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Comments on my notes

(31 comments on 27 notes)

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Red
2021 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend
11/10/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine:
92 points
At a tasting. Fabulous nose. Highish acidity seemed to hide some of the fruit leaving it a touch thin. Very long finish. I have some of this wine so am trusting it will flesh out in time and the score will improve. Was great value but has nearly doubled in price in a short time.
  • wineforth commented:

    11/16/22, 9:48 AM - Looking back I sometimes find this a difficult wine to taste young. I rated the 2016 en primeur 90 points twice with the same sort of comment as the 2021 and yet gave it 95 more recently. I'm normally much more consistent! The 2019 was easy to taste young though and got a massive score. You can only say what you experience at the time.

  • wineforth commented:

    1/7/24, 9:33 AM - Hi Jake, I've seen another review of this wine giving 98+ points. It is a very unusual cepage using mostly cabernet franc and an extraordinary estate worth trying. At $117 a bottle I think its still good value if it turns out to be in the middle of my (perhaps harsh) 92 and the other review. Adrian

Red
2011 Château Léoville Barton St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend
3/28/2023 - wineforth Likes this wine:
92 points
Third bottle from a half case bought en primeur. There's no hiding from the fact that 2011 was a below average vintage for Bordeaux reds. Gentle nose of blackcurrant, cedar and vanilla now joined by some tobacco. Body is light to medium weight. Decent length of finish. Overall surprisingly enjoyable and well balanced. Drinking well now and will plateau for a few years. The perfect drinking window will be relatively short. A Barton worth trying and one of the best wines of the vintage.
  • wineforth commented:

    12/4/23, 12:37 AM - Hi Jake, sadly I haven't had the 2011 Montrose although I can believe it is good as they were on top form (still are). Pontet Canet is also good.

Red
2009 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo
8/20/2023 - wineforth Likes this wine:
92 points
1st bottle from a half case. Complex nose includes cherry, balsamic and American oak. Medium weight with superb balance. Lots of soft tannins. Drinking well now and will continue to improve for a few years. Very enjoyable old fashioned rioja. One of the best recent vintages. Good QPR.
  • wineforth commented:

    10/5/23, 9:06 AM - It's about USD40 in the UK according to the wine searcher app.

Red
2010 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) Red Bordeaux Blend
10/1/2023 - wineforth Likes this wine:
92 points
4th bottle from a case bought en primeur and another 2 year gap. Still evolving slowly. Big vanilla and cassis nose with some pleasant undergrowth, then tobacco, graphite and blackcurrant on the palate and a long finish. Tannins are reducing in dominance and there's plenty of fruit to see them out. A typical muscular 2010. Drinking well now and will soon be at its peak. Score will continue to improve.
  • wineforth commented:

    10/2/23, 12:57 AM - You paid the right price. This is a vintage for long keeping and there's a premium for that. I nearly gave 93 (will review again this evening) and the score has been slowly improving. For drinking now if you want the same quality at half the price from this vintage try Cantemerle (always good value). Alternatively slightly cheaper than Lagrange is the lovely 2010 Malescot St Expury.

Red
2014 Château Figeac St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend
6/25/2023 - wineforth Likes this wine:
93 points
1st bottle from a half case bought en primeur. Mighty deep blackcurrant and bramble nose whilst decanting, with some cigar box and green hints for complexity. Nose somewhat dissipates in the glass leaving a lovelysmokiness. The flavour is strong however in common with other 2014s the body is relatively light despite the dark colour. Tannins are plentiful yet soft and will take a few years to completely integrate. Acidity a touch on the high side. 13pc alcohol helps make for a well balanced wine to drink now and for up to a decade; this is not a long term keeper. QPR is poor but the wine is still a pleasure to drink.
  • wineforth commented:

    7/18/23, 9:33 AM - 2014 Figeac is £175 a bottle in the UK which is a terrible QPR. I will have paid a lot less en primeur.

Red
2020 Château Cantemerle Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend
11/12/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine:
93 points
Lovely big nose of cedar and blackcurrant. Good fruit and typical Cantemerle balance. Very persistent finish. A more consistent Chateau over the last 50+ years than most (I still remember a lovely 1961 about 30 years ago) and good QPR.
  • wineforth commented:

    7/12/23, 12:00 AM - Hi Jake, you've done well to avoid the high alcohol fad as it will increasingly intrude as the wine ages. I haven't had a 2016 Cantemerle in the last 5years and really should try another. 2016 Marquis d'Alesme was excellent recently.

Red
2015 Château Malartic-Lagravière Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend
5/17/2023 - wineforth Likes this wine:
92 points
1st bottle since tasting en primeur when I gave 94 points. Has the excellent balance I've come to expect from this vintage. Cherry nose, mineral on the palate with some Pessac hot tiles. The high acidity seems to be stripping out the fruit but still flavoursome and enjoyable. Drinking well now. Risky to keep a long time. I will be drinking this over the next 5 years rather than waiting 10 years+.
  • wineforth commented:

    5/18/23, 1:04 AM - Thanks I've updated the note.

Red
2020 Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend
11/13/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine:
94 points
At a tasting of recently bottled 2020s. BIG nose, more tannins, fruit and acidity than most. Balanced with a long finish. Slight concern over the level of acidity l have 6 of these so time will tell.
  • wineforth commented:

    1/27/23, 9:02 AM - I thought it a bit high in acidity.

  • wineforth commented:

    1/28/23, 6:53 AM - Hi Jake, I'm sure you've done well to get a case of these. I bought a half case on the basis of consistently good previous vintages and excellent en primeur notes from professionals. Adrian

Red
2004 Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend
11/19/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine:
95 points
10th bottle from a case bought en primeur. Similar to the last bottle. Sandalwood, chocolate, leather and blackcurrant nose. Well balanced on the palate with plenty of beautifully soft fruit and tannins. Lynch Bages did particularly well in this average vintage. Drinking perfectly now and will decline slowly over a decade.
  • wineforth commented:

    12/13/22, 6:10 AM - Hi Juliansi, wines of this age and type of vintage I decant and drink. It may develop over a couple of hours but will more likely go downhill if you wait.

  • wineforth commented:

    12/13/22, 7:55 AM - It depends how long you are drinking it over. If you are taking a whole evening between two then decant and start straight away. If there are more people and its one glass each then wait an hour after decanting. My wife only drinks whites so I usually double decant back into the bottle, fill the gap with argon, stopper and use more inert gas via Coravin to drink over 2 to 3 evenings. btw. I went briefly to Alice Smith School in 1967 then to Uplands, Penang, when it was on the peak!

Red
2014 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend
3/24/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine:
93 points
At the Wine Society Carmes Haut-Brion tutored tasting. To increase complexity and reduce the alcohol level (13.5%) there is some whole bunch fermentation and no second wine. The aim is to have balance, and complexity over weight and points chasing. Cepage is more like a St. Emilion at 54% Cab Franc, 32% Merlot, 14% Cab Sauvignon.
Excellent nose and length of finish. Good balance. A touch light mid palate but this should fill out in time and score could improve. Drinking now and would be interesting to try a case over a few decades! If you only have one bottle then wait a few years.
  • wineforth commented:

    10/14/22, 10:42 AM - That's what L&W say however I've read elsewhere that the C de Carmes is a separate wine with it's own vinyard and a very different cepage made by the same Chateau. Its certainly priced that way and is a lot more expensive than say Pagodes de Cos. My info came from the Chateau.

Red
2020 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend
3/16/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine:
97 points
See 2019
  • wineforth commented:

    8/28/22, 10:32 AM - Thanks odds, comment moved to 2019

Red
2011 Château Palmer Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend
3/16/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine:
92 points
The other vintage at Lord's 2019 in bottle tasting. 55% merlot compared to 42% in the 2019. Soft and medium weight. Starting to drink now. Not worth the money, much as I love Palmer.
  • wineforth commented:

    4/16/22, 12:08 AM - It depends how much you love Palmer. I would probably buy a bottle or two at that price but not a case.

Red
2000 Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend
11/28/2021 - wineforth Likes this wine:
93 points
2nd bottle of LB from a case of 3x each of 4 super seconds. Complex undergrowth, dark fruits and deep blackcurrant nose with a smoky ending. My fears that the fruit would go out before the tannins subsided are partly unfounded. The fruit is a touch lean and the tannins still grippy yet the wine is now fully mature. Good long finish. A lovely moreish wine. The least successful of the 4 in the case but still hugely enjoyable and great classic Pauillac typicity. 2000 is a good vintage, not quite the great vintage it was hyped up to be. Given how long its taken to mature this far there's no hurry to drink up.
  • wineforth commented:

    3/22/22, 1:24 AM - Re the other 2000's; Leoville Barton, Cos D'Estournel and Ducru Beaucaillou I have given 95 points to. Palmer and Leoville Poyferre 94 (both in 2015 so could have improved) and Lynch Bages 93.

Red
1995 Château Montrose St. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend
1/3/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine:
95 points
My last bottle from a half case bought shortly after release, two of which were corked. This bottle the best. Its funny how many of the notes here mention completely different flavours and yet most of them I recognise. Complex, modest yet lovely nose that just keeps on evolving from blackcurrant to coffee, violets and cedar. Still plenty of fruit kept in place by a fully mature tannic structure. A touch of traditional St. Estephe leanness. Long finish. At its peak now and will continue to drink well for decades if well kept. P.s. day 2 also a meaty flavour. p.p.s. still going strong and true on day 3 (using ZOS). Added a point.
  • wineforth commented:

    1/4/22, 12:05 AM - Yes that will keep until the cork gives way!😀

White - Sweet/Dessert
2010 Château Rieussec Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend
5/20/2021 - wineforth Likes this wine:
96 points
8th half bottle from a dozen. This wine continues to develop well. Lovely pineapple and hazelnut botrytis nose, thick cut marmalade and apricot on the palate with a perfect amount acidity and bitterness on the finish to offset the sweetness. Huge length of finish. Just superb and with decades of life ahead of it.
  • wineforth commented:

    5/20/21, 1:01 PM - From a half bottle. Edited note thanks.

Red
2001 Château Léoville Barton St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend
2/5/2021 - JayP Likes this wine:
90 points
I am confused - can you help. I really enjoyed this bottle and especially after i had given it an hour or so in glass (I didn't decant). Its colour and taste profile (tannins) suggest it has plenty of drinking window left although v pleasant right now. Indeed many comments on CT say just that and collectively we have 69% of our purchases still un-consumed. BUT many observers/critics - incl Jancis - are saying drink up your 2001's. What do people think?
  • wineforth commented:

    3/9/21, 4:36 AM - I would advise decanting to remove the sediment and to give the wine some air. Anthony Barton told me about 5 years ago that he was drinking his 1989s, which would have been over 25 years old and last year I had a lovely 1955 from Leoville Poyferré. I'm still buying 2001s because it turned out to be an excellent vintage and was a little overlooked at the time. They're drinking well now and will last decades properly kept. How old you like your wine is a question of personal taste and as I get older I find myself liking older wines.

Red
2003 Château Talbot St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend
3/4/2021 - wineforth Likes this wine:
92 points
Last bottle from a half case bought en primeur. Didn't blossom early like many of the 03's and two of the six bottles were flawed. Peaked with a lovely bottle in 2015 and this is the next best. Lovely blackcurrant nose, body lacking a touch mid palate. Still plenty of medium soft tannins.
Elegant. Excellent length of finish. Drink up. P.s. day 3 with ZOS, the wine is holding up well with oaky vanilla and liquorice nose. Tempted to add a point. 92+.
  • wineforth commented:

    3/4/21, 11:03 AM - I haven't maintained my cellar on this app and should remove it all.

Red
2004 Château Léoville Barton St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend
11/12/2020 - wineforth Likes this wine:
95 points
9th bottle from a case bought en primeur. I gave this 96 four years ago and this bottle is very similar except that the body has declined a little as expected with age. Gamey nose at first, good body of sweet deep blackcurrant fruit and cedar, very well balanced, long finish. Later, complex hints of coffee, vanilla and anise. This is as enjoyable as any of the 20 vintages I've had from the '61 onwards, although the 05, 09 and 10 have will eclipse it given enough time. Great effort for a lesser vintage and a relative bargain.
  • wineforth commented:

    11/13/20, 3:27 AM - Hi Chatters, Barton is consistent and the average vintages are made to peak at about 12 years old. 04 is a particularly good wine for the vintage. They were on top form at the time and Spurrier rated the 2003 the 7th best wine of the vintage just behind the first growths; I intend to try one in a couple of weeks time. Barton often disappoints a little when drunk too young so the trick is to keep them long enough. 2009 is an exception and just wonderful. The top vintages are generally best at 20 years old. Anthony Barton told me in 2010 that he was enjoying the 1989 - which l'm surprised to see that I've never had, so must now go and see if I can source one!

  • wineforth commented:

    11/13/20, 4:31 AM - Hi djh, four years ago I thought the 1982 had a decade to go to peak and I agree the 2003 was not considered a classic vintage due to the excessive heat, which caused relatively early drinking wines. To my taste the 2000 is just coming around now and the 2005 needs at least 5 more years.

Red
2018 Château Léoville Las Cases St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend
6/10/2019 - wineforth Likes this wine:
95 points
Manages to carry high tannins, alcohol (14.5%) and acidity in perfect balance. Lovely caramel nose and very long finish. A superb wine and yet I wonder if it will be to my taste. The 2012 is worth a look.
  • wineforth commented:

    4/24/20, 1:10 AM - This note is about the 2018 tasted as a barrel sample en primeur. Alongside we had the 2012 - hence the confusion.

Red
2017 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend
7/14/2018 - wineforth Likes this wine:
92 points
Barrel sample at BB&R 2017 en primeur tasting. Decent nose, medium weight, well balanced with long finish. Better body and colour than most 17s without the over extraction I often associate with Baron. 92+
  • wineforth commented:

    8/9/19, 8:51 AM - Hi Dave, it's a good vintage and Pichon Baron tend to be long lasting, so best wait to 2026 before trying one. Peak will be at about 12 years or 2029 onwards for a decade. Adrian

Red
2010 Château Malescot St. Exupéry Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend
7/13/2019 - wineforth Likes this wine:
93 points
First bottle from a case bought en primeur. Decanted. Violets as I opened the bottle then blackcurrant with a hint of herbs. Later raspberry. Lots of mineral. Good body. Needs a couple more years for the tannins to fall out. Score could improve a lot.
  • wineforth commented:

    7/14/19, 1:26 AM - I've always thought, rightly or wrongly, that the tannins being relatively heavy fall out into the sediment over time. Yes, the wine will warrant a higher score when the tannins dominate less.

Red
2015 Château Pontet-Canet Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend
5/30/2019 - wineforth Likes this wine:
96 points
There was only this vintage at the Lord's 2018 en primeur tasting. One of the best wines of the evening. Big blackcurrant nose. Huge amount of fruit and the tannins are restrained at first, asserting themselves later. Superb. Needs a good steak. Tempting to try a bottle now but I'll wait 4 or 5 years.
  • wineforth commented:

    6/7/19, 1:34 AM - Hi Dave
    To some degree it's a question of personal taste. For classed growths of an average vintage I start at 7 years old and then wait a couple of years if it wasn't ready. Adjust up or down by quality of vintage and quality of wine. A great vintage like 2005s for instance are just getting into their stride. Some hot vintages like 2003 were lovely at 5 years. I'm starting to try the 2012s this year. Adrian

Red
2011 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley
11/30/2017 - Baron Slick wrote:
94 points
This needs a one-hour decant, minimum, to express its obvious class, refinement, and purity of place. Cherry cola, black raspberry, and navel orange aromas slowly waft above a bouquet of earth and oak spice. The palate exhibits beautiful weight, a silky texture, bottle age vitality, and layers and flavors that are endowed with perfect amounts of sweetness, cut, glycerine, and ripeness. Tenacity, length, and a trace of orange zest zings the finish. I can't say enough about this wine. An outstanding showing.
  • wineforth commented:

    3/28/19, 1:00 PM - Your note was one of the best written Ive ever read. Great.

Red
2016 Château Rauzan-Ségla Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend
11/17/2018 - wineforth Likes this wine:
95 points
At a tasting last month where we compared over 40 2016s.
When tasted en primeur I had an off bottle and didn't score it.
This time one of the top wines of the event. Excellent all round with huge length. I'm looking to buy.
  • wineforth commented:

    12/7/18, 2:02 AM - On the question of comparing 2015 to 2016. The 2015 I had en primeur as a barrel sample and whilst it was obviously an excellent wine none of the 3 of us liked the more muscular style much. Barrel samples can be misleading though for a variety of reasons. The 2015 doesn't have the charm of the 2016. Others who have tasted more recently rate the 2015 slightly higher. I think its a question of personal taste.

Red
2006 Château Gloria St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend
5/25/2018 - wineforth Likes this wine:
91 points
Significantly better than the bottle 16 months ago and this wine will continue to improve. Nose was earthy at first then blackcurrant and graphite. Lots of soft fruit. Tannins are plentiful and the wine will improve over time as these soften further. The only negative is a touch too much bitterness on the finish - but again this will drop out over time. Long finish. Overall classed growth quality for cru bourgeois price.
  • wineforth commented:

    11/17/18, 9:31 AM - Sorry I didn't reply earlier. I decanted and drank straight away.

Red
1956 Château Montrose St. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend
First off - visually, fungal Cork and low ullage lead to low expectations. Fungal element present on nose but beneath this, leather, cedar, pencil shaving and life still present! It had it's moment of glory but over time decayed. (nose remained really interesting moving from leather to polished saddles and liquorice but palate died. Fascinating still! RIP after a couple of hours.
  • wineforth commented:

    3/14/15, 1:15 PM - Where do you find wines like this? Even in the late '80's wines from the 50's were rare. I recommend 52 and 55 Lynch Bages and 53 Calon Segur amongst others.

Red
1995 Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend
9/8/2014 - rossi.wine wrote:
96 points
Double decanted 4 hours before dinner. Very dark in colour, almost no discolouration, very youthful. Intriguing and complex nose - blackcurrant, cherries, bramble, herbal with a lovely minty touch. Some forest notes and lead pencil, too. On the palate dark fruited, creme de cassis with a firm tannic frame, quite grippy, a little drying and fresh towards the long finish. Very persistent but rather masculine. Approachable but should be even better in a couple of more years. 95-96+
  • wineforth commented:

    1/3/15, 12:18 PM - Great note

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