Classic Bordeaux, great nose of dark berries and earth/forrest floor. Well integrated wood. Perfect maturity, medium body, right after opening a bit restained fruit on the palate, so acidity dominates first. Much better after 2hr of aeration and the day after. Then perfect harmony, classic bordeaux lovers are looking for. Drink now or over the next 3-5 years. 91pt.
A fresh and complex nose, with predominant notes of red and dark fruit, is bold and powerful in the mouth. Typical of a great Saint-Estèphe, the wine is remarkably elegant and rich in tannins, but with a fine suppleness that makes it immediately accessible. The bouquet offers aromas of fruit and spices, with a stylish finish.
Bordeaux Blend . Talbot is a wine that needs 5-8 years to reveal its class and character. The Chateau makes consistently fine, robust, yet fruity, full bodied wines that would be moved upward should any reclassification of the Medoc could be done. Deep elegant layered nose. Deep purple colour; hint of garnet. Thick legs. On the palate layers of sweet fruit, slightly smokey, rounded and succulent. Soft tannins. Moderate length. Should last 10 years more. Very elegant.
Rhone Valley. Syrah grape. Dark purple. Hugely aromatic, utterly seductive bouquet of kirsch, blackcurrant, olive, grilled meat and fresh flowers. Bitter cherry and violet pastille flavors pack a major punch, with slow-building tannins adding structure. Became slowly brighter with air, picking up spiced plum and cocoa flavors and finishing with supple tannins and an endless progression of dark berry qualities.
With its remarkable complexity of aromas - dark berries, leather, liquorice, roasted coffee, oriental spices, etc. - the La Landonne wine offers exceptional structure without neglecting the wonderful suppleness of its tannins. Its richness and concentration are matched only by its exceptionally long ageing potential for a Rhône wine: up to 35 years in the best years.
Bordeaux Blend. Paullac . There are only 10,000 cases of this extraordinarily rich, dense 2002 that is as powerful as the 2003 (even the alcohol levels are nearly the same, 12.85%) . It is dark ruby/purple to the rim, with notes of English walnuts, crushed rocks, black currants, and forest floor, dense, full-bodied, and opulent, yet classic with spectacular aromatics, marvelous purity, and a full-bodied finish that lasts just over 50+ seconds. Huge richness and the sweetness of the tannin are somewhat deceptive as this wine seems set for a long life. Administrator Frederic Engerer seems to be more pleased with what Latour achieved in 2002 than in any other recent vintage. Hats off to him for an extraordinary accomplishment in a vintage that wouldn’t have been expected to produce the raw materials to achieve something at this level of quality. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2045."
Bordeaux Blend . Really enjoyable, old school PC. Loads of tobacco smoke, leather, crushed gravel, and even some whiffs of menthol and mint on the very expressive nose. Smoky, black-fruited, and slightly tannic on the more clenched up palate, but with a few more years, this will really be shining. Pop it now for the nose alone, or let this sleep a bit longer to truly unfurl.
Bordeaux , Saint Emilion. An enormously appealing, sexy wine, the 2000 exhibits an opaque ruby/purple color along with serious levels of concentrated cranberry, black cherry, and black currant fruit mixed with smoked herbs, licorice, and minerals. Once past the gorgeous perfume, this medium to full-bodied, ripe wine is textured, expansive, and a total hedonistic as well as intellectual turn-on! Anticipated maturity: Now-2025.
Bordeaux. 2009: A candidate for one of the finest Angelus produced to date (and there have been many, including 1989, 1990, 2000 and 2005), this blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc was fashioned from tiny yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare. It boasts a black/purple color along with a gorgeous perfume of blueberry liqueur, spring flowers and graphite. In the mouth, notes of incense and cassis also emerge from this velvety-textured, full-bodied, intensely concentrated 2009. With silky tannins, low acidity and spectacular purity, texture and depth, it is already approachable (although I'm sure proprietor Hubert de Bouard would think drinking it now is akin to infanticide), but should keep for 20-30+ years
Bonnezeaux wines rank amongst the most respected sweet wines of the Loire – and even all of France. They are made exclusively from Chenin Blanc (known here as Pineau de la Loire) and harvested in tries successives. In the bouquet a lot of apricots, honey and botrytis. On the palate orange, caramel, coffee, nougat, a lot of concentrated sweetness, but also beautiful fresh acidity. Beautiful and harmonious wine. Ready now and the next few years.
