Dominated by blackberry. Lower complexity than I would have thought for a 3rd cru. Out of the bottle almost no tannin at all, highly dry. After about 15mins tannins show but they are not very strong.
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Mature Bordeaux, with good fruit and hints of tertiary aromas. The nose is limited, the wine is relatively light for a classified Bordeaux. Overall a pleasure to drink, but it stays a bit below my expectations.
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Appearance: Bright and clear, deep intensity ruby in color, with garnet rims and legs. Nose: Clean, with medium intensity of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry and plum, maturity notes of savory and forest floor, animal notes of meat, oak notes of cedar, MLF notes of cream. The wine is developing. Palate: Dry, with medium acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, the wine has a medium alcohol and a medium (+) body, with medium intensity of black fruit such as dark cherries, blackberry and plum, dairy notes of cream, oak notes of cedar. The wine has a medium finish. Conclusion: Good quality Margaux with reasonable concentration on the nose and good complexity, the wine has a fine and elegant structure, with typical Margaux finesse on the palate. It has a nice, soft style with reasonable length on the finish but nothing really stood out to bring the wine to a higher level. Ready to drink now, the wine can further develop for another 2-3 years.
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Big disappointment after the last bottle tried in 2012, this was absolutely revolting. The fruit has gone right over the top, becoming tart and even sour. One sip only then straight into the sink.
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Ruby red center with orange and slightly brown rim. The nose is earthy with ripe, dark cherry, blackberry, tobacco, and herbs. The palate seems sharp at first with cassis, herbs, minerals, and earth, but it rounds out better with air. The acidity is shrill initially, but with a couple hours of air, the acidity integrates nicely in this medium-bodied wine. The tannins are still present on the finish, which has moderate length. Overall, this is a lovely wine for the price.
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Delicate nose. Still some fruit in front and the age has given it some balance. Great with a mushroom-fontina polenta. Score reflects qpr. Not wondrously complex, but very good and it is hard to find an elegant Margaux in this price range.
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POP. minimal nose, even after 45 minutes. Aerated Cigar box is a good metaphor, creamy, dark cherry. Minimal acidity. It seemwd to be a little tired and past its prime(?), for only a 2003. I have another bottle to try in a few months.
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Another good effort from a strangely underestimated estate. The nose is very discreet, just some red berries and a touch of cigar box. In the mouth, redcurrant and some cranberry at first, slightly pinched but not at all burnt, then the trademark Desmirail wave of creamy, dark cherry, followed by a classic Margaux finale. It's surprisingly good, the usual effortless charm and elegance joined by more bite and fruit than previous vintages. Much better than Issan or P-Lichine, for example. Even if 00 and 01 are better, this is well balanced and much better than expected in the context of the vintage. Desmirail is a sleeper that remains off the critical radar, excellent value and a banker - no vintage from 95 onwards has disappointed me.
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Opaque ruby, bricking red/orange. Blackberry, cherry, cassis, plum, and cigar box bouquet. Full bodied, smooth, and well structured. Good integration at this point. Vivid richness and flavors, with vibrant acidity, yet retains its Margaux finesse. In a nice spot.
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This wine is more about finesse than power. It has surely put on some weight since my last bottle last year and in fact showed much better than I hoped for. Not there for the long haul, but not at all jammy as much else 03 I have tasted.
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Pn D for about 3 hrs. Calssic claret color with pink rim. Plum cassis rosemary and cedar box aroma. Astringent on the intial taste fruit is reticent more savory than fruity. Needs time. Will try tomorrow with food and then score.
Left in a vacuum decater for 24 hrs and had with grilled rack of lamb. Great food and wine match. Wine had softened and opened up. Much more fruit on the nose and palate. Weak in the middle pleasant cassis liquor finish with a savory note. Not as lush as might be expected from a "ripe" vintage. Not bad for an entry level Margaux. Lots of time left on this one.
Even better the 3rd day of being sealed in the vacuum decanter.
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Pretty boring at first. Opened up after a few hours with some subtle earth tones, cassis, and ceder. Not a great Margaux, but a decent value for $25. Wine is a bit thin on the palate and lacks some of the fruit and complexity I was looking for.
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Red fruit and cedar in the nose. Balanced enough to be sippable, but enough structure to enjoy with both a chicken stew and some blue cheese. Not a big bold wine--rather elegant considering the year, but still quite enjoyable. Seems like good QPR for Margaux.
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Not much of a nose, but bright, clean cherry-like flavor on first encounter. Taste lingers and develops, with some subtle tannins, long finish. I like it, and it went well with food and especially cheese -- no surprise there.
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3/11/2024 - msauer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Korken gerissen, trotzdem rückstandslos raus
Dunkles sattes Rot
Bdx-Nase, kein Stinker
nichts Grünes, kein Holz
warme reife Frucht. Schöner Körper
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2/22/2024 - jdrosen wrote: 90 Points
Dominated by blackberry. Lower complexity than I would have thought for a 3rd cru. Out of the bottle almost no tannin at all, highly dry. After about 15mins tannins show but they are not very strong.
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4/11/2023 - msauer wrote: 90 Points
herrlich gereift , wird vermutlich nicht noch besser
warme, volle dunkle Früchte , ein Hauch Zartbitter
12,5% sind völlig ausreichend !
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1/9/2022 - msauer Likes this wine: 89 Points
ordentlich , aber für ein 3e zu wenig.
Kraft und Körper fehlen. Leicht, helle rote Beeren, VollmilchSchoko.
Kein Leder oder Sattel
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1/13/2021 - msauer Likes this wine: 91 Points
wieder gut!
kein Schwergewicht, leichte 12,5 %
überraschend feminin. zarte rote Frucht mit etwas Pfeffer in der Nase
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1/8/2021 - msauer Likes this wine: 91 Points
feiner Stoff
dunkel, dicht, ziemlich lang. beachtliche Frische.
diesem Wein reichen schlanke 12,5 % , ihm fehlt nichts. Kraft, Struktur- alles präsent
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11/24/2019 - Frank Hoekstra wrote:
Eerder een jongere variant geproefd en dan merk je dat deze al een beetje over the top is. Dus niet te lang wachten met consumeren.
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6/7/2019 - Autopilot Likes this wine: 90 Points
I found this wine to be robust and flavourful with notes of blackberry. It is worthy of its classification.
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1/28/2019 - vinero Likes this wine: 89 Points
Classical Bordeaux, bit on the dry side. Ok wine, but a bit unintegrated.
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6/18/2018 - vinero Likes this wine: 91 Points
Typical mature Bordeaux. Nicely dark in the glass. Limited nose. The palate give strong blackcurrant with a long, slightly dry finish. Nice!
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3/30/2018 - vinero Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mature Bordeaux, with good fruit and hints of tertiary aromas. The nose is limited, the wine is relatively light for a classified Bordeaux. Overall a pleasure to drink, but it stays a bit below my expectations.
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3/4/2017 - Pepe muro wrote:
Agradable pero con algo de falta de cuerpo. Buen paso, color y olfato
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4/17/2015 - gwkozar Likes this wine: 86 Points
poured bright ruby, translucent. Very subdued nose of dark fruit. Palate was lightweight, low acidity, perhaps past prime. short finish.
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6/4/2014 - peterchoy wrote: 88 Points
Appearance: Bright and clear, deep intensity ruby in color, with garnet rims and legs.
Nose: Clean, with medium intensity of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry and plum, maturity notes of savory and forest floor, animal notes of meat, oak notes of cedar, MLF notes of cream. The wine is developing.
Palate: Dry, with medium acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, the wine has a medium alcohol and a medium (+) body, with medium intensity of black fruit such as dark cherries, blackberry and plum, dairy notes of cream, oak notes of cedar. The wine has a medium finish.
Conclusion: Good quality Margaux with reasonable concentration on the nose and good complexity, the wine has a fine and elegant structure, with typical Margaux finesse on the palate. It has a nice, soft style with reasonable length on the finish but nothing really stood out to bring the wine to a higher level. Ready to drink now, the wine can further develop for another 2-3 years.
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5/6/2014 - soychick wrote: 90 Points
Very much enjoyed this. Elegant, crisp, smokey and complex, with dark fruits and a tobacco - perfume nose. Wish I had bought more @$20!
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1/12/2014 - Julian Marshall Does not like this wine:
Big disappointment after the last bottle tried in 2012, this was absolutely revolting. The fruit has gone right over the top, becoming tart and even sour. One sip only then straight into the sink.
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9/5/2013 - Meerlust wrote: 88 Points
Ruby red center with orange and slightly brown rim. The nose is earthy with ripe, dark cherry, blackberry, tobacco, and herbs. The palate seems sharp at first with cassis, herbs, minerals, and earth, but it rounds out better with air. The acidity is shrill initially, but with a couple hours of air, the acidity integrates nicely in this medium-bodied wine. The tannins are still present on the finish, which has moderate length. Overall, this is a lovely wine for the price.
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2/27/2013 - Doblk Likes this wine: 88 Points
Delicate nose. Still some fruit in front and the age has given it some balance. Great with a mushroom-fontina polenta. Score reflects qpr. Not wondrously complex, but very good and it is hard to find an elegant Margaux in this price range.
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2/24/2013 - gwkozar Likes this wine: 85 Points
POP. minimal nose, even after 45 minutes. Aerated Cigar box is a good metaphor, creamy, dark cherry. Minimal acidity. It seemwd to be a little tired and past its prime(?), for only a 2003. I have another bottle to try in a few months.
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8/1/2012 - Julian Marshall wrote:
Another good effort from a strangely underestimated estate. The nose is very discreet, just some red berries and a touch of cigar box. In the mouth, redcurrant and some cranberry at first, slightly pinched but not at all burnt, then the trademark Desmirail wave of creamy, dark cherry, followed by a classic Margaux finale. It's surprisingly good, the usual effortless charm and elegance joined by more bite and fruit than previous vintages. Much better than Issan or P-Lichine, for example.
Even if 00 and 01 are better, this is well balanced and much better than expected in the context of the vintage.
Desmirail is a sleeper that remains off the critical radar, excellent value and a banker - no vintage from 95 onwards has disappointed me.
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7/23/2011 - Baron Slick wrote: 91 Points
Opaque ruby, bricking red/orange. Blackberry, cherry, cassis, plum, and cigar box bouquet. Full bodied, smooth, and well structured. Good integration at this point. Vivid richness and flavors, with vibrant acidity, yet retains its Margaux finesse. In a nice spot.
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1/22/2011 - redman77 wrote: 87 Points
First night pnp could not drink at all....resealed refrig....next day a light bordeaux smooth with medium finish..mmm...$22..coin flip
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12/17/2010 - Marcellus77 wrote: 90 Points
This wine is more about finesse than power. It has surely put on some weight since my last bottle last year and in fact showed much better than I hoped for. Not there for the long haul, but not at all jammy as much else 03 I have tasted.
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10/6/2010 - toontune wrote: 90 Points
Musky
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10/3/2010 - df1962 wrote: 90 Points
Pn D for about 3 hrs. Calssic claret color with pink rim. Plum cassis rosemary and cedar box aroma. Astringent on the intial taste fruit is reticent more savory than fruity. Needs time. Will try tomorrow with food and then score.
Left in a vacuum decater for 24 hrs and had with grilled rack of lamb. Great food and wine match. Wine had softened and opened up. Much more fruit on the nose and palate. Weak in the middle pleasant cassis liquor finish with a savory note. Not as lush as might be expected from a "ripe" vintage. Not bad for an entry level Margaux. Lots of time left on this one.
Even better the 3rd day of being sealed in the vacuum decanter.
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8/3/2010 - dferreir wrote: 88 Points
decent worth the $20 or so at trader joes
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5/4/2010 - pian0_player wrote: 87 Points
Pretty boring at first. Opened up after a few hours with some subtle earth tones, cassis, and ceder. Not a great Margaux, but a decent value for $25. Wine is a bit thin on the palate and lacks some of the fruit and complexity I was looking for.
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2/24/2010 - Sparkotron wrote: 90 Points
Red fruit and cedar in the nose. Balanced enough to be sippable, but enough structure to enjoy with both a chicken stew and some blue cheese. Not a big bold wine--rather elegant considering the year, but still quite enjoyable. Seems like good QPR for Margaux.
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8/30/2009 - LWI wrote: 86 Points
Bordeaux 2008 Primeur (The National Opera, Oslo): Smells like barrel sample. But, actually some elegance. Soft and relatively shrort, a bit unfocussed.
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4/27/2009 - Cosmo3 wrote:
Disappointing. Light for the year, almost thin really with not much tannins. Considering the year and the region, this is a dud.
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4/11/2009 - wbq8f wrote: 90 Points
Not much of a nose, but bright, clean cherry-like flavor on first encounter. Taste lingers and develops, with some subtle tannins, long finish. I like it, and it went well with food and especially cheese -- no surprise there.
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