2000 Château Tour Maillet

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 91.8 points

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  7/14/2015 - RajivAyyangar Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Blinds with AA and other SF folks (SF—Inner Sunset): Summary:
  This is a-typical for right-bank, but it’s in a grand place and drinking so well right now. I think it could go on for 5-10 years while still retaining fruit (and longer if you like Bdx more tertiary).
  
  Score: Around 9.
  -----------------------
  
  Visual:
  Medium plus concentration, dark red with some garnet, clear, just bright. No Gas or sediment, moderate tears.
  
  Nose:
  Moderate plus intensity, slight oxidation (signs of age).
  Ripe sweet stewed bellpepper (pyrazines) with elegantly subdued ripe glossy-black sweet tobacco savoriness and some ripe red fruit. No overt signs of oak on the nose. Very slight hint of animal spice (brettanomyces).
  The nose is well-developed and complex.
  
  Palate:
  Dry, medium body, med+ alcohol: 13.5% [correct, 13.5%]
  Sweet cedar character (integrated oak and fruit), sweet stewed bell pepper (pyrazines), and subdued tones of ripe red fruit. Signs of well-integrated but new oak. (by this point I’m leaning heavily towards Bordeaux).
  Acidity is medium to slightly elevated. This is balanced in an elegant classic way.
  Tannins are elevated, with a nice satiny texture, showing some signs of softening from age (this must have been something of a tannic beast in its youth!).
  [I forgot to note the finish]
  This is complex, and has delicious savory secondary aromas and tertiary tones from maturation.
  
  Initial Conclusions:
  This is an old world wine from a moderate climate.
  Possible styles:
  Cabernet, Cab-Merlot blend, Merlot-Cab-Franc blend.
  Possible Regions: France (the greenness with balance, and moderate body, and moderate fruit ripeness just shout out Old World).
  Age Range: 10-15 years.
  
  Laterals:
  
  CA Cabernet: Alcohol and ripeness is moderate— I’d expect slightly more intense fruit or body from California. Such prominent pyrazine character and slight Brett aren’t unheard of, but aren’t typical of California.
  
  Cab-Merlot blend from Tuscany: I feel like the ripeness would be higher, and the pyrazine character more subtle.
  
  Chilean/other New World Cab: New Oak isn’t that common outside of California and Bordeaux.
  
  Loire Cab Franc: With this kind of age, it would be unlikely to still be this rich and ripe. I’m thinking about the ’96 Taluau - the nose just isn’t as ripe, sweet, and the palate isn’t nearly as rich, high in alcohol, and polished. Acidity would probably be higher as well in Chinon/Bourgueil.
  
  Bordeaux, Left Bank (Cab-dominant blend), due to the prominent pyrazine character, and a cooler/more difficult vintage like 2002, 2004, 2006 (around 10-15 years old).
  
  Final Conclusion:
  I’m going 2004, Bordeaux > St-Estephe (no strong reason, just the solidity of the tannins and the pure quality of the red fruit). Good quality producer (4th/5th growth or similar level).
  
  Actual:
  2000 Chateau Tour Maillet Pomerol (Right Bank Bdx), ~$45 (awesome price for 2000!).
  100% Merlot
  
  Discussion:
  This is bizarre - simultaneously way too green to be a good example of merlot, but also has ripe fruit. Upon re-tasting, some plum and dark-fruit character is emerging, but I still think the correct call is cabernet based, since the wine is so pyrazine-driven. Maybe some parcels were ripe and some were green, and overall it ended up phenomenally balanced and age-worthy.

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  7/14/2015 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points

  Dinner @ home; 6/4/2015-7/14/2015: Deep ruby color with little bricking; nose has good intensity with dusty cedar spice, some blackberry, blackcurrant, slight capsicum/green bell pepper; palate is medium bodied, has moderate tannins, good structure, moderate acid, black fruit, medium alcohol slightly more than balanced in this wine, black fruit fades through midpalate; finish is medium length and fades a bit by the end. Seems like Bordeaux, cabernet based, possibly left bank, possibly mid-range, 5-10 years of age. 90-92. After reveal, what threw me off is that this didn't have the plushness on the palate of Pomerol, and I still can't get much red fruit characteristic of Merlot. Still seems very Cabernet-heavy, maybe a little cab franc. It appears this chateau is 100% Merlot.
  Day 2: Maybe even more green pyrazines on the nose, great complexity; palate has held up well. Just as good as yesterday.

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  9/22/2014 - wine&roses Likes this wine: 89 Points

  Six lovely bottles. But it's now on the way down.

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  6/15/2014 - bons vinhos wrote: 94 Points

  This was very good indeed!Would definitely buy again,and this will easily last another five years.

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