1995 Château Grand Mayne, France, Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Wine Review

Purple in color, ruby at the rim. Clear and bright. The nose has black cherries but also some barnyard stink. This only partially blew off with air. On the palate, this has cherries, cherry juice, slight black cherries and layers of damp earthy forest floor. Still has some tannins. This certainly is at peak at best and probably a bit past but not too far. There is a nice complexity and still fruit left. I would drink these over the next five to ten years depending how you like your Bordeaux. For my wallet, this house usually over delivers albeit not at the top level of Bordeaux either.

Grade:

B+

Score:

Vintage:

1995

2005 Château Grand Mayne, France, Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage:

2005

Score:

Grade:

A-

Purple in color. The nose has cherries, black cherries, slight chocolate and cedar. On the palate, this is still not at peak but drinking very well. Layers of black cherries, cherries, earth and spice. Nice texture. Good finish. This is a nice value for top (not the very top) Bordeaux. Still some upside for this wine as well as it matures. Better with food. There is plenty of fruit though.

Cheval Blanc: The “First Growth” of the Right Bank

When the wines of Bordeaux were classified in 1855 all of the wines were from the Left Bank of the Gironde River. In fact, with the exception of Haut Brion, which is from Graves, all of the wines classified were from the Medoc. Since that time, the winemaking areas of Bordeaux have greatly expanded. Some of the best wines in Bordeaux are now made on the Right Bank including some of the most expensive wines in the entire world. While there is no official classification system for all of Bordeaux, there can be no doubt that if such a system was implemented today, at least a few Right Bank wineries would make the list. Perhaps no winery deserves the mythical first growth of the Right Bank title more than Cheval Blanc. In fact, the wines of Saint Émilion, a commune on the Right Bank, were ranked in 1955 and Cheval Blanc was one of two that received the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A). Those rankings were redone in 1969, 1986, and 1996 and most recently in 2006 (although that ranking is the subject of an ongoing legal dispute not relevant to Cheval Blanc) and Cheval Blanc has remained a First Growth in every subsequent ranking.

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2010 Château Saint-Georges Côte Pavie, France, Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage:

2010

Score:

Grade:

B+

This had been decanted for an hour or so. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is dusty with cherries. On the palate, slight tannins. Tart cherries. Some complexity. Seems to be nearing but not quite at peak. Nice with food.

2000 Château Monbousquet, France, Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage:

2000

Score:

Grade:

A-

Purple/brown in color. Not at the edges but the whole color. Interesting and still bright. On the nose, this has some black cherries, roasted fruit (not too much) and spice and vanilla. On the palate, this is tight but opens in the glass with air. Black cherry and black raspberry fruit with some spice. The oak is prevalent here and the tannins, while present are diminishing. I doubt this ever fully sheds the oak before the fruit is gone. That said, there is plenty to like if one is not too oak averse. I would still recommend drinking it sooner than later, say by 2022 which isn't to

1982 Château Pavie, France, Bordeaux, St. Émilion, Wine Review

Vintage:

1982

Score:

Grade:

B+

Current Price:

$168.00USD

This is certainly not today's Pavie. A very different style of Bordeaux. Whether that is good or bad is subjective. Ruby/brown in color though clear if a bit muted. The nose is all about the earthy funk. There is some slight mine and slighter cherry fruit. Tart acidity. On the palate, this starts out with thin cherries. As it blows off bottle stink, it adds some weight but tastes old and past prime. Certainly no sin for a 37 year old wine. There is a lot of funk on this wine. One of the people sharing this wine called it "dirty" which might (or might not) be a bit strong. Still,

1995 Château Grand Mayne, France, Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Wine Review

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