2011 Château Léoville Poyferré, France, Bordeaux, Saint-Julien, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2011
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$98.00USD

From a difficult vintage, this was outstanding.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, black olives, spice and slight graphite.  Medium to full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis, black cherries with some underlying earthiness.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  This is complex but needs some air to unwind.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, but this will be better with food (but let it breather for a while prior to serving).  This would be great with lamb, of course, but a smoky, black bean burger would be very nice

2000 Château Branon, France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Leognan, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2000
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$149.00USD

This is from one of the early Garagiste (Garage wines) wineries.  Inky purple, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is earthy with cassis and a touch of brown sugar.  Plush texture.  Medium to firm tannins.  Long finish. Drinking well and close to maturity.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  This would work nicely with beef stroganoff.  

2000 Château Siran, France, Bordeaux, Margaux, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2000
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$95.00USD

Purple in color with some ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, tobacco, cherries and dust.  Medium to full bodied.  Great lush texture.  On the palate this is bigger than on the nose.  Cassis with some char.  Firm tannins.  Medium depth.  Good finish.  i found this to be slow maturing like many 2000's but it is certainly accessible and drinking  well at this point.  it should go at least another ten years.  This would work nicely with Lamb chops.  

2008 Château Pontet-Canet, France, Bordeaux, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$120.00USD

Great showing for this wine.  Still, not close to maturity, but certainly no harm drinking now.  Purple in color with very slight dark brown hues, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, blueberries, cigar, graphite, and a slight herbal/minty note.  Medium tannins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, cassis with underlying char and minerality.  Good acidity.  Complex.  Long finish.  This is delicious and kept improving all night long.  It will improve but was fantastic now.  Great on its own, this needs big/fatty food now such as Prime Rib.  Drink over the next twenty years.  

1974 Château Mouton Rothschild, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Revieew

Vintage: 
1974
Score: 
87
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$488.00USD

Not a particularly good vintage, but when someone opens a bottle of Mouton, it gets one's attention.  Purple/brown in color, mostly opaque and slightly flat.  There is some fruit on on the nose, cherries along with dried cherries and caramel/brown sugar notes.  Thin.  Moderate acidity.  Some cherries on the palate.  At age 50, it really was better than expected.  More of a cool factor than a wine I would want to drink but not bad.  Maybe with some cheeses at the end of a meal would be cool.  Drink up.  

2005 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière, France, Bordeaux, Saint-Emilion Wine Review

Vintage: 
2005
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$136.00USD

This is a big, plush wine for Bordeaux standards.  It seemed a bit polarizing between those who enjoy those types of wines and those who want a more "traditional" Bordeaux.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has blueberries, cassis, cedar and tobacco.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, a plush, rich texture.  Plenty of depth.  Still quite youthful.  Long finish.  It is slightly over the top but I think with a bit more cellaring it will come together.  Another five years in the cellar will help.  Drink over the next twenty.  A nice choice with BBQ Ribs.  

2004 Château Guiraud, France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2004
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

Golden in color, some orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose is lovely with apricot, peach, slight honey  and a slight bitter note.  Viscous.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, slightly sweet, not cloying.  Honey and apricot.  Long finish.  A good year if not great.  Nice value.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  It works well with a shortbread (not too sweet) cookie.  

2019 Château Lafitte, France, Cotes de Bordeaux, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$35.00USD

No, not that Lafite.  It's Lafitte with two "t"s.  It is hard to find any information about this estate, but the wine was good.  Purple in color if a bit flat.  Mostly opaque.  The nose has cassis and spices.  Medium bodied.  Bright acidity.  Nice texture.  On the palate, nice cassis fruit turning a bit tart on the finish.  It drinks well now and should be nice for another three to five years.  It is nice on its own and will work with food such as Roasted chicken.  

2019 La Dame de Montrose, France, Bordeaux, Saint-Estephe, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$40.00USD

This is the second wine of Chateau Montrose.  The blend is 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, shimmering bright and opaque.  The nose has cassis, sandalwood, spice, and tobacco.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is deep and powerful.  Cassis, and earthy with some char.  Long finish.  This will drink well for another ten years.  It will go well with a steak but also a home made Macaroni and Cheese.

2020 Château Mongravey, France, Margaux, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$36.00USD

Purple in color, opaque if slightly flat.  It seems young for a wine to be flat, so this may not be a pristine bottle.  The nose is earthy with cassis and spice.  Also some char.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has a soft texture.  Light tannins.  Black cherry fruit with good acidity.  Moderate finish.  No obvious flaws and it drinks easily.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  A nice wine for a beef or lamb stew.  

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