Saint Julian

Another slowly developing 2000 Bordeaux.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cigar box, leather and spice.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  On the palate, black cherries and cassis with some leathery notes and underlying forest floor.  Nice complexity.  Good finish.  Drink over the next five to seven years.   Better with food, this would work nicely with Beef Wellington.  

This is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc from the excellent 1996 vintage. Great showing.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, tobacco, black cherries, spice and some mint on the end.  Full bodied.  Great velvety texture.  Medium tannins.  Perfect balance.  On the palate, this is complex and deep yet still seemingly youthful.  Delicious.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own and would work well with all but the lightest foods.  Deck breast would work very well.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

Always fun to get a chance at drinking an older wine.  1967 was a long time ago.  The Beatles released Sgt.

This is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot.  It used to be known as Château Lalande-Borie but the name changed starting with the 2018 vintage.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is powerful with cassis, black cherries, coffee, spice and dust.

Spectacular showing for this wine.  Opened, allowed to breathe for ten minutes then decanted for sediment and allowed to breath for another twenty minutes.  Totally exceeded expectations.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose is everything one could want from aged Bordeaux.  Cassis, black cherries, tobacco, slight leather, hints of funk and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is complex, layered and contemplative.  Layers of cassis, black cherries, funk and earth.  Great balance.  Long finish.  More elegant than a powerhouse, but it can hold its own as well.  This bottle seemed at

What a treat.  The cork was popped, waited ten minutes and decanted for sediment.  This is classic old Bordeaux.  Deep ruby in color with some bricking at the rim.  The nose is great with cassis, cherries, tobacco, some funk and dried cherries.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is complex and delicious.  Most likely past prime but not a whole lot.  This bottle had been purchased on release and properly cellared.  Flavors of cassis and cherries layered with dry earth and funk.  Great balance.  Nice finish.  Drink now if you own any.  A bottle like this will work with dinner but it

This was popped and allowed to breathe for 20 minutes.  Certainly way too early but it was quite enjoyable nevertheless.  Consumed next to the 82, 83 and 09, for my tastes, this was the least great showing, but in time, will be the best wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, spice and freshly turned earth.  Powerful as it opens in the glass.  Wonderful texture.  On the palate, this is delicious if tight.  Cassis, slight black cherry with a hint of minerality.  Long finish.  This needs another ten to twelve years and should drink well for 30 after th

This is  70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, with some Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It is a more forward style of Bordeaux, but certainly not a fruit bomb.

This has a different shaped ullage so saying low-shoulder fill is quite accurate.  The fill was about four inches down from the top of the cork.  The cork was removed and the bottle blew off stink for a bit and then we tried it.  It did get a bit better over the subsequent 20 minutes before dying a quick death.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and a bit flat.  On the nose there is dust, saddle leather, dusty attic and just a hint of dried cranberries.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there is just a hint of cherries with leather and earth.  A bit tart.  Clipped finish.  There are surely people

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