October 11, 2019 - Spices & toasted oak; somewhat rustic. Sweet fruits but starting to fade; still has some years left though. Polished this puppy off solo in a few hours [read: easy drinker!] Nice get on auction for $23. 90-91
January 16, 2017 - Very happy with this wine to go with some pizza on MLK Day. Vinturi'd into a decanter for an hour plus and was drinking great from the first glass. Black cherry and other dark fruits on the nose and easy drinking with just enough smooth tannins left. We just love what some time in bottle can do with Bordeaux.
January 18, 2016 - A little too much oak upon opening. But, after an hour in the decanter, the oak blended into the black fruit and CF notes. Still notable tannins, but very drinkable. Could be fresher, but for the vintage, this is not too flabby. This wine works well with the beef noodle soup that we made for dinner.
August 19, 2015 - Bien meilleure que la première bouteille, avec Onglet de bœuf et bavette... miam Sur les fruits noirs, tabac, vanille longue finale. Complexe avec un très joli nez.
January 2, 2015 - A good example of how 2003 can be a very fun vintage to drink now, for Bordeaux. This is ripe and fruity as you'd expect from the conditions of '03, with enough Bordeaux typicity (graphite, earth etc.) to not be mistaken for a New World merlot or cab. The finish doesn't show a lot of breed and class for the future, so this isn't a very serious wine, but it's seriously fun to drink now. The group all thought this was gorgeous.
January 8, 2014 - Thankfully, this bottle was not at all like the previous experience last month, which must have been an off bottle. This bottle was not at all over ripe or pruney. Upon opening we found a stately little bordeaux, with pencil, cassis, and all the expected flavors. Tannin had smoothed to a feathery silk -- not quite velvet, which to me implies more depth and opulence -- and when the mustiness blew off (after about 45 min open) the wine became unobtrusively charming and we found ourselves finishing it much earlier than expected.
December 11, 2013 - wow. I hope this was flawed. This was hardly recognizable as bordeaux, though there was a bit of dirt and sand if you looked close enough. Mostly, it was quite pungent, with heavy over-ripe fruit and pruney flavors which I did not appreciate. I do not remember this being the case when I tasted this 5 years ago…hoping it's an outlier and not a bad ager. I have one more bottle to find out!
November 11, 2013 - pleasant nose and mouth feel. tannins well integrated, cassis and fruit dominated with little pencil-like character. non-winos would enjoy this.
July 8, 2012 - Light blackberry nose; soft and elegant with moderate balance and some light heat.
May 5, 2012 - Decanted for an hour. Sweet vanilla and baked fruit nose. Very pleasant mouth-feel. Classic St. Emilion flavours, a little bit of rancio, and nicely integrated tannins. Pleasing length and finish. Overall, very good value for money.