Purchased half a case recently at local retail. Decanted for 12 hours. Lots of tannins present and still tastes on the young side but has definitely started drinking! Classic Médoc and typical characteristics of the 2005 vintage of course. This such a tremendous wine for $29. I wish I had more. Drink now or hold for up to 10 more years.
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From a bottle purchased recently at retail. Perfect cork, fill, and color. About 50/50 tertiary notes verses aged fruit on the nose and palate with decent balance. Not over the hill, but definitely getting older and not particularly better, as Michael Broadbent would have said. I’ll bet this was quite a tasty young wine, but now it’s just becoming generically tertiary and unexciting. 13% ABV (good/**/13.5/85)
A classic Medoc nose, comforting and complete in its aromas if not profound in its expression, full of blackcurrant jelly, cedar, ink, a little pop of green peppercorn. A little rough and tumble on the palate and slightly astringent on its own, but a suitable accompaniment to beef, which is of course how this sort of thing ought to be enjoyed. And it is very enjoyable for what it is.
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Excellent value. Purchased a few bottles from local retail. The bottles were in great condition with perfect fill levels. Typical characteristics of the 2005 vintage, backwards and tannic! However, after about 10 to 12 hours, this wine really opened up. Still on the young side, I think it will be a good few more years before this wine reaches its peak. At least another 10 years of life left in these bottles.
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Grande déception pour ce vin bu à plusieurs reprises, sur plusieurs années. Le vin ne s'est jamais vraiment ouvert et se montrait à chaque fois décharné.
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Finally open. Quite nice for such a small Bordeaux. The vintage helps a lot. This one has a very good price quality ratio. Classic left bank nose albeit not with all the nuances of the classified bunch.
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Que faire avec la confit de canard et les lentilles puy? Un mélange Merlot majoritaire, est mûr en bouche, mais avec une fraîcheur agréable. Beaux tanins. Belle structure à seulement 13% d'alcool. Tres bon prix!
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I have always found FH to be a consistent cru bourgeois for decades, much like Poujeaux. Expecting another simple but nice restaurant wine that drank well in a great vintage, I was surprised by the angularity and unyielding flavors even after an hour in the decanter. Wonderful color of dark red robe, almost black garnet, and the nose had as much oak and forest as it did a hint of cherry. The wine took a half hour to shed its acidic profile, yielding a warm but unvariegated simplistic flavor profile that at this stage is no better than an inexpensive recent vintage St. Emillon. This will improve no doubt but how much remains to be seen. So hold for five or more years or give it at Christmas.
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Disappointing for the 2005 vintage. Quite light, closed, not a lot of fruit and borderline thin. Some pencil shavings, reasonable acidity and only slightly woody / eucalyptusy tannins, which end on a very slightly drying note. Really not sure whether there is going to be much interesting here once the tannins fade/integrate. Probably would be better with red meat.
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A bit metallic on the initial nose. With some air, sour cherry, simple aroma. Decently balanced palate with nothing particularly interesting. May improve for another year or so in bottle but then will decline, probably pretty rapidly from not a very high peak. These should be drunk soon.
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just fabulous - with that Price tag is has so much more than you normally get; not just in bordeaux but anywhere....wont last another decade though... allow me to copy in the notes of Chris Cissac (I can highly recommend to sign up on his winedoctor web page) (Chateau Fourcas Hosten Listrac) This is 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. A lovely nose here, firm aromatics, with smoky and exotic fruit notes. Clean but concentrated fruit on the palate with a trace of oak although this is integrating very nicely. A very polished, firm style, although with lovely structure, the clean ripe core of tannins only coming out at the very finish. There are pretty, floral nuances to provide some interest, and a little length to it as well. Very good indeed.
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Agree with most reviews that this is a nice wine and very characteristic of Bordeaux. Lots of earthy notes with a nice loamy nose. Good acidity and nice balance. The only know I would have against this wine is that the finish is a little thin, but for the price I would say this is excellent value.
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13.0% - Double decanted/ Clear, med to deep garnet / clean, med intensity - cassis cream, ripe wild strawberry, pencil lead, cedar, cigar box, smoky / dry, med+ acidity, med body, med to high supple tannin, med+ intensity, med length. Classic Bordeaux, this is showing well and still has a couple of years to mature and gain in complexity. We had this one next to a 05 Le Grand Vin from Osoyoos Larose from British Columbia. Both were as enjoyable on that night but the Fourcas Hosten will probably keep up for a little longer.
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BYOB HT14#2; 10/12/2014-10/13/2014: #BYOB - Tasted this wine earlier this year, and even though I liked it then it really impressed me a lot more tonight. Very much Bordeaux on the nose with cedar cigar box, coffee, blackcurrants, barnyard and a touch of raw bell pepper. Good acidity and a good intensity. Some tannins but still very approachable right now. I liked this a lot!
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Finishers' bottle in Marathon du Medoc opened a year after the finish. Suave, pleasantly fruity, good overall composure and texture, very open right from the start. Really good and ready now.
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Tasted blind. Earth, cedar, Cab aromas. Obvious Bdx or maybe a cool climate Bdx blend. Slightly short on the finish, echoes of sandalwood. Good balance but not very exciting.
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Vinbanken med Elke Ljung och Anders Röttorp (Magnusson Fine Wines): Brunröd färg, dragning åt tegel. Doft som domineras av stall, tobak, läder och en del mörk frukt. Lite rosor och viol tillsammans med salvia och lakrits. Smaken stram med torra tanniner med lite mörk frukt i bakgrunden.
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Nose: Direct and rich, lots of black current and dark fruit, stables, leather and some cigarbox. Palate: stringent and firm; mediumbodied. Black current here as well, but more constrained. Good acid, and with some spices in the finish, which is a little bit short. Worked very well with my steak and roquefort creamsauce.
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Jag lät dekantera vinet i flera timmar. Tyckte doften ganska angenäm med toner av röda bär. Inte bdx-typisk. (odammig) I munne kryddigt med lite tanniner. Lite obalanserad pga känsla av hög alkohol. Ganska kort etfersmak. det är inte ovanligt att vin doftar bättre än det smakar, vilket var fallet här. Ok, men inte mer.
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Spicy with prominent tannins. It's slightly unbalanced with too much taste of alcohol. The feeling of too much alcohol dies down after a few hours, but what is left is thin and unappealing.
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Hällde upp och lät det luftas i glaset en stund. Förvånasvärt ljust i färgen, nästan lite känsla av Nebbiolo. Första sniffen, massor med stall. Därefter en del rosor, viol, lite mörka bär. Så småningom också bittermandel, lakrits och möjligen lite kaffe. I munnen, ganska stram med torra tanniner. Bra syror men kanske lite kort. Gillade doften bättre än smaken. Inget sällskapsvin, men funkade ganska bra till Gnocchi med ragu på lammfärs och skogschampinjoner.
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Granato abbastanza cupo. All’impatto è tipico, con mirtillo, ribes, poi inusuali cenni di carne arrosto, chiodo di garofano e garrigue. Incipiente grafite. Ancora molto acerbo. Più coerente in bocca, gradevole nella soavità del frutto. tannini in via di riconciliazione
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Currant, licorice, eucalyptus and lead pencil flavor with copious acidity. Somewhat thin mid-palate. The finish is relatively short with generous fine tannins. Somewhat unbalanced.
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Even more closed and un-yielding than last taste (12 months ago). Almost no fruit present on the palate to start with. Very thin and hollow. After a while it takes on some wheight, but remains uninsipiring at this stage.
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Still closed on the nose, opens up a little bit after 4 hours with a more classic Medoc nose of cedar, lead pencil, blackberries and undergrowth. Sweeter than I remembered in the attack, but quite acid and tannic, typical for the vintage I suppose. OK with food if you decant it 3-4 hours.
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A little closed, but opens up with time. Restrained nose of cedar and primary fruit. Medium bodied, a little unbalanced towards the acid side, but given time the fruit will open up more and it will take on weight. Will not drink again until 2-3 years. Good value for money in such a great vintage.
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A little disappointing. I expected more from this Chateau in such a great vintage. There are better wines across the river in Côtes de Bourg that are half the price.
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1/25/2024 - Oliverl1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Purchased half a case recently at local retail. Decanted for 12 hours. Lots of tannins present and still tastes on the young side but has definitely started drinking! Classic Médoc and typical characteristics of the 2005 vintage of course. This such a tremendous wine for $29. I wish I had more. Drink now or hold for up to 10 more years.
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12/6/2023 - Jake Barnes wrote: 85 Points
From a bottle purchased recently at retail. Perfect cork, fill, and color. About 50/50 tertiary notes verses aged fruit on the nose and palate with decent balance. Not over the hill, but definitely getting older and not particularly better, as Michael Broadbent would have said. I’ll bet this was quite a tasty young wine, but now it’s just becoming generically tertiary and unexciting. 13% ABV (good/**/13.5/85)
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8/13/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: 89 Points
A classic Medoc nose, comforting and complete in its aromas if not profound in its expression, full of blackcurrant jelly, cedar, ink, a little pop of green peppercorn. A little rough and tumble on the palate and slightly astringent on its own, but a suitable accompaniment to beef, which is of course how this sort of thing ought to be enjoyed. And it is very enjoyable for what it is.
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8/9/2023 - Oliverl1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Excellent value. Purchased a few bottles from local retail. The bottles were in great condition with perfect fill levels. Typical characteristics of the 2005 vintage, backwards and tannic! However, after about 10 to 12 hours, this wine really opened up. Still on the young side, I think it will be a good few more years before this wine reaches its peak. At least another 10 years of life left in these bottles.
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6/6/2022 - Jeanda Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Grande déception pour ce vin bu à plusieurs reprises, sur plusieurs années. Le vin ne s'est jamais vraiment ouvert et se montrait à chaque fois décharné.
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8/15/2019 - UTPK wrote:
At last this one has opened up and is drinking well for an everyday Bordeaux. Nothing spectacular but classic claret.
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6/28/2019 - UTPK wrote:
Finally open. Quite nice for such a small Bordeaux. The vintage helps a lot. This one has a very good price quality ratio. Classic left bank nose albeit not with all the nuances of the classified bunch.
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11/30/2016 - Marius Cavasdan Likes this wine: 89 Points
Que faire avec la confit de canard et les lentilles puy? Un mélange Merlot majoritaire, est mûr en bouche, mais avec une fraîcheur agréable. Beaux tanins. Belle structure à seulement 13% d'alcool. Tres bon prix!
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11/6/2016 - Sotto325 wrote: 88 Points
I have always found FH to be a consistent cru bourgeois for decades, much like Poujeaux. Expecting another simple but nice restaurant wine that drank well in a great vintage, I was surprised by the angularity and unyielding flavors even after an hour in the decanter. Wonderful color of dark red robe, almost black garnet, and the nose had as much oak and forest as it did a hint of cherry. The wine took a half hour to shed its acidic profile, yielding a warm but unvariegated simplistic flavor profile that at this stage is no better than an inexpensive recent vintage St. Emillon. This will improve no doubt but how much remains to be seen. So hold for five or more years or give it at Christmas.
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5/5/2016 - ccn wrote: 87 Points
Disappointing for the 2005 vintage. Quite light, closed, not a lot of fruit and borderline thin. Some pencil shavings, reasonable acidity and only slightly woody / eucalyptusy tannins, which end on a very slightly drying note. Really not sure whether there is going to be much interesting here once the tannins fade/integrate. Probably would be better with red meat.
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4/13/2016 - tzelmer wrote: 85 Points
A bit metallic on the initial nose. With some air, sour cherry, simple aroma. Decently balanced palate with nothing particularly interesting. May improve for another year or so in bottle but then will decline, probably pretty rapidly from not a very high peak. These should be drunk soon.
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2/23/2016 - MatLot Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bonne bouteille, bien aimé bon rapport/prix. Des signes de vieillissement mais très bon maintenant. Ne pas mettre en carafe, ouvrir et servir !
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1/24/2016 - swaap wrote: 80 Points
Nez peu expressif, arômes de café et de cacao, tanins asséchants et bouche trop courte.
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12/6/2015 - blackace Likes this wine: 86 Points
Not impressive but drinkable
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10/6/2015 - Chateau du Fey 1994 wrote:
Burnt toast nose. Nice wine. Great QPR.
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4/19/2015 - matthewjcox26 Likes this wine: 80 Points
Clear. Very dark cherries. Clean nose. Tobacco, cedar, dark fruits. Medium-high tannin, black cherries, cedar. Long finish.
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2/17/2015 - Perthor01 Likes this wine: 90 Points
just fabulous - with that Price tag is has so much more than you normally get; not just in bordeaux but anywhere....wont last another decade though...
allow me to copy in the notes of Chris Cissac (I can highly recommend to sign up on his winedoctor web page)
(Chateau Fourcas Hosten Listrac) This is 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. A lovely nose here, firm aromatics, with smoky and exotic fruit notes. Clean but concentrated fruit on the palate with a trace of oak although this is integrating very nicely. A very polished, firm style, although with lovely structure, the clean ripe core of tannins only coming out at the very finish. There are pretty, floral nuances to provide some interest, and a little length to it as well. Very good indeed.
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1/10/2015 - Chateau du Fey 1994 wrote: 91 Points
Agree with most reviews that this is a nice wine and very characteristic of Bordeaux. Lots of earthy notes with a nice loamy nose. Good acidity and nice balance. The only know I would have against this wine is that the finish is a little thin, but for the price I would say this is excellent value.
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11/7/2014 - SiR wrote: 89 Points
13.0% - Double decanted/ Clear, med to deep garnet / clean, med intensity - cassis cream, ripe wild strawberry, pencil lead, cedar, cigar box, smoky / dry, med+ acidity, med body, med to high supple tannin, med+ intensity, med length. Classic Bordeaux, this is showing well and still has a couple of years to mature and gain in complexity.
We had this one next to a 05 Le Grand Vin from Osoyoos Larose from British Columbia. Both were as enjoyable on that night but the Fourcas Hosten will probably keep up for a little longer.
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10/13/2014 - Lilja Likes this wine: 90 Points
BYOB HT14#2; 10/12/2014-10/13/2014: #BYOB - Tasted this wine earlier this year, and even though I liked it then it really impressed me a lot more tonight. Very much Bordeaux on the nose with cedar cigar box, coffee, blackcurrants, barnyard and a touch of raw bell pepper. Good acidity and a good intensity. Some tannins but still very approachable right now. I liked this a lot!
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9/6/2014 - AV2012 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Finishers' bottle in Marathon du Medoc opened a year after the finish.
Suave, pleasantly fruity, good overall composure and texture, very open right from the start. Really good and ready now.
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5/18/2014 - Timbalimba wrote: 87 Points
Tasted blind. Earth, cedar, Cab aromas. Obvious Bdx or maybe a cool climate Bdx blend. Slightly short on the finish, echoes of sandalwood. Good balance but not very exciting.
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4/12/2014 - larseman Likes this wine: 87 Points
Vinbanken med Elke Ljung och Anders Röttorp (Magnusson Fine Wines): Brunröd färg, dragning åt tegel.
Doft som domineras av stall, tobak, läder och en del mörk frukt. Lite rosor och viol tillsammans med salvia och lakrits.
Smaken stram med torra tanniner med lite mörk frukt i bakgrunden.
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4/12/2014 - Conde wrote: 87 Points
Nose: Direct and rich, lots of black current and dark fruit, stables, leather and some cigarbox.
Palate: stringent and firm; mediumbodied. Black current here as well, but more constrained. Good acid, and with some spices in the finish, which is a little bit short. Worked very well with my steak and roquefort creamsauce.
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4/9/2014 - Gott vin Likes this wine: 89 Points
Jag lät dekantera vinet i flera timmar. Tyckte doften ganska angenäm med toner av röda bär. Inte bdx-typisk. (odammig)
I munne kryddigt med lite tanniner. Lite obalanserad pga känsla av hög alkohol. Ganska kort etfersmak.
det är inte ovanligt att vin doftar bättre än det smakar, vilket var fallet här. Ok, men inte mer.
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4/8/2014 - Livermore wrote: 82 Points
Spicy with prominent tannins. It's slightly unbalanced with too much taste of alcohol. The feeling of too much alcohol dies down after a few hours, but what is left is thin and unappealing.
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4/4/2014 - larseman Likes this wine: 87 Points
Hällde upp och lät det luftas i glaset en stund. Förvånasvärt ljust i färgen, nästan lite känsla av Nebbiolo.
Första sniffen, massor med stall. Därefter en del rosor, viol, lite mörka bär. Så småningom också bittermandel, lakrits och möjligen lite kaffe.
I munnen, ganska stram med torra tanniner. Bra syror men kanske lite kort. Gillade doften bättre än smaken. Inget sällskapsvin, men funkade ganska bra till Gnocchi med ragu på lammfärs och skogschampinjoner.
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9/9/2013 - Ludi Likes this wine: 87 Points
Granato abbastanza cupo. All’impatto è tipico, con mirtillo, ribes, poi inusuali cenni di carne arrosto, chiodo di garofano e garrigue. Incipiente grafite. Ancora molto acerbo. Più coerente in bocca, gradevole nella soavità del frutto. tannini in via di riconciliazione
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12/11/2011 - bin905 wrote: 87 Points
Currant, licorice, eucalyptus and lead pencil flavor with copious acidity. Somewhat thin mid-palate. The finish is relatively short with generous fine tannins. Somewhat unbalanced.
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11/14/2011 - Gravedigga wrote: 89 Points
A bit closed still but still nice. The nose is quite floral. The body is a bit thin but it's nice on the palate.
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5/20/2011 - Binder wrote: 90 Points
Meget flot, rigtigt drikkeklar nu.
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2/10/2011 - UTPK wrote:
Even more closed and un-yielding than last taste (12 months ago). Almost no fruit present on the palate to start with. Very thin and hollow. After a while it takes on some wheight, but remains uninsipiring at this stage.
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6/15/2010 - lagrein wrote: 88 Points
Still needs some ageing: wood is too present.
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1/10/2010 - UTPK wrote:
Still closed on the nose, opens up a little bit after 4 hours with a more classic Medoc nose of cedar, lead pencil, blackberries and undergrowth. Sweeter than I remembered in the attack, but quite acid and tannic, typical for the vintage I suppose. OK with food if you decant it 3-4 hours.
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9/15/2009 - UTPK wrote:
A little closed, but opens up with time. Restrained nose of cedar and primary fruit. Medium bodied, a little unbalanced towards the acid side, but given time the fruit will open up more and it will take on weight. Will not drink again until 2-3 years. Good value for money in such a great vintage.
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8/9/2008 - ctwomey wrote: 85 Points
A little disappointing. I expected more from this Chateau in such a great vintage. There are better wines across the river in Côtes de Bourg that are half the price.
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4/5/2006 - PanosKakaviatos wrote: 87 Points
BORDEAUX 2005 / Cabernet rules; 4/5/2006-4/10/2006 (Bordeaux): Slightly green notes, with some red fruit on the nose and a hint of plum. The palate is medium bodied and fruity but nothing very substantial either. 86-87+
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