Community Tasting Note
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csimm wrote: 95 points
November 5, 2019 - A gorgeous bottle of wine with a bangin' QPR to boot (which I'm probably letting influence me to some degree in terms of scoring - maybe even 95-96+? This punches WAY above its league). Totally alluring and satiating, with a truck full of blackberry, black cherry syrup, cassis, ripe plum, spicebox, bitter chocolate, subtle flecks of cedar dust and dry earth, and hints of vanilla on the tail. Notable viscosity and richness while still maintaining a firm and energetic frame. Finishes slightly dry but also with a continuously rolling cascade of dark fruit flavors that undulate through the delivery. Really captivating concentration here, but it never stops holding true to its roots. The tail is elongated by the constant and deceptively brooding push of dense energy that coats the mouth and keeps the back end over-performing into a chewy crescendo.
95+ points for me (maybe more?). Some may prefer more zing and snappy acidity, but for me it is superbly balanced, especially for a $45-50 bottle of wine. So much to like here. Hold if you're a purist and think every Bordeaux needs years in bottle to be optimum, OR...be a heathen and pop the cork now. It's a fun one!7 people found this helpful 7,698 views
4 Comments
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Iceman16 commented:
2/1/20, 9:18 AM - I believe to be a purist yet was intrigued by this one. So I put my big boy pants on an popped a cork... whoa! This is a stunner!! You are 100% right about how this one ranks as a great QPR!! Day 2 was even better for me where the minerality shows more while no more sign of oak in sight. This is a no brainer; get some, drink some, age some! Thanks for the note as it influenced me into having an amazing experience! Cheers!!
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csimm commented:
2/1/20, 9:41 AM - Hi Iceman! So glad it worked out. I'm still navigating through much of the BDX landscape (compared to my Napa roots), but I really am finding some of these base model Bordeaux wines in the sub-$100 range to be quite compelling in strong vintages (2015 and 2016 of late). 2014 has been more disappointing, but not shockingly, it was a weaker vintage by comparison (generally speaking of course). Anyway, I'm even more happy to hear your Day 2 experience was even better! It'll be cool to follow this one over the coming years. Cheers!
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Iceman16 commented:
2/1/20, 2:57 PM - Amen to that! I am one who will enjoy Napa wines, but in moderation. I typically find Bordeaux to bring less wood, vanilla and oak for the most part, even in the priciers wines (Napanook, Vice Versa, Mondavi...) Either way, I just love wines and will always respect the true caregivers who put in their all in this amazing art. I have yet to find a 15 Bordeaux I did not like, same for 2016’s. As per the 2014’s, altough a tougher vintage, there are still some amazing QPR; La Dominique, Domaine de Chevalier and Armailhac are simply amazing wines (all different of course) to pass on them, IMO. Drink them over 2-3 days is always the best as wine opens up slowly at such young age. They are defintetly in the same QPR range than this PL 15. I have and will buy much more of this one to see it evolve over the next 2 decades — looking forward to compare it to a much pricier Margaux in Brane-Cantenac who always deliver. Life is good!!
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csimm commented:
2/1/20, 4:51 PM - Chevalier I like quite a bit. Very well crafted juice for sure. I’ll have to check out the 2014s you mentioned so I get a better sense of some of the successes in that vintage. 2015 is my favorite recent vintage overall for sure. Thanks very much!!