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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.3 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 63 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by tphilca on 6/9/2022 & rated 85 points: Well stored bottle but tasted past prime. Nothing much of interest but did not taste corked. (876 views) | | | Tasted by KristianT on 4/11/2022 & rated 91 points: Last of my 12 bottles bought en primeur. It has been such an interesting journey to follow this wine that was one of the "big, small wines" of 2005 in Bordeaux. In many ways it ended on a high note - perfectly mature now. Still very dark and dense, but more in balance now than previously. (1340 views) | | | Tasted by Bobc7had on 3/2/2021 & rated 90 points: Drinking beautifully (1695 views) | | | Tasted by bg3034 on 7/16/2020 & rated 88 points: PnP through Nuance Wine Finer. Still nice balance. Fair amount of sediment. Dark fruit on the nose, hint of leather. On the palate, nice balance of fruit and minerality. Medium finish. For a reasonably priced bottle, has held up well. Enjoyed. 88pts. Aloha! (1779 views) | | | Tasted by KristianT on 4/4/2020 & rated 89 points: Still very dark. Much more youthful than its age should indicate. Starting to show more Bordeaux notes than it did some years back. Quite full-bodied and fruit-packed. Certainly a good glass of wine (especially the modest en-primeur price taken into consideration). Still a bit unsure where this wine will go. I think I'll wait a couple of years before opening the next bottle. (1906 views) | | | Tasted by Oenecnist on 12/26/2018: Bought for 13/b from Binnys almost 9 years ago--first bottle tried from the wood 6-pack. Decanted with normal sediment for its age. Dark purple; fragrant blackcurrant nose; semi-rich black fruit body, minerally (a characteristic of Fronsac, in my experience); good finish. Delicious, though feels lean due to the minerality. Stored horizontally in a cool, dark basement since purchase. My evaluation: I've stopped giving scores on a "100-point scale" as I've become less convinced that they can be meaningful to others. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. I considered this outstanding- when considering quality, age, and price. (1944 views) | | | Tasted by anstruletz on 11/13/2018: Still drinking great. (1850 views) | | | Tasted by quanmeister on 10/8/2018 & rated 90 points: One of the better cheap bordeaux wines I have tried. Still not worth the price. (1620 views) | | | Tasted by BcDuncan on 7/20/2016 & rated 90 points: great time to drink this very good wine; not acidic, great fruit (3977 views) | | | Tasted by up4wine on 6/28/2016 & rated 86 points: Easy to drink. Has a fine balance and is well integrated. No complexity or serious detours as it airs. A good wine, but contemplation might be wasted on its simple structure. (3597 views) | | | Tasted by KristianT on 1/10/2016 & rated 88 points: Still a bit on the fence here. Hopefully this wine is still too young as all its good intentions and good elements still don't quite fall into place. (3912 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 9/13/2015: Coravin fun - Dom. de Chevalier plus lunch (My place, parramatta, sydney): aromas of spiced black plum with extra sweet spice, muted leathery notes here as well. On the palate the wine is reasonably fresh with savoury plums and spice, alcohol warmth wades in here as well as quite drying tannins which the fruit struggles to get past. (4489 views) | | | Tasted by kopke on 9/2/2015 & rated 89 points: Beau nez
Il a charmé les dames! (4700 views) | | | Tasted by BigJ on 8/9/2015 & rated 86 points: This was an interesting wine. Im leaning to a previous note which questions the drying of this wine.
Blueberry, violets and creamy oak upon openning and the plums and other fruits joining in later in the show.
The tannin is still firm and it is fresh and alive. I am just not sure the wine will come around. but will follow this over the next few years and see. Better with food than without (2037 views) | | | Tasted by KristianT on 7/24/2015 & rated 89 points: Still quite young. Astringent but softens up with some air. Very dark and intense for a Merlot dominated wine. My best asses.ent is that this wine still needs more time. Will try again next year. (2227 views) | | | Tasted by Vmaster007 on 6/13/2015 & rated 86 points: It was a pleasant wine, lots of fruit and good balance. (1770 views) | | | Tasted by anstruletz on 12/9/2014 & rated 90 points: Drinking great (1936 views) | | | Tasted by ProfByron on 10/11/2014 & rated 85 points: Dense ripe Merlot with substantial tannin still. Leaning towards over extraction. And maybe drying out.
Will this ever open up ? Will it gain any complexity with age? I think not, so you have to enjoy it for what it is now, and most people will like this, but it's frustrating if you've cellared this 7+ years. Especially when the 2009s are more accessible and impressive.
Sealed with cork. 14% alcohol. Drink now and over next few years. (2020 views) | | | Tasted by KristianT on 9/12/2014 & rated 88 points: Dark and intense. Much better than two years ago, but still quite youthful. Opens up with some air. Nice notes of black fruit and cherry. A bit dry on the aftertaste. I will try next bottle in a year or so (or earlier with a good decanting) (2028 views) | | | Tasted by wineaficionado on 5/18/2014 & rated 90 points: Color: Dark, impenetrable. Nose: Beef bouillon, licorice, dark fruits like blackberry. Mouth: Black grapes, in the finish some dried herbs. It is like dark fruit jelly with some herb sprinkles atop is springing up of cracks. Quite tannic but the tannins are ripe and not green. Quite a monster of a wine with a sweet core from the fruit. Excellent and off the beaten Bordeaux path. This wine is quite intense but the finish is rather short meaning standard short. Would the finish have been more prolonged it would have earned an even higher score. Will hold against any food. It is on its peak now. 85% Merlot, 15% Cab franc, 14% alc. The open bottle after having spent some time in the fridge has become a bit flat and boring. (2303 views) | | | Tasted by RobertDwyer on 12/18/2013 & rated 86 points: So here we are at 8 years in and I've popped the last bottle of this I have. Sadly it's probably less enjoyable now than it was on release. Too many of these affordable 2005 Bordeaux are clogging up my storage space and I've lost patience. (3252 views) | | | Tasted by jfurey21 on 10/27/2013 & rated 89 points: Had this with steak for Mimi's birthday. enjoyable. great QPR. Big cherry flavor with some nice backbone. I decanted for an hour. (2555 views) | | | Tasted by sczetty on 10/5/2013 & rated 90 points: Still very good. Had it with breaded pork chips ala Wiener schnitzel. Strong black cherry taste. (2400 views) | | | Tasted by ianinvirginia on 4/28/2013: This needs a ton of time, with still-primary fruit and sandy tannin. (3244 views) | | | Tasted by GoBlue2002 on 12/3/2012 flawed bottle: Brett. Lots of barnyard and almost undetectable fruit with overall muted flavors. Left it open a couple hours and hoped for improvement. It got worse. (3311 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| 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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