The normal Bouscassé is already excellent, but the Vielles Vignes is indeed a notch up.
This 1995 V.V. demonstrates it is mostly greater complexity, depth and finer texture while losing nothing of its power and size. All the while the extraction is not forced at all and the wine is fresh and cool which makes it very drinkable. The best Madiran I have drunk yet (and that includes Montus Prestige '98).
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This bottle (which according to my CT inventory didn't exist!) was even better than the previous. Most of the descriptors from a year ago still apply but the acidity and tannins were less marked and the overall impression more fragrant and inviting without losing old fashioned Madiran character. Not decanted and not apparently diminished by that. A good pairing for venison accompanied by Soissons beans. Very good.
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I've has some disappointments with bottles of Montus and Bouscassé from the 90s, mainly excessive brett, but this one is a very good example of traditional Madiran, a far cry from Brumont's more international and crowd pleasing offerings from the mid-00s onwards. I decanted this but it was quite austere, if distinguished, at first with strong acidity and tannins backing up some classy and savoury red and dark fruit laced with wet leather and earthy minerals. As the bottle progressed it filled out and and developed some underlying roundness and warmth making the acidity and tannins seem to soften. It was noticeable than about a glassful left in the bottle after decanting had not developed in the same way. Therefore I would recommend decanting a good time in advance. Very good.
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Encore tout en jeunesse au départ, en bouche, les tanins sont fermés, presque durs et plutôt court. Toutefois, un trente minutes d aération le rend de plus en plus souple. Les tanins sont plus fondus, la bouche est plus équilibré et démontre plus de corps. Fort agréable à ce moment. Un deux heures de carafe nous aurait sûrement permis de le voir sur un autre jour.
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Dark purple garnet in the glass. Raspberry and leather on the opulent nose. Medium plus acidity surrounds the palate of raspberry, leather, and cassis. The aggressive tannins of youth have been time-tamed down to an approachable medium (we’re twenty-two years on, after all). Drink up! It’s delicious! Merci, Mssr. Brumont.
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50 - 100 year old Tannat wines, and like the Montus Prestige this is a very long lived wine. From a bottle in perfect condition this is still youthful but the potential is clear. Beginning to drink - will get better and last 20 years.
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bouteille épaulée pendant 6 heures. Couleur rouge brique, note de fruits noir avec un coté animale, feuilles morte et tabac. Tout est bien fondu, de beaux tanins rendu soyeux avec une légère touche de bois qui balance le tout, belle longueur.
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Dark leather and brooding fruit at first impressions. This has mysterious exotic Moroccan spices , black spiced plums and cigar box. Tasting very much like a pauillac and in fact a pichon baron I thought. A serious wine.
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Donkerrood, vrijwel zwart, nauwelijks verkleuring aan de rand. In de geur naast leder, bosgrond en potloodslijpsel ook dik, nog jeugdig zwart fruit en chocolade. In de mond cassis en fraaie, sappige zuren. Ferme, afgeronde tannines, lang aanhoudend. Nog een jonkie.
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Deep red purple in the glass; near black in a drinking poor. Still very young looking at just over 17. Closed nose on opening, but with air yields leather, meaty black fruit, cedar, menthol, and red spices. Right where it should be now on the palate. Intense leathery dark fruit -- think blackberries and currants on a tanned saddle -- with supple, new-velvety tannins and a lengthy meaty menthol-y dark chocolate black coffee finish. I'm going to say drink this one before it turns twenty. It's at a real sweet spot right now.
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Beautiful and fresh bouquet with still almost primary black berry fruits. Very juicy and fruity dark berry fruits in the mouth with pleasant acidity and supple tannin. Ready now and probably still perfectly ok around 2015.
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Two bottles: the first one was maderized and dead, hence the second bottle. It was a very nice old Bouscassé, fully mature and superbly on point, with an intriguingly raspy nose of leather, sage, truffle, cardamom, and tiny black fruits -- this is what an aged Tannat nose is all about. It's almost as good on the palate, with a slight tannic scrim on the finish. Really good; not as good as a great Montus but still really good. Perhaps a bottle in truly perfect condition might age well for a few years longer, but I'd drink these closer to now than later.
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(A+) Amazing Tannat, and what an example of how gracefully these Madiran wines can age. Tons of earth and ripe fruit up front, slowly dissipating over 15-20 seconds. Coats the palate without being heavy. I hope they continue to produce wines like Bouscasse and Montus, because a nicely aged Madiran is an eye-opener. Drink now, though this particular wine probably had 5-10 more years!
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South West France Journey; 5/30/2010-6/19/2010 (South West France): This 15-year old Tannat based wine was still amazingly fruity, having a good tannic grip and a very good length. Tasted it alongside 2002, so you could barely notice any differences in colour. The 95 was still medium ruby with deep garnet rim. Absolutely stunning together with veal stew (the ingredients purchased at Navarrenx market and prepared at home, cooked in Uroulat's Jurancon Sec 2005 + 2008 :). Cheers!
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Fully mature, soft tannins with cassis, blackberries, iron, some tertiary aromas of saddle, sous-bois. Actually improved with 30 mins of air. Drinking very well, something I could easily mistake for a Bordeuax if served blind. Very french and very nice even if not spectacular, my kind of wine.
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Internet forum group magnum tasting. (@ Klap): Mature cabernet bouquet with cassis and good oak. Juicy. Chocolate. Cherries. The tannin is a bit drying. Fairly complex and a long finish.
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a little bit disappointing, perhaps already on a down hill. Strange how the tannin was very present, and yet the fruit was already a bit 'tired'. Still a lot of licorice, and powerful.
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7/15/2023 - Member 592 Likes this wine:
The normal Bouscassé is already excellent, but the Vielles Vignes is indeed a notch up.
This 1995 V.V. demonstrates it is mostly greater complexity, depth and finer texture while losing nothing of its power and size. All the while the extraction is not forced at all and the wine is fresh and cool which makes it very drinkable. The best Madiran I have drunk yet (and that includes Montus Prestige '98).
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12/23/2022 - eboracum Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle (which according to my CT inventory didn't exist!) was even better than the previous. Most of the descriptors from a year ago still apply but the acidity and tannins were less marked and the overall impression more fragrant and inviting without losing old fashioned Madiran character. Not decanted and not apparently diminished by that. A good pairing for venison accompanied by Soissons beans. Very good.
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3/11/2022 - Zweder wrote: flawed
Corked
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11/7/2021 - eboracum Likes this wine: 91 Points
I've has some disappointments with bottles of Montus and Bouscassé from the 90s, mainly excessive brett, but this one is a very good example of traditional Madiran, a far cry from Brumont's more international and crowd pleasing offerings from the mid-00s onwards. I decanted this but it was quite austere, if distinguished, at first with strong acidity and tannins backing up some classy and savoury red and dark fruit laced with wet leather and earthy minerals. As the bottle progressed it filled out and and developed some underlying roundness and warmth making the acidity and tannins seem to soften. It was noticeable than about a glassful left in the bottle after decanting had not developed in the same way. Therefore I would recommend decanting a good time in advance. Very good.
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2/2/2019 - Renevin Likes this wine: 90 Points
Encore tout en jeunesse au départ, en bouche, les tanins sont fermés, presque durs et plutôt court. Toutefois, un trente minutes d aération le rend de plus en plus souple. Les tanins sont plus fondus, la bouche est plus équilibré et démontre plus de corps. Fort agréable à ce moment. Un deux heures de carafe nous aurait sûrement permis de le voir sur un autre jour.
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4/12/2018 - Zweder wrote: flawed
UWS; A mixed set of wines (@ JB): Corked
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9/25/2017 - iByron Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark purple garnet in the glass. Raspberry and leather on the opulent nose. Medium plus acidity surrounds the palate of raspberry, leather, and cassis. The aggressive tannins of youth have been time-tamed down to an approachable medium (we’re twenty-two years on, after all). Drink up! It’s delicious! Merci, Mssr. Brumont.
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2/6/2016 - finewinebuff57 wrote: 91 Points
50 - 100 year old Tannat wines, and like the Montus Prestige this is a very long lived wine. From a bottle in perfect condition this is still youthful but the potential is clear. Beginning to drink - will get better and last 20 years.
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1/18/2015 - Y.Nantel wrote: 92 Points
bouteille épaulée pendant 6 heures. Couleur rouge brique, note de fruits noir avec un coté animale, feuilles morte et tabac. Tout est bien fondu, de beaux tanins rendu soyeux avec une légère touche de bois qui balance le tout, belle longueur.
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12/28/2013 - Alex H wrote: 88 Points
Dark leather and brooding fruit at first impressions. This has mysterious exotic Moroccan spices , black spiced plums and cigar box. Tasting very much like a pauillac and in fact a pichon baron I thought. A serious wine.
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12/22/2013 - Strikermax wrote: 91 Points
Donkerrood, vrijwel zwart, nauwelijks verkleuring aan de rand. In de geur naast leder, bosgrond en potloodslijpsel ook dik, nog jeugdig zwart fruit en chocolade. In de mond cassis en fraaie, sappige zuren. Ferme, afgeronde tannines, lang aanhoudend. Nog een jonkie.
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7/25/2013 - Christine Beevers Likes this wine:
Beautiful. Very smooth and has years to go.
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6/14/2013 - humagne wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful wine. Mature but still has plenty of potential.
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3/13/2013 - iByron wrote: 91 Points
Deep red purple in the glass; near black in a drinking poor. Still very young looking at just over 17. Closed nose on opening, but with air yields leather, meaty black fruit, cedar, menthol, and red spices. Right where it should be now on the palate. Intense leathery dark fruit -- think blackberries and currants on a tanned saddle -- with supple, new-velvety tannins and a lengthy meaty menthol-y dark chocolate black coffee finish. I'm going to say drink this one before it turns twenty. It's at a real sweet spot right now.
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6/15/2012 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
Beautiful and fresh bouquet with still almost primary black berry fruits. Very juicy and fruity dark berry fruits in the mouth with pleasant acidity and supple tannin. Ready now and probably still perfectly ok around 2015.
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10/12/2011 - Chomsky wrote:
Two bottles: the first one was maderized and dead, hence the second bottle. It was a very nice old Bouscassé, fully mature and superbly on point, with an intriguingly raspy nose of leather, sage, truffle, cardamom, and tiny black fruits -- this is what an aged Tannat nose is all about. It's almost as good on the palate, with a slight tannic scrim on the finish. Really good; not as good as a great Montus but still really good. Perhaps a bottle in truly perfect condition might age well for a few years longer, but I'd drink these closer to now than later.
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6/20/2011 - humagne wrote: 92 Points
This is still in excellent shape. Dark fruit, licorice, smoke. Loads of smooth tannins, quite long finish.
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10/9/2010 - prettydeceextrap wrote: 94 Points
(A+) Amazing Tannat, and what an example of how gracefully these Madiran wines can age. Tons of earth and ripe fruit up front, slowly dissipating over 15-20 seconds. Coats the palate without being heavy. I hope they continue to produce wines like Bouscasse and Montus, because a nicely aged Madiran is an eye-opener. Drink now, though this particular wine probably had 5-10 more years!
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6/7/2010 - AN Likes this wine: 91 Points
South West France Journey; 5/30/2010-6/19/2010 (South West France): This 15-year old Tannat based wine was still amazingly fruity, having a good tannic grip and a very good length. Tasted it alongside 2002, so you could barely notice any differences in colour. The 95 was still medium ruby with deep garnet rim. Absolutely stunning together with veal stew (the ingredients purchased at Navarrenx market and prepared at home, cooked in Uroulat's Jurancon Sec 2005 + 2008 :). Cheers!
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3/28/2010 - lilacwine_400 wrote: 89 Points
très bien. encore vif & tannique à l'ouverture, s'est bien assoupli au bout d'une heure de carafe. puissant, épicé, assez long en bouche.
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2/10/2007 - Northern wrote: 89 Points
Fully mature, soft tannins with cassis, blackberries, iron, some tertiary aromas of saddle, sous-bois. Actually improved with 30 mins of air. Drinking very well, something I could easily mistake for a Bordeuax if served blind. Very french and very nice even if not spectacular, my kind of wine.
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1/21/2007 - Zweder wrote: 86 Points
Internet forum group magnum tasting. (@ Klap): Mature cabernet bouquet with cassis and good oak. Juicy. Chocolate. Cherries. The tannin is a bit drying. Fairly complex and a long finish.
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1/2/2006 - d'Artagnan wrote: 88 Points
Bue le 26 décembre chez Charles, inférieur au Montus, très bien et à boire sans trop attendre.
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9/16/2005 - swyang wrote: 87 Points
a little bit disappointing, perhaps already on a down hill. Strange how the tannin was very present, and yet the fruit was already a bit 'tired'. Still a lot of licorice, and powerful.
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