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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.7 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 23 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by RGCM Gananda on 5/6/2022 & rated 90 points: Prior bottle was almost 14 months ago and this wine has improved more than I had anticipated in that time. Black cherry, blackberry and earth notes on the nose with the vanilla now a more balanced background note. Medium bodied with the same mix of black cherry and blackberry as prior bottles, but with noticeably more nuance. As this wine has opened up, the fruit notes have taken on extra dimensions. The softer black cherry has opened up and contrasts well with the brighter black cherry while the blackberry has both darker, deeper notes that almost get to plum as well as higher and brighter notes. These elements are tied together with tannins and acidity on the backside that have improved balance with the fruit. Minerals, earth and spices make up the finishing notes with the mineral qualities perhaps taking on slightly more prominence. Overall, this wine has come together better than I'd hoped and in a fashion it should be able to maintain for several more years. (579 views) | | | Tasted by millesime66 on 3/11/2021 & rated 91 points: Idem à la dernière bue il y a près d'un an, et même une coche de plus. (1065 views) | | | Tasted by RGCM Gananda on 3/10/2021 & rated 89 points: Prior bottle was just over two years ago and this wine remains in a good spot. Nose shows black cherry, earth and lots of vanilla notes. Just above medium bodied with the same mix of black cherry and blackberry as the dominant fruit notes. The mid-body continues to open up and shows more rounded, more accessible fruit notes than previously. Tannins on the backside are more integrated than previously. Finish shows mineral qualities, earth and spice notes. Fruit continues to hold up well and the tannins continue to integrate. This wine is close to or at peak and while it should be able to hold this level for another couple of years, there's no reason to delay. I will probably open my last bottle later in 2021. (963 views) | | | Tasted by schway on 11/28/2020 & rated 89 points: Ok. Likely heading downhill (1064 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 7/9/2020 & rated 90 points: At full-maturity, the wine is earthy, smoky, round, lush, soft and still fresh, with its dark red pit fruits, licorice, cocoa and stony, mid-palate finish. I'd opt for drinking this over the next few years before it starts its gentle decline. (2755 views) | | | Tasted by ziavino on 6/27/2020 & rated 88 points: Hard to rate. PnP, and immediate notes of prune jump out of the glass. Tasted right away, waited 3 hours and tasted, and saved a glass to taste 24 hours later. Consistent notes all three times, with prune/raisin, leather, and vanilla leading the way. Still somewhat tannic, so I'm not sure if this bottle was exposed to heat at some point. Reminded me of a decent Madiran. (751 views) | | | Tasted by millesime66 on 5/21/2020 & rated 90 points: À 43$ en i.P., pas donné pour un Fronsac, mais il les vaut largement. Du fruit (noir), des beaux tannins assez fins, une belle longueur et un bois équilibré. Le millésime parle! (549 views) | | | Tasted by RGCM Gananda on 3/4/2019 & rated 89 points: Prior bottle was nearly 16 months ago and this wine has begun to evolve as I'd hoped. Still a bit tannic and closed when first opened, it really started to show well after about two hours open and all of these notes and from that point on.
Black cherry, earth and vanilla notes on the nose. Between medium and full bodied with the same mix of black cherry and blackberry upfront, but this time, showed a touch more rounded and accessible, especially through the middle. Felt like there was a more complete bridge to the backside as well showing tart blackfruit and minerals. Still has a good amount of tannin, but overall, noticeably better integrated than previously. In general, I would say that the flavor profile is pretty much the same with only minor additions to complexity. But in terms of integration and balance, the wine has clearly evolved positively. I will probably try my next bottle in early 2020 and hope that this trend continues. (970 views) | | | Tasted by RGCM Gananda on 11/12/2017 & rated 89 points: Blackberry and an earthy oakiness on the nose. Opened about an hour ahead of time and while it showed good fruit initially, seemed to fall a bit out of balance the longer it was open. Between medium and full bodied (14.5%) with blackberry and black cherry upfront. There's good fruit present through the mid-body, but for now, it's masked by drying, intrusive tannins (even after three hours open). Towards the finish, it starts to come together nicely with a mix of blackfruit and mineral that really works well. Once the tannins settle down, this could become quite enjoyable, especially for an impressive value petite Bordeaux. I'll try my next bottle in 12-18 months and reassess. (1518 views) | | | Tasted by buchch2 on 7/30/2017 & rated 91 points: A nice little surprise. Good balance, smooth. Enjoyable (1813 views) | | | Tasted by partylikeakennedy on 12/20/2015 & rated 91 points: Great value for the price. Nice dusty dark fruits, mushrooms, pencil shavings. The right amount of dank with confident tannins. (3033 views) | | | Tasted by ed-d on 9/12/2015 & rated 90 points: This is a delightful little Fronsac from Patrick Leon who spent time at Mouton Rothschild & now works with Peter Sichel. A great bargain in moderately priced Bordeaux. Merlot & Cabernet Franc. (2967 views) | | | Tasted by whme on 8/9/2015 & rated 88 points: Surprised by the high tannins but still enjoyable. Prefer the 09 vintage over 10. (2441 views) | | | Tasted by mpsocal on 2/20/2015 & rated 90 points: This a bold wine. Big tannic structure with a little blackberry and graphite. Give it 45 minutes to an hour to open up. (2237 views) | | | Tasted by vespasian on 4/4/2011 & rated 91 points: Nice nose - ripe, opulent yet fresh; good density and concentration on the palate. Rich with lovely flavours, quite tannic but plenty of matter here to balance. Delicious, good potential. 90-93. (3207 views) |
| Château Les Trois Croix Producer WebsiteRed 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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