Obviously young, it was nice to drink this early to check in on it. It is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère.
Bordeaux is famous for its amazing wines that come with amazingly high prices. There is also a sea of wine made for very affordable prices. This is a lovely wine from a great vintage. Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is spicy with cigar box, black cherries and cherries. Medium bodied. Firm tannins (true to the vintage). On the palate, black cherries, cassis, anise and char. Good finish. Overall, a very nice showing. Drink over the next five to seven years. Nice on its own and would be a great meatloaf/burger wine.
This is one of the better "values" in Napa high end wines. It is a proprietary blend of 70% Cab with the rest Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, blueberries, slight black cherries, spices, and leather. Full bodied. Firm tannins. On the palate, juicy cassis and black cherries with underlying char and spice. Some leather notes. Long finish. Delicious. This is young but drinking well. Drink over the next ten to twenty years. Great on its own, it would be perfect with a roast or steak.
This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot from one of the premier vineyards in Napa, the State Lane Vineyard. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with black cherries, blueberries, slight cigar box and spice. Full bodied. Medium tannins. Juicy acidity. On the palate, this is delicious. Black cherries, some black raspberries and blue berries with a bit of leather and earthiness. Long finish. This is drinking well and may still improve. It should drink well for another twenty years. Great on its own, this would work well with roasted duck or even roast r
A First Growth in a top vintage? Yes, please. This is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Purple in color with some ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose is great with cassis, leather, perfume, slight cigar box and spice. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is tight and young but delicious. Cassis, black cherries, spice and slight chocolate. Great balance. Long finish. This is drinking well but will get better with further cellaring (or air). Drink over the next twenty to thirty years. For now, it will be a t
Very nice showing for this second label of a First Growth Chateau Lafite. It has about 40% Merlot in it (according to an early Robert Parker review). The nose is earthy, with tobacco, cigar box, dust but also vibrant dark cherries and some cassis. Full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, black cherries, earthiness and some spice. Good finish. Well stored bottles should have a few more years out of this. Nice on its own, but better with food. Roasted duck or chicken would work well.
This is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Merlot. On release, this seemed to be a bit of a disappointment for a First Growth form a great vintage. At this stage, 33 years later, it has closed the gap somewhat and while perhaps not as good as a 1989 tasted side by side, it was till good. Ruby/brown in color. A very earthy nose but also some cassis and dried cherries. Also some cigar box/tobacco. Medium to full bodied. Tannins all resolved. Nice texture. On the palate, much livelier. Cassis, cherries, dried cherries and spice. Moderate finish. These nee
What a treat to drink. Ruby/brown in color, mostly opaque and bright. This is apparently a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc. Georg Baselitz is the artist who did the label. Perfectly mature if even slightly past, this bottle was singing. The nose has cassis, dried fruits, cigar box, dust and spice. Full bodied. Tannins pretty much resolved. Good balance. On the palate, there is cassis, coffee, spice and some cherries. A bit of anise on the finish. These probably should be consumed as they take the slow ride down. Very nice on its own, but a bit of
This is one of our favorite value plays in Bordeaux. It is 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright. The nose features cherries, slight black cherries, spice, slight graphite and cedar. Medium to full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, this drinks easy. Cherries, black cherries, slight chocolate and slight char. Good balance. Nice finish. At almost nine years old, this seems to be mature but with plenty of life left. A nice level of complexity. This is nice on its own but even better with food. A great choice for a mid day m
Way back at the end of the prior century, the 1996 version was the Wine Spectator Wine of the Year. Now, 25 years later and no one really seems to care anymore. The truth is this is an excellent wine. A proprietary blend, I am told this is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. Purple in color with some ruby hues, opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, tobacco, soy sauce and spice. Full bodied. Medium tannins. Good balance. On the palate, cassis with some forest floor and spice. This is a "cooler" climate wine that got per
