Netherlands
Tasted Saturday, April 18, 2009 by jkoenen with 271 views
Celebrating my brothers' 36th! Happy birthday, man!
Personal WOTN: 1997 Canon la Gaffeliere
Also Charmail and Poujeaux are reputable over-achievers in this vintage.
These 3 wines offer extraordinary value for money.
1997 Château Mouton Rothschild 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Lots of red fruit going on. Elegant and youthful on the nose. Hardly any evolution. Lots of flowers, rose petal, bayleaf, lavas, thyme, cherry, strawberry. Very pure and charming, albeit a bit light. Surprisingly long and precise. Excellent. 17,5/20
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1997 Château Poujeaux 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc
Brambly, peppery black fruit. Espresso, ink, pencilshavings, licorice, good freshness too. Tres Bdx. Cigarbox, barnyard. On the finish there's a lot of structure, but not much aroma. Classy and complex. Just a hint of astringency. Great for the vintage. 17/20
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1997 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Slight browning on the edge. Autumnforest, dried leaves, flintstone, anise, smoky cedar. Fruit is in the background but it's completely ripe. No greenstreak. Coffee, figs and prunes, animalfur. Lots of complexity. Magnificent performance considering the vintage. WOTN 18/20. Drink now.
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1997 Château Charmail
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Hint of cardboard, pine, eucalypt, tea, forestfloor and black fruit. A gloomy, modest, reticent nose. Defective? Sense of impurity is still present after an hour of aeration, maybe a whiff of cork?
This is confirmed on the palate. Although I picked up blackberries and cassis, this wine is giving me a hard time by its drying aftertaste, aggressive bitters and out-of-balance feel. Had several great bottles in the past but this one is off. No Score.
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