A new winery for me to try. Purple in colo9r, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries, slight cassis, smoke and gravel. Medium bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, nice black cherry fruit with underlying smoke and gravel. Nice finish. This should drink well for the next ten to twelve years. This should go well with Roasted or Charred Portabellas and Root Vegetables.
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
From Magnum. This was an ok year in Bordeaux, but Haut Brion may have made the wine of the vintage. In regular bottles, this should be at or past peak, but in Magnum it was doing just fine. Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and flat. The nose is mature with cassis, cigar box, gravel and slight char. Medium bodied. Medium silky tannins. On the palate, cassis, with some tobacco, gravel and char. Some complexity. Good finish. Older bottles are always variable, but these should be drunk sooner than later. This will work better with hearty food. Cassoulet would work we
The second wine of Chateau Malartic-Lagravière. This is a blend of Merlot 58 %, Cabernet-Sauvignon 35 %, Cabernet-Franc 5 %, Petit-Verdot 2 %. Ruby and purple swirls in the glass, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, black cherries with a bit of spice and char. Medium bodied. Bright acidity. Vibrant on the palate. Flavors of cassis and cherries with some char. Some depth. Nice finish. This may still improve a bit but is drinking well now. Drink over the next ten years. It would work well with a cheddar cheese quiche.
