Pessac-Leognan

Sadly an off bottle.  This was pretty well oxidized.  Likely a faulty cork.  Other bottles in the case had shown much better.  

This is from one of the early Garagiste (Garage wines) wineries.  Inky purple, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is earthy with cassis and a touch of brown sugar.  Plush texture.  Medium to firm tannins.  Long finish. Drinking well and close to maturity.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  This would work nicely with beef stroganoff.  

This is the third wine of Chateau Haut-Baily.  It has only been produced under the HB moniker since 2019.  If the third wine is this good, then the first and second should be fantastic.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is tight but eventually opens to show cassis with some spice and gravel/char.  velvety texture.  Firm tannins.  The palate has cassis with char.  Deep but tight.  A bit of bitter cherry (in a good way) on the finish.  This needs a few years, maybe five, of good cellaring and should drink well for ten after that.  Classic Bordeaux foods should work well such as Lam

The second wine of Chateau Malartic-Lagravière.  This is a blend of Merlot 58 %, Cabernet-Sauvignon 35 %, Cabernet-Franc 5 %, Petit-Verdot 2 %.  Ruby and purple swirls in the glass, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries with a bit of  spice and char.  Medium bodied. Bright acidity.  Vibrant on the palate.  Flavors of cassis and cherries with some char.  Some depth.  Nice finish.  This may still improve a bit but is drinking well now.  Drink over the next ten years.  It would work well with a cheddar cheese quiche.  

From Magnum.  This was an ok year in Bordeaux, but Haut Brion may have made the wine of the vintage.  In regular bottles, this should be at or past peak, but in Magnum it was doing just fine.  Purple in color, ruby at the  rim, mostly opaque and flat.  The nose is mature with cassis, cigar box, gravel and slight char.  Medium bodied.  Medium silky tannins.  On the palate, cassis, with some tobacco, gravel and char.  Some complexity.  Good finish.  Older bottles are always variable, but these should be drunk sooner than later.  This will work better with hearty food.  Cassoulet would work we

A blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The cork was popped at 9:00 am, a half ounce poured off, then a neutral cork inserted before being transported and served at 7:00 pm.  The wine took about 30 minutes to really open and hit its stride.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose shows black cherries, cassis, smoke, slight chocolate, and leather.  With air, a subtle earthiness emerges that is classic Bordeaux.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is complex and deep.  Cassis, black cherries, chocolate cigar box notes and earth.  Layers that un