2014 Red Blend

The Château Angelus 2014, a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot was picked between 2 and 22 October over a 3-week period. It has a surprisingly bashful nose at first, not one that comes racing out of the blocks to greet... Read More

The Château Angelus 2014, a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot was picked between 2 and 22 October over a 3-week period. It has a surprisingly bashful nose at first, not one that comes racing out of the blocks to greet... Read More

The 214 Ausone has a very perfumed, floral bouquet with dark cherries and blueberry with a touch of orange blossom that develops with aeration. The palate is imbued with a sense of freshness and joie-de-vivre - a less "serious"... Read More

The 2014 Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) was an intriguing and quite mercurial Saint Emilion when I tasted it from barrel. Now in bottle, it has developed a quite compelling bouquet, very pure with black cherries, iodine, potpourri... Read More

The Château Brane-Cantenac 2014 is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, representing 38% of the total crop. It was picked between 22 September commencing with the Merlot up until 9 October finishing... Read More

The Château Canon 2014 is a blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, the estate moving towards the latter in terms of its new plantings, which will possibly see 40% in 15 or 20 years time. It was picked from 22 September until... Read More

The 2014 Carignan offers ripe black cherries and raspberry on the nose, just a smear of vanilla-laced oak lending a touch of exoticism. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, nicely structured with a keen line of acidity.... Read More

The 2014 Carignan Prima felt a little smudged and overdone compared to the regular cuvée, more red fruit here with mulberry, loganberry and red plum, yet it is missing the class that I expected. The palate is medium-bodied with... Read More

The 2014 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 45% Cabernet Franc and 55% Merlot, picked from 19 September until 8 October. It has a very succinct, almost understated bouquet, here a mixture of red and black fruit, cold limestone and crushed... Read More

The Château Cos d'Estournel 2014 is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc picked between 25 September and 10 October at 33.7 hectoliters per hectare. The pH came in at 3.77 and an IPT of 87, quite... Read More

The Croix Canon 2014, a blend of 91% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, comes from a separate vineyard that belonged to Château Madras plus the young vines from Canon itself. It has a fragrant raspberry bouquet with a touch of limestone... Read More

The Château d'Issan 2014 is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot picked between 25 September and 15 October and matured in 50% new oak. It has a very precise, quite minerally bouquet that has that tradamark violet... Read More

The Domaine de Chevalier 2014 is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 30% Merlot. It has a fragrant bouquet with blackberry, black plum, cigar ash and woodland scents, complex though not as intense as its white... Read More

The 2014 Ducru Beaucaillou showed extremely well when I tasted it with Bruno Borie during en primeur. Now in bottle, it delivers on that promise with beautifully defined blackberry and raspberry fruit infused with cedar and pencil... Read More

Tasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the barrel sample of 2014 tasted two months after primeur showed subtle differences. The bouquet has edged towards more red fruit in the interim, here a little more raspberry and wild strawberry... Read More

The Château Gloria 2014 has a focused, straight-laced bouquet with strict redcurrant and wild strawberry fruit, tightly wound at first but opening with aeration, tobacco and even flint emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied... Read More

The Château Grand Puy Lacoste 2014 is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot between 25 September and 9 October at 33 hectoliter per hectare. The aromatics are not as immediate as the Haut-Batailley and demand more coaxing... Read More

The Château Haut-Brion 2014 is a blend of 50% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 39% Cabernet Sauvignon picked between 11 September and 10 October cropped at 42.9 hectoliters per hectare raised in 70% new oak (Jean-Philippe Delmas... Read More

The Château l'Eglise-Clinet 2014 is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc picked from 26 September to 4 October and 17 to 21 October respectively and matured in 70% new oak. I tasted the wine from two barrels à la Burgundy... Read More

The Château L'Evangile 2014 is a blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc, the latter from re-planted vines that have come into the grand vin. It has a very refined bouquet, the Cabernet Franc lending a slight savory character.... Read More

The 2014 La Mission Haut Brion is a blend of 54% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked between 15 September and 8 October and raised in 55% new oak. It has retained that engagingly fresh and vibrant bouquet,... Read More

The 2014 La Mission Haut Brion is a blend of 54% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked between 15 September and 8 October and raised in 55% new oak. It has retained that engagingly fresh and vibrant bouquet,... Read More

The 2014 Lafite-Rothschild, tasted with head winemaker Eric Kohler, has retained that very opulent and outgoing bouquet that dare I say actually reminded me of Mouton-Rothschild. There are layers of blackberry and boysenberry... Read More

The Château Lascombes 2014 was showing just a bit of reduction on the nose when I tasted it, though normal for this estate, there is clearly abundant opulent fruit on the nose-cassis and blueberry to the fore. The palate is medium-bodied... Read More