from a good, rather cool cellar. typical bordeaux nose with plenty of blueberries, cassis, cigar box and sous-bois. the fruit is still here and shining, very precise and compact. everything is on spot.
on the palate smooth and sexy. fresh and elegant. the fruit and the acidity are rocking the palate, accoümpagnied by some tertiary aromas such as tobacco and pencil lead. tannins still there but very soft.
drink now and enjoy. this is a beauty right now.
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Farewell Patra (La Trompette, London): Lovely classical nose. Floral, fragrant, violets, blackcurrant leaf, some licorice and a densely silky texture.ripe fruit against a savoury frame. Blackcurrant leaf and a classic line. ****
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Distinctive Mediterranean nose of rosemary with cedar and some fresh tobacco. Cherry and raspberry with air and some mint before old saddle leather kicks in. Nose is smashing, but unfortunately its very different in the mouth with pretty high acidity and little mouthfeel before the tannins dominate. Not enough fruit for the acid/tannin frame - shame. With air a strong and long mint taste dominates the taste, but its a bit too dry and lightweight. From a perfect ex-chateau case. 91pts and drink to 2030. Can be pop and poured - opened in the glass over 20mins
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Had a great bottle of this, best tasting yet ( have tried 3-4 times in the last 5 years). As good as mature Bordeaux gets at this level. Everything has integrated so well. Was ripping good right upon opening, but improved slightly with a little bit of air time.
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Niveau parfait et bouchon en très bon état. A l'ouverture, nez et bouche très discrets. Besoin 1h en carafe pour que tous les arômes sortent, merci à JETJOCK pour ce conseil. Très joli vin! A boire!
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Beautiful bricking. Initially light on the nose, but aromas picked up after 1 hr. plus in carafe. Superb match w/leg of lamb Easter meal. Won't get any better so drink it if it's sitting in the cellar and take your time w/it.
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Popped and poured, and drank exceedingly fast, owing to how good it was. In a wonderful place right now and certainly won’t get any better. Fruit and tanins in great balance. Beautiful cork with nearly zero seepage, due to exceptional storage conditions.
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Fully mature, wonderful nose - yes, a tad dry on the finish lending a touch of austerity as Jeff Leve notes below, but overall still a classy experienced. Accompanied by winter white truffle beef ravioli at Buko Nero!
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Wunderschöne animierende Nase mit Cassis, reifen Johannisbeere, Zigarrenbox und etwas Trockenfleisch. Im Mund Waldpilze, Leder, Tabak, Pfeffer, Fleisch. Straff, lang, aristokratisch. Nice!
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Fully mature, elegant in style, medium bodied, and slightly more focused on the perfume, with its blend of tobacco, cigar box, cherries, flowers and herbs. The strong floral and herb character comes from the large amount of Cabernet Franc in the blend. There is some dryness in the finish, but the nose is so pretty and ripe has ripeness, I gloss over that. But that issue will increase with more cellaring as the fruit fades. There is no reason to age this wine any longer. The wine was produced from blending 47.6% Merlot , 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Cabernet Franc.
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at the beginning extremely floral, then sweet fruit like raspberries and other red berries, but also citrus fruits; cacao, light havanna tobacco, spices like cinnamon. quite complex and developing for hours. on the palate medium bodied, crisp but ripe acidity, good balance and quite long finish. more on the slim and straight side. nice to drink
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Final bottle from a half case purchased in 1999, climate-controlled storage ever since. Immaculate condition, level into neck. It is wonderful to see how two decades of ageing have gently brought this wine to its peak. Mature but lively appearance, youthful for its twenty years; lifted nose of spices, roses and violets, red meat, earth and crushed red berries, ever-so-slightly funky and gravelly; the palate is clean and cool but with a lovely natural sweetness from the ripe fruit, transparent and elegant, relatively restrained for Brane-Cantenac, medium weight, silky-smooth but with appropriate tannic grip; complete finish, hint of black tea, very good length. Delightful, very stylish, drink now.
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Still rather dark core with good evolution around the rim. Open on the nose, expressive and rich. Spices, tobacco, flowers, earth and smoke. Lacking a bit of fruit on the palate, rather drying, and a little hollow. Not very generous. Drink up. 87-89
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Bottle-breathed for an hour and glass-breathed for another hour. An easy, but enjoyable bordeaux, with earthy, leather and a small touch of mint. Ready to drink.
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A very typical, classic bordeaux, which needs 1-2 hours of decant to open up. Very good, but no complexity to speak of. 92-93 pts. My third vintage of Brane-Cantenac (96, 99, 2005), and I have not been very impressed.
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96 is one of my favorite vintages for Margaux and this wine epitomizes it. cracking nose of perfumed ripe black fruits, old saddle leather and pipe tobacco. dense deep ruby color typical of this vintage with hardly any signs of aging. glycerin like entry pn the palate, the wine coats the palate with a fruit bomb. Excellent acidity, good balance, medium to full bodied, the wine finishes rather long and soft on a note of mocha.
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Whoever said that modern Bordeaux couldn't age well? Admittedly this isn't exactly a typical example, in that it could hardly be less classic in style and structure. The last time I tried one was in 2013 and like its predecessors, the bottle was still suffering from a harsh, cold tannic streak which brought back vague memories of various 1975s, so I wondered whether or not it would ever come good.
It has. The bouquet is still rich and creamy with notes of blackcurrants and blackberries, offset by cedar. The attack is similarly sweet and inviting, with a fresh, rounded feel to the mid-section but the finish is now silky, long and elegant. Immensely satisfying and pleasurable, a Margaux at the peak of its powers, an outstanding wine. Even better than the 98 I tasted recently, this is certainly the best mature Brane I've had since the 83.
Of course the only problem is the patience needed...sadly my last bottle from a case.
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Fragrant, classic Margaux nose, complete, good depth, ripe fruit, flowers and minerals, seductive, great sense of place; slender but silky, energetic and fresh, lovely balance, stylish and elegant; slightly drying finish, hint of cold tea, good length. A relatively restrained Brane-Cantenac, at peak.
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Decent, but not very good QPR. The wine was not as powerful or complex as I would expect from a 3rd growth Bdx with a good amount of age on it. Typical Margaux flavors and textures. Wouldn't wait any longer to drink this if you got it.
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Promising bouquet of blackcurrant, creamy black cherry and cedar. Good initial attack of the same, with a medium bodied, soft and inviting feel, but marred by a throat drying streak of rather cold, harsh tannins, right at the end of the finale. Aeration helps, but this is rather like many 1975 wines and I'm not confident the tannic streak will ever entirely disappear. I shall wait another five years and keep my fingers crossed.
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Colour is still very deep, no orange showing. The bouquet and palate have come on a lot since I last tried this a couple of years ago. There is a slightly rustic leafy blackcurrant note on the nose - as you might expect with a cool vintage. The palate has really filled out and is very elegant and silky. Delicious mature claret with the balance to keep going, but no need to wait, this is now drinking beautifully. I kept 1/2 the bottle back for the following evening, stoppered in a spare half bottle - held up very well, lovely fleshy and round.
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Wonderful, classic Margaux nose. Dark red color, and even black in the center. Spices, pepper, blackcurrant, tobacco, earth, graphite. Seems right on the top now. Medium aftertaste.
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P&P and like others of the night was gone way too fast to give it a chance to show all it has to offer. Color garnet with black hues at the center and slight bricking at the rim. Because I got the dregs of the bottle, a healthy dose of sediment making it cloudy. Unmistakable mature Bordeaux nose of graphite, leather, tobacco, cherries, and to my surprise, some freshness of of green vegetables from the Cab Franc. Really nice bouquet that keeps your nose near the glass. Plenty of fruit left on the palate, with cherries, tobacco, earth, mushrooms, vegetables, pencil lead. Others would say this is all about food, but I really enjoyed the texture and complexity of the different flavors unadorned. Tannins lend structure but are well softened by the age. Seemingly at its peak, but still has plenty of substance and structure to carry it a few more years. Wish I had some bottles tucked away in my cellar.
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Last bottle from a case I bought in 1997 En-Primeur from Oddbins. Probably drank all the others too young. Anyway blood red core with a clear rim with a light orange edge. All the primary aromas are gone and it is clear the wine has come to maturity. Balsamic and pepper on the nose. Lovely texture and good acidity and a medium finish.
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Has almost reached its plateau of maturity; delicious fruit, chalky minerality, good depth and weight, transparent, the tannins are still a bit firm and the wine is aromatically quite reserved; the characteristic aromas of meat and game need more time to develop.
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Bought orginally En Primeur from Oddbins in Dublin of all places back in 1997. Left under the stairs in my folks for many years until I sorted out proper storage myself. Amazing how robust it has been. I decanted it as it badly needed it and left it for 7 hours. Still dark purple and still tonnes of black fruit it is amazing after 13 years it has only just started entering its drinking window with loads of years ahead of it. Sorry I drank the 10 other bottles sooo young. Tannins have seriously mellowed. Just wish I had more to watch it evolve.
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Very Nice. Great texture and finesse but the wood is too dominant. A nice bordeaux qith some terciary notes and nice vegetal flavours. Fruit still shows in a perfumy way. Overall a good bottle.
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Good reputation but difficult right now. Closed, medicinal, crisp Cabernet fruit, tea, good length. Has improved markedly the next day. Drink 2010 - 2020.
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Color is still ruby red with some lightness on the ridges. You can see you had though it. Nose of serious barnyard, cedar, graphite, earth, cigar box. The palate has sour cherry, raspberries, leather, earth, tobacco. The finish is smooth but short than I remember. Overall old world balance with a earthy flavor profile.
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No notes taken, but this is a beautiful wine that is drinking great right now. Telltale bordeaux notes of tobacco and leather on the nose and palate. Elegant with nice complexity, very well balanced with a nice finish. I've had this wine several times over the past few years and it just keeps getting better.
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2005 vintage tasting and dinner (Conrad Interntational, Singapore): UGC dinner. Enjoyed this very much. Sweaty leather on the nose at first, but that blew off slightly to show spice, anise, peppercorn and blackcurrant, all integrated nicely with the slight animale / barnyard tones that made the wine go so well with the grilled lamb course. Very concentrated on the palate, wet earth, with wafts of pepper and spice dotting the fruit. Nice stucture and good long finish. I would have liked a bit more elegance in my Margaux, but this is good value from a really good left-bank vintage.
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The nose on this wine is wonderful, it ropes me in every time. Tobacco and cedar box mixed with funk is just enticing. The palate of this wine is more dirt, tobacco, leather, and funk than fruit. It is great with cheese. I love this wine.
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70% Cabernet, 15% Merlot, 13% Cab Franc The color is an auburn with brown hue on the edges. Nose of earth, tobacco, and raspberries. On the palate this wine is has subtle aged flavors. From what I could detect it was a mix of dirt, rocks, tobacco, muted raspberries and I think pencil lead. (I say "I think" because up to this point I have not been able to detect that flavor but I think it has a bit of it in this wine) The finnish is long and enjoyable. Very little heat, still has sturdy tannins.
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Deep, out to rim; substantial, farmyardy, cedar, open knit; fleshy, plump, approachable, supple; firm finish. drinking well now & for next five years. 16
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2/14/2023 - Martyl9 wrote: 90 Points
nice nose but faded. decanted but the fruit disappeared. very dry.
The wine looks crimson colored. There is light sediment in the bottle.
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12/28/2022 - La Sprezzatura wrote: 94 Points
from a good, rather cool cellar. typical bordeaux nose with plenty of blueberries, cassis, cigar box and sous-bois. the fruit is still here and shining, very precise and compact. everything is on spot.
on the palate smooth and sexy. fresh and elegant. the fruit and the acidity are rocking the palate, accoümpagnied by some tertiary aromas such as tobacco and pencil lead.
tannins still there but very soft.
drink now and enjoy. this is a beauty right now.
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9/23/2022 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured, and drank over 1.5 hours. Great wine, and drinking well! This wine is amazing !
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4/1/2022 - Marc C Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bien en place, bel équilibre, avec une bonne qualité de bouche (texture)
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10/8/2021 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Farewell Patra (La Trompette, London): Lovely classical nose. Floral, fragrant, violets, blackcurrant leaf, some licorice and a densely silky texture.ripe fruit against a savoury frame. Blackcurrant leaf and a classic line. ****
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9/20/2021 - JulianSkeels wrote: 91 Points
Distinctive Mediterranean nose of rosemary with cedar and some fresh tobacco. Cherry and raspberry with air and some mint before old saddle leather kicks in. Nose is smashing, but unfortunately its
very different in the mouth with pretty high acidity and little mouthfeel before the tannins dominate. Not enough fruit for the acid/tannin frame - shame. With air a strong and long mint taste dominates the taste, but its a bit too dry and lightweight. From a perfect ex-chateau case. 91pts and drink to 2030. Can be pop and poured - opened in the glass over 20mins
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5/30/2020 - SonnyChiba wrote: 93 Points
Had a great bottle of this, best tasting yet ( have tried 3-4 times in the last 5 years). As good as mature Bordeaux gets at this level. Everything has integrated so well. Was ripping good right upon opening, but improved slightly with a little bit of air time.
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4/26/2020 - ANEL46 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Niveau parfait et bouchon en très bon état.
A l'ouverture, nez et bouche très discrets. Besoin 1h en carafe pour que tous les arômes sortent, merci à JETJOCK pour ce conseil.
Très joli vin!
A boire!
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4/12/2020 - Jetjock wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful bricking. Initially light on the nose, but aromas picked up after 1 hr. plus in carafe. Superb match w/leg of lamb Easter meal. Won't get any better so drink it if it's sitting in the cellar and take your time w/it.
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12/7/2019 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with previous notes. Great wine owing to excendingly good storage. Drink up if you have it!
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7/27/2019 - yinha Likes this wine: 92 Points
Marvelous secondaries - a delight with fine Teochew from Imperial Treasure.
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5/26/2019 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured, and drank exceedingly fast, owing to how good it was. In a wonderful place right now and certainly won’t get any better. Fruit and tanins in great balance. Beautiful cork with nearly zero seepage, due to exceptional storage conditions.
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11/22/2018 - yinha Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fully mature, wonderful nose - yes, a tad dry on the finish lending a touch of austerity as Jeff Leve notes below, but overall still a classy experienced. Accompanied by winter white truffle beef ravioli at Buko Nero!
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1/21/2018 - Nels+ Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wunderschöne animierende Nase mit Cassis, reifen Johannisbeere, Zigarrenbox und etwas Trockenfleisch. Im Mund Waldpilze, Leder, Tabak, Pfeffer, Fleisch. Straff, lang, aristokratisch. Nice!
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9/18/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Fully mature, elegant in style, medium bodied, and slightly more focused on the perfume, with its blend of tobacco, cigar box, cherries, flowers and herbs. The strong floral and herb character comes from the large amount of Cabernet Franc in the blend. There is some dryness in the finish, but the nose is so pretty and ripe has ripeness, I gloss over that. But that issue will increase with more cellaring as the fruit fades. There is no reason to age this wine any longer. The wine was produced from blending 47.6% Merlot , 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Cabernet Franc.
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10/21/2016 - herrkemp wrote: 92 Points
at the beginning extremely floral, then sweet fruit like raspberries and other red berries, but also citrus fruits; cacao, light havanna tobacco, spices like cinnamon. quite complex and developing for hours.
on the palate medium bodied, crisp but ripe acidity, good balance and quite long finish. more on the slim and straight side. nice to drink
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7/11/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Final bottle from a half case purchased in 1999, climate-controlled storage ever since. Immaculate condition, level into neck. It is wonderful to see how two decades of ageing have gently brought this wine to its peak. Mature but lively appearance, youthful for its twenty years; lifted nose of spices, roses and violets, red meat, earth and crushed red berries, ever-so-slightly funky and gravelly; the palate is clean and cool but with a lovely natural sweetness from the ripe fruit, transparent and elegant, relatively restrained for Brane-Cantenac, medium weight, silky-smooth but with appropriate tannic grip; complete finish, hint of black tea, very good length. Delightful, very stylish, drink now.
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6/30/2016 - rossi.wine wrote: 88 Points
Still rather dark core with good evolution around the rim. Open on the nose, expressive and rich. Spices, tobacco, flowers, earth and smoke. Lacking a bit of fruit on the palate, rather drying, and a little hollow. Not very generous. Drink up. 87-89
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3/30/2016 - d'Auvenay Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bottle-breathed for an hour and glass-breathed for another hour. An easy, but enjoyable bordeaux, with earthy, leather and a small touch of mint. Ready to drink.
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12/29/2015 - Sundbyberg wrote: 92 Points
A very typical, classic bordeaux, which needs 1-2 hours of decant to open up. Very good, but no complexity to speak of. 92-93 pts.
My third vintage of Brane-Cantenac (96, 99, 2005), and I have not been very impressed.
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8/10/2015 - the player Likes this wine: 93 Points
96 is one of my favorite vintages for Margaux and this wine epitomizes it. cracking nose of perfumed ripe black fruits, old saddle leather and pipe tobacco. dense deep ruby color typical of this vintage with hardly any signs of aging. glycerin like entry pn the palate, the wine coats the palate with a fruit bomb. Excellent acidity, good balance, medium to full bodied, the wine finishes rather long and soft on a note of mocha.
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4/28/2015 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 96 Points
Whoever said that modern Bordeaux couldn't age well? Admittedly this isn't exactly a typical example, in that it could hardly be less classic in style and structure. The last time I tried one was in 2013 and like its predecessors, the bottle was still suffering from a harsh, cold tannic streak which brought back vague memories of various 1975s, so I wondered whether or not it would ever come good.
It has. The bouquet is still rich and creamy with notes of blackcurrants and blackberries, offset by cedar. The attack is similarly sweet and inviting, with a fresh, rounded feel to the mid-section but the finish is now silky, long and elegant. Immensely satisfying and pleasurable, a Margaux at the peak of its powers, an outstanding wine. Even better than the 98 I tasted recently, this is certainly the best mature Brane I've had since the 83.
Of course the only problem is the patience needed...sadly my last bottle from a case.
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11/8/2014 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Fragrant, classic Margaux nose, complete, good depth, ripe fruit, flowers and minerals, seductive, great sense of place; slender but silky, energetic and fresh, lovely balance, stylish and elegant; slightly drying finish, hint of cold tea, good length. A relatively restrained Brane-Cantenac, at peak.
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4/25/2014 - DRK III wrote: 87 Points
Decent, but not very good QPR. The wine was not as powerful or complex as I would expect from a 3rd growth Bdx with a good amount of age on it. Typical Margaux flavors and textures. Wouldn't wait any longer to drink this if you got it.
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12/12/2013 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 89 Points
Promising bouquet of blackcurrant, creamy black cherry and cedar. Good initial attack of the same, with a medium bodied, soft and inviting feel, but marred by a throat drying streak of rather cold, harsh tannins, right at the end of the finale. Aeration helps, but this is rather like many 1975 wines and I'm not confident the tannic streak will ever entirely disappear. I shall wait another five years and keep my fingers crossed.
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7/11/2013 - LWI wrote: 91 Points
Wonderful nose, leanish body, approaching maturity.
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12/8/2012 - Chimer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Colour is still very deep, no orange showing. The bouquet and palate have come on a lot since I last tried this a couple of years ago. There is a slightly rustic leafy blackcurrant note on the nose - as you might expect with a cool vintage. The palate has really filled out and is very elegant and silky. Delicious mature claret with the balance to keep going, but no need to wait, this is now drinking beautifully.
I kept 1/2 the bottle back for the following evening, stoppered in a spare half bottle - held up very well, lovely fleshy and round.
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2/12/2012 - Tartiflette wrote: 90 Points
Wonderful, classic Margaux nose. Dark red color, and even black in the center. Spices, pepper, blackcurrant, tobacco, earth, graphite. Seems right on the top now. Medium aftertaste.
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10/13/2011 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Slender, fresh fruit, medicinal touch; 1996 acidity, drying but perfumed. Assez bien. Now.
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7/3/2010 - chbeaumont Likes this wine: 90 Points
Plenty of grip & depth. Fully ready but will age a further 5 years comfortably.
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5/7/2010 - Vinacull wrote: 90 Points
P&P and like others of the night was gone way too fast to give it a chance to show all it has to offer. Color garnet with black hues at the center and slight bricking at the rim. Because I got the dregs of the bottle, a healthy dose of sediment making it cloudy. Unmistakable mature Bordeaux nose of graphite, leather, tobacco, cherries, and to my surprise, some freshness of of green vegetables from the Cab Franc. Really nice bouquet that keeps your nose near the glass. Plenty of fruit left on the palate, with cherries, tobacco, earth, mushrooms, vegetables, pencil lead. Others would say this is all about food, but I really enjoyed the texture and complexity of the different flavors unadorned. Tannins lend structure but are well softened by the age. Seemingly at its peak, but still has plenty of substance and structure to carry it a few more years. Wish I had some bottles tucked away in my cellar.
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4/4/2010 - ctwomey wrote:
Last bottle from a case I bought in 1997 En-Primeur from Oddbins. Probably drank all the others too young. Anyway blood red core with a clear rim with a light orange edge. All the primary aromas are gone and it is clear the wine has come to maturity. Balsamic and pepper on the nose. Lovely texture and good acidity and a medium finish.
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10/25/2009 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Has almost reached its plateau of maturity; delicious fruit, chalky minerality, good depth and weight, transparent, the tannins are still a bit firm and the wine is aromatically quite reserved; the characteristic aromas of meat and game need more time to develop.
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8/30/2009 - bundydavis wrote: 92 Points
Wine kept getting better as the night went on. Might be rating this too low. Very well balanced.
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4/18/2009 - ctwomey wrote:
Bought orginally En Primeur from Oddbins in Dublin of all places back in 1997. Left under the stairs in my folks for many years until I sorted out proper storage myself. Amazing how robust it has been. I decanted it as it badly needed it and left it for 7 hours. Still dark purple and still tonnes of black fruit it is amazing after 13 years it has only just started entering its drinking window with loads of years ahead of it. Sorry I drank the 10 other bottles sooo young. Tannins have seriously mellowed. Just wish I had more to watch it evolve.
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12/7/2008 - anevard wrote: 90 Points
Very Nice. Great texture and finesse but the wood is too dominant. A nice bordeaux qith some terciary notes and nice vegetal flavours. Fruit still shows in a perfumy way. Overall a good bottle.
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9/27/2008 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Good reputation but difficult right now. Closed, medicinal, crisp Cabernet fruit, tea, good length. Has improved markedly the next day. Drink 2010 - 2020.
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7/25/2008 - chitowncdpguy wrote: 89 Points
Clear dark ruby in the glass. Nose with lots of earthiness and berry fruits. On the palate berry fruits. Smooth. Medium length finish.
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7/23/2008 - SoCal wrote:
Color is still ruby red with some lightness on the ridges. You can see you had though it. Nose of serious barnyard, cedar, graphite, earth, cigar box. The palate has sour cherry, raspberries, leather, earth, tobacco. The finish is smooth but short than I remember. Overall old world balance with a earthy flavor profile.
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6/9/2008 - assaf wrote: 92 Points
No notes taken, but this is a beautiful wine that is drinking great right now. Telltale bordeaux notes of tobacco and leather on the nose and palate. Elegant with nice complexity, very well balanced with a nice finish. I've had this wine several times over the past few years and it just keeps getting better.
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6/1/2008 - Alex H wrote: 88 Points
UGC Wine Review Dinner (Conrad Centennial): 87 to 89 pts.
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5/26/2008 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2005 vintage tasting and dinner (Conrad Interntational, Singapore): UGC dinner. Enjoyed this very much. Sweaty leather on the nose at first, but that blew off slightly to show spice, anise, peppercorn and blackcurrant, all integrated nicely with the slight animale / barnyard tones that made the wine go so well with the grilled lamb course. Very concentrated on the palate, wet earth, with wafts of pepper and spice dotting the fruit. Nice stucture and good long finish. I would have liked a bit more elegance in my Margaux, but this is good value from a really good left-bank vintage.
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2/22/2008 - SoCal wrote: 92 Points
The nose on this wine is wonderful, it ropes me in every time. Tobacco and cedar box mixed with funk is just enticing. The palate of this wine is more dirt, tobacco, leather, and funk than fruit. It is great with cheese. I love this wine.
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5/21/2007 - SoCal wrote: 92 Points
70% Cabernet, 15% Merlot, 13% Cab Franc
The color is an auburn with brown hue on the edges.
Nose of earth, tobacco, and raspberries.
On the palate this wine is has subtle aged flavors.
From what I could detect it was a mix of dirt, rocks, tobacco, muted raspberries and I think pencil lead.
(I say "I think" because up to this point I have not been able to detect that flavor but I think it has a bit of it in this wine)
The finnish is long and enjoyable.
Very little heat, still has sturdy tannins.
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6/30/2005 - chbeaumont wrote:
Deep, out to rim; substantial, farmyardy, cedar, open knit; fleshy, plump, approachable, supple; firm finish. drinking well now & for next five years. 16
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