January 8, 2024 - Decanted for 30 min. Dark Color with slight brownish tinge on the rim. Peat, earth and red berries on the nose. Citrus fruits on the palate and quite strong tannins on the finish. Will last in the cellar for some more years.
July 8, 2022 - Dark color. Already developed in terms of smell and taste though nothing wrong with this. Tones of iron and blood mixed with secondary fruity elements. Nice acidity and good stuffing. At peak I would say. Drank on its own and fully satisfactory. All in all very B’x. Not bad at all for €12.
February 26, 2022 - Past prime with oxidized flavors mostly dominate. Works ok with food but on its own hard to like. Worsened second night.
January 12, 2021 - Soft, juicy red berries with more cassis than in the past, less spicy than most CBs in 2010 and with better overall balance than some are now showing. It has a really good feel to it, I can see this improving further and it is certainly the best Fonréaud I've tasted. Wish I had a few more.
June 29, 2020 - Bordeaux 2010 - 10 Years On - 61 Reds: Bordeaux 2010 after 10 years. 61 reds, mostly big names, tasted blind. Average score 92.1 and lower than the more open and charming 2009 vintage last year (93.4). A few observations: A) It’s not yet the harmonious, complex, classic, clean vintage. Especially the masculine appellations of the left bank need at least 5 more years to just open up, potentially longer to soften. B) Left bank trumps right bank thanks to less detectable alcohol, cleaner lines and the two best wines of the vintage (Mouton, Margaux). C) Pomerol shines bright with many strong wines which can all mask the high alcohol levels (best AOC slightly ahead of Pauillac). D) As in 2009, there are several right banks already past peak, incl. big names (Duffau Lagarosse, Ausone). All in all, 2010 is a very good vintage with pockets of greatness but today 2009 shows more open and hence complex. More information, top and worst 10 list, appellation rankings from five participants in the story link.
TN: Dark ripe fruits, herbs a bit of toffee, medium- intensity and precision on the nose and palate. Tannin structure is still noticeable but fairly soft and silky. Not a stunner but definitely a good wine but without a wow factor.
Decanting: 2 hours are advised.
Group average score: 91.8
Group rank: number 40 out of 61 wines
June 21, 2020 - Grand Bordeaux 2010 ten years on tasting; 6/21/2020-6/22/2020 (Fribourg): Big Bordeaux 2010 2-day horizontal hosted by a private collector. My 3 main takeaways from the vintage were 1) more frequent perception of heat, 2) a slightly stronger left bank and a less consistent right bank, 3) while in general it is still too early to pop the 2010s, wine selection is key as some appear to be in decline already, especially on the right bank. The top wines were Mouton (99), Margaux (98) and VCC (98). The biggest positive surprise was Clos Manou (95). Biggest disappointment was Pape Clement (86). More details and complete tasting overview included in the tasting story.
Tasting notes:
Dark fruit profile with dried herbs, bitter chocolate and spice. Fresh palate with more blue fruit, tannin with a firm grip but in good balance overall. Not a name I was familiar with but for a Listrac this is clearly punching above the Cru Bourgeois waist line.
October 12, 2019 - Visual: cherry-rubis, average intensity
Nose: blackberry, currant: but not too fruity. Truffle, earth and mushroom and black pepper: present but not overpowering.
Taste: semi-dry, bright, a wee bit hard to astringent, with a certain richness to it and a wee bit angular.
Overall, a good wine that needs more time.
Drank in 2019, I would wait another 4-5 years before next opening.
January 11, 2019 - This will probably be worth more points in the future, but it's already a very good effort, with soft, juicy red berries offset by a much more refined structure than in the past. The 2010 spicy tones are there, but without the clumsy rusticity of older vintages (this is my first since 2000, I think). Very impressive and I suspect that more recent vintages are better still.
February 13, 2017 - Color: Deep and impenetrable. Practically no sign of aging. Only when you swirl the wine there is like a milky color at the most outer rim. Nose: Oranges, cherries, cold bonfire, tar. Mouth: The 14% alc. is well under control but not quite like in a topnotch wine. On the palate it is quite heavy on the cherries what I like. Still nice grip from the tannins and they are ripe. Almost no bitterness. The "weakest" point of this wine is its to a minor degree somewhat diluted finish. I recommend to decant this wine for 0.5 hour and to enjoy it at 17°C. To sum it up: This is really good juice. To drink now but can be put away some more years.
January 25, 2017 - Bordeaux vs Cal (Bordeaux Blends) - $20 to $40 (Trent's): The group liked this far more than I did. Purple in color. The nose is nice enough with cassis and some graphite. On the palate, this is all about sour cherries. Like someone put an Oregon Pinot, and not a good one, into the tasting. It was different and perhaps that is what some liked about it. Not for my tastes and not with these wines.