Probably the wine of the vintage, once again. Only 9,000 bottles of the 2013 Ausone were produced, as crop size was 50% of normal. However, proprietor Alain Vauthier and his daughter certainly have proven a truly great wine can... Read More
A Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wine that reflects the vintage, the 2013 Chateau Margaux is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. For the first time, there is no Merlot in the blend. Moreover,... Read More
Made from an unusual blend for this great estate, the 2013 Domaine de Chevalier is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot (no Petit Verdot), and the total production was less than half of normal. The wine achieved 13%... Read More
A 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc blend from the Plateau of Pomerol near the church, the wine has an inky/purple color, a sweet kiss of mulberry and black cherry liqueurs, interwoven with licorice, truffle, a hint of melted... Read More
The 2013 l'Evangile shows a slightly deeper color as well as more noticeable ripe raspberry and black cherry fruit intermixed with notions of licorice and incense. Again, there is no hint of herbaceousness or tannic astringency... Read More
The 2013 Lafleur was one of my favorite wines from barrel because, as Baptiste Guinaudeau remarked when I visited the property, he did not try to make a Pomerol beyond what it could be. The nose might not possess the complexity... Read More
The 2013, which I tasted three different times, showed consistently well on all occasions exhibiting a dense, ruby/plum purple color. It has a sweet kiss of black olive tapenade, licorice, blackcurrants, graphite and incense.... Read More
Good deep red-ruby. Wild aromas of roasted red fruits, violet and minerals, plus a whiff of nutty oak. Broad and supple but juicy too, with red fruit, ink, earth and leather flavors saturating the palate. Firm acidity really lifts... Read More
Fruity, light-bodied, pleasant, lush and charming, Lynch Bages' winemaking team was hesitant to push for any kind of extraction or density because of the pressures from rot. However, they have avoided any harshness in the... Read More
Even proprietor Alain Vauthier's perfectionist/obsessive viticultural and winemaking work couldn't pull out a gem from this small estate in the St. Emilion. He did it with Ausone, but not here. Hard acids, a rather one-dimensional,... Read More
The use of new oak was also cut back in order to emphasize the fruit aspects of the wine. Consequently, the 2013 Palmer is an easygoing, fruit-forward, fresh, pure wine with no vegetal characteristics or astringent tannins. This... Read More
The use of new oak was also cut back in order to emphasize the fruit aspects of the wine. Consequently, the 2013 Palmer is an easygoing, fruit-forward, fresh, pure wine with no vegetal characteristics or astringent tannins. This... Read More
The 2013 La Petite Eglise, which Denis Durantou poured from magnum since this is how the entire production was bottled, has a precise and fragrant bouquet with crushed stone scents filtering through the red berry fruit. The palate... Read More
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this biodynamically farmed vineyard (a rarity, but increasing in the Bordeaux viticulture), had tiny yields of 15 hectoliters per hectare.... Read More
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this biodynamically farmed vineyard (a rarity, but increasing in the Bordeaux viticulture), had tiny yields of 15 hectoliters per hectare.... Read More
Bright ruby-red. Pungent, high-toned aromas of red berries, graphite and licorice, with a suggestion of menthol. Then cool and bright in the mouth, with herbal elements complementing the delicately flinty red berry flavors. Finishes... Read More
The 2013 Vieux Château Certan has plentiful fruit on the nose considering the vintage: raspberry coulis, crushed strawberry and a touch of blackcurrant pastilles. The palate is medium-bodied and while it might not rank with the... Read More