Bordeaux Blend

Chateau Latour probably takes the longest to come around of all of the first Growths.  Most of the time, patience is rewarded.  This showed quite well for the vintage.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is very earthy with Bordeaux funk but also cassis, black raspberries, tobacco and slight cedar.  Medium bodied with medium tannins.  At age 22, this is more of a teenager than an adult.  The palate goes from heavy cassis to cranberries and back with underlying funk and earth.  There is some complexity.  This should drink well for another fifteen to twenty years.  It drinks nice alo

Any time one gets a chance to drink a first growth, it's a true pleasure.  They have become prohibitively priced, so its nice when a bottle actually gets open and consumed.  Perhaps not the greatest vintage of Margaux, but a very good one.  At age 22, this is pretty much at peak and drinking very well.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The  nose has a bit of that Margaux liquor/perfume with cherries, cassis, slight spice, and leather but clean.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  The palate has black cherries, slight black tea, and slight soy.  Long finish.

This is a Bordeaux blend of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Malbec, 20% Merlot and 10% Petite Verdot.  Ehren Jordan serves as the consulting winemaker.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, plums slight chocolate and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Very tasty wine with some depth.  Black cherries, chocolate, plums and cherries on the palate.  Nice finish.  This drinks well on its own and would work well with a burger.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

Always an outstanding wine and a great value and that is true in this challenging vintage.  It is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black currants, black cherries, slight chocolate and char.  Medium to full bodied.  A nice streak of acidity keeps it lively.  The fruit carries thru to the palate.  Medium tannins.  Deep if tight right now.  Good finish.  This needs a few more years to really open up (or a few hours decant) and should drink well for ten to twelve after t

This is a Bordeaux styled blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Carmenere, 11% Syrah, 4% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc from Chile.  It is also a very nice value for the quality.  Purple at the core with a ruby rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is tight but opens up to cassis, coffee and spice.  Nothing green on the nose.  On the palate, black cherries, cassis, smoke and fresh tobacco.  Medium tannins.  Softer texture.  This is surprisingly open right from the start.  There is a nice complexity.  It drinks easily now and should continue for the next ten to twelve years.  A nice m

Much better and cleaner than another bottle tried a couple years ago.  Both were bought on release at the same time.  A right bank wine from the great 2005 vintage.  The vineyard is 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc (unsure about the specific vintage in bottle).  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with cherries, black cherries, cedar, chocolate, slight tobacco and just a bit of smoke.  Consumed over two days, this was better/more open on day 2.  Full bodied.  Lush texture but with good acidity.  Lots of black cherry fruit over smoke with some chocolate.  Nice finish.  This s

This is a Bordeaux blend from Israel of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 4% Petite Verdot.  It is one of the more expensive bottlings coming out of Israel.  It is a very nice wine but whether it is worth the money is another question.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is earthy with black cherries, some cassis, slight bell pepper and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, the black cherries come thru with a streak of bell pepper over and earthy/charred bed.  It drinks like classic Bordeaux.  Nice balance.  Light tannins.  Solid finish.  This seems to be at peak and should be

This is a Bordeaux blend from Napa.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, licorice, and spice.  Very nice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, there is black cherries and spice.  Moderate tannins.  A slight hint of mint on the finish.  This is drinking well now but may get a point or two better.  It drinks nicely on its own and would work well with a steak or roast.  

A dangerous vintage for this wine as they had winery wide issues with cork taint in the late 80's.  This bottle, however, showed very well.  Pop and pour, it took about 30 minutes to really get going.  After that it kept opening in stages for the next couple hours.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, leather, a slight horse note and with air, cigar box.  On the palate, this is fresh and drinking well.  Tannins are pretty much resolved.  Layers of fruit and earth unwind in the glass.  Good finish.  I would drink these sooner than later

Very nice showing for this wine.  Pop and pour, it took about 30 minutes to open up and then kept improving over the next couple of hours.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, cigar box, slight funk.  On the palate, this is full bodied.