Bordeaux Blend

This is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has baking spice, cassis and char.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has black cherries and cassis.  Some complexity but very tightly wound.  A bitter note on the finish.  This is still very young and tight and will undoubtedly improve over the next five to ten years.  It should drink well for another ten to fifteen after that.  If drinking now, give it a very long decant (8 hours?).  This will work with big fatty foods such as prime rib and does d

A blend of 60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petite Verdot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with cassis and baking spice.  With air some coffee notes emerge.  On the palate, this is ripe and sweet cassis fruit.  Seems like a touch of residual sugar.  Also some spices. Nice finish.  It drinks well on its own but might be harder to match food.  A nice wine to sip on its own by the fire this winter.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

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

This was pop and pour and it really needs a long decant but even so, it showed very well.  From the heralded 2000 vintage, it seems to me that the better left bank wines are still in need of more cellaring.  A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 6% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color with ruby swirls but slight browning at the edge.  The nose is great with cassis, slight cigar box, cedar, some dark chocolate and spice.  Full bodied.  Lovely texture.  This is a big wine on the palate.  Juicy cassis, black cherries with chocolate and cedar.  Medium tannins.  Long f

Great showing for this wine.  The vintage was good if not great, but at age 20, this is vibrant and youthful.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls, opaque and bright.  The first sniff has that classic soy sauce note often found in Cos.  Also black cherries, cigar box, and slight roasted meats.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has a great lush texture.  Medium tannins.  Lots of cassis with some smoke and a bit of earthiness.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This was pop and pour and really could have used an hour or so in a decanter.  It needs a few more years until maturity but no harm in

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 is a blend of 70% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Malbec.  Pop and pour, this took about an hour and then was drinking quite well.  Purple in color, thin ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The  nose is nice with black cherries, cigar box, slight dark chocolate, a bit of leather.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, cherries, black cherries and coffee with a bit of dried tobacco.  Good balance.  Seems to be almost or at peak at this point.  Great on its own, this will work well with prime rip or other roasted meats.  Drink over the next five to ten years.