Bordeaux

• Barsac
• Bordeaux Supérieur
• Margaux
• Graves
  • Pessac-Leognan
• Haut-Medoc
• Listrac
• Pauillac
• Pomerol
• Saint Emilion
• Saint Estephe
• Saint Julian
• Sauternes

One of the better values in Sauternes. Light golden in color. The nose has with pineapples, honey and some of peach. On the palate, this is viscous and rich.  Sweet but not cloying.  Good acidity that cuts through the sweetness.  Honey and Pineapple.  Nice finish.  This is great on its own and will work with a not too sweet dessert.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  

Always a pleasure to drink what is arguably the greatest wine in the world.  Not the best and not the worst vintage.  At age 27, this is mature but with decades left.  Red/orange in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with apricots, peach, honey and marzipan.  Slightly viscous.  Complex on the palate.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, honey, Crème brûlée with just a bit of underlying char.  A finish that goes on forever.  Delicious.  This drinks great on its own and will work with a more savory dessert, but that is not necessary.  

From a 375 ml.  Golden in color with slight orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with honey, peaches and a slight dried orange rind note.  Viscous.  Sweet, not cloying.  Enough acidity to match the sweetness.  On the palate, honey, apricots and slight peach.  Clean.  Long finish.  Very tasty.  This probably has twenty years left.  A nice match with a not too sweet cake.  

Another example of the wealth of fairly priced wines that Bordeaux produces once one gets past the trophy wines.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has spice and cherries.  Light tannins.  On the palate, cherries with some tobacco and spice.  Good balance.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with meat, fowl and pork.  Lamb stew would be perfect.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

In a great place right now.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, tobacco, balsamic and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is pretty close to mature.  Cassis, spice, with underlying earthiness.  Great balance.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  It would match well with Lamb Stew.  

Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with honey, apricots and simple syrup.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, oranges and slight alcohol note.  Good acidity.  Still showing very fresh but mature, too.  This is at peak or maybe slightly past but should drink well for another decade.  Great on its own, this will work with a savory dessert such as a polenta cake.  

Pop and pour, this would have benefitted from decanting. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color with a ruby rim.  The nose is tight and never seemed to full open.  Lots of spice, some cedar, cherries and black cherries.  On the palate, this has firm tannins.  Black cherry fruit with underlying spice.  Long finish.  This seems in need of more time (or air) and should improve.  It would also benefit from food.  A nice steak or roasted chicken would go well.  

It is always a treat to drink a mature First Growth.  This is fully mature and drinking beautifully.  12.5% abv according to the importer sticker on the bottle.  Purple/ruby in color with some browning at the rim, mostly clear and a bit flat.  The nose is dusty with cassis and tobacco.  With air some dried fruits come out.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has a vibrant acidity.  Nice cherry and black cherry fruit with some cassis.  Layers of complexity.  Fruit over spice and dried forest floor.  Nice finish.  This begs for food and went well with a roasted Brie but would work well with

Though 1999 is a good if not great vintage, Palmer is certainly one of the top wines of the vintage.  This is a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot.  It is at peak.  This bottle was opened at 2:00 and allowed to breathe until 5:00 when it was double decanted back to its original bottle and sealed before serving at around 8:00.  That seemed to be about right.  Garnet in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, spice, cedar and floral notes.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is complex and layered.  Cassis

This is the second wine of Chateau Palmer and from the great 2000 vintage.  It is drinking very well now and likely at peak (not something I say often about 2000 Bordeaux wines).  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, some cassis, a bit of baking spices, and leather.  Full bodied.  Just a wisp of tannins.  Enticing texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Cassis and some black cherry fruit with a bit of spice and tobacco.  Nice finish.  This drinks great on its own, but will be better with food.  Lamb would be a classic pairing.  Drink over the next five to eig