February 6, 2024 - St.Emilion Grand Cru Classée values tasting: Both the 2016 and 2020 did not convince me today, despite me usually liking this producer. Much too ripe with plum and Rhum pot aromas. Hmm...
May 13, 2023 - The Clos de l'Oratoire 2016 from Saint-Emilion is still absolutely amazing, one of the better and most accessible from the right bank that I have tried. Plums, black currants, cigar box, and a fantastic minerality. Good balance between acid and tannins, and a long finish. In terms of price, difficult to get a better wine in my opinion. Drink or hold.
February 9, 2023 - Surprisingly short and flat…
January 21, 2023 - Right in my wheelhouse. Full bodies and expressive. Luscious dark fruit. Enjoyable tannin work on the tongue. All in balance. Decant. No rush.
October 12, 2022 - Intense with plum, blackberry and lilas held by an iron spine. Full bodied and medium grained well integrated tannins. Finish is nicely balanced and unctuous. Well done. NI:3, FI:22, FC:8, B:4, L:4
August 14, 2022 - 90% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc. Red & black fruit, tobacco, earth. Juicy and round, but really nice complexity and solid tannins. Really good. Sofia loved it.
June 14, 2022 - The Clos de l'Oratoire 2016 from Saint-Emilion was absolutely amazing, one of the better and most accessible from the right bank that I have tried. Plums, black currants, cigar box, and a fantastic minerality. Good balance between acid and tannins, and a long finish. In terms of price, difficult to get a better wine in my opinion. Drink or hold.
June 12, 2022 - By the glass. Despite the fame of this winery with a wide distribution network, wine continues to show concentrated, opulent, heavy, dense ... tremendously boring in my humble opinion. International style that abandons all elegance in my modest view. I’m not interested.
Por copas. A pesar de la fama de esta bodega con una amplia red de distribución, el vino se sigue mostrando concentrado, opulento, pesado, denso ... tremendamente aburrido en mi humilde opinión. Estilo internacional que abandona toda elegancia en mi modesta visión. No me interesa.
April 19, 2022 - The lovely deep purple color of St Emilion. After about half an hour of air: Nose is: floral and perfumy, even moreso than the 2016 Monbousquet; violets, rose petals are more dominant than the fruit; behind the perfume is dark cherries and other fruits in the background. The palate is very soft, round, smooth, mouthwatering, and not at all drying. More sweetness and nectar than the Monbousquet. This is drinking superbly now. Soft tannins.
This is drinking just fine now! Beautiful wine. Currently Chako’s favorite among the right bank Bordeaux we have been trying.
Day two: significant funk of damp cloth, lots of pepper on the nose, not much leather (if so, young leather). The beautiful floral perfume is gone, strangely, but the dark pressed fruit is still there. On the palate it is still wonderful: surprisingly light mouthfeel like a Burgundy, beauriful soft and round structure very amenable to swishing, deep fruit of black currents and berries and cherries, soft tannins, mouth watering and opposite of drying. The wine has an amazing element of sweetness (without being sweet of course) that makes it superbly drinkable. Medium finish of cherries. Quite a nice wine that needs a lot of air, even if it is fully drinkable out of the bottle.
April 14, 2022 - Very good St.Emilion at a reasonable price. Drank in 2022 after 1 hour of decanting.