Taken from a less than ideal cellar. Ullage was in the low shoulder. Mostly brown (iced tea) in color but some ruby hues. The nose was mushrooms along with a touch of dried cherries and slight cherry fruit. Medium bodied. On the palate, mostly dried fruit and mushrooms with a touch of sour cherries. Something left but not enough to really bother. Oh well.
This is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot from the excellent 2009 vintage. That vintage has always been accessible and one that may be long lived but the wines developed quickly. Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose is great with cassis, pencil lead, spice, black cherries and tobacco. Full bodied. Great texture. Medium tannins. This is well balanced. On the palate, cassis with leathery notes and underlying char. Long finish. This is drinking well now and should continue to for another twelve to fifteen years.
Taken from a less than ideal cellar, but the fill was mid-shoulder and it looked ok. Turned out, it was. Brick red in color but clear and more importantly, bright. The nose is slightly earthy but there are cherries and a slight perfume note. Medium bodied with good acidity. No tannins. On the palate, this is of course, old and past prime, but there is still some fruit left. Cherries, dried cherries and earth. Clipped finish. Worth drinking a glass. Probably not worth serving with food, more of an intellectual curiosity.
This was initially very dusty on opening. I thought there might be some TCA, but it was just bottle stink as it blew off. After that, it kept getting better for the next couple of hours. Ruby in color with some browning, a bit flat. The nose had dust, cassis, dried currents and a bit of funk. On the palate, this has slight tannins still. Cherries and dried cherries. Some complexity. Probably a bit past peak but still drinking quite well. It works better with food and was excellent with stuffed mushrooms. This probably needs to be consumed sooner than later although it should still
It's always fun to try older Bordeaux's. This one still had something to offer if a bit past its prime. Ruby in color, with slight browning at the rim. The nose offered cherries, dried cherries, slight stewed fruits and a nice tobacco funk. On the palate, this has a nice complexity with cherry fruit over forest floor. Good acidity. If you own any, drink up soon. It went well with all kinds of food.
Obviously young, it was nice to drink this early to check in on it. It is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère.
