April 24, 2024 - HWS Bordeaux 2009 vs 2010 (By me): The bouquet is still a bit lactic, but also luxurious with beautiful oak and cedar and some bell pepper. On the palate juicy red and dark berries, fresh acidity and round tannin. An elegant and delicious wine of great finesse. Very young maturity stage now.
April 13, 2024 - Medium ruby with slight brickish tinge. Bright bouquet, with aromas of bell pepper, blackberry, cassis, iron, plum, stone. Plus body, plus tannins, plus acid. Grippy yet supple tannins with lengthy finish. Coming from a magnum bottle, still needs more time to develop, but otherwise drinking well. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc.
February 20, 2024 - Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow": Pauillac and St. Julien (By me @ the factory): Uncorked the day before the tasting and double decanted approx. 3 hours prior to the tasting. In the bouquet dark berries, some cherries, well dosed oak, graphite and cigar box. Same on the palate, very juicy acidity, round tannin with a pleasant bite, a touch of pleasant sweetness and a great length. Delicious wine in its young maturity stage and will be great over the next decade at least.
January 15, 2024 - Almost 4 years since my last review, this bottle was surprisingly firm. Fruit was tight and somewhat restrained. I was expecting a little more roundness on the palate but there's still a long future ahead. Mineral, graphite/pencil lead with cherry fruit, fine balance and terroir.
December 19, 2023 - Gave the bottle a good decanting. the cork was sound and there was a fair amount of sediment. The wine was in good shape and very enjoyable over two days. It's in a good place for drinking now but should hold for several more years.
December 15, 2023 - How quickly.. this is no.16 over the month of Bordecembre!
Looks like Saint-Julien is very well represented at our dinner, this appelation took up 3 of the 6 spots!
70% Cab, 22% Merlot, 5% CF with 3% PV. Needs time to open, bottle breathed 2 hours but the nose was seemingly in-out.
Comes across as being rather youthful, this 2009 once again reinforces its a brilliant vintage and one where some wines are actually accessible today too.
Tannins are mainly resolved with only a light grip remaining, shows itself in a very fine natured way.
Ripe blackcurrant, fresh cedar with fragrant graphite laced with black pepper. Acid M+.
Amazingly, I guessed right.. LB 2009.
Thanks Choe for sharing this at MERA, one of 8 bottles we enjoyed at our very early Christmas gathering.
15th Dec 2023
Mark1NPT.. amazing that 10,000 miles away I had this very same vintage on possibly the same Friday!
Damansara Kim, Malaysia
December 15, 2023 - Haven't had one of these in 5 years but spurred on by other CT'ers here this past week. Decanted 1 hour but really needs 2 to drink its best. This is dark red and rich fruit and belies its 14 years of age. Punches younger than you think it would. It's still drinking quite strong and shows no evidence of slowing down. Balance is the key here, with all elements. It's just beautiful........
December 2, 2023 - Most popular wine at our 2009 tasting event. Still tight, but with decent fruit balance. No rush to try the next bottle, as this has the structure to last a long time.
December 2, 2023 - Most popular wine at out 2009 tasting event. Still tight, but with decent fruit balance. No rush to try the next bottle, as this has the structure to last a long time.
November 28, 2023 - Really classy. I've previously observed that this was red fruited and light but now it's showing as a much more rounded out and elegant offering. Has a distinct oak backbone - but prominent rather than dominant - and then glorious layers of violet, dark cocoa, cinnamon (or something in the woody spice department), and silky, liqueur-like blackcurrant. This was really joyful.