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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.4 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 203 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by DH90 on 2/4/2024 & rated 94 points: This proved to be an amazing bottle of this wine. It had deep garnet color with almost no evidence of aging despite its 20+ years. The palate was redolent with dark berry fruits (Merlot) and spiced red fruit with a hint of cinnamon (C. franc). It was rich and full on the palate with great length. Very impressive effort for this Cotes de Castillon wine. Another crowd pleaser! (469 views) | | | Tasted by WojteG on 2/9/2023 & rated 93 points: To all distinguished and noble members of this great site: this 22 years old wine is fine, alive and delicious!
Let's drink Merlot on this beautiful Thursday (it was sunny, windless day, -2°C now). This time my Merlot is not from St.Emilion, but from its close neighbor - Cotes de Castillon. First - 22 years old wine with lovely ruby color!
Second - intense, sweet aromas of black currant, blackberry. Also a lot of coffee and some licorice.
Nice creamy texture! Taste: blackberry, blackcurrant, red currant, black chocolate and strong flavors of black coffee.
Matter of fact - coffee is everywhere! I like coffee in a wine... but for my personal taste, there is too much coffee here. By the way: 80% Merlot, 20% CF.
Acidity is very friendly, tannins very weak. Finish - pretty long, but soft with black fruits, red currant and gentle spice.
It's hard to complain about 22 years old wine, that in my opinion hold its 'spirit' high and alive, especially when the price I paid was €27
...🕤
I started drinking the third glass of this wine and it seems that everything is the same, but beautifully arranged. Like dominoes in a winning game. In a word: balance, balance, balance.
Other word: pleasure, pleasure, pleasure
Well, well, well: tannins suddenly appeared out of nowhere, which is of course positive news. Therefore, the wine becomes much livelier, more interesting, with a longer finish.
Simply put - delicious juice
Upgraded from 91 to 93 pts.
Uncomplicated, but very delicious juice (2061 views) | | | Tasted by mxpbuy on 1/9/2023 & rated 91 points: From Magnum. This wine came around pretty quickly even in this format. Some blueberry and modest chocolate notes with a mid palate and finish of slightly tart raspberries and a touch of green beans. Silky smooth. Interesting. Well balanced. (1524 views) | | | Tasted by DH90 on 12/25/2022 & rated 92 points: Good color--deep garnet. Deep rich fruit with hints of cinnamon. Nicely balanced with brisk acidity. Red Cabernet franc fruit was prominent. Very satisfying on the palate although a slightly short finish. This is drinking very well right now. (1513 views) | | | Tasted by Tao on 6/6/2022 & rated 91 points: Dark ruby red in colour! Extravagant nose of riped black cherries fruit, drinking very well at the moment, for those who bought it in the En-Primeur market, the return is simply sensational, really worth the wait! (2443 views) | | | Tasted by cmartinelli on 5/27/2022: Thought I had drunk all of these, I guess not. Stood bottle up for several hours, in retrospect I could have decanted for sediment. Plenty of deep color in the glass, can't see any bricking. Lots of aromatics: Muted dark fruit, leather, faint tobacco, and a mushroomy, earthy scent. Tastes fully resolved, nicely rounded. Don't see this improving but might hang on another year or two. Not a banger but a solid bottle. (1784 views) | | | Tasted by Eric Becker on 4/9/2022 & rated 92 points: Bordeaux masterclass at Summa 2022 (Weingut Alois Lageder, Margreid, South Tyrol): A splendid showing. A perfumed nose with sweet red and dark fruits, various spices, some bellpepper and balsamic notes. Medium-bodied and fresh with lowly 13,5 ABV, lighter but more classically proportioned than recent vintages. Fully developed but not in decline. Exemplifies perfectly, why it pays off to store inexpensive, but carefully selected Bordeaux. (1727 views) | | | Tasted by Paul D on 2/21/2022 & rated 90 points: Gareth's Cru Bourgeois Dinner (Hawksmoor, Guildhall, London): Lovely, welcoming sweet fruited nose - blueberries to the fore - quite youthful still but perfumed, exotic and a touch floral. Medium bodied on the palate with soft tannins and fresh acidity, perhaps not the longest but harmonious and drinking beautifully. (1944 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 2/21/2022 & rated 90 points: Gareth’s ‘Cru Bourgeois’ @ Hawksmoor: 9/12. Mellow, smooth, a touch of richness on the nose but balanced by a cool acidity. The elegant face of right bank exoticism. Consistent with the previous bottles from this case over the past decade. ***1/2 (1626 views) | | | Tasted by aerosol on 10/3/2021 & rated 92 points: Opened Friday night at the Wine Watch happy hour and tried some right away; big mistake. This is going to need a couple hours to decant, but when it does, it opens up to a well structured wine. After an hour, the nose is pronounced leather and very minor green and vanilla notes. The color is still dark and ruby and has some legs and youthful appearance. I get a dark bodied, well structured wine that is not fruit forward but has blackberry, coffee grinds, a tinge of earth, and shows its age elegantly. It could store for longer but it's in a great spot now so why wait. (2363 views) | | | Tasted by mouton45 on 5/31/2021 & rated 91 points: When I decanted this 2000 about 2+ hours before dinner, it had a non-descript nose and was surprisingly tight. I used a proven aeration trick every time I passed by, pouring the wine back and forth times between two thick-glass milk bottles until dinner was ready. It worked again, at least IMO. I paired the d'Aiguihle with grilled Australian lamb chops (hands-down Costco's best meat deal). In our glasses the wine now had pronounced scents of black berries and cherries as well as a little licorice. On the palate it was dense, slightly sweet and supple, with a medium body and soft tannins. This wasn't the wine I had been looking for in my cellar, but I'm very happy that I stumbled on it first. This is Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux, which I bought in 2004 for $19, is a great value made by Count Stephan de Niepperg, who also produces La Mondotte and Canon La Gaffeliere from St. Emilion. Looking forward to my last two bottles, which has clearly exceeded the projected drink-by date of 2016. (2138 views) | | | Tasted by Tao on 2/26/2021 & rated 91 points: Quite extravagant on the nose, smoky, leathery, vanilla red fruits! Slightly sweet and spicy smoky red fruits palate, a medium finish, a bit young and tannic! (2532 views) | | | Tasted by mlburditt on 11/15/2020: Deep ruby, a little leather, forest floor, plenty of rich red fruits. Magnificent mouthfeel. Still has a little time left, but the end is in sight. Drink up. (2706 views) | | | Tasted by Jjdebuck on 12/31/2019 & rated 88 points: Still very much a live after 19 years. Plum, tobacco, earthy tones and still good length (4318 views) | | | Tasted by Koivula on 12/23/2019: Loistava, 3h dekatointi (3044 views) | | | Tasted by VAGentleman on 10/18/2019 & rated 89 points: Ready to drink. Conventional Bordeaux. Dark fruit and currant. Honey with some forest. Goid value. (3073 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 9/3/2019: Rich plush style, black plum and mocha, pretty alive but not very complex. B (3045 views) | | | Tasted by Zorba on 8/6/2019 & rated 91 points: Bought another bottle and this was clearly in better shape than the first one. Less opaque and not tired at all, more lively and brighter flavours. Still a lot of tobacco here, in a good way. Very good for a not-so-expensive 19 year old Bordeaux! (2677 views) | | | Tasted by wineappreciation on 5/7/2019 & rated 91 points: Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, hints of chalk, chocolate and tar; smooth, long, thick, and extended, good classic Bordeaux but increasingly syrupy over time (2512 views) | | | Tasted by Zorba on 4/6/2019 & rated 90 points: Very deep brown-red colour, almost opaque. Mature smell with dry leaves, tobacco, spices like nutmeg. On the palate mostly black cherries, bit of dried herbs and spices, earth, blood, smooth and balanced and very mature. Somewhat past peak perhaps but an interesting wine nonetheless. (2220 views) | | | Tasted by Xavier Auerbach on 10/11/2018 & rated 91 points: Last bottle from my case. How I will miss this wine! (3763 views) | | | Tasted by Xavier Auerbach on 10/6/2018 & rated 91 points: Penultimate bottle from full case and yet another fine specimen. Creamy berry fruit, red meat and spices, earthy and nutty conplexity, impeccable balance and weight (13.5% ABV), delivers both freshness and generosity, finely grained tannins still provide grip, very good resonance and length. Really very good for age and terroir. (3033 views) | | | Tasted by Xavier Auerbach on 9/8/2018 & rated 91 points: An interesting compare and contrast with the 2000 Boyd-Cantenac, same vintage, left v. right bank. The stylistic differences are obvious (the Boyd has more finesse, this is more generous) and perfectly logical, but the quality is similar, which is a great compliment for this Côtes de Castillon. (3100 views) | | | Tasted by Xavier Auerbach on 8/29/2018 & rated 91 points: Another fine bottle from an excellent case. (2817 views) | | | Tasted by Xavier Auerbach on 6/12/2018 & rated 91 points: Happily working my way through a case of this. Delightful mature right bank claret, beautifully balanced, with a lovely interplay of the soft fruit of the 80% Merlot and the leafy freshness of the 20% Cabernet Franc. Not as rich and full as it once was, but pure and elegant. (3340 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Neal Martin
Vinous, Looking Backward/Looking Forward: 2000 vs 2001 Bordeaux (Sep 2021) (9/1/2021)
(D'Aiguilhe D'Aiguilhe Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2002, IWC Issue #102
(Chateau Aiguilhe Cotes de Castillon) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2001, IWC Issue #96
(Chateau Aiguilhe Cotes de Castillon) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (5/8/2003)
(Château d'Aiguilhe) Tight, olallieberry nose; good, rich berry and oak palate and sweet tannins; medium finish 91 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/8/2003)
(Château d'Aiguilhe) Purple red violet color; berry, mint nose; rich, mouth-coating, berry and herbaceous palate; medium finish 91 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château d'Aiguilhe Producer website - Read more about Chateau d’Aiguilhe
Article on Stephan von Neipperg, owner of the Chateau. "...Château d'Aiguilhe, ... since 1999 has gradually become von Neipperg's favored property. Of course, he'll still pour the Canon-La Gaffelière with delight and exult in the success of La Mondotte, but Aiguilhe is where his heart currently resides...."Red 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..?Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
Read about Cotes de Bordeaux and Cotes de Castillon
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Soil: Calcareous clay and molasses (clastic sedimentary rock formations)
Surface Area: 1,853 ha |
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