January 14, 2024 - A nice wine but fell below our expectation based on previous community and pro reviews. Still deep ruby red in color. Blackberries, black raspberries, licorice and hints of mint in the nose. Black cherries, blackberries and hints of licorice and chocolate in the flavor. Medium to full bodied though not much complexity, low acidity, but a medium to long silky finish. I will open our next bottle later this year and see if it show any more nuance. to warrant a higher score. 91-92
August 3, 2023 - Tasted/reviewed blind. Uncommonly delicious. Gorgeous aromas of tapenade, herbs, roses, and black truffles. Definitely some pyrazines here. The structure is soft and feminine, with light tannins and rather low acidity. But the wine tastes silky and elegant, not big and bloated. Rating: 96. I’m tasting blind, but I’m aware of the wines we have in our little “cellar,” so I’m going to guess this is the 2004 Blankiet merlot.
May 28, 2022 - Superconcentrated wine. Deep dark red color. Wonderful nose. Superb wine. Fruity, round, long finish. Intense wine. Super.
May 22, 2022 - This bottle was firing on all cylinders tonight! Wow, this was so good. Similar to my previous notes, but elevated from my last bottle.
February 12, 2022 - From magnum with a highly recommended two hour decant. Fully mature but no signs of fading. This has a huge nose and the mouthfeel is lush and voluptuous. Tannins are resolved and there are no hard edges. Dark and delicious.
February 1, 2022 - drank 1 hour and 15 minutes after decanting. Really sweet and jammy, very minty, still a little sharp and alcoholic on the nose, but smooth on the palate now. Nice leather notes along with some forest and woodsy notes.
December 17, 2021 - From magnum...has held up well.
July 13, 2021 - Sadly, this is my last bottle of this frabjous merlot.
Tertiary flavors are readily apparent, tannins resolved and the density and depths of flavor remain. I think this probably has another few years of joy to give, but I would drink up.
Tasting notes are consistent with past bottles.
So very enjoyable, especially for an "off" year.
Paired tonight with crispy onions and sweet peas from the garden and slow braised duroc pork with charred bell peppers and Vidalia onions. Not too shabby for a Tuesday.
Pulled from the cellar at 55 and decanted for almost 2 hours. I tried a swig pop and pour - definitely decant if you can.
May 11, 2021 - I thought some Blankiet would be a perfect milestone for my 500th tasting note and I was not disappointed. It did take a lot of coaxing to reveal anything pleasing. The wine had a beautifully sweet nose, full of red and black fruits, but it was super astringent and unpleasant on the palate. However, after 2+ hours it started to come into its own and showed great balance, finesse and a long finish. I'm so happy it did and it is a great way to celebrate this milestone. This is fine to hold onto for several more years.
Please give this some time to open up, so that you can experience all its glory.
March 20, 2021 - Served blind, I thought this was right bank 2003. Tomato, parsley and bay leaf, a little stewed red plum, it was still alive and with decent acidity. Just a hint of candied red cherry should have given it away as Napa. Fun blind