. Dark fruits follows by a smooth finish. Hold. (3963 views) | | | Tasted by Matt Scott on 3/19/2011 & rated 92 points: Decanted for two and a half hours, utilizing a funnel. Deep and dark crimson, with a mature and ruby rim. Dark, dark fruit preserves of blackberry and plum, with a leather, kalamata olive and a bakers chocolate nose. Very '03, which in my book is not a bad thing at all, and this is not overtly ripe either. Fine balance and a lot of velvety tannins that are soft and very approachable. The secondary nuances are starting to show. Long and satisfying, with a very full body. not jazzy or classical; this is dance music. A long life ahead with some alluring maturity and fresh acidity. Drink now - 2028. (3700 views) | | | Tasted by jnanz on 1/16/2011 & rated 88 points: See previous note (7/17/2007). Once it opened (after an hour or so) it never closed down. (3263 views) | | | Tasted by shaneajohnson on 6/17/2010 & rated 89 points: Unfortunately, I tried to rush aeration the first night with the Vinturi aerator, so the fruit was mostly hidden behind the tannins and stayed hidden for 2+ hours. A half bottle left corked in the fridge was WAY better the following night. Give this lots of decant time or hold until later. If I had more, I would not be in a hurry to drink up. (3446 views) | | | Tasted by dching on 11/23/2008 & rated 92 points: Colour - Good dark colour as one would expect for 2003. Medium bodied.
Nose - Subtle hints of raspberries, cream and liquorice
Palate - Good red and black fruit. Lovely light cream. Hints of tobacco and tea. Interesting liquorice taste on the finish. Tannins surprisingly very integrated. Slight heat on finish. Low / Medium acidity.
Overall - Very good. Drinking very well now. (3791 views) | | | Tasted by Ivin on 8/10/2008: Very monolithic. Shut down? (3773 views) | | | Tasted by kenito799 on 3/5/2008 & rated 89 points: Rich and dark, jammy ripe blackberry/cassis fruit with nice acid zing. Fairly oaky, with chocolate and vanilla in a long finish. Tannins quite apparent but intergrated after an hour open. Reminded me of a good Ribera del Duero. Nice but better RdD's are available for less so QPR suffers a tad in comparison, at least the way this is drinking right now. (3999 views) | | | Tasted by gowrie on 2/23/2008 & rated 93 points: Decanter The Great Bordeaux Fine Wine Encounter (The Landmark Hotel, London NW1): Lovely. Sweet vanilla and black cherry notes. Dense and aromatic. Good minerality and balance. Lots of sediment to contend with. (5297 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Grand-Pontet Producer Website - Read more about Chateau Grand PontetRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanLibournais Libournais (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) - Read more about St. Emilion and its wines - Read more about Pomerol and its wines
Saint Emilion Grat Classified Growth, Classified Growths, Grands Crus Classes, GCC
In 1954, while the "Graves" growths had just published their own classification, the wine syndicate of Saint-Emilion, composed by wine growers, brokers and wine traders with the approval of the INAO - Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (A.O.C), decided to work on a classification for the wines of Saint Emilion. Initially, four grades were defined. These were reduced to two - First Great Classified Growth (A and B) and Great Classified Growth - in 1984.
As of Medoc's 1855 historical grading, the Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growth classification is not only based on qualitative criteria by tasting the wines on a ten years period previous to the assessment, but also on commercial considerations such as:
- sales price levels
- national and international commercial distribution
- the estate's reputation on the market
Properties who don't manage to join the club of about sixty Classified Growths are given the denomination of Great Growth ("Grand Cru"), while the remaining wineries of the A.O.C are simply reported as "Saint-Emilion". It is to be noted that the owners must officially apply to appear in the official classification. Thus for example the famous Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf, whose quality and reputation would easily justify to be listed among the First Great Classified Growths, does not appear here by the will of its owner, François Mitjaville.
The Saint-Emilion Great Growth classification was revised in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. The only two guaranteed vintage (A.O.C) who can apply to the classification are the "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru" and "Saint-Emilion" areas.
By grading 61 properties, the 2006 revision confirmed many growths from the former classification, but also caused a number of surprises and a few inevitable disappointments. Many observers thought that the impressive progression of Perse's Chateau Pavie since 1998 would be rewarded by an upgrade into the First Great Classified Growths (A) category, but finally such was not the case.
Among the estates promoted to the First Great Classified Growths B category are Chateau Troplong-Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, whose efforts made since the Nineties fully justify their new grade. It should be noted that no First Great Classified Growth was relegated to the lower Great Classified Growth class.
Promoted growths from the status of Great Growth ("Grand Cru") to Great Classified Growth ("Grand Cru Classe") are: Chateaux Bellefont-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne and Monbousquet.
The demoted growths from the status of Great Classified Growth to Great Growth are: Chateaux Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie de Souchard, Guadet Saint-Julien, La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Belivier), La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Lamarzelle, Petite Faurie de Soutard, Tertre Daugay, Villemaurine and Yon-Figeac. If the recent samples of some of the above mentioned properties may justify their current downgrade, there are great chances that estates like Bellevue, Tertre Daugay or Yon-Figeac will be upgraded to their previous rankings by the next revision in 2016 as the progresses noted after 2000, but not entering in the range of vintages (1993 - 2002) appointed for the criteria of selection for the 2006 classification, are noticable.
The two following estates have completely disappeared from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classification: Curé-Bon-la-Madeleine (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Canon) and La Clusière (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Pavie).
Finally, no estate considered as "garagiste" has integrated the classification. Valandraud, Mondotte, Le Dome, Bellevue-Mondotte or Magrez-Fombrauge have, for the least, the potential to be ranked as Great Classified Growths. In sight of the very fine quality reached by the above mentioned estates in recent vintages as well as all the innovative wine making methods used by the "garagistes", it remains to be seen whether the authorities will dare to cross the line in 2016..?St. Émilion Grand Cru Les Vins de St. Émilion (Syndicate Vitocole de Saint-Emilion) – Read about St. Emilion
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Soil: Sandy soils with alluvial gravel deposits
Surface Area: 4,160 ha |
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