This proved to be an amazing bottle of this wine. It had deep garnet color with almost no evidence of aging despite its 20+ years. The palate was redolent with dark berry fruits (Merlot) and spiced red fruit with a hint of cinnamon (C. franc). It was rich and full on the palate with great length. Very impressive effort for this Cotes de Castillon wine. Another crowd pleaser!
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To all distinguished and noble members of this great site: this 22 years old wine is fine, alive and delicious! Let's drink Merlot on this beautiful Thursday (it was sunny, windless day, -2°C now). This time my Merlot is not from St.Emilion, but from its close neighbor - Cotes de Castillon. First - 22 years old wine with lovely ruby color! Second - intense, sweet aromas of black currant, blackberry. Also a lot of coffee and some licorice. Nice creamy texture! Taste: blackberry, blackcurrant, red currant, black chocolate and strong flavors of black coffee. Matter of fact - coffee is everywhere! I like coffee in a wine... but for my personal taste, there is too much coffee here. By the way: 80% Merlot, 20% CF. Acidity is very friendly, tannins very weak. Finish - pretty long, but soft with black fruits, red currant and gentle spice. It's hard to complain about 22 years old wine, that in my opinion hold its 'spirit' high and alive, especially when the price I paid was €27 ...🕤 I started drinking the third glass of this wine and it seems that everything is the same, but beautifully arranged. Like dominoes in a winning game. In a word: balance, balance, balance. Other word: pleasure, pleasure, pleasure Well, well, well: tannins suddenly appeared out of nowhere, which is of course positive news. Therefore, the wine becomes much livelier, more interesting, with a longer finish. Simply put - delicious juice Upgraded from 91 to 93 pts. Uncomplicated, but very delicious juice
From Magnum. This wine came around pretty quickly even in this format. Some blueberry and modest chocolate notes with a mid palate and finish of slightly tart raspberries and a touch of green beans. Silky smooth. Interesting. Well balanced.
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Good color--deep garnet. Deep rich fruit with hints of cinnamon. Nicely balanced with brisk acidity. Red Cabernet franc fruit was prominent. Very satisfying on the palate although a slightly short finish. This is drinking very well right now.
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Dark ruby red in colour! Extravagant nose of riped black cherries fruit, drinking very well at the moment, for those who bought it in the En-Primeur market, the return is simply sensational, really worth the wait!
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Thought I had drunk all of these, I guess not. Stood bottle up for several hours, in retrospect I could have decanted for sediment. Plenty of deep color in the glass, can't see any bricking. Lots of aromatics: Muted dark fruit, leather, faint tobacco, and a mushroomy, earthy scent. Tastes fully resolved, nicely rounded. Don't see this improving but might hang on another year or two. Not a banger but a solid bottle.
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Bordeaux masterclass at Summa 2022 (Weingut Alois Lageder, Margreid, South Tyrol): A splendid showing. A perfumed nose with sweet red and dark fruits, various spices, some bellpepper and balsamic notes. Medium-bodied and fresh with lowly 13,5 ABV, lighter but more classically proportioned than recent vintages. Fully developed but not in decline. Exemplifies perfectly, why it pays off to store inexpensive, but carefully selected Bordeaux.
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Gareth's Cru Bourgeois Dinner (Hawksmoor, Guildhall, London): Lovely, welcoming sweet fruited nose - blueberries to the fore - quite youthful still but perfumed, exotic and a touch floral. Medium bodied on the palate with soft tannins and fresh acidity, perhaps not the longest but harmonious and drinking beautifully.
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Gareth’s ‘Cru Bourgeois’ @ Hawksmoor: 9/12. Mellow, smooth, a touch of richness on the nose but balanced by a cool acidity. The elegant face of right bank exoticism. Consistent with the previous bottles from this case over the past decade. ***1/2
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Opened Friday night at the Wine Watch happy hour and tried some right away; big mistake. This is going to need a couple hours to decant, but when it does, it opens up to a well structured wine. After an hour, the nose is pronounced leather and very minor green and vanilla notes. The color is still dark and ruby and has some legs and youthful appearance. I get a dark bodied, well structured wine that is not fruit forward but has blackberry, coffee grinds, a tinge of earth, and shows its age elegantly. It could store for longer but it's in a great spot now so why wait.
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When I decanted this 2000 about 2+ hours before dinner, it had a non-descript nose and was surprisingly tight. I used a proven aeration trick every time I passed by, pouring the wine back and forth times between two thick-glass milk bottles until dinner was ready. It worked again, at least IMO. I paired the d'Aiguihle with grilled Australian lamb chops (hands-down Costco's best meat deal). In our glasses the wine now had pronounced scents of black berries and cherries as well as a little licorice. On the palate it was dense, slightly sweet and supple, with a medium body and soft tannins. This wasn't the wine I had been looking for in my cellar, but I'm very happy that I stumbled on it first. This is Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux, which I bought in 2004 for $19, is a great value made by Count Stephan de Niepperg, who also produces La Mondotte and Canon La Gaffeliere from St. Emilion. Looking forward to my last two bottles, which has clearly exceeded the projected drink-by date of 2016.
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Quite extravagant on the nose, smoky, leathery, vanilla red fruits! Slightly sweet and spicy smoky red fruits palate, a medium finish, a bit young and tannic!
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Deep ruby, a little leather, forest floor, plenty of rich red fruits. Magnificent mouthfeel. Still has a little time left, but the end is in sight. Drink up.
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Bought another bottle and this was clearly in better shape than the first one. Less opaque and not tired at all, more lively and brighter flavours. Still a lot of tobacco here, in a good way. Very good for a not-so-expensive 19 year old Bordeaux!
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Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, hints of chalk, chocolate and tar; smooth, long, thick, and extended, good classic Bordeaux but increasingly syrupy over time
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Very deep brown-red colour, almost opaque. Mature smell with dry leaves, tobacco, spices like nutmeg. On the palate mostly black cherries, bit of dried herbs and spices, earth, blood, smooth and balanced and very mature. Somewhat past peak perhaps but an interesting wine nonetheless.
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Penultimate bottle from full case and yet another fine specimen. Creamy berry fruit, red meat and spices, earthy and nutty conplexity, impeccable balance and weight (13.5% ABV), delivers both freshness and generosity, finely grained tannins still provide grip, very good resonance and length. Really very good for age and terroir.
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An interesting compare and contrast with the 2000 Boyd-Cantenac, same vintage, left v. right bank. The stylistic differences are obvious (the Boyd has more finesse, this is more generous) and perfectly logical, but the quality is similar, which is a great compliment for this Côtes de Castillon.
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Happily working my way through a case of this. Delightful mature right bank claret, beautifully balanced, with a lovely interplay of the soft fruit of the 80% Merlot and the leafy freshness of the 20% Cabernet Franc. Not as rich and full as it once was, but pure and elegant.
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UWS; A mixed set of wines (@ JB): Concentrated bouquet with red berries, herbs and sweet spices. Pleasant oak. On the palate a beautiful and juicy wine with sweet spices, well dosed oak, red berries, good acidity and round tannin with still a pleasant bite. Beautiful wine which can be cellared for another 3+ years.
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First bottle from a pristine case recently acquired at auction. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Youthful appearance, medium-deep bright bordeaux red all the way to the rim, looks much younger than its 18 years; the nose is immediately ready for business, open and well defined, classic right bank claret, good depth, ripe Merlot-cherries, wood spice, earth, red meat, peppery lift and a cool chalkiness; the palate has lost some of its weight and concentration, and shows its more minerally side, whilst retaining all of its balance and freshness; light finish, good length. Not as impressive as I remember from 2014, but still a delightful drink. Completely ready.
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Friday night in the library. Pop and poured. Drank over 30+ mins. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of sweet red cherries, blackberries, black cherries, grilled red bell peppers, cedar. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (13.5%), resolved medium+ tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of grilled red bell peppers, sweet red cherries, black berries, black cherries, cedar, graphite. Long finish. Very good quality. Classic elegant claret profile. Prime time to drink and enjoy. Another fantastic 2000 vintage Bordeaux. I suppose we have to thank Comte Stefan von Neipperg for purchasing this estate in 1998 and bringing the quality up to this level. Most certainly the best Côtes de Castillon. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc.
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Popped and poured, and impressive right out of the gate. Still-youthful ruby-purple. Classic Bordeaux drinking at its apogee. Textbook lead pencil and cedar aromas. Medium body, silky-smooth, lovely fruit in the mouth. This was shockingly good for $60 off the shelf. Love it. 5-13-16-9: 93/100.
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Nose of forest floor, black currants, black cherry, and licorice, more of the same on the palate, medium/big body, tasty, at its peak, definitely showing its age as the first night it showed rich fruit, mouth coating fruit, and tasty, but the second night too much earthy, forest floor and the fruit had disappeared, so the score was lowered two points, I suggest you drink up since community holdings show there at around 275 bottles remaining to enjoy, a long finish both nights.
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Nose of saddle leather, barnyard, forest floor, cassis, and black currants, more of the same on the palate, medium/big body, very tasty, at its peak, time to enjoy it if you have it, rich fruit, very classical Bordeaux, enjoyed over two nights, elegant, with a long, flavorful finish.
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As per previous tasting a year ago, but now firmly in its drinking window. Full of blackcurrant and liquorice, there are sharp tannins on the palate but well balanced with the fruit and with great depth. The finish is a little sharp but a decent wine and good value for money at the time.
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Work Wine Tasting - Chablis & Claret (Home): This has been consistently good over the past few years. Nicely rich with soft mulberry and damson fruit. Reasonable mid-palate depth and a decent finish. Easy to drink but reasonable complexity too with some cedar and wet earth notes. Lovely. ***1/2
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The wine looks inky colored. It smells like prune, raisin, toast and black pepper. It tastes like blackberry, raisin, prune and toast. The body is full. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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Ensured a very long decant in light of other reviews, but once it opened it became a mature wine at its peak. Lots of fruit and well rounded on the palate. Good value
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I have to confess I misjudged this wine totally! I initially thought the wine should be ready to go, not in this case, the wine is way too young! It took me twelve hours to open it! The colour is so dark and dense, dark ruby showing with a touch of watery hue, neither brown nor orange! Incredible nose of ripe dark fruits, full of minerals! The palate echos it very well, full of fruits and minerals! Still tannic! I guess this bottle should evolve easily for another ten years if left it unopened! Nice wine! Another beauty from the vintage two thousand!
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Hat mich positiv überrascht. Kühle Frucht, Schwarzkirsche, etwas Cassis, Pflaume, Meersaum, Minze. Am Gaumen von der immer noch dichten, vielschichtigen dunklen Frucht dominiert, sehr opulent, aber gut ausbalanciert von der Säure und der Würze der Cabernet Franc. Tannin ist nahezu vollständig abgeschmolzen, schönes Finish.
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Wonderful wine. We normally go with a big label for Thanksgiving, but based on community reviews we popped one of these mid morning. After a few hours opened, the wine really opened up. Wonderful red and black fruits, with smoothed out tannins. Not sure if it will get better so drink now. We bought this on release and cellared since.
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Nose of saddle leather, barnyard, plum, cassis, and black cherry, more of the same on the palate, easy to drink, the fruit and cassis were more evident the second night, almost elegant, a real Bordeaux value, medium/big body, with a long, long, finish.
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Nose of saddle leather, plum, dark fruit, smoke, and a touch of blackberry, more of the same on the palate, easy to drink over dinner, great flavors, subtle and almost elegant, well balanced, very delicious with dinner, medium/big body, and a long finish. A great value.
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This is drinking beautifully and will last through 2017 or 2018. Ripe blackberries, cassis and wet earth cover a firm foundation with enough mild tannins to preserve this wine at least two ore years. May make it to 2020, but it is drinking so beautifully right now, I don't see a reason to gamble.
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Nose of saddle leather, hint of cigar smoke, black cherry, more of the same on the palate, at its best, delicious with steak, good structure, medium/big body, medium/long finish, nice aftertaste.
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Work wine tasting - Triplets: Consistent with previous note at same bash eleven months ago. Smooth, fruity and nicely mellow damson and mulberry fruit with earthy cedary development. Plenty of interest for the price and a point now. ***1/2
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UWS (@ JB): Beautiful and creamy bouquet with good cassis, cedar and a pleasant touch of barnyard. On the palate a beautifully concentrated wine with good cassis, a beautiful balance between acidity, sweetness and bitterness. Young maturity stage now and really delicious. Will definitely be a great pleasure to drink until 2018 - 2020 and possibly even a bit later.
Tasting of the Utrecht Wine Society (Utrecht, NL): Classic, concentrated, has depth and length, balance and energy, very complete, clean and pure, fresh style, ripe tannins, superb balance and length. A stunner.
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Nose of leather, plum, cedar and a touch of blackberry, more of the same on the palate, nice structure and well balanced, medium/big body and long finish. Worth the $32.
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“Merlot from a Bordeaux-perspective”-Tasting in June 2014, Flight 1, Wine 3 (blind). The wine was bright dark ruby in colour and offered blackberry, plum, coffee, spices, leather, tobacco and earthy notes on the meaty and sweet-scented nose. On the palate the wine showed blackberry, plum, coffee, leather and tobacco, joined by spicy and mildly earthy notes, paired with medium-level acidity, medium-level tannin and very good length. The medium-bodied, medium-complex wine was balanced and had good complexity. It seemed to be in its prime drinking window; drink now and enjoy.
NB: Checking my earlier tasting notes on this wine I realised that as opposed to the two bottle I had about a year ago this bottle did not show any signs of brett.
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Something wrong with this bottle. Past it? I doubt it, since several others of this vintage tasted recently have been splendid. The nose is there, with a hint of the primary fruitiness of the Niepperg wines. But on the palatte, something is dead, quite untypically, and there's no hint of secondary development. Bad storage by the WineBid consignor?
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Drank from a 3.0L. Really delicious wine. Fully integrated oak, but still plenty of fruit remaining (though certainly less intense and exhuberant than on release) this very drinkable Bordeaux should drink well for at least 5-6 more years, if not longer. (I don't know to what extent a smaller format might create a different impression here). In any event, no real reason to hang on to this, it's great now.
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I somehow waited a year and a half to have my second bottle of this wine, and I am even more impressed as the wine is almost peaking and drinks amazingly well with some air. Bottle and cork in pristine shape, throwing plenty of sediment. Dark fruits with some earth dominate with a long finish. Although this is a right bank wine, if I had it blind and had to peg it I would likely label it a St J. Based on how this wine has aged I can certainly see a drinking window beyond 2020 for those with reliable storage. (Notes from the winery indicate 100% new oak and 80% merlot, 20% cab sauvignon.)
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Work Wine Tasting - Pairs (Home): Lovely. Traditional minor right banker with nice structure and flavour that belies its relatively humble status. Consistent with three bottles just over a year ago. In a lovely place now but no hurry. ***1/2
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Fantastisk duft, først lidt lukket i smagen, men åbner så op. Dog en anelse kort i smagen.Solbær, mørke frugter. Gode tanniner, moden, men kan godt gemmes 5 år mere
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Very good nose! Dark fruit, graphite, Cigar box, leather, coffee, smoke herbal. Complex and fine.
Good body, medium to full and good balance. Enough acidity to match the tannins and fruit. Ok structure built of acidity and minerality with the tannins to back it all up. The wine is great to drink now but will evolve for another 10 years (maybe even more if stored correct). Good length, + 30 sec.
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We drank the Château d’Aiguilhe 2000 alongside the 2009. We decanted both wines for one hour before we poured the first glasses. The 2000 was dark ruby towards garnet in colour and threw a lot of sediment. It offered plum, blackberry, red currant, cabbage, mushroom, rye-wheat bread, leather, earth, a hint of chocolate and boatloads of brett on the nose. On the palate the wine showed red currant, blackberry, plum, gooseberry, leather, spices, a hint of menthol and tons of brett, paired with medium-level acidity, mostly integrated tannin and very good length. The balanced, medium-bodied wine improved with air and became juicy and even appetizing after about two hours in the decanter, but it remained difficult to embrace the dominating brettiness. I opened a second bottle as a reference, which showed fresher fruit and seemed a little less advanced, but had almost the same amount of brett.
We saved half of the bottle (plus the reference bottle) and consumed it over the next days and I liked the wine best on day two for its balance. On that second day I also preferred it to the 2009, whereas I preferred the sexy 2009 on day one. I would rate the 2000 88 points on day one, 90 points on day two, and the reference bottle also 90 points.
Compared to the 2009 the 2000 was more balanced and the more classic Bordeaux in that sense, but as opposed to the cleaner 2009 dominated by brett flavours. The 2009 on the other hand was much fuller-bodied and more oak-influenced.
(A little fun fact: the 2000 was bottled in green glass bottles whereas the 2009 was bottled in brown glass bottles.)
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Popped and poured from split. Wonderful aromatics of dark fruit, oak, and surprisingly...cured meat. Lively and fresh entry. Balanced mid-palate, and decent finish. Great value for the price. Another 2000 vintage sleeper that delivers! I'm glad to have one more split. Based on this experience, I'm in no hurry drink the next one. Perhaps within the next 3-5 years.
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First three bottles from a case. Very consistent. Decanted for aeration and sediment (quite a lot of fine sediment in bottom inch of bottle) around an hour before consumption. Full ruby with the slightest garnet edge. Nicely soft mulberry and plum fruit, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Ready but no hurry. Went nicely with rib of beef. ***1/2
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Fine dark color. Brooding. OK legs. Very pretty aromas of violets and red berries. Very enticing. Medium body, good rich flavor, a bit of iron, very drinkable. This is very fine at any price, but a real bargain when price is considered. 4-13-16-7: 90/100.
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Last of a case purchased on release and I sure do wish I had more. This is drinking really well now and for the price it is excellent. Should be 3-5 years more time left in this one if you are lucky enough to have more.
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I've had some literal stinkers from the 2000 vintage - cases of Reserve de Leoville Barton & Domaine de Gruaud Larouse both quite foul and had to be tipped - but this Cotes de Castillon, bought en primeur, doesn't disappoint. Latest bottle: drunk straight after decanting - started sweet and rich, densely raspberryish, before turning pleasantly savoury after thirty or so seconds. Dark, deep, purple-black and at least another five good years ahead. Also found favour with claret-neutral wife.
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Purchased on auction at wine commune, and was represented to have been purchased on release and cellared in a tempearature controlled cellar. Upon opening the cork, and seeing only dark red on the bottom of the cork, and smelling a nose of flowers, it was clear to me that this was in pristine shape. I poured this in a narrow decanter to allow some air, as the wine was not closed but not showing all it had within the first minutes. Very dark colored, showed cedar and flowers in the nose, and dark red cassis type fruits on the palate. A hint of acid for balance, and still showing enough tannin to require a decant of close to two hours to allow the wine to open up more thoroughly. This wine very much impressed me, as I don't think it has peaked yet and may be able to merit another point in two years. My projected drinking window on this wine is from now through 2020, contrary to the posted drinking window; but this only would apply to wines that have been cellared as this one has since day one. I am considering picking up some of the 2009 to try it next to the 2000 in 2020.
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Decanted for about 45 minutes. An excellent but not outstanding Bordeaux that I bought as a future. Subtle berry flavors, beginings of bright cherry fruit emerging, some smooth leather but but very light. There is still noticeable oak but not over the top - no spllinters in the mouth. No roungh tanins. Smooth mouth feel and integrated palate. Still on the upswing.
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Very pleasant, though perhaps a big generic. Silky mouthfeel with integrated tannin and oak, good rich fruit (raspberry, blackberry), coffee, and a hint (only) of herbaceousness. Drinking great, mature now (but I think would still be fine for the next 2-5 years).
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Fully mature, with licorice, stone, earth, black raspberry, spice, coffee and ripe plum scents, this round, medium bodied, soft textured wine is drinking at the perfect place today. If you have any remaining, I'd drink them over the next 2-4 years to preserve the fruit.
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Beautiful deep purple color. Not much nose, but reasonably complex flavors including blackberry and chocolate. Nicely structured with broad tannins. Medium body.
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Weiterhin kaum gealterter, trinkflüssiger Bordeaux; an der Nase dominiert von Johannisbeer- und Cassisaromen, anfangs leichter Stallton, etwas Paprika, Kräuter, Schoko und Bleistift; mittlere bis kräftige Statur, feine Tannine, die gut mit der nicht zu kräftigen Säurestruktur harmonieren, guter Abgang.
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Decanted for just over an hour. A bit of a funky aroma when popped but that dissipated quickly. Fairly subdued nose when poured, enjoyable dark fruit but I had hoped for more complexity and a longer finish.
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Nice if somewhat monolithic and young bottle of Bordeaux. As expected, a dark purple in the glass without much hint of evolution. I the nose black current with a note of smoky hickory and mint. Just beginning to open up the day after uncorking. Thick in the mouth and showing a bit more age than the nose or the appearance would suggest. Should have bought more...
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Inky purple. First nose of blackberry. Deep and gorgeous nose of ripe blackberry and cassis, vanilla incense which showed the character of cab. franc, notes of mocha and tar, no irritating alcohol at all. The palate had silky but firm tannin, unctuous mouthfeel and full-bodied, rich and concentrated ripe blackberry, layers of flavors with notes of chocolate and coffee, deep and robust, really low acidity. Medium to long finish of blackberry and dark chocolate and slight vanilla. Complete. Individual and robust wine from a satellite of St Emilion. Excellent with deep and strong flavors. What a great and serious old-world style wine. For just 25 pounds, this is a sleeper and deserves 92 points.
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Great food wine. Had with excellent NY Strip. On it own, really wanted to be paired with food (still a bit tannic.) Drank very well with the steak (no tannins.)
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Unctuous but still reserved dark fruits on the nose. This was too chilled at cellar temp on opening, but with some air and warmth it opened up.
Palate of glycerin infused but tightly wound black fruits show admirable purity, weight, nice lift and length. Still tight, I'm sure it will mellow and integrate with some more time, but I'm not sure how much "better" it will become. One of the really nice things about it now is its sense of freshness, and if it retains that it could do ok for some further short-term cellaring.
Good datapoint on sense of the vintage, certainly won't be opening any heavy hitters for quite some time now.
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Nice bordeaux. Still has time. In the first hour you taste the tannins, not as strong, but still there. A better palate that nose. After one hour the nose got better and the wine came together nicely, an enjoyable wine.
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A very nice, good but not great wine. I was a bit disappointed but only because my expectations were high based upon the laudatory notes I have seen. Decanted for about 45 minutes. The nose was a bit funky when first decanted - like moldy cloth - but it blew off in just a ferw minutes. The color was dark but pure. On the palate, cherry and red berry fruit, some tart acidity, very limited signs of age. Bought this E.P. Despite the Derenencourt consulting and the 80% new oak aging, this wine did not reek of oak and was not going to give me splinters.My wife found it to have more stuffing than she expected with stronger fruit, but I thought the fruit was wat should be expected. My only criticism is that the wine seemed to lack complexity. I thoughtthe 2000 Grand Mayne we had a week or two ago was better. Just a guess, but I think this wine needs more time, or perhaps a longer decant. I have another glass in the decanter and I will revisit it at 4 hours.
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nose - decanted several hours. slowly emerging is a rich nose of sweet red cherry fruit and toasty oak. mouth - actually improved over the house which suggests to me that this needs longer in bottle. Sappy red fruit, rich midpalate which i cant describe better than 'mature red wine', balanced with good acidity and tannins. Will recheck tomorrow and may merit a higher score then
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Nose: Some of the pencil lead and blackberry aromas (like the last bottle ~ 1 1/2 years ago) still showing but more muted. Palate: Still youthful blackberry fruit and some tannin. Showed more power upon openning but toward the end of the bottle started to decline. Nonetheless drinking very well but I would say drink up now to maybe 6-12 months max. My last bottle of this and I'm glad I opened it now.
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It was good. Dare I say I liked the 2004 better. I expected more from the 2000, based on my almost universal success with wines from this vintage. Is it possible that the improvements in this wine in the past decade had not been fully implemented by 2000? Popped and poured, maybe it would have done better with more oxygen. Lots of sediment. Nice deep purple, moderate lead-pencil nose. Tobacco. Modern-styled, earthy, some nice cedary notes, but kind of one-dimensional to me. Not a poor wine, actually quite enjoyable. I just can't bring it to the 90-point level.
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Decanted for 1.5 hours. The cork was in OK-shape (about 1/4 of the cork was soaked). There was significant sediment in the bottle. The wine was dark purple, almost black in colour. On the nose the wine was floral, with dried plums, cedarwood, some spices and hints of cabbage and peas. On the palate the wine showed currants and plum and was a little spicy, with a slight alcoholic burn. To me, the most interesting part of the wine was the sour finish, with cassis, a black tea component and moss. The wine appeared a little flat on the palate at first, but found its balance after 1.5 hours in the decanter and finally showed some polish. It was a nice, modern-style Bordeaux, although I expected a little more from this wine. 89, maybe 89+ points.
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This is was a great choice on the list, unfortunately they only had one bottle left. I was looking forward to more of this wine. great almost floral nose hints of red and dark fruit, just a tad of dust on the nose too.
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Just opened this one and had a couple of glasses straight from the bottle. Very pleased with this wine...seriously concentrated with a lovely typically Bordeaux nose. Would like to know what the cepage is as although I assume mostly Merlot I suspect a reasonable amount of Cab Sav. or Cab Franc. Just poured rest into the decanter and noted significant sediment. Will look forward to how this develops over the next few days
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Fresh, dark, and smoky, with cassis and blackberry. Texture is noticeably less "creamy" than a few years ago, and aside from the smoky notes, the oak has subsided/integrated considerably. High gulpability factor...
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The nose is fairly predictable dark cassis and mint with some cigar box--actually lots of cigar box--etc etc. Here we go. Third bottle from a case and this is becoming less pleasurable to drink as I sadly predicted it would. It was obviously overextracted to start and now the structure is really becoming increasingly unfriendly. Attack still shows some pleasurable fruit (all dark). That quickly turns into a finish with little mid-palate. As for the finish, what was a light cedar is becoming the principle ingredient with no subtlety. The dying flavors are increasingly short sharp woody tannins. What was originally opaque fruit with large structure has become a discombobulated assemblage of harsh angles. Not undrinkable right now but rapidly working in that direction. For my purposes, drink over the next year.
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Okay now I'm recognizing the difference between bottles from two different sources. This bottle was outstanding and all my remaining are from the same source as this. Richer and fruitier than the last 3-4 I've had. Still very primary. Delicious for the money ($24).
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A half bottle opened for Sunday lunch - a tester to see when to broach as case in normal bottles. Lovely feshy, full ruby colour with hints of garnet. Nose of damson and mulberry. Velvety texture and good fruit, balanced and more classical than a bottle of the 01 tasted last year which seemed a little modern. This is lovely, starting to show some secondary development, and is nicely balanced. A couple of glasses slipped down nicely with lunch. A glass left in the bottle was fine this evening, but a little drier and with less imediate charm. One to open and drink rather than give extended air to. Now and for a good five years. I shall open my case and start on these with pleasure. ***
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Very good. Fruit still holding strong and oak is integrating (highlighting both the quality of the fruit but also the lack of depth that you'd get from a top classified growth). Excellent QPR and should last for another 6-8 years easily...
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Nice cherry and blackberry flavors on a medium body frame veering on the finish towards graphite notes and ending with some drying tannins and crisp acidity. Agree the finish is shorter than preferred given the lushness it starts with. Nice wine for the $.
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I do not have much experience with Cotes de Castillon wines but this one is nice. Nose: The initial nose was crushed blackberries, but then the dark pencil lead qualities showed a strong Pauillac similarity. Palate: Like previous reviews I found this wine a little thin on the finish, but actually quite massive on the front and mid palate. Flavors of earth and pencil lead showing with subdued fruit and firm tannins. If this were tasted blind it could easily be confused as a lessor Pauillac. Very nice wine for the money.
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This wine has evolved fairly quickly for 2000 and is mature and ready to drink. It is a mid-weight, pretty well balanced wine, with slight cedar, cranberry, a bit of cherry, just a bit of tart acidity for my taste, not as nice as the last bottle. Certainly for the price paid this wine was agreeable ($20) The last bottle of this wine was better. I am going back through many of the "lesser" 2000's now and this is one that is mature. No hurry, but I would start if you have a case or more as I do.
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Vineyard Gate: Overachieving Millennium 2000 Bordeaux (Millbrae, CA): Smoky, cedar nose blended with dark fruits. Medium to full bodied. Very fruit driven wine, still with a tannic grip that's maybe a bit too harsh. It seems to me that the fruit overwhelms any character this wine might offer, even though this is certainly a pleasant drink. There's perhaps a chance for improvement.
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Drunk with Sharon, Ted, Laz, Katie, Bethanie. More serious classic bordeaux nose of graphite, loam, leather and dark fruit than the Belle-Vue 2000 drunk during the same meal. Very big, round flavors, a bit dominated by the oak treatment. Flirting with the fruit bomb style (some serious extraction here), though holding up well to age. Not entirely my style, but very Bordeaux with an attack of dark blackberry fruit quickly followed by mouth puckering but very ripe tannins. More serious and less fun than the Belle-vue right now. Hard to say what this is turning into. Second bottle, definitely evolved compared to the first. Not tremendous complexity but some good depth. Have another next year.
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Full bodied, a lot of good bitterness and power. Lot of concentration of dark fruits and chocolate. Very juicy and a hint of sweetness. Plenty of soft tannin.
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Deep garnet/purple – solid to rim – youthful. Powerful creamy blue and black fruits with some asphalt notes, as well. Modern profile, yet showing some secondary notes. Medium bodied with good flavor concentration and finishing intensity. Not my favorite style (I don’t think I would have guessed Bordeaux) but solid wine and a good value. Drink now and over the next 2 to 3 years. (89)
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This wine is delicious and ready to drink. I would agree with Bobby on this one. The flavors of ripe cherries and cassis with a hint of cedar and mushroom are intense and tasty.
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First bottle of 2000 Bordeaux I've opened in a while. 375ml. Pretty explosive right after opening, but the fruit was not overripe, tooty-fruity or one dimensional. It showed some class while providing power. Lots of dark fruit - cassis and blackberry. It didn't have a lot of secondary nuances, but the wine was elegant for a Cab and didn't have any harsh tannins. I was a bit surprised that the tannins were that sweet and not harsh at all due to experiences with other vintages of this chateau. All in all a pretty impressive showing.
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Very nice, but my 375s (including this one) haven't been as impressive as my 750s...by about "2 points" on my rating scale. (I've had probably a case of 750s that I would rate at 92 points...between bottles I always forget and it always surprises me on the upside).
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Sweet, drinkable, quaffable. Plum nose, violet tones, some vanilla pleasantly packed. Velvety, buttery and enigmatic on the palate. Very pleasant to drink. The finish is a little austere and too dry.
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A bdx focusing mostly on power and concentration, but delivering a lot for the price and appellation. Quite a lot of oak, big fruit, but it doesn't seem forced - just a specific style.
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Drank with some Campo de Montalban, baby arugala salad and chicken lasanga torta. Medium ruby color, a bit lighter at the rim. Light red fruit, graphite and smoke on the nose, somewhat incomplete. Semi-ripe currant, leather and cassis palate, finish was too hot. After some time in the decanter it opened up a bit, became nicely balanced and poised, but still a little to much alcohol on the finish. Overall very pleasant but I though it was lacking some dimensionality. I'll wait 4 years and maybe it'll surprise me.
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From 375. Decanted one hour. Very dark ruby to purple. Nose of new wood, currants and wild berries. Medium to full body. More juicy dark fruit, black cherry and earthiness on the palate. A very nice balance between freshness and some secondary characteristics emerging. 40 second finish. Very nice. Enjoyable now, but better in 3-4 years. Sufficient structure for another 10.
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This bottle was wonderful tonight. It is showing much less astringency and much more forward fruit. Deep color , just a tad of lightening on the rim, some sediment showing up, a positive sign with this wine. My family are novices, it knocked them out, with loads of plums, mulberry, sour cherry, chewy and succulent, just coming into its own.
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OL At panos and Edith (Strasbourg): Good depth of color and a nose with hints of torrefaction, mineral, dark fruit, cherry, licorice and some flower notes. In the mouth it has a strong attack with firm tannic structure and acidity and a hint of dry tannins in the finish. Long and with massive potential. 4 out of 5.
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2000 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru at Edith and Panos OL (Strasbourg, France): Mushrooms/sous-bois on the nose, superb in the mouth, very fresh, quite close to the previous one (Beausejour Duffau-Lagarosse) and clearly suffers from being placed afterwards, given how well the BDL was performing. Definitely great. [#4ex] (4/#5)
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This wine has been throwing some sediment for over a year now. It has a cranberry component on the nose, better on the nose then on the palate now. It has got a slightly bitter/astringent component that was noticeable throughout the two glasses I had of this wine that I hope will integrate better tonight when I revisit it.
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Deep purple color, lovely nose of black fruits. Closed, less expressive and less giving than the '03. Should evolve into something lovely, but wound up very tight right now, and frankly a bit of a disappointment, given that the last one I had was the outstanding '03.
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2/4/2024 - DH90 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This proved to be an amazing bottle of this wine. It had deep garnet color with almost no evidence of aging despite its 20+ years. The palate was redolent with dark berry fruits (Merlot) and spiced red fruit with a hint of cinnamon (C. franc). It was rich and full on the palate with great length. Very impressive effort for this Cotes de Castillon wine. Another crowd pleaser!
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2/9/2023 - WojteG Likes this wine: 93 Points
To all distinguished and noble members of this great site: this 22 years old wine is fine, alive and delicious!
Let's drink Merlot on this beautiful Thursday (it was sunny, windless day, -2°C now). This time my Merlot is not from St.Emilion, but from its close neighbor - Cotes de Castillon. First - 22 years old wine with lovely ruby color!
Second - intense, sweet aromas of black currant, blackberry. Also a lot of coffee and some licorice.
Nice creamy texture! Taste: blackberry, blackcurrant, red currant, black chocolate and strong flavors of black coffee.
Matter of fact - coffee is everywhere! I like coffee in a wine... but for my personal taste, there is too much coffee here. By the way: 80% Merlot, 20% CF.
Acidity is very friendly, tannins very weak. Finish - pretty long, but soft with black fruits, red currant and gentle spice.
It's hard to complain about 22 years old wine, that in my opinion hold its 'spirit' high and alive, especially when the price I paid was €27
...🕤
I started drinking the third glass of this wine and it seems that everything is the same, but beautifully arranged. Like dominoes in a winning game. In a word: balance, balance, balance.
Other word: pleasure, pleasure, pleasure
Well, well, well: tannins suddenly appeared out of nowhere, which is of course positive news. Therefore, the wine becomes much livelier, more interesting, with a longer finish.
Simply put - delicious juice
Upgraded from 91 to 93 pts.
Uncomplicated, but very delicious juice
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1/9/2023 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 91 Points
From Magnum. This wine came around pretty quickly even in this format. Some blueberry and modest chocolate notes with a mid palate and finish of slightly tart raspberries and a touch of green beans. Silky smooth. Interesting. Well balanced.
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12/25/2022 - DH90 wrote: 92 Points
Good color--deep garnet. Deep rich fruit with hints of cinnamon. Nicely balanced with brisk acidity. Red Cabernet franc fruit was prominent. Very satisfying on the palate although a slightly short finish. This is drinking very well right now.
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6/6/2022 - Tao wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby red in colour! Extravagant nose of riped black cherries fruit, drinking very well at the moment, for those who bought it in the En-Primeur market, the return is simply sensational, really worth the wait!
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5/27/2022 - cmartinelli wrote:
Thought I had drunk all of these, I guess not. Stood bottle up for several hours, in retrospect I could have decanted for sediment. Plenty of deep color in the glass, can't see any bricking. Lots of aromatics: Muted dark fruit, leather, faint tobacco, and a mushroomy, earthy scent. Tastes fully resolved, nicely rounded. Don't see this improving but might hang on another year or two. Not a banger but a solid bottle.
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4/9/2022 - Eric Becker Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bordeaux masterclass at Summa 2022 (Weingut Alois Lageder, Margreid, South Tyrol): A splendid showing. A perfumed nose with sweet red and dark fruits, various spices, some bellpepper and balsamic notes. Medium-bodied and fresh with lowly 13,5 ABV, lighter but more classically proportioned than recent vintages. Fully developed but not in decline. Exemplifies perfectly, why it pays off to store inexpensive, but carefully selected Bordeaux.
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2/21/2022 - Paul D wrote: 90 Points
Gareth's Cru Bourgeois Dinner (Hawksmoor, Guildhall, London): Lovely, welcoming sweet fruited nose - blueberries to the fore - quite youthful still but perfumed, exotic and a touch floral. Medium bodied on the palate with soft tannins and fresh acidity, perhaps not the longest but harmonious and drinking beautifully.
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2/21/2022 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
Gareth’s ‘Cru Bourgeois’ @ Hawksmoor: 9/12. Mellow, smooth, a touch of richness on the nose but balanced by a cool acidity. The elegant face of right bank exoticism. Consistent with the previous bottles from this case over the past decade. ***1/2
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10/3/2021 - aerosol Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened Friday night at the Wine Watch happy hour and tried some right away; big mistake. This is going to need a couple hours to decant, but when it does, it opens up to a well structured wine. After an hour, the nose is pronounced leather and very minor green and vanilla notes. The color is still dark and ruby and has some legs and youthful appearance. I get a dark bodied, well structured wine that is not fruit forward but has blackberry, coffee grinds, a tinge of earth, and shows its age elegantly. It could store for longer but it's in a great spot now so why wait.
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5/31/2021 - mouton45 Likes this wine: 91 Points
When I decanted this 2000 about 2+ hours before dinner, it had a non-descript nose and was surprisingly tight. I used a proven aeration trick every time I passed by, pouring the wine back and forth times between two thick-glass milk bottles until dinner was ready. It worked again, at least IMO. I paired the d'Aiguihle with grilled Australian lamb chops (hands-down Costco's best meat deal). In our glasses the wine now had pronounced scents of black berries and cherries as well as a little licorice. On the palate it was dense, slightly sweet and supple, with a medium body and soft tannins. This wasn't the wine I had been looking for in my cellar, but I'm very happy that I stumbled on it first. This is Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux, which I bought in 2004 for $19, is a great value made by Count Stephan de Niepperg, who also produces La Mondotte and Canon La Gaffeliere from St. Emilion. Looking forward to my last two bottles, which has clearly exceeded the projected drink-by date of 2016.
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2/26/2021 - Tao wrote: 91 Points
Quite extravagant on the nose, smoky, leathery, vanilla red fruits! Slightly sweet and spicy smoky red fruits palate, a medium finish, a bit young and tannic!
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11/15/2020 - mlburditt Likes this wine:
Deep ruby, a little leather, forest floor, plenty of rich red fruits. Magnificent mouthfeel. Still has a little time left, but the end is in sight. Drink up.
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12/31/2019 - Jjdebuck Likes this wine: 88 Points
Still very much a live after 19 years. Plum, tobacco, earthy tones and still good length
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12/23/2019 - Koivula wrote:
Loistava, 3h dekatointi
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10/18/2019 - VAGentleman wrote: 89 Points
Ready to drink. Conventional Bordeaux. Dark fruit and currant. Honey with some forest. Goid value.
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9/3/2019 - DaleW wrote:
Rich plush style, black plum and mocha, pretty alive but not very complex. B
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8/6/2019 - Zorba Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bought another bottle and this was clearly in better shape than the first one. Less opaque and not tired at all, more lively and brighter flavours. Still a lot of tobacco here, in a good way. Very good for a not-so-expensive 19 year old Bordeaux!
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5/7/2019 - wineappreciation wrote: 91 Points
Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, hints of chalk, chocolate and tar; smooth, long, thick, and extended, good classic Bordeaux but increasingly syrupy over time
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4/6/2019 - Zorba Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very deep brown-red colour, almost opaque. Mature smell with dry leaves, tobacco, spices like nutmeg. On the palate mostly black cherries, bit of dried herbs and spices, earth, blood, smooth and balanced and very mature. Somewhat past peak perhaps but an interesting wine nonetheless.
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10/11/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Last bottle from my case. How I will miss this wine!
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10/6/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Penultimate bottle from full case and yet another fine specimen. Creamy berry fruit, red meat and spices, earthy and nutty conplexity, impeccable balance and weight (13.5% ABV), delivers both freshness and generosity, finely grained tannins still provide grip, very good resonance and length. Really very good for age and terroir.
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9/8/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
An interesting compare and contrast with the 2000 Boyd-Cantenac, same vintage, left v. right bank. The stylistic differences are obvious (the Boyd has more finesse, this is more generous) and perfectly logical, but the quality is similar, which is a great compliment for this Côtes de Castillon.
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8/29/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Another fine bottle from an excellent case.
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6/12/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Happily working my way through a case of this. Delightful mature right bank claret, beautifully balanced, with a lovely interplay of the soft fruit of the 80% Merlot and the leafy freshness of the 20% Cabernet Franc. Not as rich and full as it once was, but pure and elegant.
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4/12/2018 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
UWS; A mixed set of wines (@ JB): Concentrated bouquet with red berries, herbs and sweet spices. Pleasant oak. On the palate a beautiful and juicy wine with sweet spices, well dosed oak, red berries, good acidity and round tannin with still a pleasant bite. Beautiful wine which can be cellared for another 3+ years.
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4/6/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
First bottle from a pristine case recently acquired at auction. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Youthful appearance, medium-deep bright bordeaux red all the way to the rim, looks much younger than its 18 years; the nose is immediately ready for business, open and well defined, classic right bank claret, good depth, ripe Merlot-cherries, wood spice, earth, red meat, peppery lift and a cool chalkiness; the palate has lost some of its weight and concentration, and shows its more minerally side, whilst retaining all of its balance and freshness; light finish, good length. Not as impressive as I remember from 2014, but still a delightful drink. Completely ready.
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2/2/2018 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 92 Points
Friday night in the library. Pop and poured. Drank over 30+ mins.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of sweet red cherries, blackberries, black cherries, grilled red bell peppers, cedar. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (13.5%), resolved medium+ tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of grilled red bell peppers, sweet red cherries, black berries, black cherries, cedar, graphite. Long finish.
Very good quality. Classic elegant claret profile. Prime time to drink and enjoy. Another fantastic 2000 vintage Bordeaux.
I suppose we have to thank Comte Stefan von Neipperg for purchasing this estate in 1998 and bringing the quality up to this level. Most certainly the best Côtes de Castillon.
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc.
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12/4/2017 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured, and impressive right out of the gate. Still-youthful ruby-purple. Classic Bordeaux drinking at its apogee. Textbook lead pencil and cedar aromas. Medium body, silky-smooth, lovely fruit in the mouth. This was shockingly good for $60 off the shelf. Love it. 5-13-16-9: 93/100.
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10/20/2017 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose of forest floor, black currants, black cherry, and licorice, more of the same on the palate, medium/big body, tasty, at its peak, definitely showing its age as the first night it showed rich fruit, mouth coating fruit, and tasty, but the second night too much earthy, forest floor and the fruit had disappeared, so the score was lowered two points, I suggest you drink up since community holdings show there at around 275 bottles remaining to enjoy, a long finish both nights.
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9/30/2017 - VAGentleman wrote: 92 Points
Ready. Nicely integrated red fruit and some forest.
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9/22/2017 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose of saddle leather, barnyard, forest floor, cassis, and black currants, more of the same on the palate, medium/big body, very tasty, at its peak, time to enjoy it if you have it, rich fruit, very classical Bordeaux, enjoyed over two nights, elegant, with a long, flavorful finish.
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8/31/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 91 Points
As per previous tasting a year ago, but now firmly in its drinking window. Full of blackcurrant and liquorice, there are sharp tannins on the palate but well balanced with the fruit and with great depth. The finish is a little sharp but a decent wine and good value for money at the time.
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3/29/2017 - bjwca Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle was exceptional. Still plenty of fruit, and the tannins were dry and earthy on the finish.
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3/25/2017 - bjwca Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice earthy finish, and enough fruit to make a nice balance.
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3/16/2017 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
Work Wine Tasting - Chablis & Claret (Home): This has been consistently good over the past few years. Nicely rich with soft mulberry and damson fruit. Reasonable mid-palate depth and a decent finish. Easy to drink but reasonable complexity too with some cedar and wet earth notes. Lovely. ***1/2
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2/21/2017 - jkoenen wrote: 90 Points
Forestfruit, plums, lovely hints of smoke, truffle and dry twigs.
Smooooth...
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1/14/2017 - Snru Likes this wine: 90 Points
The wine looks inky colored. It smells like prune, raisin, toast and black pepper. It tastes like blackberry, raisin, prune and toast. The body is full. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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12/7/2016 - krister wrote: 93 Points
Such a great wine every time. Perfect maturity now.
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9/28/2016 - Axelpeter wrote: 74 Points
CP Tant
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7/13/2016 - djhammond Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ensured a very long decant in light of other reviews, but once it opened it became a mature wine at its peak. Lots of fruit and well rounded on the palate. Good value
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5/17/2016 - Tao wrote: 92 Points
I have to confess I misjudged this wine totally! I initially thought the wine should be ready to go, not in this case, the wine is way too young! It took me twelve hours to open it! The colour is so dark and dense, dark ruby showing with a touch of watery hue, neither brown nor orange! Incredible nose of ripe dark fruits, full of minerals! The palate echos it very well, full of fruits and minerals! Still tannic! I guess this bottle should evolve easily for another ten years if left it unopened! Nice wine! Another beauty from the vintage two thousand!
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3/27/2016 - chefj79 Likes this wine:
not as stellar as i'd hoped--bit thin on midpalate.
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3/5/2016 - pinotwok Likes this wine: 92 Points
Hat mich positiv überrascht. Kühle Frucht, Schwarzkirsche, etwas Cassis, Pflaume, Meersaum, Minze. Am Gaumen von der immer noch dichten, vielschichtigen dunklen Frucht dominiert, sehr opulent, aber gut ausbalanciert von der Säure und der Würze der Cabernet Franc. Tannin ist nahezu vollständig abgeschmolzen, schönes Finish.
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11/26/2015 - Teamcrev wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful wine. We normally go with a big label for Thanksgiving, but based on community reviews we popped one of these mid morning. After a few hours opened, the wine really opened up. Wonderful red and black fruits, with smoothed out tannins. Not sure if it will get better so drink now. We bought this on release and cellared since.
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10/18/2015 - AWBryce wrote: 92 Points
Great perfume, dark fruits, bit of cedar. High acid, long finish. Love this vintage.
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9/17/2015 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose of saddle leather, barnyard, plum, cassis, and black cherry, more of the same on the palate, easy to drink, the fruit and cassis were more evident the second night, almost elegant, a real Bordeaux value, medium/big body, with a long, long, finish.
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8/10/2015 - PJPI wrote:
sorry that this was my last bottle. Excellent wine with more life in it
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4/1/2015 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose of saddle leather, plum, dark fruit, smoke, and a touch of blackberry, more of the same on the palate, easy to drink over dinner, great flavors, subtle and almost elegant, well balanced, very delicious with dinner, medium/big body, and a long finish. A great value.
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3/7/2015 - Stevere wrote: 91 Points
This is drinking beautifully and will last through 2017 or 2018. Ripe blackberries, cassis and wet earth cover a firm foundation with enough mild tannins to preserve this wine at least two ore years. May make it to 2020, but it is drinking so beautifully right now, I don't see a reason to gamble.
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1/10/2015 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose of saddle leather, hint of cigar smoke, black cherry, more of the same on the palate, at its best, delicious with steak, good structure, medium/big body, medium/long finish, nice aftertaste.
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12/7/2014 - steinbrl12 wrote: 91 Points
At peak; medium/full bodied with good nose and finish. Elegant and pairs well with meat dishes but can be sipped on its own
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12/4/2014 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
Work wine tasting - Triplets: Consistent with previous note at same bash eleven months ago. Smooth, fruity and nicely mellow damson and mulberry fruit with earthy cedary development. Plenty of interest for the price and a point now. ***1/2
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11/20/2014 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
UWS (@ JB): Beautiful and creamy bouquet with good cassis, cedar and a pleasant touch of barnyard. On the palate a beautifully concentrated wine with good cassis, a beautiful balance between acidity, sweetness and bitterness. Young maturity stage now and really delicious. Will definitely be a great pleasure to drink until 2018 - 2020 and possibly even a bit later.
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11/20/2014 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Tasting of the Utrecht Wine Society (Utrecht, NL): Classic, concentrated, has depth and length, balance and energy, very complete, clean and pure, fresh style, ripe tannins, superb balance and length. A stunner.
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8/24/2014 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose of saddle leather, plum, blackberry and earth, more of the same on the palate, tasty, decant for one hour, medium/big body and long finish.
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7/12/2014 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose of leather, plum, cedar and a touch of blackberry, more of the same on the palate, nice structure and well balanced, medium/big body and long finish. Worth the $32.
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6/23/2014 - PSPatrick wrote: 90 Points
“Merlot from a Bordeaux-perspective”-Tasting in June 2014, Flight 1, Wine 3 (blind). The wine was bright dark ruby in colour and offered blackberry, plum, coffee, spices, leather, tobacco and earthy notes on the meaty and sweet-scented nose. On the palate the wine showed blackberry, plum, coffee, leather and tobacco, joined by spicy and mildly earthy notes, paired with medium-level acidity, medium-level tannin and very good length. The medium-bodied, medium-complex wine was balanced and had good complexity. It seemed to be in its prime drinking window; drink now and enjoy.
NB: Checking my earlier tasting notes on this wine I realised that as opposed to the two bottle I had about a year ago this bottle did not show any signs of brett.
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5/7/2014 - wine&roses wrote: 87 Points
Something wrong with this bottle. Past it? I doubt it, since several others of this vintage tasted recently have been splendid. The nose is there, with a hint of the primary fruitiness of the Niepperg wines. But on the palatte, something is dead, quite untypically, and there's no hint of secondary development. Bad storage by the WineBid consignor?
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4/11/2014 - Employee500 wrote: 92 Points
Drank from a 3.0L. Really delicious wine. Fully integrated oak, but still plenty of fruit remaining (though certainly less intense and exhuberant than on release) this very drinkable Bordeaux should drink well for at least 5-6 more years, if not longer. (I don't know to what extent a smaller format might create a different impression here). In any event, no real reason to hang on to this, it's great now.
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4/6/2014 - Eclectic Palate wrote: 92 Points
I somehow waited a year and a half to have my second bottle of this wine, and I am even more impressed as the wine is almost peaking and drinks amazingly well with some air. Bottle and cork in pristine shape, throwing plenty of sediment. Dark fruits with some earth dominate with a long finish. Although this is a right bank wine, if I had it blind and had to peg it I would likely label it a St J. Based on how this wine has aged I can certainly see a drinking window beyond 2020 for those with reliable storage. (Notes from the winery indicate 100% new oak and 80% merlot, 20% cab sauvignon.)
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2/15/2014 - SAjulio Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fully mature. Great Bordeaux nose and smoky taste
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1/23/2014 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
Work Wine Tasting - Pairs (Home): Lovely. Traditional minor right banker with nice structure and flavour that belies its relatively humble status. Consistent with three bottles just over a year ago. In a lovely place now but no hurry. ***1/2
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1/16/2014 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking nicely. Cassis and black fruit. Textured. Ready, drink up.
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1/13/2014 - skoppel Likes this wine: 90 Points
Chocolate and tar, nice finish, holding up very nicely.
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9/29/2013 - mas66 wrote: 91 Points
Fantastisk duft, først lidt lukket i smagen, men åbner så op. Dog en anelse kort i smagen.Solbær, mørke frugter. Gode tanniner, moden, men kan godt gemmes 5 år mere
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8/7/2013 - Tenuta Stefan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark and compact.
Very good nose! Dark fruit, graphite, Cigar box, leather, coffee, smoke herbal. Complex and fine.
Good body, medium to full and good balance. Enough acidity to match the tannins and fruit. Ok structure built of acidity and minerality with the tannins to back it all up.
The wine is great to drink now but will evolve for another 10 years (maybe even more if stored correct).
Good length, + 30 sec.
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6/20/2013 - Brett Pitt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really nice
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5/21/2013 - PSPatrick wrote: 90 Points
We drank the Château d’Aiguilhe 2000 alongside the 2009. We decanted both wines for one hour before we poured the first glasses. The 2000 was dark ruby towards garnet in colour and threw a lot of sediment. It offered plum, blackberry, red currant, cabbage, mushroom, rye-wheat bread, leather, earth, a hint of chocolate and boatloads of brett on the nose. On the palate the wine showed red currant, blackberry, plum, gooseberry, leather, spices, a hint of menthol and tons of brett, paired with medium-level acidity, mostly integrated tannin and very good length. The balanced, medium-bodied wine improved with air and became juicy and even appetizing after about two hours in the decanter, but it remained difficult to embrace the dominating brettiness. I opened a second bottle as a reference, which showed fresher fruit and seemed a little less advanced, but had almost the same amount of brett.
We saved half of the bottle (plus the reference bottle) and consumed it over the next days and I liked the wine best on day two for its balance. On that second day I also preferred it to the 2009, whereas I preferred the sexy 2009 on day one. I would rate the 2000 88 points on day one, 90 points on day two, and the reference bottle also 90 points.
Compared to the 2009 the 2000 was more balanced and the more classic Bordeaux in that sense, but as opposed to the cleaner 2009 dominated by brett flavours. The 2009 on the other hand was much fuller-bodied and more oak-influenced.
(A little fun fact: the 2000 was bottled in green glass bottles whereas the 2009 was bottled in brown glass bottles.)
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4/28/2013 - Tavastgatan wrote: 89 Points
Quite dark and dense. No lack of fruit, but it is still oaky and somewhat bitter and stern.
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3/6/2013 - Barakahn Likes this wine: 91 Points
Popped and poured from split. Wonderful aromatics of dark fruit, oak, and surprisingly...cured meat. Lively and fresh entry. Balanced mid-palate, and decent finish. Great value for the price. Another 2000 vintage sleeper that delivers! I'm glad to have one more split. Based on this experience, I'm in no hurry drink the next one. Perhaps within the next 3-5 years.
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12/28/2012 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
First three bottles from a case. Very consistent. Decanted for aeration and sediment (quite a lot of fine sediment in bottom inch of bottle) around an hour before consumption. Full ruby with the slightest garnet edge. Nicely soft mulberry and plum fruit, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Ready but no hurry. Went nicely with rib of beef. ***1/2
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12/9/2012 - MicklethePickle wrote: 90 Points
Fine dark color. Brooding. OK legs. Very pretty aromas of violets and red berries. Very enticing. Medium body, good rich flavor, a bit of iron, very drinkable. This is very fine at any price, but a real bargain when price is considered. 4-13-16-7: 90/100.
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11/30/2012 - mwanasheria wrote: 91 Points
Dried fruit, leather, tobacco, elegant on the palate and nice sappy finish.
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11/14/2012 - Oskiwawa wrote: 90 Points
Last of a case purchased on release and I sure do wish I had more. This is drinking really well now and for the price it is excellent. Should be 3-5 years more time left in this one if you are lucky enough to have more.
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10/7/2012 - daylightsimulator wrote: 89 Points
I've had some literal stinkers from the 2000 vintage - cases of Reserve de Leoville Barton & Domaine de Gruaud Larouse both quite foul and had to be tipped - but this Cotes de Castillon, bought en primeur, doesn't disappoint. Latest bottle: drunk straight after decanting - started sweet and rich, densely raspberryish, before turning pleasantly savoury after thirty or so seconds. Dark, deep, purple-black and at least another five good years ahead. Also found favour with claret-neutral wife.
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10/5/2012 - Eclectic Palate wrote: 91 Points
Purchased on auction at wine commune, and was represented to have been purchased on release and cellared in a tempearature controlled cellar. Upon opening the cork, and seeing only dark red on the bottom of the cork, and smelling a nose of flowers, it was clear to me that this was in pristine shape. I poured this in a narrow decanter to allow some air, as the wine was not closed but not showing all it had within the first minutes. Very dark colored, showed cedar and flowers in the nose, and dark red cassis type fruits on the palate. A hint of acid for balance, and still showing enough tannin to require a decant of close to two hours to allow the wine to open up more thoroughly. This wine very much impressed me, as I don't think it has peaked yet and may be able to merit another point in two years. My projected drinking window on this wine is from now through 2020, contrary to the posted drinking window; but this only would apply to wines that have been cellared as this one has since day one. I am considering picking up some of the 2009 to try it next to the 2000 in 2020.
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9/1/2012 - hm$ Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice; mature
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8/25/2012 - Jay Hack wrote:
No formal note. Still doing fine.
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7/21/2012 - Jay Hack wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for about 45 minutes. An excellent but not outstanding Bordeaux that I bought as a future. Subtle berry flavors, beginings of bright cherry fruit emerging, some smooth leather but but very light. There is still noticeable oak but not over the top - no spllinters in the mouth. No roungh tanins. Smooth mouth feel and integrated palate. Still on the upswing.
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6/7/2012 - karpos wrote: 89 Points
Nicely balanced right now. Tends towards minerals rather than fruit. Otherwise nothing fancy here, just a reasonable wine.
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6/4/2012 - bcmatthias wrote: 89 Points
Quite tannic for age, spicy dark fruit.
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3/20/2012 - 33 wrote:
- Ruby color with slow forming legs and aromas of prune and strawberry jam. It's somewhat balanced with a medium/full body. Linear texture.
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12/12/2011 - Employee500 wrote: 90 Points
Very pleasant, though perhaps a big generic. Silky mouthfeel with integrated tannin and oak, good rich fruit (raspberry, blackberry), coffee, and a hint (only) of herbaceousness. Drinking great, mature now (but I think would still be fine for the next 2-5 years).
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11/14/2011 - europat55 wrote:
JJ Buckley's 3rd Annual Monday Night Bordeaux @ La Folie (San Francisco): Generous nose and excellent palate. Dark fruits. Firm tannins. In a good place right now with room to grow. B+
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc.
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8/17/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Fully mature, with licorice, stone, earth, black raspberry, spice, coffee and ripe plum scents, this round, medium bodied, soft textured wine is drinking at the perfect place today. If you have any remaining, I'd drink them over the next 2-4 years to preserve the fruit.
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7/31/2011 - bthanson Likes this wine: 90 Points
Beautiful deep purple color. Not much nose, but reasonably complex flavors including blackberry and chocolate. Nicely structured with broad tannins. Medium body.
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2/12/2011 - PeterMole wrote: 89 Points
First a bit flat, the next day, after overnight Vacuvin, much better, complex.
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1/22/2011 - wurzel68 wrote: 90 Points
Weiterhin kaum gealterter, trinkflüssiger Bordeaux; an der Nase dominiert von Johannisbeer- und Cassisaromen, anfangs leichter Stallton, etwas Paprika, Kräuter, Schoko und Bleistift; mittlere bis kräftige Statur, feine Tannine, die gut mit der nicht zu kräftigen Säurestruktur harmonieren, guter Abgang.
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12/31/2010 - bltmd wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for just over an hour. A bit of a funky aroma when popped but that dissipated quickly. Fairly subdued nose when poured, enjoyable dark fruit but I had hoped for more complexity and a longer finish.
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12/6/2010 - locovino wrote: 90 Points
Nice if somewhat monolithic and young bottle of Bordeaux. As expected, a dark purple in the glass without much hint of evolution. I the nose black current with a note of smoky hickory and mint. Just beginning to open up the day after uncorking. Thick in the mouth and showing a bit more age than the nose or the appearance would suggest. Should have bought more...
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11/7/2010 - Ambrose wrote: 92 Points
Inky purple. First nose of blackberry. Deep and gorgeous nose of ripe blackberry and cassis, vanilla incense which showed the character of cab. franc, notes of mocha and tar, no irritating alcohol at all. The palate had silky but firm tannin, unctuous mouthfeel and full-bodied, rich and concentrated ripe blackberry, layers of flavors with notes of chocolate and coffee, deep and robust, really low acidity. Medium to long finish of blackberry and dark chocolate and slight vanilla. Complete.
Individual and robust wine from a satellite of St Emilion. Excellent with deep and strong flavors. What a great and serious old-world style wine. For just 25 pounds, this is a sleeper and deserves 92 points.
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10/17/2010 - vinole Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with my TN of 4/08, but the tannins are softer and more resolved now. Drinking well now.
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9/26/2010 - scxt wrote:
Bigger than expected, good.
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9/9/2010 - gbauer wrote:
Maybe slightly corked? Tannin and structure, but not much else. Not a good showing.
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5/18/2010 - blaiseiii wrote: 90 Points
Great food wine. Had with excellent NY Strip. On it own, really wanted to be paired with food (still a bit tannic.) Drank very well with the steak (no tannins.)
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4/23/2010 - PeterMole wrote:
Niet echt stug, maar nog niet helemaal op dronk. Komt na een uurtje of 2 meer los.
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4/18/2010 - joshbryer wrote:
Unctuous but still reserved dark fruits on the nose. This was too chilled at cellar temp on opening, but with some air and warmth it opened up.
Palate of glycerin infused but tightly wound black fruits show admirable purity, weight, nice lift and length. Still tight, I'm sure it will mellow and integrate with some more time, but I'm not sure how much "better" it will become. One of the really nice things about it now is its sense of freshness, and if it retains that it could do ok for some further short-term cellaring.
Good datapoint on sense of the vintage, certainly won't be opening any heavy hitters for quite some time now.
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3/29/2010 - dbkitc wrote: 91 Points
A great showing for this wine. Added complexity and balance. A nice mouthfull...interesting as well. The good side of modern.....great QPR. (91)
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3/17/2010 - dst wrote: 90 Points
Nice bordeaux. Still has time. In the first hour you taste the tannins, not as strong, but still there. A better palate that nose.
After one hour the nose got better and the wine came together nicely, an enjoyable wine.
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3/7/2010 - Jay Hack wrote: 89 Points
A very nice, good but not great wine. I was a bit disappointed but only because my expectations were high based upon the laudatory notes I have seen. Decanted for about 45 minutes. The nose was a bit funky when first decanted - like moldy cloth - but it blew off in just a ferw minutes. The color was dark but pure. On the palate, cherry and red berry fruit, some tart acidity, very limited signs of age. Bought this E.P. Despite the Derenencourt consulting and the 80% new oak aging, this wine did not reek of oak and was not going to give me splinters.My wife found it to have more stuffing than she expected with stronger fruit, but I thought the fruit was wat should be expected. My only criticism is that the wine seemed to lack complexity. I thoughtthe 2000 Grand Mayne we had a week or two ago was better. Just a guess, but I think this wine needs more time, or perhaps a longer decant. I have another glass in the decanter and I will revisit it at 4 hours.
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2/20/2010 - Dakovino wrote: 92 Points
Smooth drinking, nice complexity, still potential. Gorgeous wine.
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12/26/2009 - soyhead wrote: 89 Points
nose - decanted several hours. slowly emerging is a rich nose of sweet red cherry fruit and toasty oak. mouth - actually improved over the house which suggests to me that this needs longer in bottle. Sappy red fruit, rich midpalate which i cant describe better than 'mature red wine', balanced with good acidity and tannins. Will recheck tomorrow and may merit a higher score then
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12/26/2009 - chbeaumont wrote: 90 Points
Remains well coloured; fragrant, leaning in style towards Left bank; velvety, ripe tannins; finishes vigorouy. Will hold for 5+ years.
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12/20/2009 - PeterMole wrote:
Fantastische wijn. Stug, nog niet op dronk. Gedecanteerd, bleef beter worden, ook volgende dag. Volgende 2011 proberen.
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11/18/2009 - gbauer wrote:
Good fruit, tannin, and acid. Better than last time. Should continue to improve.
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11/16/2009 - sstoloff wrote: 91 Points
Developing beautifully, acquiring depth and nuance. Black fruits, brambles, fine-grained tannins.
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8/24/2009 - Mattshank wrote: 90 Points
Nose: Some of the pencil lead and blackberry aromas (like the last bottle ~ 1 1/2 years ago) still showing but more muted. Palate: Still youthful blackberry fruit and some tannin. Showed more power upon openning but toward the end of the bottle started to decline. Nonetheless drinking very well but I would say drink up now to maybe 6-12 months max. My last bottle of this and I'm glad I opened it now.
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6/15/2009 - Winetex wrote: flawed
Corked
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6/5/2009 - JimHow wrote: 89 Points
It was good. Dare I say I liked the 2004 better. I expected more from the 2000, based on my almost universal success with wines from this vintage. Is it possible that the improvements in this wine in the past decade had not been fully implemented by 2000? Popped and poured, maybe it would have done better with more oxygen. Lots of sediment. Nice deep purple, moderate lead-pencil nose. Tobacco. Modern-styled, earthy, some nice cedary notes, but kind of one-dimensional to me. Not a poor wine, actually quite enjoyable. I just can't bring it to the 90-point level.
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5/30/2009 - PSPatrick wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for 1.5 hours. The cork was in OK-shape (about 1/4 of the cork was soaked). There was significant sediment in the bottle. The wine was dark purple, almost black in colour. On the nose the wine was floral, with dried plums, cedarwood, some spices and hints of cabbage and peas. On the palate the wine showed currants and plum and was a little spicy, with a slight alcoholic burn. To me, the most interesting part of the wine was the sour finish, with cassis, a black tea component and moss. The wine appeared a little flat on the palate at first, but found its balance after 1.5 hours in the decanter and finally showed some polish. It was a nice, modern-style Bordeaux, although I expected a little more from this wine. 89, maybe 89+ points.
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4/30/2009 - ahgoodman wrote: 93 Points
This is was a great choice on the list, unfortunately they only had one bottle left. I was looking forward to more of this wine. great almost floral nose hints of red and dark fruit, just a tad of dust on the nose too.
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2/24/2009 - darrenhe wrote: 86 Points
Just opened this one and had a couple of glasses straight from the bottle. Very pleased with this wine...seriously concentrated with a lovely typically Bordeaux nose. Would like to know what the cepage is as although I assume mostly Merlot I suspect a reasonable amount of Cab Sav. or Cab Franc. Just poured rest into the decanter and noted significant sediment. Will look forward to how this develops over the next few days
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1/24/2009 - Medium Toast wrote: 90 Points
Wonderfully made wine, no flaws and still has aging potential. Not incredibly complex, but a steal for the price.
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1/24/2009 - Employee500 wrote: 91 Points
As good as it's ever been, rich, ripe fruit and soft tannins, ready to drink now and over the next 1-3 years....
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12/16/2008 - Employee500 wrote: 91 Points
Fresh, dark, and smoky, with cassis and blackberry. Texture is noticeably less "creamy" than a few years ago, and aside from the smoky notes, the oak has subsided/integrated considerably. High gulpability factor...
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10/24/2008 - beezer6 wrote: 87 Points
Grand Bordeaux Tasting w/ Jill (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Binny's South Loop October Bordeaux Wine Tasting.
Dried red fruit.
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10/1/2008 - peebal wrote: 87 Points
The nose is fairly predictable dark cassis and mint with some cigar box--actually lots of cigar box--etc etc. Here we go. Third bottle from a case and this is becoming less pleasurable to drink as I sadly predicted it would. It was obviously overextracted to start and now the structure is really becoming increasingly unfriendly. Attack still shows some pleasurable fruit (all dark). That quickly turns into a finish with little mid-palate. As for the finish, what was a light cedar is becoming the principle ingredient with no subtlety. The dying flavors are increasingly short sharp woody tannins. What was originally opaque fruit with large structure has become a discombobulated assemblage of harsh angles. Not undrinkable right now but rapidly working in that direction. For my purposes, drink over the next year.
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8/16/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: 90 Points
13.5% alcohol. decanted. i paid $27 for this on futures...excellent buy. 80% merlot, 20% cab franc.
chewey tannin, medium body, firm structure, violets, currant, blackberry, strongly perfumed nose. drink or hold.
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6/30/2008 - Employee500 wrote: 91 Points
Okay now I'm recognizing the difference between bottles from two different sources. This bottle was outstanding and all my remaining are from the same source as this. Richer and fruitier than the last 3-4 I've had. Still very primary. Delicious for the money ($24).
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6/22/2008 - SimonG wrote:
A half bottle opened for Sunday lunch - a tester to see when to broach as case in normal bottles. Lovely feshy, full ruby colour with hints of garnet. Nose of damson and mulberry. Velvety texture and good fruit, balanced and more classical than a bottle of the 01 tasted last year which seemed a little modern. This is lovely, starting to show some secondary development, and is nicely balanced. A couple of glasses slipped down nicely with lunch. A glass left in the bottle was fine this evening, but a little drier and with less imediate charm. One to open and drink rather than give extended air to. Now and for a good five years. I shall open my case and start on these with pleasure. ***
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6/3/2008 - MJTed wrote: 88 Points
Rich and fairly complex for the price. Well integrated oak and toast and nice acidic structure.
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5/26/2008 - Employee500 wrote: 89 Points
Very good. Fruit still holding strong and oak is integrating (highlighting both the quality of the fruit but also the lack of depth that you'd get from a top classified growth). Excellent QPR and should last for another 6-8 years easily...
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5/20/2008 - gbauer wrote:
Showed "newer" than the last bottle. More oak, more extract. Maybe these need to sit a little longer...
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4/26/2008 - vinole wrote: 90 Points
Nice cherry and blackberry flavors on a medium body frame veering on the finish towards graphite notes and ending with some drying tannins and crisp acidity. Agree the finish is shorter than preferred given the lushness it starts with. Nice wine for the $.
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4/6/2008 - Employee500 wrote: 90 Points
Very delicious, but perhaps not quite as smoky or complex as prior bottles...still outstanding QPR from the vintage.
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2/23/2008 - Mattshank wrote: 92 Points
I do not have much experience with Cotes de Castillon wines but this one is nice. Nose: The initial nose was crushed blackberries, but then the dark pencil lead qualities showed a strong Pauillac similarity. Palate: Like previous reviews I found this wine a little thin on the finish, but actually quite massive on the front and mid palate. Flavors of earth and pencil lead showing with subdued fruit and firm tannins. If this were tasted blind it could easily be confused as a lessor Pauillac. Very nice wine for the money.
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1/14/2008 - brownman6 wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful color, drunk with friends, lots of fruit has many years to go.
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12/9/2007 - biff_of_burl wrote: 90 Points
See previous Wine Spam post. The only thing I can add here is the finish short, if not a bit underwhelming.
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12/8/2007 - MichaelB wrote: 87 Points
This wine has evolved fairly quickly for 2000 and is mature and ready to drink. It is a mid-weight, pretty well balanced wine, with slight cedar, cranberry, a bit of cherry, just a bit of tart acidity for my taste, not as nice as the last bottle. Certainly for the price paid this wine was agreeable ($20) The last bottle of this wine was better. I am going back through many of the "lesser" 2000's now and this is one that is mature. No hurry, but I would start if you have a case or more as I do.
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12/7/2007 - Wine Spam wrote: 88 Points
Vineyard Gate: Overachieving Millennium 2000 Bordeaux (Millbrae, CA): Smoky, cedar nose blended with dark fruits. Medium to full bodied. Very fruit driven wine, still with a tannic grip that's maybe a bit too harsh. It seems to me that the fruit overwhelms any character this wine might offer, even though this is certainly a pleasant drink. There's perhaps a chance for improvement.
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11/3/2007 - peebal wrote: 89 Points
Drunk with Sharon, Ted, Laz, Katie, Bethanie. More serious classic bordeaux nose of graphite, loam, leather and dark fruit than the Belle-Vue 2000 drunk during the same meal. Very big, round flavors, a bit dominated by the oak treatment. Flirting with the fruit bomb style (some serious extraction here), though holding up well to age. Not entirely my style, but very Bordeaux with an attack of dark blackberry fruit quickly followed by mouth puckering but very ripe tannins. More serious and less fun than the Belle-vue right now. Hard to say what this is turning into. Second bottle, definitely evolved compared to the first. Not tremendous complexity but some good depth. Have another next year.
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10/27/2007 - Zweder wrote: 88 Points
Full bodied, a lot of good bitterness and power. Lot of concentration of dark fruits and chocolate. Very juicy and a hint of sweetness. Plenty of soft tannin.
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10/21/2007 - gbauer wrote:
Rich and full with dark fruit and plenty of extract -- but with good tannin and minerality to hold it in balance. Progressing nicely.
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9/25/2007 - brownman6 wrote: 90 Points
Great with low country boil.
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9/24/2007 - dbkitc wrote: 89 Points
Deep garnet/purple – solid to rim – youthful. Powerful creamy blue and black fruits with some asphalt notes, as well. Modern profile, yet showing some secondary notes. Medium bodied with good flavor concentration and finishing intensity. Not my favorite style (I don’t think I would have guessed Bordeaux) but solid wine and a good value. Drink now and over the next 2 to 3 years. (89)
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8/23/2007 - Employee500 wrote: 91 Points
Very nice, as usual.
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8/17/2007 - paulst wrote: 97 Points
Opulent currant & blackberry with thick balanced fruit displaying complexity and long finish.
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8/15/2007 - skiman wrote: 88 Points
good right bank effort. typical bordeaux. well balanced. medium finish.
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6/4/2007 - Rubinstein wrote: 91 Points
Very good. Lush and very fruity, black Currant and Cigar box. Closes somewhat down after a couple og hours
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4/28/2007 - johnwine wrote: 90 Points
This wine is delicious and ready to drink. I would agree with Bobby on this one. The flavors of ripe cherries and cassis with a hint of cedar and mushroom are intense and tasty.
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2/26/2007 - Jay A wrote: 90 Points
First bottle of 2000 Bordeaux I've opened in a while. 375ml. Pretty explosive right after opening, but the fruit was not overripe, tooty-fruity or one dimensional. It showed some class while providing power. Lots of dark fruit - cassis and blackberry. It didn't have a lot of secondary nuances, but the wine was elegant for a Cab and didn't have any harsh tannins. I was a bit surprised that the tannins were that sweet and not harsh at all due to experiences with other vintages of this chateau. All in all a pretty impressive showing.
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2/12/2007 - Employee500 wrote: 89 Points
Very nice, but my 375s (including this one) haven't been as impressive as my 750s...by about "2 points" on my rating scale. (I've had probably a case of 750s that I would rate at 92 points...between bottles I always forget and it always surprises me on the upside).
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1/21/2007 - jusuf Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sweet, drinkable, quaffable. Plum nose, violet tones, some vanilla pleasantly packed. Velvety, buttery and enigmatic on the palate. Very pleasant to drink. The finish is a little austere and too dry.
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1/1/2007 - borneman wrote: 90 Points
Needs time - will be a great wine
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1/1/2007 - MichaelB wrote: 91 Points
This is really coming together well. Needs perhaps 1-2 years
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8/13/2006 - Will wrote:
A bdx focusing mostly on power and concentration, but delivering a lot for the price and appellation. Quite a lot of oak, big fruit, but it doesn't seem forced - just a specific style.
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4/20/2006 - joshbryer wrote: 89 Points
Drank with some Campo de Montalban, baby arugala salad and chicken lasanga torta. Medium ruby color, a bit lighter at the rim. Light red fruit, graphite and smoke on the nose, somewhat incomplete. Semi-ripe currant, leather and cassis palate, finish was too hot. After some time in the decanter it opened up a bit, became nicely balanced and poised, but still a little to much alcohol on the finish. Overall very pleasant but I though it was lacking some dimensionality. I'll wait 4 years and maybe it'll surprise me.
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3/16/2006 - PurpleHaze wrote: 92 Points
From 375. Decanted one hour. Very dark ruby to purple. Nose of new wood, currants and wild berries. Medium to full body. More juicy dark fruit, black cherry and earthiness on the palate. A very nice balance between freshness and some secondary characteristics emerging. 40 second finish. Very nice. Enjoyable now, but better in 3-4 years. Sufficient structure for another 10.
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12/24/2005 - MichaelB wrote: 91 Points
This bottle was wonderful tonight. It is showing much less astringency and much more forward fruit. Deep color , just a tad of lightening on the rim, some sediment showing up, a positive sign with this wine. My family are novices, it knocked them out, with loads of plums, mulberry, sour cherry, chewy and succulent, just coming into its own.
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11/24/2005 - JDB wrote: 91 Points
Thanksgiving . Drank Three , it was very tasty
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6/5/2005 - claudio_bxl wrote:
OL At panos and Edith (Strasbourg): Good depth of color and a nose with hints of torrefaction, mineral, dark fruit, cherry, licorice and some flower notes. In the mouth it has a strong attack with firm tannic structure and acidity and a hint of dry tannins in the finish. Long and with massive potential. 4 out of 5.
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6/5/2005 - Will wrote:
2000 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru at Edith and Panos OL (Strasbourg, France): Mushrooms/sous-bois on the nose, superb in the mouth, very fresh, quite close to the previous one (Beausejour Duffau-Lagarosse) and clearly suffers from being placed afterwards, given how well the BDL was performing. Definitely great. [#4ex] (4/#5)
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3/5/2005 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
QPR Bordeaux at Red Hot and Blue: Rich smelling with light mocha. Rich sweet black currant fruit. Good.
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2/14/2005 - Rex wrote:
seckford 050210 2005-15
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2/6/2005 - mklassen wrote: 88 Points
Decanted a split for an hour. Primary cassis and red fruit with notes of oak. Excellent mid-palate for a Cotes.
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11/24/2004 - MichaelB wrote: 89 Points
This wine has been throwing some sediment for over a year now. It has a cranberry component on the nose, better on the nose then on the palate now. It has got a slightly bitter/astringent component that was noticeable throughout the two glasses I had of this wine that I hope will integrate better tonight when I revisit it.
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8/28/2004 - borneman wrote:
Tasted at Larry's - tannic but lots of fruit . Will be awesome wine in 5 years.
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4/25/2004 - dk_lulu wrote:
Deep purple color, lovely nose of black fruits. Closed, less expressive and less giving than the '03. Should evolve into something lovely, but wound up very tight right now, and frankly a bit of a disappointment, given that the last one I had was the outstanding '03.
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