March 26, 2024 - Solid, resolved cöte rotie, but the fruit was waning and the oak profile of the producer still prominent. A commercial and "made" style, whom may appeal more to others than me. Ready to drink.
December 1, 2023 - Far too young to drink but you can sense the promise. Wall of purple fruit. Tannic. Somewhat simple but not unbalanced. 90+
November 12, 2023 - Deep purple color. Lovely black raspberry fruit with freshly cured leather and Ethiopian spices (clove, cinnamon, and coriander). Decent length and finish but surprisingly soft tannins for such a young wine. Decent drinking now and should last another 5-10 years but I doubt that this will have a long heritage.
September 15, 2023 - Un vin très loin de son pedigree. Au nez on a du mal trouver de la Syrah (plutôt Cabernet sur le cassis et le tabac). En bouche c’est très brouillon, entre un fruit noir beaucoup trop mûr et du végétal pas mûr. On dirait plutôt un Cabernet médiocre. Peu de longueur, pas d’élégance et le lendemain le vin est inexistant.
August 17, 2023 - Entering the phase where the deepest fruit has given in and tertiary aromas have entered the glass.
June 2, 2023 - After a first bottle that was corked, I decided to open another. Nice ruby colour. Red fruit and vanilla nose. Soft taste, just a few tanins left, indeed Margaux-like. Good wine. Recent vintages sell at 55€ (20€ more than this one only three years ago). QPR ????
June 2, 2023 - Horribly corked, down the drain.
May 3, 2023 - First bottle of a half-case owned and stored about 4 1/2 years. No decant, but aerated a glass over 90 minutes before consuming. Opaque plum color with no bricking. Very confusing aromatically, and if served blind I would have picked Margaux region with the pronounced crème de cassis and violet. A somewhat alcoholic presence does render the aromatics muddled. With swirling this does start to offer some smoked meats and a trace of iron. On the attack this presents a slightly charged acid release before quickly settling with a very chalky dried plum. The tannins seem balanced enough on the palate, but the flavor profile is lean and hollow overall with very little in the way of fruit. This bottle seems to be lacking the fruit, smoked meats, and savory chewiness that I recall on multiple occasions from the 2010 vintage. A brief and uninspiring finish, this bottle did not capture the rapture expected from the vintage. You can pick up on my disappointment. Half the bottle to be consumed on day 2, and note updated if warranted. Day 1 score 87.
Day 2 - Retains the very Margaux region aromatic profile from the first day. A little more vigor on the palate today with a bit of chewiness on the palate and blackberry preserves. An improvement, but not significantly in any one area. Add 2 points for an 89. For the price this is not what I expected particularly given the vintage and producer.
May 1, 2023 - Quite disappointed on this one. Usually this cuvée is a safe bet. I don't know if it was the bottle or if the wine was in a bad place at the moment, but it didn't deliver much. Not much on the nose, not much on the palate, limited length. Maybe it has to wait a few years in the cellar, or I should have opened it early (I had a feeling that the more we waited the better it was).
February 12, 2023 - Muted nose but beautiful on the palate initially. Closed down after I decanted it but reopened a few hours later. Iron, olives and white pepper dart in and out of the smooth, lengthy finish. I am not usually inclined to wait on this cuvée but I think my remaining bottles will be better in 2025 and on.