(Decanted for one hour) Deep red colour with a maturing nose showing barnyard, leather and blackberry fruity sweetness in a very pleasant way, still showing a tighter palate with austere tannins still showing primary notes of fruit at first, evolving into dried herbs on the lengthy finish. (Best 2015-2030)
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Dark ruby showing some bricking at edge. Nice mature Bordeaux bouquet on the nose: pencil shavings, graphite, mushrooms, some distant cassis notes. Light on the palate with good acidity and smooth tannins. Long balanced finish. Not very complex but really enjoyable bottle of wine.
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This was the Wine of the night, alongside Gruaud Larose, Figeac, Bel-air, d'Issan, d'Armailhac, Montrose. It was 20 points ahead. Well integrated, the right balance, weight and everything came together that evening for the Bordeaux 2000 tasting. 22 people cannot be wrong when most put it their favorite. Alas! those were my last two bottles.
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Lovely nose of sweet cassis and ripe plums. Lean and enjoyable on the palate. At 12.5% alcohol, you can drink this all night. A lovely sweetness from the heavy percentage of Merlot developed an hour in. Solid warm finish. The 2000 vintage is incredible, but this is still going to take a number of years to resolve the tannins in this wine.
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Much more interesting on the nose than the palate. Medium bodied, soft, elegant and refined in texture, the wine is on the light side, as far as density goes. The fruit is ripe, there is that mix of bright, tart and spicy that works, but it lacks the weight needed to carry it through.
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To my taste, a vibrant wine that's well-balanced between primary and secondary chateristics just now. The red and black fruits, while nicely ripe, constitute a relatively small part of the mix. In addition to the mushroom and licorice notes, there's a very pronounced stoniness and lots of cleansing acidity. The nose is kind of muted and the finish isn't particularly long, but it has good intensity on the palate. This is a wine that was never "stuffed" (listed alcohol of 12.5%), but which is evolving in a lovely direction. I'm willing to bet it can go longer. Indeed, as far as low-end Bordeaux goes, it's a bit of a unicorn.
At Xmas Eve dinner, we served with the main course of Stuffed Roasted Veal. Fruit on the nose, the palate is variations of mushroom, red meat and a touch of tobacco. The finish is decent but the wine is entering its final years.
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As per my note in 2012. This does remain a fine wine but it probably should have been consumed several years ago. It is well made but just not quite have the stuffing for 15 years. There is some very nice beefs blood and iron in the finish. Not sure what is happening with the Château nowadays, but I would be interested in revisiting a more modern version of this.
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Ripe and positive but still young. The fruit here is in good balance with a touch of brick, mineral, and integrating oak. Everything is in proportion. Less well knit together on the palate; the perfume less intense, the acidity a hair low. I think this is worth a few years in the cellar; the palate won't improve structurally but, organoleptically, this has more to give.
Been through about a half-dozen of these in 1/2 btl. Definately over the hill, but still has some redeeming features. It is clear this is (was) a well-made, balanced, and classy claret. Now the minerals really come through as the fruit climbs in the backseat. Improved with some airtime, interestingly. I have one more btl that I won't hang onto for very long, but I suspect will still be OK for another year or two.
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Have always felt this winery was a very good Bordeaux for the money, and this bottle did not disappoint. Mushroom in the nose, with plums, cassis, great depth and nice acidity.
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Dark ruby. Developed a nice mature tobacco bouquet, but distinctly Pessac-Leognan, which again confirms for me that these are not my favorite Bordeaux wines. Mature fruit on the palate as well, clearly at its peak and quite persistent flavors well into the finish, this shows the CT community knows whereof it speaks in terms of a wine's drinking window. This is a very attractive "Graves" wines, as these used to be known. 4-10-15-8: 87/100.
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I've sat on this wine for a few years now and I was pleasantly surprised at the result. Decanted for 2 hours and once drinking continued to open up through the bottle. Very enjoyable for a nicely priced aged Bordeaux. I look forward to the next bottle. Probably at or near peak, but definitely drinkable for a few years.
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I let this open up for a couple of hours. This wine is drinking wonderfully right now. I would guess that it is at peak or very soon will be. Nice fruit with hints of olive, tobacco, earth. It held up nicely over a few hours.
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This was the 4th or 5th btl of this I have had (all 375cc) but the first in several years. Nowhere near as good as I recall. Now a bit soupy, thinned out, and monolithic. I had really enjoyed this wine previously for great minerality, delicacy, and balance. Now it just tastes tired. Perhaps it was the bottle. Will revisit.
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Superb bottle of wine. Very enjoyable and still has legs for a few more years. Smoke and horseraddish on nose but man oh man was this smooth. Had with veal and but this wine went on and on with blackberry finish. Wish we had another bottled cellared
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Pop and pour. Nice nose of earth, hint of cedar and dark cherry. Fully mature. No rush to drink it now. A little bit of bricking on the rim. Very good - 87-89
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Agree with Mattshank's comments. A very enjoyable elegant and mature wine. Still has distance in it yet. What makes this wine simply amazing is the QPR. At 16 pounds for the bottle I bought, it's one I'll be stocking up on for some lovely everyday drinking.
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Very dark cherry, showing just a bit of age at the rim. Fairly round nose of wood and ripe fruit, with a very faint whiff of rotten egg that would not blow off. Simple ripe fruit, thin and warm on the palate. Some acidity and grainy tannins. Lingering but stemmy finish. Very little to distinguish this wine. It did benefit from some air. Barely okay now, might improve.
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Took some time to open up. After 30 minutes, there wasn't much of a nose, but an hour later the wine had changed dramatically. Solid fruit base, with typical Graves minerality.
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The wine has now matured with balance and elegance. It should drink well over the next two years but is approaching a peak today. i would agree with Bobbie on this one.
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Bordeaux at Basil's (Basil's in Minneapolis): Nose: Mineral nose of red clay, spice, and subtle vanilla. Over time more floral qualities exhibited. Palate: Soft notes of cherries and mineral. Very feminine wine that is drinking well now. A close 2nd place to the Leoville Las Cases.
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Compared to 1996 Monbo drunk before this, the Olivier seemed to have more, riper fruit but less complexity, though each was quite enjoyable in its own way. But I'd give the nod to the '96 monbo.
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Tucson - Thursday Night Tasting (Raj's house): Nose of dark plums, rich, thick, full fruit, and some black licorice. On the palate the body is much lighter, and tastes quite mature. A bit thin overall, and a touch flabby. Very little in th eway of tannins, acids, or other structure. Nice fruit however, although it tastes like it's fading. Based on this bottle, I'd say this is fully mature. Others liked this alot more than me.
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This is the lowest-rated wine from B2K in my cellar based on scores from RP and WS. If this is the worst, what a treat the best will be! Classic elegance of Bordeaux, with a bit of minerality typical of Graves. Nice complexity, and while drinking smoothe today, no reason to hurry.
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This wine shows a lot of red fruit on the nose with red cherries, some tart berries and plums with lilac scents. The taste is medium bodied with red and black cherries, casis and a bit of oriental spice. The finish is medium long on fruit. There is still plenty of soft tannin and acid to resolve over the next 8 to 10 years. This is a great value in Bordeaux.
The wine has been open for two hours at this point. The nose is riper but still has the same characteristic Olivier fruit. The taste is still unbalanced with acid and tannin but there is plenty of fruit for that to work on. Still a delicious glass of vino.
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This wine was decanted and serially tasted over a 24 hour period. Bright disc. Medium-to-deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense dark-roast coffee, black cherry, cassis and nutmeg. With overnight aeration (uncovered decanter in refrigerator), the nose opens further and adds scents of cardamom and rosemary. Medium-bodied on the palate, with medium firm tannins. Relatively low acidity. Similar flavors as for the nose. Medium, slightly coarse finish which smooths out nicely after 24 hours of opening. This is a well-priced Bordeaux which could provide significant pleasure while waiting for more the more prestigious growths to mature.
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11/3/2023 - thewiz Likes this wine: 92 Points
(Decanted for one hour)
Deep red colour with a maturing nose showing barnyard, leather and blackberry fruity sweetness in a very pleasant way, still showing a tighter palate with austere tannins still showing primary notes of fruit at first, evolving into dried herbs on the lengthy finish.
(Best 2015-2030)
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12/6/2022 - rosuoter Likes this wine:
Dark ruby showing some bricking at edge. Nice mature Bordeaux bouquet on the nose: pencil shavings, graphite, mushrooms, some distant cassis notes. Light on the palate with good acidity and smooth tannins. Long balanced finish. Not very complex but really enjoyable bottle of wine.
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6/19/2020 - dannyg Likes this wine: 99 Points
This was the Wine of the night, alongside Gruaud Larose, Figeac, Bel-air, d'Issan, d'Armailhac, Montrose. It was 20 points ahead. Well integrated, the right balance, weight and everything came together that evening for the Bordeaux 2000 tasting. 22 people cannot be wrong when most put it their favorite. Alas! those were my last two bottles.
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12/25/2018 - jgreco Likes this wine: 90 Points
Lovely nose of sweet cassis and ripe plums. Lean and enjoyable on the palate. At 12.5% alcohol, you can drink this all night. A lovely sweetness from the heavy percentage of Merlot developed an hour in. Solid warm finish. The 2000 vintage is incredible, but this is still going to take a number of years to resolve the tannins in this wine.
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10/21/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 87 Points
Much more interesting on the nose than the palate. Medium bodied, soft, elegant and refined in texture, the wine is on the light side, as far as density goes. The fruit is ripe, there is that mix of bright, tart and spicy that works, but it lacks the weight needed to carry it through.
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2/15/2016 - winchester-xi wrote:
To my taste, a vibrant wine that's well-balanced between primary and secondary chateristics just now. The red and black fruits, while nicely ripe, constitute a relatively small part of the mix. In addition to the mushroom and licorice notes, there's a very pronounced stoniness and lots of cleansing acidity. The nose is kind of muted and the finish isn't particularly long, but it has good intensity on the palate. This is a wine that was never "stuffed" (listed alcohol of 12.5%), but which is evolving in a lovely direction. I'm willing to bet it can go longer. Indeed, as far as low-end Bordeaux goes, it's a bit of a unicorn.
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12/24/2014 - markcic wrote: 86 Points
At Xmas Eve dinner, we served with the main course of Stuffed Roasted Veal. Fruit on the nose, the palate is variations of mushroom, red meat and a touch of tobacco. The finish is decent but the wine is entering its final years.
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4/13/2014 - Neurowine1 wrote:
As per my note in 2012. This does remain a fine wine but it probably should have been consumed several years ago. It is well made but just not quite have the stuffing for 15 years. There is some very nice beefs blood and iron in the finish. Not sure what is happening with the Château nowadays, but I would be interested in revisiting a more modern version of this.
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11/6/2013 - englishman's claret wrote: 90 Points
Ripe and positive but still young. The fruit here is in good balance with a touch of brick, mineral, and integrating oak. Everything is in proportion. Less well knit together on the palate; the perfume less intense, the acidity a hair low. I think this is worth a few years in the cellar; the palate won't improve structurally but, organoleptically, this has more to give.
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11/26/2012 - Neurowine1 wrote: 82 Points
Been through about a half-dozen of these in 1/2 btl. Definately over the hill, but still has some redeeming features. It is clear this is (was) a well-made, balanced, and classy claret. Now the minerals really come through as the fruit climbs in the backseat. Improved with some airtime, interestingly. I have one more btl that I won't hang onto for very long, but I suspect will still be OK for another year or two.
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9/24/2012 - DRob wrote:
Have always felt this winery was a very good Bordeaux for the money, and this bottle did not disappoint. Mushroom in the nose, with plums, cassis, great depth and nice acidity.
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9/1/2012 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 89 Points
Drinking well with funk, earth, tobacco and red currants. Medium finish. Drink now.
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6/10/2012 - MicklethePickle wrote: 87 Points
Dark ruby. Developed a nice mature tobacco bouquet, but distinctly Pessac-Leognan, which again confirms for me that these are not my favorite Bordeaux wines. Mature fruit on the palate as well, clearly at its peak and quite persistent flavors well into the finish, this shows the CT community knows whereof it speaks in terms of a wine's drinking window. This is a very attractive "Graves" wines, as these used to be known. 4-10-15-8: 87/100.
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3/2/2012 - Swise73 wrote: 90 Points
I've sat on this wine for a few years now and I was pleasantly surprised at the result. Decanted for 2 hours and once drinking continued to open up through the bottle. Very enjoyable for a nicely priced aged Bordeaux. I look forward to the next bottle. Probably at or near peak, but definitely drinkable for a few years.
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1/28/2012 - mplswine wrote: 88 Points
I let this open up for a couple of hours. This wine is drinking wonderfully right now. I would guess that it is at peak or very soon will be. Nice fruit with hints of olive, tobacco, earth. It held up nicely over a few hours.
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6/10/2011 - Neurowine1 wrote: 82 Points
This was the 4th or 5th btl of this I have had (all 375cc) but the first in several years. Nowhere near as good as I recall. Now a bit soupy, thinned out, and monolithic. I had really enjoyed this wine previously for great minerality, delicacy, and balance. Now it just tastes tired. Perhaps it was the bottle. Will revisit.
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6/4/2011 - broughstyle wrote: 92 Points
Superb bottle of wine. Very enjoyable and still has legs for a few more years. Smoke and horseraddish on nose but man oh man was this smooth. Had with veal and but this wine went on and on with blackberry finish. Wish we had another bottled cellared
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1/22/2011 - bobbylion wrote: 90 Points
very good fine smooth bordeaux. a hint of leather and smoke. good everyday wine - i must say this has improved over the past 3-4 years.
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4/13/2010 - thirstyman wrote:
Pop and pour. Nice nose of earth, hint of cedar and dark cherry. Fully mature. No rush to drink it now. A little bit of bricking on the rim. Very good - 87-89
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4/2/2010 - Ho Bryan wrote:
Agree with Mattshank's comments. A very enjoyable elegant and mature wine. Still has distance in it yet. What makes this wine simply amazing is the QPR. At 16 pounds for the bottle I bought, it's one I'll be stocking up on for some lovely everyday drinking.
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1/7/2010 - petitblanc wrote: 83 Points
Very dark cherry, showing just a bit of age at the rim. Fairly round nose of wood and ripe fruit, with a very faint whiff of rotten egg that would not blow off. Simple ripe fruit, thin and warm on the palate. Some acidity and grainy tannins. Lingering but stemmy finish. Very little to distinguish this wine. It did benefit from some air. Barely okay now, might improve.
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11/7/2009 - ajfranke wrote: 87 Points
Took some time to open up. After 30 minutes, there wasn't much of a nose, but an hour later the wine had changed dramatically. Solid fruit base, with typical Graves minerality.
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7/15/2008 - jmd60611 wrote: 88 Points
Nice bottle of earthy, minerality based bordeaux...At times the bottle had a slight off putting astringency or green thing going on...
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5/28/2008 - johnwine wrote: 89 Points
The wine has now matured with balance and elegance. It should drink well over the next two years but is approaching a peak today. i would agree with Bobbie on this one.
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4/12/2008 - cookie7 wrote: 90 Points
Very enjoyable.
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4/11/2008 - Mattshank wrote: 91 Points
Bordeaux at Basil's (Basil's in Minneapolis): Nose: Mineral nose of red clay, spice, and subtle vanilla. Over time more floral qualities exhibited. Palate: Soft notes of cherries and mineral. Very feminine wine that is drinking well now. A close 2nd place to the Leoville Las Cases.
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2/9/2007 - Ibetian wrote: 89 Points
Compared to 1996 Monbo drunk before this, the Olivier seemed to have more, riper fruit but less complexity, though each was quite enjoyable in its own way. But I'd give the nod to the '96 monbo.
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1/3/2007 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 91 Points
Tempting nose of rust and Burgundian cherry, very fresh summer fruit and distant mint, tannins already softened and smooth but add grip to the finish.
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12/15/2006 - petitblanc wrote:
Not too enjoyable now, needs 5 years, may be just okay then.
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10/12/2006 - trankin wrote: 87 Points
Tucson - Thursday Night Tasting (Raj's house): Nose of dark plums, rich, thick, full fruit, and some black licorice. On the palate the body is much lighter, and tastes quite mature. A bit thin overall, and a touch flabby. Very little in th eway of tannins, acids, or other structure. Nice fruit however, although it tastes like it's fading. Based on this bottle, I'd say this is fully mature. Others liked this alot more than me.
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9/30/2006 - Ibetian wrote: 90 Points
Very enjoyable, and held up well compared to 1996 Les Forts drunk alongside it.
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7/16/2006 - Ibetian wrote: 90 Points
This is the lowest-rated wine from B2K in my cellar based on scores from RP and WS. If this is the worst, what a treat the best will be! Classic elegance of Bordeaux, with a bit of minerality typical of Graves. Nice complexity, and while drinking smoothe today, no reason to hurry.
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11/11/2005 - peternelson wrote: 86 Points
Wine Country: Hint bell pepper, bit liter bod; bit dilute, med. lite t’s, somewhat non-descript/closed. Dumb? look at above notes--opposite!
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5/25/2005 - johnwine wrote: 88 Points
This wine shows a lot of red fruit on the nose with red cherries, some tart berries and plums with lilac scents. The taste is medium bodied with red and black cherries, casis and a bit of oriental spice. The finish is medium long on fruit. There is still plenty of soft tannin and acid to resolve over the next 8 to 10 years. This is a great value in Bordeaux.
The wine has been open for two hours at this point. The nose is riper but still has the same characteristic Olivier fruit. The taste is still unbalanced with acid and tannin but there is plenty of fruit for that to work on. Still a delicious glass of vino.
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3/29/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 88 Points
This wine was decanted and serially tasted over a 24 hour period. Bright disc. Medium-to-deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense dark-roast coffee, black cherry, cassis and nutmeg. With overnight aeration (uncovered decanter in refrigerator), the nose opens further and adds scents of cardamom and rosemary. Medium-bodied on the palate, with medium firm tannins. Relatively low acidity. Similar flavors as for the nose. Medium, slightly coarse finish which smooths out nicely after 24 hours of opening. This is a well-priced Bordeaux which could provide significant pleasure while waiting for more the more prestigious growths to mature.
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3/21/2003 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Red Carpet: Cigar, berries, more classic bordeau flavors; thick t’s, nice supple mth.***Good Bordeau for price.
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3/19/2003 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Tight berry nose; nice, round, berry, herbaceous palate with soft tannins; medium finish (51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc)
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