Christmas Claret

Tasted Monday, December 13, 2021 by SimonG with 181 views

Flight 1 (1 Note)

Flight 2 (1 Note)

  • 2000 Château Rauzan-Gassies 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    Blind. Dense and deep fully ruby. Violet and blackcurrant nose. Quite rich and plush, but tannins a little blocky and drying. Guess a Margaux, though no idea which chateau, and 03. With air there’s a maturing classic claret here, classic profile emerging, but needs a little more time. ***(*)

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Flight 3 (2 Notes)

  • 1998 Vieux Château Certan 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Balackberry and blackcurrant. Darker and slightly surly on the palate cf the 01. A pinch of unresolved Ed tanninninitially that seems to resolve quite quickly in the glass. A lovely purity and density of fruit on the nose. Smooths and rounds in the glass. Deeper toned than the 01. *****

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  • 2001 Vieux Château Certan 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Really exuberant blackberry fruit when first opened and double decanted. More restrained a couple of hours later. A little more bright acidity than the 98, slightly lighter redder fruited too. Long, precise and lovely. Silky tannins. *****

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Flight 4 (3 Notes)

  • 1970 Château Léoville Las Cases Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Not flawed per se, but too much fine sediment from transport rendering it muddy and sludgy. Shame.

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  • 1982 Château Léoville Las Cases 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Lovely nose. Madeira cake with a pinch of green pepper to give it line and freshness. Violet talc. Just so sweet, rounded and giving. One could argue it needs a bit more oomph on the finish, but it’s resolved, harmonious and downright gorgeous. Consistent with a pre-Covid bottle, I think from the same case, at Piccolino. *****.

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  • 1996 Château Léoville Las Cases 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Deeper, denser nose. Lovely blackcurrant fruit with a Vicks menthol top note. This is classic and vital, deep long and with a lovely line. Super now, but in a decade or so… *****

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Flight 5 (2 Notes)

  • 1996 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    A clear step up from previous bottles. A touch more restrained on the nose. Elegant and classic, more Pauillac than Baron, but opens to,show its class. Deep, plush, nuanced and a sense of elegant restraint. Excellent, and really starting to come in to its own. ****1/2

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  • 1998 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Again, perhaps unsurprisingly, a step up,from a couple of bottles fifteen years ago. Classic Baron nose of rich cassis and mocha.,a bit broader and more obvious than the 96, without quite the line and elegance, but very good indeed. Another day, without the embarrassment of riches alongside, this would shine in its own right.****

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Flight 6 (3 Notes)

  • 1995 Château Montrose 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Coffee and beef tea on the nose. Quite evolved. Beef and soy in fact. A little flat, not blowsy but lacking focus. Again, not helped by the company, but on its own I suspect a very decent showing. ****

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  • 1996 Château Montrose 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Quite a cool, slightly restrained nose. It’s all there though, just in a minor key. Cool mineral edge. More composed than the 95. ****

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  • 2004 Château Montrose Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Ever so slightly corked, initially quite subtle but enough to,dull all its edges.

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Flight 7 (2 Notes)

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