In the new classification of St.-Emilion, justice was certainly served with the elevation of Angelus to premier grand cru classe status. No Bordeaux estate has been making as concentrated and consistently high quality wines as... Read More
A dazzling effort, the 1998 boasts an opaque purple color in addition to an exceptional bouquet of smoke, licorice, plums, black raspberries, and blackberries. As the wine sits in the glass, coffee and chocolate also emerge. Full-bodied,... Read More
A spare, faintly dank and decidedly sour - though, for all that, not uninteresting - non-dose blend tasted alongside could scarcely have contrasted more vividly with Lenoble's NV Brut Intense Disg. 2/2013, which is as immediately... Read More
The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard is a surprisingly soft, round, delicious wine that, while quite backward and tannic last year, now seems to be up-front, forward, and easy to drink. Much lighter than I remember, with... Read More
Since last year's report I have had the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard on three separate occasions, including recently at the winery. It has definitely improved over last year's report, but it has not lived up... Read More
Billecart-Salmon is one of my favorite Champagne houses, and their non-vintage Rose (Lot #L85547401905M) is a consistent winner. A delicate pink color is accompanied by gorgeous sweet cherry, strawberry, and mineral-like scents,... Read More
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Brane-Cantenac starts off a tad restrained and reluctant to show, opening out to notes of baked blackberries, plum preserves and crème de cassis with hints of cigar box and tar. Medium... Read More
Beautiful aromas of chocolate, berries, cherries and earth. Very complex and classy. Medium- to full-bodied, with very refined tannins and a long, fresh finish. A delicious, balanced red. Canon is clearly back on top and making... Read More
An elegant, attractive blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc cropped at 35 hectoliters per hectare, this wine tips the scales at 15% natural alcohol which, given the more elegant style sought at Canon, tells readers a lot... Read More
This is a triumphant 2000, flamboyant, super-concentrated, yet classic in proportions. Lavish notes of roasted espresso, melted chocolate, creme de cassis, toasty new oak, and Asian spices jump from the glass of this sensationally... Read More
A pretty, attractive Cheval Blanc, the 1995 contains a higher percentage of Merlot in the final blend than usual (50% Merlot/50% Cabernet Franc). This wine has not developed as much fat or weight as its younger sibling, the 1996,... Read More
The 1988 reveals layer upon layer of honeyed pineapple-and orange-scented and -flavored fruit, vibrant acidity, high levels of botrytis, and a fabulously long, yet well-focused finish. It is a great wine. Anticipated maturity:... Read More
For whatever reason, the 1989 is merely outstanding rather than dazzling. Although it lacks the complexity of the 1988, it is a plump, muscular, rich, intense, full-bodied, and sweeter-than-usual Climens. For a 1989, it possesses... Read More
Ex-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. The Climens '03 has always been a capricious Barsac: brilliant out of barrel but found wanting under vertical conditions. Here, amidst a blind horizontal, it fell somewhere between... Read More
Tasted single blind against its peers. Chateau Climens always tends to go into its shell after bottling, which is probably why I was not dishing out an even higher score to this still, spellbinding Barsac. The 2007 is endowed... Read More
This is very solid, with currants, minerals and berries on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Lots of licorice and cassis. Tight. Always excellent in top vintages. Score range: 92-94... Read More
I tasted two bottles of the Coutet 2001. The first had a distinct, rather pungent aniseed element on the nose and a slight bitterness on the palate. Calling for a second example, this is much more representative. Here is a typical... Read More
Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The 2011 Château Coutet has a distinctive but attractive bouquet: clear honey, rosewater, peach and just a touch of barley sugar that pins it down to Barsac. The palate is... Read More
Space limitations preclude including tasting notes. 2003 is a rich, sweet vintage of powerful, full-bodied wines that possess huge levels of glycerin, alcohol, and residual sugar. RP
One of Bordeaux's most schizophrenic properties, as disappointing as Figeac's 1989 has turned out, the 1990 is fabulous. This property has not made a wine as rich as the 1990 since 1982. In contrast to the 1989, the 1990... Read More
Figeac has become a more consistent wine over the last few years. A profound effort, the surprisingly full-bodied 2000 Figeac has an opaque purple color accompanied by a terrific bouquet of camphor, graphite, black currants, licorice,... Read More
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Giscours slips seductively out of the glass with notions of baked black cherries, mulberries and plum preserves plus hints of cassis, pencil lead and dried Provence herbs. Medium to full-bodied,... Read More
Probably the finest Haut-Bages Liberal since the 1982, this beautifully rich wine has an inky purple color, a big, sweet kiss of creme de cassis, incense, some background spicy oak and forest floor. Its gorgeous fruit, full-bodied... Read More
The sexy, dark ruby/purple-tinged 2006 l'Evangile achieved 14% natural alcohol, as high as any of the great vintages at this estate. Abundant amounts of dark raspberry and black cherry fruit intertwined with sweet plums and... Read More
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Labégorce has quite an oaky nose to begin, giving way to scents of warm plums, pencil shavings and blackcurrant pastilles plus a waft of black olives. Medium to full-bodied, the palate... Read More