5/5/2024 - Rieslingfan wrote:

Curiosity got the best of me, and the first thing I will say is do not let it get the best of you. This wine needs a lot of time. It has the depth to handle several years of aging, so no worries about putting it aside for a while. That said the wine is compelling, even given its current colicky infant stage of life. Fruit is darker than in most of the Goodfellow Pinots I have tried, though it should be noted that most of those have not been Eola-Amity AVA wines. What is striking is the tannin profile, which skews more towards a stern Burgundy (e.g., Pommard or a tight Gevrey). I like that as I prefer some tannic structure in Pinot Noir, so long as it has the stuffing to age, which this wine does. I'll defer opening any more of this for at least 5-7 years, maybe longer if I can exercise any of my limited patience.

5/3/2024 - Ravi Deshpande Likes this wine:

This is a rather dry, moderate fruit wine with thick tannins. My sense is that it is past its window or possibly too early. It might develop other more tertiary notes and sweet tannins. I’m getting a little sour cherry and bitterness. Not up to the usual CS.

5/2/2024 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

My last bottle of this wine, brought to a Bordeaux and pizza event with a theme of ‘affordable.’ Double decanted about 90 min before the event. I only had a small pour but it was delicious, full throttle fruity, a nice touch of age on it, good acidity to balance the food. This was one of the favorites of the night for many people. I had a debate with a friend before we tasted about whether right bank wines are good with pizza—he prefers them with typical Italian food and left bank with pizza. I think this bottle proved to him that there are exceptions!

7/28/2021 - Rick & Ilsa wrote:

Access via Coravin. First try from 3 bottles bought years ago. Pale gold in color, nose of nuts, caramel, figs, brown sugar, apricots and some orange. Palate follows nose with the nuts, figs and sweet citrus fruits taking front stage. Medium bodied with lots of fruit and acidity, this was interesting to taste although I have no experience with aged Grenache Blanc. Wines like this are always fun to try, just for the experience and thinking back to the history of when the wine was young. Not rated.

8/10/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

First bottle of a long ago purchase....and first bottle in 4 days since recovering from our latest Napa family trip and subsequent head cold.

Decanted 3/5ths of the bottle 2 hours before dinner and placed a Repour stopper in the bottle and the bottle back into the chilled cellar for tomorrow or the weekend with the HMCs.....

Very slight Bdx-ish nose at the pnp into the decanter. This blew off quicky after a few minutes. Deep ruby/garnet in the glass. Nose early on of graphite, red fruit and very slight leather elements. Palate of bright red/slightly tart fruit (cherry?). Balanced acidity and well integrated tannins with a hint of smoky barrel char on the ending.

Hours 2-3+ during and after dinner this hits its prime. The fruit deepens and darkens a bit while losing its slightly tart cherry character. A sleek, chalky minerality plays well off the grilled ribeye fat. There's a hint of earthy forest floor elements by hour 4 and additional deepening of the fruit. This keeps improving, but I'm almost out of wine for the night....93 with an upward bullet at this point.

4/7/2024 - englishman's claret wrote:

The 2019 Saint Pierre offers a big, fresh, full nose, supple and expressive, bursting with boysenberry and black cherry. Remaining just shy of over-ripeness, its fruit is complemented by incense, cedar, and an inky black caviar marine element. This is broad-shouldered and generous enough that it balances the alcohol well (labeled at 14%) and the depth of clean, fresh black fruit in the mouth grows and grows with air. As with many other 2019s, the preservation of acidity keeps this fresh despite its size. This is a very serious St. Pierre, representing the gradual iteration in the wine here. If I felt that vintages of the 1980s-early 2000s were a little under-developed and diffuse, the vintages from mid 2000s-mid 2010s seemed a little too ambitious and heavy-handed. Yet from the mid-2010s onward, St. Pierre has seemed to strike just the right balance.

93-94 points

3/29/2024 - FDP Likes this wine:

Had it in Zalto Burgundy and i have to say this is a great wine , that i think i will collect more of in the future. Would be interesting to see how the Barolo´s do from this estate.

3/20/2024 - sastewart wrote:

Purchased on release and stored at 55 degrees. Opened 1 hour ahead. Dark red fruits, green pepper, earth and leather on the nose. Feminine style, medium bodied with racy red fruits tobacco and earth. Approaching maturity? Solid 91 points

12/7/2022 - drwine2001 wrote:

Dull red. Light to medium weight. Classic mix of faded red fruit and soil with some spice and fine acidity. Very good. Ready.

2/9/2024 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

A bottle brought to the dinner by new CT friend sastewart and spouse. Decanted for about 90 minutes then placed back into the cleaned bottle under stopper to take to the restaurant. Mild barnyard needed about an hour of the decant to blow off. Mild sediment in the bottle.

This one is perfectly integrated at that point in time. Soft silky texture in the mouth. Loads of graphite and leather on the nose and the palate. A hint of barnyard remaining on the nose early on during dinner. Wonderful balance between nose and palate, acidity and soft tannins. Still plenty of time as this one still has legs to evolve its tertiary self, further, but how does it get any better than it is right now? I just love these. 95-96 for me tonight and a great evening of food and conversation with S & M!

2/20/2024 - Motz wrote:

Pulled the cork on the bottle previously accessed by Coravin and drank over two days.

Fine perfume, quite floral, if excessively polished (modern). The palate, albeit typical and excellent, left something to be desired over both days. Specifically, many non-Classed Growth offerings deliver equal or greater quality and satisfaction for half, or less, the release cost of this Fourth Growth Margaux.

The wine should hold form for five or so years. Drink by 2030-2032.

2/22/2024 - sastewart wrote:

From a half bottle. Crazy volatile acidity with plenty of off putting flavors and aromas. Undrinkable.

10/3/2021 - Harley1199 Likes this wine:

By the glass. Balanced and classic, blending 80% pinot noir and complemented with some elegant chardonnay grapes. No malolactic. Refreshing notes of red berries mixed with other pastry. Pure elegance. On the palate there are notes of Danish biscuits with a good acidity and a rich texture. Dosage of 9 gr. Totally recommended. Honestly, I should start by filling my cellar with low-range bottles like this and letting them age the prescriptive five years.

Por copas. Equilibrado y clásico, mezclando un 80% de pinot noir y complementado con uva elegante chardonnay. Sin maloláctica. Refrescantes notas de bayas rojas se entremezclan con otras de pastelería. Pura elegancia. Al paladar se presentan notas de galletas danesas con una buena acidez y una textura abundante. Dosage de 9 gr. Totalmente recomendada. Sinceramente, yo mismo debería empezar por llenar mi bogega con botellas de gama baja como esta y dejarlas envejecer los preceptivos cinco años.

2/10/2024 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine:

Last bottle was anomaly I guess because there is no sweetness in this bottle. Decanted 90 minutes and drank over another hour. Merlot & Can Franc are harmonious. This wine is perfect now for my palate. Will it get better? Not for me. Love the blend of fruit and tannins. If I had a bunch I’d drink in the next 12-18 months.

2/2/2024 - 911henrik wrote:

Drink sooner rather than later

1/18/2024 - sastewart wrote:

Classic left bank bordeaux. beautiful tobacco, earth, and red fruits on the nose. Medium bodied with great structure, reaching maturity with secondary flavors melding tobacco, leather and cassis. Still time but really in a good place now. Solid 93 points

1/15/2024 - cweiner Likes this wine:

Vintage erroneously entered as 2022. It is 2023.

1/11/2024 - pavel_p wrote:

Drank over 2 days from a bottle kept in the fridge. Seemed very, very slightly corked, but I kept asking myself whether underneath was a better wine than the 05 Phelan Segur opened a few days earlier. Am a big Lagrange fan as it’s one of the best classified growth values in my eyes but while their 2005 shows plenty of juicy, dark berries and cedar, the Phelan Segur seems to show more depth (and the 2000 Lagrange seems the more sophisticated wine). Try again in 1-2 years.

4/3/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Pnp'd tableside for tonight's tasting......a bit balsamic to start but over the course of 3-4 hours this hits a sweet spot that really shows why it's one of the world's great wines. Guessed Bdx by many at the table. Leather and mushroom, orange rind, balanced acidity, resolved tannins, a touch of raisin to the fruit that moves into younger territory with more air time. Make no mistake.....if you drink this one early on, it tastes much older and scores much lower, maybe a 92? But if given 3-4 hours of air, it deepens......it gains layers of class, etc. Hence, my score. What a beautiful, classy Old Napa wine!

12/29/2023 - lvjohn Likes this wine:

Outstanding with great fruit and depth of favors. Decant carefully to remove the plentiful solids.

10/5/2022 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Found this in the back corner of a wine shop restaurant and sadly the last bottle because it is delicious right now.
Slight petrol on the nose, honeysuckle, honeycomb and an array of fruits. Dry on the palate despite the sweetness suggested by the nose, great fruit, mineral, acid and long finish. Great with our Asian (fusion) dinner items.

11/27/2023 - icury wrote:

missing or presumed drunk

8/30/2023 - WineGuyDelMar wrote:

Oxidized

11/14/2023 - ChristopherB Likes this wine:

From a half-bottle. Nice medium dark ruby with "fire red" reflexions. Upon opening, the nose is discrete with notes of blackcurrant, menthol, tobacco and blackberry. On the palate, the attack is frank, tannic, with moderate fruit as found on the nose - lots of tobacco and admittedly quite a bit of oak with a touch of graphite and black olive. Good density and a good length as well as a good complexity. There is a bitterness here which I feel comes more from oak tannin than fruit tannin, but it may just be an impression at this point. I feel this is closed still, but not surprising given its young age. I'd give this till 2027 ideally. 91-92 today, mostly from the complexity and less from the pleasure aspect. Did open up a bit by the three hour mark, but needs a few more years to by to my taste.

11/12/2023 - racerchris Likes this wine:

More approachable than my first bottle in 2018, but fits the same profile. An elegant and excellent wine that will continue to improve.

11/9/2017 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine:

Tasted with a 2011 Force Majeure Syrah and this was just a butt kicking. Carlisle was so much more full, rounded and extracted. Full mouth feel and truly great. What a wonderful California Syrah. Alcohol is so integrated and balanced. Carlisles makes such great Syrah.

9/14/2023 - DogtorKurt wrote:

Julia drank with Norma and KB

10/20/2023 - aquacongas wrote:

blind
Love this wine. Best bargain from 89 or 90 Bordeaux in the highest level. Still fresh. 98

10/12/2023 - luHar1423 Likes this wine:

What has changed from my previous note:
The second bottle of the lot confirmed my previous assessment: the drinking window is closing down. We had a beauty contest vs. the 1989 Pichon Baron and unisono, four of us, had the same winner: PB it is.
We also tasted the 2010 LB that y'day night and our verdict: 1989 LB should have been enjoyed five years ago, 2010 LB should be enjoyed in 10 years the earliest.
Ideally: decant for 2h at least.

9/25/2022 - sastewart wrote:

Purchased on release and opened 2 hours ahead. Black fruits, spice and cedar on the nose. Medium plus body with a nice backbone of tannins and acid. Firm black fruit, tobacco and earth. Long, pure finish. Great wine with at least 5 years to go. 95 points.

6/24/2023 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Very foamy mousse, nicely acidic, strawberry and mineral. A leaner style which I enjoyed. Probably could use a little more cellar time. This bottle d/g March 2023

9/14/2023 - ShlIV wrote:

.

9/11/2023 - sastewart wrote:

Opened 1 hour ahead. Dark fruits, saddle leather, tar and a bit of brown sugar (mostly disappeared over time) on the nose. Plenty of secondary flavors, dark fruit and a good acid/tannin balance. Fully mature. Futures purchase stored at 55 degrees. 91 points

9/8/2023 - nywine68 wrote:

Drank alongside the 2008 Montrose. This shows off the classic St. Julien floral nose and character. Beautiful acidity followed by somewhat pixelated tannins. Blackberries and violets with some black licorice on the finish. As with the Montrose, this lacks a bit of depth, showing the vintage.

9/1/2023 - vagrantone Likes this wine:

First bottle of 2003 Bordeaux wine tasted.
This bottle left a very nice impression.
Decanted about 6 hours prior to serving, which seemed a very good choice.
It clearly shows the "hot" nature of the 2003 but in a positive way.
I find the wine very skillfully made, avoiding over-extraction; yet creating a wine that has aged nicely for 20 years.
dominated by a very ripe plum fruit character, cedar and gravel.
Despite the vintage, the St Julien character shines through.
Drinking at its peak now.
A treat!

8/26/2023 - CharlesHK Likes this wine:

1st bottle of 12. 3.5 hour decant; served at 20C. CS66%, M28%, PV 6%. 13.5%.

I love Domaine de Chevalier and have been privileged to drink 1982, 1983, 1985, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2014 dating back to 1995. Later wines are dramatically different to earlier wines; bigger, richer, more PV, consistently well-made, substantial and rarely thin, under-ripe, and weedy. Olivier deserves so much praise for what he has done with this vineyard and Bordeaux in general!

2005 is probably my favourite vintage of this wine, but it is still not in its optimal drinking window. So, what about 2009 . . .

First, the colour is impressive; rich, dark, dense with brilliant luster. It just looks rich and plush. You definitely want to drink this wine on appearance alone.

The nose is black fruit, a tiny bit of smoke, bramble, a bit of cherry pipe tobacco. Subdued, but hints of Pessac-Leognan. It smells plush and rich but not alcoholic.

Indeed, plush it is from the first sip. Wow, amazing. It is SO 2009. And that so 2009 profile is a blessing and a curse.

Taste; it is plush as, totally delicious, drinkable, and enjoyable. You really can't fault this wine. But it is totally not classic DdC or Pessac-Leognan. The 2005 is classic, when you drink it, you know it is Bordeaux, Pessac-Leognan, and maybe DdC. The 2009: if tasted blind, I would never guess DdC at this stage in its evolution. It could so easily be described as a well-made Australian Bordeaux blend (Mount Mary, Shadrach, Cullen Diana Madeline, Wantirna Amelia) but richer than all but the Shadrach.

Rich but not overblown, black and red fruit, 100% smooth. Again, plush. It's liquid velvet. Oak was noticeable upon opening, after 4+ hours completely integrated. Tastes richer than 13.5% but no alcohol heat. Fantastic with food. Impressive, enjoyable, entertaining and a real talking point to any meal.

This wine reminds more of the later harvest vintage 2014 (but with a lot more oomph) than it does of 2010, 2005, or 2000. It is so much better than 2003 which meteorologically might be the closest vintage. The wine grew on me considerably over the course of the meal as I accepted it for what it was (2009), and not a bigger version of my favourite vintage, 2005. That's the beauty of great wine. Like art, it's 100% subjective.

I have been opening more and more 2009 over the past six months and here are my general thoughts. The entry level wines almost always punch above their price point and prestige. Are the top tier wines distinct enough and worthy of the price and praise? Still to be determined, but I hope so. Time will tell, but you can really enjoy this wine now with a 3 hour decant. Try it, and write about it.

Can't wait to try the 2010 DdC in about 5 years.

Long review, but this DdC is worth it.

5/11/2023 - David J Cooper wrote:

Very oxidized.

7/5/2023 - sastewart wrote:

Purchased on release and stored at 55 degrees. Oxidized.

7/14/2023 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine:

Very nice Chablis. Not overly tart or citrus dominated. Nice medium mouth feel and weight. The best Chablis of the 5 new ones we’ve been trying. Nice structure. Nothing out of place. Very smooth and enjoyable. Might become our house Chablis.

7/13/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Final night event with Agelvis and friends.....

2 hour decant followed by a 2 hour slow ox with the cork out of bottle.....medium garnet in the glass. Nose of cranberry/black currant, leather, briar and dark chocolate. Medium weight in the mouth. Resolved and integrated and soft. Palate of pomegranate, mushroom, graphite and a touch of earthy caramel. The more air this one gets, the better. Very complex on the nose and palate. I have scored this 1-2 points higher in the past but this one is now beginning to move more through its drinking window and softening with many subtleties....the fruit and the power have reduced but the complex 'little things' are there.

7/13/2023 - Kris G Likes this wine:

Well balanced with perfectly ripe fruit and very well integrated oak (which should be an example for a lot of other claret-producers who are to lavish with the use of new/heavy toasted wood)

5/31/2023 - JWS84 Likes this wine:

I sensed the potential, but found this to be locked up pretty tightly. It didn’t really make sense to me to judge the wine at this point, and I’ll wait a bit before I open another.

7/5/2023 - devraj Likes this wine:

Medium ruby brick red with lightening around the rim. Superb aromas of black cherries and raspberries, dried florals and high-toned spices. Palate shows juicy and sweet crushed berries, hint of chalk, minerals, good acidity and supple tannins on the long floral and spice finish. Great showing for the Marenca.

6/21/2023 - ducster72 Likes this wine:

Out of a 375ml. More of everything than the 2015 Labegorce. More tannin, more fruit, more acidity. Enjoyable from an evaluation perspective, but almost certainly better in 5 years. There's a good kick of tannin and air helps, but only so much.

5/1/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Ok.....I take it all back. There were at least a 'few' really, really good wines come out of Napa in '17 and this is one of them. I love Cab Franc, even better is mountain Cab Franc. Even better is mountain Cab Franc made by Chris Carpenter.

Right from the pnp, the nose speaks of intense, classy faint blue and intense red fruit, it's perfumed and powerful. Medium garnet in the glass. Juicy, smooth and perfectly integrated. Light brown herbs waft from the glass as well. There's medium plus weight here and good flow through from the front to the back palate. As with all CCarpenter wines in my memory bank, the balance is impeccable. Beautiful acidity ties it all together in a finish that is a good minute long, much like the finish on his '15 Merlot from last night, full of acidity and spice on the back end. This particular bottle only had about 5 minutes at the very beginning of the night, where it reminded me of the prototypical red fruited '17....and it passed quickly with the fruit deepening, adding cassis initially after an hour and only improving further over a 2nd hour in the glass when the fruit turns all red replaced by kirsch instead. My intention was to save the last 3rd of the bottle under cork for tomorrow night and rehash it on a 2nd night like I did the Merlot last night. Unfortunately, I've started binging 'Reacher' again, as I prepare myself for the release of season 2 in the fall. Not sure the rest of this bottle will make it to tomorrow......easy 95-96 for this one. No reason to decant, just pnp and enjoy over at least 2-3 hours or until the bottle is gone.

Addendum: down to my last glass late at night, so now 5-6 hours of total air. Rich cherry fruit, vibrant with riveting acidity and moderately astringent tannins at this point. There was a moment at 4 hours of air where I would have given the wine with its rich kirsch that starts and continues right through to the end of the bottle, a 97. The wine is degrading just a tad now at 95......bottle is best in hours 1 through 4 if opening now. No harm in holding, these will last quite a while but for you fruit hedonists, it's hard to pass up now.

4/1/2023 - John McCabe wrote:

This was a bit better than I remember, a bit richer and more balanced. Overpriced though, but maybe another five years would make a big difference.

2/1/2023 - Rieslingfan wrote:

Well cared for bottle purchased on release. Just an hour of air (no decanter), but it showed very well from first sip. Silky on entry, but with just a bit of bite on the finish, it was easy to drink. Aromas showed more tobacco and cedar up front than I expected, but with cassis and black cherry emerging over time. Good acidity made for a fresh mouthfeel, and the fruit and cedar elements lingered long after each sip. Nothing overdone or overripe here. Classic Cabernet with a touch of extra richness from the vintage.

12/30/2022 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine:

Decanted one hour. Still too young but wanted my son to try a great inexpensive StE. Will leave my last four bottles for at least a year. Very full mouthfeel, nice extraction & flavor layers. This is going to be excellent I’m inclined to buy more. Excellent QPR at $35.

12/30/2022 - Jmdcuse wrote:

Bachman

12/29/2022 - fingers Likes this wine:

Notes after 30 minutes open, after it blew off a bit of matchstick. Straw/light gold color, clear and sound. Medium intensity aroma of honeydew, lemon-marshmallow, a little spicy peanut, and vanilla. Palate is light to medium bodied with just enough acidity to really make you want to swish it around in the mouth and take your time swallowing. Flavors are a lovely mélange of fruits with medium intensity and complexity. Medium length finish. Beautiful, even if it isn't as profound as its bigger brothers. Seems ready to drink or can hold for a few more years.
5+11+17+9= 92