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.
My personal favorite of the First Growths. Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose is classic with cassis, black raspberries, gravel and slight black olives. Full bodied. Good acidity. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is a powerful Haut Brion which is interesting as the vintage was good but not great. Complex. Just starting to show signs of maturity. Cassis and black raspberry fruit with underlying char and gravel. Long finish. This may still improve a bit. Drink over the next twelve to fifteen years and probably more. This would work well with a beef a
This is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc. A gorgeous wine that is still very young. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is pretty classic for Haut Brion with cassis, crushed gravel, slight asphalt and strawberries. On the palate there are silky but firm tannins. Deep and complex, the layers unwind in the glass. Cassis and black cherries, slight strawberries over gravel and earth. Great balance. Long finish. This needs another ten years to maturity and should be there for a couple more decades after that. It is delicious right now but give it air.
A blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. The cork was popped at 9:00 am, a half ounce poured off, then a neutral cork inserted before being transported and served at 7:00 pm. The wine took about 30 minutes to really open and hit its stride. Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright. The nose shows black cherries, cassis, smoke, slight chocolate, and leather. With air, a subtle earthiness emerges that is classic Bordeaux. Full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, this is complex and deep. Cassis, black cherries, chocolate cigar box notes and earth. Layers that un
Typically, Haut Brion is my favorite of all the first growths. Perhaps because the blend is a bit different. This vintage is 50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Cabernet Franc. At age 24, this is just about at maturity. Purple/ruby in color, but starting to show some browning. Mostly clear and bright. The nose has black cherries, cherries, tobacco and slight earthiness. On the palate, a nice tart but sweet fruit - cherries, black cherries and slight black raspberries. Layers of complexity. Long finish. This won't get better from here, but should have ten to fifteen years a
The 2005's are really starting to come into their own now and this is one more data point supporting that. This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot. Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, char, slight cigar box, leather and spice. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is complex. Flavors of cassis and black cherries, slight leather and char. Great balance. Long finish. This is about at peak but should stay there for another ten years. Nice on its own, but better with food. This would wo
