From an excellent vintage whose wines are slow to come around, this one is drinking well. Seems to be shy of peak but getting close. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has cherries, slight tobacco and spice. On the palate, this has medium body. Cherries with some intertwines tobacco. Some depth if not a lot. Good acidity. Worked well with food. Nice finish. I believe this was under $30 on release which is a fair price.
One of the few St. Emilion wines tried that didn't seem shut down. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has char, black cherries, and slight cedar. On the palate, light black cherries. Moderate finish. Light tannins. This is drinking nicely now and should continue for the next five to seven years. A nice match with Mushroom Barley soup.
Pop and pour with no decanting. Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is great with cherries, barnyard, cassis and truffles. Full bodied. Complex and layered with light tannins. This seems to be at peak. On the palate, cherries, dried cherries, and slight tobacco. Clean. Long finish. Contemplative on its own but better with a bit of food. Although it will drink well for another decade, it probably will start a slow slide down soon.
This is drinking great right now. Mature, but absolutely no hurry. Decanted for sediment and served. Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. No browning. The nose is classic with cherries, cassis, tobacco, leather, slight funk and cigar box. Full bodied. Light but present tannins. On the palate, lots of cherries, black cherries and cassis with earthiness and spice underneath. Layers of complexity. Great balance. Long finish. Contemplative. Great on its own, this would work great with slow braised beef. Based on this bottle, at least a decade left.
This wine was controversial on release due to its ripeness and size. At age 16, it is still a big wine but starting to settle down a bit. Just a bit. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, toast, spice, black pepper and leather. Full bodied. Wonderful velvety/jammy texture. On the palate, this is delicious. Firm tannins. Lots of black raspberry and cassis, some blueberries with spice and underlying leather. It certainly may be atypical from St.
This was a new wine for me to try. Of all places, I had it tailgating at the Jets vs. Browns Monday Night game in NY (NJ). Deep ruby in color, a bit lighter at the rim. The nose is nice with cherries and slight dusty cigar box notes. On the palate, this has a nice texture. Medium bodied. Plenty of cherry fruit with some underlying crushed leaves. Some depth and complexity. Good finish. This works well with a wide variety of foods. It seems at or at least close to peak. It should have another five to seven years at this level.
