3/20/2024 - ESCO wrote:

Disingenuous ; that's how I feel .

I love this wine and think it great . Renowned palettes, tasters, experiences , preferences far far greater than mine tell me that I am wrong. Honest , but misguided, is my assessment they say. I have compared almost all evaluations of this wine and found it to be judged inferior to several famous wines in the same vintage. For me , outside the 1st growths , which I can neither afford , nor scrounge, this is supreme. Why disingenuous ?

Well, because I should be shouting about the beauty of this wine from the rooftops , not meekly advocating " one should have a sip ".........

This is fantastic , cedar laden , pencil rich , beautifully erotic, classic Pauillac , which if you need to look up what that means defeats so many purposes....

3/7/2024 - ESCO Likes this wine:

I'm so surprised this wine has not been reviewed more often .

Are we drinking it ? Or are we hiding it ? Or are we giving it away to non-wine loving friends ? I find it very svelt, serene, seductive.......darkish fruit leanings with a pure central core. I am certain it will become really good if not great . Right now it is still a tad reticent , awkward but what it does have is presence. I think most interested wine drinkers could place its origin in France, and by small exercise define more specifically to Bordeaux. I'm inclined to go out on a limb and say this is one of the best right banks I've had in the vintage but then there are some historic names I've not tried ...

12/25/2023 - ESCO wrote:

Maybe it's because it's Christmas and I am feeling more like watching The Miracle on 34th Street than Diehard, feeling more like Santa than Scrooge but I really need to sing the praises of this wine . Such a long way to go and develop but already so precise , so evocative of place , this wine will become very special. The quality to price ratio is off the charts great, and although hailing from an incredibly famed and hallowed family, I can't but help consider just how much more expensive such quality would demand in say St Julien........I had it with a very simple roast lamb and honestly it was perfect. If you have these in your cellar you can treasure them with ease or drink them right now with a wonderfully clear conscience.....

7/3/2023 - ESCO wrote:

I have never bought wine with the intention of selling on.
The thought did cross my mind with Canon as the profit margin from EP till now was fantastic.
It was not a quandary, but here's the thing. I decided to drink.

I enjoyed my first bottle of the wine , full blown Bordeaux in all the good ways, civilised, taut, refined with a hint of maverick.Classic if you will. Thoroughly professional and classy but not the earth-moving experience found by other tasters. I envy them. Two hour decant , matched with grilled lamb and vegetables. Perfection. But , and here's the but, for me its not the wine of the vintage etc. It's very good but its excellence does have an end point ; it doesn't thrill me , move me , test me the way some others have. It may be unfair to judge Canon so ; it didn't ask to be so esteemed and to be ranked against an incredibly high bar may do it a disservice . I prefer Grand Puy Lacoste for roughly the same price in this vintage.............

6/7/2023 - ESCO wrote:

I'm guessing this forward , modern style is quite a change for Belgrave but it suits the fruit most admirably. A quite lovely entry of fruit fades to a very tangy aftertaste which I like. If accompanied by a nice lamb cutlet this I imagine would be really good ( this was not )........Dark fruit , black cherry mmmmm.

12/12/2022 - ESCO Likes this wine:

I've been drinking wine long enough ( and often enough ) to know that surprises/bargains should be grabbed with both hands and their praises extolled for all to hear. I had so little expectation of this wine , I actually lifted it in error from a dark recess and was too lazy to take it back when I got into the light.

It itself is light, but ethereal not bodiless. I feel it may be too red fruited for some tastes but I had it with quite a strong sauce and it held up incredibly well with the wine's strawberry tartness going shoulder to shoulder with the cranberry reduction. Quite short on the finish but by no means unbalanced or unpleasant and as I don't need to be blown off my feet by every red I try, this was something of a revelation. I had never had the wine before and as I am nervous about my own very positive assessment , I have donated some bottles to my family for research purposes.
I really enjoyed it , and whilst it might not ( probably won't in fact) last a decade it is a bright , friendly , pleasing , burgundy from an unheralded area at an affordable price. Job done. I'm not sure where 2019 will stand in the Pantheon of burgundy vintages but I will look out for this wine in other hot years because it was that pleasurable. Drunk after a 2 hour decant which seemed about right .....

10/2/2022 - ESCO wrote:

I'm glad I tried this wine now........it will get better though. Probably much better. But I wanted to taste it in the full vigour of youth.
Plush violet and damson, deep redolent black fruit overlie a wonderful base structure of fine acidity and regulated oak. Badly done , this wine could be an unbalanced nightmare because the component parts are so strong. But Penfolds have done what they do and integrated competing parts to form a pretty impressive whole.

I liked it, which is saying something, as recently I have felt like Ebeneezer Scrooge in criticising and demeaning everything that crossed my path. So well done to the blenders at Penfolds for a job well done...

10/1/2022 - ESCO wrote:

Second bottle of this wine and considerably better than the first. Decanted 2 hours and enjoyed with pasta meatballs.

Not powerful or "big" but a real presence. Cherry ( ubiquitous) and quite fresh red fruit are the most obvious traits, but it does mellow into really deep Chianti-like flavours. I was wrong in my assessment about my first encounter , because this is pretty and refined and delicate. These are three words I would not have used first time around. Was I wrong ? Probably. This wine is much better than I first thought.

9/15/2022 - ESCO wrote:

Our last bottle . Great sadness . I so wanted to write a review that praised this wine to the sky. I have looked after, literally looked after , this wine for 25 years because I hoped it would be magnificent.

It is really interesting , challenging and unique. But what it isn't is the fabulous wine I had hoped. Enough negativity...this wine is so contrary I hardly know where to start. Plums, liquorice and a cassis backdrop. A nose to die for. But , but , but, just not complete if you know what I mean.Superb delineation in acidity, and an expressive velvety mouthfeel lead you to the gates of paradise but you never get in.

I imagine, because I honestly don't know , that great vintages of this wine must be amongst the best in the world.

5/25/2022 - ESCO wrote:

I tried this out of curiosity ; I knew it wouldn't be ready but wanted to experiment.

Lots of fruit but quite subdued and angular ; no real sense of whole. I know it is unfair to assess a wine just open to the market when one knows it will only get better. It is little more than a mixture of fruit and tannin...unresolved, incomplete but with a real backbone. Maybe , maybe , maybe, but it will take someone better than me to say it will be good.........

2/15/2022 - ESCO wrote:

Decanted 4 hours; had with a very simple roast lamb and winter vegetables. The experience was good not great. I have had so many other wines I enjoyed more it is really hard to quantify this bottle. Clearly aged and well kept, it was at once very simple with an obvious nod to Aussie cab, and simultaneously it's a wine with hints of burgundy and lighter French country wines. ( or does Aussie cab nod to Bordeaux like the good old days?)

Not obviously aristocratic; light graphite notes , diminishing black fruit over time , and a cassis sensation that is present but meh.....Without food ( ie support) it could easily be dismissed as generic Bordeaux. The high scores for this wine on cellar tracker make me wish that I had a similar experience. In short ,bang average. Am I allowed to say disappointed ?
And lastly, as an added very personal thought, I really can't see the "98 getting any better. I am hugely interested in subsequent reviews for this wine because right now I feel like a bit of an outlier.

11/6/2021 - ESCO wrote:

Notes of pineapple and melon, and so creates an impression of sweetness where one doesn't exist . Quite viscous for me, and so I feel it lacks that precise linear quality I look for in young white wines that accompany salad and seafood.

Not at all bad, just not really my thing.

8/25/2021 - ESCO wrote:

See GRAPESCOTT below ;

I agree completely ( apart from the Ducru part ) but marked it 2 points lower . I bought mine ( single bottle ) in L'Intendant, Bordeaux in 2000 for $40 approx .......It's what mature claret is all about ; forget "blockbuster" or "tour de force" ........simply a beautiful wine that is as easy and refreshing and interesting as a conversation with a good friend .....

5/4/2021 - ESCO wrote:

I bought three bottles ...........mainly, sorry that's not true, exclusively on the say so of the reviews here on CT.

Now I am not disappointed , but neither am I experiencing the sensations that my co-tasters are going through. It is probably my inexperience with the grape which has led to this discrepancy. I found it really expressive of strawberries and light dilute cherry. It was as smooth as one could wish but at the same time a little insubstantial.Stand by your beds .......I really think 4-5 years will answer the question if this is really good or not. I can't say Im a fan, but neither do i have feet in the "overpriced" camp....

3/1/2021 - ESCO wrote:

I am at a loss ; I can't convince myself that I am assessing this wine on its merits alone . I feel like other "influences" are affecting my judgement.

So , here is my fairly pointless assessment.

Beautiful colour, raw fruit experience, and an aftertaste which one covets. It tastes like a a totally fruit driven wine , but I am sure it will mellow into something pretty special.

I love it now, and will be inseparable with it by 2025.......oh a numerical score .................................which i added after the note , a fairly conservative 92......

2/4/2021 - ESCO wrote:

I decided to re-try. One of the benefits of a case is that one can sacrifice .

I did ; and I wish I hadn't. This wine is structured and wholesome, not intended for a fleeting fancy. It will be really good , if not great , and punch well above its price point.

Get some , it won't disappoint.

12/28/2020 - ESCO wrote:

I'm sorry but I didn't enjoy this wine . As a big fan of Pomerol , with 2015 being a quoted vintage, I was expecting so much more . Let's call it closed, but all of those deep rooted qualities that great tasters can detect, eluded me just now. It tasted cold , uninviting and really flat.

I am hoping it is a dumb phase that will resolve itself in time ; ugly duckling to beautiful mallard is my mantra.....

11/20/2020 - ESCO wrote:

Well I had my first Mont-Redon last night ; it wasn't disappointing but neither was it a mind blowing experience.

The last glass was certainly much better than the first after a 2 hour decant. Ripe red fruit, cherry undertones, with something akin to liquorice/boiled sweets in the mid palate which I personally found a little unsettling. Long finish with a bouquet of herbs ending the taste on a very pleasant note. Although the usual flavour suspects are there, it doesn't taste "classically" CdP to me ; this is only a neutral observation as that aspect didn't alter my opinion of the wine. The beautiful deep purple hue almost stained the glass and deserves a mention in dispatches.......

8/21/2020 - ESCO wrote:

Huge attention to detail seems to have paved the way to a luxurious end product .

4 hour decant though could have been less as it blossomed in the glass; creamy viscous loveliness ; a treat . Base lines of mature red fruit, linear black berries and a mouthfeel straight from the wine guide to Bordeaux. A pleasure , if an expensive one . This is my last bottle and while I mourn its passing , I am comforted by the fact that both my bottles were drunk, savoured, and appreciated on very special nights.

I owe Cheval Blanc a very real round of thanks ......

8/13/2020 - ESCO Likes this wine:

Not sure what I was expecting ; but this wine is a lovely fresh surprise. Light , lifted and elegant it reminds me more of a great Beaujolais than a quality Bordeaux.
The label invites us to drink within 5 years, or wait up to 20 before pulling a cork. I am so glad I chose the former , and enjoyed a red berry cornucopia mixed with a wonderful textured mouthfeel. Violets and damson, like a perfect Barolo , also switch on taste receptors evoking the best of that Italian giant. No decant, no food , but it still held my attention resolutely until the final drop.

Beautiful wine.

2/12/2020 - ESCO Likes this wine:

There is so much to be said for a perfectly adequate claret at a reasonable price. QED .
It is not a superstar , and it is a little marmaladey , but it also has a lot of good points; it is generous , fruity, and with a decent backbone. All in all a pretty decent if unsurprising effort.

11/1/2019 - ESCO wrote:

I bought this EP and was very excited by all the v positive reviews I had read .

I received my allocation today and opened one with an hour decant. I wasn't in any sense disappointed, but the wine I experienced was not as good as others . It was well made , with lilts of violet and raspberry but it was just "nice". My old English master used to say that "nice" was a word used by people who were bereft of a more suitable , more appropriate word. I stand rightfully accused.........

10/24/2019 - ESCO wrote:

Very tidy ; a smart , well constructed wine . Proud and plush, fruit flavours to the fore , and plenty of tannin to back up ageing. It all seems like a recipe for some really, really good 10 year old wine. I loved it , and with a few years in bottle it will only become more loveable.

9/28/2019 - ESCO wrote:

I had this blind at a friend's house ; my wife loved it , I was not so keen at this stage. It is certainly v young but has boatloads of potential.

It is not yet in sync ; great flavour , biting tannin, aren't singing yet in chorus with the beautiful acidity. I am really just scaremongering here , because I have no doubt at all that this wine will , develop, refine, and blossom into a star. Deep , deep Rhone favourites fill the senses ; it is archetypal in such a good way .

It will be great.

8/28/2019 - ESCO Likes this wine:

Well .......well this GPL, is a brute; it is muscular , overpowering, tense and yet just somehow inviting. I have no idea how this wine will pan out ; if it stays firm, if the tannins don't mellow , it will be a run of the mill stern Pauilllac, good for food but really quite unenchanting. A restaurant wine.
If it resolves , the pure fruit bang already present will be front and centre, and make this a really special vintage.I can't believe even the real fans of GPL know for sure which way this wine will turn. I so hope it is memorable , but right now is so so tannic ( as per history) for me it is a guessing game .....

8/28/2019 - ESCO wrote:

A wine of great potential ; so tightly bound the tannins pucker at first encounter.. But , and it is a big but, there are so many good things happening it is impossible to believe this wine will not resolve into something really great. The mouthfeel is closed it is true, but underneath is a cornucopia of fruit and flavour battling the tannin to get out . A few years will see this wine emerge as an absolute beauty. I have faith, I hope I am right. I also think that although I drank it without food, something like beef brisket or slow cooked ( perhaps bourguignon) beef would be perfect.

7/17/2019 - ESCO Likes this wine:

Very plush ; velvety pure fruit , really well expressed. Black fruit , brambles and a texture that goes on and on . I am usually quite conservative in my scoring and so I am surprised that no-one has yet fully embraced this wine and scored it highly, as I think it could be one of the best Petit Village vintages ever.
It is nuanced, typically Pomerol , with perhaps just a touch more fruit (more exuberance) than usual , which if you like that sort of thing may take your score into the mid nineties.
All in all a very , what is the right word, pleasurable.........bottle of wine. Very nice.

5/2/2019 - ESCO wrote:

Quite rustic, but by no means unpleasant. Raspberry note on opening and a fresh aroma of tobacco and red fruits. Dark still in colour . The nose promises slightly more than it delivers but it offers pleasant raspberry notes, boisenberry and perhaps some kirsch in a lively mouthfeel . It drops off towards the end with a very slight bitterness marring what would have been a totally enjoyable drinking experience. I didn't note what I paid on purchase but it enhanced a fine rib of beef so I'm happy.

4/19/2019 - ESCO wrote:

I had only ever had one Moss Wood before ( a glass of 1996) .....I wasn't sure what to expect as I hadn't really liked this v brief encounter.
This vintage is well made , precise, and imo quite articulate of varietal. It has a distinct Aussie tint to the Cabernet and a long , almost medicinal mouthfeel. Strong on colour , and a fine advert for the region ( vanilla , minty, cherry feel) and overall pleasant. It drifts slightly into the "unmemorable" category though , like an average hole on a great golf course....

11/15/2018 - ESCO wrote:

Textbook ; a Rhone of body, breeding, and class. Slumbering in a simple tannic sea at present, this wine has decades ahead wherein the massive potential will surely develop into complexity and pleasure. We have 5 bottles remaining and I see no need to touch, test or taste them again for 10 years when the rewards will be amazing.

There is quite simply nothing to chance in this wine, as it will be sublime.

10/30/2018 - ESCO wrote:

This wine, in our opinion, is an absolute steal. A steal.

We have had several other vintages and loved them all ( 07, 10, 14) ....and is with some surprise therefore that we say this is a wine waiting to be discovered . Or if not discovered , then certainly more widely appreciated. It is so easy going, so willing to please.

Soft red fruit core with sour cherries and brambles to the fore, generous mid palate backed by some quite strong tannin , and a lengthy ,exquisite finish.Classy mouthful, and classy spice aftertaste mean this wine is so good that we think the owners could easily, easily sell their product for double the present price without disappointment. If you are watching your pennies, and want quality in the bargain department you really need look no further.....It is a complete Bordeaux no brainer......T

8/31/2018 - ESCO wrote:

I may have delayed too long . A quite beautiful initial strike becomes muted and diffuse. I think the almost burgundian subtlety has gone on too long and has become vague . I like it , most will , but it is that little bit short of great The charcoal and pencil lead intro , merge with a definite floral note and become a quite harmonious whole . But overall it is short on substance, much to my dismay, as I drank it on a special occasion. It lacks a focus, a centre, and although lots of usual suspects appear , none have a starring role. Violets and crimson fruits, damson and plum are some of my favourite flavours and I blame myself for not having appreciated them earlier.

If you have a cold cellar, this could be really great right now.....

2/17/2018 - ESCO wrote:

This was great wine for great night; our friend turned 50 , the wines we tried did her proud. Best of all was this star. It was perfect with the beautiful roast lamb her husband had prepared.

Delightful , simply delightful. Almost as good dollar for dollar as ANY wine we have tried in the previous three years. Beautiful Margauxian Margaux.

1/23/2018 - ESCO wrote:

The preparation of this wine , the procedures that the winery goes through makes this wine the result of almost mathematical precision.

And therein lies the enigma. ; it might be a formulaic wine, based on nothing more than good chemistry. But in reality it is a sublime work of art that supercedes protocols. It has, to be prosaic, a soul. It is ethereal. We are not fortunate enough to be well acquainted with this wine but on our first meeting we will be lifelong friends. We could give you the gen, the stats, the flavour, the nose and still it would merely hint at the overall experience.

Fantastic...............the first wine we really cannot attribute a score, it is that good.

1/19/2018 - ESCO wrote:

A classy drop.

I bought this wine in Bordeaux in 2000 for I recall about $40. It is really lovely right now but still has more to offer. It has a truly classic make up with pencil , leather, wood spice and farmyard to the fore. It's a very gentle wine, nothing forced or harsh, a very comfortable experience. In short it is what mature Pauillac is all about.A confident ,sophisticated and elegant drink.

I have two more bottles and firmly believe they have a decade left in them.........whether I can resist them that long is quite a different matter.

PS And for some strange geometric reason I really like the quiet simplicity of the black/red/white label.

11/15/2017 - ESCO wrote:

Still primary. We think we like it but some of the tannins still mask the flavour. Still primary , did we say ? .............perhaps unevolved is more accurate. It has lashings of fruit , tannin and taste. But in that cacophany it remains to be seen in which way this wine will travel. No guarantee, but huge reward at the price if it turns out great. We have 11 bottles desperate to age;

Selfish aren't we ?

10/28/2017 - ESCO wrote:

My goodness this wine split opinion.

Of the four of us , two thought it great , and two thought it ( to steal a word from a previous reviewer ) manufactured. Now that is a tough accusation to substantiate in our collective. But we agreed it did taste a little confected, a little too sweet.

But on the upside we all liked it , would all buy more , and would all like to try another bottle with a different food match ( we had it with braised beef and it was close but no cigar ; perhaps not the wine's fault ) .

It is a puzzler; not stereotypical Aussie Shiraz, quite idiosyncratic in fact.

We think the next 5 years will turn this wine into an also ran or a superstar.It has great potential but will it be realised ? We hope so, think so even.

7/20/2017 - ESCO wrote:

Gosh this is pleasant ; what an unexpected mouthful of lovlieness.

Pretty tannic still but with areal sense of place , of authenticity; a wine that says this is where I am from, like it or lump it.

I have never had this wine before so liking it was a complete surprise. Something good is going on in the vineyard and cellar .Plummy , figgy flavours somehow merge into something much nicer than either .

I can't even remember where , when or how much on purchase ; it must be a bargain though surely ?

7/20/2017 - ESCO wrote:

The resolved tannins seem a bit soft and unspecific ; a wine that offers lovely bouquet but little substance. A good effort we think, but not really evidence of its class or status .

The '07 is one to avoid if you are looking for typical Pomerol. Nice but uninspiring which as a comment , must seem like a huge insult to Conseillante....

7/18/2017 - ESCO Likes this wine:

This will come as no surprise ; Cheval Blanc 1996 is a beautiful , professionally crafted wine.It is precise. flavoursome and enjoyable. One notes the lovely cassis backdrop, an enveloping glycerin mouthfeel, and whether real or imagined, a sense that the wine maker loves their product. Their art.

Brambles and blackberries in a creamy soup. I was told by my co-taster that CB can be better than this ; I have no doubt it can , but I left the room with a warm glow and a great sense of satisfaction. It is a wine that does that heart good. I would recommend it to anyone.

5/18/2017 - ESCO wrote:

There is always that feeling that you may have gotten a wine wrong......where one confused the quality of the wine with the quality of the evening/surroundings/meal/company ; you get the picture .

One of our number had quite severe reservations about our initial first post on the '98 Angelus. It was thought too generous ; we agreed to re-taste, and let me say with quite a feeling of trepidation as the first bottle had been dispatched on a particularly convivial evening.

Our doubts were totally misplaced . This wine is above excellent ; it is memorable. It has soft mellowing tannins dusted with cherry and a mouthfeel of generous red berry and spice. It is so so ethereal for a right bank whereby it seems the wine's power has suffused into beautifully generous fruit. It is not over-extracted, nor jammy even if it is of a modern persuasion. It has a bouquet of oud and spice , rose and graphite. It is glorious. We can't imagine it getting better but if it does it could well be the best wine you will taste in ages .....

We dare anyone not to find something in this bottle they like. Beautiful, quite beautiful.

3/23/2017 - ESCO wrote:

Wanted to like this wine more than our original impression.

We didn't. At the price mark , even given that '03 was such a trying vintage, we conclude again that this Sassicaia is very ordinary. It is angular , edgy and really quite unbalanced.

Still, we are sure some die-hards will see the good side of the wine , but as neutrals we would not contemplate buying , and perhaps not even drinking, another bottle. Ordinary, ordinary , ordinary.

2/9/2017 - ESCO wrote:

Some wines are built for the long haul but this wine is positively Jurassic in its ageing potential. Even at two decades old it feels there is so much development yet to come. We loved this wine but it must carry the caveat that one must have enormous faith to believe that it will get better.

Renowned commentators speak to Lafleur's longevity and if they are correct this wine could be truly majestic . It has a core of sweet red fruit, amazingly some unresolved tannin, hints of vanilla and plums/prunes and a fairly fresh mouthfeel. It is neither over-extracted nor boring and screams classy right bank at the top of its voice. It was our first experience of the wine and we now more fully appreciate why the best Pomerol estates have such a dedicated and affluent following. It was a beautiful wine to share , to discuss, to remember and with the promise of more glory to come, this wine does all that a wine could hope.

1/17/2017 - ESCO wrote:

We know we don't like this just because it comes from Bolgheri ; we like it because it delivers.

More famous neighbours are beautiful when well made in good years but often disappoint otherwise. This wine is as satisfying , if not as complex, as her illustrious townies. Smooth , deep and viscous it really grips one's attention and holds onto it with promises of red cherries, blackcurrant and menthol. Not easily identified by our group as Italian, most of whom thought it a quality Australian blend. Praise indeed.

It is a rare bird however and not easily sourced.

12/10/2016 - ESCO wrote:

Much the same as a year ago ; no real evolution.

This does not worry us ; we think it a very four-square Pomerol. It is not a fleeting , fragranced wine but much more of a solid friend. Deep purple , heavy scent, very alcoholic and dense. This does not sound positive, we agree, but it has a certain quality which promises a bright future. Matched with rustic food seems a match made in heaven.

11/26/2016 - ESCO wrote:

My brother bought this wine on a trip to California about 10 years ago . He took it to Britain ( as a gift which was never given ) about 4 years ago.

So much for the history . ..we drank it tonight in Scotland with a lamb roast and seared vegetables. It was perfect. It has just started to cloud, the pure red turning just a little orange at the rim and giving the impression of excessive age.It looks older than it is . The nose is a joy , with brambles and black fruit bounding from the glass ; big earthy flavours , big earthy smells make this almost seem like a really full on NZ pinot noir..... but it's better. It is to our collective judgement a fine specimen of Cal Cab.whereby the best expression of fruit and terroir have been allowed free reign to produce a slightly quirky but really beautiful wine . We admire the producer no end, as this was a wine we all wished we had more bottles to drink.

11/2/2016 - ESCO wrote:

Not quite sure what to make of it. It was in many ways a wine about what it wasn't.

Not helpful ?? ..It is lean but not in an offensive way ; it is fruity but not opulent; it is structured but not basic. Better tasters will find the words but right now, we found it tight,pretty one dimensional, but with more than its fair share of potential. Quite a conundrum.....we are not even sure 88 is a fair representation but for us it wasn't an 86 and it wasn't a 90+...

9/28/2016 - ESCO wrote:

Our last bottle and what sadness that gives us.

A wine that got better and better and better ; a wine of great generosity and style. Vanilla , blueberries, kirsch, and a faint hint at new leather make the wine so interesting to taste. It was fun to drink and it is rare that we say that. Nothing harsh , nothing astringent at all , just soft tannins and a gentle , but structured , mouthfeel. Matched classically with roast lamb and redcurrant reduction it was absolute perfection. Not a blockbuster but a very pleasing more modern style of Bordeaux. It was so good that one of our number who tasted it blind thought it at LEAST of second growth quality/precision.

If D'Aiguilhe 2010 is representative of new style Bordeaux we think it is in very safe hands . Indeed we liked this bottle more than the famous producer's wine from more illustrious and higher ranked vineyards in the same vintage. SUPERB FOR THE PRICE.

8/9/2016 - ESCO wrote:

Loved it . Really exquisite taste and poise. It is an easier to understand, less complicated, more obvious Monte Bello .

And that , sometimes , is no bad thing. What it loses in the lack of tertiary notes , it makes up for in unadulterated simple drinking pleasure. At peak probably but no rush.

Good job.

7/26/2016 - ESCO wrote:

The score of 95 is arbitrary. Angelus '98 is to all intents and purposes faultless.

I bought this wine long before it became " product placement of choice " for TV shows and Bond movies. It doesn't suffer because of this however and it is as classic a St Emilion as one could wish to drink. Violet , lavender and cassis rush from the glass ; it hints at black fruit, menthol and beefy stew but in a a wafting ethereal way where no one aroma dominates another. The wine is a s graceful as a ballet dancer and as lithe and powerful too. It was given a two hour decant and frankly it could have been four or six such was the absolutely cast iron structure that these aromas were hung upon.

It may not be the best bottle of wine we have ever had the irrepressible pleasure to taste but it is in the same beautiful ballpark ...........( Fenway ) ...