Saint Julian

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.

In a recent blind tasting of 2016/2017 Bordeaux's, this and the 2017 version were my top two wines.  All of the notes can be found on this site.  While the tasting did not include any first growths, it does point out that this Chateau is producing outstanding wines and at reasonable prices.  While today I preferred the 2017, in the long run, the 2016 is the better wine.  It is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is complex with cassis, black cherries, leather, tobacco and spice

Although this is highly rated and not inexpensive, this continues to be one of the most under rated wines from Bordeaux for my tastes.  It is classic left bank and affordable and will age quite well.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  On the nose, this is dusty with cigar box, cassis and cherries.  Full bodied.  A nice juicy/glycerin mouthfeel.  Very plush on the mid-palate and then a long finish.  Lots of cassis and black cherry fruit with underlying clean earthiness.  This should continue to improve for five to ten more years and srink for another ten to fifteen after

This showed well if a bit less than hoped.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has nice cassis fruit with some underlying baking spices.  On the palate, this is a bit thin but nice cassis fruit.  Sinewy texture.  Tannins seem resolved.  Drinks easy but tasty.  Moderate finish.  This seems like it is at peak and probably should be consumed in the next five to ten years.  It will go well with stews or chili.  

This is the second wine of Beaucaillou.  I have always thought that as second wines go, this is one of the best.  This is drinking beautifully right now.  Purple/ruby in color.  No real sign of it being 23 years old.  The nose is dusty with cassis, slight cedar and just a bit of tobacco.  There is also some volatile acidity.  On the palate, this is surprisingly fresh and lively.  It has a lovely texture.  Plenty of cassis fruit.  Medium tannins.  Some depth.  Moderate finish.  This drinks more youthfully than expected.  If this bottle is representative, this should easily go another ten to

This took about an hour to open and then was drinking great.  It is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 4.5% Petit Verdot and 3.5% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, cigar box and cherries.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Ripe fruit.  Lighter tannins.  Flavors of Cherries with some cassis, chocolate and clean(er) barnyard.  Good finish.  This is about at peak now but should be here for at least another five to seven years.  It will go well with roasted meats or fowl. 

Pop and pour, this probably should have been decanted.  It took some time to open up.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has cassis, pencil lead, cedar and tobacco.  Cherries come out with air.  This has a slight funk at first but cleans up with air.  A wonderful velvety texture.  Complex and deep.    Lot of cassis and cherries on the palate.  Some cherry cough syrup.  Tart acidity which begs for food.  Long finish.  This seems to finally be at peak though no hurry.  At least a decade more at this level.  This will go well with meat or fowl dishes though not too spicy.  

This wine was opened and decanted for at least three hours before drinking.  Not enough.  This should still be held.  It is a magnificent wine but very young still.  It is a  blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Merlot.

Great wine and in a great place.  Still has plenty of life left but fantastic right now.  Purple in color, although a bit dull at the ruby rim.  The nose is fantastic; cassis, cigar box, cherries and dust.  With air it brings some funk in a beautiful way.  On the palate, cassis, dry earth and slight spice.  Complex and tightly layered it unwinds quickly in the glass.  Long finish.  This would be ideal with heavier or meat based dishes.  Truly a contemplative wine and everything you could hope for back when this wine was released.