12/16/2023 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Yet another great 2016 CdP (are there any bad ones??) I had this about 18 months ago and the barnyard funk was overpowering. This time, it was perfect. PNP, but needed air and after about an hour this baby was singing.

Fruity and ripe, but a soft rounded finish kept it from being too much. This can definitely cruise for another few years with no problems and some improvement.

7/16/2023 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Medium body; nice deep color. Juicy red cherries, cranberry and a touch of cola. This is perfectly balanced with soft and silky tannins. Pop n pour at a BYO where it was good to go from the start and improved over the course of dinner. This is very old vine grenache that is not overly extracted as some tend to be. Excellent stuff!!

10/15/2022 - Idrink,therefore,Iam Likes this wine:

Fantastic spot right now! Had it with a filet. Note prior to this one did a great job describing it, except for me it was right up my alley and I’d describe it as an iron fist in a velvet glove. So smooooth. I gave it 1/2 hour of air and it was good to go; got better over the course of the time it took to finish the bottle with a friend. I’ve been drinking Lewelling Wight for years and always found it to be a great bottle for the price, but this was by far the best I’ve had yet. Unlike other ridiculous producers, their prices have remained fairly consistent and haven’t skyrocketed over the past 5-10 years. Love Lewelling for that fact. Can’t wait to see how the 16s and 18s turn out in the next couple of years.

4/4/2021 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Purchased on release. Opened for my son’s 25th birthday. I wasn’t sure what to expect based on other reviews but this was excellent. Cork was in perfect shape, so that was a good sign from the start. Fruit still hanging on and as he described it, “very dusty” on the finish, and it didn’t fade as the night went on. An excellent 25 year old Bordeaux especially considering that it’s not a top-of-the-food-chain chateau.

11/22/2020 - Idrink,therefore,Iam Likes this wine:

So good. 2016 Southern Rhône continues to impress. Tasty on day one. Dense with a little bit of good gigondas funk, which I liked. Smoothed our on day 2. Got fruitier, which bodes well for giving this more time. Score will only go up once given more time.

11/15/2020 - Idrink,therefore,Iam Likes this wine:

Very good, especially considering the price point. Gave it about an hour of air. There is a concentrated fruitiness to this wine which reminds me to some extent of an amarone. Would buy more and drink sooner rather than later while I allow my other 2016 CdPs to sleep.

3/10/2016 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Agree with Helicopter Bob. Cork was in great shape but this just severely disappointed. Not undrinkable; just not very good. Did I hold on to this too long? With a number of great options from which to choose, bummed that this was my choice for my b-day dinner with grilled filet mignon.

3/5/2016 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Wow!! Purchased on release and left untouched in my cellar for the last 10 years. Pop and pour. Really in a great place right now. Everything seems in perfect balance. I've been dipping into my 2003s and this one is at the head of the class so far. Glad I have a couple more bottles. It's the first Calon-Segur I've had, so I'm not sure what is "typical" of the chateau as mentioned by others, but this was big, fruit-driven, and very smooth, with not even the slightest hint of sediment, which is impressive for a 13 year old wine. Right up my alley.

8/30/2015 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Really, really good. Purchased on release and stored since, this had a high WS rating from the JS era and normally that doesn't mean much, but this really lived up to the hype. In a perfect drinking window right now. Had a 2000 Spinetta WS 98 rated Barolo last night and I knew it was going to be trouble due to the cork seepage level, but the cork on this was perfect and the wine was fantastic. Considering what I paid for this vs. what I paid for the Spinetta, I feel like I broke even.

11/29/2013 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Very polished bottle of wine. Generally, I like my CdP with a little more "funk" to it (Pegau), but this was really good. 2005 was an excellent year and it shows. Needed about an hour to really show all it had. Probably at or near its peak.

11/29/2013 - Idrink,therefore,Iam Likes this wine:

Excellent, but it's a 2000 so I wouldn't have expected less. Needed about an hour of air to hit its stride. Had the most sediment I've seen in a bottle in a long, long time.

9/3/2012 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

In reading the other notes on this I was a bit worried so I popped and poured tonight. I'm really glad I did. D'armailhac is one of my favorite "under the radar" bordeaux, and this did not disappoint. It is drinking beautifully and it's amazing that a 17 year-old non-"big name" bordeaux can hold up so well. This is why I love older bordeaux. Maybe provenence has something to do with some of the other notes as this has sat undisturbed in my basement for the last 14 years. WS #24 wine of the year from 1998. Excellent!! Wish I had more.

3/1/2011 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Amazing nose: upon opening- chocolate with hints of vanilla, and definite leather. After about 1 hour, nose became 100% cream soda, which is where it stayed until the bottle was gone. I don't like cream soda per se, but this was really, really nice and it's the first time I've ever noticed that scent from a wine. Initial palate was cherry and chocolate, developed into very smooth plum over time. Probably the most interesting $30 bottle of wine I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. Need to get more.

1/3/2010 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Bottle was fading quicker than I thought it would. Decanted an hour before dinner, but in hindsight I wish I hadn't. Still had some nice nuances you'd expect from an older BdM, but I really wish I had opened this 2-3 years ago.

1/3/2010 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Opened the bottle and it smelled like a freshly opened bag of potting soil. An hour later, the smell was even stronger, and upon tasting it was as if I had taken a handful of the potting soil and crammed it into my mouth. Tried again an hour later with no improvement. Presumably a bad bottle, but I've never had a bad bottle that tasted like this. Disappointing and undrinkable.

1/3/2010 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

I loved this! Opened the bottle and the nose was fantastic. Decanted and let sit for two hours, and the aroma took over the room. A great drink, especially considering that it is one of the lowest priced BdM's around. Will definitely be picking up more.

12/26/2009 - Idrink,therefore,Iam wrote:

Phenominal. This wine is drinking perfectly for a 12 year old. Opened and decanted 1 hour before drinking, and the flavor didn't waiver at all over the course of dinner. Tannins pretty much gone, but still has a nice amount of fruit on the palate. I was amazed by the absence of even a trace of sediment for a wine of this age. Recently had a similarly WS rated '97 Brunello and the Brunello was clearly past its prime. Wish I had more of this.