2007 Virginie de Valandraud, France, Bordeaux, Saint Emillion, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2007
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

Purple in color.  Ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with cherries and cedar.  Some spice.  On the palate, there are medium tannins.  Plenty of cherry fruit.  A bit of earthy funk.  This has a good complexity.  Showing far better than I might have expected from the vintage or the second label status.  Good finish.  Seems to have plenty of life left.  Not sure if it improves but might gain some complexity.

2001 L'Ecole No. 41 Merlot Estate Seven Hills Vineyard, USA, Washington, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2007
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

Purple in color.  The nose is mature with cigar and cherries (fresh and dried).  On the palate, this has nice layers.  Cherries, slight dark chocolate and dried leaves.  Complex.  Seems to be at peak.  These should be drunk sooner than later at this point.  It won't get better and might start its downward slide.  That said, a really nice Merlot right now.  

2000 Château Monbousquet, France, Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2000
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

Purple/brown in color.  Not at the edges but the whole color.  Interesting and still bright.  On the nose, this has some black cherries, roasted fruit (not too much) and spice and vanilla.  On the palate, this is tight but opens in the glass with air.  Black cherry and black raspberry fruit with some spice.  The oak is prevalent here and the tannins, while present are diminishing.  I doubt this ever fully sheds the oak before the fruit is gone.  That said, there is plenty to like if one is not too oak averse.  I would still recommend drinking it sooner than later, say by 2022 which isn't to

2010 Château de la Rivière Aria, France, Bordeaux, Fronsac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has spice, oak and dark cherries.  On the palate, cherries and chocolate.  Seems like a fair amount of Merlot must be in this.  A new estate for me.  This is drinking well right now at 8 years from vintage.  It has a fair amount of oak on it, so if that is an issue, let it cellar for a while.  It should integrate in the next five years or so.  

Sonoma's Must Try Merlots - 2015 Best of Sonoma

For the 2015 Best of Sonoma Lists we surveyed hundreds of local vintners asking for their inside perspective of the best wines, tasting rooms, and restaurants in Sonoma. There are certain Merlots that no self-respecting wine connoisseur can leave Sonoma without trying. To help hone the list to the top producers, we asked over a hundred local vintners to recommend their top Sonoma Merlots (under $100).
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Cheval Blanc: The “First Growth” of the Right Bank

When the wines of Bordeaux were classified in 1855 all of the wines were from the Left Bank of the Gironde River. In fact, with the exception of Haut Brion, which is from Graves, all of the wines classified were from the Medoc. Since that time, the winemaking areas of Bordeaux have greatly expanded. Some of the best wines in Bordeaux are now made on the Right Bank including some of the most expensive wines in the entire world. While there is no official classification system for all of Bordeaux, there can be no doubt that if such a system was implemented today, at least a few Right Bank wineries would make the list. Perhaps no winery deserves the mythical first growth of the Right Bank title more than Cheval Blanc. In fact, the wines of Saint Émilion, a commune on the Right Bank, were ranked in 1955 and Cheval Blanc was one of two that received the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A). Those rankings were redone in 1969, 1986, and 1996 and most recently in 2006 (although that ranking is the subject of an ongoing legal dispute not relevant to Cheval Blanc) and Cheval Blanc has remained a First Growth in every subsequent ranking.
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