9/16/2016 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

PnP. I could hardly believe that this actually was a Margaux wine, and a Cru Bourgeois at that. No reflection of the terroir whatsoever.

9/2/2016 - Indybond wrote:

PnP. Another disappointing 2000 Margaux following du Tertre and Marquis de Terme. The nose was nice, but the palate did not offer much. I do not believe that it will improve at all.

8/15/2016 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

PnP. Harsh and too much alcohol. No reason to seek this out when you could find many many better 2009 Bordeaux wines at similar prices.

7/9/2016 - Indybond wrote:

PnP. I had high expectations, but my bottle was well past peak.

8/12/2016 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. Profound and masculine wine that lives up to its pedigree. Still going strong and kept improving for three hours until we finished the bottle. Impressive.

8/19/2016 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. Lovely and so sweet. Drinking beautifully right now. I would say that this is the poor man's Clos Fourtet!

8/8/2016 - Indybond wrote:

PnP. Gorgeous nose, but the rather sour palate tells me that this is well past peak. I recommend the 2003 instead.

7/19/2016 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. Another satisfying 1997 Bordeaux. Drinking beautifully now. Worthy of its Premier St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe status. However, I would put Monbousquet ahead of this at least for this vintage.

8/5/2016 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

PnP. A big disappointment. Muddy and way past peak.

7/29/2016 - Indybond wrote:

PnP. Alas, this was much less charming than two years ago. I will drink my other bottles soon.

7/23/2016 - Indybond wrote:

PnP. Don't be fooled by the perceived quality. The 1990 Bordeaux may have been great ten years ago, but I would dare say not now. I enjoyed both the 1987 and 1992 Pichon Lalande much more than this one. At $145, a horrible QPR at this point.

6/1/2016 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. Intense and powerful, yet elegant. One sip, and you would know that you are in for a treat. I just fell in love with this Domaine.

7/15/2016 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

PnP. Nice nose initially, but fell apart completely after 90 minutes. IMO, Montrose is one of the most overrated Bordeaux along with Pontet Canet and Leoville Poyferre. Those wines are for investors who blindly follow Parker (which makes perfect sense actually), not for drinkers like me.

5/17/2016 - Indybond wrote:

PnP. Way too New World for me. If I wanted a New World wine, Bordeaux would be the last place to look for. Having said that, I admit that some people will like this.

6/6/2016 - Indybond wrote:

PnP. Not a good vintage and it shows. Nowhere near its 1993 or 1997 sibling. I'm determined that I will not go near any more 1999 Bordeaux from now on. For what it's worth, here is my ranking for some of the 1999 Bordeaux: 1. Angelus, 2. Leoville Barton, 3. Gruaud Larose, 4. Pichon Lalande, 5. Cos d'Estournel, 6. Brane Cantenac, 7. La Tour Haut Brion.

6/3/2016 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. So delicious. The wine did not seem like a St. Emilion red to me probably due to the Cabernet Sauvignon it contained. If this were not pricey, I would be dying to buy more. Worthy of its Premier Grand Cru Classe status.

5/27/2016 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

PnP. Thin and diluted. After third consecutive disappointing experience, first 1995, then 2002 and now this, I have just about given up on Brane Cantenac. Gravely overrated wine in my opinion. At the very least, clearly not in the same league with Lascombes. By the way, I can't believe I bought another 1999 Bordeaux!

5/13/2016 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. Still nice, but significantly less appealing than two years ago and undrinkable on day 2. I will drink my other bottles soon.

4/23/2016 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

PnP. I entirely agree with Zweder. This is not a good 1998 Pomerol and way past peak. We could barely finish half the bottle.

4/21/2016 - Indybond wrote:

PnP. At first, I was worried as the wine tasted lean and austere and even mildly corked. However, it revealed LB’s charm from the one hour mark (decanting recommended) and kept improving until we finished the bottle after three hours. A great effort for LB given the poor vintage and much better than the 1999 Pichon Lalande and Cos d’Estournel. That said, at $79, not a good QPR and I see no point in seeking out this at this point, either (unless you are doing a vertical tasting).

4/16/2016 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

PnP. Not a good vintage and it shows. All downhill after opening. I see no point in buying this at this point. After another lackluster 1999, I am hesitant to buy any more 1999 Bordeaux.

4/12/2016 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. A very nice Cru Bourgeois that is still enjoyable. One of the top 100 wines of 2003 by Wine Spectator (no. 55). Two stars from Le Guide Hachette des Vins.

4/10/2016 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. I have found another hidden gem. Kept improving for three hours. Would you believe it if I said that I enjoyed this more than the 2000 du Tertre and the 2000 Marquis de Terme?

4/8/2016 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

PnP. Way past peak if it ever had one. Waited three hours, but nothing happened.

4/3/2016 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. What a pleasant surprise! I did not have high hopes for this wine as I had heard that Monbousquet is not for long-term aging, but was delighted to find that it was still going strong. It kept improving for more than three hours until we finished the bottle. I cannot wait to open the 2000.

1/9/2016 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

I heard that 1991 Bordeaux is bad, but tried one nonetheless as an experiment. Well, it was pretty bad. This bottle did not offer much of anything. Not worth taking notes.

1/9/2016 - Indybond wrote:

Corked.

1/6/2016 - Indybond wrote:

PnP. Much better showing than my first bottle three months ago. For nose, 92 points, but palate, 82. Hence 87. Now I can see why this wine is liked by so many. Nice nose. Unfortunately, that is not enough for me. Probably my last bottle of Leoville Poyferre in my life.

1/1/2016 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

PnP. I entirety concur with MATTIASJANSSON’s note. This wine drastically deteriorated from 18 months ago. This time, it was much thinner and lighter. Judging from my consistently disappointing experience with the 2006 Pontet Canet, Rauzan Segla, Clerc Milon, Gruaud Larose and Talbot, it seems safe to say that 2006 is one of the worst (if not the worst) vintages of the decade for Bordeaux. According to Jancis Robinson, “this is a vintage to be bought by wine lovers only if they have an empty cellar that they are dying to fill.” Caveat emptor.

12/31/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. Judging from my experience with Lascombes and Brane Cantenac, I find that 1983 was a better year than 1982 for AOC Margaux. The nose was weak, but the palate kept improving. Clearly in decline, but still enjoyable.

12/28/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. A big, rich and powerful (modern) style with gorgeous nose. I can see why Angelus got promoted to the highest class under the latest St Emilion Classification system. The palate was best at the beginning though. Drinking beautifully right now.

12/24/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine:

PnP. I thought this bottle was dead initially, but, after an hour, it opened up considerably and showed nice mature nose and palate. However, it was definitely near the end of the road. I was lucky enough to grab this at $55, but see no reason to chase it at higher prices at this point in time.

12/18/2015 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

PnP. Initially nice, but, after 30 minutes, this completely fell apart and became a watery, diluted drink, which was unbelievable. We could not finish even half the bottle. After having yet another disappointing 2000 Bordeaux, I would say that the vintage did not live up to the hype after all.

12/12/2015 - Indybond wrote:

Well, I guess even Pape Clement could not escape from the ill effects of the vintage. The nose was not bad, but the palate was a bit sour. May have been better years ago. I should have given more attention to the suggested drinking window for this wine on this site.

12/11/2015 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

For me, consistent with my earlier disappointing experiences with Leoville Poyferre (97, 04 and 07) and in line with my modest expectations. The nose is good, but the palate does not offer much. To me, there were more similarities between this and the 2000 Terrey Gros Cailloux (fellow Saint Julien wine with a price tag of $30) than differences. Furthermore, I do not think that this wine will go anywhere as it appears to be already going on a downward slope. At $160, there could be few wines that have a worse QPR than this one. I would go with the 2000 Talbot (at $80) rather than this even at the same price every time. The only bright spot for me is that, now, I have one less Chateau to worry about.

12/8/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine:

Elegant, classy and one of the better Pomerol wines that I have tasted. Not well structured, but lush with lovely nose of vanilla. This is still going strong and drinking very well now. I find CEPHOMER’s review very helpful. A good QPR at $60. We really enjoyed this wine and I am definitely putting it on my radar.

12/4/2015 - Indybond wrote:

I knew that this would be nothing special judging from my several disappointing experiences with Pontet Canet (94, 02 and 04 twice). I have to go with DARINC and TAIWAN on this one: “The nose and palate were simple. Tannic and a bit sour. Not interesting. Not the most enjoyable.” Furthermore, I am afraid that this is already in decline if it ever had a peak. An atrocious QPR at $130. I would go as far as to say that 2000 Charmail ($24) is better than this at this point. Again, Pontet Canet heads my list of gravely overrated Bordeaux along with Leoville Poyferre. I am not going to bother with PC any more other than the two bottles (an 03 and an 06) already in my possession.

11/27/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine:

On the strength of the rave reviews by HEHIMM and PURSLANE, I gave this a try. What a pleasant surprise! Actually, I enjoyed this wine ($24) more than its counterpart from a neighboring Chateau, Sociando Mallet ($75). Still youthful and nowhere near peak. Just that there is not much complexity, which is dragging down my points a bit (I gave 2000 Talbot 92 points). At any rate, this wine goes into my list of good and affordable Bordeaux along with Paloumey, Tour St. Bonnet, Cote de Baleau and Fombrauge.

11/27/2015 - Indybond wrote:

Sad. I was really looking forward to this.

11/24/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine:

As advertised. I just echo THOMASKEIL’s superb review for details. This is drinking so beautifully right now that I see no reason to wait. I am including this in my wish list.

11/19/2015 - Indybond wrote:

Maybe it was my bottle, but my experience was in line with the not-so-favorable reviews posted by COOBERP, DZOP, TBABES and WCONNOLLY (in 2010 and 2011): “Very little fruit and shows its age. Slightly tired bouquet which was a bit one dimensional and lacking complexity. It has dried out and austere. Something of a letdown for a well-regarded '82 Bordeaux.”

11/15/2015 - Indybond wrote:

Sadly, my only bottle was well past its prime, leaving only traces of what once was a beautiful wine.

11/12/2015 - Indybond wrote:

Not bad (we finished the bottle), but a little light and thin as other reviewers noted. I would not hesitate to go with 1994 LB (one of the few stars of the vintage) rather than this 1993 version for 10 more bucks.

11/4/2015 - Indybond wrote:

Being a Figeac lover (88 was charming and 07 is good for the vintage), I could hardly find anything to like about this 2004 vintage. Austere (as ALION noted), grippy (as XAVIER AUERBACH described) and rough around the edges (as MACKER100 wrote). No wonder this was once selling for $60 (way below the average price for this venerable Chateau) on K&L and is now selling at around the same price on a Belgium site.

10/28/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine:

Good, but a little simple (as WIHONG noted) and underwhelming for its brand value and hype. I have to say that at least this vintage is way overpriced at $75. After tasting its 07 and 08 vintages, I am beginning to wonder whether Calon Segur really is the third best Chateau in Saint-Estephe behind Cos d'Estournel and Montrose as perceived by the general public. At a minimum, this Chateau is definitely on my list of gravely overrated Bordeaux (headed by Leoville Poyferre and Pontet Canet).

10/26/2015 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

My notes from 2014. This is a total rip-off at $90. I regret my purchases of two bottles to this day. It is agonizing to think of the huge differences it would have made had I spent the same or less dollars on decent vintages of Pichon Lalande (87 or 94) or Pichon Baron (07) instead. Prices (especially for wines) are set according to the perceived quality (and supply and demand, of course) that does not remotely reflect the actual quality on too many occasions.

10/24/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine:

I think PURPLE TOOTH described this wine perfectly. Dense, sweet and New World with some potential to get better in three to five years. Near top of my list of good and affordable Bordeaux (not impossible to find even in Bordeaux). 14.5% ABV.

10/22/2015 - Indybond Does not like this wine:

I generally agree with NOEYEDEER and ANDREWBDC (March 2014). Slight greenness in the nose and quite acidic in the palate. Sadly, an unpleasant and disappointing experience. For what it's worth, 1983 B-C was fantastic in 2014.

10/22/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine:

My second time drinking this. As an avid Talbot fan, I actually liked it. Clearly better than 2008. Young, but approachable. A good QPR. It will be interesting to watch how this evolves with time. 2011 Bordeaux may turn out to be a sleeper.

10/17/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine:

Clearly in decline, but still enjoyable. Classic mature Bordeaux. Sweet and delicious. 12.5% ABV. Having said that, I would add that you can find better wines at $70 (1989 Trottevieille comes to mind).