Bold bouquet of blackcurrant, blackberry, pepper garden, mint, hints of juniper, drying tobacco, and mineral ores. Wholly expressive of Saint-Julien. The oak, consistently a touch heavy from this producer, appears to be integrating.
Stylistically reflective of this rugged, understated vintage. Tangy attack, akin to blackcurrant juice. The middle just brings it...in every good way! Wow! Striking tension between expansive rusticity and compact restraint. The middle reveals considerable gritty tannins and the back features them. The finish grips and holds a long while.
A serious wine, with no less than a decade of evolution ahead. The tannin initiated might find checking in on a bottle informative now. All others, recommend waiting at least five years. Likely best round or about 2040, perhaps through 2044. Improvement seems possible...if not likely. 94-95.
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Fun to do a side by side with the ‘88, and also check in against the Montelena. Profile wise, this leans ripe and modern stylistically. There is a kiss of brett that takes you to Bordeaux but it’s mostly red and black fruit driven with a vanilla pipe tobacco sweetness, leather, cassis and a little bit of a floral note, especially aromatically. Big structure for the vintage, but open for business now if you can give it a few hours in the decanter.
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Bordeaux 2014, 10-years on tasted blind: Hmm, the nose had a lot of prune here, some farmyard funk, rhum pot. Despite the ripeness the palate was a little thin with a bitter finish. Not my cup of tea but the group liked it better. Rank 4/15
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Bordeaux 2014 - 10 Years On - 15 Reds: Fifteen red wines (14 left bank/1 right bank). All tasted blind. The 2014 vintage turned out to be good, but not exceptional. This vintage is characterized by a cool, classic style with an impressive expression of fresh fruit. The wines were rich in blue fruit, supported by a fine mineral backbone, without succumbing to overripeness or overbearing fruitiness. Contrary to expectations, the wines were not overly austere and showed good (excellent at the top) tannin structure, contributing to a classic Bordeaux experience. However, it's important to note that while these wines have commendable qualities, they lack the complexity and, to a lesser extent, the finesse and elegance characteristic of the most celebrated vintages. Many of the wines seemed a bit simplistic. I think they are likely to peak in the early rather than mature into 30, 40, 50-year wines as I don’t think there is enough fruit. My top three were a layered, blue-fruited Ducru Beaucaillou, a strawberry-laden, purity-driven Montrose (both rated 94pts), and an elegant Pichon Lalande (93pts), foreshadowing the great things this estate has produced in vintages since. The group winner was also the Ducru. .
TN: The wine had some fans around the table due to some brett notes combined with the typical structuredness of the winery. I was not the biggest fan as the balance was off for me with not enough fruit and a touch too much austerity and ruggedness. I'm a big fan of Barton in warmer vintages, where the strict adherence to the classic, old-school style results in fresh, never too ripe or over-the-top wines. In colder years, however, this can lead to wines that are a bit austere and lacking in fruit.
Decanting: Quickly double decanted. Would have needed two hours in the decanter.
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5/9/2024 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Bold bouquet of blackcurrant, blackberry, pepper garden, mint, hints of juniper, drying tobacco, and mineral ores. Wholly expressive of Saint-Julien. The oak, consistently a touch heavy from this producer, appears to be integrating.
Stylistically reflective of this rugged, understated vintage. Tangy attack, akin to blackcurrant juice. The middle just brings it...in every good way! Wow! Striking tension between expansive rusticity and compact restraint. The middle reveals considerable gritty tannins and the back features them. The finish grips and holds a long while.
A serious wine, with no less than a decade of evolution ahead. The tannin initiated might find checking in on a bottle informative now. All others, recommend waiting at least five years. Likely best round or about 2040, perhaps through 2044. Improvement seems possible...if not likely. 94-95.
8 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (5)
4/13/2024 - Shay.Aldriedge Likes this wine: 92 Points
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Fun to do a side by side with the ‘88, and also check in against the Montelena. Profile wise, this leans ripe and modern stylistically. There is a kiss of brett that takes you to Bordeaux but it’s mostly red and black fruit driven with a vanilla pipe tobacco sweetness, leather, cassis and a little bit of a floral note, especially aromatically. Big structure for the vintage, but open for business now if you can give it a few hours in the decanter.
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4/11/2024 - Arcturus wrote: 92 Points
92. Rustic. Subtle notes of graphite and cassis on the nose. Palate is balanced with sweet core of fruit and a layered finish.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
2/23/2024 - Collector1855 wrote: 88 Points
Bordeaux 2014, 10-years on tasted blind: Hmm, the nose had a lot of prune here, some farmyard funk, rhum pot. Despite the ripeness the palate was a little thin with a bitter finish. Not my cup of tea but the group liked it better. Rank 4/15
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2/22/2024 - Cailles wrote: 87 Points
Bordeaux 2014 - 10 Years On - 15 Reds: Fifteen red wines (14 left bank/1 right bank). All tasted blind. The 2014 vintage turned out to be good, but not exceptional. This vintage is characterized by a cool, classic style with an impressive expression of fresh fruit. The wines were rich in blue fruit, supported by a fine mineral backbone, without succumbing to overripeness or overbearing fruitiness. Contrary to expectations, the wines were not overly austere and showed good (excellent at the top) tannin structure, contributing to a classic Bordeaux experience. However, it's important to note that while these wines have commendable qualities, they lack the complexity and, to a lesser extent, the finesse and elegance characteristic of the most celebrated vintages. Many of the wines seemed a bit simplistic. I think they are likely to peak in the early rather than mature into 30, 40, 50-year wines as I don’t think there is enough fruit. My top three were a layered, blue-fruited Ducru Beaucaillou, a strawberry-laden, purity-driven Montrose (both rated 94pts), and an elegant Pichon Lalande (93pts), foreshadowing the great things this estate has produced in vintages since. The group winner was also the Ducru.
.
TN: The wine had some fans around the table due to some brett notes combined with the typical structuredness of the winery. I was not the biggest fan as the balance was off for me with not enough fruit and a touch too much austerity and ruggedness. I'm a big fan of Barton in warmer vintages, where the strict adherence to the classic, old-school style results in fresh, never too ripe or over-the-top wines. In colder years, however, this can lead to wines that are a bit austere and lacking in fruit.
Decanting: Quickly double decanted. Would have needed two hours in the decanter.
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