10/1/2022 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Cedar, plum, perfume, hints of vanilla and plum on the nose. On the palate, smooth, medium to full bodied, well balanced with red fruits and a hint of flowers, spice and minerality on the finish. Very nice wine, but still far too young. Give this another 10 years before it starts to enter prime time. If you can't wait, make sure to give this ample time to open up. After 3 hours, this was drinking quite nice.

5/22/2020 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Deep purple in the glass. Oak, dark red fruit, hints of cedar and perfume with a bit of sweetness on the nose. Medium bodied, soft, ripe red fruit, plum, touch of floral and spice on the palate. This is an incredible value from a top vintage in Bdx.

1/2/2019 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Drank from Magnum. Needed 30 minutes to clear off some funk. A beautiful orange rim in the glass. Opened up with a nose of green pepper, spice, leather, cedar and cigar box. Tannins are smooth and integrated with some earth and forest floor on the palate. This is just at the right time to drink.

6/24/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

This wine continues to evolve from my last scoring. This is an excellent output for the vintage. Full bodied expression of jammy strawberry, spice, floral notes and an impressive finish of sweet blueberry. This is integrating and softening nicely. Lacks some of the tell tell signature of superior Pegau vintages, but the fingerprints are there. The heat is controlled and the price is even more controlled. An excellent value for a top-notch wine.

6/17/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Crimson in the glass. Cedar, cassis and dark red fruit dominate the nose. Viscous and full bodied on the palate, this is approachable, showing the typical Margaux perfume, but more integration is needed. The fruit is soft and sweet and the finish is smooth and controlled. This is less shut down than when I tasted it 3 years ago. I will stick with my 2025 drinking target for now.

4/25/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Spice and pepper dominated nose with notes of strawberry and raspberry. Full bodied profile, plum, kirsch, crushed flowers, rustic tannins. Not my favorite drinker today, but could surprise to the upside. Give this some time.

4/21/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

1 hour to open. Light garnet in the glass. Nose opens with strawberry, citrus, pepper, cherry and spice. Ripe red fruit on the palate, plum, crushed flowers. Balanced and very approachable already. Not too much heat. Fresh, clean finish. Very nice.

4/10/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Gave this 1 hour to open up. Deep purple in the glass. Nose opens up with blackberries, spice and flowers. This is a mouth coating wine. Still very youthful, this fat baby has the tannins and acidity to age nicely. The finish is excellent, sweet blueberries and cherries. Nice wine in the vintage.

4/3/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

The nose is dominated by dark, ripe fruit. Plum, dark cherry, raspberry, tobacco, spice and wet stone. Smooth on the palate, silk tannins, balance, floral, sweet dark red fruit, blueberry, stone, a hint of game, and a very nice sweet fruit finish. This is really nice today but I think this will age well.

3/31/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Freshness on the nose with hints of raspberry, tobacco, dark cherry, strawberry and pencil lead. Soft and medium bodied, this exhibits a nice roundness and elegance in the mouth with plum, raspberry, floral, and even the slightest hints of pepper. The finish on this is really nice. This is drinking nice already, but I think this will improve slightly with time yet. Very enjoyable.

2/25/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

After 30 minutes of air. Plum, strawberry, cassis, chocolate on the nose. On the palate, crushed flowers, spice and well structured tannins all balanced out by the softness you'd expect from a well made, Merlot dominated wine. As always, one of the best values in Bordeaux. I'm a big fan of this producer. Honestly, this drink nicely today, but in 5 years it's going to have been a steal.

2/21/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

This wine opens with dark cherry, chocolate and licorice. The palate brings flowers, stone, hints of smoke, game and forest floor. Full bodied and well structured, yet this wine has another 1-2 points to go in my opinion. Soft enough to drink now but I think it will reward those who can hold another 3 years. Really nice wine. 93-95pts.

2/8/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Leather, smoke and sweet black fruit on the nose. Cedar, leather, cassis and a touch of floral on the palate. The tannins are fully integrated but still showing some structure. A soft and lingering finish. The next few years is the time to drink these in my opinion. An enjoyable bottle of aged Bordeaux.

1/25/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Still quite deep purple in the glass, the nose opens with minerality, dark red fruit and a hint of game. Soft and medium bodied on the palate with some spice, acidity and nice balance. This is drinkable now but probably will continue to improve a bit. It may lack compared to more recent vintages but it is developing nicely in my opinion. An enjoyable wine.

12/30/2017 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

This was quite closed on opening. Needed 30 minutes to relax. After that...chocolate, cassis, blackberries and hints of coffee. Really nicely balanced for a second wine. This one could tick up a point or so over time.

11/27/2017 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Nose hits with smoke, dark berries and flowers. Freshness, forest floor and hints of cedar on the palate. This is smooth yet rustic at the same time. Killer finish. I love a good Pessac. I think this is really gonna knock some socks off in another 3-5 years.

10/14/2017 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Elixir is the word that comes to mind on this one.

Give it 1.5 - 2 hours of air. Definitely made a difference.

The nose on this is incredible. All the stuff you'd expect in a 31 year old bordeaux; tobacco, cedar and cigar box but still showing some awesome ripe dark fruit.

On the palate, I was shocked that the wine held more dryness and acidity than I expected, indicating it still may have further to go. Yet, still so smooth and full with just a ton of sweet dark fruit and cassis. Finish is just awesome, again with a surprising bit of dryness for 31 years old. This is integrating and balancing really nicely.

This is really good stuff and I think has a little further to go. If you have a few bottles, it's worth opening one and holding the rest.

9/4/2017 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Pigeon blood ruby in the glass with some purple hue to the rim. The nose is full of fresh dark fruit. The palate brings in spice, more red fruit and some unpolished tannins. Medium bodied, this wine is enjoyable today and will likely improve 1-2 pts in the coming years. This is available at a great price and an excellent way to keep your hands off of your Montrose Grand Vin :)

8/29/2017 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

90 minutes in the decanter. This wine is crimson in the glass. Dark red berries, cassis, cedar and some wet stone on the nose. On the palate, the tannins are extremely smooth and integrated and a touch of tobacco is brought into the mix all while still showing nice freshness (but not overly bright). Finish is medium to long and well balanced. This is really tasting more elegant than I expected. This has some more development left. This could easily tick up another point.

7/30/2017 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Decanted 30 minutes. Deep purple in the glass. Nose opens with dark plum, wet stone and a touch of heat. On the palate...medium bodied and fresh, this strikes rear palate and presents quite tannic. The fruit isn't as ripe as I'd like. I suspect another 5 years will do wonders for this wine as the tannins soften. If you like your wine tannic crack a bottle now.

4/13/2017 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Ripe dark fruit, tobacco, wet stone and spice in the nose. Hits mid palate in the mouth with cassis, cedar and slight forest floor. Tannins are integrating nicely. I think this may have a little more to give in the coming years but in my opinion the drinking window is now to 2020.

4/6/2017 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Give this an hour to open up in the decanter, it needs it.

Wet stone, raspberry and tobacco on the nose. This full bodied, tannic wine hits mid-palate with slight hints of strawberry, blueberry, cedar and forest floor on the finish. Needs more time to integrate and soften.

I'd let this rest another 5 or so years. 89-91. This could go up a few points in 5 years.

2/26/2017 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Being so young, this needed 30-60 minutes to relax in the decanter. The 13 is brighter than 2012 with less dark fruit, more heat and less funk on the nose. On the palate, aA good deal of pepper and heat, more floral qualities and relatively pronounced tannins as this has a dryness that other recent vintages do not. Yet, there is a sense of balance, that over time this will mature and integrate nicely and the fruit will mature and ripen. I still prefer the 12 and the 11 to the 13 but, seriously, it’s Pegau, it’s all awesome. Nice price point too. These probably need to sit for about 3 years honestly, but I will likely be drinking more to keep my hands off my earlier vintages a while longer. This is a buy for me in the vintage.

1/1/2017 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Having had this previously, I chose to decant this time. I did a quick double decant to help it get some air then gave it a short 15 minutes to open up. A nice ruby in the glass but lacking that deep pigeon blood ruby that I love in CnP. Raspberry, floral, vanilla and a little heat on the nose. The palette opens with more floral bouquet and dominated by spice with an overall medium body. Lacks some depth, complexity and fatness that I like in CnP. For 2013, a solid product. I think you can do better on the QPR. Drinks this young.

11/30/2016 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

As second wines go, and young ones at that, this is enjoyable. Deep ruby color. The nose hits with a light cedar, floral and dark berries. On the palate, dark cherry, pepper, and slight St Julien funk all wrapped in the brightness you'd expect from younger vines.

The finish is short. Lacks complexity. A bit less round than I would like and somewhat unbalanced. A bit of aging will help, but I don't feel this has the stuffing for significant improvement over time.

11/12/2016 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Wonderful Pessac purple rim in the glass. Berry, cedar and floral perfume on the nose. Round and full on the palate with subtle crushed flowers, dark berries and a hint of sweetness. This is a really enjoyable, yet reasonably priced, wine for an area that is often a bit pricey. Great QPR under $45.

9/25/2016 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Decanted 30 minutes. Blackberry, currant, black cherry and a hint of truffle dominate the nose. The wine shows firm tannins on the palate but still presents with a nice round quality in the mouth. A nice balance of earth, stone, blackberry, dark cherry and a touch of floral. This is an excellent wine for the price. Still feels a little closed but I love the slightly more tannic character than I am used to from Fleur. I prefer this to the 2011. 91-93pts

6/5/2016 - mikeharris wrote:

A little Pontet-Canet on a sunny Sunday afternoon has to be close to perfection.

It's young of course. But, this wine screams freshness and balance. The nose opens with strawberries, raspberries, stone and tobacco. This wine hits me rear palate with a bit of cedar and forest but then rapidly moves forward as the dark fruit emerges. Tannins are nicely present without being chewy for such a young wine. The finish is clean, long, fresh and concentrated fruit.

As the prices steadily rise on PC, 2011 is still a great wine and accessible at a great price. Can't go wrong here. Obviously more time in the bottle will bring more integration and more mature, ripe fruit. But this is drinkable (and enjoyable) now. A great bottle of wine and a great value for this producer.

5/1/2016 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Beautiful deep ruby in the glass with wonderfully long and slow legs. The nose opens with garrigue, dark berry and wet limestone. Well balanced on the palate, perfect heat and acidity with a little spice. Floral bouquet and perfume give way to what I feel is a bit of a short, hot finish.

I desperately want to rate this wine higher, but it is leaving me underwhelmed. I mean, it's an 09 Beaucastel so it's great no matter what, but for only slightly more money I feel the Pegau 09 is a superior wine for the vintage.

In fairness, this is on the early end of the drinking range in my opinion. If you are holding these, I would let them rest another 5 years and reserve judgement until then.

Drank from 750 ml.

1/30/2016 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Beautiful deep ruby/purple in the glass. Tobacco, licorice, jam and raisin on the nose. This wine drinks like silk on the palate. Cedar, dark cherry, jam, earth and crushed flowers are all wound together wonderfully in this full bodied yet sexy wine. This is an excellent wine. Complex yet subtle at the same time.

I chose not to decant this the second time around and I actually preferred it without decant.

1/28/2016 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Deep ruby, borderline purple in the glass. The nose is jam filled with hints of dark cherry, coffee and just a little wet stone and smoke. The palate hits with fresh, young fruit and those wonderful Margaux style crushed flowers. The wine is medium bodied and surprisingly well integrated. The finish is medium/long and migrates satisfyingly from front to back of palate. Very successful wine for the vintage.

1/2/2016 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

This is very young but I couldn't resist testing a bottle form my recently arrived case.

I found 30 minutes of air to be just about right. Deep crimson in the glass with long legs. Some Pegau brett followed by dark strawberry, blueberry and blackberry on the nose. Wonderful fat, ripe fruit on the palate along with pepper and spice and just a subtle hint of crushed flowers. Full bodied, well balanced and surprisingly well integrated. The finish is long, fat, sexy and brings you back to the glass.

This is just stellar for the vintage. Damn I love Pegau. In about 5 years this is going to be really incredible I suspect.

12/22/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Dark, jammy berries on the nose. Soft and round on the palate with a touch of heat followed by sweet dark fruit.

A nice silky texture. A bit less hedonistic than I prefer my StE but still quite good.

12/21/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

That wonderful Pessac almost purple in the glass. Ripe fruit, smoke, cedar, tobacco and a hint of blueberry on the nose. This full bodied, viscous wine rolls around your mouth and does not disappoint the palate with spice, dark fruit, lush tannins and a hint of crushed flowers and earth.

This is a damn good effort for the vintage. I keep wanting more.

12/12/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Deep ruby, almost inky color in the glass. Cherry cordial, spice, plum and stone on the nose. Full bodied, round with lush tannins, a touch of heat, hints of chocolate, oak, crushed flowers, wet gravel and dark red berries on the palate. Evokes images of sipping wine on the back porch as the sun breaks through late on a rainy summer's day.

A nice hedonistic StE, this should age nicely over the next ten years.

11/29/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Crimson in the glass. Aged leather, smoke, cedar and dark red berries with a hint of plum on the nose. The palate hits with leather and a hint of forest floor. The tannins are surprisingly pronounced for almost 20 years in the bottle. Still screams Pauillac. It lacks the fruity elixir like quality of more current PC vintages but still a brilliant wine that is a pleasure to drink.

This could go a little further in the next few years but I dare say this is prime time to drink.

11/22/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Deep ruby, almost purple in color with nicely structured legs on the glass. the nose leads with spice, plum, raisin, cedar and a hint of dark raspberry. The palate brings in more spice and cedar along with cassis and some crushed flower. The finish is medium in length, mid to rear palate focused and dominated by floral and plum notes.

Overall, I would call this an elegant style Margaux that may have another point or two to gain as the tannins integrate further and things balance out a bit more.

11/15/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

I keep Pontet-Canet for all my children's birth years. Last night my wife and I opened one of our '08s in honor of one of my sons birthday so we can watch this evolve.

This is still drinking quite young but the nose tells the story of what's to come in my opinion. Presents deep ruby in the glass, the nose opens with cedar, graphite, blackberry, stone, cassis and just shouts balance at you. The youth is reflected in the slightly tight, bright palate with a hint of forest floor. But the fruit is beautiful, tannins are amazingly integrated and smooth, and the finish lingers softly for 30-60 seconds.

This needs 5 years to grow up and enter prime time but it definitely has the chops for the long haul.

If you drink this today I suggest a 1 hour decant.

10/27/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

A muted ruby color in the glass. Young red fruit, spice and hints of cedar and smoke on the nose. Bright raspberry, cherry and some forest floor on the palate. Finish is quite tannic, rear palate focused and longer than I expected. Its a little unbalanced to me but still very good for the price range.

This is a great everyday Bordeaux. Ready to drink now. Great buy at $25.

10/26/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Deep inky purple color. Dark cherry, stone and cigar box on the nose. Needs at least an hour to open but overall a little shutdown to me. At only 5 years of age this is extremely young by Montrose standards. Spice on the palate with some slightly un-ripened fruit. Tannins are not yet integrated.

This lady needs to sleep a while. Has a lot more potential in the coming years.

10/23/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

For me, 2011 is such a value vintage. There are some real gems at great prices in this vintage if you know where to look and this is one of them. Fleur is one of my favorite producers in St. Emilion. I love the consistent, lush, hedonistic style. A truly well made wine.

A beautiful deep crimson color in the glass. The legs on this lady are something wonderful to behold as the stretch the length of the glass, indicative of that slightly higher than average alcohol content.

This is a young drinking wine. It needs very little time to open, so in my opinion, decanting is optional. The nose brings chocolate covered strawberries, dark cherries, ripe raspberries, wet stone and a touch of cedar. For the vintage and being so young, the nose is exceptional.

Considering the alcohol level, the palate delivers little to no heat. Acidity is reasonable and tannins are mild. It opens with lush dark red fruit and that wonderful dusty st emilion characteristic and is followed up by a touch of forest floor. The finish is long, rear palate focused and dominated by notes of plum and ripe raspberry.

This wine is highly drinkable now in my opinion but may gain 1-2 points in the next 5 years.

9/27/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Wonderful jam, cedar, dark cherry and earth on the nose. A beautiful sexy, silky style Margaux that brings wonderful complexity to the glass. It opens with crushed flowers and evolves into layers of sweet jam and dark fruit all wrapped into lush tannins and nicely balanced by acidity. Really a brilliant wine. I expect some nice evolution over the next 5 years.

9/20/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

This is still quite young. Needed 2 hours of decanting to smooth and soften. Beautiful deep red with purple hues and garnet rim. Very defined legs on the glass indicative of the higher alcohol content. Blackberry and plum dominate the nose. The palate opens with young bright fruit and is mid to rear palate focused. Acidity is clear and the tannins are lush, touch of heat. Finish is medium, plum lingers with a touch of smoke. Doesn't quite have the St. Emilion smoothness yet but I suspect it will in time.

This is a solid wine that has the right stuffing. This is going to improve. Give it a few years if you can.

9/6/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Decanted for 1.5 hrs. This is drinking wonderfully right now. Fabulous dark inky color. Dark red fruit, blueberry, dark chocolate, cherry cordial, earth and wet stone with a touch of smoke on the nose. Absolutely wonderful in the mouth. This just screams St. Emilion. Beautiful lush fruit with a wonderfully soft and viscous feel. I love how this rolls around. Ripe raspberry and strawberry hit first followed by some crushed flowers a touch of forest floor. All in wonderful balance. The tannins are nicely integrated with maybe a touch further to go. The finish is long and balanced, enveloping the whole mouth.

This was just as good on the second bottle as the first.

8/23/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

1 hr decant is a must. Nice purple hues in the glass. This medium bodied wine reveals chocolate, blueberry, dark fruit and wet stone on the nose. Crushed flowers, pencil lead, minerality, dark fruit, a hint of cherry cordial and still detecting a touch of heat on the palate. It all ends with a notably long finish. Balance felt better to me this time around.

I agree with fm1488 that the finish lingers mid palate.

A very approachable and affordable Margaux.

8/20/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Wow. This is a seriously hedonistic wine. Full bodied and fleshy with a blast of jammy dark fruits and cassis. The finish is dark cherry, blackberry annd cassis with a hint of crushed flowers. Well balanced and smooth with nicely integrated tannins.

This is a really wonderful wine that I think is structured to get a lot better in the next 5-10 years. Excellent value.

8/18/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

1-2 HR decant needed. Deep red, slightly purple color. Not quite that satisfying purple hue that I love with Pessac. Spice, dark cherry, blackberry, light cedar and earth on the nose. This wine opens soft on the palate with raspberry and forest floor, but in my opinion, tannins and spice dominate the finish creating a slightly harsh transition. Tannins need to integrate further. Fruit needs to improve.

This is a hold for me. I think it has the structure to improve immensely over the next few years. Give it 5 years +. 90-92 but I think a few years are going to show upside on this wine.

8/16/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

I opened this up with a 1.5 hour decant. Deep garnet color with purple hues. Nice legs on the glass that you'd expect from the high alcohol content of a CnP. Little bit of barnyard funk on the nose similar to a Larose. For me, the nose is a bit weak compared to other Pegau vintages but this bottle is still an infant. After decanting, the nose leaves behind blackberries, plum, dark cherry and raisin and improves significantly. The palate leads with jammy blackberries and strawberries, a touch of forest floor follows. The finish is long and wonderful and dominated by sweet blueberries and floral notes. The finish is the best part in my opinion. It leaves you wanting more until there is none left!

The balance is good, tannins are smooth and surprisingly integrated, acidity is good and the high alcohol content does not create any noticeable heat but leaves that wonderful blanketing warmth of a good CnP.

Wonderful wine, well worth the price. Drinkable now but honestly I think these 2011s may surprise to the upside in a few more years.

8/13/2015 - mikeharris wrote:

Cedar and a lot of ripe plum, cassis, a little cherry and forest floor. Tannins are pronounced on the finish. Feels out of balance to me. You can do better for the money.

8/5/2015 - mikeharris Likes this wine:

Deep crimson color. Full bodied and coats the glass nicely. Plum, raspberry and light cedar on the nose. Plum, cassis, raisin, dark cherry, blackberry and smooth silky textures on the palate. Thick and viscous. This is still a little shut down to me. Give it a few more years and I think this is going to get better but honestly, I'm glad I drank this. Really wonderful stuff.