December 30, 2023 - 2023
October 8, 2023 - Drinking nicely now. Tannins are more polished. Still lots of dark fruit and smoke. Some hint of bitterness in the finish. I haven’t tried older madiran but I think I will wait a couple of more years just to see what happens.
August 6, 2023 - Nose: Vanilla, soft sweet fruit.
Palate: Balanced entry, sour fruit. Mid-palate is a bit hollow with fine but a slightly sandy tannins. Not much on the aftertaste.
What is there is nice, but there is not enough of it.
May 13, 2023 - A blend of Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from vineyards ranging from 20 to 100 years in age. Macerated with the skins for 3 to 6 weeks. Aged in French oak barriques (30% to 50% new). 13,5% alcohol.
Deep, moderately opaque blackish-red color with a slightly evolved brick-red hue. The nose feels savory and quite similar to a classic Bordeaux with aromas of fresh red plums, some herbaceous leafy tones, a little bit of brambly raspberry, light sweeter notes of dark-toned toasty oak, a hint of licorice root and a woody touch of pencil shavings. The wine feels dry, savory and quite dense on the palate with a medium body and intense flavors of fresh blackcurrants and chokeberries, some tart red plums, a little bit of toasty oak spice, light gravelly mineral tones, a hint of ripe black raspberry and a herbaceous touch of leafy greenness. The wine is impressively structured and quite sinewy with its high acidity and quite grippy yet not aggressive tannins. The finish is juicy, dry and moderately grippy with a rather lengthy aftertaste of ripe blackcurrants, some crunchy notes of chokeberries and fresh black raspberries, a little bit of toasty mocha oak, light gravelly mineral tones, a sweeter hint of ripe red plum and a touch of herbaceous greenness.
A nice, firm and structured Madiran with very harmonious overall feel. With its somewhat - but not overdone - oak influence, the wine doesn't really come across as that old-school, but at the same time the wine (with its quite noticeable Cab component) feels very similar to a Bordeaux, just more "traditional" than most of the Bordeaux reds produced today. When it comes to the reds of Alain Brumont, I prefer these slightly leaner and more structure-driven Bouscassé wines to the Montus wines, which feel softer, more modern and less structured in comparison. This wine seemed still pretty youthful and I have no doubts it could continue to develop and improve for at least another decade - perhaps even more. At just 15,22€, this wine has been a bargain.
April 30, 2023 - Really like it! Interesting and complex nose for the price. Lovely balanced mix of leather, oak, pepper, plum, game and barnyard. Still young and fresh with moderately high acidity and tannins that are more polished now. Medium finish. Can be cellared several more years.
March 5, 2023 - Smakrikt, ok.
January 15, 2023 - Beaucoup de puissance. On sent un côté fumé, mêlé au travers du fruits encore bien présent. Excellent équilibre entre l'acidité et les tanins. Demeure très agréable et complet. On sent une petite touche florale probablement amené par le cabernet franc (pétale de rose séchée).
Pour le prix, c'est excellent. On excellent achat pour la cave.
January 9, 2023 - Dunkles Bordeauxrot, violette Reflexe. Sehr kräftige Nase, sauber, noch etwas vom Holz geprägt, dunkle Beeren, vor allem Brombeeren aber auch etwas Cassis und eine schöne Würze, gute Komplexität. Sehr sauberer, präziser Auftakt, herrlich frische, knackige Frucht, wieder Brombeeren, dazu etwas weisser Pfeffer, das Holz sehr gut eingebunden, die Gerbstoffe fein und reif, dazu eine sehr gute Säure, gute Komplexität und Länge. Jetzt bis 2025, 17 vvPunkte (86/100) www.vvwine.ch
October 30, 2022 - Strong blackberries and cassis balanced with equally strong acidity and moderate tannin. Moderately long finish
August 20, 2022 - Tha faintest little taint of tca, blew off but still. I think this was underperforming relative to expectations. Not tired though, the fruit is still there - and rather berry-driven. As this comes across as a little too generic right now i am going to hold remaining 2 btls - min. 5 yrs.