Château Rieussec Sauternes 2010
I couldn’t resist pulling one of my remaining bottles of 2010 Château Rieussec from the cellar. Burnished gold in the glass, it’s exactly as I remember the last bottle I sampled in 2014—a sumptuous mélange of dried apricots, mango, creme brûlée, cloves, acacia honey and a heady whiff of smoke and dried mint. Round, glycerol-laden […]
Château des Fougères Graves Clos Montesquieu 2014
An excellent Bordeaux value that will offer drinking pleasure over the next decade or so—this opaque beauty, the 2014 Château des Fougères Graves Clos Montesquieu, is richly perfumed with blackcurrants, blackberry jelly, cedar, juniper berry, crushed lavender, and dried mint. Grippy tannins gather at the fore-palate like storm clouds on the horizon, then dissipate, neatly […]
Château Pavie Arômes de Pavie Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2009
Arômes de Pavie is the second label of Château Pavie, and is a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2009—a warm, ripe vintage is drinking beautifully now. Tight on opening, but after three hours aromas of earth and dust, and freshly turned soil emerge and subside, followed by Damson […]
Château de Monbazan Grand Vin de Graves 2015
From Garagiste, a classic blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec—in this case from a biodynamic producer (something of a rarity in Bordeaux), the 2015 Château de Monbazan Graves Rouge is plush on the nose and palate. The first impression is one of cherry pie, followed by vanilla, baking spices, and the merest […]
Château Suduiraut Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes 2010
A decadent elixir, Castelnau de Suduiraut is the second label of Château Suduiraut—in an excellent vintage like 2010, it offers fabulous QPR—and is exactly the sort of wine I’m inclined to haul out of my cellar during the holidays. Lavishly layered aromas of dried apricot, quince, dried orange peel, sultana, and crème brûlée rise from […]
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
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 Angélus Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé 1995
Lovely and accessible, the 1995 Angélus shows off its pedigree and high percentage of Cabernet Franc with only minimal decanting. A slightly woodsy bouquet of black currants, plums, cedar, forest underbrush, spiced orange pomander, dried lavender, and incense. On the palate, poised supple tannins and a fine acid backbone underpin steeped blackberry, crème de cassis, […]
Château Marjosse Bordeaux Blanc 2014
Slightly smoky, flinty notes precede underripe pineapple, canned pear, gooseberry and grass. The 2014 Château Marjosse Bordeaux Blanc is inexpensive, moderate in weight, expressive in temperament—fleshy tropical and orchard fruit give way to leaner tones of white grapefruit. The oak component serves as more or less a backdrop, and the finish tapers off without fanfare. […]
Château Auney l’Hermitage Graves Blanc 2015
Château Auney’s Graves Blanc 2015 is an elegant composition of 65% Semillon, 20% Muscadelle, and 15% Sauvignon Blanc harvested from small, organically farmed two-hectare parcel planted in gravel, clay and limestone soil. Barrel aging has graced it with softer tones of lemon curd, golden apple, and pear layered with a pinch of forest honey and […]