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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.1 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 68 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by wicozani on 4/23/2024 & rated 88 points: Pours a nice fair dark ruby with maybe the slightest amount of bricking. The nose beckons with plum, cocoa, tobacco, herbs and soil. On the palate, wild raspberry joins these notes amidst ample acidity. Quite nice from the PnP, without need for decanting. Have been very satisfied with these inexpensive 2005 Bordeaux reds. (88 views) | | | Tasted by wicozani on 11/23/2023 & rated 89 points: Opened at 0900 for Thanksgiving. Purchased on release. PnP. A medium ruby robe with shades of purple extending out to thinned clear but not bricked edges. Long languid legs. The nose beckons with plum, forest floor, and a hint of sherry character.
Will update this note after seeing how it progresses and behaves with our turkey Thanksgiving dinner. (258 views) | | | Tasted by jmikeska on 11/16/2023 & rated 84 points: Past its prime. (284 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 5/9/2022 & rated 84 points: So much better in 2008-2014. Today it has cedar, wood, earth, oak, tobacco, cherry and plum. Not bad with my roast, herbal chicken or rack of lamb but quite faded vs. the past.
My spouse declined to partake of this wine. I wish I had drunk these earlier. (940 views) | | | Tasted by Ernestas on 11/1/2021 & rated 83 points: Tried very few wines from this lesser known right bank appellation. A traditional merlot based blend with 18% CF and 8% CS, quite rustic and muted at first, but after nearly an hour it gets into shape. Medium+ garnet red. Medium intensity aroma with shy fruits of cherries and plums outshined by tertiaries of toasted oak, wet earth, smoke. Medium body, attack is fresh with quite overlapping acidity which is barely tamed by fruits and sandy tannins. It has nothing left to develop here so drink up. (1171 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 8/27/2021 & rated 86 points: Definitely better 5 years ago, the wine is in its decline. Still, if it has been well stored you can find, earthy, tobacco, leafy secondary notes accompanied by fading tones of red plums, cherries and cocoa. (2563 views) | | | Tasted by JR512 on 11/4/2019 & rated 85 points: Nothing special. Fine with pork loin but fairly muted. Very light fruit. (1784 views) | | | Tasted by whudock on 4/27/2018 & rated 89 points: still has strong fruit and good balance. (2474 views) | | | Tasted by wilypod on 11/12/2016 & rated 90 points: Firm mouth, with black currant juiciness left. Complex nose of pipe tobacco shop, dark chocolate, and currants, with a thyme/sage leafiness. Tannins are abundant enough to carry the wine another year or two. (3344 views) | | | Tasted by rwpalmer on 6/25/2016 & rated 90 points: Still an inviting purple. Spicy plum nose. Rich palate with just the right balance of roundness, tannin and acidity. Best and last bottle of 6. (3707 views) | | | Tasted by Hawk94 on 7/31/2014 & rated 90 points: Delicious to drink now. (5140 views) | | | Tasted by rwpalmer on 7/23/2014 & rated 86 points: Still a big strapping wine. Loads of colour, acidity and tannin. Not harmonious, but the amount of plummy, spicy fruit still present gives me optimism that this may have an enjoyable drinking window in about 5 years. (5316 views) | | | Tasted by prof b on 3/7/2014 & rated 85 points: This took a while to open up; I popped this two days ago and poured a glass. The muted nose and body suggested I give it some time so I shoved the cork back in and returned to it tonight. Still reticent, the nose mostly had mild oak components and some hints of fruit but not much. On the palate, it wasn't much different. Although I love truly mature wines, this one isn't going to get there. As the fruit fades, there just isn't much else to support it. (5127 views) | | | Tasted by Merrit on 7/6/2013 & rated 86 points: Not much initial nose, and palate took quite a while to open up, even when run through a Venturi. The tannins dominated for the first hour or so, and it tasted like dulled blackberries caked in charcoal. Then suddenly, it revealed a lot of powerful raspberry, bramble, mushroom and earth. It doesn't feel like this is going to get much better, so worth opening now, but decant it for a couple of hours before enjoying. (4708 views) | | | Tasted by prof b on 1/14/2013: one of my favorite qprs but this bottle isn't doing it for me. I worry the fruit has faded to leave little other than mild tannins and acid. This bottle wasn't stored well though, so we'll see... (5030 views) | | | Tasted by khmark7 on 11/11/2012 & rated 85 points: Easier drinking than most 2005's. Lots of Brett on the nose with a typical overripe flavor structure classic of the vintage. Better than a poke in the eye. (4621 views) | | | Tasted by winelovr2001 on 9/8/2012 & rated 87 points: Decent. A decent amount of acid and some nice basic cab flavors. Not as good the second day. (4466 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 9/1/2012 & rated 89 points: 89-90. Tight & closed upon opening but with some solid fruit. Opened after 30 minutes in the glass to show fruit, spice, tar & earth. Best after the bottle was open for 2 hours, no decant. As jellisfeingold said: acting like a real grown-up bordeaux. But no rush to drink & probably better in 1-2 years. (4099 views) | | | Tasted by RBOND on 5/27/2012 & rated 90 points: What a sweet smell when I popped the cork. 3 hours or decanting in which we soaked in the hot tub, drank some Ocktoberfest beer and swam some laps. Dinner was NY strips, root veggies and a shitake gorganzola topping. This wine was what one would expect for its price. A wine true to its roots. It could be a CA wine but its roots are from France. Good tannins, berries, and clay. The clay smooths out the tannins. A winner. (3847 views) | | | Tasted by prof b on 4/8/2012 & rated 87 points: My last bottles must have been off. strawberries, mushrooms, good stuff. Secondary characters are starting to show. (3866 views) | | | Tasted by jellisfeingold on 2/28/2012 & rated 90 points: I haven't opened a bottle of this for a year now, and that was a constructive year for this wine. This is acting like a real grown-up '05 Bordeaux, with lots of gutsy dark fruit in a medium bodied media, tannins integrating nicely. Ninety. (3828 views) | | | Tasted by prof b on 12/16/2011: either entering a dumb phase to getting old. will try another bottle soon. (4131 views) | | | Tasted by winolee on 11/14/2011 & rated 88 points: Crimson red in hue. Wonderful aromatics of flowers, fresh crushed raspberries. Flavors of red to black berries. Pronounced earthiness towards mid palate. Low tannins. Lacks structure and roundness, possibly due to this being 100% Cab Franc. (4352 views) | | | Tasted by rwpalmer on 10/11/2011 & rated 87 points: One year on, this is drinking nicely (better second night). A dark, strapping, spicy wine. The balance more convincing than previously. Very good value. (4149 views) | | | Tasted by khmark7 on 9/18/2011 & rated 87 points: Consistent with previous note. A big wine that would pair nicely with beef or lamb. Modern in style, but typical of the vintage. (86-87) (4255 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Villars Producer website - read more about Chateau VillarsRed 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..?Fronsac Vins Fronsac (Conseil des Vins de Fronsac)
Read more about Fronsac
Fronsac AOC Wikipedia Article |
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