2005 Château La Fleur de Gay, France, Bordeaux, Pomerol, Wine Review

2005 was an excellent vintage, but, especially the right bank Merlot based wines, is now starting to really drink well. 100% Merlot. Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is lovely with black cherries, cassis, chocolate and spice. Light tannins. Medium bodied. On the palate, black cherries with underlying funk. Good finish. This seems to be about at peak but should drink well for another five to seven years. It drinks well on its own but will work better at the dinner table with perhaps roasted fowl.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2005

Current Price:

$115.00USD

2010 Château Le Gay Pomerol, France, Bordeaux, Wine Review

Vintage:

2010

Score:

Grade:

A+

Current Price:

$169.00USD

Very impressive showing and while just a bit tight, this opened nice with air. Purple in color, opaque and bright. Black currants, plums, baking spices, graphite and char on the nose. Full bodied with a lush texture. On the palate, this unwinds in the glass to show depth and layers of fruit (plums and black currants), spice, slight forest floor, and smoke. Great balance. Delicious. Long finish. This is not yet at peak but well worth opening now and letting it breathe. Drink over the next twenty years. It drinks great on its own but will work better with food. Roasted duck or eggp

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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2005 Château La Croix St. Georges, France, Bordeaux, Pomerol, Wine Review

Vintage:

2005

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$120.00USD

Much better and cleaner than another bottle tried a couple years ago. Both were bought on release at the same time. A right bank wine from the great 2005 vintage. The vineyard is 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc (unsure about the specific vintage in bottle). Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is nice with cherries, black cherries, cedar, chocolate, slight tobacco and just a bit of smoke. Consumed over two days, this was better/more open on day 2. Full bodied. Lush texture but with good acidity. Lots of black cherry fruit over smoke with some chocolate. Nice finish. This s

2009 Château Fleur Cardinale, France, Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage:

2009

Score:

Grade:

B+

Current Price:

$75.00USD

A blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Inky purple in color. The nose has black cherries with slight dill. On the palate, this has a pretty, soft texture. Black cherries with slight black olives. A slight complexity. Light tannins. This is open and drinking well. Very up front fruit. Moderate finish. This seems to be about as good a it will get. It should be at this level for five to ten more years. It will go well with roasted fowl and drinks easy on its own.

2009 Château La Violette, France, Bordeaux, Pomerol, Wine Review

Vintage:

2009

Score:

Grade:

A+

09 was a pretty open vintage especially on the right bank. At age 9, this is drinking very well. That said, there is plenty of room for further improvement. Purple in color. The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, dark chocolate and char. On the palate, this is juicy with a full bodied texture. Black raspberries, layered with chocolate dust and slight oak notes. Long finish. This will work with roasted meats dishes quite well. Another five years in the cellar and this should come together quite well. If opening now, give it some air.

2005 Château La Fleur de Gay, France, Bordeaux, Pomerol, Wine Review

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