4/13/2024 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Really refined. Soft but powerful and loads of delicious bing cherries.

4/6/2024 - Marquis du Vin wrote:

This is so good right now! Very reminiscent of the vintage - soft silky and scrumcous. The balance is impeccable. The finesse and grace of the vintage, plus ample power and dense dark fruits make this an amazing wine to enjoy! Sadly one left of 6. Needs about an hour decant to let it show its stuff.

4/4/2024 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Solid wine. Full bodied, pencil lead, sweet tobacco and dark cherries. Could probably last a few more years! Excellent now, not as refined as the gran vin, but definitely a great bottle that demonstrates the 2010 vintage's power.

3/24/2024 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Really in the right place now! Very enjoyable. soft tannins after 1+ hour decant. Lively medium red fruits, lots of polish and finesse. Best one yet from them in the 2016 vintage. Drink up!

3/23/2024 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This very good! Nice pencil lead and tobacco accents to go with the gorgeous dark cherries abound here! Soft tannins after not even an hour decant. Great structure and smooth soft finish. Power and finesse here. Enjoy! Very enjoyable now while its alive and kicking!

2/20/2024 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This seems better than the last bottle a few months back. An hour decant and she is rocking. Full bodied beauty! Tobacco, leather nice dark fruits. Distinctive Mouton look, smell and feel. Top vintages of this will do that, and 2010 is top of the tops that can be drank enjoyably now. Really nice wine. A lot going on here, and certainly one not to miss.

1/22/2024 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Really good! Drink up now or hold. Nice balance and great red fruits. Quite enjoyable.

12/29/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Very strong showing... Could go longer for sure but delicious at the moment. Full bodied, minerals and dark fruits combine for scintillating pleasure on the pallet. Grippy and wonderful to drink. Enjoiy!

12/29/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This is open for business. Nice ripe dark fruits emerge after an hour, very soft and silky, it has found it harmony! Drink up!!!

12/20/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Power... This wine is packed with it. Needs 3+ hours in decant to show its stuff. Wonderful wine, blows the 2014 I had last week away. Not that 2014 was a bad bottle, it's just not on the same level. This comes alive in the 3rd hour and does not disappoint. Electric finish the sings on the pallet. Loads of dark cherry and hints of tobacco and cassis. Enjoy! It's still in a phase that is fresh fruit driven, not transformed like older vintages get with age, which isn't a bad thing. It's more of a preference thing. The 2009 is in the latter phase now, resembling more of a Haut Brion / LMHB 15+ year old vintage as the bricking and aging characteristics all in play. The 2016 not at all, its lively and powerful.

12/13/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Just popped this... Excellent legs on the glass, the shear quality of this is apparent right away. Very fine visually, like a well integrated Barolo, a light red color on the rim as opposed to dark red as many from St. Emilion are, probably from the raspberries/strawberries on the taste. Layers of these fruits are apparent as you taste, as waves of fresh raspberries and sweet strawberries hit the pallet. Very jammy and zippy on the finish which is explosive! It's a bit brighter on the open than the 2019 Angelus, but not quite as full bodied or refined. The quality level is totally there. It's medium to full bodied at this point, very pleasing and leaving nothing to want but more of it! Let's see how this develops over the next 2+ hours in decant (Not much really- just more strawberry and sweetness overtakes the early tartness). It appears to be another block buster 2019! Its way better than Mondot their 2nd wine (which also needs time), worth the extra for sure. I have several vintages of this wine (2016,2018, 2019 & 2020), never tasted it until now - did not disappoint. Already bought another (6). From what I can tell, excellent QPR. It obviously will benefit with time, but it's interesting to drink now.

12/9/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Delicious bottle! Dark cherry, wonderful dark fruit aromas, splendid finish that tantilizes the pallet. Aging is perfect and I would drink my remaining 5 anytime onward. 2005 is on of my all time favorite vintages, and this one is absolutely one of them!

12/3/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

I knew I should have gotten more! Well, this is a very fine expression of Palmer here. Very dense, loads of black cherry a touch of tobacco, nice structure very fine finish. Tannins are in a great place now, just soft enough to make this very enjoyable and not aggressive at all. They will hold her for many years to come for sure. One of the better Alter Egos I have had, nearly as good as their legendary 2005. You really can't go wrong with any vintage of Alter Ego, but this is certainly a memorable one!

12/2/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This is drinking very well right now, and I would continue enjoying this vintage now thru the next 5 years. It's medium bodied, and has the exact tasting profile as my previous note a year ago. You can sense the Angelus in this, the sent is distinctly Angelus as is usual for recent vintages of their 2nd wine. Gran Vin has more explosiveness, depth and completeness - enough which warrants the price! Having said that, this is still a very good bottle period! But if you are even thinking this is close to the Gran Vin, it's not. It does have some of what that is. The biggest differences are in the density and fullness in the taste/finish! The Carillon is lighter with less tasting accents, a bit short on the finish, not nearly as grippy or delineated as the Gran Vin.

11/27/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This is so damn good right now, i won't be waiting on my remaining bottles (see my previous note). What a wine! So different than most. Combines delicious ripe dark fruits with polish, finesse and amazing succulence. Really nice bottle. Enjoy!

11/18/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

It's interesting... On release my notes apparently showed much better than now! It seems to be in a strange place currently. It is delicious with food however, just not one to sit and sip. I agree with notes below about cigar and a tad oaky. Some dark berries, but not much else. It does have a LMHB character about it, just not nearly as good as I remember of the earlier vintages I've had.

11/18/2023 - Marquis du Vin wrote:

Needs time. My first 2020! Fruit is too young, tannins are not really showing anything. It does seem well balanced, and has potential. I would not recommend 2020s now based off this - period! Plenty of excellent recent vintages to drink out there!

UPDATED****

Day 2 is sining a very different song. Showing a lot more, much like the 2018. This is going to be a great vintage, get it while you can!

11/13/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Showing a bit better this time with 2hr decant. Less green pepper, more currant. Body seems to have improved with air too! More on the fuller side than prior. I sense it would improve in time, no rush to drink these if you have them.

11/12/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Very strong showing here, and very in-line with this tremendous vintage! tart black cherry and Cassis dominate with a deep back-bone in this this full bodied beauty. No thinness here at all, and very reminiscent of the Gran Vin, which I did have a couple of years ago on release. Compared to the 2014 - much better, not even close! The 2016, which developed magnificently over the years, and is drinking superbly now is a tad lighter than the 2018. Both excellent and drinkable now, but if you have both in ample supply, tap the 2016s - the 2018 can hold for years to come I'm sure. The 2019 and 2020 up next!

11/6/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Medium bodied, a bit of green pepper up front that gives way to echos of cassis and currants. Jeff below suggests the "greens" are due to the higher percentage of Cab Franc in this vintage - interesting point! Nice mouthful, great structure and silky smooth finish. Having had the '18 and '19 - which are very similar, the 2016 comes in 3rd. The other two vintages are bold and full-bodied by comparison and no green pepper to speak of. Not that it's a bad thing, its just what makes the 2016 distinctly different than the others. I recently swapped some 2018s in my home cellar for these 2016s. I think the 2018 is starting to shut down a bit, but the 2019 is good to go as is the 2016.

11/3/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Very strong showing here, dark fruits, great balance and soft silky finish. Very much has all the character of the Gran Vin! For those of you who know how good VCC's Gravette is, Manior follows suit here. Not a typical 2nd wine, it's up there for sure, giving 80% of what the Gran Vin has to offer IMHO. Not sure it it's the vintage, we will see as I have 2020 on the way!

11/1/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Really nice left bank wine ready to roll here. A touch of pepper up front that gives way to nice Mouton accents, leathery hits and tobacco running into silky dark cherries. Delicious and excellent structure. One of the smoother and less dense 2010s. Very enjoyable.

10/29/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This is a fantastic bottle! Full bodied, lost of jammy dark fruits, silky smooth and great finish. Lots of finesse here, and one can tell the excellent wine making pedigree of this. Can't wait to tap the Gran Vin!

10/23/2023 - Marquis du Vin wrote:

This may have been my best bottle from a case! Sadly only 2 left! Great balance, excellent structure and soft dark fruits that have emerged over the mineral accents of its youth. Really enjoyable now if you have them.

10/18/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

PnP the intense heat and ripe dark fruit hits you! After an hour decant things improved. Fruit more vibrant, heat less intense, nice round mouthful, tart cherry and leathery. Nice wine. Good QPR.

10/16/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This wine rocks! Delicious mouthful great legs lots of brandied black cherries and some tobacco. It’s very much like valdicava and pertimali in style - already bricking too! Don’t think this is for the long haul but PnP now and enjoy it while you wait on those two! Great qpr considering ..

10/9/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Solid wine ready for drinking now. 30 min decant it improves to expose the essence of this estate! Nice color, starting the bricking phase, a tad dry but good red fruits here with some earthy accents and wood. Nice perfume on the nose, legs in the glass, a bit lighter than the Riserva of the same vintage, which also has more depth. Drink or hold.

10/2/2023 - Marquis du Vin wrote:

Classic right bank 2010. Delicious and full bodied with jammy dark fruits and a hint of chocolate and cedar. Nice round mouthful and silky stature! Has the legs of a show girl, long, slender and beautiful! Very much like Grand Pontet! Enjoy!

9/27/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Impressive for the vintage! Not thin at all, medium to full body, lush crushed raspberries and red fruits. Very silky, PnP, delicious. Enjoy now, its a really good example of the region for a bargain - $48 on futures in 2017. One of the good wines of 2014.

9/12/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

I agree with Jeff the expert here. Hedonistic indeed! And you know how he raves about the sixty second finish - this actually has that! Finesse and Power in a most refined way! Backend fruits are so succulent and rich! This is an amazing knockout bottle! Can be drank now, but I'm sure it's future will provide even more thrills and 100 points. Love it!

9/12/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Been 20 years in vintages (had the 1999 back in 2004), but this one is way better and flat out delicious! Since the '99 is my only reference point, and mind you, that was not a bad bottle at all by any means! I can only compare this to other right bank 2nds. But first observations about the vintage. (left & right bank) This is an incredible one! Having had the Alter Ego, VCC's 2nd and Esperance Trotanoy '19 - this vintage is very approachable now, and very delightful to drink. No need to wait thus far, and this Cheval is no exception! It is slightly better than both the above, which are tremendous to start with. One main difference is where the wines are at currently. I sense the others would benefit with age, something about their freshness that leans towards needing a bit more time than the Cheval. This wine is very succulent and structurally correct right now. Nice medium to full body, gorgeous dark fruits and exceptional silkiness on the pallet. I wish I had gotten more! Tough to find and up there in price too! Not sure how much better it will get, but I am not going to wait on my remaining bottles, I have 2018s for that! Lastly, I decanted for 1-2 hours and it did improve as I drank it.

9/11/2023 - Marquis du Vin wrote:

For me, and apparently others -his was too early. Closed down, very little fruit noticeable. What was, very faint reflection of what this should be. I could not tell you what wine this was, zero characteristics from a tasting perspective of Cos. Smoothness and color is all it has at the moment. Lay it back for another 3-5 years. I should have READ the other reviews first, that case will sit for a while in the cellar.

9/9/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This is so good! Very Pichon Lalande in its silkiness character, pristine quality and sweetness. Medium bodied but not thin or watery at all like many 2014s. This is the real deal, and I bargain if you got them as I did for $90 each in 2017 on release. Great color and legs, the finish is smooth as ever! Black cherry and a touch of oyster shells on the backend. Needed 4 hours to get there, but worth the wait. Love it. At this stage, it's cross between the 1994 with a touch of the 1995. Long future ahead, one to accumulate as it can be drank now and held for longer benefitting from aging.

8/27/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

this was worth the wait. All good now, drink it up. Tannins have softened giving way to luxurious red fruits and smooth finish. I love it!

8/12/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This needs time. More was apparent out of the bottle - currants for example, but shut down over the decant and drinking -quite unusual. Very tannic backed replaced the hints of currants on opening. Needs time but it seems all there for a +5 increase over time. Let this sleeping dog lie for 5-10 years. Not as soft as other Brunello in 2016, but I have not had a Riserva. That could be the issue and why time is needed.

8/10/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This is delicious. Good structure, color and taste! Cherry, tobacco and leather. It's subtle but fresh and alive. Almost could mistake it for 2016 as it has that same silkiness to it. Great QPR. Just got a case of the Gran Vin too!

7/29/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Flat out delicious. Not too far off from the 2018, maybe a touch fresher on the palate. Excellent wine full of currants and cassis. Love it! Not sure about $25 more than the 2018? I actually got the 2016 for $100. Let's see. This is excellent and if you had to pull the trigger do it! Full bodied, no stuffing lost here. Can't see how much better the Gran Vin is as this is amazing.

7/28/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

The 2016 Marquis Dazzles in the glass, great legs, purplish color and texture very soft and refined - very reminiscent of the vintage. It's a powerful wine at the same time, no loss of weight here at all. Great aging potential too I would bet. Can access it now, enjoy the ripe cherries and excellent structure this wine showcases. One of the best Marquis ever for sure. I standout wine that may get 95-96 points in years to come as it matures. Lovely now though.

7/26/2023 - Marquis du Vin wrote:

Def feel the merlot here. I think I prefer the Cab dominant varietal better than this one! It's got a tinge of green pepper, subtle non distinguishable dark fruits. Looks pretty in the glass, and it is well made. Just a preference thing for me.

7/3/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This is a stunner! Beautiful wine, loads of dark fruits, bing cherry leading the way, creme de cassis. Full body, which i was surprised given right bank 2016. Nothing not to love here. This could hit 100 in time, but accessible now. So glad I got a case at auction, perfect condition and a steal at $1,000 for the case! I will probably get the '19 and '20 based off of this tasting. I think a great value play (if there is such a thing at $100+ a bottle wine). Everything is correct here, smooth finish and ample body.
Reminded me of 2015 Gazin but better and a baby VCC, maybe a notch or so below it.

7/2/2023 - Marquis du Vin Does not like this wine:

So the story of 2014 continues... A vintage of the haves and have nots. I found this one on the not side. You can taste the pedigree of the wine, and up front it was all there! It was on the backend or lack of a backend that was how this landed in the not zone. I can best describe what I experienced as "half a wine". Overall was very thin, which is a characteristic of this vintage, COS had the same issue or at least in 2017 when I tried 1 of 9 bottles. Still sitting on the others waiting for it to gain weight. As for the haves, Figeac fell into that category. A really nice wine, not only for the vintage, but overall. As for Canon, i have a 2015 in the chamber - that will be my next one! The best one ever made so they say! waiting on my 2020s.

6/14/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Hold. I agree with others sentiments on this wine. It's a surprisingly dense BIG wine that needs time to sort things out for maximum pleasure. I can only imagine how VVC is in this vintage! Loads of potential here, maybe a long decant can sort it out currently, but if you can wait, I would.

6/8/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Has put on some weight since 2019. Soft and integrated. A fine 2nd wine, with dark fruits and resolved tannins. Interesting to see how VCCs 2nd stacks up to this?

6/7/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Had this last night at the Glenmere Resort, NY with dinner. Was an amazingly good wine! I found it full bodied, grippy, soft tannins and loaded with cassis, blackberries and a touch of anise. I just bought a case! Drinking great right out of the bottle. This had to be perfectly stored as it came out on the cooler side, which was perfect. Great QPR $54. Very reminiscent of the 2010 vintage, one of my all time favorites.

4/19/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Tastes much better now than a few months ago when I did a SBS of that against the 2018. Much fuller and richer than previously tasted. Deep black cherry and currants all well integrated. Can't imagine how good my case of 2016 Gran Vins must be!!! I'd say this is superb. Great QPR too. Nice finish, not short at all or tart.

4/9/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Really good Alter Ego, very reminiscent of the '19 vintage, approachable, great balance and succulent with ample fruit. This is a dense wine that is very enjoyable now - even without decanting. Red berries are apparent, medium tannins at this stage, but not influencing the wine in a harsh way at all. This is very well made, glad I have plenty more to drink!!!

3/12/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Someone had mentioned this was the best Petite Figeac ever - it very well may be! Definitely more going on than the 2016. More succulent than the 2015, have not had the 2018 so ... This is clearly ahead of the class for me too! Why? Well, it's very well structured, but with more depth and fitness. Everything is distinctly Figeac, the taste, the darker currant side of the fruit, the sweetness, and silky texture in the mouth. Nothing acidic or harsh here at all, all flowing nicely. I bet the gran vin is amazing! Good QPR $60. I have the 2018 which was $70. May get another case of this one before it rises.

3/9/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

This is actually the 1er Cru version. Was outstanding - like a baby Chassange! Soild structure with vanilla, lemon peel and minerals. Crisp and smooth, nice finish. great QPR $30! Again, this is the step up from the wine name listed here, could not find this on the site.

2/28/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Delicious and tremendous! That about sums it up. Its a cross between Citrus and Minerals with succulent pineapple, apricot and lemon zest with a bit of melon to round out the acidity. Strong showing better than the 2017. Lovely wine, should have gotten more than a 6-pack @ $80 ea. Now eclipses $120 mark.

2/26/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine:

Absolutely stunning wine! My first of the Riserva's from this estate, drank cases of the regular brunello and have some 2010s in this category. After popping this baby, I will probably try those as well. This is quite approachable now with an 1+ hour decant. Very seductive and silky. Soft on the pallet with great balance and dark fruit flavors. It's a notch above the regular brunello. What you get is simply a perfected version of the regular one. Everything is PERFECT! Now anyone who loves Brunello will tell you it's hard to find a bad one, but great ones - well this is certainly one of them.