2016 Château Climens, France, Bordeaux, Barsac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$75.00USD

Always a treat to try this wine which is one of the best, if not the best, wines made in Barsac (next to Sauternes).  This is young but gorgeous.  Light golden in color.  The nose is so pretty with cantaloupe and honey and a slight salinity.  On the palate, this is sweet, not cloying with an unctuous texture.  A nice bit of acidity to keep it lively though not a lot.  The melon and honey come thru to the palate along with some apricot.  Long finish.  This will easily last another 25 years or more if well stored.  It drinks great on its own but also would work well with a less sweet (and non

2016 Château Monbousquet, France, Bordeaux, St. Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$55.00USD

This was tasted non-blind at the conclusion of tasting a group of 16/17 Bordeaux blind.  A great place to try this wine as it showed well in that spot.  This is a big wine that is drinking quite well at the moment, perhaps due to the large amount of Merlot.  It is a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

2016 Château Branaire-Ducru, France, Bordeaux, St. Julien, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$65.00USD

In a recent blind tasting of 2016/2017 Bordeaux's, this and the 2017 version were my top two wines.  All of the notes can be found on this site.  While the tasting did not include any first growths, it does point out that this Chateau is producing outstanding wines and at reasonable prices.  While today I preferred the 2017, in the long run, the 2016 is the better wine.  It is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is complex with cassis, black cherries, leather, tobacco and spice

2016 Château Prieuré-Lichine, France, Bordeaux, Margaux, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$49.00USD

Another great showing from this estate.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose has slight cherries with a bit of smoke.  Delicate but persistent.  On the palate, this is very smooth.  Light tannins.  Cherries and sour cherries with a slight char underneath.  Nice finish.  This is a more delicate wine with nice acidity and will appeal to those who like more red fruits than say purple.  It will match well to pasta dishes or fowl.  This should improve a bit more over the next few years and then drink well for another ten to twelve after that.  

2016 Clos la Gaffelière, France, Bordeaux, St. Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$32.00USD

This is the second wine of La Gaffelière.  It is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc.  Dark purple in color.  The nose has nice plums, black cherries and spice.  On the palate, this has nice plums, some cherries with an earthiness underneath.  This is drinking well now.  It won't get better but should make excellent drinking for the next ten to twelve years. It should go well with roasted fowl or lighter dishes as well as on its own.  

2016 Château Lanessan, France, Bordeaux, Haut Medoc, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$22.00USD

This is one of my long time go-to wines for value in Bordeaux.  And this vintage is no exception.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is dusty with cassis and a bit of clean earthiness.  On the palate, this has a nice depth.  Light tannins.  Not a ton of complexity, but that might improve with age.  In the meantime, it has nice cassis fruit with some earthiness and good acidity.  Nice finish.  This may improve slightly, but based on prior vintages, this should continue to drink well for another fifteen to twenty years.  A nice match for chili or stew.  

2016 Château Le Rey Les Rocheuses, France, Bordeaux, Cotes de Castillon, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$35.00USD

This was a new winery for me.  Apparently, it had been in the Le Rey family since the 1600's but was sold in 2016.  Nice first vintage.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis and plenty of fresh oak.  On the palate, this is a big wine.  Big tannins, big fruit and big oak.  It drinks nicely now, but should/could get much better as everything comes together.  That might take five or ten years, but is worth watching.  Plenty of sweet cassis fruit.  It would be nice to have a bit more acidity.  Probably better to wait on this than to drink now but it is tasty.  

2016 Château du Tertre, France, Bordeaux, Margaux, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$48.00USD

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with black cherries, cedar and a slight herbal note.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Nice black cherry fruit with some underlying oak.  Nice acidity.  Nice finish.  This should continue to improve for a few more years and drink well for ten more after that.  It  is a solid wine right now but it will be interesting to see where it goes.  This will drink better with food.  Roasted meats would be a good choice.  

2017 Château Monbousquet, France, Bordeaux, St. Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$65.00USD

Pleased to see the heavy use of oak is much less than it used to be.  There is still some present but not as much as I remember.  This is a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is dusty with plums.  Also some cherries and a bit of char.  On the palate, this is easy drinking.  Black cherry fruit with some cherries.  A note of black olives/oak underneath.  Medium bodied.  Nice finish.  This needs a few years to sort itself out and should drink well for ten more.  It drinks well on its own but would go better with roas

2016 La Dame de Montrose, France, Bordeaux, St. Estephe, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$42.00USD

This is a second wine of Chateau Montrose.  Tasted blind, with a tasting group, this was disappointing.  It finished in last place for me and close to that for the group.  It is a fine wine, but more was expected once the label was revealed.  Purple in color, shimmering bright and opaque.  The nose has cherries, black cherries and spice.  On the palate, light tannins and sour cherries.  Easy drinking.  It is a blend of 52% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 13% Cabernet Franc.  Right now, the Merlot dominates.  Of course, with some, the Cabs could wake up and get the party started.  Based

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