This time of year you see a lot of writing saying claret is wasted on Christmas Dinner. Well stuff that. If you can't have nice claret on Christmas Day with your family what are you saving it for anyway? I didn't make any fanfare about serving this and my mother in law said "this red is delicious!" Well, what more can you ask for? And it is delicious. Loads of stuffing, beautiful layers of cassis, oak, a fine thread of mint, good velvety texture. I loved it. And yes you can find a better match for roast turkey and all the trimmings but why bother?
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2 hours after popping the cork - Cedar wood , savoury and herbaceous then turning jammy , with more air the original notes fade and everything gets very fruity. gorgeous forest fruit with a slight woody element then some leather starts to come through. The palate started off a bit harsh but softens with time and air , there is a nice purity of fruit, soft and powerful at the same time - there is a bitter sour element from the tannin but its not off putting, 5 hours into the drinking experience and everything has gone very spicy, pepper and spice with rose petals on the nose- i really love this wine it takes you on a road trip around the senses !
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This pulled up in class last night. Initially shy and cold, it warmed up and brought liquid pencil and pen ink from Pauillac. So snoby and French, it tooted its tobacco and weightlessness in front of all the California spectators in the room. Very captivating and long...This either hit the spot last night or I had not paid enough attention to this beauty on our last date. Dry, light footed, and vanishing with a poof of fresh tobacco. Drink or Hold
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The Travellers Club, London (The Travellers Club, London): We had this wine 3 years ago and was a clear 91. on this occasion was not, something off-putting from nose to palate. We hope its not the wine closing down and its just this bottle issue. Pointless to rate.
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Slightly murky ruby, fading towards garnet at the rim. This is old school Bordeaux, but in a ripe vintage, and in that sense it has something to offer a range of different people. On the nose it is at once mature without being overtly mature; its savory roasted mushroom and cigar box aromas are neatly balanced by plenty of ripe black fruit, fresh tobacco and Fresno pepper notes. There is a touch of leathery, hircine brettanomyces here but, again, it isn't obtrusive. On the palate this is medium bodied with medium+ acidity, ripe tannins which still provide structure and quite savory flavors redolent of graphite, burnt thyme and dried earth. This will certainly hold for five or ten more years but I don't see any reason to wait that long.
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Drunk alongside the 2009 Batailley. 375 of Batailley decanted. Half the Haut Batailley put to oneside for another day. To look at the Batailley is slightly more mature. On the nose the B is richer with tobacco, cedar and blackcurrant fruit. The HB far simpler with cedar and dark fruit. In the mouth the Batailley is richer and riper, but not over the top. The HB is a little lighter and simpler, but still a lovely wine. B ****+, HB ****. Ruth just loved the Batailley, “reminds me of old Sunday afternoons
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Nice and balanced wine which has lots of primary black fruit but with some tertiary flavours developing. There is intensity of fruit - blackcurrant and blackberry - with tobacco, smoke, cedar, cloves and something meaty. Acidity is medium, tannins integrated, and it has length after an initial burst of fruit.
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Fairly deep ruby colour indicating the warm vintage. Hints of maturity on the rim, but still a lot further to go. Rich blackcurrant on opening, but then calmed down to classic earth cedar and dark fruit nose. Ripe but not OTT. In the mouth clearly the product of a warm vintage. Sweet fruit, tannin still present, acidity juicy though. Pleasingly no sign of over ripeness or dried fruit notes (I really don’t like pruney or figgy flavours which I have found in some 2009s, but this is reassuringly clean). For those who like a voluptuous style of bordeaux, but very enjoyable in that style. **** or 94 points, and probably a good decade ahead of it.
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A bit meaty, partly due to the touch of brett, also it’s ripe but savoury. Different from the house style which usually emphasises charm and Pauillac blackcurrants. This is more like St Julien.
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I’m going to give a big shout out to this wine, tasted via a 6 oz. Coravin pour this evening. For many reasons (price, other regions of interest, need to cellar a long time) my Bordeaux collecting has literally stopped at 2010. Well this fairly priced gem was a wonderful reminder of what I loved about classic Bordeaux. Nose of an antique bookstore with someone burning a scented fruit candle. Real depth and as others have mentioned feels fully mature and ready to enjoy now. Smooth tannins but enough meat there to match well with food. Long satisfying finish. This is one that we’ve all had those thoughts “wish I bought more!” Will pop the cork on this one sooner than later.
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Opened 1 hour prior. Dark garnet. Cassis and cigar leaf on the bouquet. Palate follows nose, with cedar laced tannins drawing out a well balanced and long final.
Drinking very nicely and good QPR.
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Deep, dense red colour. Pencil, cedar, dark fruits on nose. Rounded mouthfeel with a touch of oak and vanilla. Liquorice and aniseed. Smooth and enjoyable. Drinking nicely.
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Bordeaux from start to finish. Mid weight, polished, playful, and exotic. Squarely in the drinking window, it throws an earthy and floral bouquet with hints of clay. The perfume is just beautiful. This drinks a notch below the perfume, yet it is vigorous. Lacks the substance to get better with age without hollowing out more. The finish lacks length, but there’s plenty here for the 50 bucks I spent on this at release. Drink
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From imperial. Opened 4 hours prior to consuming over the next 3 hours for V’s bday. This was immediately approachable from the cork pull. It had mature notes present and while a bit simple for a classified Pauillac, there was enough nuance and maturity of fruit to make it work.
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It had a lovely sweetness to it. Not overly sophisticated yet. Benefitted from an hour of air. Strangely reminded me of Pavillon Rouge du Margaux of same vintage. Think could improve as it integrates further.
Vinturi aerated with a 2 hour decant. Cassis, cedar, honey and some heat on the nose. Full bodied. Deep flavours of cassis and blackberry with hints of graphite. Tannins soft, oak well integrated. Long cedar and fruit finish. Delicious.
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Wonderful soft spice and dark fruit on nose (with some wood; attractive if rather light across the palate. There is some residual tannin there, so perhaps this wine will gain in complexity over the next 3-5 years, but it doesn't have the stuffing to go much beyond that.
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Decanted 2 hours. Notes from 3rd day. Medium garnet, rim beginning to turn tawny. Lovely nose showing kirsch notes, a hint of cigar and a sweet creme brulée note. Very smooth, round entry that blossoms slowly to a cherry and cassis dominated mid-palate. Acidity provides some welcome vibrancy to the medium length final.
Very nice well priced Bordeaux. The body is perhaps a touch slight but I find this drinking very well and punching well above its weight. Look forward to the rest of my stash over the next 5-10 years.
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Vinturi aerated with a 2 hour decant. Cassis and cigar box nose. Full bodied and smooth. Tannins nicely integrated. Fruit layers of dark berries abound. Med long finish of cassis and herbal hints. Went well with grilled filet but also a nice sipper on its own.
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Decanted for a good 45 minutes and a must in our view. Well evolved and well in its drinking window albeit with a good 10 yrs in the tank easily. Dark fruited, a bit on the austere side, bright still and with a good evolved secondary feel. Very pretty wine and good value for sure. Definitely benefits and expresses well the 2009 vintage. 91
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Few glasses the previous night but much better next evening. Popped over 2005 as heard it was quite forward and wanted to try.
Light garnet, no signs of age. Dark fruit on the nose, cassis, oak, sandalwood.
Plump silky mouth feel, drying tannins but not unpleasant. Again dark fruits, cassis, graphite and vegetal (green pepper?). Nice acidity. Sweet oaky finish.
Will continue to develop but drinking pretty nicely now. I’ll drink slowly over next 5 years. Nice but not spectacular.
Had another Jan 21. Little to add to the above other than tannins a lots less noticeable in this bottle (+4 hour decant) and vegetable/animal flavours more pronounced. Pleasantly savoury. Better showing. Drinking really well, see no reason not to drink the rest over the next 2-3 years
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Needs a bit of time before it opens up. Started with excellent nose, flavours of dark cherries, cassis, oak. Initially muted taste, but with the time better and better. Always just wanted to smell it - really loved it! But as said, initially a bit disappointed, kind of in a closed phase, but it shows the potential!
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Garnet with sediment. Vegetal bouquet with medicinal note. Smell is somewhat offputting - an antiseptic quality. Round, slightly sweet on entry and happily much tastier than the nose. However the vegetal antiseptic note does intrude on the medium length final. Medium bodied, tannins reasonably well integrated.
This is a little rough around the edges. I did not pick up the vegetal/antiseptic note on my first bottle so this may be simply a so-so bottle. I'll reserve scoring this one but would have given something in the high 80's, perhaps mid-80's. Will follow other bottles closely - I bought 18 of these on release as a good value '09 BDX but I am a bit concerned...
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up against an 05 Decru B and 07 Langoa Barton at Hawksmoor, this held its place but the fruit was still a little more primary than the other two wines. give this a couple more years and it'll be singing. Good now but best is yet to come
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Medium/full bodied, bright, earthy and loaded with cedar, tobacco leaf, spice and crisp red fruits, the wine is energetic, fresh and crisp. Classic in style, this could improve with another 5 years or so in the cellar.
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Decanted in the bottle 1.5 hours before drinking. Nose of blueberries with a touch of cinnamon. Begins with intense fruit of sweet cherries, transitions to blueberries, with cedar and tabacco on the back. A nice fruit forward Pauillac that is drinking well now.
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Decanted 1 hour. Dark garnet. Cassis and eucalyptus nose. Palate follows nose and adds fine tannins, sandalwood and blueberries. Medium bodied and medium final.
Very well balanced and drinking well already. Some resolution is still to come here and this will eventually move up a notch or two. But already drinking very nicely. Paired very well with bbq filet and beurre café de Paris.
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Vinturi aerated and decanted for about 70 minutes. Nose of sweet ripe black cherries, mushrooms and vanilla. Smooth & viscous, mouth-coating, with cassis, graphite and some minerality. Nicely balanced, tannins reserved. Medium finish. A nicely drinking Pauillac which I liked almost as much at the 2009 D'Armailhac.
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I often find this wine lacking in body and depth but the '09 is a lovely drink with smoky dark fruits along with hints of dark chocolate and a nice complexity on the finish. Ready now.
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Needs a decent decant (a couple of hours at least) but fantastic after that. Well balanced elegant Pauillac - still at the early stage of its drinking window but definitely within it. Everything is well knit but it's not showing much in the way of tertiary characters yet.
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Still young, decant for one hour. Med+, more powerful compares to other 2 pauillac tested alongside. dark fruits, mineral, firm tannins. much more approachable after about 1.5 hours. finishing is long. try again after 5 years.
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After 1,5 hour nice balanced, open, cherry notes, sweeter not rough tannins, dark plum with middle finish. Quite impressive nose showing a power. It is ready to drink and might last for another 10 years. Next bottle not earlier then 3 years.
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Awesome bottle! This is ready to go, but will probably be in even better in 1-2 years but but not in 10 years I think. Great nose, lots of dark plum and black currant fruit, great acidity and nice pencil,pepper and olive tannin structure and really good Cabernet S. character with some funky meat/game/barnyard elements. Not too hot or powerful like some 09's. Quite feminine really. Wish I had bought a whole case...
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Quite young but drinking really good now as well. Disjointed at first but after 3 hour it bloomed into a feminine fruit flaunting bordeaux that owns its heritage. A very elegant 92. The perfume is intoxicating and has lots to go. I could see this gaining points in the next 3 years. drink or hold
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Very dark red almost black; deep intense dark berries, chocolate, licorice, open and pleasant nose; smooth, nice deep, elegant tannins, a bit dry on the finish and not that complex; lots of fruit and power; the Bordeaux 09s are still open and this one holds good potential for the future; will be interesting to revisit 10 years from now
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This wine was a surprise for a left bank Bordeaux. Decanted at a Thai restaurant, the nose was typical in terms of its cedar complexity, however it was surprisingly smooth on the palate, without any of the mouth parching tannins that I would have expected given its youth. Definitely drinkable now, a pleasure, more cerebral than fruity I might add, which is a dimension I personally prefer. Without the tannin, I wonder how will this age?
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Decanted through a vinturi and let it sit in the decanter for 4 hours. The Haut-Batailley smells of blakberry, pepper, chocolate, tobacco, leather and soldering bolt. Great structure with aromas of lead pencil, black berries, truffles, tobacco and a gentle animal touch on the palate. This is built to last so I'm glad I have a few more in my cellar.
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From dispenser machine. Classic savory nose of graphite, blackberry, with white pepper and olive. Palate is mid-weight and quite closed, not a lot is showing yet. May not have decanted enough though. Score is for the nose.
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Late Nov 2012: clear dark red color; for some moments barnyard, then blackberry, red fruits, chocolate and coffee; fruity on the palate, red berries; medium body; round texture; medium tanninic finish.
Very young Pauillac but already quite open and approachable. If you have several bottles available I would give one a try.
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2009 Bordeaux Masterclass, Hilton Hotel, Sydney. Tasted blind. Dark purple. Very closed on the nose and palate. Some blackberry, mint and meaty aromas with smoke/tobacco. Powerful sweet cassis and herbal flavours. Soft but powerful tannic structure. Very full bodied. Long finish. Hard to read but probably one for the long haul.
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2009 Haut Batailey is light ruby. Notes of black berry and cedar notes define the perfume. Medium bodied, with a short, albeit ripe, cassis finish. 87/89 Pts
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1/5/2024 - ThompsonandFrench Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a super wine!
Decanted thru Rabbit. Upon tasting, almost a bit too "exotic" for me. Perhaps too much mulberry?
Some hours on, it really came together. Warm, rich, fruity, delicious. Even nicer the next night having been under VacUVin.
In summary - splash decant c. 5 hours (or more) before consuming. At which point you hv a real treat.
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12/26/2023 - Paul@bbott Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cedar, tobacco and blackcurrant; very attractive.
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12/26/2023 - gtilley wrote:
This time of year you see a lot of writing saying claret is wasted on Christmas Dinner. Well stuff that. If you can't have nice claret on Christmas Day with your family what are you saving it for anyway? I didn't make any fanfare about serving this and my mother in law said "this red is delicious!" Well, what more can you ask for? And it is delicious. Loads of stuffing, beautiful layers of cassis, oak, a fine thread of mint, good velvety texture. I loved it. And yes you can find a better match for roast turkey and all the trimmings but why bother?
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12/11/2023 - Doc Blinet Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic Bordeaux after 2 hours of decanting. Lovely bouquet of pencil shavings, sweet tobacco, and black fruits. I need to get more.
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12/1/2023 - #alexindahouse wrote: 95 Points
2 hours after popping the cork - Cedar wood , savoury and herbaceous then turning jammy , with more air the original notes fade and everything gets very fruity. gorgeous forest fruit with a slight woody element then some leather starts to come through. The palate started off a bit harsh but softens with time and air , there is a nice purity of fruit, soft and powerful at the same time - there is a bitter sour element from the tannin but its not off putting, 5 hours into the drinking experience and everything has gone very spicy, pepper and spice with rose petals on the nose- i really love this wine it takes you on a road trip around the senses !
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11/19/2023 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
This pulled up in class last night. Initially shy and cold, it warmed up and brought liquid pencil and pen ink from Pauillac. So snoby and French, it tooted its tobacco and weightlessness in front of all the California spectators in the room. Very captivating and long...This either hit the spot last night or I had not paid enough attention to this beauty on our last date. Dry, light footed, and vanishing with a poof of fresh tobacco. Drink or Hold
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8/9/2023 - Papies wrote:
The Travellers Club, London (The Travellers Club, London): We had this wine 3 years ago and was a clear 91. on this occasion was not, something off-putting from nose to palate. We hope its not the wine closing down and its just this bottle issue. Pointless to rate.
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7/13/2023 - wino_tim wrote: 92 Points
Slightly murky ruby, fading towards garnet at the rim. This is old school Bordeaux, but in a ripe vintage, and in that sense it has something to offer a range of different people. On the nose it is at once mature without being overtly mature; its savory roasted mushroom and cigar box aromas are neatly balanced by plenty of ripe black fruit, fresh tobacco and Fresno pepper notes. There is a touch of leathery, hircine brettanomyces here but, again, it isn't obtrusive. On the palate this is medium bodied with medium+ acidity, ripe tannins which still provide structure and quite savory flavors redolent of graphite, burnt thyme and dried earth. This will certainly hold for five or ten more years but I don't see any reason to wait that long.
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6/19/2023 - Paul@bbott Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drunk alongside the 2009 Batailley.
375 of Batailley decanted. Half the Haut Batailley put to oneside for another day.
To look at the Batailley is slightly more mature.
On the nose the B is richer with tobacco, cedar and blackcurrant fruit. The HB far simpler with cedar and dark fruit.
In the mouth the Batailley is richer and riper, but not over the top. The HB is a little lighter and simpler, but still a lovely wine. B ****+, HB ****. Ruth just loved the Batailley, “reminds me of old Sunday afternoons
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4/30/2023 - Doc Malvern Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice and balanced wine which has lots of primary black fruit but with some tertiary flavours developing. There is intensity of fruit - blackcurrant and blackberry - with tobacco, smoke, cedar, cloves and something meaty. Acidity is medium, tannins integrated, and it has length after an initial burst of fruit.
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4/23/2023 - Rob Waterspout wrote: flawed
Sadly last 5 or 6 bottles have been affected by Bret, getting worse with age. Not great from a classes growth
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4/21/2023 - Paul@bbott Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fairly deep ruby colour indicating the warm vintage. Hints of maturity on the rim, but still a lot further to go.
Rich blackcurrant on opening, but then calmed down to classic earth cedar and dark fruit nose. Ripe but not OTT.
In the mouth clearly the product of a warm vintage. Sweet fruit, tannin still present, acidity juicy though. Pleasingly no sign of over ripeness or dried fruit notes (I really don’t like pruney or figgy flavours which I have found in some 2009s, but this is reassuringly clean).
For those who like a voluptuous style of bordeaux, but very enjoyable in that style. **** or 94 points, and probably a good decade ahead of it.
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11/10/2022 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 90 Points
A bit meaty, partly due to the touch of brett, also it’s ripe but savoury. Different from the house style which usually emphasises charm and Pauillac blackcurrants. This is more like St Julien.
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11/6/2022 - MatLot Likes this wine: 92 Points
rien de special mais tres facile a boire bon vin lovely
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11/1/2022 - gtilley wrote:
Consistent with previous note. Classy, reliably impressive claret.
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10/25/2022 - Arch57 Likes this wine: 92 Points
I’m going to give a big shout out to this wine, tasted via a 6 oz. Coravin pour this evening. For many reasons (price, other regions of interest, need to cellar a long time) my Bordeaux collecting has literally stopped at 2010. Well this fairly priced gem was a wonderful reminder of what I loved about classic Bordeaux. Nose of an antique bookstore with someone burning a scented fruit candle. Real depth and as others have mentioned feels fully mature and ready to enjoy now. Smooth tannins but enough meat there to match well with food. Long satisfying finish. This is one that we’ve all had those thoughts “wish I bought more!” Will pop the cork on this one sooner than later.
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10/16/2022 - plitton wrote:
Some funk, pepper and spice.
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8/5/2022 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 90 Points
Complex. Still a bit disjointed. It’s perhaps a tad more burly than in a typical vintage but otherwise it would be hard to pick as 2009 vintage.
Lots of time ahead but enjoyable in its early adulthood
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6/1/2022 - David Meddings wrote: 91 Points
Opened 1 hour prior. Dark garnet. Cassis and cigar leaf on the bouquet. Palate follows nose, with cedar laced tannins drawing out a well balanced and long final.
Drinking very nicely and good QPR.
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5/15/2022 - rjsmall Likes this wine:
Deep, dense red colour. Pencil, cedar, dark fruits on nose. Rounded mouthfeel with a touch of oak and vanilla. Liquorice and aniseed. Smooth and enjoyable. Drinking nicely.
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4/23/2022 - fc1910 wrote: 90 Points
1982 (A vintage dream); 4/21/2022-4/23/2022 (Hotel Jean Jacques Rousseau, La Neuveville, lake Biel, Restaurant des Bains, Avenches, Switzerland): Chosed as new table wine from RG,
compared to the 1982 bottles this is a carribean fruit cocktail!
and...... you can see the difference Monsieur Parker brought to Bordeaux!
very good structure, improves with aeration, but in this context "out of place", **(*- +?), around 90(+) potential
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4/3/2022 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux from start to finish. Mid weight, polished, playful, and exotic. Squarely in the drinking window, it throws an earthy and floral bouquet with hints of clay. The perfume is just beautiful. This drinks a notch below the perfume, yet it is vigorous. Lacks the substance to get better with age without hollowing out more. The finish lacks length, but there’s plenty here for the 50 bucks I spent on this at release. Drink
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11/15/2021 - O'Meara Likes this wine:
From imperial. Opened 4 hours prior to consuming over the next 3 hours for V’s bday. This was immediately approachable from the cork pull. It had mature notes present and while a bit simple for a classified Pauillac, there was enough nuance and maturity of fruit to make it work.
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10/3/2021 - epiphany Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful wine...
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8/19/2021 - bobbylion Likes this wine: 91 Points
Well, you can’t NOT LIKE IT. It is a good and solid mid- market Bordeaux. There are more exiting wines for 80 usd.
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6/8/2021 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decent claret. Not a voluptuous 2009.
Tiny bit of Brett, which really isn’t acceptable on classed growth Bordeaux in the 21Century.
13.5%, cork
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3/20/2021 - ProfAvi Likes this wine: 92 Points
Part of a mixed case from TWS.
Double decanted and drank over 3 hours with Cote do Boeuf.
Banging.
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1/16/2021 - SussexSB wrote: 91 Points
It had a lovely sweetness to it. Not overly sophisticated yet. Benefitted from an hour of air. Strangely reminded me of Pavillon Rouge du Margaux of same vintage. Think could improve as it integrates further.
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1/15/2021 - boomecho Likes this wine: 92 Points
Vinturi aerated with a 2 hour decant. Cassis, cedar, honey and some heat on the nose. Full bodied. Deep flavours of cassis and blackberry with hints of graphite. Tannins soft, oak well integrated. Long cedar and fruit finish. Delicious.
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12/20/2020 - MonkeyBiz101 wrote: 91 Points
First night very classical, enjoyable. Second night, had faded.
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12/13/2020 - vide Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wonderful soft spice and dark fruit on nose (with some wood; attractive if rather light across the palate. There is some residual tannin there, so perhaps this wine will gain in complexity over the next 3-5 years, but it doesn't have the stuffing to go much beyond that.
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12/8/2020 - David Meddings Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Notes from 3rd day. Medium garnet, rim beginning to turn tawny. Lovely nose showing kirsch notes, a hint of cigar and a sweet creme brulée note. Very smooth, round entry that blossoms slowly to a cherry and cassis dominated mid-palate. Acidity provides some welcome vibrancy to the medium length final.
Very nice well priced Bordeaux. The body is perhaps a touch slight but I find this drinking very well and punching well above its weight. Look forward to the rest of my stash over the next 5-10 years.
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10/8/2020 - boomecho Likes this wine: 90 Points
Vinturi aerated with a 2 hour decant. Cassis and cigar box nose. Full bodied and smooth. Tannins nicely integrated. Fruit layers of dark berries abound. Med long finish of cassis and herbal hints. Went well with grilled filet but also a nice sipper on its own.
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10/6/2020 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for a good 45 minutes and a must in our view.
Well evolved and well in its drinking window albeit with a good 10 yrs in the tank easily. Dark fruited, a bit on the austere side, bright still and with a good evolved secondary feel. Very pretty wine and good value for sure. Definitely benefits and expresses well the 2009 vintage. 91
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7/6/2020 - Neil.L Likes this wine: 90 Points
Few glasses the previous night but much better next evening. Popped over 2005 as heard it was quite forward and wanted to try.
Light garnet, no signs of age. Dark fruit on the nose, cassis, oak, sandalwood.
Plump silky mouth feel, drying tannins but not unpleasant. Again dark fruits, cassis, graphite and vegetal (green pepper?). Nice acidity. Sweet oaky finish.
Will continue to develop but drinking pretty nicely now. I’ll drink slowly over next 5 years. Nice but not spectacular.
Had another Jan 21. Little to add to the above other than tannins a lots less noticeable in this bottle (+4 hour decant) and vegetable/animal flavours more pronounced. Pleasantly savoury. Better showing. Drinking really well, see no reason not to drink the rest over the next 2-3 years
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6/20/2020 - King_Arthur Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needs a bit of time before it opens up. Started with excellent nose, flavours of dark cherries, cassis, oak. Initially muted taste, but with the time better and better. Always just wanted to smell it - really loved it! But as said, initially a bit disappointed, kind of in a closed phase, but it shows the potential!
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4/14/2020 - David Meddings wrote:
Garnet with sediment. Vegetal bouquet with medicinal note. Smell is somewhat offputting - an antiseptic quality. Round, slightly sweet on entry and happily much tastier than the nose. However the vegetal antiseptic note does intrude on the medium length final. Medium bodied, tannins reasonably well integrated.
This is a little rough around the edges. I did not pick up the vegetal/antiseptic note on my first bottle so this may be simply a so-so bottle. I'll reserve scoring this one but would have given something in the high 80's, perhaps mid-80's. Will follow other bottles closely - I bought 18 of these on release as a good value '09 BDX but I am a bit concerned...
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1/26/2020 - gtilley wrote:
Still young. Dense and modern. Loads of mocha, toasty oak, mouth coating cassis. Nicely balanced and integrated but with a long way to go.
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12/9/2019 - sooper65 wrote: 91 Points
Cracking value
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10/14/2019 - MSheridan Likes this wine: 90 Points
up against an 05 Decru B and 07 Langoa Barton at Hawksmoor, this held its place but the fruit was still a little more primary than the other two wines.
give this a couple more years and it'll be singing. Good now but best is yet to come
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9/22/2019 - sooper65 wrote: 92 Points
Lovely plump Pauillac
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9/20/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Medium/full bodied, bright, earthy and loaded with cedar, tobacco leaf, spice and crisp red fruits, the wine is energetic, fresh and crisp. Classic in style, this could improve with another 5 years or so in the cellar.
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9/19/2019 - novocane wrote: 94 Points
Decanted in the bottle 1.5 hours before drinking. Nose of blueberries with a touch of cinnamon. Begins with intense fruit of sweet cherries, transitions to blueberries, with cedar and tabacco on the back. A nice fruit forward Pauillac that is drinking well now.
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8/4/2019 - Fmarret wrote: 89 Points
Well balanced, lack of specificities but very classic. Ready to drink.
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6/30/2019 - David Meddings wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Dark garnet. Cassis and eucalyptus nose. Palate follows nose and adds fine tannins, sandalwood and blueberries. Medium bodied and medium final.
Very well balanced and drinking well already. Some resolution is still to come here and this will eventually move up a notch or two. But already drinking very nicely. Paired very well with bbq filet and beurre café de Paris.
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3/15/2019 - boomecho Likes this wine: 89 Points
Vinturi aerated and decanted for about 70 minutes. Nose of sweet ripe black cherries, mushrooms and vanilla. Smooth & viscous, mouth-coating, with cassis, graphite and some minerality. Nicely balanced, tannins reserved. Medium finish. A nicely drinking Pauillac which I liked almost as much at the 2009 D'Armailhac.
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3/9/2019 - Jabaqus Likes this wine:
Decanter 3 hours. Very smooth. Light fruit, subtle tannins. Strong graphite.
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2/28/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 90 Points
I often find this wine lacking in body and depth but the '09 is a lovely drink with smoky dark fruits along with hints of dark chocolate and a nice complexity on the finish. Ready now.
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12/15/2018 - BBBH wrote: 89 Points
Full bodied, second night tasted over extracted. Wasn’t big fan of this esp as it opened up
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12/11/2018 - gtilley wrote:
Needs a decent decant (a couple of hours at least) but fantastic after that. Well balanced elegant Pauillac - still at the early stage of its drinking window but definitely within it. Everything is well knit but it's not showing much in the way of tertiary characters yet.
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11/26/2018 - jskuek Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still young, decant for one hour. Med+, more powerful compares to other 2 pauillac tested alongside. dark fruits, mineral, firm tannins. much more approachable after about 1.5 hours. finishing is long. try again after 5 years.
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11/14/2018 - Dusan Santa wrote: 92 Points
After 1,5 hour nice balanced, open, cherry notes, sweeter not rough tannins, dark plum with middle finish. Quite impressive nose showing a power. It is ready to drink and might last for another 10 years. Next bottle not earlier then 3 years.
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7/16/2018 - Darkman Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very delicate wine - already approachable but I think will improve with further ageing.
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2/28/2018 - MBKDK wrote: 92 Points
Awesome bottle! This is ready to go, but will probably be in even better in 1-2 years but but not in 10 years I think. Great nose, lots of dark plum and black currant fruit, great acidity and nice pencil,pepper and olive tannin structure and really good Cabernet S. character with some funky meat/game/barnyard elements. Not too hot or powerful like some 09's. Quite feminine really. Wish I had bought a whole case...
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2/2/2018 - SergZr wrote: 93 Points
Drink now,cherry
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1/6/2018 - Purple Tooth wrote: 92 Points
Quite young but drinking really good now as well. Disjointed at first but after 3 hour it bloomed into a feminine fruit flaunting bordeaux that owns its heritage. A very elegant 92. The perfume is intoxicating and has lots to go. I could see this gaining points in the next 3 years. drink or hold
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10/17/2017 - sooper65 wrote: 91 Points
lovely blackcurrant fruit - v youthful, but still vibrant
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8/25/2017 - sooper65 wrote: 87 Points
Rather stewed, dark fruits, but this bottle lacking any vibrancy
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8/2/2017 - epiphany Likes this wine: 90 Points
Best after 3 hours. I like the chocolately character.
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1/4/2017 - sooper65 wrote: 92 Points
tasty
blackcurrant fruit...
difficult to resist, except this is good for another 20 years..
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6/3/2016 - sooper65 wrote: 92 Points
gorgeous mid-weight, classically Pauillac w pencil lead and blackcurrant.
lovely balance, and worthy of 50 quid,
PROPER elegant Pauillac.
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5/20/2016 - sooper65 wrote: 92 Points
Gorgeous plummy rich cabernet style.
totally ready - good concentration, in an Haut Batt style.
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2/20/2014 - Miceri Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very dark red almost black; deep intense dark berries, chocolate, licorice, open and pleasant nose; smooth, nice deep, elegant tannins, a bit dry on the finish and not that complex; lots of fruit and power; the Bordeaux 09s are still open and this one holds good potential for the future; will be interesting to revisit 10 years from now
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2/1/2014 - lumpyelbow wrote:
Lcbo paid tasting. A bit light.
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1/24/2014 - eddie100 wrote: 96 Points
No decanting. A creme wine like a real mature. I think it will not last . drink now now.
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11/14/2013 - skurtz Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine was a surprise for a left bank Bordeaux. Decanted at a Thai restaurant, the nose was typical in terms of its cedar complexity, however it was surprisingly smooth on the palate, without any of the mouth parching tannins that I would have expected given its youth. Definitely drinkable now, a pleasure, more cerebral than fruity I might add, which is a dimension I personally prefer. Without the tannin, I wonder how will this age?
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4/20/2013 - Doni.Bertolami wrote: 92 Points
Decanted through a vinturi and let it sit in the decanter for 4 hours. The Haut-Batailley smells of blakberry, pepper, chocolate, tobacco, leather and soldering bolt. Great structure with aromas of lead pencil, black berries, truffles, tobacco and a gentle animal touch on the palate. This is built to last so I'm glad I have a few more in my cellar.
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4/14/2013 - j30 wrote: 90 Points
From dispenser machine. Classic savory nose of graphite, blackberry, with white pepper and olive. Palate is mid-weight and quite closed, not a lot is showing yet. May not have decanted enough though. Score is for the nose.
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11/30/2012 - Fatty Cat wrote: 92 Points
Late Nov 2012: clear dark red color; for some moments barnyard, then blackberry, red fruits, chocolate and coffee; fruity on the palate, red berries; medium body; round texture; medium tanninic finish.
Very young Pauillac but already quite open and approachable. If you have several bottles available I would give one a try.
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11/12/2012 - wenderoth wrote: 87 Points
2009 Bordeaux Masterclass, Hilton Hotel, Sydney. Tasted blind. Dark purple. Very closed on the nose and palate. Some blackberry, mint and meaty aromas with smoke/tobacco. Powerful sweet cassis and herbal flavours. Soft but powerful tannic structure. Very full bodied. Long finish. Hard to read but probably one for the long haul.
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7/19/2012 - Judgen wrote: 90 Points
Gubernatorial this age and you shall be rewarded
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11/16/2010 - dave747400 wrote: 89 Points
Farr Christmas Tasting 2010: Cherry cedar nose, medium body. Nice balanced fruit & tannin. £285/cs (Sal 89+pts)
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8/26/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 88 Points
2009 Haut Batailey is light ruby. Notes of black berry and cedar notes define the perfume. Medium bodied, with a short, albeit ripe, cassis finish. 87/89 Pts
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