This wine is holding steady. Brambly dark fruit and some plummy sweetness. Med+ tannin still but in good balance with the solid acidity and concentration of flavors. Good length with some tertiary notes of leather and cigar box starting to show up. I think this will continue to age nicely. Longish (4+ hours minimum) now, longer if able. Or better yet, wait 5 years.
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Beautiful showing. 3 years since my last, not entirely convincing bottle, and this is back to old form. A nose that can only be Bdx, dark fruit with great freshness, perfectly integrated wood spices. Good structure from the tannins which are however well integrated. Medium body with good concentration. Medium finish, could be longer but hey this is a (great) Cru Bourgeois. One of the few 05s that never shut down, and for sure good for another 10 years. Super QPR - paid $40 back then and would not be surprised if you could still find it at similar prices.
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Getting a large dose of new wood out of the gate on the nose. The palate has more to say with the wood just joining the conversation. The aromas fade slowly. By night two its well integrated into a nicely dark and surprisingly deep wine. Not real complex but complete. In a maturing place. Solid.
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Wonderful St. Estephe which really aged gracefully. The bouquet started with dark cassis notes and some cedar. With extra time some meaty, umami notes develop. The tannins are soft and melting but it has a good structure and length to develop beautiful and be enjoyable over the next decade or more.
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Latest bottle showed a lot of tobacco ( almost barn yard), superb length still supported by great tannin. I won't rush the last two bottles as it could be that 2005 is finally hitting the heights we were hoping for.
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This is very good with great QPR. Really pretty with graphite and floral black fruit nose. The tannins are fine and silky palate. Plummy and very enjoyable.
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Braucht immer noch viel Luft bzw. einige Jahre im Keller. Dann ist das ein erstklassiger, perfekt ausbalancierter Bordeaux. Frucht, Tannine, Säure - alles in perfektem Einklang. Erst am Anfang seines Optimums!
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Excellent st Estephe in early maturity. Black currants and hints of cedar spice with coffee. Tannins are rather mild and for a ‘05 but there’s plenty of structure. Excellent finish.
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What a great wine this is. Wonderful fruit, top balanced with lots of back flavors. Absolutely at its peak right now and will hold up there for a bit. Not a marathon candidate. winestorage.it
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Excellent. Superb Bordeaux from great year. 13.5% alc. Colour: deep red berries, crimson edges Bouquet: red berries and plums, mint, slight delicatessen developed character and smokiness. Palate: characters as bouquet, voluptuous and concentrated, leather and Vegemite, full bodied but incredibly smooth and balanced, with good fruit character still, soft firm tannins, dry with very long finish. Still drinking beautifully on 2nd night. Colour and palate more black than red fruits though. February 2022
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A nice pour from a recent wine party. No info on the air it got but suspect it was opened at the start of the event & didn't get all it deserved. Got my pour about 2+hrs in with less than half of the btl left. Still some residual oak and structure to work through but this is loaded with intense concentration and fruit. The nose is already sublime. I'll keep an eye for some of these for my cellar too 93+
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My last bottle shared with a good friend. Rocking. Delicious and memorable. On song. Fully integrated. Consumed alongside Dme de Chevalier 2004. We enjoyed both and I really like 2004, but this stood taller and was everything I like a bottle to be. Tempted to hunt down another case while I drum my fingers for the 2010!
Intrigued by the latest previous reviews of this wine. To my mind this is still very youthful, buoyed by its 13.5% ABV. The château's website is infuriating in terms of getting assemblage details. However, to my humble palate, this is classic St Estèphe and not the more modern fruit bombs from grander neighbours that belie the terroir. Colour: deep red, thin rim, purple tinge. Nose: full, fresh, ripe, cassis, v. St Estèphe Taste: med body, v. classical, good fruit, four square, still tannic. Med finish, good ripe fruit, v St Estèphe. Overall, a good representation of the appellation and the vintage, clearly more structured than its almost eponymous neighbour, which I like in spite of its underperformance. Plenty of life ahead and much pleasure to come.
Perfect cork. Quintessential Bordeaux with a lovely bouquet of some old school funk and cedar. Still a puppy, this has some way to go yet but I don’t think that it has the complexity to develop much further. Still enjoyed this very much though, firm tannins and fruit is restrained rather than overripe for such a big vintage.
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blind half bottle from a perfect stored bottle. It was really late in the evening so I have not many notes. At his peak, typical BX from a warm vintage. Everything is balanced, missing length and density. 91
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Contrairement à Ericsson, je n'ai pas trouvé que le vin manquait de matière. Les notes tertiaires commencent mais le fruit est encore bien présent. Notes chocolatées /sucrées, tannins assez souples, belle harmonie d'ensemble, difficile de ne pas aimer! 92
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Decanted for ~30 min. Lively deep ruby, savory nose with hints of oak and barnyard. Dry, medium-medium(+) acidity, medium mellow tannins, medium alcohol and medium(+) body. Palate with ample black fruit, leather and butterscotch notes framed by supple texture and elegant structure. Complex layered finish for minutes. Deliciously matured and a demonstration of the longevity of this top vintage. Cellaring potential 5-10 years.
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At lunch with Alex, served with 2000 Meyney this was deeper fruited, more primary but also early mature, more heft than the Meyney but a lovely pair of semi mature Saint-Estèphe
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Decanted for a couple of hours. Wow, this was totally different to the 2004 Giscours we had the other day, so much better! Sweet perfumey cassis on the nose, perhaps a touch of barnyard when opened but that had disappeared after the decant. The palate was smooth, integrated tannins, excellent cassis, very delicious. This is definitely in its drinking window and will surely last more years in the cellar.
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Bu sur 2 jours, sans changement notable. Bouteille et bouchon parfaits. Robe grenat à bords légèrement orangés. Au nez, arômes de cèdre, de fruits rouges, de pierre. La bouche est bien construite, linéaire avec une bonne acidité mais il manque de matière - surtout dans un millésime comme 2005 - et d’un peu de richesse. Bon vin mais assez simple. A boire, selon moi ne s’améliorera plus. 89-90
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Wow, pnp, a classic Bordeaux on the nose, strong pleasent smell of dark cassis, spice and earthy tones, rigth from the start demanding tannin, still dense and challeging the palate, overall very well structured, prominent fruit here, but a lot is going on, stable, peppery, in the background very lively acid, entering its drinking window, but in my honest opinion surely made for a decade+ more, lingering finish, outstanding bottle, **(**), 91-93 Update 20 hours later: still fresh on the palate, great mouthfeel and structure, one of the best bottles from this producer enjoyed ever!
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3 months since my last bottle. Pnp and drank over some 3h. Transparent but still fairly dark garnet with a widening clear team. Very pretty and aromatic nose with fine wood spices. The palate does not entirely measure up as it lacks a bit of fruit concentration for such a great Bdx vintage at age 15. Medium tannins. Good length finish. Slightly disappointing, this seemed to promise a bit more 5 years ago. Well it’s a Cru bourgeois after all, a good reminder perhaps to open a first bottle of some of the bigger 05s. No rush drinking though as this will certainly last another 15 years easily (the 82 is still drinking very well). 90-91
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I think Blauweiss has it spot on. Perfect claret colour. Nose initially a little menthol chemical vs cedar but that mellowed. Then a classic St Estephe balance of minerals and fruit. Each section well defined and some interesting acidity ( almost riesling like!) makes this a very serious wine. 2005 showing really well now
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Dark fruit dominate on the nose with sweet cassis and some oak that almost pointed towards Napa at first, but on the palate the structure is more acidity, a lot more smooth tha powerful in a gracious left-bank style. A very pretty, somewhat modern claret in a perfect drinking window. Good fruit, good balance, good length, really tasty!
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Gorgeous nose of dark fruit, dark wood, damp stone minerals nose, palate is almost silky, with medium body and good weight, medium tannins, medium acidity but a really nice length
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Drank over 2 days. 6th bottle in fairly regular intervals since 2012. This has softened since my last bottle in 2018 but I do not like the wine as much as I did in 2015 when it was still showing some of its youthful richness. One of the few 2005 that never closed down. On day 1 this is showing as a traditional and strict St Estephe, correct but perhaps a bit too restrained to be a lot of fun to drink. On day 2 (open bottle in fridge over night), this is soft and mellow, clearly showing the fairly high share of Merlot with some toast, and wanting me to see a bit more of the rigidity and Cab Sauv features of day 1. Would give it a good decant and drink over the next 3-4 years.
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First bottle badly corked. Second bottle was fine with hardly any tannin left. Dark fruit flavors with dried herbal aromas, a bit of cassis and tobacco. Hint of oak. Very ripe and drinking perfectly now. One bottle of a case left, so I timed this well.
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Annual "Chai Tea" at Jeff;s. Pnp. Dark red in color. Muted nose initially, but floral and dark fruit fragrances soon arrive. Blackberries and black currants in thre mouth along with some licorice. Medium body with tannin resolved. A very pleasant drink.
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limited notes. unlike some other 2005 Bdx i've had, this was showing very nicely, and open for business. Classic bdx, well balanced with a hint of funk. wish i had bought more back in the day. drink now and for some while still
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Dark, ashen and tannic. Full bodied. Mushroom complexity starting to set in. Very savoury and long draw on this one. Very drinkable, but keep wine rookies away from it. It’s more than a bit of a ‘wine for grown ups’. Drink next in 5-10 years at any time. Still some more room for development. Flavour and tannin in balance. 4.5/5.
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Meh...Its probably one of the least interesting Phelan that I have had to date. These wines tend to me very muscular and full of tar and coffee...Not here....Seemed like an attempt at elegance that just missed. I have 2 more, to be continued....But time will not hurt this because now, its just Meh...Hold for 5 years or more.
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This wine is evolving at a glacial pace. Already enjoyable--delicious, like so many 2005s it will be so much better with five to seven more years of proper cellaring.
Perfect cork; unquestioned provenance. Opened in the morning, decanted, and allowed to breath for eight hours. Served at 16 degrees.
Deep, pure dark red colour. Great viscosity. Beautiful luster in the glass. Red fruits, a bit of oak and sage. Complex.
Beautiful plushness with this wine; great richness and weight but with real savour and lift. The 50% merlot is really shinning through right now.
Great food wine and I look to trying it again in 2023. Potential 92+ with some more bottle age
Erste sekundäre Noten, gefällt mir schon richtig gut, 1 Stunde in der Karaffe, Abgang bleibt schon länger als noch im Januar...wird besser aber ja, bereits 10 von 12 Flaschen weg. Was solls, ich mag Phelan Segur halt einfach...
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Airoldi Fine Wines Winter Tasting (Oak Barrel, Elizabeth Street, Sydney): Coffee, chocolate, ripe blackcurrant and a little plum, leather, sweet spice, brambles and slight cedar. Juicy and fleshy with similar flavours supported by tannic burr. Wonderfully balanced. A long life ahead. Glorious.
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Been coravining a glass here and there and last night while cooking dinner I decided to open the bottle and finish it before my guests arrived (nothing like a head start). Similar to the previous bottles I have consumed with a nose of dark fruit, the palate is dark berries, some pipe tobacco, olives and dried thyme. Finish is moderate. This was the last bottle of a half case that I bought back in 2010. When I went looking for it in the tracker to write this note I noticed that I have 2 bottles of the 1996 so I will tag them for Thanksgiving.
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Full, complex and very classic nose. Black currant, gravel, cedar. Rich and open. Ready. Some leather and barnyard, but in an elegant way. Rich, full palate. Refreshing acidic spine. Ripe but quite powerful tannins. Structured balance between oak, cedar, black currant fruit and liquorice. Long. Surprisingly high quality on this bottle. Better than other 2005's of the same quality level tasted during the fall (for instance Dom Chevalier and Brane Cantenac).
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Rich, inviting nose of dark fruits. Same in the mouth, with just enough sweetness to balance everything out. Very little grip on the long finish - just a lovely, smooth, rich mouthfull of wine. Definitely St Estephe. Very definitely into its optimum drinking window but with a long, long life ahead of it. Delicious.
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I am beginning to turn my back on st estephe since i am never really impressed. Here i think balance was off - too much oak, certainly for an 05. Med body, med acid, med tannins. Decent, but really poor qpr.
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Similar to the bottle I had last year. We pnp'd through a vintorio. Dark fruit on the nose. Dark berries, tobacco, olives and thyme. A moderate to long finish.
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Last night the 2005 Chateau Gruaud Larose, and tonight the Phelan Segur from the same vintage. Initially, I thought the latter flagged far behind the former. But the longer into the evening I go and the more the liquor matures in the air, the better I think it is. Nevertheless, the nod goes to Gruaud Larose. The exceptional cru did well, but not as well...
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Rich nose of red fruit, earth, spices. Dramatic, just starting to show maturity. Palate is bone dry, slightly tight but opening to show more tart red fruit, silky texture and fine balance. Gentle tannins and pepper on the finish, surprisingly long. In a good place now, very good, heading towards a long plateau. Drink now or hold.
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Pnp. Had a number of bottles of the 05 Phelan Segur over the years. This is much less open and forward than it was 3-5 years ago. A classic, structured St. Estephe now which seems to require more time or a proper decant. Followed the 09 Petit Lafitte and this was night and day. Much more rigid and almost strict in its nature, medium body with just enough fruit, fine to medium tannins, unlike the 09, no signs of sweetness or overripeness. Would give it another 2-3 years. 91+
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Freak’n awesome bdx. Unfortunate my last bottle. This has been drinking well for years but continues to improve. A little smoke and coffee on the nose. Palate with dark fruit mixed with some mint eucalyptus. Coarse tannins but in the background. A leather/tobacco note is trying to emerge and pokes though mostly on the finish. St Estephe profile on the nose, more Pauillac on the palate. Still on the upswing but delicious now. Will have to find more.
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Looking for an oldschool Bordeaux from a great vintage at a fair price? Then this is a wine for you. Great, ripe, fruit but no sign of modern winemaking. Fullbodied with dark fruit. Better than some vintages of Montrose and Cos.
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Needed 1h of air to open up. Overall a very good wine, but nothing remarkable. Tannins are still present, and the blend of fruit and oak can be felt. Medium finish. I would hold a couple of years if I had another bottle.
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Certainly more closed than the last two, probably needs another 5 years. But even now, fine grained elegant tannins make it drinkable. Lovely long finish with a marzipan note. Solid fruit, wonderful "full body" experience.
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The Grand Tour - day nine (Bordeaux): Blackcurrant, spice, slight leather, earth and cigar box, crushed rock. Slightly dusty. Juicy, savoury but with ripe fruit, taninns are tight but softening and lends a liquorice notes. Wine travels very long. Still needs time for me.
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Showing more tannin than my last bottle. A lovely expression of St Esther, with powerful smoke and tar nose with roasted coffee and cassis on the palate. Fine tannins present throughout. Aromatic enough to suggest early maturity but tannins would suggest a long aging curve. Drink or hold.
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Really nice nose of dark cassis, plum, blueberries, some smoke and pepper. On the palate initially a bit stern but opening up with time. Quite soft and velvety, more elegant than powerfull. Good fruit, supportive tannins, good lenght. Some game and forest towards the end. A lovely wine in the beginning of its drinking window.
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Very ready now with an hour's decant of this 375. The smokey St Estephe tones are nicely blended with the generous fruit in 2005 to yield a far more sophisticated Phelan Segur than in years past, when it was more angular. Smoke, forest scents, animal , tree bark, dark cherry/cassis and a very full mouth fell, with only a slight rough edge to the velvet.
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Aging nicely. We opened and drank over 4 hours. The nose is dark fruit. The palate is dark berries, dark plums, olives and thyme. The finish is nice, smooth with hints of dried herbs.
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nose of black fruits. On the palate very smooth, but still complex and engaging; medium-bodied, nicely balanced; hints of game towards the finish. Great wine
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Very dark colour with some fading at the rim Very roasty nose, like Turkish coffee Lots of oak on the palate too, dark chocolate, more coffee, some rather drying tannins but there's some nice sweet fruit under it all Finish is all toasty notes and not much else Not in a good place at the moment. That oak is so obtrusive. If I had this I'd keep to see what happens.
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Nose: cedary blackcurrant, white pepper, soft coriander. Palate: SO SOFT AND VELVETY. Omg. I could snuggle up in a blanket made of this. Beautiful woodsy dark cherry pie crust, vanilla, orange zest, white tea. Not as complex or exceptional as I'd expect from an '05 BDX, but still - I'm not sorry I bought it, I'm not sorry I'm drinking it, and I'm going to buy more.
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Really enjoyable after a couple of hours of air. This is at the beginning of it's drinking window. It's nice with food and easy drinking with it's low 13.5 alc. Very good value.
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Granato cupo. Classici caffè, ribes, mirtillo, grafite, spezie orientali (netto il pepe giapponese), goudron, un delizioso floreale di violetta. Rispondente, classica eleganza bordolese, molto lungo
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purchased some bottles some weeks ago by auction, tried this one to see how well this wine is showing now, popped and poured, very dark colour, intense fragrance of this bottle, not much fruit there, all packed with mocha, cedar, coffee and liquorice, still some grainy tannin, opened up by airation, some black berry, but the foreground is kept by the casks aromas, midweight to fullbodied, long aftertaste, lacking some elegancy and finesse, the wine is entering its drinking window now, still needing some air to evolve in the glass, for the next decade++, **(*+- *), 88-92+?
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Such a great St. Estephe for the money. Expressive nose of smoke, flint, and a little manure. Palate is mostly black fruit with fine still prominent tannin. Moderate length adding a menthol note. A solid mid to upper tier bdx as it doesn't have the polish of higher priced chateaux. This still has some upside but more approachable than you might expect from a northern left bank.
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I had a glass through the coravin last week and decided to open the bottle tonight. Dark fruit on the nose, the palate was dark berries, black olives, some leather and a hint of thyme. A nice finish made it a most enjoyable wine.
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Nose of currant, blackberry, dry earth, leather. Well integrated on the palate with sweet fruits backed up by evident but complimentary tannin, a little rough still. Very savory and full in the mouth, a juicy wine. Very satisfying. Drinking well and can last quite some time. Best drinking from now to 2021.
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Drunk next to the 1996. Seems to be the same wine just not that mature, with quite present tannin, black currant and the same portion of barnyard as the 1996 Phélan. Wait another 5 years and you will get big Bordeaux at its peak (93-95 points).
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During a guided tasting I hosted with a friend. Single blind. Medium garnet. Nose of dark fruit, forest floor, horse saddle, cedar. This is unmistakably Medoc. Enters the palate with very good fruit and structure, not rusting despite being a St.Estephe. This 2005 has come along nicely since I last tasted it an has entered the drinking window if decanted for 1h. A very classic and nice left bank Bordeaux for a very reasonable price. 93
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Tasting at home. Super classic Left Bank notes of black currant/cassis, elderberries, eucalyptus, licorice, some barnyard and a touch of green bellpepper. It's medium-full bodied with medium+ acidity and still medium+ tannin that is very good quality. Good length. A super classic, old-school St-Estèphe and an excellent value.
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Really classic style Bordeaux, with graphite, mocha, earth, leather, with drying dark berry fruit notes, palate is quite smooth, with medium acidity and length, the tannins are a touch bitter but integrating nicely at this point, no rush to consume
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Dark nose of black currant and black plum with hints of licorice and charred earth. Dense and powerful on the palate with dark flavors of currant, plum, acai and suggestions of turned soil. It's an earthy wine, brooding in nature. Nicely constructed and well balanced, this has potential to evolve nicely for some time.
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No decant, conusmed over 2 days. Pretty young at the moment. Palate improves with time. On the second day the wine was much better. Give it another 1-2 years. 91+ pts
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Bordeaux (Portobellos): Decanted two hours. Fruity nose. There is good concentration here. The wine is pretty plush and fruity with a fair amount of tannin still. Slight notes of pencil shavings, earth, leather and mocha. One of the guys said that he thought the finish was a bit short for this wine and questioned the storage, which was interesting as the wine was recently sourced from Wine Bid. I enjoyed the wine however.
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Drinkable, but the bottle wasn't correct as it seemingly had some brett bloom and came across as more of a Cote Du Rhone with a fine menthol streak. Unlike my other bottles.
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Decanted for 30 mins. Consistent with previous note. Pencil shaving, red fruit, dark forest floor, and caramel on the nose. The palate was smoothe and elegant. This medium bodied wine had a mouthful of softened tannins yet the finish was a bit short. Another lovely bottle.
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Poured into decanter and started drinking immediately. A deep and concentrated nose of sous bois and dark berries, the palate does not follow through entirely with dark, creamy fruit but also still some wood, fine to medium, drying tannins, relatively short finish. Palate improves with longer decanting time. 91-92. Decant 1h or give it another 1-2 years.
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Slow oxed the wine for two days in the wine fridge by mistake. I expected the wine to turn into vinegar. When i poured the wine into the glass, the black currants, sweet red fruits, herbs, wet forest floor and cedar wood had emerged from the glass. The palate had a good balance between fruit and other components. Yes, the wine had limited depth, but for the money, the wine was a treat. This is the best bottle I had among the last 8.
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Popped and poured. It was an elegant wine with mocha, dark fruits, and caramel. The balance of the wine was nice in terms of fruit, acidity and body. An easy drinking and accessible bordeaux that is ready to drink right now with a 5-8 year drinking window. I would consume it now to enjoy it.
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This for me is why I drink Bordeaux when I get a leftbank need, expressive with mocha,graphite, dark fruit with dust supporting, palate has wonderful fresh dark fruit with minerals and medium acidity. Doesn't over power or exhaust the palte yet it leaves one wanting more
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Last bottle and I wish I had more. Still quite concentrated with very dark fruit, but not forward. Lovely flavors of sweet tobacco in the mid palate. Great purity and smoothness. Decent finish.
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Opened 6 bottles of this tonight. Its very soft and elegant. The nose had black fruits, tobacco, charcoal, and cedar wood with floralness. It was a medium bodied wine with finesse. The palate was silky with a very balanced body. This is a great bordeaux for qpr in a lovely drinking window now. A 30 mins to 1 hour decant would bring the best out of this.
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Surprisingly open and soft for an '05. Typical St. Estephe, with black fruit, a little pepper, and plenty of smoke and charcoal mixed in. Fine acidity with some mild coarse tannin in the background. Merlot driven, but seems ready to go. Drink now, but will hold for 5-10yrs easy.
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(Decanter's Bordeaux '05, '09, '10 tasting) :: I'm increasingly a fan of Phelan, which sits somewhat in the shadow of its bigger cousin, Calon. The 2005 offers a lovely and balanced interplay between cassis, earth tones and leather. Very little by way of bell pepper or leaf tones. The 2005 is elegant and poised rather than a blockbuster, which some might expect for the vintage. Well integrated and ready to drink.
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Nice complexity to the nose, cassis, liquorice, spices, tobacco - clean and fine. Quite traditional on the palate, a bit on the lean side again. Approachable, quite powerful, nice mouthfeel and length. Drinking well, but will keep. 91-93
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The nose was deep and dark with dried cherry, blueberry skins, notes of olive and gravel dust. On the palate, it showed silky textures with firming tannin, turning its dark red fruits to dried florals and mineral tones. The finish was quite youthful and closed in upon itself, but ultimately, this is still quite enjoyable today.
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Black fruits to start. Seet and slightly sour reds on finish. Minimal decanting time needed. Good food-level acidity. Some white pepper and cedar with leather and tobacco notes from start to finish.
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Poured into decanter and drank over several hours. Needs a good 30min to open up. Dark garnet almost to the rim. Very pretty nose with initially forest floor, then potato chips and some herbs. Medium bodied, dark fruit, oak, some tobacco. Better than 2 or 3 years ago as there is now more substance on the mid palate. Fine tannins. Medium finish. One of the few 2005 that never seemed to have closed down as the tannins were always gentle and not intrusive. If anything could have done with just a touch less oak for my taste but an excellent wine and great QPR (at least a few years ago). Ready now, but no rush, this will certainly last 10 years.
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Garnet in the glass, peppery nose. Red fruit and fine grained tannins on the palate - good structure, and good acid/tannin balance. Med+ finish. Classic bordeaux, not "new" bordeaux. Enjoyed it.
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Wonderful classic Bordeaux, notes of cassis, pencil dark cherries, really smooth but interesting palate, with acidity and tannin in check wonder why chateaux like this are not discussed more often?
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Dunkles rot. Ein Bouquet zum reinspringen; warm, wohlig, reif und süss, Pflaumen, Kräuter. Feinste Tannine, Elegant und mit ungeheurem Druck. Yep, das passt bereits und sollte noch viele Jahre so weiter gehen. Zum Glück habe ich damals 2 Kisten gebunkert.
Showing deep, dark ruby color. Showing too much Brett on the nose for me. Some call it earth, I call it just Brett. A little overpowering, but not to a level of being a fault. Can't get past the dirty, leathery notes, but it shows better on the palate, with medium body, and nice density. Notes of cedar, black cherry and asian spices.
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Dinner with the Keegan's (Our house): Initial wine of 4 with the Keegan's. Unanimous 3rd but really that's due to the strong competition as this was quite nice. Starting to finally open some of my lower tier 2005's with pretty good results. Decanted 2+ hours. Really nice nose with currant, spice, and earth. Pretty long finish where the tobacco and earthiness kicks in. Only slight criticism is a bit lean in the middle with a bit too much acidity but that doesn't take away from a very good bottle.
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Dark ruby with garnet hue. Distinctively spicy nose of cloves, oak, some dark fruit and underbush. On the palate again quite masculine with prominent tannins and acidity. Good aromatic complexity. St.Estèphe and not Volnay, what's new. All in all not bad but I prefer the 03 for once.
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92 points for the nose. Classic, pencil lead. Good tannic palate -> balance and body. Can age for some 5 - 10 years. Will ripe towards a classic Bordeaux but why wait. It's very nice now.
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What Bordeaux should taste like. While not a first growth or a legendary St Estephe like the 67 Cos D'Estournel or 55 Calon Segur, this 375 is a delight to enjoy now with an hour's decant. Like coming home again to the rich red dark fruit, rough velvet and moist moss with hints of cassis and that smokey terroir. Not complex but it may gain as it ages. A nice vintage for this estate.
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Had this at Nick's house. Excellent as always. This has evolved further since the last one I had - it's now more composed and settled, lighter and sweeter - all changes for the better. This wine has always been somewhat one-dimentioinal, if I had to find some criticism, but it's so much fun to drink and has a lovely weight and expression.
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Lovely balance with restrained power and elegance at the same time. Inky with iodine, slate, blueberry, cassis and mulberry. Love this wine. long finish with red blood meats and pepper. Structured and complex.
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This really needs allot more time to shine, but shows lovely notes of mocha, dark fruit, crushed rock and some cedar on the nose and palate, body is relatively big with acidity and tannins showing that should lead this wine to develop
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Pnp. Color dark garnet. Nose shows mostly primary fruits and some cedar. Swishing shows solid structure with taut tannins. Sipping shows this to be fruit laden but leaning more toward the structure after open for awhile. Solid.
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Not a monumental wine by any means, but a gracious and gentle representative of old school Bordeaux for this vintage. Balanced and tasty from the moment the restaurant popped the cork, but never betrayed (nor attained) a more ambitious level of performance.
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From memory. Popped and decanted. Dark color. Nose shows dark fruit,florals, cedar, spice, and a little iodine. On palate this is elegant and smooth, with fruit density to match the structure. This has decades ahead of it but is delicious now.
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Initially a wonderful classic Bdx nose of earth, green pepper. After an hour the nose became more substantial. The taste was a slight disappointment though. Didn't show the heavy cocoa and coffee of other years. Noticeable acidity and tannins, but not well integrated. I'll give it two years until the next bottle.
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Had not tried an '05 for quite some time, so poured half of a bottle into the decanter and drank over 2h. Medium garnet with translucent rim. After some of the '00 I had had recently and which were full of youthful dark fruit, this was surprisingly light on its feet. A wonderful nose with earth, barnyard, a well integrated dose of toasted oak and even some animal notes which continues into the attack but then, a bit disapointing, a somewhat dilluted mid palate which is very smooth and polished but lacks a bit of concentration and then back to a rather long beautiful finish. This wine has definitively high quality bits and pieces but somehow there is still a bit of a hole in the middle to be filled. 91+ More earth and a denser layer of fine tannins on day 2. Very good.
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Very approachable, still very dark but starting to fade at the rim. Wonderful bouquet, black currant, plum and smoke. On the palate claret at its best, blackberries, plum and a little bit of smoke. Wonderful wine seems to come into a great drinking window now.
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Espresso bean, stone, cassis, truffle make up the perfume. Round in texture, with spicy cassis and chocolate, fleshy and fresh for Phelan Segur, this delicious vintage of Phelan Segur already offers a lot early drinking charm.
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From a .75 this time, and not as impressive, pretty or complex. One senses the latent power, but it's too tight to really assess. Didn't decant, but the wine didn't show much even with a full 2 hours in the glass. Will try another glass or two tonight and report back.
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Decanted 4 hours, drank over 2 hours with grilled steak, new potatoes, and green beans. Pleasant clean cabernet fruit with a touch of earth on the nose. Moderate complexity if a bit fruit forward with currant, earth/mocha, and mild spice on the palate. Integrated, balanced toward acidity and washed down the meal nicely. Medium finish. Excellent.
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Popped and poured and let sit in the glass for an hour. Great smoky nose with espresso, black pepper, and hint of toast. Black currants on the palate which is surprisingly forward, fine soft tannins in the background that turn a little chalky on the finish. Finishes long, with mocha, granite, currants and earth. Really well polished wine with impressive balance and poise. I need to keep my hands off these and give them about 5yrs, but it is drinking very well right now.
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Very nice and surprisingly approachable '05 Big fruit nose of rich cherries, blackberries, vanilla. Palate very refined, with good freshness and smoky black fruits. Nice mouthfeel on very good finish. Under the radar Estephe with potential.
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San Antonio Wine Geeks (Pasha 1604): Popped and poured and consumed over 4-5hrs. Surprisingly approachable. Classic Ste Estephe nose with green pepper, smoke, funk, and black currants. Lush palate with fine polished tannins, black currants, pepper and lengthy finish with scorched earth, stone, and plum. very nice bdx that's drinkable now but should mature over the next decade. Neil Martin nailed this one.
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And might be 93-94 in another year or two. From a .375. Charcoal, still some toasty oak, tobacco, violets, blackberries. Drinking beautifully. The best '05 I've had so far (but the others were about a year ago). Great purity of fruit, no heat on the finish, and doesn't seem overly alcoholic or extracted. My kind of Bordeaux. Perhaps the old days are still around!
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I can never understand the lower ratings on this wine. It's one of my favorite bordeaux; so smokey, with deep penetrating dark fruit. This particular vintage of the wine is so special.
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This is promising for the years to come. Lot´s of ripe black fruit and some cedar but a little closed on the nose. Nice tannins and a very balanced wine. Has years to develop but is beautiful to drink now.
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With good color, scents of blackberries, wet earth,black cherries, stone and cassis, this medium/full bodied wine finishes with dollop of creme de cassis and blackberry jam. A few more years add more complexity to the wine, but as it's already starting to drink well at 6, do not expect this to make old bones. I'd finish any bottles you have by the time this Bordeaux wine hits its 18th birthday, if not sooner.
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Excellent cassis, leather and mocha bouquet. Light palate but a complex range of flavours including blackberry, toasty spice and cedar. Coffee and chocolate developing in the glass. Very ripe tannin, integrated and balanced with fresh acidity. Lovely, long, lingering nutty finish. Has a very bright future.
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Ruby with translucent rim and dark opaque core. Opens with cassis then dark cherry, tabacco, smoke, and wet stones. Nose finishes with cheery liqueur. Round palate with smooth tannins and pleasant acidity but nose is deceiving. Overall good, not great, but palate is lacking too much for a Bordeaux. 89
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Simple Series VI: Grosses Gewach Dinner (Peach Garden, OCBC Building): I thought this was really good. By far the best Phelan-Segur I have ever tried. Drinking pretty well too for a 2005. Nose was attractive, with vanilla, toast and a savoury damp earth character that was all very left-bank and very inviting. It was the palate that really grabbed the attention though. Clean, pure cassis and plum notes were wed to lush tobacco and woody bramble tones, with a stream of gravelly mineral running the length of the wine. All very precise and focused, and very delicious, with fine tannins and fresh acid giving the wine a nice shape and mouthfeel. Finish carried on seamlessly from the mid-palate, with fine, slightly powdery tannins caressing the mouth, and a linger of rich cassis tones closing the wine out. A real surprise. Especially excellent with the beef dish.
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2010 Simple Wine Dinner Series No.6 - SBSS "Dry" Dinner (Peach Garden @ OCBC Building): Alcohol :: 13% Beautiful vibrant dark ruby color. High tone of gravel soil, tobacco and cigar box, with hint of mint. This is still quite reserved on the nose. Silky smooth palate with noticeable polish tannins with blackberry, dark chocolate and roasted coffee bean flavors leads to slight austere finish. A well balance wine with some upside potential. This is also very Bordeaux and good QPR at great vintage. Rebuy - No as I more fond to the Montviel 2000 at slightly lower in price.
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Excellent wine. As an aside, this is the wine that Hannibal pulls out to drink when he is on the plane. Musty on the nose with scent of mushrooms and dirt, then gives way to a well-balanced wine with dark fruits. I have a few more bottles so I'm looking forward to sampling those with food.
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An expressive bouquet showing plum, coffee, chocolate and a hint of dark tobacco along with complex mineral notes of alum powder, dry stones, ash, and asphault. Very clean, with no barnyard or funkiness present. Where is the oak? Sweet, inviting entry leading to a rich palate of dark plum and chocolate that carries through to the finish which is surprisingly long and minerally. Very balanced. There are abundant tannins which are mostly hidden until the finish where they are sweet and integrated with just a little dryness. An intellectual bouquet and a sumptuous palate.
A small sample I saved for the second day showed freshness in the bouquet but was not as expressive as the night before. Smooth palate with a more apparant blue/black fruit profile with oak notes and minerals. Very well balanced among the components. The finish was more intense yesterday. Definitely a styled wine. [93-94]
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2hr decant. appears sitll young. purple. the nose is inviting. cherry, blueberry some spice, so far so good. The palate, this is where it becomes awkward, starts with a promising blush of fruit, spice and fine tannin, but quickly evoles towards the savoury with distinctively bitter notes (fruit peel, tonic) and with high minerality. surprising. good balance and medium/long finish. not a parker blockbuster this one..
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Glass decanted for an hour. Great nose of blackberry and chocholate, awesome. Needed some time in the glass to open up a bit. Long finish, some fine tannins, otherwise a nice wine. Will probably develop somewhat over time
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excellent nose, hints of chocholate, and blackberry. After an hour of glass decanting, there was a long finish with strong tannins great qualities. Will develop over time?
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I was very impressed with this - very approachable even now. Dark coffee and chocolate tones with some ripe fruit - some austerity, but it was somehow welcome, making the wine more complex. I bought the last K&L had.
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A strangely dusty nose, with hints of fig, blackberries, and tobacco. Pepper and black cherry in the mouth, good structure, but whatever gives the nose that dusty aura also obtains in the mouth. The 2005 is probably not totally ready to drink, and after an hour, still hasn't opened up completely.
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Ripe fruit, good structure, a bit simple but shows lots of promise. Moderately tannic. Should be excellent starting in a few years and drink well for 5-10 years.
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Along with Cos Labory, my favorite St. Estephe in this price level, with a cornucopia of black and red fruits, a hint of licorice and a smooth medium body ending with a longish finish. Nice job!
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2/7/2024 - tzelmer wrote: 93 Points
This wine is holding steady. Brambly dark fruit and some plummy sweetness. Med+ tannin still but in good balance with the solid acidity and concentration of flavors. Good length with some tertiary notes of leather and cigar box starting to show up. I think this will continue to age nicely. Longish (4+ hours minimum) now, longer if able. Or better yet, wait 5 years.
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1/8/2024 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful showing. 3 years since my last, not entirely convincing bottle, and this is back to old form. A nose that can only be Bdx, dark fruit with great freshness, perfectly integrated wood spices. Good structure from the tannins which are however well integrated. Medium body with good concentration. Medium finish, could be longer but hey this is a (great) Cru Bourgeois. One of the few 05s that never shut down, and for sure good for another 10 years. Super QPR - paid $40 back then and would not be surprised if you could still find it at similar prices.
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11/15/2023 - Doc Blinet Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pure elegant pleasure from the first drop to the last. Classic pencil shavings with subtle hints of black fruits.
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7/26/2023 - WetRock wrote:
Getting a large dose of new wood out of the gate on the nose. The palate has more to say with the wood just joining the conversation. The aromas fade slowly. By night two its well integrated into a nicely dark and surprisingly deep wine. Not real complex but complete. In a maturing place. Solid.
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4/15/2023 - Klugi Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful St. Estephe which really aged gracefully.
The bouquet started with dark cassis notes and some cedar. With extra time some meaty, umami notes develop.
The tannins are soft and melting but it has a good structure and length to develop beautiful and be enjoyable over the next decade or more.
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4/11/2023 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 91 Points
Old school but quite classy. Interesting and true to St Estephe.
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4/2/2023 - Sonoffalstaff Likes this wine: 92 Points
Latest bottle showed a lot of tobacco ( almost barn yard), superb length still supported by great tannin. I won't rush the last two bottles as it could be that 2005 is finally hitting the heights we were hoping for.
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2/25/2023 - Hiker4life70 Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is very good with great QPR. Really pretty with graphite and floral black fruit nose. The tannins are fine and silky palate. Plummy and very enjoyable.
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2/25/2023 - schiwi Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dunkel, schwarze Beeren, Kräuter, Menthol, tief. Wunderbar balanciert, eine schöne Länge. Ein Wein mit Charakter, jetzt trinkreif, hält noch Jahre. Toll!
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1/29/2023 - Philippe_C wrote: 92 Points
Cold nose of graphite, incense, black fruit... Tannin present, has start to mellow, still cold.
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1/13/2023 - achim_berg@icloud.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great wine. Good complexity and balance, not heavy. Benefited from decanting.
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12/25/2022 - calypse Likes this wine: 93 Points
Braucht immer noch viel Luft bzw. einige Jahre im Keller. Dann ist das ein erstklassiger, perfekt ausbalancierter Bordeaux. Frucht, Tannine, Säure - alles in perfektem Einklang.
Erst am Anfang seines Optimums!
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12/24/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent st Estephe in early maturity. Black currants and hints of cedar spice with coffee. Tannins are rather mild and for a ‘05 but there’s plenty of structure. Excellent finish.
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7/19/2022 - winestorage.it Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a great wine this is. Wonderful fruit, top balanced with lots of back flavors. Absolutely at its peak right now and will hold up there for a bit. Not a marathon candidate.
winestorage.it
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4/10/2022 - egoya Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enjoyable but not yet at its peak. I will wait at least 2 years with my second bottle.
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2/18/2022 - rmarkey Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent. Superb Bordeaux from great year. 13.5% alc.
Colour: deep red berries, crimson edges
Bouquet: red berries and plums, mint, slight delicatessen developed character and smokiness.
Palate: characters as bouquet, voluptuous and concentrated, leather and Vegemite, full bodied but incredibly smooth and balanced, with good fruit character still, soft firm tannins, dry with very long finish.
Still drinking beautifully on 2nd night. Colour and palate more black than red fruits though.
February 2022
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8/28/2021 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
A nice pour from a recent wine party. No info on the air it got but suspect it was opened at the start of the event & didn't get all it deserved. Got my pour about 2+hrs in with less than half of the btl left. Still some residual oak and structure to work through but this is loaded with intense concentration and fruit. The nose is already sublime. I'll keep an eye for some of these for my cellar too 93+
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6/24/2021 - Alc13%byvol Likes this wine: 94 Points
My last bottle shared with a good friend. Rocking. Delicious and memorable. On song. Fully integrated. Consumed alongside Dme de Chevalier 2004. We enjoyed both and I really like 2004, but this stood taller and was everything I like a bottle to be. Tempted to hunt down another case while I drum my fingers for the 2010!
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5/1/2021 - Tompa71 Likes this wine: 87 Points
Quite humble on the nose. Strict and firm on the palate as expected. Have been stored optimal and could have used 2-4 more years in the cellar.
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4/28/2021 - Michael Mackenzie Likes this wine: 91 Points
Intrigued by the latest previous reviews of this wine. To my mind this is still very youthful, buoyed by its 13.5% ABV. The château's website is infuriating in terms of getting assemblage details. However, to my humble palate, this is classic St Estèphe and not the more modern fruit bombs from grander neighbours that belie the terroir.
Colour: deep red, thin rim, purple tinge.
Nose: full, fresh, ripe, cassis, v. St Estèphe
Taste: med body, v. classical, good fruit, four square, still tannic. Med finish, good ripe fruit, v St Estèphe.
Overall, a good representation of the appellation and the vintage, clearly more structured than its almost eponymous neighbour, which I like in spite of its underperformance. Plenty of life ahead and much pleasure to come.
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4/18/2021 - olebaer wrote: 90 Points
Good Bdx. RP/WS rating I don't understand.
Drink now. Don't see much potential for holding.
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4/13/2021 - melvinyeowq Likes this wine:
Perfect cork. Quintessential Bordeaux with a lovely bouquet of some old school funk and cedar. Still a puppy, this has some way to go yet but I don’t think that it has the complexity to develop much further. Still enjoyed this very much though, firm tannins and fruit is restrained rather than overripe for such a big vintage.
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3/14/2021 - aquacongas wrote: 91 Points
blind
half bottle from a perfect stored bottle. It was really late in the evening so I have not many notes. At his peak, typical BX from a warm vintage. Everything is balanced, missing length and density. 91
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12/6/2020 - Villon wrote: 92 Points
Contrairement à Ericsson, je n'ai pas trouvé que le vin manquait de matière. Les notes tertiaires commencent mais le fruit est encore bien présent. Notes chocolatées /sucrées, tannins assez souples, belle harmonie d'ensemble, difficile de ne pas aimer! 92
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11/15/2020 - Barolo Raymond Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for ~30 min. Lively deep ruby, savory nose with hints of oak and barnyard. Dry, medium-medium(+) acidity, medium mellow tannins, medium alcohol and medium(+) body. Palate with ample black fruit, leather and butterscotch notes framed by supple texture and elegant structure. Complex layered finish for minutes.
Deliciously matured and a demonstration of the longevity of this top vintage.
Cellaring potential 5-10 years.
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10/7/2020 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
At lunch with Alex, served with 2000 Meyney this was deeper fruited, more primary but also early mature, more heft than the Meyney but a lovely pair of semi mature Saint-Estèphe
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9/13/2020 - NiklasW Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for a couple of hours. Wow, this was totally different to the 2004 Giscours we had the other day, so much better! Sweet perfumey cassis on the nose, perhaps a touch of barnyard when opened but that had disappeared after the decant. The palate was smooth, integrated tannins, excellent cassis, very delicious. This is definitely in its drinking window and will surely last more years in the cellar.
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8/8/2020 - Ericsson wrote: 90 Points
Bu sur 2 jours, sans changement notable.
Bouteille et bouchon parfaits. Robe grenat à bords légèrement orangés.
Au nez, arômes de cèdre, de fruits rouges, de pierre. La bouche est bien construite, linéaire avec une bonne acidité mais il manque de matière - surtout dans un millésime comme 2005 - et d’un peu de richesse. Bon vin mais assez simple.
A boire, selon moi ne s’améliorera plus.
89-90
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5/18/2020 - Kris G wrote: 88 Points
Typical Bordeaux with earthy notes and black fruits, it reminded me of a Pessac-Léognan. It is time to consume this.
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5/15/2020 - fc1910 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wow, pnp, a classic Bordeaux on the nose, strong pleasent smell of dark cassis, spice and earthy tones,
rigth from the start demanding tannin, still dense and challeging the palate, overall very well structured, prominent fruit here, but a lot is going on, stable, peppery, in the background very lively acid,
entering its drinking window, but in my honest opinion surely made for a decade+ more, lingering finish, outstanding bottle, **(**), 91-93
Update 20 hours later: still fresh on the palate, great mouthfeel and structure, one of the best bottles from this producer enjoyed ever!
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5/9/2020 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 90 Points
3 months since my last bottle. Pnp and drank over some 3h. Transparent but still fairly dark garnet with a widening clear team. Very pretty and aromatic nose with fine wood spices. The palate does not entirely measure up as it lacks a bit of fruit concentration for such a great Bdx vintage at age 15. Medium tannins. Good length finish.
Slightly disappointing, this seemed to promise a bit more 5 years ago. Well it’s a Cru bourgeois after all, a good reminder perhaps to open a first bottle of some of the bigger 05s. No rush drinking though as this will certainly last another 15 years easily (the 82 is still drinking very well). 90-91
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5/8/2020 - asheio wrote: 90 Points
Very classic with cedar, blackcurrant and pencil. Structured and harmonic. I get the feeling that the fruit is slowly fading out, so drink now.
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5/8/2020 - Kiranonwine Likes this wine:
In a great place, needs 45 mins to show itself
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5/3/2020 - Sonoffalstaff Likes this wine: 91 Points
I think Blauweiss has it spot on. Perfect claret colour. Nose initially a little menthol chemical vs cedar but that mellowed. Then a classic St Estephe balance of minerals and fruit. Each section well defined and some interesting acidity ( almost riesling like!) makes this a very serious wine. 2005 showing really well now
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4/25/2020 - Blauweiss Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark fruit dominate on the nose with sweet cassis and some oak that almost pointed towards Napa at first, but on the palate the structure is more acidity, a lot more smooth tha powerful in a gracious left-bank style.
A very pretty, somewhat modern claret in a perfect drinking window. Good fruit, good balance, good length, really tasty!
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3/28/2020 - Martin_G wrote: 92 Points
This bottle was perfect (in contrast to the one in 2018). In the zone. Not sure the fruit would've lasted much longer.
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3/21/2020 - eoinhharkins wrote: 92 Points
Gorgeous nose of dark fruit, dark wood, damp stone minerals nose, palate is almost silky, with medium body and good weight, medium tannins, medium acidity but a really nice length
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2/8/2020 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank over 2 days. 6th bottle in fairly regular intervals since 2012. This has softened since my last bottle in 2018 but I do not like the wine as much as I did in 2015 when it was still showing some of its youthful richness. One of the few 2005 that never closed down.
On day 1 this is showing as a traditional and strict St Estephe, correct but perhaps a bit too restrained to be a lot of fun to drink. On day 2 (open bottle in fridge over night), this is soft and mellow, clearly showing the fairly high share of Merlot with some toast, and wanting me to see a bit more of the rigidity and Cab Sauv features of day 1.
Would give it a good decant and drink over the next 3-4 years.
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1/4/2020 - Highlander wrote:
Very nice, fully mature. I have moved up my drinking window slightly. Tannins fully integrated.
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1/2/2020 - tom_wine Likes this wine: 90 Points
First bottle badly corked. Second bottle was fine with hardly any tannin left. Dark fruit flavors with dried herbal aromas, a bit of cassis and tobacco. Hint of oak. Very ripe and drinking perfectly now. One bottle of a case left, so I timed this well.
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12/25/2019 - mhudes Likes this wine: 90 Points
Annual "Chai Tea" at Jeff;s. Pnp. Dark red in color. Muted nose initially, but floral and dark fruit fragrances soon arrive. Blackberries and black currants in thre mouth along with some licorice. Medium body with tannin resolved. A very pleasant drink.
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12/13/2019 - soyhead wrote:
limited notes. unlike some other 2005 Bdx i've had, this was showing very nicely, and open for business. Classic bdx, well balanced with a hint of funk. wish i had bought more back in the day. drink now and for some while still
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11/17/2019 - stefr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good. I would not wait any longer even though there is stil a lot of life in there.
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11/6/2019 - Screwcaps Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark, ashen and tannic. Full bodied. Mushroom complexity starting to set in. Very savoury and long draw on this one. Very drinkable, but keep wine rookies away from it. It’s more than a bit of a ‘wine for grown ups’. Drink next in 5-10 years at any time. Still some more room for development. Flavour and tannin in balance. 4.5/5.
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10/16/2019 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Graphite, green pepper. Smoke, good fruit from dark blackcurrant and cigarbox. Fine and almost resolved tannin. In a good drinking window.
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9/28/2019 - Purple Tooth wrote: 90 Points
Meh...Its probably one of the least interesting Phelan that I have had to date. These wines tend to me very muscular and full of tar and coffee...Not here....Seemed like an attempt at elegance that just missed. I have 2 more, to be continued....But time will not hurt this because now, its just Meh...Hold for 5 years or more.
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9/27/2019 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Ard & David’s 50th birthday dinner (Chez David, Amsterdam, NL.): Not decanted. Solid, fresh, firm, ripe black fruit, spicy oak, lead pencil, tightly wound, needs time to unfold. Upward potential.
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9/4/2019 - CharlesHK Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine is evolving at a glacial pace. Already enjoyable--delicious, like so many 2005s it will be so much better with five to seven more years of proper cellaring.
Perfect cork; unquestioned provenance. Opened in the morning, decanted, and allowed to breath for eight hours. Served at 16 degrees.
Deep, pure dark red colour. Great viscosity. Beautiful luster in the glass.
Red fruits, a bit of oak and sage. Complex.
Beautiful plushness with this wine; great richness and weight but with real savour and lift. The 50% merlot is really shinning through right now.
Great food wine and I look to trying it again in 2023. Potential 92+ with some more bottle age
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9/1/2019 - MM29 wrote: 92 Points
Erste sekundäre Noten, gefällt mir schon richtig gut, 1 Stunde in der Karaffe, Abgang bleibt schon länger als noch im Januar...wird besser aber ja, bereits 10 von 12 Flaschen weg. Was solls, ich mag Phelan Segur halt einfach...
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7/29/2019 - civilmatt wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured, drinking great right now
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7/22/2019 - chatters wrote:
Airoldi Fine Wines Winter Tasting (Oak Barrel, Elizabeth Street, Sydney): Coffee, chocolate, ripe blackcurrant and a little plum, leather, sweet spice, brambles and slight cedar. Juicy and fleshy with similar flavours supported by tannic burr. Wonderfully balanced. A long life ahead. Glorious.
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6/15/2019 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Been coravining a glass here and there and last night while cooking dinner I decided to open the bottle and finish it before my guests arrived (nothing like a head start). Similar to the previous bottles I have consumed with a nose of dark fruit, the palate is dark berries, some pipe tobacco, olives and dried thyme. Finish is moderate. This was the last bottle of a half case that I bought back in 2010. When I went looking for it in the tracker to write this note I noticed that I have 2 bottles of the 1996 so I will tag them for Thanksgiving.
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4/15/2019 - Hawk94 wrote:
I don’t know if this has a bad cork or what - disappointed. Wet forest floor, old newspaper, funky taste. No good.
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3/18/2019 - Ben.Shank Likes this wine: 88 Points
A little flat to begin ... was much better after several hours. Softened on the palate and nose more pronounced. Lacks the earthiness I like
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3/9/2019 - asheio wrote:
No ponits, as tiny hints of cork was detected. Anyway a very classic Bordeaux.
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1/31/2019 - epiphany wrote: 88 Points
Just not enough fruit and too little of everything. Disappointing.
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1/4/2019 - MM29 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Eine Stunde karaffiert - gut, wird wahrscheinlich noch besser
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12/31/2018 - Argrath wrote: 94 Points
Full, complex and very classic nose. Black currant, gravel, cedar. Rich and open. Ready. Some leather and barnyard, but in an elegant way.
Rich, full palate. Refreshing acidic spine. Ripe but quite powerful tannins. Structured balance between oak, cedar, black currant fruit and liquorice. Long.
Surprisingly high quality on this bottle. Better than other 2005's of the same quality level tasted during the fall (for instance Dom Chevalier and Brane Cantenac).
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12/25/2018 - Kiranonwine wrote:
At a really rewarding point, lovely mature notes but still retaining great vitality & fruit.
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11/24/2018 - Nostromo99 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rich, inviting nose of dark fruits. Same in the mouth, with just enough sweetness to balance everything out. Very little grip on the long finish - just a lovely, smooth, rich mouthfull of wine. Definitely St Estephe. Very definitely into its optimum drinking window but with a long, long life ahead of it. Delicious.
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9/16/2018 - Martin_G wrote: 89 Points
I am beginning to turn my back on st estephe since i am never really impressed. Here i think balance was off - too much oak, certainly for an 05. Med body, med acid, med tannins. Decent, but really poor qpr.
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9/14/2018 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Similar to the bottle I had last year. We pnp'd through a vintorio. Dark fruit on the nose. Dark berries, tobacco, olives and thyme. A moderate to long finish.
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9/12/2018 - Jmf17 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Last night the 2005 Chateau Gruaud Larose, and tonight the Phelan Segur from the same vintage. Initially, I thought the latter flagged far behind the former. But the longer into the evening I go and the more the liquor matures in the air, the better I think it is. Nevertheless, the nod goes to Gruaud Larose. The exceptional cru did well, but not as well...
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5/21/2018 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich nose of red fruit, earth, spices. Dramatic, just starting to show maturity. Palate is bone dry, slightly tight but opening to show more tart red fruit, silky texture and fine balance. Gentle tannins and pepper on the finish, surprisingly long. In a good place now, very good, heading towards a long plateau. Drink now or hold.
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5/19/2018 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pnp. Had a number of bottles of the 05 Phelan Segur over the years. This is much less open and forward than it was 3-5 years ago. A classic, structured St. Estephe now which seems to require more time or a proper decant. Followed the 09 Petit Lafitte and this was night and day. Much more rigid and almost strict in its nature, medium body with just enough fruit, fine to medium tannins, unlike the 09, no signs of sweetness or overripeness.
Would give it another 2-3 years. 91+
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5/2/2018 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Freak’n awesome bdx. Unfortunate my last bottle. This has been drinking well for years but continues to improve. A little smoke and coffee on the nose. Palate with dark fruit mixed with some mint eucalyptus. Coarse tannins but in the background. A leather/tobacco note is trying to emerge and pokes though mostly on the finish. St Estephe profile on the nose, more Pauillac on the palate. Still on the upswing but delicious now. Will have to find more.
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4/8/2018 - ccn wrote: 88 Points
Mature but clunky, thick and not particularly elegant.
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1/17/2018 - John McCabe wrote: 92 Points
Not quite as striking as I remember but a solid Bordeaux. Has a dark, coffee, slightly dull/sour tone, traditional in style.
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1/2/2018 - Sundbyberg wrote: 93 Points
Looking for an oldschool Bordeaux from a great vintage at a fair price? Then this is a wine for you.
Great, ripe, fruit but no sign of modern winemaking. Fullbodied with dark fruit.
Better than some vintages of Montrose and Cos.
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12/26/2017 - "Rhône Rider" Likes this wine: 92 Points
dyp rød, svart kjerne. Rosa kant.
Lær, kirsebær, svartbær,. Kirsebær, pipetobakk, blyantspiss i munn. Noe grøntstoff. Balansert, lekkert. Bra lengde. 91-92
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12/13/2017 - ThalesGaspar Likes this wine: 91 Points
Needed 1h of air to open up. Overall a very good wine, but nothing remarkable. Tannins are still present, and the blend of fruit and oak can be felt. Medium finish. I would hold a couple of years if I had another bottle.
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10/29/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last of my great Phelans, 82, 96 and now 05.
Certainly more closed than the last two, probably needs another 5 years. But even now, fine grained elegant tannins make it drinkable. Lovely long finish with a marzipan note. Solid fruit, wonderful "full body" experience.
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10/10/2017 - chatters wrote:
The Grand Tour - day nine (Bordeaux): Blackcurrant, spice, slight leather, earth and cigar box, crushed rock. Slightly dusty. Juicy, savoury but with ripe fruit, taninns are tight but softening and lends a liquorice notes. Wine travels very long. Still needs time for me.
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10/3/2017 - 素人俠 wrote: 92 Points
Ready to drink, very smooth
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9/24/2017 - Nutty08 wrote: 93 Points
Showing more tannin than my last bottle. A lovely expression of St Esther, with powerful smoke and tar nose with roasted coffee and cassis on the palate. Fine tannins present throughout. Aromatic enough to suggest early maturity but tannins would suggest a long aging curve. Drink or hold.
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9/2/2017 - Puteljen! wrote: 92 Points
Really nice nose of dark cassis, plum, blueberries, some smoke and pepper. On the palate initially a bit stern but opening up with time. Quite soft and velvety, more elegant than powerfull. Good fruit, supportive tannins, good lenght. Some game and forest towards the end. A lovely wine in the beginning of its drinking window.
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7/17/2017 - Sotto325 wrote: 91 Points
Very ready now with an hour's decant of this 375. The smokey St Estephe tones are nicely blended with the generous fruit in 2005 to yield a far more sophisticated Phelan Segur than in years past, when it was more angular. Smoke, forest scents, animal , tree bark, dark cherry/cassis and a very full mouth fell, with only a slight rough edge to the velvet.
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6/29/2017 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Aging nicely. We opened and drank over 4 hours. The nose is dark fruit. The palate is dark berries, dark plums, olives and thyme. The finish is nice, smooth with hints of dried herbs.
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2/19/2017 - FastTrack wrote: 92 Points
nose of black fruits. On the palate very smooth, but still complex and engaging; medium-bodied, nicely balanced; hints of game towards the finish. Great wine
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1/28/2017 - henrygjeffreys wrote:
Very dark colour with some fading at the rim
Very roasty nose, like Turkish coffee
Lots of oak on the palate too, dark chocolate, more coffee, some rather drying tannins but there's some nice sweet fruit under it all
Finish is all toasty notes and not much else
Not in a good place at the moment. That oak is so obtrusive. If I had this I'd keep to see what happens.
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11/24/2016 - partylikeakennedy wrote: 93 Points
Nose: cedary blackcurrant, white pepper, soft coriander. Palate: SO SOFT AND VELVETY. Omg. I could snuggle up in a blanket made of this. Beautiful woodsy dark cherry pie crust, vanilla, orange zest, white tea. Not as complex or exceptional as I'd expect from an '05 BDX, but still - I'm not sorry I bought it, I'm not sorry I'm drinking it, and I'm going to buy more.
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11/21/2016 - RayOB wrote: 92 Points
Château Phélan Ségur Masterclass Dinner (67 Pall Mall): Still young with a nose of earth, tobacco and dark fruit. Slightly closed.
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10/13/2016 - MarcelloW Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really enjoyable after a couple of hours of air. This is at the beginning of it's drinking window. It's nice with food and easy drinking with it's low 13.5 alc. Very good value.
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8/28/2016 - Romol Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not decanted. Consumed over two days. Did not change a lot since last bottle (a year ago). 91 pts at the moment.
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8/15/2016 - Ludi Likes this wine: 91 Points
Granato cupo. Classici caffè, ribes, mirtillo, grafite, spezie orientali (netto il pepe giapponese), goudron, un delizioso floreale di violetta. Rispondente, classica eleganza bordolese, molto lungo
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7/29/2016 - fc1910 wrote: 89 Points
purchased some bottles some weeks ago by auction, tried this one to see how well this wine is showing now, popped and poured, very dark colour, intense fragrance of this bottle, not much fruit there, all packed with mocha, cedar, coffee and liquorice, still some grainy tannin, opened up by airation, some black berry, but the foreground is kept by the casks aromas, midweight to fullbodied, long aftertaste, lacking some elegancy and finesse, the wine is entering its drinking window now, still needing some air to evolve in the glass, for the next decade++, **(*+- *), 88-92+?
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7/24/2016 - petec-s Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stunningly beautiful, refined mineral oppulence, rich ripe and balanced. Deep flavours and structure, just top class. 13.5%
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7/15/2016 - epiphany Likes this wine: 92 Points
beautiful perfumed nose, brambly fruit palate, and sweet fruit-filled finish.
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7/7/2016 - Lexer1980 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice... I can bring in all sorts of fancy notes, but... Very nice :-)
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5/29/2016 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Such a great St. Estephe for the money. Expressive nose of smoke, flint, and a little manure. Palate is mostly black fruit with fine still prominent tannin. Moderate length adding a menthol note. A solid mid to upper tier bdx as it doesn't have the polish of higher priced chateaux. This still has some upside but more approachable than you might expect from a northern left bank.
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5/23/2016 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
I had a glass through the coravin last week and decided to open the bottle tonight. Dark fruit on the nose, the palate was dark berries, black olives, some leather and a hint of thyme. A nice finish made it a most enjoyable wine.
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4/13/2016 - tzelmer wrote: 93 Points
Nose of currant, blackberry, dry earth, leather. Well integrated on the palate with sweet fruits backed up by evident but complimentary tannin, a little rough still. Very savory and full in the mouth, a juicy wine. Very satisfying. Drinking well and can last quite some time. Best drinking from now to 2021.
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4/1/2016 - amateur62 wrote: 94 Points
Drunk next to the 1996. Seems to be the same wine just not that mature, with quite present tannin, black currant and the same portion of barnyard as the 1996 Phélan. Wait another 5 years and you will get big Bordeaux at its peak (93-95 points).
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3/17/2016 - favorito Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for two hours, then a perfect Bordeaux for a perfect price !
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3/8/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
During a guided tasting I hosted with a friend. Single blind. Medium garnet. Nose of dark fruit, forest floor, horse saddle, cedar. This is unmistakably Medoc. Enters the palate with very good fruit and structure, not rusting despite being a St.Estephe. This 2005 has come along nicely since I last tasted it an has entered the drinking window if decanted for 1h. A very classic and nice left bank Bordeaux for a very reasonable price. 93
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2/28/2016 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasting at home. Super classic Left Bank notes of black currant/cassis, elderberries, eucalyptus, licorice, some barnyard and a touch of green bellpepper. It's medium-full bodied with medium+ acidity and still medium+ tannin that is very good quality. Good length. A super classic, old-school St-Estèphe and an excellent value.
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2/18/2016 - Kriz wrote: 89 Points
Fresh tobacco, sigar case. Lot's of power, oak but lacking fruit expression. Long finish.
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1/30/2016 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 90 Points
Thoroughly enjoyable.
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1/23/2016 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really classic style Bordeaux, with graphite, mocha, earth, leather, with drying dark berry fruit notes, palate is quite smooth, with medium acidity and length, the tannins are a touch bitter but integrating nicely at this point, no rush to consume
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1/12/2016 - vegasoenophile Likes this wine: 88 Points
Dark nose of black currant and black plum with hints of licorice and charred earth. Dense and powerful on the palate with dark flavors of currant, plum, acai and suggestions of turned soil. It's an earthy wine, brooding in nature. Nicely constructed and well balanced, this has potential to evolve nicely for some time.
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12/28/2015 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 90 Points
Still young
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12/11/2015 - Romol Likes this wine: 91 Points
No decant, conusmed over 2 days. Pretty young at the moment. Palate improves with time. On the second day the wine was much better. Give it another 1-2 years. 91+ pts
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11/16/2015 - Outplaying wrote:
Bordeaux (Portobellos): Decanted two hours. Fruity nose. There is good concentration here. The wine is pretty plush and fruity with a fair amount of tannin still. Slight notes of pencil shavings, earth, leather and mocha. One of the guys said that he thought the finish was a bit short for this wine and questioned the storage, which was interesting as the wine was recently sourced from Wine Bid. I enjoyed the wine however.
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11/14/2015 - soyhead wrote:
dark cherry, somewhat tight, but very laser focused. If this would unwind a bit, it will be killer. Hold.
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11/1/2015 - Nutty08 wrote: flawed
Drinkable, but the bottle wasn't correct as it seemingly had some brett bloom and came across as more of a Cote Du Rhone with a fine menthol streak. Unlike my other bottles.
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8/24/2015 - Burgnick wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 30 mins. Consistent with previous note. Pencil shaving, red fruit, dark forest floor, and caramel on the nose. The palate was smoothe and elegant. This medium bodied wine had a mouthful of softened tannins yet the finish was a bit short. Another lovely bottle.
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8/1/2015 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 91 Points
Poured into decanter and started drinking immediately. A deep and concentrated nose of sous bois and dark berries, the palate does not follow through entirely with dark, creamy fruit but also still some wood, fine to medium, drying tannins, relatively short finish. Palate improves with longer decanting time. 91-92. Decant 1h or give it another 1-2 years.
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7/22/2015 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Slow oxed the wine for two days in the wine fridge by mistake. I expected the wine to turn into vinegar. When i poured the wine into the glass, the black currants, sweet red fruits, herbs, wet forest floor and cedar wood had emerged from the glass. The palate had a good balance between fruit and other components. Yes, the wine had limited depth, but for the money, the wine was a treat. This is the best bottle I had among the last 8.
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7/15/2015 - Burgnick wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. It was an elegant wine with mocha, dark fruits, and caramel. The balance of the wine was nice in terms of fruit, acidity and body. An easy drinking and accessible bordeaux that is ready to drink right now with a 5-8 year drinking window. I would consume it now to enjoy it.
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7/2/2015 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine: 91 Points
This for me is why I drink Bordeaux when I get a leftbank need, expressive with mocha,graphite, dark fruit with dust supporting, palate has wonderful fresh dark fruit with minerals and medium acidity. Doesn't over power or exhaust the palte yet it leaves one wanting more
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6/29/2015 - slippytoad Likes this wine: 94 Points
Last bottle and I wish I had more. Still quite concentrated with very dark fruit, but not forward. Lovely flavors of sweet tobacco in the mid palate. Great purity and smoothness. Decent finish.
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6/24/2015 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened 6 bottles of this tonight. Its very soft and elegant. The nose had black fruits, tobacco, charcoal, and cedar wood with floralness. It was a medium bodied wine with finesse. The palate was silky with a very balanced body. This is a great bordeaux for qpr in a lovely drinking window now. A 30 mins to 1 hour decant would bring the best out of this.
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5/25/2015 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Surprisingly open and soft for an '05. Typical St. Estephe, with black fruit, a little pepper, and plenty of smoke and charcoal mixed in. Fine acidity with some mild coarse tannin in the background. Merlot driven, but seems ready to go. Drink now, but will hold for 5-10yrs easy.
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5/16/2015 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 92 Points
(Decanter's Bordeaux '05, '09, '10 tasting) :: I'm increasingly a fan of Phelan, which sits somewhat in the shadow of its bigger cousin, Calon. The 2005 offers a lovely and balanced interplay between cassis, earth tones and leather. Very little by way of bell pepper or leaf tones. The 2005 is elegant and poised rather than a blockbuster, which some might expect for the vintage. Well integrated and ready to drink.
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5/9/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Nice complexity to the nose, cassis, liquorice, spices, tobacco - clean and fine. Quite traditional on the palate, a bit on the lean side again. Approachable, quite powerful, nice mouthfeel and length. Drinking well, but will keep. 91-93
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4/25/2015 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 91 Points
The nose was deep and dark with dried cherry, blueberry skins, notes of olive and gravel dust. On the palate, it showed silky textures with firming tannin, turning its dark red fruits to dried florals and mineral tones. The finish was quite youthful and closed in upon itself, but ultimately, this is still quite enjoyable today.
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4/12/2015 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Black fruits to start. Seet and slightly sour reds on finish. Minimal decanting time needed. Good food-level acidity. Some white pepper and cedar with leather and tobacco notes from start to finish.
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4/3/2015 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 92 Points
Poured into decanter and drank over several hours. Needs a good 30min to open up. Dark garnet almost to the rim. Very pretty nose with initially forest floor, then potato chips and some herbs. Medium bodied, dark fruit, oak, some tobacco. Better than 2 or 3 years ago as there is now more substance on the mid palate. Fine tannins. Medium finish.
One of the few 2005 that never seemed to have closed down as the tannins were always gentle and not intrusive. If anything could have done with just a touch less oak for my taste but an excellent wine and great QPR (at least a few years ago). Ready now, but no rush, this will certainly last 10 years.
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3/29/2015 - slippytoad Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not terribly complex just nicely balanced Bordeaux. Restrained fruit but plenty of pencil lead and cigar notes.
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11/8/2014 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
This one was more drab and austere than I remember, quite dry.
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8/17/2014 - CDH Likes this wine: 90 Points
Garnet in the glass, peppery nose. Red fruit and fine grained tannins on the palate - good structure, and good acid/tannin balance. Med+ finish. Classic bordeaux, not "new" bordeaux. Enjoyed it.
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8/16/2014 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderful classic Bordeaux, notes of cassis, pencil dark cherries, really smooth but interesting palate, with acidity and tannin in check wonder why chateaux like this are not discussed more often?
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7/25/2014 - schiwi wrote: 94 Points
Dunkles rot. Ein Bouquet zum reinspringen; warm, wohlig, reif und süss, Pflaumen, Kräuter. Feinste Tannine, Elegant und mit ungeheurem Druck. Yep, das passt bereits und sollte noch viele Jahre so weiter gehen. Zum Glück habe ich damals 2 Kisten gebunkert.
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7/3/2014 - Tom_B wrote: 85 Points
Showing deep, dark ruby color. Showing too much Brett on the nose for me. Some call it earth, I call it just Brett. A little overpowering, but not to a level of being a fault. Can't get past the dirty, leathery notes, but it shows better on the palate, with medium body, and nice density. Notes of cedar, black cherry and asian spices.
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3/29/2014 - yeti575rider wrote: 91 Points
Dinner with the Keegan's (Our house): Initial wine of 4 with the Keegan's. Unanimous 3rd but really that's due to the strong competition as this was quite nice. Starting to finally open some of my lower tier 2005's with pretty good results. Decanted 2+ hours. Really nice nose with currant, spice, and earth. Pretty long finish where the tobacco and earthiness kicks in. Only slight criticism is a bit lean in the middle with a bit too much acidity but that doesn't take away from a very good bottle.
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3/28/2014 - Collector1855 wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby with garnet hue. Distinctively spicy nose of cloves, oak, some dark fruit and underbush. On the palate again quite masculine with prominent tannins and acidity. Good aromatic complexity. St.Estèphe and not Volnay, what's new. All in all not bad but I prefer the 03 for once.
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3/23/2014 - slippytoad wrote: 95 Points
So ready. Deliscious and very approachable.
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3/12/2014 - Kriz wrote: 91 Points
92 points for the nose. Classic, pencil lead. Good tannic palate -> balance and body. Can age for some 5 - 10 years. Will ripe towards a classic Bordeaux but why wait. It's very nice now.
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2/9/2014 - Wineson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good. Spice and fruit in the same mouthful.
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1/18/2014 - Sotto325 wrote: 92 Points
What Bordeaux should taste like. While not a first growth or a legendary St Estephe like the 67 Cos D'Estournel or 55 Calon Segur, this 375 is a delight to enjoy now with an hour's decant. Like coming home again to the rich red dark fruit, rough velvet and moist moss with hints of cassis and that smokey terroir. Not complex but it may gain as it ages. A nice vintage for this estate.
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1/6/2014 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
Had this at Nick's house. Excellent as always. This has evolved further since the last one I had - it's now more composed and settled, lighter and sweeter - all changes for the better. This wine has always been somewhat one-dimentioinal, if I had to find some criticism, but it's so much fun to drink and has a lovely weight and expression.
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1/5/2014 - slippytoad wrote: 92 Points
Getting better
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8/26/2013 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 92 Points
A young treat.
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8/24/2013 - Poisey Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely balance with restrained power and elegance at the same time. Inky with iodine, slate, blueberry, cassis and mulberry. Love this wine. long finish with red blood meats and pepper. Structured and complex.
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8/18/2013 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine: 92 Points
This really needs allot more time to shine, but shows lovely notes of mocha, dark fruit, crushed rock and some cedar on the nose and palate, body is relatively big with acidity and tannins showing that should lead this wine to develop
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6/16/2013 - slippytoad wrote: 92 Points
Could probably do with 5 more years. Decent with a lot of backwards fruit and pencil lead
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5/9/2013 - chatters wrote:
United Cellars Grand Bordeaux Tasting 2013 (Royal Automobile Club, Macquarie Street, Sydney): Deep ruby. Concentrated, almost jammy black fruit, spice, clove/nutmeg and caramel oak, overdone, overblown. I can see what's going on here but I don't really like it.
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2/11/2013 - pavel_p wrote:
Consistent with own note Aug 2012
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2/1/2013 - chcook Likes this wine:
Pnp. Color dark garnet. Nose shows mostly primary fruits and some cedar. Swishing shows solid structure with taut tannins. Sipping shows this to be fruit laden but leaning more toward the structure after open for awhile. Solid.
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1/21/2013 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 89 Points
Not a monumental wine by any means, but a gracious and gentle representative of old school Bordeaux for this vintage. Balanced and tasty from the moment the restaurant popped the cork, but never betrayed (nor attained) a more ambitious level of performance.
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12/19/2012 - alain@driesassur.com wrote:
Top
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12/15/2012 - chcook Likes this wine:
From memory. Popped and decanted. Dark color. Nose shows dark fruit,florals, cedar, spice, and a little iodine. On palate this is elegant and smooth, with fruit density to match the structure. This has decades ahead of it but is delicious now.
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12/11/2012 - BklynNeophyte wrote:
From a half bottle and not even close to being ready to drink, but this could be excellent. Heavy and shut down.
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8/12/2012 - pdwinter wrote: 88 Points
Initially a wonderful classic Bdx nose of earth, green pepper. After an hour the nose became more substantial. The taste was a slight disappointment though. Didn't show the heavy cocoa and coffee of other years. Noticeable acidity and tannins, but not well integrated. I'll give it two years until the next bottle.
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8/2/2012 - pavel_p wrote: 91 Points
Had not tried an '05 for quite some time, so poured half of a bottle into the decanter and drank over 2h.
Medium garnet with translucent rim. After some of the '00 I had had recently and which were full of youthful dark fruit, this was surprisingly light on its feet. A wonderful nose with earth, barnyard, a well integrated dose of toasted oak and even some animal notes which continues into the attack but then, a bit disapointing, a somewhat dilluted mid palate which is very smooth and polished but lacks a bit of concentration and then back to a rather long beautiful finish. This wine has definitively high quality bits and pieces but somehow there is still a bit of a hole in the middle to be filled. 91+
More earth and a denser layer of fine tannins on day 2. Very good.
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5/26/2012 - jbroich wrote: 93 Points
Very approachable, still very dark but starting to fade at the rim. Wonderful bouquet, black currant, plum and smoke. On the palate claret at its best, blackberries, plum and a little bit of smoke. Wonderful wine seems to come into a great drinking window now.
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5/7/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
Espresso bean, stone, cassis, truffle make up the perfume. Round in texture, with spicy cassis and chocolate, fleshy and fresh for Phelan Segur, this delicious vintage of Phelan Segur already offers a lot early drinking charm.
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4/29/2012 - essconsults wrote: 89 Points
From a .75 this time, and not as impressive, pretty or complex. One senses the latent power, but it's too tight to really assess. Didn't decant, but the wine didn't show much even with a full 2 hours in the glass. Will try another glass or two tonight and report back.
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4/20/2012 - Empirate wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 4 hours, drank over 2 hours with grilled steak, new potatoes, and green beans. Pleasant clean cabernet fruit with a touch of earth on the nose. Moderate complexity if a bit fruit forward with currant, earth/mocha, and mild spice on the palate. Integrated, balanced toward acidity and washed down the meal nicely. Medium finish. Excellent.
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3/3/2012 - macker100 wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with 2011 notes. Underrated '05 bordeaux that is both ready to drink and a complex wine.
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2/27/2012 - Nutty08 wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured and let sit in the glass for an hour. Great smoky nose with espresso, black pepper, and hint of toast. Black currants on the palate which is surprisingly forward, fine soft tannins in the background that turn a little chalky on the finish. Finishes long, with mocha, granite, currants and earth. Really well polished wine with impressive balance and poise. I need to keep my hands off these and give them about 5yrs, but it is drinking very well right now.
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10/21/2011 - macker100 wrote: 91 Points
Very nice and surprisingly approachable '05 Big fruit nose of rich cherries, blackberries, vanilla. Palate very refined, with good freshness and smoky black fruits. Nice mouthfeel on very good finish. Under the radar Estephe with potential.
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10/21/2011 - Nutty08 wrote: 92 Points
San Antonio Wine Geeks (Pasha 1604): Popped and poured and consumed over 4-5hrs. Surprisingly approachable. Classic Ste Estephe nose with green pepper, smoke, funk, and black currants. Lush palate with fine polished tannins, black currants, pepper and lengthy finish with scorched earth, stone, and plum. very nice bdx that's drinkable now but should mature over the next decade. Neil Martin nailed this one.
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10/3/2011 - Kriz wrote: 90 Points
Smoky on the nose. Ripe berries on the nose and palate. Decanted for three hours and it goes very well with a great piece of beef.
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9/9/2011 - essconsults wrote: 92 Points
And might be 93-94 in another year or two. From a .375. Charcoal, still some toasty oak, tobacco, violets, blackberries. Drinking beautifully. The best '05 I've had so far (but the others were about a year ago). Great purity of fruit, no heat on the finish, and doesn't seem overly alcoholic or extracted. My kind of Bordeaux. Perhaps the old days are still around!
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8/14/2011 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
I can never understand the lower ratings on this wine. It's one of my favorite bordeaux; so smokey, with deep penetrating dark fruit. This particular vintage of the wine is so special.
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7/25/2011 - Kriz wrote: 90 Points
This is promising for the years to come. Lot´s of ripe black fruit and some cedar but a little closed on the nose. Nice tannins and a very balanced wine. Has years to develop but is beautiful to drink now.
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7/23/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
With good color, scents of blackberries, wet earth,black cherries, stone and cassis, this medium/full bodied wine finishes with dollop of creme de cassis and blackberry jam. A few more years add more complexity to the wine, but as it's already starting to drink well at 6, do not expect this to make old bones. I'd finish any bottles you have by the time this Bordeaux wine hits its 18th birthday, if not sooner.
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4/22/2011 - Darren747 wrote: 91 Points
Excellent cassis, leather and mocha bouquet. Light palate but a complex range of flavours including blackberry, toasty spice and cedar. Coffee and chocolate developing in the glass. Very ripe tannin, integrated and balanced with fresh acidity. Lovely, long, lingering nutty finish. Has a very bright future.
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2/22/2011 - esol wrote: 89 Points
Ruby with translucent rim and dark opaque core. Opens with cassis then dark cherry, tabacco, smoke, and wet stones. Nose finishes with cheery liqueur. Round palate with smooth tannins and pleasant acidity but nose is deceiving. Overall good, not great, but palate is lacking too much for a Bordeaux. 89
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11/13/2010 - mukden wrote: 88 Points
NO. Seemed totally dumb, nothing.
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7/16/2010 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Simple Series VI: Grosses Gewach Dinner (Peach Garden, OCBC Building): I thought this was really good. By far the best Phelan-Segur I have ever tried. Drinking pretty well too for a 2005. Nose was attractive, with vanilla, toast and a savoury damp earth character that was all very left-bank and very inviting. It was the palate that really grabbed the attention though. Clean, pure cassis and plum notes were wed to lush tobacco and woody bramble tones, with a stream of gravelly mineral running the length of the wine. All very precise and focused, and very delicious, with fine tannins and fresh acid giving the wine a nice shape and mouthfeel. Finish carried on seamlessly from the mid-palate, with fine, slightly powdery tannins caressing the mouth, and a linger of rich cassis tones closing the wine out. A real surprise. Especially excellent with the beef dish.
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7/16/2010 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
2010 Simple Wine Dinner Series No.6 - SBSS "Dry" Dinner (Peach Garden @ OCBC Building): Alcohol :: 13%
Beautiful vibrant dark ruby color. High tone of gravel soil, tobacco and cigar box, with hint of mint. This is still quite reserved on the nose. Silky smooth palate with noticeable polish tannins with blackberry, dark chocolate and roasted coffee bean flavors leads to slight austere finish. A well balance wine with some upside potential. This is also very Bordeaux and good QPR at great vintage. Rebuy - No as I more fond to the Montviel 2000 at slightly lower in price.
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7/5/2010 - ToddR911 wrote: 90 Points
Excellent wine. As an aside, this is the wine that Hannibal pulls out to drink when he is on the plane. Musty on the nose with scent of mushrooms and dirt, then gives way to a well-balanced wine with dark fruits. I have a few more bottles so I'm looking forward to sampling those with food.
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6/27/2010 - John McCabe wrote: 95 Points
love it, as usual. Smokey, earthy tones. So ready to drink. So refined and surprising in so many ways.
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6/24/2010 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous. Smokey, almost burned flavor. Just beautiful. I keep buying more, and with no regrets.
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5/31/2010 - Kevin_C wrote: 93 Points
Picked up nice smokey notes in this bottle. Great balance. It's amazing how accessible this wine is.
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3/28/2010 - Friedo wrote: 91 Points
Dark fruits and earthiness. Refined, not at all overpowering.
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3/23/2010 - Kevin_C wrote: 93 Points
An expressive bouquet showing plum, coffee, chocolate and a hint of dark tobacco along with complex mineral notes of alum powder, dry stones, ash, and asphault. Very clean, with no barnyard or funkiness present. Where is the oak? Sweet, inviting entry leading to a rich palate of dark plum and chocolate that carries through to the finish which is surprisingly long and minerally. Very balanced. There are abundant tannins which are mostly hidden until the finish where they are sweet and integrated with just a little dryness. An intellectual bouquet and a sumptuous palate.
A small sample I saved for the second day showed freshness in the bouquet but was not as expressive as the night before. Smooth palate with a more apparant blue/black fruit profile with oak notes and minerals. Very well balanced among the components. The finish was more intense yesterday. Definitely a styled wine. [93-94]
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3/18/2010 - slippytoad wrote: 92 Points
Tasting great now if a little closed. Come back in a few years?
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1/26/2010 - Baron Samedi wrote: 89 Points
Violets, iodine and some red fruit. Nice wine which has the matter to evolve. Give it another 3 years before the next try.
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12/25/2009 - rrdoucet wrote: 92 Points
One of the best Bordeaux in that price range. Chocolate and coffee. Lots of tannins.
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12/22/2009 - oeno1 wrote: 92 Points
2hr decant. appears sitll young. purple. the nose is inviting. cherry, blueberry some spice, so far so good.
The palate, this is where it becomes awkward, starts with a promising blush of fruit, spice and fine tannin, but quickly evoles towards the savoury with distinctively bitter notes (fruit peel, tonic) and with high minerality. surprising. good balance and medium/long finish.
not a parker blockbuster this one..
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10/26/2009 - Alex H wrote: 81 Points
Bordeaux 2005 and 2006 Tasting; 10/22/2009-10/26/2009 (Wine For Asia Singapore Suntec): Very oaked with coffee, toasty notes framing green roasted capsicums. Dark fruits but I detect rubberiness and almost melted plasticky . Slightly awkward.
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9/28/2009 - galewskj wrote: 85 Points
Not bad for a young low-priced bordeaux. Good typical bordeaux flavors of smoke, leather and cedar.
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8/21/2009 - slopeguy wrote:
Glass decanted for an hour. Great nose of blackberry and chocholate, awesome. Needed some time in the glass to open up a bit. Long finish, some fine tannins, otherwise a nice wine. Will probably develop somewhat over time
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8/21/2009 - slopeguy wrote:
excellent nose, hints of chocholate, and blackberry. After an hour of glass decanting, there was a long finish with strong tannins great qualities. Will develop over time?
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7/22/2009 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
I was very impressed with this - very approachable even now. Dark coffee and chocolate tones with some ripe fruit - some austerity, but it was somehow welcome, making the wine more complex. I bought the last K&L had.
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5/10/2009 - michaelredhill@gmail.com wrote: 88 Points
A strangely dusty nose, with hints of fig, blackberries, and tobacco. Pepper and black cherry in the mouth, good structure, but whatever gives the nose that dusty aura also obtains in the mouth. The 2005 is probably not totally ready to drink, and after an hour, still hasn't opened up completely.
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1/26/2009 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Union des Grand Cru Tasting (Lighthouse (Pier 61, Chelsea Piers)): At UGC Grand Tasting in New York. Below expectations. A bit too tannic, rather plain. I preferred the 06 of this wine to the 05.
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1/26/2009 - ews3 wrote: 86 Points
Union des Grand Crus 2005 & 2006 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC (Lighthouse, NYC): similar palate to the '06, but a bitter finish.
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1/24/2009 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
UGC LA: Branches, cocoa, earthy sous-bois, nice.
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1/12/2009 - rsepulve wrote: 90 Points
Ripe fruit, good structure, a bit simple but shows lots of promise. Moderately tannic. Should be excellent starting in a few years and drink well for 5-10 years.
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3/9/2008 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:
Along with Cos Labory, my favorite St. Estephe in this price level, with a cornucopia of black and red fruits, a hint of licorice and a smooth medium body ending with a longish finish. Nice job!
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1/22/2008 - Vino Me wrote: 86 Points
2005 Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting (Drake Hotel, Chicago, Illinois): 49% Merlot, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc. Graphite on the nose. Super dry texture. Not much fruit showing. Notes of leather and raw meat. Same score I gave the 2003. 86 points.
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1/19/2008 - tanglenet wrote:
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (San Francisco): Tasted at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux in SF. Quick notes: loads of coffee, dried dark fruit with some mustiness. Good.
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4/10/2006 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 89 Points
BORDEAUX 2005 / Cabernet rules; 4/5/2006-4/10/2006 (Bordeaux): Heavy almost rubber-like nose... Palate is also hard and tannic on the attack though smoothens out later with a cherry drop taste and not too astringent overall. 88-90+
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3/28/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote:
2005 Bordeaux en Primeur; 3/26/2006-3/28/2006 (Bordeaux France): En Primeur tasting. Good and ripe black berries and cherry. Firm tannins on finish are slightly rugged. Should be a good value. 88-89 point potential.
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