July 27, 2020 - 13% alcohol. The cork is not dense, but wine penetration is moderate (3mm). Decanted an hour ahead. Deep colour with no fading. The nose has vanilla, some cherry, confectionery and a whiff of alcohol.
The mouth is better in that it has good grip, but the notes of élevage are still way too prominent.
An innocuous Médoc of the Merlot-dominated type, and a crowd pleaser too, but lacks breed and distinctive features; in fact it strikes me as a made-to-formula wine which could just as well have been produced anywhere in the world. The alcohol level comes across as more than what the label says.
Not a repeat purchase; this falls into the category of "life is too short to bother with ...".
April 15, 2019 - 13% alcohol. The last quarter often cork breaks up during extraction. Decanted an hour ahead. Medium to dark colour with no sign of ageing.
The nose has good intensity, with mixed berries and some confectionery. The mouth is slightly behind, betraying the heavy content of Merlot and its associated flat taste. Good grip and no obvious oak influence on this showing. Substantial residual tannins of the mouth-searing non-bitter type.
Not bad, but not a patch on the Clos du Jaugueyron that I had yesterday.
March 29, 2019 - Fairly reticent nose of dark fruits, cigar box, graphite. Just hitting maturity; still plenty of fruit on the palate, but with some developed characters as well. Tannins have softened nicely although there's still some grip on the medium-length finish. Perhaps a tad austere, but this is a very good wine for the price, as is typical for this producer. This is the best bottle I've had from this vintage. Great drinking now but there's no hurry - I'm sure it'll offer pleasure for at least another five years.
March 25, 2019 - Lovely still. Good bit of sediment. Opened an hour or two before and aerated.
Much better now with 11 years on it. Velvety smooth Merlot-like base for this Medoc product.
Do stay at the Chateau if you can!
November 10, 2018 - perfection !!!
December 2, 2017 - In der Nase Kirsche, Erde, Röstaromen vom Holz. Aum Gaumen nicht ganz so füllig, durch den hohen Merlot Anteil wie immer bei Rollan etwas eindimensional und flach in der Frucht, erdig, nur noch leichtes aber sauberes Tannin im Abgang. Schöner Wein für das nicht ganz einfache Jahr, liegt jetzt und noch die nächsten 1-2 Jahre perfekt im Trinkfenster.
October 15, 2017 - Very Good QPR that keeps getting better. Big bold wine but not offensive. Well balanced. Has at least another 4-5 years in it's drinking window.
February 5, 2017 - Needs drinking urgently, on the basis of my bottle: it was designed for early pleasure, with upfront fruit and elegance, but the lack of grip and body is now all too apparent. It was still just about ok, but veered towards thin and tart flavours as the evening progressed.
October 30, 2016 - ....smooth, soft, seems higher % Merlot.
September 23, 2016 - Seems typical of many wines I've had from Medoc appellation. Not bad for the price. Would prefer a bit more fruit, but like the finish.