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WS Grand Tour Boston
Copley Marriott
Tasted May 19, 2011 by RockinCabs with 1,071 views
Introduction
WS Grand Tour. My notes are in three areas; bordeaux, California cab, and "others" . A massive event as always with too many wines to hit them all so you pick and choose. This is by no means complete, but a good list of my hilights for the night.
Flight 1 - Bordeaux (9 notes)
Mainly top name producers were there and a variety of vintages were being poured. The 2004's were drinking well and 2005's with enough decanting were spectacular. Few disappointments as well.
Red
2005 Château Mouton Rothschild
95 points
Nose: very spicy nose. Sandalwood, cassis, red berries, nutmeg, cocoa powder and nice hint of clove. Palate: black fruits with a veil of licorice, baking spice and sexy silky tannin structure. Finish: So long. Wow. WOTN.
Red
2004 Château Cos d'Estournel
94 points
Nose: dense fruit, red cherry, blackberry, plum, cigar, leather and exotic spice. Palate: showing red and blue fruits with baking spices. Silky on the palate. Finish: long with spices, leather and black fruit tones. Still coming together but drinking well.
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Red
2004 Château Margaux
93 points
Nose: horse hair, blackberry, pipe tobacco, vanillin, slight minerals. Perfumed and detailed nose. Palate: mid weight. Red fruit, cola notes, sassafras, black cherry, eucalyptus notes. Silky palate feel. Finish: Tanins clamp down at this stage. Black fruits emerge with exotic oak notes.
Red
2005 Château Lynch-Bages
93 points
Nose: very perfumed and classic pauillac. Blackberry, cigar and violets. Palate: silky with lead pencil, sweet cassis, cigar notes and nice complexity. Finish is long and lively. A great lynch bages.
Red
2008 Château Pontet-Canet
93 points
Nose: violet, lilacs, blueberry, blackberry, cassis and fruit tart notes. Palate: Very nice layered and elegant. Lots black fruit layers that create a sense of depth. Finish: very long with muscular presence. Can't wait to see how this evolves. Room to improve here.
Red
2005 Château Giscours
92 points
Nose: red fruits (pomegranate), cassis, leather and grilled plums. Also showing some horse hair and florals. Palate: silky with berries, cherries and leather notes. Some subtle herbs as well. Finish: Tanic and long, but not at the level of other Bordeaux here.
Red
2004 Château Palmer
91 points
Nose: barnyard, horse hair, red currents, cherry jam, and slight coconut notes. Perfumed nose shows some florals and spice as well. Palate: hits on the thin side, a very feminine wine. Red fruit, leather and sweet berry notes dominate. Finish: moderate, begins to show some herb notes late.
Red
2006 Château Haut-Bailly
89 points
Nose:bell pepper, blackberry, bitters and some tobacco. Palate: dark fruit, very packed and dense still showing some green elements beneath. Med body and nice. Finish: dark fruit and herbs. A bit clipped. Very closed, winery should not be showing this now.
Red
2003 Château Brane-Cantenac
85 points
Nose: grilled herbs, hearts of palm, some red fruit and sea salt. Palate: comes across very salt. Some red fruit, but asparagus shows up. Finish: quite smokey and salty. Not sure if this is the style here, but this was a strange wine.
Flight 2 - CA cabernets (5 notes)
Good representation from the CA producers, but few true "home runs".
Red
2006 Gemstone Cabernet Sauvignon Ten
94 points
Nose: white flowers, wild berry, black cherry, milk chocolate shavings and pepper. Palate: super silky, but definitely new world. Stacked palate is layered with fruit and herb/floral notes. Long finish. Peppery at times.
Red
2007 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Poetry
93 points
Nose:black cherry, bell pepper, grape candies (in a good sense) and a creme de cassis note. Hints of pepper and red berry as well. Palate: very dak fruit, but delivers with elegance. Wine has evolved nicely since last tasted. Finish: tannins bite down quite hard at the moment. Plum, black cherry and oak are accented with dark chocolate notes.
Red
2007 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon
92 points
Nose: blueberry, blackberry, vanilla bean, sweet oak and a bit of cassis. Jammy. Palate: more blue/black fruits. Significant oak presence. Long finish. Needs to develop. Promising plush cab.
Red
2007 Signorello Estate Padrone
91 points
Nose: cassis, blackberry,bakers chocolate and grilled fig. Palate: firm with nice density, blue/ black fruits and an espresso note. Finish: fairly long with dark fruit for days. Needs a lot of decanting. Very good.
Red
2007 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Exzellenz Sacrashe Vineyard
90 points
Big red fruit nose that is also somewhat buttery. Palate is loaded with cherry and some licorice elements. Very extracted. Almost over manipulated. Quite tannic with noticeable oak in the finish. A bit textbook and not at all worth this price. I like the Kathryn hall better.
Flight 3 - Other (9 notes)
I visited many booths to try new producers to me and found many appealing wines. Argentina and Spain had some notables for me.
Red
2005 Bodega O. Fournier Ribera del Duero
93 points
This was another stellar wine from this producer's Spanish vineyards. Tempornillo That is elegant and deep, yet also offers complexity. Pepper, cassis and violets dominated. Great wine.
Red
2008 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla El Nido
93 points
Another very impressive wine made by Chris Ringland. Signature black fruits, tar, cresote, and almost a black currant jam note. Dense, but not out of balance. Some floral notes, blackberry and espresso bean on the palate. Not my normal style but fun to taste.
Red
2007 Bodega O. Fournier Malbec Alfa Crux
92 points
Massive wine. Black as pitch in the glass. Dominant cassis and blackberry with cedary oak /cigar notes. A powerhouse that needs time to fully integrate.
Red
2006 Ernie Els
91 points
Charcoals, plum, blackberry nose. Cedary oak, black fruits and bacon on the palate. Good finish with strong tannins.
White
2008 Evening Land Vineyards Chardonnay Summum Seven Springs Vineyard
91 points
Very nicely balanced. Nose: Apple, white flowers and Asian pear nose. Palate: weighty enough with some oak presence showing. Pineapple, lemon curd and more light floral notes. Finish: persistent and balanced.
Red
2004 Chamisal Vineyards Pinot Noir
90 points
Still very nice. Tart berry, cranchery and slight orange peel. Very good. Drink soon.
Red
2007 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor
90 points
Nose: blackberry with a bit of metallic elements and gasoline. Bell pepper, cassis and some oak also show. Palate: gives the impression of blueberry syrup with some cigar and more earthy mineral notes. Finish: black fruits and cigar wrapper. Great wine this year wait to drink.
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Red
2009 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
89 points
Nose: blackberry, spiced cherries, rhubarb and cranberry. Palate: nice flavors and represent Santa Lucia well. Maximally ripe and shows it with Heat as it finishes.
Red
2007 Montes Purple Angel
92 points
Nose: raspberry, tart blackberry, brown sugar, chocolate and earthy legumes. Palate: compact yet coating with lush fruit, Paine grille and strong tannin. Built to last. Finish: long with cherry, blackberry, floral notes and spice. Great carmenere.
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