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Château Poitevin Médoc 2015

Château Poitevin Médoc 2015

From Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot vines planted near the Gironde estuary, seated in purely alluvial soils—Girondine gravel and clay subsoil—the 2015 Château Poitevin drinks better on the second day, and offers up a puissant bouquet of black currant, Damson plum, earth, aged saddle leather, dark chocolate syrup, and sweet tobacco. Aged 14 months […]

Château de la Coste Margaux 2013

Château de la Coste Margaux

A poised and polished blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, Château de la Coste is the second wine of Château Paveil de Luze—here the Merlot shines through with abundant aromas of black cherries, plums, red currants, sweet tobacco, and dried herbs followed by classic Margaux florality—dried violets, a crowning top note. 2013 was a wet topsy-turvey vintage, […]

Château Mauvesin Barton Moulis-en-Médoc 2012

Château Mauvesin Barton Moulis-en-Médoc 2012

2012 vintage was a bit of a mixed bag for Bordeaux—a year beset by poor fruit set and a notably hot summer. The 2012 Château Mauvesin Barton Moulis-en-Médoc offers up classic aromas of plum, cassis, a touch of leather and a bit of underbrush. In the mouth, the tannins are firm, but velvety, with acidity […]

Château Cantemerle Les Allées de Cantemerle 2010

Château Cantemerle Les Allées de Cantemerle 2010

Another wine tasted in Transylvania at the ROVINHUD wine show in Timișoara. Les Allées de Cantemerle is the second wine of Château Cantemerle, as such it’s a good value. The 2010 is endowed with a classic profile of cassis, black cherries, blueberries, cedar, and an alluring top note of freshly turned soil. It’s still youthful, […]

Château Lafite Rothschild 1999

Château Lafite Rothschild 1999

The 1999 Lafite Rothschild, is a ruby-hued beauty with a translucent rim—this bottle was incredibly fresh and vibrant on opening. Initially, seemingly more red fruit-driven, the nose evolved into a darker expression with time in the glass. Nuanced aromas of loamy earth, rose petal, black currant, and pencil shavings led into a wine that, while […]

Château Le Crock Saint-Estèphe 2011

Château Le Crock Saint-Estèphe 2011

A nicely-styled Saint-Estephe—from the Cuvelier family, owners of Leoville Poyferre—in a modest vintage year. The 2011 Château Le Crock opens with lush, inviting aromas of black currant, smoky black cherries, pen ink, leather, and earth. There are no hard edges on the palate, black fruit luxuriates against a framework of well-structured tannins, moderate acidity, and […]

Clos du Jaugueyron Haut-Médoc 2012

Clos du Jaugueyron Haut-Médoc 2012

The first impression is of minerality with black currents, blackberries, forest floor and sweet spice firmly seated beneath a fine layer of chalkboard dust. The 2012 Clos du Jaugueyron Haut-Medoc is slightly reserved, trussed in polished, slightly chalky tannins that give way to sweet black fruit at the core. There is perhaps a touch of […]

Château de Camensac Haut-Médoc Grand Cru Classé 2011

Château de Camensac Haut-Médoc Grand Cru Classé 2011

The acidity in this wine is searing, a pity given that Carmensac is a Grand Cru Classé. I can only guess that it’s one of the 2011 vintage that didn’t fare well. Aromas of blackberries, black currants and black cherries are bolstered by vanilla and cedar. It’s quite thin and tight on the palate, lacking […]

Château Léoville Las Cases 1989

Château Léoville Las Cases 1989

The 1989 Léoville Las Cases possesses a deep inner perfume of red currant, rose petals, balsam, graphite and sandalwood. Elegant and weightless, with fine tannins that spread evenly across the palate, like damask silk. There is a wonderful, regal and almost undefinable quality to this second growth. It exhibits both fantastic purity and balance, and […]

Château Calon-Ségur Saint-Estèphe Grand Cru Classé 2000

Château Calon-Ségur Saint-Estèphe Grand Cru Classé 2000

A Classic Saint-Estèphe, the Calon-Ségur 2000 offers up sumptuous aromas of steeped blackberries, forest floor, wet wood, game, char, asphalt, saddle leather, violets, and brown sugar. The influence of the estate vineyard’s deep gravelly soils is evident in the nose and in a delicate vein of minerality, that sits like filagree atop velvety, caressing tannins. […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com