2000 Château Cos d'Estournel, France, Bordeaux, St. Estephe, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2000
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$250.00USD

Classic Cos from the great B2K vintage.  This has been a very slow developing vintage and the better wines are finally showing their wares.  Purple in color with slight ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is vibrant with cassis, black cherries, soy sauce, spice, and leather.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, Cassis, black cherries, some dried cherries with underlying spices.  Some mint on the finish. This is just starting to approach peak and should drink well for the next twelve to fifteen years.  A nice match for roasted fowl.  

1996 Château Léoville Las Cases, France, Bordeaux, St. Julien, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1996
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$375.00USD

This is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc from the excellent 1996 vintage. Great showing.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, tobacco, black cherries, spice and some mint on the end.  Full bodied.  Great velvety texture.  Medium tannins.  Perfect balance.  On the palate, this is complex and deep yet still seemingly youthful.  Delicious.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own and would work well with all but the lightest foods.  Deck breast would work very well.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

1990 Château Mouton Rothschild, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1990
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$550.00USD

Always a treat to drink a First growth.  This is made in an old school style at a time when Bordeaux was kicking it up a bit.  Accordingly, this wine was "disappointing" to many people on release (especially for the 1990 vintage).  But thirty some years down the road, this wine is still proving its merits and in fact, this was better than a bottle consumed a few years ago.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is perfumed and quite pretty.  Cassis, strawberries, floral notes and a bit of dusty.  Great texture.  Powerful with firm tannins, yet supple.  On the palate, black cherries,

1976 Château Lafite Rothschild, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1976
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$625.00USD

I was apprehensive about this.  Not a great vintage and 46 years from that vintage.  The wine performed way above expectations.  Ruby in color, some browning at the edges, clear and still somewhat bright.  The nose has some cassis, some dried fruits, a bit of burnt sugar and slight oxidation.  On the palate, cranberries and cassis with some dried forest floor.  Light tannins.  Good acidity.  Some complexity.  Long finish.  While not a great Lafite perhaps, a very fun experience and outstanding wine.  This works better with food though, considering how rare to get to try this, perhaps just e

1995 Château Angélus, France, Bordeaux, St. Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1995
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$500.00USD

Pop and pour with no decanting.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cherries, barnyard, cassis and truffles.  Full bodied.  Complex and layered with light tannins.  This seems to be at peak.  On the palate, cherries, dried cherries, and slight tobacco.  Clean.  Long finish.  Contemplative on its own but better with a bit of food.  Although it will drink well for another  decade, it probably will start a slow slide down soon.  

2008 Château Smith Haut Lafitte, France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Leognan, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2008
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$90.00USD

Pop and pour, this is drinking very well.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, black cherries, tobacco and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has nice tight layering that unwinds in the glass.  Light tannins.  Notes of cassis, black cherries, slight chocolate, and char.  Great balance.  Long finish.  Still a bit on the young side but no harm in opening a bottle.  This will drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, even better with food.  Pot roast would be a great choice.  

2009 Château Guiraud, France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2009
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$70.00USD

One of the better values in Sauternes. Light golden in color. The nose has with pineapples, honey and some of peach. On the palate, this is viscous and rich.  Sweet but not cloying.  Good acidity that cuts through the sweetness.  Honey and Pineapple.  Nice finish.  This is great on its own and will work with a not too sweet dessert.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  

1995 Château d'Yquem, France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1995
Score: 
96
Grade: 
Current Price: 
$359.00USD

Always a pleasure to drink what is arguably the greatest wine in the world.  Not the best and not the worst vintage.  At age 27, this is mature but with decades left.  Red/orange in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with apricots, peach, honey and marzipan.  Slightly viscous.  Complex on the palate.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, honey, Crème brûlée with just a bit of underlying char.  A finish that goes on forever.  Delicious.  This drinks great on its own and will work with a more savory dessert, but that is not necessary.  

2009 Château Coutet, France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Barsac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2009
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$46.00USD

From a 375 ml.  Golden in color with slight orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with honey, peaches and a slight dried orange rind note.  Viscous.  Sweet, not cloying.  Enough acidity to match the sweetness.  On the palate, honey, apricots and slight peach.  Clean.  Long finish.  Very tasty.  This probably has twenty years left.  A nice match with a not too sweet cake.  

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