Decanted for a couple of hours. Let it breath over dinner of Thai food. Paired well with the various spicy Thai dishes we enjoyed. The fruit is still there. It's showing its age, but still has a great flavor, from nose to finish. Clearly dulling with age. Definitely time to drink.
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Pretty fantastic for what's apparently a shit vintage. Well, it's right up my alley, anyway. Deep only red color; medium amount of sediment. Took others' recommendations and decanted for about 3 hours (just enough to time to head over town, piledrive some sushi into my facehole, drive back home, kill a bottle of Billecart, and settle in for the evening). Nice nose, a balance of dank and fruit. Anise, wintergreen, loam. Palate is a nice smooth blend of many nuances, all very subtle. Tart pie cherries without the tart; cassis, leather, a dash of smoke. The K&L e-newsletter today was right - this is not for you big Cali Can drinkers!
A while back, I bought a bunch of '97 Bordeaux. Although the vintage was not thought of very highly (panned is the term that comes to mind), every bottle of '97 I have had has been just fine -- this one included. St Julien tends to be lighter in character than some other left bank wines, and this one was true to form. Delicate, but flavorful. Wish I had another case.
No 90 because it is not that deep.
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Magnum from climatized cellar: Weichselian, coffee, chocolate, ripe blackberries, bitter almonds, wet leaves, long finish, mouthfilling first impression after 1 Hr decanting: a bit disapointing and not balanced but this changed to an perfect balance after another hour decanting ==> needs 2 hrs decanting to open I love well-made wines from "bad" years if they ripe
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I was quite surprised at how lovely this is. Lovely fruit, nicely balanced, alluring. Hard to believe this was supposedly a challenging vintage. Punching above its weight class..
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Decanted for about 30 minutes. Disappointing, last bottle I had a couple years ago I would have put in the low 90s, classic old school Bordeaux. Gloria can go either way, RP loves the 09 and for the price it's a steal compared to inflated prices of the rest of the vintage.
Earth and barnyard aromas on the nose. Some eucalyptus in this bottle. Floral notes, maybe lilac. color is a medium red, some browning on the edges.
Dark fruit, earth, cedar, tobacco, tart blackberries. Weak finish.
Wine is past it's prime but still enjoyable. Gloria is generally very nice wine at the price point. My rating reflects a bottle that's faded, should have opened this a few years back.
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Somewhat flat, without much fruit or distinctive taste (coffee? Cedar?), but, somehow, still enjoyable. Perhaps it's the wine's structure (solid, architectured, crafted) or its finish (raw and tannic, but with a full and satisfying result) that made me enjoy it more than the 1997 Leoville-Barton, which appeared more pleasant at first. I don't expect it will improve with age, and will be something of an acquired taste, but a clever result for a difficult vintage.
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This was a post-prandial pop n' pour. Lots of bretty barnyard notes and very soft red fruit flavors. Would have liked to have tasted this after a couple of hours of air, and with a meal instead of after.
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A more than decent Bordeaux from what many describe as a so-so vintage. All the '97s I have had have been just fine. Admittedly, not as full flavored as better vintages, but nothing to sneeze at.
For a more detailed reaction see Paul's (pjaines) comments. He captured it well.
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If this is what this wine tastes like in a supposedly bad vintage then I want cases of the stuff in the good years. Straight out of the bottle this has that wonderful mature St Julien nose - damp earth, fine fruit, elegant bouquet. In the mouth this is superb - complex mixture of terroir and fruit - you get minerals, earth, cedar, tobacco - all the usual stuff you get with St julien. Fine tannins and good acidity underpin this wine to give it excellent structure. the only place it falls down in the mid-palate which is a bit watery - I guess the consequence of the relatively bad year. However, dont be put off. This is a cracking wine and you should be able to pick it up at a fair price. It is wines like this that make you fall in love with France. Drink now. It wont improve any more.
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Color was medium garnet but slightly cloudy. The scent was very floral, with violet and lilacs, along wtih black fruit and a whiff of nutmeg. Blackcurrants and violets start the palate, followed by black raspberries and then soft tannins. It finished with a hint of bloody meat and black fruit. This was a little thin on the mouth feel, almost watered down. Finish was medium-long.
On the second night this was still floral, with a little unsweetened cocoa joining the blackberries on the nose. The palate still had the same blackberries and violets, but some leather, unsweetened cocoa and hints of tar were there, too. Finish was still long, and the tannins softer.
If you have this, drink it now. It is good, but it's not going to get any better.
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Deep red colour with slight bricking but no real signs of age. Cherry and blackcurrant nose. Black fruits and dry tannins. Rather simple but very drinkable. Slight improvement in glass but not much. This is a very drinkable, simple St Julien from an easy to drink vintage. In my opinion there are better St Julien's from 1997 (Lagrange), but this was very pleasant. No further improvement anticipated - drink up!!
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Robert Park says that is claret " offers mouthfilling levels of black cherry, herb-tinged, cassis fruit." Unfortunatley, he also warned " do not expect it to age long";. Those mouthfilling levels were barely decernable. This wine is past its prime.
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5/24/2021 - jtonglet Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for a couple of hours. Let it breath over dinner of Thai food. Paired well with the various spicy Thai dishes we enjoyed. The fruit is still there. It's showing its age, but still has a great flavor, from nose to finish. Clearly dulling with age. Definitely time to drink.
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11/5/2016 - Geoff Likes this wine: 90 Points
Its all there, just muted. Starting to get tired. Drink up.
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9/25/2016 - Geoff Likes this wine: 89 Points
Perfect food wine. Has all the flavors of a first rate bordeaux. Medium body. Delightful wine.
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6/25/2016 - Geoff Likes this wine: 89 Points
Has all the stuff of an aged Bordeaux, just in smaller amounts. Nice classy claret.
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2/19/2016 - partylikeakennedy wrote: 91 Points
Pretty fantastic for what's apparently a shit vintage. Well, it's right up my alley, anyway. Deep only red color; medium amount of sediment. Took others' recommendations and decanted for about 3 hours (just enough to time to head over town, piledrive some sushi into my facehole, drive back home, kill a bottle of Billecart, and settle in for the evening). Nice nose, a balance of dank and fruit. Anise, wintergreen, loam. Palate is a nice smooth blend of many nuances, all very subtle. Tart pie cherries without the tart; cassis, leather, a dash of smoke. The K&L e-newsletter today was right - this is not for you big Cali Can drinkers!
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10/26/2015 - John Nezlek wrote: 89 Points
A while back, I bought a bunch of '97 Bordeaux. Although the vintage was not thought of very highly (panned is the term that comes to mind), every bottle of '97 I have had has been just fine -- this one included. St Julien tends to be lighter in character than some other left bank wines, and this one was true to form. Delicate, but flavorful. Wish I had another case.
No 90 because it is not that deep.
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11/22/2012 - huntingtom wrote: 90 Points
Magnum from climatized cellar:
Weichselian, coffee, chocolate, ripe blackberries, bitter almonds, wet leaves, long finish, mouthfilling
first impression after 1 Hr decanting: a bit disapointing and not balanced but this changed to an perfect balance after another hour decanting
==> needs 2 hrs decanting to open
I love well-made wines from "bad" years if they ripe
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8/7/2012 - John McCabe wrote: 92 Points
I was quite surprised at how lovely this is. Lovely fruit, nicely balanced, alluring. Hard to believe this was supposedly a challenging vintage. Punching above its weight class..
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6/15/2012 - walkerjfw wrote: 84 Points
Decanted for about 30 minutes. Disappointing, last bottle I had a couple years ago I would have put in the low 90s, classic old school Bordeaux. Gloria can go either way, RP loves the 09 and for the price it's a steal compared to inflated prices of the rest of the vintage.
Earth and barnyard aromas on the nose. Some eucalyptus in this bottle. Floral notes, maybe lilac. color is a medium red, some browning on the edges.
Dark fruit, earth, cedar, tobacco, tart blackberries. Weak finish.
Wine is past it's prime but still enjoyable. Gloria is generally very nice wine at the price point. My rating reflects a bottle that's faded, should have opened this a few years back.
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12/23/2011 - Rich.Herbs wrote:
Somewhat flat, without much fruit or distinctive taste (coffee? Cedar?), but, somehow, still enjoyable. Perhaps it's the wine's structure (solid, architectured, crafted) or its finish (raw and tannic, but with a full and satisfying result) that made me enjoy it more than the 1997 Leoville-Barton, which appeared more pleasant at first. I don't expect it will improve with age, and will be something of an acquired taste, but a clever result for a difficult vintage.
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8/7/2011 - mygrogro wrote: 90 Points
worth the wait!
solid bordeaux
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5/28/2011 - prism wrote: 90 Points
This was a post-prandial pop n' pour. Lots of bretty barnyard notes and very soft red fruit flavors. Would have liked to have tasted this after a couple of hours of air, and with a meal instead of after.
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5/12/2010 - John Nezlek wrote: 89 Points
A more than decent Bordeaux from what many describe as a so-so vintage. All the '97s I have had have been just fine. Admittedly, not as full flavored as better vintages, but nothing to sneeze at.
For a more detailed reaction see Paul's (pjaines) comments. He captured it well.
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10/10/2008 - pjaines wrote: 90 Points
If this is what this wine tastes like in a supposedly bad vintage then I want cases of the stuff in the good years. Straight out of the bottle this has that wonderful mature St Julien nose - damp earth, fine fruit, elegant bouquet. In the mouth this is superb - complex mixture of terroir and fruit - you get minerals, earth, cedar, tobacco - all the usual stuff you get with St julien. Fine tannins and good acidity underpin this wine to give it excellent structure. the only place it falls down in the mid-palate which is a bit watery - I guess the consequence of the relatively bad year. However, dont be put off. This is a cracking wine and you should be able to pick it up at a fair price. It is wines like this that make you fall in love with France. Drink now. It wont improve any more.
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4/8/2008 - dhonig wrote: 88 Points
Color was medium garnet but slightly cloudy. The scent was very floral, with violet and lilacs, along wtih black fruit and a whiff of nutmeg. Blackcurrants and violets start the palate, followed by black raspberries and then soft tannins. It finished with a hint of bloody meat and black fruit. This was a little thin on the mouth feel, almost watered down. Finish was medium-long.
On the second night this was still floral, with a little unsweetened cocoa joining the blackberries on the nose. The palate still had the same blackberries and violets, but some leather, unsweetened cocoa and hints of tar were there, too. Finish was still long, and the tannins softer.
If you have this, drink it now. It is good, but it's not going to get any better.
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12/27/2007 - jwcnd69 wrote: 88 Points
Tastes well.
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12/10/2007 - Gfritzh wrote: 85 Points
Nice black fruit through the mid palate with a medium long oaky finish. Still drinking well for the short term.
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10/30/2007 - wynnewood500 wrote:
Still drinking well, but not an exciting wine.
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8/26/2005 - stephen locke wrote:
Deep red colour with slight bricking but no real signs of age. Cherry and blackcurrant nose. Black fruits and dry tannins. Rather simple but very drinkable. Slight improvement in glass but not much. This is a very drinkable, simple St Julien from an easy to drink vintage. In my opinion there are better St Julien's from 1997 (Lagrange), but this was very pleasant. No further improvement anticipated - drink up!!
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4/18/2005 - jds wrote: 84 Points
Robert Park says that is claret " offers mouthfilling levels of black cherry, herb-tinged, cassis fruit." Unfortunatley, he also warned " do not expect it to age long";. Those mouthfilling levels were barely decernable. This wine is past its prime.
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9/7/2004 - Pacherant wrote: 85 Points
Bex in France. Similar to Talbot 97. Not great, but perfectly quaffable.
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